Chapter 38 Don't be angry anymore, Brother Hansheng~...
Chapter 38
In order to quickly reorganize the city's defense forces, He Hansheng went out before dawn for several days in a row and did not return until late at night.
He was afraid of disturbing Shen Suining's rest, so he spent several nights in a row in the study.
Shen Suining was used to his busy schedule while she was idle. She also made sure to find things to do every day. Besides reading stories in her room and talking with the princess, she would spend most of her time calling Shen Fengyu and Jiang Yuchu to the Pu She and having Shen Yan accompany her to practice martial arts. Her mother always said that her martial arts skills were not improving, and she wanted to work on them before returning to Yangzhou.
On July 12th, two days later than the originally scheduled departure date back to Yangzhou, Shen Suining went to Pu She again.
"You come here so often, every few days." Shen Yan was happy to see his daughter, but he was also worried that gossip would cause her to suffer.
As usual, he tossed a wooden sword to Shen Suining, smiling as he struck a pose, "Don't get angry if you lose."
Shen Suining took the sword and snorted, "I'm not that petty."
The father and daughter practiced for an hour or so, but the sun became scorching. Shen Yan knew that Shen Suining was most afraid of the heat, and seeing her face flushed and covered in sweat, he called her to stop and took her into the house. He then ordered someone to bring over some cooling bamboo plum tea.
Shen Suining gulped down two cups. Shen Yan noticed that she seemed to be preoccupied, and realized that she was not in a good mood.
He gave Xun Zong a wink, and Xun Zong immediately understood. He called Jiang Yuchu and Shen Suining to stand guard outside the door, and then he also withdrew.
Shen Yan then asked, "Do you have something to say to your father?"
“Hmm,” Shen Suining thought for a while, then suddenly asked mysteriously, “Father, you and Uncle He are sworn brothers, what’s your relationship with his cousin like?”
Shen Yan's expression changed. "You mean... the current General of Valiant Valor, He Bufan?"
"Yeah, do you have other cousins?"
Shen Suining found it somewhat amusing.
When Shen Yan heard Shen Suining mention He Bufan, his expression immediately became very serious. "Ningning, although He Bufan is Hansheng's cousin, you should try to have as little contact with him as possible in private. He is a wicked person, so you should be careful."
Ever since their last encounter, Shen Suining had secretly investigated He Bufan. As the Princess had said, his relationship with Marquis Yong'an, He Changxin, was indeed as the Marquis had described. Before Marquis Yong'an achieved fame and success, they didn't have much interaction. However, after he entered the capital and was enfeoffed as a marquis, He Bufan became acquainted with him. He even used their kinship to be appointed as the Valiant General, a position with little real power. Although his rank wasn't very high, he lived a comfortable life in the capital.
His wife, Zhou Hao, was the older sister of Zhou Fu, the former Minister of War. Shen Suining remembered that the last person Zhou Fu saw on the night she went to kill him was He Bufan.
In other words, the missing ledger that He Hansheng and Lin Ling mentioned was taken away by He Bufan.
However, after hearing He Hansheng say that the case of embezzlement had been concluded, the whereabouts of the account books were no longer so important, Shen Suining didn't ask any more questions.
Hearing Shen Yan's reminder, Shen Suining thought for a while, "His wife Zhou Hao seems to know a little about pharmacology and probably understands the principles of drug interactions. Last time when the Princess was poisoned, when the couple came to visit, I only tricked her a little, and she panicked a lot."
"You mean, the person who drugged the Princess before Han Sheng went to Jizhou was instructed by He Bufan?"
"Probably, otherwise why would he choose to come when the Princess is ill and He Hansheng is not around? He probably just thinks I, his new wife, am easy to manipulate and wants to make a fuss about it. The city garrison was originally under the command of his brother-in-law. Although Zhou Fu is the Minister of War, he is weak-willed and has no opinions of his own. He relies on his brother-in-law in everything. What difference is there between the military power in Zhou Fu's hands and in He Bufan's hands? Now that Zhou Fu is dead and he has lost his military power, he should be anxious and upset."
Shen Yan was not surprised that Shen Suining had such a clear understanding of the relationships in the court. With the people from Qianji Pavilion in Huadu and Xiao Jiu already lying in wait there, it would be very easy for her to find out anything.
Furthermore, if He Bufan truly harbored ill intentions, He Hansheng would inform Shen Suining so that she could be on guard.
Shen Yan was silent for a moment, then asked, "Does Han Sheng know about He Bufan poisoning the Princess?"
“I mentioned it to him briefly, but he probably already guessed it.” Shen Suining thought that if he didn’t know who the mastermind was, given He Hansheng’s personality, he wouldn’t have immediately executed the poisoner that day.
“If this matter is almost certainly true, then we really need to carefully consider our return to Yangzhou,” Shen Yan said, his eyes filled with undisguised worry for his daughter. “A few days ago, Han Sheng told me that you should come with me on the official boat to return to Yangzhou first, and he would follow later. He probably anticipated that someone would take advantage of his absence from the capital to do something drastic. If that’s really the case…”
“I will go with him,” Shen Suining knew Shen Yan was worried, but her tone remained incredibly firm. “We’ve already discussed this briefly. Feng Yu and Uncle Xun will escort you and Sister Miao to Cangzhou by official boat first, while I’ll go with him by land. If all goes well, we’ll meet at the Cangzhou canal wharf. If not…”
Shen Suining paused for a moment, then said slowly and deliberately, "You should have Feng Yu bring the people from Bifeng Hall back to meet us."
...
When Shen Suining returned to the Yong'an Marquis's residence, she found He Hansheng at home.
He sat on a bamboo couch in the outer room of the bedroom, his arm propped up on a small table, his fingertips pressing on his brow, his eyes closed as if resting, looking somewhat tired.
Shen Suining was somewhat surprised, "You're back so early today?"
"Hmm," Hearing her voice, He Hansheng smiled and naturally reached out to pull her closer. "Have you discussed everything with your father-in-law?"
"It's settled. He said he'll do whatever you say, and if you need his help, just let him know."
Shen Suining sat down next to He Hansheng and noticed that He Hansheng had another hand resting on the bamboo couch, pressing down on a letter. She couldn't help but ask, "What is this?"
“It’s an invitation from my uncle’s family,” He Hansheng handed her the letter. “He said there’s a martial arts tournament at the Martial Arts Hall tomorrow, and most of the military officers in the court will be attending with their families. He asked me to take you there too.”
"Why do you have to take me along for your martial arts contest?" Shen Suining took the invitation, glanced at it, and smiled knowingly. "You probably just want to test my martial arts skills, don't you?"
It's neither a holiday nor a festival, and He Bufan's brother-in-law has just passed away, yet he insists on holding some kind of martial arts tournament on the Ghost Festival (July 15th of the lunar calendar). His purpose is self-evident.
"Do you want to go?" He Hansheng gently wiped the sweat from Shen Suining's forehead and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "If you want to go and have some fun, I'll take you."
"Of course I'll go! Who doesn't love watching a show?" Shen Suining readily agreed, but then, thinking of how busy He Hansheng had been these past few days, she couldn't help but ask, "But do you have time?"
"have."
"Are you done with the city garrison?"
“It’s almost ready,” He Hansheng said, holding Shen Suining’s hand and gently swirling his thumb around her thumb and forefinger. “Make preparations in the next couple of days, and you can leave no later than the sixteenth.”
“That would be wonderful. I’ll go with you tomorrow,” Shen Suining said, holding up the invitation to cover the lower half of her face. She smiled broadly, her eyes crinkling with excitement and anticipation. “Remember to cooperate with me. I’m going to put on a good show for them.”
...
The next day, at the Martial Arts Hall.
After the carriage came to a stop, He Hansheng got out of the carriage first, as usual, and then helped Shen Suining down with both hands. To onlookers, they were undoubtedly a loving couple.
Just as Shen Suining stood firm on the ground, two carriages from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion slowly approached.
Gao Zhongyi got off the carriage, and He Hansheng bowed to him, but he ignored him. Gao Zhongyi's eldest son, Gao Ziyao, jumped off the carriage right after him.
Gao Ziyao was the son of Concubine Yun. Although his birth mother and his legal mother, Madam Xu, were not on good terms, he treated his younger sister, Gao Lanxin, well. Therefore, he did not give He Hansheng a friendly look, but he had to pay his respects because the other party was of higher status than him.
Gao Lanxin also arrived, helping Xu Shi down from the carriage behind. She looked much more haggard, and there seemed to be lingering finger marks on her face. Upon seeing He Hansheng, she subconsciously called out, "Brother Hansheng—"
Gao Zhongyi glanced at her, and Gao Lanxin immediately changed her address: "Greetings, Young Marquis."
He Hansheng nodded in response, without making any further moves.
After the Duke of Zhenguo and his family went inside, He Hansheng turned to look at Shen Suining.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Shen Suining asked, completely bewildered.
"It's nothing." Seeing that she was alright, He Hansheng realized that he had been overthinking things. He lowered his head and smiled self-deprecatingly. Shen Suining had already taken a few steps ahead of him.
"What are you still standing there for?" Seeing that he was not moving, Shen Suining urged him.
He Hansheng snapped out of his daze and caught up with her in two steps. Shen Suining suddenly took his arm affectionately and said in a low voice, "Let's go, Brother Hansheng."
"..." He Hansheng's ears immediately turned hot, and he couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.
The martial arts tournament hadn't started yet, and He Bufan, as the initiator, was busy receiving guests.
He Hansheng led Shen Suining forward to greet them, "Uncle, it's been a long time."
"Yun Chu is here," He Bufan said in front of others, adopting the loving demeanor of an elder. When he saw that Shen Suining had also arrived, his smile widened. "Niece-in-law, we meet again."
"Greetings, Uncle." Shen Suining bowed obediently, completely lacking the sharp tongue she displayed at the Marquis's residence.
Shen Suining looked around and, not seeing Zhou Hao, asked, "Why didn't Auntie come?"
"Your brother-in-law has just passed away, and your aunt is too grief-stricken to see anyone."
Shen Suining let out an "Ah," and also put on a sad expression, saying, "Uncle, please accept my condolences."
"It's alright." He Bufan smiled, but his eyes were cold. He led He Hansheng and Shen Suining to their seats.
The martial arts hall was outdoors, and the guests' seats were a row of tents erected around the huge martial arts training ground. Since most people brought their female relatives, there was a thin gauze curtain separating the seats.
The boy next to him saw He Hansheng and couldn't help but tease him: "Young Master He has just taken command of the city's defense forces, yet he still has time to meddle in this kind of scene. It's really bullying."
He Hansheng smiled and said, "My wife was bored at home and wanted to come out and see what was going on, so I brought her along."
"It was for your sake, my sister-in-law. My apologies."
Seeing the other person cupping their hands in greeting, Shen Suining instinctively wanted to return the gesture, but then she remembered her own identity and simply nodded slightly in response.
She tugged at He Hansheng's sleeve, "Who is this again?"
"Song Jialin, the youngest son of the Commander of the Palace Guard."
Shen Suining suddenly realized, her gaze sweeping past He Hansheng and staring intently at Song Jialin, "He's quite handsome, not like a military general at all."
"Why are you staring at her face?" He Hansheng turned her face away, laughing in exasperation.
"I won't look anymore," Shen Suining cooperated and withdrew her gaze, took a preserved plum from the plate on the table and handed it to He Hansheng's lips, coaxing him with a smile, "Don't be angry anymore, Brother Hansheng."
"Don't be silly." With outsiders present, He Hansheng coughed lightly, opened his mouth, and put the preserved plum she handed him into his mouth. It was sweet and refreshing.
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