Chapter 85 Given Shen Suining's personality, what exactly...?
Chapter 85
Shen Suining had heard the Empress Dowager mention the Winter Solstice Palace Banquet when she last visited the palace. Later, she also inquired with Luo Jiuxun. On the Winter Solstice, all the imperial relatives, as long as they were even remotely related, would attend. It was considered a royal family banquet. As the emperor's nephew, He Hansheng naturally had to be present.
Although the two are not on good terms now, in public, Shen Suining is still He Hansheng's wife. On the winter solstice, she not only has to attend with him, but also has to put on a show of their love as usual, so as not to be accused of disobeying the imperial decree and deceiving the emperor.
Shen Suining withdrew her foot expressionlessly. Thinking of Wang Jingde's words that day, she snorted, neither refusing nor agreeing, only saying, "I'm doing this for the sake of the Princess, it has nothing to do with you."
She needed a way out, and He Hansheng, of course, wouldn't expose her. He just curled his lips, replied "okay," and then took out a box of rouge that had been prepared in the carriage and handed it to Shen Suining.
Shen Suining glanced at it and said with a sneer, "If I hadn't agreed just now, Young Master He was even planning to bribe me."
“If it were a bribe, this thing probably wouldn’t catch Young Master Shen’s eye,” He Hansheng opened the box and took out the rouge. “I’ve never seen these before, but lately when I have nothing to do, I’ve been picking out a lot of them. These are what I bought today; the rest are at home.”
Shen Suining remained motionless. He Hansheng thought for a moment, put the rouge on the table, and emptied all his pockets.
"That's all I have." He Hansheng laid out all the wealth he had with him, somewhat embarrassed.
He Hansheng doesn't usually carry much money with him when he goes out. Compared to his extravagant spending in Hangzhou a few years ago, he now seems rather stingy. In addition, he used his own private funds to replenish the Pinghuai Marquis's mansion, so he is indeed quite short of money now.
Seeing the rare hint of embarrassment on He Hansheng's usually composed face, Shen Suining was immediately in a good mood. She deliberately put on a cold face and said, "Back when Young Master He was fighting with me for someone at Wan Hua Lou, he was willing to spend a hundred taels of gold without hesitation. How come you're so stingy with me now?"
As expected, He Hansheng's expression became even more embarrassed. He coughed lightly and explained, "Back then, I was handling cases on imperial orders, and the money I had was all given to me by His Majesty. If you... if you think this is not enough, I will give you my monthly salary and the fiefdom from now on, along with my private treasury, the deeds to my houses and lands, and all my personal property."
"Good attitude, worthy of praise," Shen Suining nodded in satisfaction, without touching the money on the table, but took the rouge and handed it to him, "Put it on for me."
Although her attempts to show goodwill were awkward, her methods were always straightforward and unambiguous.
He Hansheng paused for a moment, then responded with a "yes," took the rouge from her hand, opened it, and used his fingertip to apply a smear of red.
Shen Suining sat down next to him, tilted her head back and leaned in, pouting slightly.
Her lips were full and he had been sketching them many times, so he was very familiar with them. Her lips were naturally crimson without any makeup. Especially after each kiss with him, when her lips were still covered with his breath, they looked like a delicate flower bud immersed in water, making one want to cherish them carefully, yet also wanting to squeeze them in the palm of one's hand and crush them.
He Hansheng carefully applied rouge to her lips with his fingertips, his movements gentle and his expression exceptionally serious, as if he were polishing an extremely precious treasure.
The carriage swayed gently as he traced the shape of her lips with his fingertips, his eyes filled with a hint of longing, yet seemingly devoid of any romantic tenderness.
"Alright." He Hansheng withdrew his hand, shifting his gaze away from Shen Suining's lips.
"He Hansheng," Shen Suining suddenly called out to him, leaning her face closer, their breaths mingling as she stared into his eyes, "Is it handsome?"
He Hansheng was forced to look directly at her, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, his voice a little hoarse, "Beautiful."
"Then why is your reaction so calm?"
Shen Suining raised an eyebrow. Perhaps she had already seen his shameless and unrestrained behavior, and she had almost forgotten that He Hansheng was originally a reserved young nobleman. At least in front of others, he was held on a high pedestal, and his words and actions were restrained, which also cultivated his cold and restrained nature. He could grasp the sense of proportion just right in dealing with people and things.
If he were to pursue her relentlessly like other men, Shen Suining might find it boring or even disgusting. But once he retreats beyond the boundaries and maintains a distance beyond the marital relationship, Shen Suining becomes intensely interested.
So she moved forward a little more, forcing He Hansheng to step back and lean against the car wall.
“Ningning,” he said helplessly, “this can’t be done.”
"What can't I do?" Shen Suining asked knowingly, looking up at He Hansheng, who was like prey with no way to escape, right next to her.
She braced her hands on his legs, her palms sliding down his knees as she moved forward, her breath brushing against his face as she spoke.
Shen Suining smiled seductively, her voice low and alluring, just as she had always asked him, "Why are you hiding from me? Am I not pretty enough?"
He Hansheng stared at her, his eyes gradually darkening. Under her deliberate teasing, he finally raised his hand, restrainedly pinching her chin, his thumb tip gently touching the corner of her lips.
He lowered his head, but didn't kiss her. He brushed his nose against her cheek and then lingered by her ear for a moment.
“You know, Ningning,” He Hansheng’s lips were almost touching her earlobe, his voice hoarse with surrender, “You know where my patience ends, so please let me go, okay?”
Shen Suining chuckled softly. She could clearly feel the change in him from the position of her hand, and naturally understood how hard he was working these days.
She didn't press the matter further. She withdrew her hands, moved back a little, and sat back in her original position, keeping a certain distance from him.
He Hansheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Shen Suining casually picked up a book from the side, opened it, and saw that it was a storybook she had never read before.
Originally, He Hansheng's carriage never carried these books. But as she traveled with him more often, He Hansheng asked Jiang Yuchu to prepare some storybooks that she might be interested in, so that she wouldn't be too bored in the carriage.
As Shen Suining flipped through the storybook, she glanced at He Hansheng's entire fortune on the table and casually remarked, "You've been spending quite a bit lately."
“It’s almost the end of the year, and there are many places where we need to spend money,” He Hansheng put the money into his money bag and pushed Shen Suining away. “I’m sorry you had to see this.”
Shen Suining glanced at him and said, "When you're out and about, who doesn't have times when they're short on money? Besides, money and valuables are just external things. You should spend them when you need to, and the process of spending them is what truly belongs to you."
He Hansheng pondered for a moment, feeling that something was off about her words, but he didn't dare to say anything. He just hummed in agreement, "I heard that you've been spending quite a bit lately. If you need anything, just have Jiang Yuchu take it from my private treasury."
Shen Suining: "You seem to have a very thorough understanding of my movements."
He Hansheng remained silent.
In fact, Shen Suining had no other intention in saying this, but the listener took it to heart. He Hansheng hesitated several times, wanting to speak but then stopped. Seeing her engrossed in reading the storybook, he finally swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Shen Suining looked up and saw that he seemed to have something to say. "Is there something you want to discuss with me?"
Since returning to the capital, Shen Suining has been secretly searching for Cui Rong, who is also He Bufan's advisor.
He Bufan's crimes of bribery have long been established, and he is currently in prison. However, the court has not yet dealt with him because of the few fragments of account books that have been presented as evidence.
The ledger was originally evidence of Zhou Fu and Zhu Han's division of the spoils. It recorded the amount and whereabouts of the money involved in the embezzlement case. Judging from the reaction to the case at the time, the number of people involved was probably far more than the group that was punished at the time. Those who escaped the net are still in the court and are now secretly protecting He Bufan.
Because the remaining part of the ledger was in Cui Rong's hands, and Cui Rong had disappeared after He Bufan went to prison, if He Bufan was executed, Cui Rong would definitely come back with the ledger. At that time, the evidence would be irrefutable, and according to the law, the real beneficiaries of the embezzlement case would have no chance of turning things around. They did not want to break ties with Li Bo, and Li Bo could not go against their wishes and directly execute He Bufan.
Therefore, finding Cui Rong is key to resolving He Bufan's case as soon as possible.
However, He Hansheng had never mentioned finding Cui Rong to Shen Suining. He had probed Shen Yan's intentions and learned that it was not at his behest. If it were Shen Suining's personal will, she would not have thought of doing this.
Moreover, the people Shen Suining used to find Cui Rong were not brought from Shuyu Manor. Shen Fengyu and the other three protectors of Bifeng Hall were completely unaware of this. In addition, Shen Suining's recent spending was unusually high. He Hansheng, who was always perceptive, naturally realized the seriousness of the matter.
He Hansheng couldn't fathom what reason or for whom Shen Suining would do this for, given her personality.
After pondering for a long time, He Hansheng did not directly mention the matter, but only said, "Ningning, you told me before not to do dangerous things alone. So from now on, no matter what happens, we should discuss it together. Let's not hide anything from each other and do bad things on our own, okay?"
Shen Suining scoffed and didn't respond, focusing intently on the storybook in her hands.
When the carriage arrived at the gate of the Marquis of Pinghuai's residence, before He Hansheng could make a move, Shen Suining got up and jumped off the carriage. She looked at the plaque of "Marquis of Pinghuai's Residence" hanging on the gate and exhaled a breath of white air. Song Jialin and another stranger who looked seven-tenths like him rode over on horseback.
Although the man's features resembled Song Jialin's, he was not as handsome and approachable as Song Jialin. Instead, he was arrogant and haughty, and seemed difficult to get along with. He was sitting on his horse with his head held high, his nostrils pointing at people, and his eyes glanced at the gate of the Marquis's mansion with disdain.
Shen Suining frowned, thinking that this person was probably Song Wenshi, the eldest son of Song Fei, the Commander of the Palace Guard. She had heard Feng Yu mention him before. He was also a first-class martial arts master, and there were few opponents in Huadu who could defeat him. He Hansheng was one of them.
She couldn't help but scrutinize the man's figure, trying to find any resemblance between him and the masked man she had fought before.
Noticing Shen Suining's gaze, Song Wenshi glanced at her and snorted contemptuously, seemingly not taking her seriously at all.
Shen Suining suddenly felt an urge to punch someone.
Upon seeing Shen Suining, Song Jialin immediately dismounted, smiled, and stepped forward to greet her with a cupped hand, saying, "Greetings, sister-in-law."
Shen Suining snapped out of her daze and returned Song Wenshi's disdainful glare. She didn't give Song Jialin a friendly look either, only nodding in response. At this moment, He Hansheng also got off the carriage, and Song Jialin looked at He Hansheng, "Brother Yunchu has also arrived."
He Hansheng hummed in agreement. He was holding Shen Suining's fox fur coat in his arms. She had taken it off and put it aside because it was hot in the carriage.
In front of Song Jialin, He Hansheng draped a fox fur coat over Shen Suining and gently instructed, "Don't catch a cold."
No matter how much the two quarreled in private, in public, Shen Suining still gave He Hansheng face. She stood obediently and motionless, letting He Hansheng carefully straighten her collar and tie a beautiful bow tie for her.
Song Jialin, standing to the side, couldn't help but sigh, "Brother Yunchu and his wife are so loving, it's truly enviable!"
He Hansheng helped Shen Suining put on her fox fur coat, and as if intentionally sending her away, he said softly, "It's chilly outside, you go in first, I'll be there soon."
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