Chapter 41 He Hansheng, you can back out, but...
Chapter 41
As planned, Shen Yan, along with Miao Wei, Shen Fengyu, and others, left a day early on an official boat. Shen Suining and He Hansheng set off on horseback early the next morning, while Jiang Yuchu drove a carriage with their luggage and set off ahead of time to meet them at the agreed location.
So the morning before, Shen Suining and He Hansheng began packing the clothes they would need for the journey.
Shen Suining packed up the hidden weapons and medicines that Miao Wei had left her in the outer room before starting to tidy her clothes. Of course, she could no longer wear the gorgeous clothes and skirts from the Marquis's mansion for the sake of convenience on her journey.
So she called to He Hansheng, who was in the inner bedroom, "He Hansheng, could you go to my trunk and get me some clothes?"
"..." There was a moment of silence inside. "Can't you come in and get it yourself?"
“No,” Shen Suining refused decisively. “I have other things to pack. Clothes are the least important thing. Just give me a couple of outfits.”
He Hansheng sighed heavily and walked to the innermost corner of the inner room. There was a chest that had been carried into the house with Shen Suining's dowry during their wedding. All the clothes that Shen Suining often wore before marrying into the Marquis's mansion were in there.
Although they were husband and wife, He Hansheng did not want to touch Shen Suining's personal belongings. He hesitated in front of the box for a while before struggling to ask again, "Then... shall I just take some for you?"
There was no response from the person outside. He Hansheng didn't think Shen Suining hadn't heard him. Given her personality, she probably thought his question was unnecessary.
He Hansheng let out a breath, hesitated, and opened the box. A faint, sweet fragrance of women wafted out. The clothes inside were neatly folded, mostly clothes that allowed for easy movement.
He closed his eyes, reached inside and took the top two pieces. Just as he was about to close the box, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a red, thick piece of fabric peeking out from under the box.
He Hansheng paused slightly, feeling that those were not normal clothes.
He put the clothes aside, reached inside and touched something wrapped in red silk. It was hard and seemed to have words engraved on it.
He Hansheng shouldn't have touched Shen Suining's personal belongings like that, but the texture and shape of the item were too obvious. He had bad thoughts, so he turned to look at the outer room, gritted his teeth, and took the item out from the bottom of the box.
He lifted the red silk, and as he expected, it was a memorial tablet for the deceased, but the tablet clearly stated—
The late wife, née Shen, was given a post in Suining.
He Hansheng's pupils contracted as he stared in disbelief at the memorial tablet in his hand, his fingers trembling slightly as he stroked the large golden characters on it.
My late wife, née Shen.
She's still alive and well, so why is she preparing her own memorial tablet?
Before He Hansheng could think, he heard Shen Suining walking in from outside. He hurriedly wrapped the things in his hands again with red silk and put them under the box.
"It's just two pieces of clothing, why are you dawdling?" Shen Suining walked in, and He Hansheng had already casually closed the suitcase, handing her the clothes he had taken out. "Are these two okay?"
Shen Suining hummed in response, then casually took the item and glanced at it. "Anything is fine."
She took the clothes and went out, completely unaware that something was wrong with He Hansheng.
Shen Suining packed the luggage that Jiang Yuchu was to take first, and ordered people to carry it onto the carriage. She herself only carried two sets of clothes, and more items for self-defense and medicine.
Although there has been no movement from He Bufan's side so far, and it's mostly just speculation, when traveling, one naturally needs to be fully prepared for everything.
Jiang Yuchu finished loading everything onto the carriage and bid farewell to Shen Suining, saying, "Madam, please be careful, you and the Marquis."
"I know, stop dawdling," Shen Suining said with a hint of impatience. She beckoned to Xiangye behind her and handed a small box to Jiang Yuchu. "Just in case, there are some commonly used medicines in here that could be life-saving if necessary. These are all my most treasured possessions in this car, so you'd better be careful and don't lose them."
Jiang Yuchu was somewhat moved and accepted the box with both hands, saying, "Thank you, Madam."
After watching Jiang Yuchu's carriage leave, Shen Suining went to see the Eldest Princess.
The two were going to Yangzhou and would not be back for about a month. Knowing that they were worried about leaving her alone at home, the Princess had already prepared to go to the palace for a while under the pretext of attending to the Empress Dowager. This way, He Hansheng and Shen Suining could feel more at ease.
"Mother-in-law." When Shen Suining came in, she saw that Mingxi and Mingle were already dressed and ready to go to the palace.
When the eldest princess saw her coming, she stepped forward and took her hand. "I'm going to the palace. You and Asheng can go to Yangzhou in peace. No matter how far those people's reach is, they can't reach into the Empress Dowager's Shou Kang Palace."
Shen Suining nodded, but still reminded her with concern, "Even if you go into the palace, Mother-in-law, you must be careful in everything. You should take with you all the poison-testing and antidote items that Sister Miao brought when she left, just in case. Also, remember the foods that cannot be eaten together. Although Mingxi and Mingle will remember, you should still keep an eye on them yourself."
"I understand, Ningning, don't worry." The princess genuinely liked Shen Suining. Although they had only known each other for a little over a month, she regarded her as her own daughter. Now that they were about to part, she was naturally very reluctant to leave.
She held Shen Suining's hands tightly, and after a moment of restraint, said, "There are many dangers on this journey, Ningning, you must take good care of yourself."
After seeing off the Princess, Shen Suining returned to Ta Mei Garden, but He Hansheng had already disappeared.
She asked around before finally learning from Jing Hao that the city defense forces had an urgent matter to attend to, and he had rushed over as soon as he finished packing.
Shen Suining was quite unhappy. "You didn't even tell me."
Jing Hao explained, "The young marquis left in a hurry, probably because he couldn't wait to tell Madam. Please don't be offended, Madam."
Shen Suining snorted lightly. Apart from Jiang Yuchu, who was a bit dull, almost everyone in the Marquis's mansion was shrewd, especially these members of the Jing generation.
"While I'm away for a month, you all have to take good care of those three wolfhounds, especially Erni. If they get too thin from hunger, I won't let you off the hook," Shen Suining threatened fiercely.
Jing Hao: "Don't worry, Madam. Jing Yue and I will take care of her personally. She won't starve."
Shen Suining was relieved.
She returned to Ta Mei Garden, but many of her belongings had been moved out, leaving the house feeling empty. The eldest princess had gone to the palace, and even Shen Fengyu and Jiang Yuchu were not there. A sudden, indescribable loneliness welled up in Shen Suining's heart.
She has always loved being in lively places and is most afraid of this quiet and lonely feeling.
Shen Suining called Xiangye and Mingke into the room to talk to her for a while. She gave many instructions over and over again, repeating the same things over and over. Even she herself felt that she was being a bit long-winded. She then reluctantly lay down on the couch to rest, hoping that He Hansheng would return soon.
However, when Shen Suining woke up in the middle of the night, He Hansheng still hadn't returned.
...
In the city defense camp, He Hansheng summoned several new commanders to his tent and repeatedly explained the situation to them.
The same thing was repeated over and over again, and the new commanders looked at each other, all of them realizing that the young marquis was distracted.
The newly appointed leader of the city's defense forces, Qi Heng, couldn't help but remind them: "The young marquis has emphasized these points many times, and we have kept them in mind and dare not make any mistakes."
He Hansheng paused for a moment before nodding. "It's getting late, generals, you should head back soon."
"Yes." After the other commanders left, Qi Heng remained in the tent.
Seeing that he hadn't left, He Hansheng asked, "Commander Qi, do you have something to say?"
“It’s nothing urgent, but I heard that the young marquis and his wife are leaving for Yangzhou early tomorrow morning,” Qi Heng paused, then asked hesitantly, “But it’s so late now, doesn’t the young marquis plan to go back to his residence to rest?”
He Hansheng remained silent.
He didn't need to come. He had already told Qi Heng what needed to be told a few days ago. Qi Heng was originally the deputy general of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion. He had followed his father for many years and had commanded the city's defense troops with his father in his early years. He had enough experience, so He Hansheng naturally trusted him.
However, He Hansheng was in a mess ever since he saw the memorial tablet that Shen Suining had prepared for her. He didn't want to ask Shen Suining directly, but he was worried that he would lose control when he stayed at home. If this matter were brought up in the open, the two of them would definitely have an argument.
The current harmonious relationship is hard-won, and He Hansheng doesn't want to ruin it again.
But he couldn't help but wonder, what exactly does a healthy, living person want to do by preparing their own memorial tablet?
"Young Master?" Seeing that He Hansheng had not spoken for a long time, Qi Heng called out tentatively.
He Hansheng hesitated for a moment before finally speaking: "Uncle Qi is very knowledgeable. I have a question I would like to ask you."
"Please speak freely, my lord."
"Do you know if there is any medicine in this world that can make someone appear dead and deceive others without harming their own life?"
Qi Heng fell into deep thought. "Although I don't understand pharmacology, the world is full of wonders. If there really is a drug that can make a person hold their breath and pretend to be dead to deceive others, it wouldn't be anything strange."
He Hansheng's heart sank little by little.
That's it.
How many people in Shuyu Manor possess extraordinary skills? Miao Wei, whom He Hansheng has met, is already an unparalleled master of medicine and poison in this world. It would not be surprising at all if Shen Suining could obtain a medicine that could induce symptoms of apparent death.
Why would she fake her death? It's nothing more than using a coffin to create the illusion that she's dead, so she can escape this bustling capital city that she never wanted to stay in and that doesn't belong to her.
Yes, she didn't belong here. She married him out of necessity. If it weren't for the fact that Marquis Pinghuai had to stay in the capital to investigate the truth of his father's death, with her temperament and abilities, how could an imperial edict and a marriage certificate have trapped her in the capital?
“That’s true,” He Hansheng said with a bitter smile. “Uncle Qi, you should go back to your tent and rest. I’ll stay a little longer before heading back. I’ll be away for the next month, so I’ll have to trouble you with the city’s defenses.”
Qi Heng cupped his hands in greeting, "It is my duty, how can you ask me to trouble you?"
After Qi Heng returned, He Hansheng sat alone in his tent for a long time before finally deciding to go back when the full moon hung in the center of the night sky.
He had just stepped out of the tent when a sentry at the door came to report: "My lord, the lady has arrived."
"Madam?" He Hansheng was slightly taken aback before realizing that the "Madam" the sentry was referring to was Shen Suining.
"Yes, Madam has been waiting at the door for a long time. Hearing that you were busy, she told us not to disturb you and to inform you when you came out."
He Hansheng quickly ran to the camp entrance.
By the moonlight, he saw Shen Suining squatting in the corner in front of the door, idly fiddling with the grass on the ground with a tree branch in her hand. Two white horses were tied to the fence behind her, and on their backs were her and his luggage.
The girl was dressed in moon white, her slender figure half-hidden in the darkness, stubborn yet lonely.
He Hansheng gritted his teeth, suppressing his emotions as he stepped forward, "Ningning, what brings you here?"
Hearing his voice, Shen Suining stood up with her back to him. After a long silence, she said softly, "I saw that it was getting late and guessed that you probably wouldn't be going back tonight, so I brought your luggage and horse with me to save you from having to make an extra trip back and waste your energy."
Even though she tried her best to restrain herself, He Hansheng could still detect a hint of grievance and trembling in her seemingly calm voice, an emotion he had never seen in Shen Suining before.
He Hansheng was somewhat at a loss. He took two steps forward, wanting to say something, but didn't know where to begin.
“He Hansheng,” Shen Suining took a deep breath, took his luggage off the horse, slowly turned around, and forced a seemingly indifferent smile at the corner of his mouth, “You can back out, it’s okay.”
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