Chapter Twenty-Four: The Spices Are Poisonous, Xu Chumin Is Arrested
Just before evening, Zhao Yu returned to his residence.
When Duke Zhao saw the military report he had brought back, he glanced at his son and asked, "How is Uncle Yao?"
Zhao Yu lowered his eyes: "He seems to be in alright, not too badly off."
In the previous life's timeline, a year later, the old patriarch would travel the mountains and rivers with the local Taoist priests. He didn't even attend his wedding with Xu Chumian and eventually lived to the age of ninety-two.
Duke Zhao hummed in agreement, then paused before asking, "Was there anything thorny in court today?"
Zhao Yu paused slightly, then looked at his father. "No."
Duke Zhao narrowed his eyes immediately: "Who has offended you?"
"If Father has nothing else, I will return home now."
Duke Zhao casually grabbed a teacup from the side and threw it at Zhao Yu.
"Get out, get out, get out!"
A moment later, the Duke of Zhao called out to him in a deep voice, "He'an, stop."
Zhao Yu stopped walking.
"He'an, you're a member of the Zhao family. If you want something, go get it yourself. Who are you trying to impress by complaining like this?"
Zhao Yu took a deep breath, his wrist trembling and veins bulging, his lips pressed together until they turned white.
The once serene and aloof figure now appeared somewhat desolate, and a hint of bewilderment appeared in his eyes.
Zhao Yu stood there for an unknown amount of time before finally taking his leave.
On his way back to Songchi Courtyard, Zhao Yu ran into his mother, Madam Zhang, and his second aunt in the garden.
Madam Zhang was comforting her, saying, "She's just a concubine after all, so don't take it too seriously. If she doesn't suit your taste, just find an excuse to send her away."
Second Aunt's face was full of anger. "Sister-in-law, you don't know the bitterness in my heart. I wait for him to return to the capital every day. He has no idea how bitter it is! But he is doing the same thing, having affairs with that concubine outside."
"By the time they return to the capital, it will be winter. I'm going to give that bitch a good beating. She says she has a heart full of love and sincerity. I want to see how she'll manage to do laundry and cook in the winter. Since she loves to act so much, let her keep acting. It's all for the good of the master at home, after all."
This is the second brother's family matter, and it is not appropriate for Zhang, as the eldest sister-in-law, to interfere.
Madam Zhang sighed, "Don't get so angry that you'll ruin your health."
Out of the corner of her eye, Zhang noticed Zhao Yu's figure hidden in the twilight.
Second Aunt's expression changed slightly. Could it be that the young master heard what she just said?
Madam Zhang walked towards her son and asked with concern, "He'an, what are you doing here?"
Upon closer inspection, one could see that Zhao Yu's face was pale and gloomy, and his body swayed slightly, as if he had suffered some kind of blow.
Zhao Yu's eyes were bloodshot as he looked at Madam Zhang. He recalled how Xu Chumian had visited her grandmother at the temple in her previous life and returned from a serious illness.
Xu Chumian was burning up with fever, but she insisted on drinking the medicine that Zhang had brought despite her illness.
Zhao Yu reprimanded Xu Chumian for disrespecting her elders.
Xu Chumian argued with him through tears: "No matter how well I behave as a daughter-in-law, she will never accept me. What Zhao Yu said is true. I didn't lie to you."
Xu Chumian lost her father at a young age, and no one taught her how to be a wife or a good daughter-in-law. She tried to manage the household and take care of her husband like a lady from a prominent family, but no matter how much she tried to please and protect her, Madam Zhang was never satisfied with her.
This was the first major argument the couple had since getting married, and Xu Chumian even frowned and shed tears while sleeping.
He had initially thought Chu Mian was just being spoiled, but now, thinking back, Zhao Yu felt as if his heart was being ripped out.
Those few days in the temple, how difficult it must have been for the first time to fall asleep.
His voice trembled as he asked with difficulty, "Mother, why did you treat her like that?"
Zhao Yu's voice was faint, and Madam Zhang didn't hear it clearly. She frowned and asked, "He'an, what's wrong with you?"
Lady Zhang then sent someone to fetch a doctor.
Zhao Yu shook his head and walked forward.
His silhouette was lonely and sorrowful.
Besides this, how many other details did Zhao Yu overlook?
As Zhang watched her son's retreating figure, a sense of unease washed over her.
Zhao Yu returned to Songchi Courtyard. Lanterns hung under the eaves, but no one would wait for him to come home.
Guan Yan spoke up to remind him, "Sir, shall we eat now?"
"No need, you can go now."
The room was pitch black. After Zhao Yu got into bed, he turned to his side, his left hand hanging in mid-air.
It looks just like when Xu Chumian was still alive.
An indescribable grief spread through Zhao Yu's body, as if he had returned to the state he was in when he learned of his wife's death in his previous life.
Chu Mian left him with the child...
It was his fault for not protecting them.
Zhao Yu's head was throbbing with pain, and he vomited a mouthful of blood.
His face was deathly pale, and the bloodstains at the corner of his mouth were a glaring crimson.
Guan Yan knocked on the door, "Master, there's news about Shen Lingyin and the Prince of Qin."
Zhao Yu wiped away the blood and said, "Go in."
Guan Yan entered, lit the lamps, and the room was brightly lit. Seeing Zhao Yu's appearance, he was startled. "Master, I'll go fetch a doctor now—"
Zhao Yu said sternly, "Come back, and don't make a fuss about it."
Guan Yan was so anxious she almost cried.
Zhao Yu frowned. "Explain yourself."
Guan Yan was anxious and stammered, "His Highness the Crown Prince dotes on Shen Lingyin. Shen Lingyin can even enter the study of the Eastern Palace at will. The Crown Prince was assassinated a few days ago because Shen Lingyin leaked the clues."
"We have captured those assassins; they are now awaiting your orders."
The King of Qin is the youngest brother of the current emperor, only three years older than the crown prince, and was granted the title of King of Qin.
On the surface, the King of Qin appears carefree and romantic, but in private, his cronies have always been enemies of the Crown Prince, and there is open and covert infighting in the court. Shen Lingyin, the Crown Prince's future wife, had already been having an affair with the King of Qin without proper matchmaking several months ago.
The early deaths of His Majesty and the Crown Prince in their previous life were orchestrated by the King of Qin.
Zhao Yu hummed in agreement: "First, arrest them and put them in the Wenju dungeon."
Wenju was a house Zhao Yu owned near the Dali Temple. Occasionally, when he was working late on a case, he would stay overnight at Wenju.
Guan Yan: "Yes!"
After Zhao Yu came out of the washroom, the room had been cleaned and the bed had been replaced with a new one.
Zhao Yu was also lying on his side.
I closed my eyes for a while when it was just getting light.
On this day, Zhao Yu was to attend court.
When they left the palace, Guan Yan stood at the gate, her face flushed with anxiety.
"Sir, Miss Xu has been taken away by the Jingzhao Yin's men, who say that the spices she sells are poisonous."
Zhao Yu's face darkened immediately, and he headed towards the Prefect of the Capital.
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