"You're so young and you're already doing bad things. What's going on in your head...?"
Su Yan was so angry that she pinched her ear harder.
Su Bao'er was in so much pain that she grimaced and begged for mercy, "Sister Yan...it hurts...be gentle...I was wrong, okay?"
Seeing Su Bao'er beg for mercy, Su Yan released her grip, saying with exasperation, "I think you should just give up on going to the academy and become a page at the Temple of the Matchmaker instead..."
Although Su Bao'er was the original owner's child, Su Yan never neglected him after she came out. Even with meager resources, she still provided for his studies.
Because Su Yan knew the importance of studying, she didn't expect Su Bao'er to become the top scholar in the imperial examination; she only hoped that he could live a peaceful life.
But Su Yan herself didn't know how she was raised, and she ended up doing things wrong, becoming a matchmaker at a young age.
Su Yan was nearly driven mad with worry just thinking about this situation.
Su Yan squatted down to pick up the shoes that had been thrown on the ground, threatening Su Bao'er as she said, "Once I find a house, you'd better move out of Lord Shen's house obediently."
"Sister Yan, why?"
"You're asking me why? You may be shameless, but your mother still has some sense of shame. It's not just you; Banxia has to move too..."
After speaking, Su Yan looked at Su Bao'er solemnly and said seriously, "Lord Shen is still unmarried, and now he is favored by the Crown Prince. He will surely rise to prominence in the future. Suddenly he has a goddaughter. What will the world think of him..."
Su Bao'er shook his head blankly. He couldn't understand the veiled meaning in Su Yan's words and retorted directly, "Why is that? Since ancient times, marriage has always been based on mutual affection. Banxia and I are both quite willing to stay by Lord Shen's side. What does it have to do with other people..."
Su Yan couldn't help but smile after hearing Su Bao'er's words; she really was a child at heart.
She smiled and reached out to pinch his chubby little face. "You're still young, you don't understand now, but you'll understand when you grow up..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened.
Banxia was seen holding Chen Yao's hand, standing at the door.
Su Yan was somewhat surprised by Shen Yao's sudden appearance, wondering how much of what she had just said had been overheard by him.
Shen Yao's expression remained unchanged, revealing no unusual emotions.
After breakfast, Shen Yao went to the yamen to continue investigating the case, while Su Yan, as a coroner, did not need to stay at the yamen all the time.
So she plans to look for a house today, while Su Bao'er and Banxia will go to the academy to study.
Just as Su Yan stepped out the door and was about to leave, Shen Yao called out to her from behind.
“Su Yan…”
Su Yan turned around and looked at Shen Yao with a blank expression. "Lord Shen, is there something you need?"
What do you take me for?
"Huh?" Su Yan looked blank, not understanding what Shen Yao meant.
"Am I really that scary?"
Su Yan was completely confused. "Huh? What exactly is the master trying to say?"
A hint of melancholy flashed across Shen Yao's face. "After the incident in Pear Blossom Village, I thought we were brothers who would risk our lives for each other. I never imagined that I was just being delusional."
After saying that, Shen Yao turned around and jumped onto the carriage without looking back, disappearing from Su Yan's sight.
Su Yan was left standing there dumbfounded, and couldn't help but sigh at how strange Shen Yao was today.
Sitting in the carriage, Shen Yao looked even more distressed and annoyed, not knowing what was wrong with him.
When he first met Su Yan, he was inexplicably drawn to him. He felt sorry for the father and son living in the mortuary, as it was not a long-term solution.
Unexpectedly, Su Yan was busy distancing herself from him.
Having lived for over twenty years, this was the first time Shen Yao had encountered such a situation.
Am I really sick?
…………
Su Yan originally didn't have much budget and planned to just rent a cheap courtyard, but she didn't expect to be taken to Guozi Lane by the brokers.
I looked at several courtyards, but either the price was beyond my budget or the conditions were not good enough.
Su Yan wasted the whole morning without finding a house that she was satisfied with.
It wasn't until Su Yan spotted a familiar figure on the street that she realized the teahouse owner was acting suspiciously, seemingly heading somewhere.
Su Yan recalled how the teahouse owner seemed very concerned about the dismemberment case that day, and became suspicious. So she sent the brokers away and secretly followed them.
Su Yan followed the teahouse owner, who walked into increasingly remote areas where there were hardly any pedestrians on the road. Su Yan felt uneasy.
Su Yan followed the teahouse owner to a dilapidated, abandoned temple.
Seeing that she was about to lose him, Su Yan hurriedly chased after him, but when she went inside, the teahouse owner was nowhere to be seen.
Su Yan realized something was wrong and tried to turn around and leave, but then she saw the teahouse owner appear at the door at some point.
"Sir...where are you going?" The teahouse owner walked towards Su Yan with a sinister smile.
Forced to retreat, Su Yan cried out, "You...you...you're the murderer in the dismemberment case! Were those stray dogs yours? Did you deliberately leak the body information to us...?"
The teahouse owner looked at Su Yan with a cold smile, but did not reply. He slowly walked towards Su Yan.
Su Yan tried to run away, but before she could turn around, she felt a heavy blow to her head. Her body went down uncontrollably, and her vision went black for a moment. She could only see two dark shadows gradually blurring in her vision until she completely lost consciousness.
The teahouse owner kicked Su Yan, who was lying on the ground, and looked at the woman beside him, "What if you killed her by hitting her so hard?"
The woman retorted, cursing, "Wasn't it you who brought them here? What are we going to do now... won't they trace it back to you?"
The teahouse owner was clutching his forehead, his head throbbing with a headache. He had only wanted to meet a beautiful woman in secret, but he hadn't expected to be followed. However, he didn't want to make a big deal out of it.
After thinking it over, he decided he didn't want to kill anyone anymore, so he said, "Lock them up first, and we'll see how things go later."
"You're not scared, are you..." the woman teased.
Upon hearing the woman's words, the teahouse owner gritted his teeth in anger. "If it weren't for you, why would I be doing this? He's an official. If he's really killed, neither of us will escape."
The woman smiled and nestled against the man, saying tenderly, "My love, you are so good to me, I don't know how to repay you..."
The teahouse owner sighed deeply, reached out and embraced the woman in his arms, saying with a hint of helplessness, "I'm doomed for you in this lifetime."
As dusk approached, the case remained unsolved.
There were no missing persons in Chang'an whose bodies matched the description of dismemberment, and the officials sent out to search for the person in the portrait also had no good news.
Shen Yao sat at his desk, rubbing his temples in worry. The case seemed to have vanished without a trace, and if it was delayed any longer, it might become an unsolved mystery.
Just as Shen Yao was frowning, there was a noise at the door.
Sun San carried the food into the study.
"You've been busy all day, Lord Shen, please have your meal first..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com