Chapter 149: The Beauty of Red Sleeves
"You are simply a lunatic." Ling Chenyi commented with regret.
Shen Anan wanted to take revenge on the emperor. Regardless of whether it could succeed or not, Xiao Yuan had to bear the risk.
"She is not a person without sense of propriety."
Xiao Yuan said calmly, his dark eyes filled with endless black.
Outsiders can see it clearly, so how could he not know the real reason why she agreed to marry him? But so what? She is his, right under his nose.
He could get close to her at will, and all his power belonged to her.
Even the butler could doubt her intentions, so she had no intention of hiding it from him.
But in his heart, he also felt uncomfortable. Xiao Yuan tried his best to ignore the hidden pain and told Qing An, "Ask the kitchen to prepare more. I will go back to Wutong Garden for dinner in the evening."
"yes."
Ling Chenyi sighed heavily and didn't want to say anything else. At this moment, Qingfeng came to report that Shen Changhe had arrived.
He was wearing a dark brocade robe. If he was hiding in the darkness, he would be hard to be spotted. Xiao Yuan glanced at him and said, "Is this outfit convenient for movement at night?"
At first, Shen Changhe blushed and felt embarrassed, but now, perhaps because he had been climbing over the wall for a long time, his skin had become thicker. He nodded very naturally and sat down next to Ling Chenyi.
"Where's An An, is she okay?"
Before Xiao Yuan opened his mouth, Ling Chenyi said sarcastically, "You should first ask Xiao Yuan how he is doing and whether he has been bullied to death by your aggressive sister."
"An An is not a person without sense of propriety," Shen Changhe said with a frown.
"Okay, let the kitchen prepare some more food tonight, and then we can go to Wutong Garden to have dinner before leaving."
Shen Changhe did not refuse. It was a strange place, and he also wanted to go to see how An An was doing.
"I'll go too." Ling Chenyi said.
"Go back to the Yongning Marquis' Mansion." It was Xiao Yuan who spoke.
Ling Chenyi was dissatisfied, "I am your cousin after all, and I have worked hard for you for so many years, but I am not as good as your brother-in-law, right?"
"You also know that he is my brother-in-law." Xiao Yuan said in a calm voice, implying that you are still comparing yourself with him.
After a few jokes, Shen Changhe talked about the purpose of this visit, "Those people have a clue. They extorted money, as if they were following the orders of their boss. The money was also used to purchase shops and land. The name of the person who got it was Gu Tan."
Ling Chenyi frowned, "Does it have anything to do with the Second Prince?"
"No."
"If you put it that way, it's simply oppressing the people, plundering their wealth, and bullying."
"On the surface, that's the case." Shen Changhe said, but this sentence made Ling Chenyi sit up straight.
"You mean there's something else going on behind this?"
"I'm not sure." Shen Changhe handed a piece of rice paper to Xiao Yuan, "I went to find Lord Lin and confirmed that the leader was the illegitimate son of the Lin family who was suddenly lost. Later, he married into a family. The above is the detailed information."
"It was also a year ago that the whole family of the man he married into suddenly fell ill and died one after another. He inherited a considerable amount of assets and went to work for his current employer, Gu Tan."
"Murder and wealth." Ling Chenyi tapped the table with his fingertips. Such examples happened countless times every year. It was not surprising for him, a son-in-law who married into the family, to do such a thing.
“Didn’t the local officials inspect that household?”
"I have checked it." Shen Changhe frowned. "That's why I think there is something fishy about this matter. At that time, the government office also suspected Lin Hengsheng and locked him up immediately. But after three days, he was suddenly released without charge."
"I asked the local government office and they said that Gu Tan came forward and bailed out the man."
Ling Chenyi became interested, "Who is Gu Tan?"
"Businessman."
"A businessman can persuade the government? I'm afraid it's not that easy."
Shen Changhe nodded, "I felt the same way, so I didn't alert the enemy and come to discuss this with you."
Xiao Yuan, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up, "Go to the government office to check Gu Tan's identity, and then send someone to his place to investigate. If you ask around, there will always be some clues."
Shen Changhe nodded.
Ling Chenyi's tone was somewhat contemptuous, and he said nonchalantly, "He can only make a few bucks by plundering the local people. He is probably a wealthy gentry who does evil things and can only bully people in the countryside."
Shen Changhe was speechless.
Regardless of whether this case involves the Lin family or not, he must clean up the mess as soon as possible and not let Lin Hengsheng cause a bigger disaster and implicate the Lin family.
It got dark quickly. Shen Anan didn't react when she heard that Xiao Yuan was coming back for dinner. Later, she heard someone report that Shen Changhe was coming as well, and then she raised her head from the book.
Her elder brother must have come for government affairs, so she did not disturb him. She continued reading the book in her hand until dusk fell and there was no movement in the yard.
Ling Chenyi naturally did not go back, but came to eat with them.
Shen Changhe rarely wore dark robes, at least not in Shen Anan's memory. Shen Anan stared at his clothes and suddenly remembered Xiao Yuan's words.
His eyes involuntarily fixed on Shen Changhe's mouth.
Several people took their seats. Xiao Yuan sat next to Shen Anan, followed her gaze and looked at Shen Changhe, then lowered his head with a smile in his eyes.
Shen Changhe felt uncomfortable with her gaze and raised his hand to touch his face, "What's wrong?"
After he finished speaking, he realized something and glanced at Xiao Yuan who was lowering his head, his face flushed.
Why does he tell An An everything?
"Nothing, let's eat." Shen Anan suppressed her smile.
Ling Chenyi glanced at the three people who were playing dumb, and said to Xiao Yuan, "I've been thinking about it, and I always feel that there was something wrong with the wine you drank on your wedding day. Li Huaiyan and I went back and vomited all over the place, and slept for two days. How come you are fine?"
Xiao Yuan glanced at him calmly and said, "I drank fruit wine."
"..." Ling Chenyi was shocked for a moment, his mouth twitching, "Xiao Yuan, you are really unkind."
"That's because you're stupid."
At the dinner table, Shen Changhe didn't say anything. He waited until the maid took away the leftovers and Xiao Yuan and Ling Chenyi went out to talk before he took the time to ask Shen Anan.
"How did the Fourth Prince treat you?"
"Very good." Shen Anan replied, and Shen Changhe's frowning brows relaxed, "That's good."
Shen Anan smiled and winked at Mo Xiang who was standing beside her. Mo Xiang immediately walked out, not forgetting to close the door.
Shen Changhe frowned and lowered his voice a little, "But what's the matter?"
Shen Anan nodded, glanced out the window, and whispered, "There is something I would like to ask my brother to check. You have been in the Imperial Guard for many years. Do you know which concubines the emperor once favored?"
"As far as I know, the most favored one is Concubine Shu," Shen Changhe said after thinking for a while, "Why are you asking this suddenly? But what's the problem?"
"It was also hearsay. Today, I heard from the eldest princess that I suspect that the death of Concubine Shu was related to the emperor's favoritism towards other concubines, and my grandmother may have died because of this."
Shen Changhe fell into a brief silence after hearing this.
"Brother." Shen Anan called him.
"An'an, have you really thought it through?" Shen Changhe said earnestly, "Grandma is no longer with us. Her last wish must be that you can have a smooth life."
"The Fourth Prince has great affection for you, and the Concubine Shu is a thorn in his heart. Aren't you afraid that your relationship will be hurt if the investigation is completed?"
The death of Concubine Shu is a past that no one wants to mention. Since Xiao Yuan is unwilling to talk about it, he must have his reasons.
Shen Anan pursed her red lips, “Brother, I married into the Fourth Prince’s Mansion, in addition to the Shen family, it was for my grandmother.”
"What about the Fourth Prince? Are you really so cruel to him and have no feelings for him at all?" Shen Changhe asked.
She fell silent again and didn't say anything for a long time.
Crunch——
The door was opened, and Xiao Yuan walked in with a raised eyebrow, "What are you talking about in a whisper? You have to close the door and say it."
"Nothing." Shen Changhe put on a smile, "I'm worried about An An, and asked her how she is doing in the Fourth Prince's Mansion."
Xiao Yuan looked at Shen Anan, and Shen Changhe continued, “Anan said that you treated her very well.”
Shen Anan tilted her head, not wanting to meet Xiao Yuan's gentle gaze, and drooped her eyelids slightly, not knowing whether she was shy or something else.
"It's getting late. I'll go back first. We can have a good chat tomorrow when I come back." Shen Changhe bowed and said goodbye.
"I'll take you there." Shen Anan escorted Shen Changhe all the way to the gate of Wutong Garden. Xiao Yuan followed behind them not too far away, giving the brother and sister enough space to talk.
"Brother."
Shen Changhe turned around and looked at her.
"Please tell my mother what I just said, and tell her that I'm waiting for her news." Shen Anan looked at Shen Changhe with determination in her eyes.
Shen Changhe looked at her deeply, then seemed to glance at Xiao Yuan who was one step behind, sighed softly, and nodded slightly.
"good."
Shen Anan pulled the corners of her lips, and waited for Shen Changhe to leave before turning around and meeting Xiao Yuan's deep eyes.
"What's wrong?" She felt guilty instinctively and didn't dare to look him in the eye.
"Madam seems to be reluctant to leave her brother-in-law." He said quietly, "Is it because I'm not good enough to Madam? Is she missing home?"
"No." No matter what she felt in her heart, Shen Anan knew very well what Xiao Yuan wanted to hear.
"Then how do you treat me, my wife?"
He suddenly leaned closer, his eyes like a blazing fire, then slowly died down, leaving only a soft color.
"You... are very good to me." At least now there is nothing wrong with you, and it even makes her feel guilty.
She suddenly felt that Xiao Yuan was a little strange. When she looked up to explore his eyes, he suddenly looked away. "I still have some paperwork to deal with in my study. Please accompany me."
He didn't know when a heater was placed in his study, and the temperature was almost the same as that in Wutong Garden.
It was a dark night with candles lit in the room, reflecting the two figures on the thin paper of the window frame, leaning against each other like a perfect couple.
Xiao Yuan rested his wrist on the edge of the table with the documents casually spread out on the surface. He held the pen lazily, but the words he wrote were vigorous and powerful.
Shen Anan sat beside him and ground ink for him, just able to see the contents of the documents, from court affairs to some manpower transfers of officials in the capital or local officials, as well as the next steps, including Xiao Yuan's reply.
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