Chapter 31: Crematorium (I) This family seems to be fine without him...
Without blinking, Shen Changfeng mounted his horse and said, "Call a doctor for her."
The black cavalry seemed to sense its master's mood. It dug its front hooves into the ground and exhaled hot air from its nostrils that puffed onto Qingsong's face, scaring him so much that he took two steps back.
The night was bright and the stars were sparse. The houses on both sides were rapidly receding. The strong wind blew across his eardrums. Shen Changfeng's eyes were a little dry, and he suddenly remembered that Qin Yan had also gone on a night out with him like this.
At first, he considered Qin Yan's disappearance suspicious, as Qin Yan had hinted that the repeated breaches of the Henan River levee were linked to construction materials. However, Shen Changfeng's repeated investigations yielded no evidence that Qin Yan had been murdered. All witnesses and evidence indicated that Qin Yan had fallen into the water, and that his subordinates, attempting to save him, had been swept away and drowned.
The case ended with the discovery of a male corpse downstream of the river two weeks later. Although the body was already severely decomposed, its clothing was identical to the one Qin Yan had worn on the day he disappeared, and it also had an official badge on it.
At that time, the emperor was fed up with the accusations and attacks in the court. When he saw the memorial submitted by Shen Changfeng and others, he breathed a sigh of relief and ordered Qin Yan to be buried with honor. He posthumously conferred him the title of Langzhong of the Ministry of Works, sent the Henan Provincial Governor to pay tribute, and gave money and materials to support his family. He also allowed Qin Ting, the second son of the Qin family, to inherit his brother's position.
Shen Changfeng, mindful of his friendship with Qin Yan and sympathetic to Qin Yan's mother's aging and childlessness, offered to help manage the Qin family's affairs, a gesture of gratitude. It was also during this time in Zhejiang that Shen Changfeng experienced an unexpected gain.
Shen Changfeng lightly reined in his horse outside the city gate and turned around to look. Although it was not yet the Mid-Autumn Festival, many families were gathered in pavilions and terraces, some were worshipping the moon, some were drinking and feasting, and the sound of laughter and conversation could be heard faintly.
Several sky lanterns rose slowly on the river bank, and the bright yellow candlelight filled his pupils with warmth.
The chaotic thoughts in Shen Changfeng's heart gradually calmed down. He remembered that Chen Yue said in the letter that Lin Meiju had been busy making prayer lanterns these days.
He curled his lips slowly. Among the thousands of lights, one was lit for him. The horse rushed into the darkness like an arrow.
In the Prince Dingbei's Palace, in the Suxing Pavilion, several people sat around, talking and laughing.
The moonlight was soft, and figures loomed among the flowers. The stone path was bathed in a warm, yellow light like broken jade. Handmaids, fruits in hand, their skirts trailing through the falling crabapple petals, walked leisurely toward the pavilion.
The autumn wind suddenly blew, and the tall trees everywhere rustled. The fiery red maple leaves fluttered down and the air became cooler. People walking felt the chill on their backs and shivered slightly.
There was a crunching sound of leaves being trampled behind them. The maids noticed someone coming and stopped in a hurry. They lowered their heads and stepped back to the sides, making way in the middle.
Guards like Chen Yue who were standing in front of the pavilion saw the face of the visitor, frowned, and saluted solemnly with fists clasped.
The people in Shuxing Pavilion stopped talking, looked up, and had different expressions on their faces.
Shen Chali, who was lying on the long ebony square table, straightened up and tugged at his wrinkled round-necked robe with his free hand. He couldn't tell whether he was surprised or happy, "Brother, you're back?!"
On the other side of the desk stood a young man about the same height as Shen Chali, wishing he could shrink into the wall. Beside him stood a girl of about fourteen or fifteen, who seemed relatively calm.
Lin Youan pulled out Lin Qiwu, whose lips were pale with fear, and they both bowed: "Greetings, Prince."
Shen Changfeng hummed softly and returned his gaze to the man sitting upright.
The scarlet lantern hung high, casting a small, trembling shadow on her brow, but her eyelashes were surprisingly bright, like butterfly whiskers coated in icing sugar. She pursed her lips slightly, her eyes fixed on the copper spoon in her hand, as if she didn't hear anything outside.
She wore a moon-white, double-breasted blouse with a gilded lotus pattern and a vertical collar. The collar was adorned with delicate, emerald beads. Shen Changfeng knew that the last one perfectly covered the red mole on her collarbone. She seemed to have gained some weight, her cheeks flushed, her temples slightly damp. He seemed to smell the scent of jasmine in her hair.
He knew from the reactions of others that he probably didn't look very good, perhaps even a little scary. No matter who it was, they would not look much better after traveling on the road for nearly ten days without sleep.
He was curious to know how she would react.
These few short moments seemed eternity to everyone present.
Finally, the copper handle made a crisp sound when knocking against the celadon bowl. Lin Meizhu breathed a sigh of relief and handed the finished sugar painting of the little beast to Chen Chali, "It's done."
Then she lifted her skirt and walked around the table, taking one, two, three steps. When Shen Changfeng subconsciously reached out to help her, she stopped and bowed, "My concubine greets the prince."
Her manners were a model of a lady's grace, graceful and composed, elegant and graceful, with no fault to be found. The smile on Shen Changfeng's lips froze, and the warmth in his heart gradually died down.
This is not the look a wife should have when reuniting with her husband.
He thought she would throw herself into his arms in delight, or perhaps be slightly embarrassed in her joy, dislike his prickly stubble, and then distressedly help him unpack his bag. Whatever it was, it shouldn't be like this now, calm and composed, polite and courteous in every way, yet always displaying a distant and humble courtesy.
Could he blame her? Of course not. Being modest and polite was never a derogatory term. Besides, this was what he had expected of her from the beginning. He remembered what she had said to him, kneeling on the floor on their wedding night: "Adhere to the virtues of a wife, be respectful and courteous, and serve your husband wholeheartedly." So why did he feel uncomfortable seeing her like this now?
Like everyone else here, she treated him with the utmost respect, but no one was truly happy about his arrival. He even had the illusion that his presence had broken the warmth of the place, that he was the abrupt presence that shouldn't have appeared. This family seemed to be fine without him.
Lin Meizhu didn't say anything else. Shen Changfeng seemed to be against her. His face was as gloomy as water. He didn't say anything but didn't leave either.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
A trembling hand was raised, and Shen Chali asked, "Brother, do you want a sugar painting?"
Everyone here was holding beautiful and exquisite sugar paintings in their hands, including children, adults, servants serving in the pavilion, and Chen Yue and others guarding outside the pavilion. Only one person did not have one.
Lin Meizhu just remembered something and said, "I didn't know that the prince came back early and the malt glue was all used up. This was the last one."
Shen Changfeng stood there without saying anything, just staring at the sugar painting in his hand. Obviously, Shen Chali misunderstood. The young man reluctantly gave up and said, "Brother, I'll let you eat half."
Shen Changfeng looked at the two half-sticky and wet copper coins:...That's not necessary.
Lin Meizhu said apologetically, "I thought the prince didn't like sweets. I was negligent." As she spoke, she reached out and picked up a sugar painting of a small animal on the table. It was the first one she had made, and it wasn't very good. Lin Meizhu had originally intended to keep it for herself. The little leopard looked sad, as if he was about to cry.
Shen Changfeng nodded: "I really don't like it very much, but..."
"That's good." Lin Meizhu didn't wait for him to finish, turned around and handed the sugar painting to Lin Qiwu, "You and Second Sister go to the pleasure boat to enjoy the lanterns, I'll be there later."
Shen Chali bit the sugar painting until it made a crackling sound. "Then I'll go too!"
Lin Qiwu seemed to have been pardoned.
Even if he looked up, he could only see Shen Changfeng's chin. Where Shen Changfeng stood, he looked like a small mountain. Where he sat... he looked like a sitting mountain. For a six or seven-year-old child, such a size was too intimidating. Moreover, Lin Qiwu often heard Lin Youan scold Shen Changfeng in front of Wang Shi, so he couldn't call him "brother-in-law".
Moreover, Shen Changfeng seemed to be in a different season from them. Autumn had arrived early this year, and everyone had changed into autumn clothing, but Shen Changfeng was still wearing the plain gauze with arrow-sleeved sleeves he wore in midsummer. Now he rolled up his sleeves and fastened them to the buttonholes to clean his hands, revealing the strong muscles and veins of his forearms.
Lin Qiwu was walking down the stairs when he suddenly saw Shen Changfeng's eyes sweeping towards him. He was so frightened that he missed a step and almost fell flat on his face. Chen Yue was quick to grab him by the back of his collar and help him stand up. "Young Master, be careful."
Lin Meizhu watched them leave, asked the servants to prepare water for Shen Changfeng to bathe, and instructed the kitchen to cook some midnight snacks. Only then did she tell them the reason for Lin Youan and his brother's visit.
"Mother has been feeling better lately. I thought my younger brothers and sisters had been confined at home for a while, and since it was the Mid-Autumn Festival and I was alone, I asked someone to bring them to the palace so we could celebrate the festival together."
"Madam Liu was here just now. She sat for a while and then felt tired, so she went back to rest..."
Lin Meiju was tidying up the things on the table. She heard the sound of water gradually dying down beside her. Before she looked up, she suddenly felt a warm touch on her back.
Shen Changfeng held her gently, resting his chin on her shoulder. He put his arm around her waist, closed his eyes, and gently rubbed the side of her face, as if he had removed an invisible armor. He sighed faintly.
It was very prickly and itchy. Lin Meizhu dodged.
Shen Changfeng chuckled softly, and the slight vibration of his chest was transmitted to Lin Meizhu's back.
The moment he hugged her, Shen Changfeng felt his heart return to its original place. For the first time, he discovered that doing nothing, quietly listening to her chatter about family matters, had a calming effect on people. Even the deep-seated sorrow in his heart was gradually soothed by her.
Coming back used to be called returning home, but now it’s called going home. Home, his and her home.
Shen Changfeng didn't say anything, but every breath and every movement of his body told her that he missed her very much.
Lin Meizhu was silent for a moment, lowered her head, put her hand on his wrist, and pulled his hand away, "Prince, they should have waited a long time."
Shen Changfeng hummed, then held her palm tightly with his backhand, kneading her fingertips neither too hard nor too slowly.
Lin Meizhu suspected that he was about to fall asleep and gently pushed his hand, "Prince?"
Shen Changfeng opened his eyelids. Days of running around had left his eyeballs covered in red bloodshot of varying lengths, yet he didn't feel any fatigue at the moment. He tilted his head and kissed her cheek, "I brought you a gift."
"I just bought it casually. See if it fits you."
If Qingsong heard this, he would definitely wink at Chenyue crazily: My goodness! Where can I buy the best Jili silk in the country at will?
Since the previous dynasty, Huzhou has been a major silk producer, earning the reputation of "the best Huzhou silk in the world." Huzhou silk is categorized into eight grades: "fine, round, uniform, strong, white, clean, soft, and tough." Jili silk is considered the finest, boasting a lustrous and flexible texture. A single cocoon can yield up to 1,400 feet of silk. Reeling is done in Taihu Lake water enriched with pearl powder, achieving a quality that "doesn't sink in water, with dragon patterns clearly visible on the bottom of a bowl."
Jili silk was a tribute to the imperial court, and its availability on the market was extremely limited. Even high-ranking officials might not be able to procure it, despite their best efforts. In other words, Shen Changfeng had purchased Jili silk quite casually, and quite by chance, had come across a renowned local embroiderer. In between his duties of attending to funeral rites and investigating local officials' collusion with Japanese pirates, he sketched a pattern and accessories for Lin Meizhu, and hastily crafted a brocade embroidered with a golden sparrow holding a flower.
The cloak is dyed with West Lake Longjing tea and Tiantai Mountain cinnabar, creating a vibrant crimson. By day, it appears a vibrant pomegranate red, while at dusk, it ripples with dark gold. Under the moonlight, the colorful birds preening their feathers on the cloak shimmer with brilliance. The blue jade agate inlaid into the bird's eyes sways gently, and when the wind blows, the golden birds flutter, ready to take flight. This is truly a work of art that is truly exquisite.
Shen Changfeng felt that only she could match this cloak, but when she put on the cloak, he felt that this luxurious cloak was not even one-tenth as graceful as she was.
The material and style of the cloak were destined to be worn only on a few grand and solemn occasions. She would not say anything about his poor taste or anything like that, she did not care about it at all.
She accepted it with a smile and said, "Speaking of which, I also have good news to report to the prince."
Shen Changfeng's heart warmed up, and he instantly forgot the feeling of being ignored in the sugar painting incident. "What is it?"
Lin Meizhu gestured for the girls to come up and introduced them one by one, saying, "I wonder if there's anyone the prince likes?"
When she talked about these things, she acted like a mistress of a house, generous and dignified, not caring at all, with a smile on her face, but she made Shen Changfeng feel the indifference that kept him at a distance.
The corners of Shen Changfeng's mouth gradually flattened, and the angle of his jaw hardened. If her reward for him was to generously give him to another woman, then what was the point of him thinking about her day and night, and traveling for ten days without sleep, regardless of wind and rain?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
