Pei Mianman couldn't help but say, "Yunzhong County is more than ten thousand miles away from the capital. It would be much more difficult to send a message there than to contact Madam Yu and Gong Pan in Yunzhong County. So the second scenario is more likely."
Zu'an was well aware of this, especially now that Gong Pan had chosen to follow Yu Yanluo so devotedly, despite not being with anyone else.
The image of Yu Yanluo smiling sweetly flashed through his mind, and he wondered if it was really true that the more beautiful a woman was, the more likely she was to lie.
When Shen Zhou went to the capital to deliver the message, he was silenced. The information revealed by his remnant soul clearly stated that Jian Taiding had attacked the Duke of Yunzhong, yet he dared not contact Yu Yanluo or Gong Pan. Could it be that these two were also in cahoots with Jian Taiding?
"Hmph, judging from your expression, you're obviously thinking about women," Pei Mianman snorted. "What, is that Yu Yanluo too beautiful to bear?"
Zuan snapped out of his daze, put his arm around her, and laughed, "No matter how beautiful she is, she's still someone else's wife. In my heart, how can she compare to you?"
"Smooth talker~" Although she knew the other party was just trying to flatter her, Pei Mianman couldn't help but feel happy. "Now the clues have gone cold again. It's a pity we didn't find anything at Shen Zhou's house. We thought he would leave some traces."
"It's not without its gains. At least we've uncovered Shen Zhou's identity and identified who the suspects are, which gives us a starting point for what's to come," Zu An said in a deep voice. "Moreover, I just chatted with his wife and learned that Shen Zhou is a man of few words. Such a personality is definitely not that of an impulsive person. He must know that going to the capital is a life-or-death situation, so he would definitely make two preparations and leave some clues through secret methods."
“But my sister-in-law just said that Gong Pan and his men have already taken the things.” Pei Mianman frowned.
Zuan shook his head: "Since the other party has made preparations for both possibilities, he must have thought that someone would come and take away his things after something happens to him. Most of the items that Gong Pan took away are probably useless."
“But we just searched his room, and we didn’t find anything.” Pei Mianman recalled the situation just now and couldn’t connect those most ordinary things with the clues.
They even asked his sister-in-law and Hu Zi, and found that Shen Zhou hadn't said anything to them before he left. The two of them had analyzed what he said, and it didn't seem like he was hinting at anything.
“That’s the problem.” Zuan felt a headache coming on and rubbed his temples. “Now we can only check the relics that Gong Pan took back and find out about Shen Zhou’s relationships before he died.”
I just asked his wife, but unfortunately she is a typical housewife who only knows how to do housework and work hard. She doesn't know anything about Shen Zhou's work. Moreover, because of the special nature of his position, Shen Zhou rarely reveals his work to his family.
“You have to be careful. Shen Zhou has already been silenced. If you find out anything, I’m worried that the person behind him won’t let you off the hook.” Pei Mianman took his arm, her face full of worry.
Zuan laughed heartily: "Don't worry, no matter how dangerous this place is, can it be more dangerous than these secret realms like Yin Ruins? No matter how powerful the person behind it is, can they be more powerful than the emperor? Besides, my cultivation has already improved by leaps and bounds..."
"Look how smug you are," Pei Mianman said, feeling a little relieved as she thought about what had happened back then. "By the way, you haven't told me about what happened after we broke up."
"It's freezing cold here, why don't we find an inn and have a chat by candlelight?" Zu An looked around. Yunzhong County was very prosperous, with merchants from the northwest gathering there, so even in the suburbs, there were many inns.
Pei Mianman blushed, naturally knowing what he was up to. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly looked up at the sky and her expression changed slightly: "Oh no, it's getting dark."
"Hmm, the city gates are probably closing soon." Zu An suddenly felt that this scene was somewhat familiar. In his previous life, college students often liked to do this kind of thing: invite their girlfriends out to play, deliberately drag it out until very late, and then when the school dormitory is closed and they can't go back, they can find a hotel to stay in outside with a legitimate reason.
"No, I have to go back." Pei Mianman said urgently.
Zuan was taken aback: "I'm afraid it's too late by now, isn't it? Weren't you living a carefree life outside before?"
We're still some distance from the city gate, and by the time we get there, it will definitely be closed.
Pei Mianman bit her lip: "The past is the past. Now my home is right here. If I don't come home at night, who knows what nasty things my stepmother will say. I don't care about myself, but I'm worried about it affecting my mother's reputation."
Zu'an immediately understood. If all sorts of rumors were to spread and the daughter was found to be promiscuous, his mother-in-law would be blamed even in the afterlife.
"Don't worry, I'll take you back." Zu An mounted his horse, no longer caring about enjoying himself, and carried her in his arms as they galloped towards the city gate.
Finally, they stopped at an inn outside the city gate and handed the horses over to the innkeeper.
Seeing Pei Mianman's questioning look, he explained, "The city gates are definitely closed now. We're going to climb over the wall to get in later, so the horse definitely won't be able to get in. It's freezing cold now, and if it's left outside, it'll most likely freeze to death."
Pei Mianman glanced back at the horse. Although it was quite fine, it was far from being a true steed that could travel a thousand miles. It was merely a standard official horse provided by local officials to the imperial envoy's delegation.
She sighed softly, "Although others say all sorts of bad things about you, only I know how gentle and kind you are at heart."
Zuan laughed: "I already got a 'nice guy' card from that auntie, and now you're doing it again? I'm not as nice as you think."
“I don’t care, in my heart, you are the best person.” Pei Mianman grabbed his arm and nestled happily against his shoulder.
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