Chapter 39 The Duke of Zhenguo Fears Hardship
Upon hearing Chu Xiao's words, Shen You turned around and looked at him.
She blinked her beautiful eyes and said in a calm voice, "I'm not sad."
That's the truth.
The young man depicted in the portrait was none other than her "good younger brother," Shen Linhui.
From childhood to adulthood, Shen Linhui and she never got along.
She was calm and easygoing, and didn't want to compete with Shen Linhui, but her younger brother always opposed her, both openly and secretly.
Later, when she returned from Qingxi Town, her grandmother had passed away from a serious illness. During the three years of mourning, Shen Yao rectified the family's conduct, and Shen Linhui became more restrained.
Since last year, Shen Yao has been sending him to study under Master Ying Bo of Yuzhou, so he is not often in Lin'an City now.
In accordance with Mr. Ying Bo's school management habits, Yuzhou Academy would take a break during the hottest part of summer each year, and Shen Linhui would then return.
But this year he sent a letter home saying he wouldn't be coming back. He also asked Shen Yao and Chen Qiurong for a lot of money, claiming that he needed more money to study hard in Yuzhou.
The figure Shen You caught by chance in the bustling alley that day, the clues left behind by the theft from the Marquis's mansion, and the young man she met at the Liuli Pavilion who wore a bamboo hat and whose face was obscured but who spoke with a Lin'an accent all aroused Shen You's suspicion.
All these doubts reached their peak after the flower-viewing banquet at the Yong'an Marquis's residence today.
That's why she came up with this idea: she drew two pictures and, with the help of candlelight, made it so that Wang Meng could identify them.
Now that it has been confirmed that Shen Linhui was behind it, the most important thing right now is to catch him.
Chu Xiao coughed lightly and said, "There's something I want to tell you."
"What is it?"
Chu Xiao looked down at her, his gaze fixed on her, trying to gauge her mood from her expression. Just as he was about to speak, the voice of a constable came from outside.
"My lord, the men who went to Yuzhou have returned."
Chu Xiao's eyes flickered slightly as he noticed that Shen You's gaze had fallen on him.
He walked outside, leaning on his cane, saying, "Let's go out and take a look."
"good."
We can now roughly guess what news the people who went to Yushu will bring back.
really--
The constable said that, like last year, Yushu Academy had allowed the students to rest for a period of time during the summer.
But when school reopened, Shen Linhui was nowhere to be seen.
Shen Linhui openly wrote to his family that he wouldn't be returning, but in reality, he had developed a bad habit in Yuzhou and accumulated a lot of gambling debts, so he had to run back to the vicinity of Lin'an City to hide.
However, fearing that Shen Yao and Chen Qiurong would find out about his gambling debts, he lied and said he didn't want to come back, and even swindled money from Shen Yao and Chen Qiurong.
But he quickly squandered all the money in gambling dens in Lin'an City, and unable to fill the hole, he had no choice but to set his sights on the Marquis's mansion.
Therefore, on that day, Shen Linhui took advantage of the servants changing shifts at the Marquis's residence to climb over the wall and steal jewelry from Shen You and Shen Xiangning's room.
The theft went smoothly, but he never expected to run into Shen You when he tried to sell the stolen goods.
Not only were they almost discovered, but they also failed to retrieve their jewelry.
He harbored resentment towards Shen You, which is why he encouraged Wang Meng to spread nonsense at the flower-viewing banquet, thinking that he could both make Shen You lose money and ruin her reputation.
Shen You paused for a moment, then said, "If he is hiding outside Lin'an City, it may not be so easy to find him."
Inside the signing room of the government office, Chu Xiao, leaning on his cane, walked around the desk to her side, looked at her, and said, "Don't worry, he won't be able to hide for long."
Shen Linhui must have been keeping an eye on the Yong'an Marquis's mansion's movements to come up with this plan. With all the commotion today and the flower viewing banquet ending early, he should already know about Wang Meng's failure.
But where could he possibly escape to?
I can't go to places that are too far away.
A pampered young master from a noble family like Shen Linhui cannot endure a life of hardship.
He doesn't have much money on him right now, so he certainly wouldn't dare to go too far from Lin'an City.
They could either hide in an inn in Lin'an city or in the woods on the outskirts.
Upon hearing his words, Shen You nodded slightly, then, remembering something, looked up at him again.
He said earnestly, "Chu Xiao, thank you."
The girl's voice was soft and gentle, her tone serious and somewhat solemn.
Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes sparkled with a bright light, shining brilliantly.
Chu Xiao unconsciously took half a step forward and saw his own reflection in those clear, bright eyes.
This was the first time she had spoken to him so gently since they reunited.
There was none of her resistance to having much contact with him, nor her cold indifference.
Chu Xiao's Adam's apple bobbed, and his eyes even welled up with tears.
“Chen You…”
Their eyes met, and Shen You suddenly found herself staring into a pair of deep, dark eyes filled with intense emotions.
Mixed with a hint of anticipation.
The officer had closed the door to the signing room when he left, but the window was wide open, right next to the desk.
After a long day of running around, it was already evening. The setting sun cast its last rays through the window and into the room.
It landed on the still-wet inkstone on the table.
It landed on the two of them, coating them with a bright orange-yellow halo that enveloped them, keeping them connected.
A breeze wafted in, lifting a corner of the Xuan paper, and the fragrance of ink spread.
Along with it came the man's clean and pleasant scent.
Shen You suddenly came to his senses and realized that the two of them were standing too close.
She instinctively took a step back, but there were potted plants behind her, so she had nowhere to retreat.
"Chu Xiao, you..."
Don't get so close.
Before she could finish speaking, the man in front of her suddenly leaned down, resting his head on her shoulder as if to relieve his weight.
Shen You froze, and quickly reached out to touch his shoulder to prevent him from going any closer.
Her voice was cold and clear. "Chu Xiao, get up."
But Chu Xiao didn't move, still leaning against her, pressing her slender body so hard that she couldn't help but lean back.
Afraid of falling, Shen You quickly moved her hands, which were originally resting on the man's broad shoulders, back and braced them on the table to support their combined weight.
The faint fragrance of osmanthus and Longjing tea wafted into the girl's nostrils. Unseen by her, the gloom in Chu Xiao's bright black eyes gradually faded, replaced by the contentment of embracing her intimately.
He whispered, "After standing for a long time, my legs lose strength."
The man's voice was deep, with a hint of weakness in it. Shen You's attention was diverted, and she asked, "Does your wound hurt?"
He remained leaning against her, nodding gently, "A little."
Shen You struggled to support his body, her gaze falling on the row of armchairs on the right side of the signing room. "Hold your cane steady, stand up a little, and I'll help you over to rest."
“Okay,” Chu Xiao nodded readily, his tone perfectly normal, showing no sign of any deliberate intent.
He straightened up, leaning on his cane with one hand, his long arm wrapped around her shoulder, tightly embracing the girl's thin shoulder, leaning almost half of his body weight on her side.
The afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows of the two people embracing each other, which were reflected on the ground.
Chu Xiao was tall with long legs and a muscular build. When he leaned in, his body heat radiated through his thin summer clothes.
Shen You could even hear his heartbeat.
Even for such a short distance, she struggled to support herself, and her cheeks turned slightly red from walking.
I don't know if it was from being tired or for some other reason.
Only after Chu Xiao sat down in the armchair did she exhale, her gaze falling on his legs. "Do you need someone to take a look at your injury?"
"It's alright," Chu Xiao looked up at her, answering perfunctorily, but his gaze never left her.
“Doctor Lin said,” Shen You stood closer to him, “you can’t take this lightly, or it will affect your future.”
Her gaze fell on the cane placed to the side, and her voice softened, "But we can't rush things; we have to proceed step by step."
Although I know that my leg will eventually heal, how could I not feel a sense of loss when I, who used to walk with such confidence and style, now have to rely on a wheelchair and crutches?
Shen You pursed her lips, feeling even more guilty about his injury.
Chu Xiao had been watching her the whole time, so how could he miss the fleeting look of apology in her eyes?
He said in a low voice, "Saving you was my own decision, and now that I'm injured, you don't need to feel sorry."
The words, spoken in a tactic of feigned retreat, made Shen You feel uneasy. Just as he was about to speak, he heard him add, "What happened at today's flower-viewing banquet will likely spread throughout Lin'an City within a day..."
He paused slightly, his gaze fixed on her, and his tone became serious and earnest, "Although my injuries have not fully healed, it is not convenient for me to stay at the Marquis's residence any longer."
Although not many people knew that he was recuperating at the Shen residence, and it was indeed a pity that he could no longer live under the same roof as her, for the sake of Shen You's reputation, it was indeed not appropriate for him to stay at the Shen residence any longer.
Moreover, even after leaving the Shen family mansion, he could still frequently appear before her.
They are already intertwined; it's impossible to sever their bond.
Hearing his words, Shen You finally realized what he meant and nodded in agreement, "Okay."
“But…” Chu Xiao said slowly, “I still have some things stored in Yansheng Hall. I’ll be busy these days, so I’ll have to trouble Youyou to look after them for a while.”
This means that she must not empty Yansheng Hall.
His belongings still need to be kept in the Marquis's residence.
But it does sound reasonable and well-founded.
Thinking of his injury and his help at the flower viewing banquet today, Shen You felt that it wasn't a big deal to agree to his request.
So he agreed, "Alright, the things will remain in Yansheng Hall, just as they were when you left."
Having received her permission, a rare smile appeared in Chu Xiao's dark eyes.
The gazes that fell upon her were exceptionally bright.
Shen You felt a chill run down his spine from being stared at. He glanced at the sky outside and was about to get up to say goodbye when there was a knock on the door.
Immediately following was Mu Geng's voice, "My lord, the medicine is ready."
Chu Xiao spent more time in the Criminal Investigation Department during this period, so Mu Geng would bring the medicine to the Criminal Investigation Department to be decocted.
"Come in."
The door was pushed open, letting in a long beam of light that fell on the dim floor of the room.
Mu Geng was taken aback, feeling as if he had ruined something good.
He placed the lacquered tray containing the medicine bowl on the table and cautiously asked, "My lord, shall we light the lamp?"
As the sun gradually set, the light inside the room became dim, but neither of the two people who had been inside had noticed this.
Now that Mu Geng said that, it seemed as if they were deliberately not lighting the lamps.
Shen You coughed lightly and answered first, "Let's order."
"yes."
Mu Geng took out a tinderbox from his pocket, glanced at the medicine bowl, and said, "Miss Shen, please help my lord take the medicine over."
Shen You brought over the lacquer tray and then noticed that besides the medicine bowl, there was also a small porcelain dish with several candied fruits on it.
Stewed pear slices, cherry preserves, and osmanthus-flavored hawthorn preserves.
Shen You, “…”
She looked at Chu Xiao with a troubled expression, "Are you afraid of bitterness?"
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