Chapter 69: Questioning can teach a man buried in the earth how to run a shop...
Shen Xingwan was accompanied and cared for by Yan Jinghuan, and he traveled day and night without stopping and rushed back to the capital.
Three days later, late at night, the carriage finally drove slowly into the gate of Shengjing City, passed through the quiet streets, and finally stopped in front of the Regent's Palace.
When the guard at the gate saw his master returning, he immediately came forward to greet him. The servants in the mansion, who had been waiting for a long time after hearing the news, hurried out to serve him.
Shen Xingwan got off the carriage and breathed a sigh of relief.
Although she had not suffered much from the days of traveling, she was still a little tired from the long journey.
She turned slightly to the side. Yan Jinghuan had already gotten off the carriage before her. He reached out to help her down and then raised his hand to hold her cloak tighter. "It's cold at night. Come in."
She nodded and glanced behind her. She saw Xiaochun and the coroner standing stiffly beside the carriage, with nervousness on their faces. She told Feiyun, "Take them down and settle them down. We'll talk more later."
Although Xiaochun and the coroner knew that Shen Xingwan was of extraordinary status, they were shocked to realize that she was actually the princess when they saw her being escorted into the palace by the Regent.
The two of them were immediately terrified, and they quickly fell to their knees, trembling: "Your servants, you servants do not know the identities of the prince and princess, and you are offended. Please forgive me, prince and princess!"
Shen Xingwan raised his hand and said gently, "Everyone, get up. There is no need to be afraid. Since I have brought you back to the palace, I will not harm you without reason."
"But I may have something to ask you in a few days, so I hope you can tell me the truth."
Upon hearing this, the two kowtowed repeatedly to show their loyalty: "We are willing to serve the princess!"
Shen Xingwan nodded, ordered people to take them downstairs and settle them down, then turned and walked towards the inner courtyard.
As soon as she stepped into the room, Yan Jinghuan grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms.
A low, hoarse voice whispered in her ear: "I haven't had a good rest these past few days. I need a good sleep to recover from my fatigue."
Shen Xingwan looked up at him and was about to speak, but he suddenly leaned over and kissed her, not even giving her a chance to refute.
She wanted to refuse, but he held her tightly, whispering hoarsely between her lips: "It's never fun in a carriage..."
Shen Xingwan's face flushed, she knew he had evil intentions.
But he was indeed very busy these past few days, and although he occasionally got close to her, he never really took any further action.
Thinking of this, her struggles weakened a little, and she was finally tormented by him all night long, and only fell into a deep sleep at dawn.
However, the next morning, when the sky had just turned light, the front of the Regent's Palace was already crowded with people, and the officials who came to ask for instructions from Yan Jinghuan almost lined up in the street.
Yan Jinghuan was so annoyed that he had to get up early, dress neatly, and go directly to the palace to handle government affairs.
Shen Xing slept soundly at night, and when she woke up slowly, it was already noon.
Feiyun had already prepared hot water and clothes for her to wash up. Seeing that she had woken up, she smiled slyly: "Miss, you must be tired. Did you sleep well last night?"
Shen Xingwan glanced at her and couldn't help but snorted.
"You are becoming more and more outrageous."
Feiyun smiled softly and quickly came over to help her wash and change clothes.
After she helped Shen Xingwan to wash and dress, she changed her into a simple light lake blue skirt. Her long black hair was tied into a bun and she pinned it with a plain white jade hairpin. She looked gentle and dignified.
When everything was ready, Shen Xingwan ordered, "Prepare the car. I need to go back to the Prime Minister's Mansion."
Feiyun left in response. A moment later, Shen Xingwan took Feiyun on a carriage and went to the Prime Minister's Mansion.
The hustle and bustle of Zhuque Street hits you in the face, the sweet aroma of the candy figurine stalls mixes with the fragrance of tea from the teahouse, the sound of horse-drawn carriages rolling over the bluestone road and the shouts of vendors interweave into the familiar noise of the city.
The carriage was moving slowly in the downtown area. Shen Xingwan gently lifted the curtain, looked at the familiar street scene, and sighed in his heart.
I wonder if my parents are doing well during these days away from Beijing?
She must still be sad and worried about her brother falling off the cliff.
She collected her thoughts, lowered the curtain, leaned on the cushion, and let the carriage roll over the bluestone road and stop in front of the vermilion lacquered gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Shen Xingwan returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion. As soon as he stepped into the main hall, he saw that his parents were both frowning and looked worried.
Prime Minister Shen was in front of his desk, holding a letter in his hand, pacing back and forth, sighing.
Madam Shen was sitting on a couch beside her, tears still lingering in the corners of her eyes, and the silk handkerchief was tightly wrung in her hand, obviously she had been crying for a long time.
Shen Xingwan's heart tightened, and she quickly stepped forward and called softly, "Father, Mother, my daughter is back."
When Mrs. Shen saw her daughter return, she clutched her hand tightly, tears streaming down her face like a drowning person grabbing a piece of driftwood.
"Xing Wan, your brother...your brother fell off a cliff and there has been no news since then. It is unknown whether he is alive or dead. What should we do?"
Prime Minister Shen sighed, his brows full of fatigue.
"Yun Chao has been a worry since he was a child. Now the war is not over and the enemy is surrounding us, but he, as the commander, actually fell off a cliff and disappeared."
"The army sent a letter saying that they have sent people to search, but there is still no news. I am afraid... Alas..."
Shen Xingwan looked at the two elders' grief and couldn't bear it, so he looked up at the servants and ordered in a cold voice: "No need to serve here, everyone leave."
"yes."
All the servants and maids received the order, lowered their heads and eyes, and left one after another.
When there was no one around, Shen Xingwan pulled the two elders together, winked at them, and whispered, "Father and mother, don't worry. Brother... is safe and sound."
Mrs. Shen was startled and suddenly grabbed Shen Xingwan's hand: "Xingwan, what did you say?"
Prime Minister Shen was also shocked and stared into her eyes, as if trying to interpret something from her expression.
Shen Xingwan smiled gently, without saying anything, but just soothed in a gentle voice: "Don't worry, my brother will be back in Beijing soon."
Prime Minister Shen knew that his daughter was always calm and steady. Since she was so confident, she must be sure.
He pondered for a moment and nodded slowly, "But is it the prince's arrangement?"
Shen Xingwan did not give a direct answer, but just nodded slightly.
Prime Minister Shen understood the situation instantly, his expression eased a little, and he sighed: "I'm sorry to trouble you again..."
When Mrs. Shen heard that her son was fine, her heart, which had been hanging for many days, finally settled down and she wiped away her tears.
"Okay, okay... As long as Yun Chao is safe..."
Shen Xingwan spoke a few more words of comfort in a gentle voice, which made the two elders feel a little relieved.
Shen Xingwan felt sorry for his mother looking so haggard, so he advised his father to take his mother back to her room to rest and take care of themselves so that they could wait for his brother to come back.
Shen Xingwan watched her parents leave, tapping the table with her fingertips. The green smoke rising from the gilded incense burner condensed into frost in her eyes.
She calmed down and ordered Feiyun, "Go and bring over all the people in the mansion who have had contact with Tang Lin'er's personal maid Ruyi. I want to question them one by one."
Feiyun was stunned for a moment, but she understood what she meant in an instant, and immediately said in a deep voice: "Yes, I will do it right away."
Shen Xingwan raised her eyes and looked out the window, her fingertips gently stroking the teacup, her thoughts surging.
There are many doubts about Ruyi's mother's sudden death.
Her corpse was charred and poisonous. All signs indicated that all of this was most likely related to Tang Lin'er.
The candlelight in the flower hall was bright, casting a soft glow on the celadon teacups on the carved mahogany table, and the air was filled with the faint fragrance of Longjing tea.
Shen Xingwan sat alone in the main seat with cold eyes.
Her fingertips gently stroked the edge of the teacup lid. Although her movements were casual, they carried an invisible sense of coercion, making the atmosphere in the flower hall even more solemn.
Feiyun stood respectfully beside her, and when he saw her nod slightly, he immediately raised his hand to gesture towards the door.
The old woman guarding the door immediately opened the vermilion lacquered and carved door, and a thin little maid walked in timidly with her shoulders hunched.
There was still some childishness on the little girl's face, and she looked a little frightened.
She twisted the handkerchief in her hands and looked around nervously. Finally, she looked fixedly at Shen Xingwan who was sitting at the head of the table. Suddenly, her whole body trembled and she knelt down with a plop.
Shen Xingwan raised his eyebrows slightly, his eyes fell on her lightly, and his voice was neither fast nor slow, but quite majestic.
"No need to do that, get up and answer."
The little girl stood up tremblingly, lowered her head and dared not look around anymore.
Shen Xingwan retracted his gaze, took a sip of tea, and then spoke slowly.
"May I have your name?"
"The slave Chuncao..."
"Um."
Shen Xingwan raised his eyes to look at her and asked calmly, "Do you know why I'm looking for you?"
Chuncao rubbed her fingers awkwardly, glanced at her cautiously, then quickly lowered her head and said softly: "This servant... This servant doesn't know."
"What is your relationship with Ruyi?"
Shen Xingwan spoke calmly, with no emotion in his tone.
Chuncao was stunned for a moment, then she whispered back, "I and Sister Ruyi used to live in the same room, and we lived together every day."
"In that case, you should be very familiar with her habits. Then tell me, is there anything special about them?"
Chuncao pursed her lips, as if recalling something, and after a moment she said cautiously: "Sister Ruyi...is not very easy to get along with."
"She rarely pays attention to me on weekdays, but she often orders me to do chores for her, and I dare not disobey her."
"But she treated Miss Tang very well, running around for her and serving her wholeheartedly. Even when she beat and scolded her, she never complained and continued to serve her wholeheartedly."
Shen Xingwan listened quietly, turning the teacup gently, nodded without comment, and motioned for her to continue.
Seeing that she didn't say anything, Chuncao became more and more uneasy, so she had to bite the bullet and continue, "One time, on Sister Ruyi's birthday, she was in a good mood and said a few words that she never mentioned on weekdays. Then I knew that it was because of Miss Tang, who was very kind to Sister Ruyi's mother."
"After she came to the capital with Miss Tang, she was unable to fulfill her filial duties to her mother, so Miss Tang funded her mother to buy a house and land, and also gave her a lot of capital to open a shop..."
“Pah—”
A crisp sound suddenly broke the silence in the hall.
Chuncao trembled with fear and raised her head suddenly, only to see that it was Shen Xingwan who placed the teacup heavily on the table.
There was a chill in Shen Xingwan's eyes, and his sharp gaze fell directly on her.
"What did you say? Say it again?"
Chuncao's face turned pale and she stammered, "Ms. Tang... Miss Tang bought a house and land for Sister Ruyi's mother, and also gave her capital to open a shop..."
Shen Xingwan slowly tightened her fingertips and narrowed her eyes slightly.
Tang Lin'er bought a house and land for Ruyi's mother?
Good job Tang Lin'er! Could she really teach a dead man how to run a shop?
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