Chapter 62
At dawn, as the sun rises in the east, its light spills across the earth, and rows of icicles under the eaves gleam with a soft luster.
As the sound of footsteps crunching through the snow filled the courtyard, a pair of black boots stopped outside a room.
Just as Deng Yan was about to knock on Xu Xuan's door, he suddenly remembered that he had sent someone to invite Shen Yao last night. What if she was in her room right now? He decided not to go in.
He took a few steps back, turned around, and went back into the house. His wife was still washing up. Deng Yan asked her, "Were there any guests at home last night?"
"Isn't Xu Xuan in the guest room?"
"It's not Xu Xuan, it's Xu Xuan's wife, Madam Shen." Deng Yan's expression became subtle, and after thinking for a moment, he said, "Never mind, I'll go ask the servant."
The servant was sweeping snow in the backyard. When he saw Deng Yan, he quickly put down his broom, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Good morning, young master."
Deng Yan grunted an "Mm," but before he could speak, a servant stepped forward and reported, "Young master, I invited Madam Shen here last night, and she should still be resting now."
Deng Yan looked towards the guest room, thinking that it was still early and he shouldn't disturb them. So he instructed the servant to go to the market to buy some pastries and dried fruit. Just then, crisp footsteps came. The two of them looked over and saw that it was Shen Yao, who should have been sleeping in the room, who had come over, carrying a rice basket in her hand.
Deng Yan was surprised. Had he gone out to buy breakfast so early in the morning?
Before he could ask, Shen Yao went straight over, bowed, and said with a smile, "Good morning, Steward Deng!"
Deng Yan returned the greeting, glanced down at her hand, and asked, "You went out?"
“Yes.” Shen Yao handed the rice basket to the servant, brushed the snow off her clothes, and sighed, “Xu Xuan had a fever again last night. I was afraid he would damage his brain, so I went to the clinic early this morning to get medicine.”
As he spoke, he covered his mouth and yawned.
Deng Yan then noticed the dark circles under her eyes, and her usually luminous eyes seemed to have lost some of their usual luster.
He clearly didn't sleep well last night because he was taking care of Xu Xuan.
For some reason, a pang of guilt welled up in his heart, but it only lasted for a moment before he suppressed the emotion. After all, in his view, it was only natural for a wife to take care of her husband, especially since Xu Xuan was injured because of her.
Deng Yan instructed the servant to prepare the medicine, while Shen Yao returned to her guest room.
Xu Xuan was already awake, sitting on the bed in a daze. Shen Yao walked towards him and casually said, "You had a fever last night, I just went to get you some medicine."
As if just waking up, Xu Xuan looked at her with a scrutinizing gaze.
Shen Yao felt a chill run down her spine from his gaze, shrank back, and asked, "What... is there something on my face this morning?"
"You don't have it on your face, but who knows if you have it on the outside?"
The implication in her words was clear, and Shen Yao couldn't stand it any longer. She stepped forward and said, "What do you mean? Explain yourself clearly. What did I do wrong?"
After enduring all night, Xu Xuan finally laid his cards on the table: "Duan Kaizhi, you should be familiar with him, right?"
Caught off guard by the mention of that person, Shen Yao's face immediately turned ugly. Xu Xuan saw this and sneered, "He was the one who killed me last night."
"...What?" Shen Yao's breath hitched. A thought flashed through her mind, and her tone involuntarily carried a hint of guilt. "Why would he want to kill you?"
Xu Xuan looked at her and laughed at her "knowing the answer already," "I had absolutely no connection with him, what else could he have wanted to kill me for?"
"You mean... a crime of passion?"
This idea truly shocked Shen Yao. She shook her head repeatedly, as if it were a rattle-drum. "Impossible! He and I are completely innocent. He wouldn't kill someone for such a trivial matter. Besides, how do you know it was Duan Kaizhi?"
Could it be that he's lying to her?
Xu Xuan snorted coldly, "The assassin told me this last night."
It refers to Zhao Liang.
Shen Yao then asked, "Can an assassin's words be trusted?"
Thinking this through, she decided to go find Zhao Liang to confirm it in person. But Xu Xuan refused, saying, "Forget it, I won't hold this against you."
"Huh?" Before Shen Yao could react, Xu Xuan suddenly threw off the covers and got up, his eyebrows furrowed in pain.
Just as she was about to go up and help, there was a sudden knock on the door, and then Deng Yan walked in.
Both of them looked at him.
The atmosphere inside was somewhat awkward. Deng Yan looked at the two of them standing there and gave an awkward smile, "Did I come at the wrong time?"
"No, you've come at just the right time."
Xu Xuan braced himself against the wall and walked towards Deng Yan. "There's something I need you to witness."
Deng Yan asked in surprise, "What is it?"
"Divorce."
"..."
Three sheets of paper were laid out on the table, the ink still wet, clearly indicating they had been written on recently.
He looked at Shen Yao, "A few days ago you said you wanted a divorce, and I disagreed at the time. But later, I gradually changed my mind. Perhaps a divorce is a better outcome for both of us. Don't you think so?"
Shen Yao's head was buzzing, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses. She picked up the paper and looked at it, then lowered her eyes and answered him, "Our fate has run its course, we should get a divorce."
“Very well. Even so, the marriage was ultimately bestowed by the Emperor himself, so in public we are still husband and wife, but in private, if you have a man you like, you are free to be with him... I don’t care.”
Shen Yao raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Are you sure?"
"Sure."
His tone was as firm as if he were joining the Party.
In just a few days, Xu Xuan's attitude towards the divorce was completely different. Shen Yao did not simply think that he had a change of heart and was willing to let her go, or that he was afraid of Duan Kaizhi.
He did this simply because Liu Ru had suggested leaving, and he wanted to make one last effort for their love.
Shen Yao found it amusing, yet couldn't help but sigh. However, since he was willing to divorce her and grant her the freedom to date, Shen Yao had gotten what she wanted and had no complaints. In fact, fearing he might change his mind, she quickly picked up a pen to sign and put her fingerprint on the document.
The document was made in triplicate, with one copy for the man and one for the woman. The third copy was originally intended to be submitted to the government for record-keeping, but since they divorced privately, the government refused to acknowledge it and instead entrusted it to Deng Yan, the witness, for safekeeping.
With everything settled, Shen Yao looked at the marriage contract and felt a sense of relief. She even found Xu Xuan to be much more handsome.
Shen Yao said, "From now on, we'll be partners."
"Ha!" Xu Xuan nodded and laughed, "Yes, marriage partners, you're right. In public, we're husband and wife, but in private we're..." He looked at her, scrutinizing her face for the first time, and suddenly felt that the person in front of him was so unfamiliar, as if he had never understood her before.
He used to find it annoying when she clung to him; now that she's distant, he's starting to find it annoying too.
He thought, "If it weren't for Liu Ru, perhaps everything would have been a different story."
However, there are no "what ifs" in this world. Time flows forward like water, but it will never go backward.
*
As noon approached, the sunlight was bright, the snow on the eaves melted, and the clear meltwater dripped down the cracks in the tiles, playing a beautiful melody.
Shen Yao listened quietly for a while before deciding to leave.
Xu Xuan stopped her, saying, "I don't know the details of your relationship with Duan Kaizhi, but as his nominal husband, I kindly advise you not to get entangled with him."
Shen Yao chuckled softly, thinking to herself, "You're really that kind?" But she still asked as instructed, "Why?"
“A playboy who spends his days in brothels is not worth your affection.”
That's absolutely true. A charming playboy is only fit for the stage; in real marriage, whoever marries him is doomed.
"Thank you for reminding me, but don't worry, I have nothing to do with him. Besides, I won't let him hurt you again." Shen Yao patted her chest to assure him, but the doubt in Xu Xuan's eyes clearly showed that he didn't believe her.
Shen Yao decided not to explain anymore. After all, the two of them were indeed a contractual couple now, and she didn't need to tell Xu Xuan everything.
Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside.
It was a servant from the Shen family, and he looked very anxious.
"Miss, the young master has gone missing."
"What?"
Shen Yao was shocked and, without waiting any longer, rushed to the Shen family.
On the way, the servant told her that Shen Fan hadn't returned home all night. At first, no one paid much attention, but he still hadn't been seen this morning. It was known that Shen Fan never stayed out overnight unless on official business. Master Shen then became anxious and sent all his servants out to search for him.
It was last night again, and Shen Yao couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.
Last night at Paozi River, Donggong arrested so many people, and Shen Fan was nowhere to be seen. She was quite relieved, but she never expected that what was bound to happen would still come.
So, did Shen Fan get involved in what happened last night?
"We won't go back to the Shen family; we'll change our route to the Duke of Xin's mansion."
Zhao Lian is inextricably linked to this matter.
She left in a hurry and didn't have time to write a visiting card, but the Duke of Xin's mansion wasn't difficult to enter. After introducing herself, Shen Yao went directly to see Zhao Lian.
"Speak, what is it?"
Zhao Lian cut to the chase, and Shen Yao didn't mince words either, asking him directly, "You should know about the incident at Paozi River last night, right?"
"You came here just to ask about this?"
"Of course not, I want to ask if you've seen my older brother?" She said, observing his reaction. "He didn't come home last night, and he's not here this morning either."
"Oh, so someone's gone." Zhao Lian lay back in the rocking chair, looking languid. "Then go to the yamen to report it. Why are you looking for me?"
Shen Yao glared at him, "My older brother was with you yesterday, and now he's disappeared. Who else would we look for if not you?"
"That makes sense." Zhao Lian closed his eyes slightly. "Let me think. We were together yesterday, what were we doing? Oh right, drinking and playing cards. Your brother had bad luck and kept losing money—"
"Alright," Shen Yao couldn't help but interrupt him, "Stop rambling on and on, can't you get to the point?"
"This is the important matter."
Shen Yao rolled her eyes inwardly, but had no choice but to endure it.
“Your older brother kept losing at cards and got so angry that he stopped playing. That’s when Duan Kaizhi came.”
"Duan Kaizhi?" Shen Yao was slightly surprised. So they were together last night.
"Me, your older brother, and Duan Kaizhi, the three of us are playing pitch-pot here."
Shen Yao looked around. The place was clean and tidy, with no signs of any playful activity. Presumably, the maids in the manor had already cleaned up. She asked, "And then?"
Zhao Lian continued, "Your older brother got sleepy after playing until midnight, so he stayed in a guest room in the mansion and went home early the next morning."
"But my older brother did not return home."
“Then I don’t know…” Zhao Lian stroked his chin thoughtfully, “Perhaps he went to a friend’s house, you can go look for him again.”
The servant said they had searched everywhere they could think of, so where else could they look? Shen Yao could only continue to stare at Zhao Lian, trying to find a clue in his expression, but unfortunately, she couldn't.
But something felt off. Three men spending the whole night together, just drinking and having fun? Especially considering what happened last night.
Nobody would believe that.
"Where is Duan Kai?"
Zhao Lian was taken aback, then frowned and asked, "Why are you looking for him?"
"Of course, we need to verify its authenticity."
Zhao Lian laughed, "Why would I lie to you?"
Shen Yao chuckled.
The Yongning Marquis's residence was also in the northern part of the city, not far away, so she planned to go directly there. As she walked out the door, she happened to run into Zhao Lian's wife and greeted her.
"Sister Guo."
Guo Fu took her hand and said with a smile, "You said you wanted to visit each other more often, but since we last met, I haven't seen you for several days. I've been waiting for you."
Shen Yao smiled slightly, "I've been too busy, and today..." she sighed, "my older brother has gone missing."
Madam Guo's expression changed slightly, and she bit her lip as she asked, "How could this be?"
Shen Yao then said, "They said they were drinking here last night. Sister Guo, did you see Big Brother?"
Guo Fu was taken aback, pulled her hand away and tugged at her handkerchief, turning to look into the distance. "I ran into him last night. He was drunk, and I had to arrange for someone to take care of him."
Shen Yao was quite surprised; it turned out they really had been drinking together last night.
He then stepped forward and asked, "What about this morning? Did you see where your older brother went?"
"No, no, I didn't see it."
Guo Fu suddenly stammered, leaving Shen Yao even more confused.
But she wouldn't say more, and Shen Yao didn't press her further. The two exchanged a few more trivial words before parting ways.
Shen Yao's figure disappeared before the steps.
Guo Fu turned around, and a maid came up. Seeing that no one was around, Guo Fu quietly asked, "Chen Fan, what's going on?"
The maid said, "They said someone went missing, and that's why Madam Shen came to look for them just now."
Guo Fu's heart was pounding.
The maid looked at her, puzzled. "But mistress, Shen Fan clearly left last night, why did you—"
"Shut up." Before the maid could finish speaking, Guo Fu sternly reprimanded her, "Remember, Shen Fan left this morning."
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