Chapter 82
Amidst the bickering of Xiao Hong and Xiao Lü, Shen Yao went out to a banquet with Xu Xuan.
The moon rises above the willow branches, and we meet after dusk.
On the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, all kinds of lanterns decorate the capital city like a dreamlike fairyland.
Along the way, the flowers were in full bloom and the willows were green, and the carriages and horses roared like thunder.
At a roadside stall, Shen Yao bought a hibiscus lantern and a lotus lantern, carried them to the restaurant, gave one to Madam Deng, and a few small hairpins with the character "福" (fortune) as a gift.
“They are all fashionable styles made in the palace, and my sister wears them for fun.”
Madam Deng was delighted, "Then I shall respectfully accept your offer."
Shen Yao put it on her herself and praised, "It looks beautiful."
Girls' friendships often begin with sharing gifts, and Deng's wife also gave Shen Yao several nice things.
The two began to get to know each other.
At the dinner table, the men discussed court politics, while the women talked about neighborhood gossip.
This is how you build closer relationships.
After the drinks, let's stroll through the night market together.
On the night of the Lantern Festival, there was no curfew, and the streets were practically deserted as people guessed riddles, admired lanterns, and watched fireworks, having a wonderful time.
Shen Yao wanted to release river lanterns, so she grabbed Deng's wife and rushed forward, with two men following behind like bodyguards.
When Shen Yao turned around, she noticed that Xu Xuan was also holding a lantern. Upon closer inspection, she was surprised to find that it was even more beautiful than her hibiscus lantern, and she immediately became displeased.
She ran up to Xu Xuan and asked, "Where did you buy the lamp? I want to buy one too."
Xu Xuan smiled and said, "This lamp is a gift for you."
Deng Yan chimed in, "Gang Ziwei also said that you would definitely like it, and it turned out to be true."
Shen Yao glanced at Xu Xuan and said, "Thank you." The two exchanged lanterns and walked together to the riverbank.
The river water rippled gently, creating layers of waves, and the river was filled with colorful lanterns of all kinds.
On the shore, there were also vendors selling bamboo paper for making wishes.
The group went over, bought red paper, and wrote down their wishes.
Xu Xuan leaned down to look at Shen Yao and asked her, "What did you write?"
Shen Yao handed it to him directly, saying, "They're all blessings." Then, curiously, she asked, "What did you write?"
"About the same as you."
When Shen Yao tried to look, he quickly turned and left.
Shen Yao sighed helplessly, muttering, "Here we go again. This time I'm definitely going to watch it."
So he quickly caught up, snatched the book, and read aloud: "Endless longing, conveyed by the candlelight."
She was stunned for a moment, and when she looked, she saw that Xu Xuan's face was red and he looked very uncomfortable. He said loudly, "How could you steal other people's things?"
Taking advantage of Shen Yao's dazed state, he snatched the bamboo paper back, coughed a few times, and strode to the riverbank to release the lanterns.
Shen Yao hurriedly chased after her, feeling a little guilty, and said, "I was just curious, but you wouldn't let me see."
Xu Xuan kept her head down and didn't say a word.
Thinking he was angry, Shen Yao said irritably, "Alright, alright, it's just a little thing, nothing special."
Xu Xuan's ears twitched, and she blurted out, "You know?"
“Of course.” Shen Yao faced the river and sighed slightly. “Although your lantern can’t reach Hangzhou, Liu Ru will definitely be able to sense your intentions.”
She spoke her last words while looking directly at the man's face, with utmost sincerity.
That way, Xu Xuan shouldn't be angry anymore.
Shen Yao thought so.
But Xu Xuan didn't feel relieved at all; instead, his expression grew even more grim. He murmured, "You thought I wrote this to Liu Ru?"
Isn't that so?
She countered with a question.
Xu Xuan then turned his head away, no longer looking at her.
Shen Yao continued to stare at the man's profile, looking up slightly. She saw his lips pressed together, his brows furrowed, and his face full of loneliness.
He couldn't help but feel puzzled. When had he fallen for another woman? There hadn't been a single sign. They say a woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea, but if a man truly wants to hide something, he's no less capable than a woman.
Shen Yao tilted her head and thought for a long time. Given their cooperative relationship, she felt that she should figure out the connection. In case he was desperate and suddenly fell in love with some random woman, she would be the one who would suffer in the end.
Therefore, he decided to test Liu Ru.
So Shen Yao gently tugged at his sleeve and comforted him, "There's a saying, 'If love between two people is meant to last, why should they be together every day?' Although she's far away in Hangzhou, there will always be a chance for them to meet again and continue their good relationship."
"not to mention--"
"That's enough, Shen Yao."
Xu Xuan suddenly turned around and interrupted her, "I didn't write it to Liu Ru, I wrote it to... Do you really not know?"
He gazed at her, his eyes filled with many other emotions.
He seemed to want to tell her something, but was too embarrassed to say it.
In a flash, Shen Yao suddenly understood.
He wasn't writing to Liu Ru, but to her, his first wife.
In an instant, she felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head, and she was completely stunned.
No... when did he develop romantic feelings for me?
Absolutely incredible!!
Shen Yao shook her head repeatedly and changed the subject, "It's so cold. Don't you think the wind has gotten much stronger? Why don't we go back?"
After saying that, he turned to leave.
Xu Xuan quickly grabbed her, "Why didn't you say you were cold earlier? I'll give you the cloak."
As soon as he finished speaking, a warm cloak was draped over Shen Yao, and the man's unique incense scent enveloped her.
Shen Yao couldn't help but sniff, wanting to take it off, but Xu Xuan stopped her as soon as she made a move.
He said, "You should still wear it. It would be a waste if you caught a cold."
For a moment, her ears turned slightly red, she lowered her head, and said, "Thank you."
Xu Xuan was taken aback, pondered for a moment, and said, "Actually, there's no need for us to be so polite with each other."
"No, I think it's better to be polite, after all, we're not really husband and wife."
She glanced at him briefly, then quickly lowered her eyes and looked into the distance.
The river flowed calmly and gently under the moonlight, and the river lanterns shone brightly, adorning the darkness with colorful lights.
Such a beautiful moonlit night, such beautiful prayer lanterns, laughter and joy filling the air—truly a wonderful time.
Suddenly, a "whoosh" sound came from afar, and a ball of fireworks exploded in the air, turning into thousands of streams of fire that fell in all directions.
Then more fireworks were lit, illuminating the entire capital city as if it were daytime, a breathtaking spectacle of dazzling lights.
This was a golden age of peace and prosperity for a dynasty, a time of national wealth, peace and tranquility.
This was the Lantern Festival of the 30th year of Yongzhen, which ended with a grand fireworks display.
That evening, after taking Shen Yao home, Xu Xuan went out, saying he was having a gathering with colleagues and wouldn't be back that night.
Shen Yao didn't pay him any attention, but Xu Xuan returned late at night, covered in mud and looking disheveled.
Shen Yao covered her nose and looked him over. "Did you fall into a mud puddle while drunk?"
Xu Xuan immediately denied it, "Of course not. When have I ever been drunk? I just tripped and fell into a mud pit while I was arresting someone."
His clothes were soaked through. He sniffed and couldn't help but sneeze.
Shen Yao hurriedly instructed the maid to prepare water for a bath, while pouring him a cup of hot tea and handing it to him, "Why are you arresting people? Did you encounter a thief?"
Xu Xuan took it, gulped it down in one go, coughed a few times, and then said, "I ran into Zhang San."
He explained, "Zhang San is Deng Yan's friend and also an insider about the demonic book. After the demonic book case broke, he saw that things were not going well, so he left the capital. Unexpectedly, he came back for the New Year. Just now, when we went out drinking, Deng Yan ran into him, so we chased him for three blocks."
"Did you catch them?" Shen Yao asked expectantly.
Xu Xuan glanced at her, shook his head, and said resentfully, "It's all that mud pit's fault. If it weren't for it, Zhang San would be in my hands."
Shen Yao's lips twitched, and she comforted him, "It's alright, don't blame yourself. As long as Zhang San is in the capital, things will be easier. We'll go to the Military Command tomorrow and get people to arrest him together."
Xu Xuan sighed, "It's not that easy to transfer people. The Military Affairs Department is already busy during the Spring Festival, and there's simply no manpower to handle this kind of thing."
"What about the Embroidered Uniform Guard? They were the ones investigating the 'seditious book' matter. Now that they've made some progress, they should take charge, shouldn't they?"
“I’m not familiar with the Embroidered Uniform Guard.” He looked at Shen Yao, his gaze shifting slightly, and added, “Unless my father-in-law intervenes, it’s not possible.”
Shen Yao understood instantly and nodded, saying, "Then I'll give it a try. It's better for both sides to find out the truth as soon as possible, give justice to the innocent, and bring the wicked to justice."
Xu Xuan stood up, overjoyed. "Ayao, thank you."
"There's no need to thank me. The demonic book is also involved with the Shen family. I was just doing my duty."
After the water was boiled, Xu Xuan went to wash up, while Shen Yao went to rest.
The next morning after breakfast, Shen Yao quietly called Mr. Shen out and told him about the matter, "Father, you have to help with this."
She looked at her father with anticipation.
Old Master Shen pondered the matter repeatedly, then frowned and asked Shen Yao, "Where is Xu Xuan? Tell him to come out; I have some questions for him."
Shen Yao said, "He fell while catching someone yesterday and came back late, so he's probably still sleeping now."
Upon hearing that his son-in-law was still resting, Master Shen immediately became displeased. He looked up at the sky and shouted, "It's already past noon and you're still sleeping. That's outrageous! Get up now!"
Tell Shen Yao to go and call him.
With a mix of pushing and urging, Shen Yao had no choice but to say, "Fine, you wait here, I'll call him right away."
She hurried to Xu Xuan's door and knocked several times, but there was no response. She pressed her ear close to the door and called out a few more times, "Ziwei, Xu Ziwei~"
There was still no movement.
So Shen Yao pushed open the door and went inside. She saw that the bedding on the bed was neatly folded, but there was no one there.
Shen Yao then ran out the door and asked everyone she saw, "Have you seen the young master?"
The servants all said they didn't see it.
Shen Yao asked a few more questions and finally learned from the gatekeeper that Xu Xuan had left home just before dawn without even eating.
After thinking for a moment, Shen Yao guessed that Xu Xuan had probably gone to stake out the place.
I don't know if we can catch them.
Mr. Shen was still waiting for her. Shen Yao went over and replied, "Ziwei isn't home. When he comes back, I'll have him come find you."
So Mr. Shen went straight out.
With nothing to do, Shen Yao went back to the house to check on the parrots, calling out, "Little Red, Little Green."
So he wrote a letter to Wei Luo about it, saying, "Your parrots have names now, one is called Little Red, and the other is called Little Green..."
The messenger delivered it to the palace. Wei Luo read it and wrote back, "How vulgar! It's supposed to be from the Eastern Palace. Can't they give it a more noble and elegant name?"
Then Shen Yao saw the names bestowed by His Highness the Crown Prince: "Nine Songs and Heavenly Questions".
Shen Yao couldn't help but complain, "Your Highness can't even fly to the sky himself, so you're pinning your hopes on a parrot."
"Who says I can't ascend to heaven?"
The door was suddenly kicked open, and when Shen Yao looked over, it was as if she had been struck by lightning.
The letter slipped to the ground. Wei Luo bent down to pick it up, placed it on the table, then walked over to Shen Yao, bowed slightly, and smiled, "What's wrong, are you dumbfounded?"
She shook her head, calming her wildly beating heart, and asked softly, "This is the Shen family home, how dare you come here?"
"Of course I came because I missed you."
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