Chapter 84
Deng Yan brought the man over directly, kicked the thief to the ground, and pointed at him, saying, "This is the man who stole your silver."
As he spoke, he tossed the purse to Shen Yao, then turned his gaze away to examine Wei Luo, who was wearing a mask.
His posture was upright and well-proportioned. Although his face could not be seen, the extraordinary aura he exuded commanded respect.
Deng Yan frowned and couldn't help but ask, "How should I address you, brother?"
Wei Luo looked at him without saying a word.
Seeing that things were not going well, Shen Yao quickly stepped in front of him and said with a chuckle, "A relative from the south, he is shy and not very good at speaking Mandarin."
To avoid his curiosity from pressing further, Shen Yao changed the subject and asked, "What are you doing here?"
Deng Yan replied, "I just came out after drinking and saw you. I was going to say hello, but then I saw this guy bump into you, so I went to catch him first."
After hearing this, Shen Yao wiped her sweat and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Thank you so much. I never expected to encounter a thief while out having fun."
She looked at the thief groaning on the ground and asked him, "What do we do with this guy?"
“I’ll take him directly to the Military Command and detain him for a few days.”
Upon hearing that they were going to the yamen (government office), the thief immediately struggled to slip away, but Deng Yan was quick-witted and lifted him up like a chick, shouting loudly, "Let's go, let's go to the yamen for tea."
He then took his leave.
Shen Yao watched them leave before she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Wei Luo chuckled, "Just one Deng Yan, and you're already scared out of your wits?"
"Of course not."
She glanced at the person who was standing there talking without any sense of unease, and touched her chest, saying, "I was terrified when I suddenly saw him coming. Luckily, you two were wearing masks, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable."
Wei Luo said angrily, "I told you to wear a mask too, but you wouldn't. Now that you've been recognized, don't blame me."
Shen Yao said irritably, "Then who told you to come find me? If you had stayed in the palace, this wouldn't have happened."
Wei Luo retorted, "You were the one who said you wanted to go shopping?"
"Then you didn't refuse."
"..."
The two started arguing, and Liu Heng quickly advised, "I say, why don't you two go back first? There are so many people coming and going on the street, it's really inconvenient."
Having found this to be reasonable, the group then headed toward the carriage.
There are two sides to this story.
After Deng Yan escorted the thief to the military prison, he headed straight for the Shen family's residence.
Along the way, he kept thinking about the identity of the man accompanying Shen Yao shopping.
He actually lied to Shen Yao just now.
In fact, he didn't just happen to meet Shen Yao; he had been following them all the way.
Along the way, he saw the two holding hands, extremely intimate, and the ambiguous atmosphere made everyone feel that something was wrong.
That's why he went forward to test the waters, even though it didn't work.
Deng Yan sighed helplessly.
Upon arriving at the Shen residence, Deng Yan did not enter. Instead, he took out five qian of silver and had the gatekeeper deliver a letter to Xu Xuan.
As a friend, Deng Yan felt he had done his duty, and what happened afterward was beyond his control.
So after he finished, he left decisively... then covered himself with a towel and hid behind a wall half a mile away, secretly observing the movements at the gate.
Before long, Xu Xuan came out. In the hazy night, half a mile away, Deng Yan couldn't see his face, but judging from the way he was tearing up the letter, he must be feeling quite complicated.
Doubt, unease, anger...
No one can accept a wife's betrayal.
Deng Yan slunk home, while Xu Xuan turned around and looked at the grand gate of the Shen family mansion, suddenly feeling dizzy.
Seeing that he was about to faint, the servant rushed forward to support him and asked in surprise, "Young master, are you feeling unwell?"
Xu Xuan rubbed her temples and gently shook her head. "I'm fine, let go of me."
The servant released him as instructed, and Xu Xuan regained his freedom. He asked, "Did you see your young lady leave the house?"
"It seems not."
Xu Xuan's expression remained unchanged as he asked again, "Think it over carefully, don't try to fool me."
The servant shook his head again, this time with certainty, "The young lady definitely didn't leave the manor tonight, at least I didn't see her here."
Xu Xuan nodded, took out two taels of silver from his pocket, stuffed them into his hand, and instructed, "If she comes back, notify me immediately."
After saying that, he strode towards the back of the house.
From a distance, Shen Yao's room appeared completely dark.
Xu Xuan squinted, walked over slowly, knocked on the door a few times, and when no one answered, looked around and quickly pushed the door open and slipped inside.
Inside the house, two parrots started squawking at the sound, nearly scaring Xu Xuan out of her wits.
"Shut up."
He cursed mercilessly, gritted his teeth, lit candles, and made the room brighter.
This was the first time Xu Xuan had ever spied on someone else's bedroom like a thief, and her heart was pounding so hard she was almost staggering.
It was a terrible experience.
But in order to confirm the authenticity of the letter and to put his mind at ease, he did it anyway.
Xu Xuan began searching the room, from the outer room to inside the bed, leaving no corner unchecked. However, whether it was luck or misfortune, there were no suspicious items; it was completely clean.
He breathed a sigh of relief and muttered to himself, "What cheating? I wonder who has such ulterior motives. If I find out, they'll be in big trouble."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and was about to go out when he suddenly glanced at the fire and noticed a few pieces of paper in the brazier, obviously something had been burned.
Xu Xuan's heart raced instantly. Just as she was about to go over, the door creaked open from the outside.
Biluo is back.
Both of them were taken aback, with Biluo being especially surprised. She scrutinized him almost like he was a thief. "Young Master, what brings you here?"
Xu Xuan's face turned bright red, wishing he could disappear into the ground. He looked away and quickly explained, "Oh, I just suddenly wanted to see the parrots, so I came over, but I didn't expect there to be no one in the house."
After he finished speaking, he gave a slightly awkward smile.
Whether Biluo saw through it or not, after hearing what he said, she looked down at the parrot, walked over, and said with her back to him, "I see. Little Red and Little Green are very good. I know they were given by the Crown Prince, and I have been taking good care of them and have not dared to neglect them in the slightest."
Xu Xuan nodded upon hearing this and praised, "Thank you for your trouble."
Biluo turned around and smiled, "Young master, what are you saying? This is what I should do."
Perhaps it was her kind tone and simple thoughts, but the chill that had crept up Xu Xuan's legs vanished instantly. Indeed, his excuse of coming to see the parrots didn't seem so bad after all.
At this moment, he didn't want to run away. Instead, he took the initiative, looking at Biluo with gentle eyes and asking, "Where did your young lady go? Why didn't she take you with her?"
Biluo was Shen Yao's personal maid, almost inseparable from her. However, Shen Yao did not take her with her when she went out, which is worth exploring.
However, many things in this world cannot be investigated too much, because they cannot withstand scrutiny.
Xu Xuan's question was clearly unexpected by Bi Luo. He saw the woman's expression suddenly tense up, her eyes darting left and right.
Now, even with Xu Xuan's easygoing nature, he had to re-evaluate Shen Yao.
Time passed quietly. After holding it in for a long time, Biluo finally came up with a not-so-clever excuse. Xu Xuan smiled and didn't expose her. He just told her to "take good care of the parrot" and then walked out.
Beneath the moonlit night lay a broken and tormented heart. That night, Xu Xuan lay in bed, listening to the wind all night long.
The next day, he woke up early and walked towards the main hall, where he ran into Master Shen.
"Father-in-law."
Xu Xuan bowed first.
Mr. Shen smiled and extended his hand to him. Xu Xuan quickly stepped forward to help him up, and the father-in-law and son-in-law chatted amicably.
Master Shen asked, "You have to be on duty the day after tomorrow. Why don't you take advantage of your free time to sleep in a little longer?"
Xu Xuan said, "It's a habit to get up early, and it's hard to break it in the long run."
Mr. Shen nodded and smiled, “Young people have so much energy, unlike us old men. When we get old, we can’t sleep even if we want to. As soon as we open our eyes, all sorts of things are swirling in our minds, which is really annoying.”
Xu Xuan laughed and said, "Father-in-law, I dare not agree with what you said. You are in your prime, full of energy and strength. How can you be old?"
Master Shen shook his head, patted his hand, and sighed, "You know your own body best. Youth has passed, like the mighty river flowing eastward; the past can never be retrieved."
As he spoke, he suddenly stopped, staring intently at Xu Xuan, and asked, "Have you felt lonely accompanying me all this way?"
Xu Xuan was taken aback and quickly looked around. He saw that the servants were sweeping the floor and serving water, each busy with their own tasks, and there was no sense of "loneliness". So he shook his head and replied, "Not at all."
"No?"
Master Shen asked again.
After a pause, Xu Xuan gritted her teeth and confirmed, "No."
Mr. Shen smiled and said, "Xu Xuan, I didn't mean 'desolate' literally. Think about it again."
He released Xu Xuan's hand and walked into the main hall first.
Xu Xuan stood there, stunned, pondering the meaning behind Master Shen's words for a while before finally stepping inside.
The maid brought the tea, and the two drank it.
Master Shen then asked Xu Xuan, "Have you made up your mind?"
Xu Xuan slightly raised his eyes, his ears suddenly turning slightly red. He said, "I naturally understand my father-in-law's intentions, but..."
"Just what?"
Seeing that Xu Xuan seemed to have something difficult to say, Master Shen hurriedly pressed him for details, saying, "Don't be afraid, just tell me."
After a long silence, Xu Xuan stammered, "Ayao, it seems like there's someone outside."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Shen nearly overturned the table.
He asked incredulously, his voice urgent, "What did you say?"
Xu Xuan quickly stood up, bowed, and replied, "Father-in-law, please don't be angry. I was just guessing; I haven't confirmed it yet."
Master Shen could no longer sit still. He got up and strode outside, with Xu Xuan following behind. The two returned to the backyard and went straight to Shen Yao's bedroom.
Biluo was not in the room.
Master Shen asked, "Where did Shen Yao go?"
“Last night I asked Biluo, and he said he was living in the South City mansion.”
Mr. Shen frowned. "But that doesn't prove anything. Perhaps she was just playing around and couldn't come back in time."
Xu Xuan didn't say anything more at this point. Instead, he walked to the brazier, picked up a few scraps of paper, and handed them to Master Shen.
"This is a letter, and judging from the remaining handwriting, it was written by a man."
Master Shen took the document and examined it. His face darkened considerably. He said, "Since you suspect A Yao of having an affair, I will not take her side. Now you will come with me to the South City. I want to see if it is true or not."
As the two traveled to Nancheng, Biluo had already arrived and recounted the events of the previous night to Shen Yao. She said, "Perhaps the young master has already noticed something."
Shen Yao couldn't sit still any longer and pulled Wei Luo aside, asking, "What should we do? If they really find out about this, I reckon we'll be dead without a burial place."
"Nonsense."
Wei Luo retorted, "With me here, who dares to let you die?"
A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, which would normally have reassured Shen Yao, but at this moment, looking at Wei Luo, she was even more afraid.
I'm afraid he'll act impulsively, afraid he'll be reckless...
She tentatively suggested, "Why don't you leave here first?"
"Will things be resolved if I just leave?" he retorted.
Shen Yao shook her head. "Right now you're here as Xu Xuan. As long as Xu Xuan doesn't come here, you won't be exposed. But if he does come... so we have to prepare for the worst."
Seeing his silence, Shen Yao said again, "I would like to ask Miao Niang for help."
Wei Luo was surprised, "You're going to tell her everything?"
"Yes, this is the only way to avoid this disaster right now."
Wei Luo shook his head. "But she's your father's woman. Why should she help you?"
Shen Yao clenched her fingers and bit her lip, saying, "Where there's a will, there's a way. And if all else fails, money can make the devil turn the millstone."
In a flash, Wei Luo understood her thoughts and said, "One lie often requires countless lies to cover it up. Are you really sure?"
"I've made up my mind."
Shen Yao was very determined.
"Actually, before I was with you, I thought that one day the truth would come out. At that time, I was prepared to face the storm. I just didn't expect that day to come so soon, which almost caught me off guard. But thankfully, it's not too late."
She smiled at him.
Wei Luo immediately felt a warm current surge through his heart, spreading from his heart to his limbs and bones.
This feeling of being cared for and protected is truly intoxicating.
He hugged her, gently rested his chin on her shoulder, and whispered, "It's all my fault for being so incompetent, unable to protect you. Yao, you've been wronged."
"No, Your Highness, please don't blame yourself. This matter concerns morality and a sense of shame, and it's not exactly pure. In this era, no matter what you do, you'll be criticized."
"That's a novel way of putting it," he asked. "So?"
"Therefore, do as you please, do as you please."
This is the answer Shen Yao gave.
Wei Luo took Liu Heng back to the palace, while Shen Yao brought a pot of Jinhua wine and sent someone to invite Miao Niang.
When Miao Niang arrived, she was still sleepy-eyed and yawning repeatedly as she sat in the chair. "Why did you wake me up so early in the morning?"
"Of course, I'll treat you to drinks."
Miao Niang glanced at the wine and saw it. She sat up straight and said with a smile, "Oh, Miss Chen has changed her ways. She's treating me to drinks this morning?"
"Yes, sister, would you like to have a drink with me?"
She poured a full cup, personally handed it to Miao Niang, and urged, "The wine is warmed, it's delicious, why don't you try some?"
Miao Niang raised an eyebrow. "Unsolicited kindness is either a sign of ulterior motives or theft."
She took it and placed it directly on the table. Instead, she rested her chin on her hand, looked up, and asked, "What troubles have you encountered, Miss Chen? Tell me."
As expected of someone who has served Master Shen for many years, his insight is truly remarkable.
In front of such a shrewd woman, no lie can hide, so it's better to be open and honest.
Shen Yao said, "Miao Niang is indeed wise. I have indeed encountered a difficult situation."
After she finished speaking, she immediately stood up and knelt down directly in front of Miao Niang.
Miao Niang was shocked and almost jumped up, saying in a panic, "Miss, how can I bear this? Please get up and talk to me."
Shen Yao shook her head, then grabbed her sleeve and cried, "Miao Niang, listen to me first. Actually, I lied to you."
Miao Niang was stunned.
Shen Yao continued, "The man who came last night, the son-in-law you know, is actually not Xu Xuan."
Miao Niang stared at Shen Yao for a long time, her mouth agape in surprise, as if she had never met her before.
She asked Shen Yao, "Who is that man?"
"It's the one I love..."
Shen Yao couldn't know if Miao Niang could help, but as a woman herself, she wanted to give it a shot.
Miao Niang asked her, "Who is he?"
Shen Yao replied, "Who he is is not important. What is important is that we love each other, but we cannot be together openly because of social norms."
She looked at her earnestly, her eyes brimming with tears.
Miao Niang sighed, picked up the wine cup on the table, gulped it down, slammed the cup down, and sneered, "You know I'm your father's man, I can't betray him."
After speaking, he got up to leave.
Shen Yao quickly grabbed her skirt and said loudly, "I know, I know your difficulties, and I never intended for you to be disloyal to my father."
"Then what do you want me to do?"
"I……"
Seeing that she was at a loss for words, Miao Niang smiled and said, "You want me to help you cover it up, or rather, to make up a lie, is that right?"
Shen Yao's eyes suddenly darkened, and after hesitating for a moment, she finally nodded.
Miao Niang said, "Get up and speak."
She helped Shen Yao up, then poured her a glass of wine and handed it to her, saying, "Have a glass of wine to warm yourself up."
Shen Yao shook her head. "Drinking can make one drunk, and I'm afraid I might say something inappropriate."
"Coward, you've already dared to steal someone, why would you care about this?"
Miao Niang scoffed, poking Shen Yao hard on the forehead and saying, "It's not the wine that intoxicates, it's the person. You drink first, then we can talk."
Heroes bond over wine, so Chen Yao drank the cup in one gulp.
Miao Niang asked, "What benefit would it bring me to help you?"
Children talk about friendship, adults talk about interests.
Shen Yao asked, "What do you want? Money, a house?"
Miao Niang shook her head, "Your father can give me all of these. Compared to material possessions, I want a promise more..."
Just as Shen Yao was about to ask a question, she suddenly heard a loud noise from a man.
"Where's Chen Yao? Tell her to come out and see me!"
The fact that he can act so presumptuously here must mean that the head of the family, Master Shen, has arrived.
Both of them were taken aback.
In an instant, Master Shen arrived with Xu Xuan.
No one dared to stop the two of them.
Shen Yao's face turned pale as she looked pleadingly at Miao Niang, while Miao Niang looked at Xu Xuan in surprise.
This is a true third-place scholar.
She quickly realized what was happening and stepped forward to greet him, "Oh, sir, what's wrong?"
Mr. Shen ignored her and went straight to Shen Yao, immediately questioning her: "What were you doing last night?"
Shen Yao looked at her father, then glanced at Xu Xuan beside her. Cold sweat broke out on her back. She stammered, "I... I was shopping, buying some jewelry and clothes. What's wrong with that?"
Mr. Shen stared at her, then suddenly exclaimed, "Oh?" "With whom?"
Sure enough, people's minds react ten times faster in a crisis than usual. Master Shen's question clearly indicates that he knows something.
The person who saw her shopping with Wei Luo was Deng Yan. Now that Xu Xuan has arrived, it's all connected to Li Tong.
Shen Yao clenched her fingers and gritted her teeth, saying, "I'll go with Miao Niang."
She looked at Miao Niang and smiled, "Last night, Miao Niang wrote to invite me out shopping, didn't she?"
Everyone looked at her.
Shen Yao winked at her, stepped forward and took her arm, saying, "Miao Niang, you must tell my father quickly, or I will be wrongly accused to death."
The two stood side by side, facing Mr. Shen and Xu Xuan directly.
Under Shen Yao's constant urging, Miao Niang's expression changed repeatedly. After much hesitation and struggle, she finally nodded vigorously, "Last night, it was me and Yao together."
Shen Yao laughed and said, "We just went out for a stroll, and you came all this way just to ask this?"
Her gaze suddenly swept towards Xu Xuan, silently questioning him.
Xu Xuan didn't avoid her gaze; instead, he looked directly at her, open and honest.
Mr. Shen didn't speak again. After a while, Xu Xuan said, "Father-in-law, this matter should just be a misunderstanding."
By saying this, he was indicating that he would no longer pursue the matter.
Mr. Shen frowned. "Are you sure?"
"yes."
Xu Xuan's tone was firm.
This matter started with Xu Xuan and will end with Xu Xuan. Master Shen was also afraid of finding out something. Now that no one was injured or killed, it was the best outcome. So he called Miao Niang away and gave the two of them a private talk.
Shen Yao asked him, "Why are you suddenly causing me trouble?"
When facing Xu Xuan, she naturally didn't speak to him in the same gentle tone as before.
Xu Xuan said, "You're lying. The person you were with last night wasn't Miao Niang. Those two were wearing masks, and judging from their height, they were clearly men."
Despite having mentally prepared herself, Xu Xuan's bluntness still took her by surprise.
Shen Yao said, "Does it really matter whether someone is a man or a woman?"
She moved slightly closer to him and said in a coercive tone, "Don't forget, we're divorced, we're not a real couple anymore, and you once said that you wouldn't interfere with whoever I like."
So who are you trying to impress by catching them in the act?
Shen Yao immediately gave her a cold look.
Xu Xuan said, "You're in a hurry, Shen Yao."
"What's the meaning?"
“I did say those things before, but times have changed, and now I regret it.”
Under Shen Yao's shocked gaze, he ruthlessly severed ties with the past, saying, "Just consider those words from before as bullshit."
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