"If you hit him, he can't do his job anymore, so all the dirty and hard work will fall on my shoulders?"
Shen Jintang couldn't help but laugh when she saw Gu Zhixing's sullen face.
"Is that really the reason?" Gu Zhixing looked at Shen Jintang with some suspicion.
"Of course, what other reason could there be?"
Shen Jintang remained calm and advised, "If you want to fight, wait until we get back to the capital. I will not say a word."
Seeing Shen Jintang speak like this, Gu Zhixing's anger dissipated.
It's not because I care about him, but because I can't bear to hit him.
"Alright, don't waste any more time, hurry back." Shen Jintang urged him, her voice tinged with urgency.
Gu Zhixing sighed softly, his gaze lingering on Shen Jintang for a moment, as if trying to etch her image into his heart, before reluctantly turning away.
The moonlight, like water, was pure white and cool, spilling across the earth and coating everything around it with a thin layer of frost.
As Shen Jintang watched Gu Zhixing's receding figure, her eyes rippled with emotion, like the surface of a lake rippled by the wind, complex and restless.
She pursed her lips, as if suppressing something, and finally slowly raised her head, casting her gaze upon the boundless night sky.
...
After Shen Huaixu and the garrison commander of Sizhou finalized the plan to borrow troops, Shen Jintang had already disappeared without a trace.
He turned around, his gaze sweeping around as if still trying to catch a glimpse of her, but ultimately he could only turn his gaze away in vain.
He turned to look at Shishu, his voice low and calm, yet carrying a barely perceptible hint of urgency: "How is she?"
Shi Shu was taken aback for a moment, then realized who Shen Huaixu was asking about, and quickly replied respectfully, "Miss said she was a little tired, so she went back to rest first."
Shen Huaixu gripped the wheelchair handles with slightly increased force, his knuckles turning white, as if he were suppressing some emotion.
After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke, his voice carrying a hint of gentleness: "Prepare some hangover soup and send it over; a hangover is bad for your health."
Shi Shu nodded and was about to turn around to do it when she heard Shen Huaixu add in a low voice, "Be quick."
Waking someone up after they've fallen asleep is truly a form of torture.
"Yes, Master," the attendant replied, and immediately turned to carry out the task.
Shen Huaixu waited in the room for a long time before he saw Shishu hurriedly return, carrying a bowl of hangover soup.
He frowned, his voice tinged with urgency: "What's going on?"
"Miss Xinghui said that Miss Biao is already asleep, and... and also said..."
Shi Shu hesitated, her eyes flickering, as if weighing something, unsure whether she should bring it up.
Hearing Shi Shu's hesitant tone, Shen Huaixu's heart tightened, and his tone unconsciously became more forceful: "What else is there to say? Speak!"
Shi Shu gritted her teeth, as if she had made up her mind, and looked up at Shen Huaixu: "You said this hangover soup is useless. Let me take it back for you to drink yourself."
Shen Huaixu sensed the sarcasm in the tone, and his heart sank slightly.
He didn't drink a drop of alcohol at the banquet, so why would he need a hangover remedy?
Xing Hui's words were clearly a veiled attack on him, a case of "crocodile tears and feigned compassion."
He was silent for a moment, his fingers tapping lightly on the wheelchair handle, making a soft sound, as if calming the turmoil in his heart.
After a long silence, he sighed softly, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Never mind, let it go."
The next day, as dawn broke, sunlight, like a golden veil, gently bathed the earth, dispelling the chill of the night.
Perhaps feeling guilty, Shen Huaixu arrived early at the courtyard where Shen Jintang was sleeping, just as dawn was breaking, and waited quietly.
His figure appeared particularly lonely in the morning light, as if even the faint light was telling of his unease.
Xinghui stood at the door, his face showing obvious impatience, but he still maintained a facade of respect and didn't say anything more.
She glanced sideways at Shen Huaixu, wondering to herself what he was up to so early in the morning.
As the sun rose higher, its golden light became increasingly dazzling.
Shen Jintang would usually be up by now, but today the room was quiet and there was no sound at all.
Xinghui couldn't help but wonder, "Logically speaking, my master should have been up long ago, why is he so late today?"
Could it be that you were too tired last night?
But then I thought about it again and realized something was wrong.
There have been times when I was even more tired than yesterday, but my master never lingered in bed.
Xinghui's brows furrowed more and more, a vague unease creeping into her heart.
Could something have happened?
She couldn't help but glance into the room, then looked back at Shen Huaixu.
Clearly, Shen Huaixu, who had been waiting for a long time, also noticed that something was wrong.
In his mind, Shen Jintang was definitely not the type to stay in bed, especially since she clearly knew that today was the day to welcome officials from various states who were sending grain and people. There were many complicated matters to attend to, and she couldn't possibly not get up to deal with them.
Shen Huaixu's expression grew increasingly solemn. He frowned slightly, his gaze fixed on the tightly closed door.
Soon, Shen Huaixu withdrew his gaze and began to wheel his wheelchair into the house.
Hey! What are you doing?
Xinghui was not about to let him in, so she immediately went to stop him.
But she didn't expect Shen Huaixu to be so stubborn. She saw him frown slightly, his eyes filled with unwavering determination, as he pushed her aside and wheeled himself over to open the door.
"Shishu, stop her."
Shen Huaixu's voice was deep and calm, as if he had already anticipated this scene.
Shi Shu immediately stepped forward and grabbed Xing Hui's arm tightly, preventing her from taking another step forward.
"Squeak—"
The door was pushed open, and sunlight rushed into the room like a tidal wave, bathing everything inside in a golden hue.
The room was eerily quiet, with only faint breathing sounds indicating that someone was still inside.
Without the slightest hesitation, Shen Huaixu called out, "Shen Jintang."
He called out as he headed toward the bedside.
"You come out here!"
Xinghui was so angry that she trembled all over, but she couldn't break free from Shishu's grip for the time being.
Liu Huo was greeted with this scene as soon as he returned. He immediately put down what he was holding and kicked Shi Shu.
Caught off guard, Shi Shu was kicked away by him, and Xing Hui took the opportunity to break free and immediately chased after him inside.
Upon entering, Xinghui saw that Shen Huaixu had already arrived at Shen Jintang's bedside, while Shen Jintang lay motionless on the bed, her face deathly pale.
Xinghui's head went blank with a "buzz," and she rushed over, shoving Shen Huaixu aside and practically throwing herself to the bedside: "Master!"
She leaned over the headboard and gently nudged Chen Jintang, but received no response.
Shen Jintang's body was burning hot, but her face was completely bloodless, as if all life had been drained from her.
"She contracted the plague."
Shen Huaixu's gaze was as cold as ice as he spoke with unwavering resolve.
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