In reality, Su Yushan was not a heartless and cold-hearted person. "I have seen everything you have done for me, but now that there are doubts, why can't we continue to investigate?"
Her idea was simple, but how could she put it into practice? "How do we investigate? Song is already dead, and Yao Zhi and Xin'er don't know the details. Tell me, how do we investigate? Should we just arrest Jin Minjing? And what's the reason?"
She understood the logic, but she still felt uneasy. "So Kim Min-jung is just getting away with it? If I let her off so easily this time, she'll probably try the same trick again and try to harm me again."
“There won’t be a next time,” Hongli said, becoming even more concerned about Su Yushan’s safety after this incident. “When we move again, I will send two guards to protect you and make sure you are never harmed again.”
Having said all that, what else could Su Yushan do? Further discussion seemed pointless. With a sigh, she gave up and chose to abandon the argument.
"Whatever you say goes; you are the head of the household."
After saying this, she turned over, her back to him, and remained silent. Hongli understood perfectly well that she was angry with him. He also turned to lie on his side, embracing her from behind, and sighed softly:
“Yushan, I know you have your concerns, but I hope you can consider my situation from my perspective. I also hope you understand that it's not that I'm biased towards her, but we have to speak with facts and not make assumptions. There are many things we can't control. Life is actually a process of constant compromise.”
Given the current situation, further investigation would likely yield no results and only waste manpower. A deep sense of powerlessness enveloped her, leaving her physically and mentally exhausted and unwilling to discuss the matter further.
"I'm tired, I'm going to sleep now. Please make yourself at home, Fourth Master."
Some profound truths are meaningless no matter how clearly others explain them; you have to figure them out yourself to understand them. Hongli knew she was angry and wouldn't listen to anything, so he stopped talking and didn't bother her anymore.
Neither of them uttered another word. Only a dim light remained in the room, and it was completely silent except for the occasional distant chirping of insects. After tossing and turning for a long time, he finally drifted off to sleep.
He was fast asleep in the middle of the night when a startled cry woke him. Hongli groggily opened his eyes and saw the person beside him covered in sweat, muttering in panic with their eyes closed.
"Don't come any closer! Let go of me! Go away!"
Seeing her condition, it seemed she was having a nightmare. Hongli immediately grasped her narrow shoulders and shook her repeatedly, trying to wake her.
"Yu Shan, Yu Shan? Wake up!"
Startled awake, Yu Shan looked terrified, clutching Hong Li's arm tightly. Her watery eyes were filled with fear, and she remained in shock for a long time.
Seeing that her forehead was covered in sweat, Hongli took a handkerchief and wiped it for her, asking her what she had dreamed about.
Recalling the scene in her dream, she was still shaken and said in a trembling voice, "I dreamed of Madam Song. She had a big hole in her forehead, the kind where you could see the bone. Half of her face was covered in blood. She said I killed her and came to take revenge on me. She rushed into the tent and started strangling me. It felt so real. I felt like I was suffocating..."
Seeing her so frightened, Hongli felt pity for her, reached out and pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back and softly comforting her:
"It's all a dream, it's fake. With me by your side, no one will dare to bully you."
The terrifying and gloomy scenes in her dream were too real; the feeling of helplessness and despair permeated her relentlessly, causing her back to be covered in cold sweat and her whole body to tremble uncontrollably.
“Even if she harmed me, I would at most retaliate and punish her. I didn’t want her dead, so why did she have to make a scene and now she’s bothering me again?”
The fact that Lady Song died because of her, and even committed suicide in front of her, had a huge impact on her. Hongli understood her panic and helplessness. "You did nothing wrong. She chose to take this path of no return. Her death has nothing to do with you. You don't need to blame yourself."
In the past, Su Yushan was not used to sleeping in his arms, always feeling uncomfortable being close to him. But tonight she was really scared. His arms were so broad, gently encircling her, giving her a sense of security. She nestled in his arms, her small hands tightly gripping his undergarment, and closed her eyes to rest.
Hongli remained motionless in that position, afraid of waking her. Only when he heard her breathing gradually become steady did he turn over slightly, lie back down, tuck the blanket around her, and gently stroke her sweaty hair, hoping that she could get out of the shadow as soon as possible.
For the next few days, Su Yushan stayed here. Every day, after finishing his political affairs, Hongli would come back to accompany her, comfort her, and distract her, all in order to calm her down.
It must be said that Hongli's comfort was quite effective. With his reassurance, Su Yushan's mentality gradually improved. She stopped dwelling on her problems and stopped thinking about those unhappy things. Her life gradually got back on track.
Three days later, the new residence was finally settled, and it was time for Su Yushan to move.
Hongli asked for her opinion, intending for her to name the residence herself. Su Yushan was not good at this, and waved her hand repeatedly, saying, "You should name it! The names you come up with are all very meaningful."
Looking at the few pink crabapple trees planted in the courtyard, Hongli pondered for a moment and said, "Let the breeze be the brush to paint the autumn colors, and let the crabapple blossoms await the warbling of orioles. How about we call it the Crabapple Blossom Pavilion? What do you think?"
Nodding, Su Yushan had no objection and smiled gently, "Sure! It sounds great."
So Hongli ordered people to prepare paper and pen, and personally wrote down the three characters "Huatang Pavilion", and then had them carved.
Besides a few flowers and trees, there was a patch of empty land in the yard that had not yet been cultivated. Su Yushan suddenly felt that this was a good place and should be used. "There are too few tomatoes this year. We should plant more in the future. Let's plant twenty here and some cucumbers over here."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
