Chapter 87 Attendant Thirty-Eight
Uncle Wu's funeral was conducted swiftly and discreetly. This was all because he had stormed into the emperor's palace, killed several imperial guards, and severely injured two of the Golden Scorpion's chief palace maids. Even though the King of Zhen knew that the attack was not aimed at him, the fact that it was directed at Shinju made it even harder for the King of Zhen to accept.
Touching his sore spot would be a capital offense, but punishment would be inevitable either. However, death is like a lamp going out, and thanks to the earnest persuasion of the True Monk, Uncle Wu's family was ultimately saved.
What happened to Uncle Wu was indeed too strange, even supernatural. Zhen Su insisted that Uncle Wu was possessed by an evil spell, and the King of Poison neither believed nor questioned Zhen Su about his knowledge of such a spell. He merely planted a seed of doubt in his heart—the matter was shrouded in mystery: the assassin's motives and identity, the rapid aging seemingly due to the loss of vital essence—these were all techniques of cultivators found only in the outside world. Zhen Su's suspicions were based on historical records and his impressions of powerful predecessors… There was a fatal contradiction within this.
For all these reasons, in order to prevent this matter from being exploited by those with ulterior motives and to protect the Wu family, the funeral had to be carried out as discreetly as possible. It was even claimed to the outside world that Uncle Wu had only been temporarily transferred out of the city, and all other related information was blocked.
To keep a low profile, King Zhen naturally couldn't show his face. He had originally told Masakuni not to go, but seeing Masakuni, who had lost his vitality since the day Uncle Wu passed away, and even showing a tearful expression, King Zhen immediately changed his mind and allowed Masakuni to attend Wu Duo's funeral.
As for him, he waited quietly, sipping tea, in a private room on the top floor of the Qianfengluan Tower in the capital.
Fengluanlou had been transformed into a proper teahouse, and the signboard had been changed to "Fengluanlou". In their Mandarin, it was homophonous with the original "Fengluanlou", but in terms of the shape and meaning of the characters, it had become extremely righteous, washing away its former absurd image.
A moment later, a Silver Scorpion guard climbed in through the window and handed the Poison King a thick stack of letters, reporting: "An investigation revealed that Wu Duo had no suspicious activities in the three months prior to the incident. He has only one wife and one daughter, a simple social network, and the Wu family's roots are in Jizhou. Madam Wu and her husband's family are both innocent..."
As the king listened, he flipped through the letters, and gradually gained a better understanding of the situation.
After multiple verifications, it is indeed clear that Wu Duo is not some hidden, unparalleled assassin, but just a royal chef.
Wu Duo's many favors towards Zhen Su were common knowledge among the members of the Imperial Kitchen.
Aside from being possessed by a villain, it's truly hard to explain why he would attack his most beloved junior, especially one whose skills surpass those of Jin Chai. Such a rare individual is actually easier to investigate. No matter how well a peerless master conceals their lineage and experiences, it's impossible for them to escape Yin Chai's intelligence network.
However, the more they investigated, the more they proved Wu Duo's innocence.
"My lord, shall we continue the investigation?" the guard asked.
The King of Zhen put down the letter and waved his hand impatiently, "No need."
After the guards left, the King of Poison's gaze drifted past the windowsill filled with flowers and plants and into the distance.
Wu Residence.
Only by entering the ancestral hall behind the courtyard can one see the white cloth hanging from the eaves.
Both Shinjuku and Kodama were dressed in plain clothes today, with white cloths tied around their arms, unlike the black cloths that were only worn by family members.
No one present knew their identities; judging by their physiques alone, no one could associate them with palace eunuchs. However, Shinju appeared to be of high status and wealth, with an extraordinary air about him. He had been escorted by several armed guards upon his arrival. Since no one could guess their identities, they naturally dared not approach and disturb them, for fear of offending such a distinguished person.
As they viewed the remains, Shinju's eyes flickered repeatedly. He gazed at Uncle Wu's face, now styled with a slight smile by the mortician, for a long time, a faint smile playing on his lips. Hearing the sorrowful sobs around him, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Kotsuki's shoulders were shaking uncontrollably. Shinju patted Kotsuki's shoulder, leading him aside to make way for those waiting to pay their respects.
"Uncle, Uncle clearly said he would teach me how to make... Snow-infused Plum Drink, so that when winter comes and it snows, I can... Why did he suddenly...? Qingqing, why..."
Actually, Xiaodunzi had wanted to ask Shinju about the real cause of Uncle Wu's death. Not long before the incident, he'd seen Uncle Wu looking quite well. If it were someone else who had died of illness, they might have been fooled, but he absolutely refused to believe it.
Unfortunately, the King of Zhen kept a close watch on Zhen Su and almost never let him get close. Later, Zhen Su sent someone to tell him not to investigate further, as it involved too many things and would be detrimental to the Wu family. Only then did Xiao Dunzi give up on the idea.
Now, when Xiaodunzi asked this question, Zhenshu still didn't know how to explain it to him, and could only helplessly whisper, "It's all my fault."
Xiao Dunzi stared at Masakatsu in shock, his eyes red, but Masakatsu ignored him and offered no explanation.
Even he can't say it... Xiao Dunzi slumped his shoulders, suddenly overwhelmed by even greater sorrow, unable to pull himself out.
Shinju lowered his eyes. He wasn't unmoved, but he felt he wasn't qualified to comfort Kodun.
He left Xiaodunzi all alone.
Just as Shinjuku was filled with self-reproach, a woman whose face showed few signs of age slowly walked towards him.
Shinju looked up and recognized the person who had come; it was Madam Wu, née Liang.
"Please accept my condolences, Madam," said Shinju Rei.
"You are Lord Qing..., aren't you?" Madam Wu asked tentatively.
Shinjuku had no intention of admitting it and remained silent.
But Madam Wu still handed Masaya a letter and a peace charm.
"This was written in the study by the old man when you went to the frontier. He couldn't sleep at night, so he got up and wrote it. It's a bit embarrassing to admit, though, because he doesn't know many characters. So I also looked at the letter and helped him make some corrections." Madam Wu smiled and continued, "We went to the temple together to get this amulet. After we got it, the old man was finally able to sleep at night."
Mayu's eyes instantly reddened, and he pursed his lips tightly.
"As for why I'm only giving it to you now, it's because this letter simply couldn't be sent out. The old man's superiors were unwilling to help, saying it would cause trouble at the front lines and involved military secrets, so it was difficult for them to handle. In the end, they gave up."
Mrs. Wu recalled, tears welling in her eyes, "I may have been rambling a bit, please don't mind, that's just how it is when you get old."
Shinjuku dared not accept it, but Madam Wu withdrew her hand at the right moment, leaving him no choice but to take it, and he couldn't bear to refuse. Finally, he carefully put the letter and the amulet into his sleeve and bowed deeply to Madam Wu.
Seeing that he accepted it, Madam Wu smiled with satisfaction, then nodded and turned to leave.
Shinjuku finally looked around Uncle Wu's house before leaving with Kodun.
Before leaving, he took a box from a guard, filled with all his salary and rewards to date, and placed it by the door of the Wu residence. He then ordered someone to stay and guard it from a distance until the Wu family took it away.
The carriage carrying Xiaodunzi returned to the palace first. Shinju thought he would do the same, but the carriage stopped in front of the "Fengluanlou" plaque.
To Shinjuku's surprise, the place was more lively than usual. The lobby on the first floor was full of diners, and the aroma of dishes and tea wafted around. The storyteller slammed his hand on the table and began to tell tales of the strange and unusual, as well as stories and gossip from the city, which the surrounding diners listened to with great interest.
The waiter spotted Masakatsu and greeted him warmly, but he got too close and was separated by a guard using the hilt of his sword.
It seems this place has completely transformed from a glamorous den of iniquity into an ordinary teahouse. Shinjuku nodded to the waiter and was then led slowly to the top floor by the guards.
As soon as Shinjuku pushed open the door, a hand reached out from the crack and pulled him into the room. Shinjuku fell into a strong embrace.
"Here he comes." The King of Poison sniffed the incense scent on Masakatsu's body, pinched his chin, and lifted Masakatsu's face.
In fact, Shinjuku's bright golden eyes can sometimes be too dazzling. They don't look as calm and natural as dark eyes, and they can give people a sense of distance like a god, or an inhuman sense of oppression.
But the King of Zhen felt that every time he looked into those eyes, he could never get tired of looking at them. If he looked closely at the patterns in the pupils, he could never finish looking at them. They were extremely sacred and beautiful.
However, the area around his eyes suddenly turned red, and the king's robe was grabbed. Then, Shinju suddenly burst into tears.
The King of Zhen's heart tightened instantly, and his heart leaped into his throat.
However, it quickly fell back to its original position.
King Zhen realized that Masakuni had been holding back his tears all the way, only letting them flow freely upon seeing him. Thinking of this, King Zhen's heart softened, and he felt a chill run down his spine. He gently rubbed the back of Masakuni's head, patting his back to soothe him.
Since Wu Duo's passing, Shinju has been like a lifeless doll, his eyes vacant, unable to feel any emotion towards people or things.
Although she was obedient and let him do as he pleased, she did not resist being carried around. Her dressing, feeding, washing, and bedtime were all taken care of by the King of Zhen himself.
The King of Zhen had noticed that Shinju had taken off the sachet he had given him, so he searched everywhere for it, rummaging around for a while, and finally found it in Shinju's sleeve. This instantly soothed the King of Zhen's initial anger. Taking this opportunity, the King of Zhen also helped Shinju put the sachet back on his waist.
As expected, Shinjuku blinked slowly, without resistance or expression.
Seeing this, the King of Poison made a complete set of gold jewelry for Shinju, including a necklace, bracelets, and anklets, and put them on Shinju's head. But Shinju still did not react.
The King of Poison was greatly satisfied by his vile desire for possession and control, but the pleasure he felt did not last long. He realized that what he wanted was not to see his reflection in Shinju's eyes, but to be seen actively by Shinju.
What he wanted was a living, breathing Shinjuku who could cry and laugh.
Shinjuku burst into tears, venting his emotions, which truly relieved King Juzu.
She was crying so hard that even the King of Zhen felt sorry for her and coaxed her, "Don't cry for too long, it's bad for your eyes."
The King of Zhen wiped away his tears with his fingertips and rubbed his snot. The dignified emperor did this without a trace of impatience, and even seemed to enjoy it.
Shinjuku didn't cry for long. After the grief subsided, his golden eyes finally regained their liveliness. At this moment, even when the King of Poison kissed his cheek, he would feel disgusted.
"dirty."
"Qing'er isn't dirty." The King of Zhen smiled and deliberately kissed her cheeks twice more.
Although Shinjuku was able to dodge, he didn't want to make any big moves. Annoyed, he simply buried his head on the shoulder of the King of Venom and used the King of Venom's clothes to wipe his face.
Now even if he wanted to call him a dirty cat, he couldn't, so King Zhen had no choice but to let him be.
Once Zhen Su had calmed down, Zhen Wang asked, seemingly casually, "What does Qing'er think of 'Feng Luan Lou'?"
Shinju recalled the bustling scene he had seen in the main hall and said, "It's much better than before."
"Then I'll give it to you."
Upon hearing this, Masakuni's eyes flashed with astonishment, but the fingers hidden in his sleeve quietly curled up and clenched into a fist.
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