Chapter 43 Even if I hurt her in a private conversation, is it okay?
At night, Shen Yun dried Lin Shutang off and tucked her into the brocade quilt. She then took the gift from the small table by the bed and handed it to Lin Shutang, saying, "This is from her to thank you for saving my life."
Lin Shutang lay on the bed, stretching out a jade-like arm from under the covers to hold the box. Her mind was focused on the box, and she didn't notice the sinister gaze coming from Shen Yun above her.
But the last few words he spoke seemed to have a slightly emphasized tone, sending a chill down her spine.
Lin Shutang opened it somewhat guiltily. She actually felt quite ashamed, after all, she had risked her life that day not entirely to help her, but also to have a legitimate reason to call Shen Yun back.
"she……"
"She left Yujing."
Shen Yun had already climbed onto the bed by this time. He pulled Lin Shutang into his arms, rubbing her palm with his fingertips, playing with it casually, and then continued her words.
Lin Shutang looked up from his embrace, somewhat incredulous. Why did he leave Yujing all of a sudden?
She recalled the day Madam Zhou fell ill. Why did she say those things to her? Did she know her?
Lin Shutang was full of questions and was about to speak when she saw Shen Yun reach out and smooth the damp hair on the side of her neck. His dark eyes looked at her with a smile, and his voice was slow and lazy, but contained a hint of coldness. "So, A-Tang, you need to think carefully about what kind of reason you should come up with to leave the manor."
Lin Shutang shrank further into the brocade quilt, nestled back into his arms, and fell silent.
-
As Lin Shutang's injuries gradually healed, Shen Yun no longer watched over her day and night.
He finally had the mind to take action against the person hiding in the shadows.
The purpose of going to Xuzhou was to alert the enemy, and the seamless cooperation with the people of Yujing unexpectedly made Shen Yun focus her attention on one person.
"Does Your Highness wish to..." Yingxiao asked tentatively.
Shen Yun shook his head, not in a hurry. "Send someone to keep an eye on him first."
After the incident at Jiuli Mountain, he is now being prevented from investigating the battle at Black Pine Ridge. I'm afraid his plans are far more extensive than they appear on the surface.
If he was the one who harmed Madam Zhou, then what role did he play in the events of that year?
Shen Yun stared at the half-finished military pay ledger on the table, which Madam Zhou had given him before she left.
Over the years, she has kept this half-page. It was taken from Zhou Ziyang's arms years ago, and bloodstains have blurred most of the writing inside.
Knowing that Zi Yang was holding it so tightly in his arms, Madam Zhou knew it was not something to be disposed of casually. She dared not make a sound and kept it carefully stored away.
Unexpectedly, this still brought about his death.
"But what can we find on that person?" Shen Yun asked.
Yingxiao shook his head. "This man was a suicide soldier. He escaped from the pleasure boat but was captured by our men and immediately committed suicide. He was clean and didn't have any identification badge. It seems he didn't intend to leave the pleasure boat alive."
"What does Your Highness intend to do with her body?" Recalling that the man had injured the lady, Ying Xiao felt that Shen Yun's question was not merely to ascertain his identity, but rather a way of probing his master's intentions.
"Throw it to the dogs," Shen Yun said impatiently.
...
"Your Highness, Madam Zhou has already left Yujing. According to the plan, our men will disguise themselves as bandits and ambush and kill her on the way. But Shen Yun's men have been protecting her."
Inside the Third Prince's residence, the secret guards who had been dispatched returned to report.
Song Ying sat at his desk in the corner, copying official documents and listening intently to the conversations on them.
"Remove them," the Third Prince said in a deep voice, barely suppressing his anger.
He made a mistake in this move. He didn't expect Shen Yun to be so vigilant. He was afraid that Shen Yun had already set his sights on him.
When he heard that he had gone to Xuzhou alone, he felt something was wrong. Sure enough, there was a fish that had escaped the net in Xuzhou.
If Shen Yun were here, he would certainly not be able to make a move, so he thought of transferring him back to Yujing.
Since he had already decided to kill, he might as well go all the way and eliminate Madam Zhou as well, only then would he be completely at ease.
But in the end, I got impatient.
The third prince rested his hands on the table, closed his eyes to relax. She was just a woman; he figured she couldn't cause any trouble.
He opened his eyes again and glanced at Song Ying, who was copying official documents beside him. "Aren't you going to ask me why I killed Madam Zhou?"
"Your Highness's affairs are none of my business; I will only obey your orders," Song Ying replied respectfully.
"Oh?" The Third Prince seemed intrigued. "Is it alright if Lin Shutang is injured?"
As he finished speaking, he lowered his eyes and keenly noticed that Song Ying's fingers tightened around the pen, and he paused noticeably.
"Your Highness has his own reasons for doing things. My junior sister is just a woman from the inner quarters and poses no threat."
"If it weren't for her, Madam Zhou would already be a floating corpse." The Third Prince's voice lowered slightly.
"But Junior Sister also called Shen Yun back."
Song Ying maintained his copying posture with a respectful attitude.
The room remained silent for a long time, as if even the air itself had frozen. After a long while, the Third Prince finally chuckled, breaking the deadlock. "Yes. She has indeed helped me a great deal. I will need to rely on you, my junior sister, in the future."
Song Ying lowered her head.
-
Perhaps because Lin Shutang was obedient enough, their relationship gradually improved after that day, and the gates of Jingyuan Residence were finally opened.
Shen Zhixi was the first to receive the news, and she had been keeping a close eye on the situation at Jingyuan Residence these past few days.
Hearing that Lin Shutang had recovered, he rushed to her to apologize, "Sister-in-law, I'm so sorry, that day..."
"I shouldn't have run off like that; you ran into the assassin while looking for me. Sister-in-law, are you still in pain?"
As Shen Zhixi spoke, she began to examine the injuries on Lin Shutang's back.
That night, when she boarded the pleasure boat, she saw a mess inside. When she went to the room where the incident had occurred, she saw the maids cleaning up the blood on the floor.
A whole bucket of water was poured out, and it flowed down to the tips of her shoes.
Hearing that her second sister-in-law had encountered an assassin, Shen Zhixi's heart skipped a beat, and she almost lost her footing.
Upon returning to the Duke's mansion, the physician stayed up all night in the room.
Later, Jingyuan Residence was sealed off from the inside out.
Shen Zhixi was truly suffering more and more each day. Her second brother's outburst must have made him very angry. If they really settled accounts, she would definitely be in deep trouble.
"I'm fine now," Lin Shutang said helplessly, pressing her hand to comfort her. She then used her other hand to wipe away her tears. "The stitches were removed a long time ago, and there's no trace of them at all."
"Let me ask you first, when did you take a liking to the eldest son of the Lu family?"
Fearing that Shen Zhixi still felt guilty, Lin Shutang took the initiative to change the subject, pretending to have a serious talk with her.
Shen Zhixi, who had been sobbing, blushed deeply upon hearing this. She turned away, frantically clutching her handkerchief, "Second sister-in-law, what are you saying? I, he and I are just..."
"At least this time I saw it. What if someone else saw it next time?" Lin Shutang's gaze fell on her neck again.
That day, she actually found Shen Zhixi.
However, the summer clothes were thin, making the blush on the side of her neck quite eye-catching.
Lin Shutang, having been married before, was no stranger to that kind of thing, and was immediately terrified.
He pulled Shen Zhixi aside and told her to go to the side room and cover up her face with cosmetics.
But then Shen Zhixi disappeared again.
However, this also gave Lin Shutang an excuse to leave the banquet.
"In short, he hasn't married you yet, nor has he presented a betrothal gift to the Duke's mansion, and he treats you like this..." Lin Shutang was too embarrassed to continue. She had originally intended to gently advise him, but now she seemed to have been provoked, "He is truly no good man!"
She slammed her hand on the table, and memories of the past resurfaced.
Are all the sons of the powerful and wealthy in Yujing so self-willed?
When Shen Yun abducted her from Xi County and brought her back to the capital, it was without any explanation. Whether in the villa or the Duke's mansion, she was always the one with no choice.
But Shen Zhixi is from the Duke's mansion, the legitimate daughter of the second branch, how could she...
“Sister-in-law, I like him, and I… did it willingly.” Shen Zhixi quickly grabbed Lin Shutang’s hand, seemingly unwilling to hear Lin Shutang say such things about him.
She tilted her head, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "That's all we've gone for. We haven't done anything else. He said he would definitely come to the Duke's mansion to propose marriage next year. Don't worry, sister-in-law."
Lin Shutang's expression did not improve because of these words. Bah, if that's really the case, can't you even wait a year?
"So, when you went out earlier saying you had an appointment with your girlfriends, were you actually going to see him?" Lin Shutang looked at her.
Shen Zhixi nodded, then hurriedly shook her head, "Not entirely! Sister-in-law, please don't tell my mother. I promise, I will protect myself until he formally proposes to the Duke's mansion."
Shen Zhixi looked at her pleadingly.
What else could Lin Shutang say? He sighed, "No wonder you insisted on coming with me to the lake cruise. Next time, if you use me as a pawn again, I'll definitely tell the Second Madam."
Lin Shutang deliberately threatened him.
Shen Zhixi hugged her hand tightly, nestled in her arms and smiled, "Sister-in-law is the best."
“However, the second young mistress of the Lu family will be giving birth in two months. I’m afraid that you will still have to go to the banquet with me then.” Shen Zhixi secretly raised her eyes and observed Lin Shutang’s expression with a smile.
The second son of Vice Minister Lu got married last year. Now his wife is about to give birth, and the Lu family's full-month celebration is just around the corner. It's a joyous occasion, and he can't refuse this banquet.
Lin Shutang's face darkened, and the girl had found another opportunity.
She clearly disapproved, so how come she seems to be the one secretly facilitating it?
"The second young master already has a child, but Lu Zheng is still not married? Could he have some hidden illness?" Lin Shutang's gaze involuntarily fell on Shen Zhixi's neck again.
They're not even married yet, and they're already so reckless!
Although she hadn't met the eldest son of the Lu family yet, Lin Shutang was already somewhat dissatisfied and angrily called him by his name. Looking at Shen Zhixi's innocent and carefree appearance, she had the illusion that her own good cabbage had been taken.
Shen Zhixi was stunned upon hearing this, and her face instantly turned completely red with embarrassment.
"What is your sister-in-law saying?"
"Didn't my second brother also marry his wife and have children? Could it be that my eldest brother also has a hidden illness?"
That's hard to say.
Lin Shutang silently grumbled to himself.
Shen Xiuyan is not a normal person either.
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Author's Note: Just going through the motions of the plot. [Eating popcorn emoji]
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