Chapter 36 Recalling Lin Shutang, You Said You Liked Me
“Xu Rongyi’s nephew is the sixth prince, and Shen Jingshi naturally intends to support him. He knows that I am at odds with Shen Jingshi, so he thought he could get my help. But now that Shen Xiuyan has returned, compared to my stubbornness, getting rid of me makes Shen Xiuyan the most likely candidate to inherit the position of heir.”
"Compared to variables that are out of control, it is naturally easier to cultivate something yourself."
“So, since we can’t use them for his purposes, it’s better to get rid of them as soon as possible,” Yingxiao said with a frown and hatred.
"Has there been any news from Xuzhou?" Shen Yun casually changed the subject.
Yingxiao shook his head. "Everything is as before."
"However, our people observed that he seemed to be faking madness."
Shen Yun sneered, "Keep a close eye on them."
"Is there anything else?" Seeing that Yingxiao had accepted the order but was still reluctant to leave, Shenyun glanced at him.
Yingxiao hesitated for a moment, then spoke up, "This subordinate would like to know, if Madam really hands over the seal, does Your Excellency have a plan to break this deadlock?"
Even though the matter has now been settled, Yingxiao still feels that the master's actions were far too risky.
Despite knowing their scheme, they still recklessly went ahead and fell into the trap, even handing over something as important as their official seal.
The study fell silent for a long time, and Shen Yun remained silent.
Yingxiao realized he had misspoke and quickly lowered his head, saying, "It was I who overstepped my bounds."
"Go down." Shen Yun didn't reprimand him, but his tone sounded utterly exhausted.
Remembering the sleepless nights he had been working for days, Yingxiao dared not delay Shen Yun's rest any longer and obediently withdrew.
The sound of footsteps disappearing fades into the creak of the door closing, and a few soft coughs gradually rise in the quiet room.
...Do you have a solution to break this deadlock?
What way could he possibly find to break the deadlock? Now that he's made this move, there's no going back.
Fortunately, he won his gamble.
Shen Yun drank the cooled tea in his cup, suppressing the burning sensation in his throat.
He stood up, his head feeling heavy and the dizziness intensifying.
He pushed open the door and went to the bedroom, his cheeks burning hot, and a faint blush rising at the corners of his slender eyes.
Lin Shutang was not in the room; he guessed that she must be in the west wing.
They summoned someone to inquire whether Lin Shutang had changed her dressing that day. They were told that Lin Shutang had left the manor after paying her respects to the old lady that morning…
-
Lin Shutang entered the silk shop, and the shopkeeper led her to a side room in the backyard.
Shortly after, Song Ying pushed open the door.
Lin Shutang stood up from the table and saw that Song Ying's expression was strange, and her eyes seemed to be filled with some kind of heartbroken disappointment.
"Senior brother..." Lin Shutang lowered his eyes and called out softly.
She knew perfectly well how much her senior brother hated Shen Yun.
It's early summer now, and the temperature is rising, but Song Ying still often wears a cloak.
That sword wound depleted most of his vital energy.
Song Ying walked in and let out a heavy sigh. "Why didn't you hand over the real seal?"
"Senior brother, I don't believe Shen Xiuyan." Lin Shutang still gave the same explanation.
"But you said you believed your senior brother!" Song Ying's suppressed emotions suddenly spiraled out of control. He gripped her shoulders and leaned down to look at her. "Why didn't you tell your senior brother last night?"
"I...I don't want to hurt anyone." Lin Shutang lowered her eyes, repeating the same words.
"You don't want to hurt anyone?" Song Ying laughed, releasing her grip. "So, do you not want to hurt anyone, or do you not want to hurt Shen Yun?"
"Shutang, tell your senior brother honestly, have you fallen for Shen Yun?"
"Senior brother, I didn't." Lin Shutang's fingers clenched tightly into his palm. "I just..."
"Shutang, don't try to fool your senior brother with those excuses," Song Ying interrupted her. "Your senior brother knows you."
“You don’t trust Shen Xiuyan, so you’re not willing to take any risks that might put Shen Yun in danger. Even if you don’t have a registration certificate or travel permit, and even if the journey is difficult, you don’t care.”
“You clearly met your senior brother, and there were many times last night when you could have told him that the seal was fake, but you wouldn’t say it.”
"Shutang, you care about Shen Yun and consider things carefully for him. But have you thought about how Shen Yun will deal with your senior brother now that he has turned his life around?"
"Then why did you insist on harming Shen Yun, Senior Brother?" Lin Shutang blurted out, but suddenly fell silent when his eyes fell on the striking scar on Song Ying's neck.
Her eyelashes fluttered, and she lowered her eyes haphazardly.
“Senior brother. The military command post is used for defense against foreign enemies and for sentry duty. You and I have witnessed the devastation caused by the war between the two countries on the border. You should not take action against Shen Yun because of this.”
"The reviewing stand is destroyed, so be it! We can rebuild it! But if Shen Yun can't be killed in one blow, the consequences will be endless!" Song Ying gripped her shoulders again, forcing her to look up at him. "He's vindictive. Senior Brother already died at his hands once. Does Shu Tang want to see Senior Brother get into trouble again?"
Tears streamed down Lin Shutang's face. "I don't want to, Senior Brother."
"So, senior brother, please leave Yujing and live your own life. I beg you, senior brother."
Song Ying shook his head calmly, "Shu Tang, your senior brother stayed in Yujing not only for you, but also for us senior brothers and sisters."
His eyes were bloodshot, and his soft voice, carried by the wind from the slightly ajar doors and windows, made Lin Shutang feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
"Have you forgotten? Our wedding, Shen Yun, we killed them all!"
...
Red, everywhere you look is red.
Blood flowed all over the ground.
Thick, moist, and nauseating.
Sharp screams rose and fell in my ears, the blade gleamed with a pale, chilling light, and with a swift movement, it slit open the bright red throat, from which scalding, thick, bloody fluid flowed out.
Pairs of helpless, terrified eyes, like those of dead fish, stared intently at Lin Shutang.
When her eyes met Song Ying's, a relentless, all-encompassing attack from all sides choked her breath.
Past events flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern. Lin Shutang suddenly pushed Song Ying away, gasping for breath. The image of the corpses, piled up haphazardly like rotten flesh, lingered in her mind.
A grand banquet is held, with relatives and friends offering their congratulations.
In the blink of an eye, the once-red silk curtains turned into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
"Shutang, they all died by Shen Yun's sword! Senior brother was lucky to escape with his life. How can I not avenge them?" Song Ying stopped staring at Lin Shutang and looked down at her with heartache, as if giving her time to react.
Those distant, blurry memories that she had desperately tried to forget resurfaced in her mind. Lin Shutang gripped the edge of the table, trembling all over, and couldn't stop gagging.
Spicy tears were forced out, falling in large drops to the ground, leaving round tear tracks.
The pain in his chest was so intense that Lin Shutang couldn't even manage a cry.
She had considered killing Shen Yun, but he was too perceptive. Lin Shutang, a woman with no strength to even kill a chicken, wouldn't have been able to touch him with her dagger unless he deliberately feigned weakness.
When the knife pierced her chest, blood soaked her entire arm.
It was so hot and sticky, pouring down on her body, that she felt as if half of her body no longer belonged to her.
It's very numb, and I can't stop trembling.
Shen Yun didn't dodge at all, looking quite pleased with himself. He raised his hand and took her wrist, bringing her a little closer to his chest.
Lin Shutang looked at him in disbelief, as if he were a madman.
Why, when they were clearly not afraid of death, did they try to kill them all, yet spare her the only one?
Just because she once saved his life?
Lin Shutang considered taking Shen Yun down with him, but ultimately failed to kill him. Ji Huaiyi's men arrived and rescued him.
She couldn't kill him, nor could she forgive herself.
After falling into the lake, she deliberately forgot many memories, as if only in this way could she keep going...
-
When Lin Shutang returned to the Duke's mansion, it was already completely dark.
The Jingyuan Residence was unusually quiet. Lin Shutang wearily pushed open the bedroom door, having little energy to notice anything amiss.
The candles on the nine-branched lanterns had burned out, and in the dim light, Shen Yun sat at the table, completely hidden in the shadows where the thin gauze fluttered, looking like a ghost.
"You're back." His deep, cold voice, devoid of any tone, rang out in the silent room, accompanied by the sound of a candle wick popping, which struck Lin Shutang's ears, causing her to tremble with fear for a moment.
She looked in the direction of the sound and saw Shen Yun sitting in the shadows, slowly raising his eyes, his gaze meeting hers.
His eyes were calm and still, and he looked at people as if they were inanimate objects.
"Why don't you light the lamps?" Lin Shutang asked, trying to calm herself down.
"Where did you go?" Shen Yun didn't answer her question, but asked on his own.
"I'm going out to look at fabrics to make new clothes for Yan'er." Lin Shutang paused as she turned around, then delivered the speech she had prepared in advance.
"Your foot injury hasn't healed yet." Shen Yun stood up and walked towards her.
"I'm not disabled, I have the freedom to go out." With her heartstrings stretched to the limit, even though Lin Shutang tried to restrain herself, she couldn't help but say sharp words, and her tone became hard and cold.
She saw the approaching shadow on the ground pause, and a moment later, it pulled her into its arms.
He was burning up, his chin resting on her shoulder, his voice muffled, "I'm not warning you, I'm genuinely concerned."
He explained somewhat humbly.
"Do you have to be so cold to me?" He moved closer to her neck, his breath hot and scalding. His lips brushed against her throbbing neck pulse and lightly touched the delicate skin behind her ear, like a lost young animal finding its way by its breath.
Dependence and addiction stemming from instinct.
"You're kind to everyone else, so why are you so unfriendly to me?" His voice was terribly hoarse. It seemed as if half of his weight was pressing down on Lin Shutang.
It was only at this moment that Lin Shutang realized that something was wrong with Shen Yun.
She reached out to touch Shen Yun's hand and found it was burning hot. She turned around and pushed him away, and although Shen Yun stubbornly refused to let go of her, Lin Shutang easily pushed him away.
Shen Yun's eyes were red at the corners, and her dark pupils, tormented by the high fever, were also wet. She stared at her and said, "Lin Shutang, if you say you like me, I will forgive you for lying to me."
"What did I lie to you about?" Lin Shutang asked irritably, somewhat annoyed.
Has the high fever caused him to start talking nonsense?
"I'll go call the royal physician." Lin Shutang turned to leave.
"Don't go." Shen Yun pulled her hand back and held it in his arms, his breath slightly ragged. "I won't force you. Yan'er is very well-behaved. You will like him."
"I brought him back from his grandmother's today. Have you seen him?"
"You don't need to make him new clothes, rattles, or necklaces. He doesn't need any of those. Just stay with him. See how good he is?"
“He’s not rotting flesh or a boil; he’s a living, breathing person, Lin Shutang. Please take a look at him.”
His body temperature burned like fire on the side of her neck, and Lin Shutang felt as if her breath was being stuck.
It was very hot, like standing in a room full of blood, with only an endless expanse of bloody red before my eyes.
Lin Shutang stared blankly into the void. "Shen Yun, I remember everything now."
Her voice, devoid of any emotion, was like an icicle: "You killed them."
Shen Yun seemed to tremble for a moment, and after a long while, she said in a hoarse voice, "Then do you want to avenge them?"
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