Chapter 66 Zhangtai Ferry: I Regret It
Pushing open the courtyard gate, the lights in Chang Geng's room on the east side were already off.
It seems that Lin Shutang must have informed him in advance, so he wasn't waiting there idly.
Only the moonlight fell in the courtyard, illuminating the frosty ground. Shen Yun settled Lin Shutang on the couch and prepared to go to the kitchen to make her a hangover soup and boil some hot water for her to wash.
That way, I won't feel so bad when I wake up tomorrow.
He bent down to put her down and covered her with the blanket, but as he turned around, she grabbed his hand.
Shen Yun turned to look at her, the girl's eyes seemed to be moistened with tears, "Shen Yun, please don't go?"
She seemed both drunk and perfectly sober.
Shen Yun carefully discerned the emotions in her eyes, only to see her staring at him intently. "How about staying in Yizhou?"
Her bright eyes seemed to be filled with hope.
He opened his mouth, but the word "okay" seemed to get stuck in his throat.
He suddenly couldn't look into her eyes anymore, but thankfully, when he looked up again, the girl's eyelids had drooped, and the pressure on her hands was loosening.
Shen Yun grasped her soft wrist and placed it under the covers.
He went to the kitchen and prepared a hangover soup. He sat by the bed and fed it to her little by little, then wiped her cheeks with hot water. After doing all this, he quietly looked at her for a long time before finally leaving the room.
Inside the courtyard, the moon had already hidden behind the clouds, and a figure waited in the thick darkness.
After Shen Yun entered, the man bowed and reported, "Young master, it has been resolved."
He was still brimming with the aura of blood, so killing Qin San and a third-rate merchant was no difficult task for him.
But if we act so easily, we might alert the people of Xiyue.
Even now, Yingxiao still doesn't understand what the young master wants to do.
If Qin San knew the stakes involved, he would naturally have to rely on the young master to survive. With him relaying messages to Xi Yue and acting as an inside agent for the Sheng Dynasty, the crisis in Pingning should be resolved.
But eliminating Qin San would be like stirring up trouble and alerting the enemy.
Yingxiao wanted to advise the young master, but how could he possibly have any say in what the young master had decided?
All he had to do was obey orders.
"You have something to say?"
Shen Yun glanced at him, taking in his thoughts and feelings, and surprisingly showed concern for the worries of his subordinates.
Yingxiao touched his nose, thought for a moment and then said, "I just don't understand, Miss Lin originally intended to get on board the merchant guild's big ship to contact Xiyue, so why did you send people to cause trouble?"
“Following her pace is too slow; Pingning could launch an attack at any moment.” He lowered his eyelashes. “This is also a way of helping her.”
"Then why does the young master want to stop now?"
Yingxiao pressed him relentlessly, saying that the young master always kept his word and never changed his mind. He had followed the young master for so many years, and when had the young master ever been so indecisive and changeable in his decisions?
Upon hearing this, Shen Yun's lowered eyelashes trembled. He turned to the side and glanced at the bedroom behind him. The thick night seemed to blur his figure, and his voice was ethereal, as if it could melt into the wind at any moment.
Yingxiao could still clearly hear his young master's voice, which seemed like a fantasy to him.
"I regret it. I shouldn't have pushed her into someone else's hands."
Yingxiao suddenly looked up, only to see that the young master's dazed expression lasted only a moment. When he gave the order again, his expression returned to its usual calm.
"Send a message to Zhou Ziyang: the plan is to be moved up."
"Young Master, what are you going to do?" Yingxiao's unsettled heart suddenly pounded again.
He blurted out, "Qin San is already dead. The people of Xiyue are still looking for you. It's unclear whether we are friend or foe in Yizhou City. If the plan is brought forward, I'm afraid all the firepower will be focused on you."
"Shadow Sky".
Shen Yun did not explain further, but simply called out his name.
Meeting the young master's somber gaze, Yingxiao finally lowered her head, even though she felt it was dangerous, she had no choice but to do as he said.
He had a premonition that the young master would eventually fall for this woman.
-
When Lin Shutang woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky. The bright sunlight streamed into the room, climbing along the windowsill and dancing on her eyelashes through the floating curtains.
She got up and walked into the courtyard. Chang Geng was somewhat surprised to see her coming out of the room. "Miss, when did you get back?"
Lin Shutang glanced at the east wing and smiled slightly. "Of course, they came back last night."
She walked to the wooden table in the courtyard and sat down, asking casually, "Where is Chen Yun?"
Upon hearing this, Chang Geng's expression changed. "Miss, when I went to the market today, I saw a lot of government officials from Yizhou City. They said they were searching for spies."
Seeing Lin Shutang's puzzled expression, Chang Geng gritted his teeth and said, "Young Master Shen has been missing for many days. Judging from his injuries and the time he entered the city, he seems to be the same person the authorities are looking for. Miss, you'd better not..."
"Chang Geng!" Lin Shutang scolded him.
“Miss, I’m not making this up, but Young Master Shen has been very elusive lately. Chang Geng is just worried about you.”
"You wait inside. If Shen Yun comes back, you are not allowed to say these things again," Lin Shutang warned, standing up from the table and rushing out of the courtyard.
"Miss, where are you going? You haven't eaten yet!"
Chang Geng's voice gradually faded into the slowly closing courtyard gate behind her. Lin Shutang had no time to pay attention to it. Only after she left the long street did she realize where she should look for Shen Yun.
It seems that only now has Lin Shutang realized that she actually knows nothing about Shen Yun.
When she wasn't in the courtyard, he would know she had gone to Jingmutang.
But when he was not around, she couldn't even find a place to look for him.
...
The city of Yizhou has been in a state of high alert lately. As more and more soldiers patrol and search the streets, another major event that has caused panic among the people is that the three young masters of the merchant guild, Qin San Gongzi and Boss Li, who have been missing for many days, have finally been found and pulled out of the Zhangtai Ferry.
Zhangtai Ferry was a famous red-light district in Yizhou, and merchants often preferred to discuss business there.
As dusk falls and night falls, lanterns are hung along the entire long street of Zhangtai Ferry, and painted boats from red mansions float downstream, where revelry continues night after night, with silks and rouge burning until dawn.
The coroner examined the bodies and found that both men had knife wounds of varying sizes. He initially concluded that the two men had gotten into a fight while drunk, accidentally injured each other, and then both fell into the lake, losing their lives.
In short, the case was closed with this explanation in a short period of time.
Lin Shu-tang simply said that retribution was inevitable.
Because of Qin San's accident, the business guild also needs to be reshuffled. The shares and profits that were previously agreed upon by each party are no match for the lucrative piece of meat left by the Qin family.
So everyone, like greedy wolves, wanted to devour the biggest share, tearing apart their past dignity and fighting to the death.
Originally, none of this had anything to do with Lin Shutang, but Jing Mutang was indeed in the limelight for a while.
Many merchants valued Jingmutang's future prospects and needed support at this moment, so they were willing to lend a helping hand to save Jingmutang from its crisis.
This also gave Lin Shutang the opportunity to devote himself fully to the affairs of Jingmutang, thereby expelling the complicated thoughts from his mind.
Shen Yun disappeared completely after that day. She hadn't seen him for many days, nor had she received a single word from him.
It was as if his tender promises that night were just a dream to her.
Lin Shutang didn't know what had happened to him, nor did she believe he was a spy the government was tracking. Clearly, it was he who saved her outside Yizhou City.
But why did he leave? Why did he disappear at this crucial juncture?
What trouble did he encounter, and why wouldn't he tell her?
Lin Shutang couldn't understand it, and couldn't even find a way to help him.
Perhaps he never intended for her to lend a helping hand.
Is it distrust? Or is it that she's incapable?
Lin Shutang could only count the days, dealing with Jingmutang's affairs while listening to news from outside and keeping track of whether the spy had been caught.
Perhaps something urgent happened and he didn't have time to send her a message; perhaps he'll be back in a couple of days...
-
Shen Yun, who had been out of contact for many days, finally reappeared on this day, leaving him with little time.
During this period, not only were the government officials openly pursuing him, but the spies from Xiyue who had infiltrated Yizhou were also relentlessly chasing after him.
He was the one who spread the news, and sure enough, the people of the border town were so impatient that they even went so far as to mobilize the government troops of the Sheng Dynasty to take him down in a grand manner.
The bureaucratic system on this border has indeed been corrupted by the Western Yue and turned into a mess; no wonder they lost five cities in a row.
He always excelled at the tactic of getting involved himself, and the list of names he found was secretly sent to Zhou Ziyang by Yingxiao on horseback.
However, he had only recently recovered from his injuries, and now, being pursued by several groups of assassins, he inevitably sustained new wounds.
This matter is dangerous. The fewer people who know his whereabouts, the better. In particular, no one should know that he once stayed in a small courtyard in Yizhou.
He said he would help her, and he wouldn't put her in danger. He had already paved the way for Jingmutang's situation in every way.
Only after he saw that she looked unharmed did he dare to come back for one last look, so as to say a final goodbye before setting off for Pingning.
If this battle goes smoothly and Shuocheng is recaptured, her father will be able to return safely.
She no longer had to risk colluding with the enemy and live in fear of bearing the future of Jingmutang.
Turning the corner, nestled under the willow trees, is a small courtyard with green bricks and blue tiles, and a figure stands at the gate.
The man looked up and gazed at Shen Yun from afar, a slight smile curving his lips.
-
During the day, Zhangtai Ferry is not as bustling as it is at night. All the lanterns on the river have been taken down, and only a few simple boats drift on the water. Occasionally, a few birds fly across the lake, and it is so quiet that there is almost no human voice.
A breeze swept across the river, carrying a hint of dampness. Song Ying squinted as she gazed into the distance, seemingly lost in memories.
“There is also a long river like this in Xi County, Qingzhou. When my junior sister and I were young, we loved to go down to the river to catch crabs. My junior sister loved crab meat pastries the most. Whenever we caught crabs and brought them back, my teacher’s wife would make them for us in different ways.”
"Over the years, my master and junior sister and I have traveled all over the country and eaten countless crab roe pastries, but none of them can compare to the one made by my master's wife."
Shen Yun's gaze fell on the opposite bank, the rising mist on the river seemingly blurring the color of his eyes with white fog. "What do you want to say?"
"Since Young Master Shen has left, why has he come back?" Song Ying turned around to look at him, no longer beating around the bush.
Shen Yun scoffed lightly, her gaze still fixed on the opposite bank. "My affairs are none of your business."
“Yes, it’s not my turn.” Song Ying was unusually not provoked and followed his gaze back to the river.
“My junior sister is kind-hearted by nature and loves to help those in distress. Young Master Shen probably doesn’t know how many people my junior sister has saved during these years of war on the border. I have seen it all. Even if it wasn’t Young Master Shen that day, my junior sister would have brought anyone else back with her.”
As he said this, the corners of his lips curved slightly, and he turned his head to glance at Shen Yun out of the corner of his eye, somewhat provocatively.
The boy's face remained calm, his eyes lowered, and he still showed no emotion.
Song Ying was no longer going to play games and try to outlast Shen Yun. He couldn't hold back any longer and decided to get straight to the point, saying, "My junior sister and I are truly on the same side. Young Master Shen doesn't even dare to reveal his true identity, yet he dares to dream of winning my junior sister's heart? The Yizhou government has been searching for outsiders recently. Young Master Shen probably doesn't want his identity to be exposed, does he?"
When he said this, Song Ying didn't really have much confidence. He didn't know Shen Yun's identity, nor did he know if he was the same person that the Yizhou government was looking for.
However, since he was hiding it so much, his identity must be something he couldn't reveal to the public, which was his trump card in persuading him to leave Yizhou.
Although he could have simply reported the matter to the authorities, Song Ying did not want to involve Lin Shutang.
"Young Master Shen should return to your luxurious and gentle home as soon as possible and stop bothering my junior sister. Otherwise, if my junior sister is implicated because of your affairs, I'm afraid Young Master Shen would not want to see that happen." His tone was threatening.
"I had no idea you cared so much about her?" Shen Yun finally raised her eyes and looked at the person standing beside her, her slow and deliberate tone carrying a hint of coldness.
"What do you mean?" Song Ying frowned.
Shen Yun simply looked at him coldly, "Why don't you tell her that her father is trapped in Shuocheng?"
"How did you know?" Song Ying was shocked for a moment. Meeting Shen Yun's scrutinizing gaze, he belatedly realized what was happening, but then calmed down, coughed lightly, and looked away somewhat uncomfortably. "It was Master's order, telling me not to say anything more."
Shen Yun didn't speak again, as if she believed his words. After a long while, she finally said, "Yizhou is not a place to stay for long. Take her back to Xi County."
Having said that, he turned and left Zhangtai Ferry.
A look of surprise crossed Song Ying's face as he watched Shen Yun's departing figure. He seemed surprised that Shen Yun would agree to his words so easily. He had only intended to test the waters with this matter, but unexpectedly, Shen Yun was actually willing to leave.
A surge of joy welled up inside him, and he quickly changed direction, heading towards the courtyard.
At this hour, my junior sister should already be awake...
-----------------------
Author's Note: Tomorrow, perhaps, the flashback sequence will end. [Lop-eared rabbit head]
Warning: Our young master has gone completely insane after being deceived, betrayed, and run away by Atang multiple times!
...As for how crazy he became...
Hmm...maybe, perhaps, possibly, it's utterly inhumane, an outrage against all reason! (Oh no, not really) [dog head with rose in mouth]
In short, you can take another look at the author's note in Chapter One. [Lop-eared rabbit head]
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