Lin Ruhai paused, his hand holding the chess piece froze. Was there a dog?
Didn't Shuizhong leave?
"News has come back from the North that half of the grain has been transported to the front lines, but the half that the Prince of Beijing was responsible for has not yet arrived. I heard that he broke his leg."
Lin Ruhai carefully observed Shen Ajiao's expression, but it didn't change. Could it be that he guessed wrong?
Then I thought about what Lin Daiyu had said about Madam returning to the Shen family once. Could it be because of something related to the Shen family?
"The Shen family and the Zhen family have been getting very close lately."
Shen Ajiao nodded. She knew all of this. The Zhen family was nothing but grasshoppers in autumn, but Lord Shen was a proper politician. She knew him best and knew how to deal with him.
Seeing that Shen Ajiao still didn't react much, Lin Ruhai was a little unsure. He hadn't heard his wife say anything in her mind for the past few days, which he found very strange.
Could it be that the encounter has an expiration date? Or has it disappeared?
"What would you like to eat tonight? I'll cook for you after I finish my work, or shall we take Yu'er out to eat?"
Shen Ajiao was uninterested in Lin Ruhai's suggestion, saying, "Whatever you want."
Seeing that Chen Ajiao was listless, Lin Ruhai stopped asking questions, told someone to keep an eye on his wife, and then went to find Lin Daiyu.
"Has your wife been acting like this in front of you lately?"
Lin Daiyu nodded, "Madam was like this the day after she returned from the Shen family."
“Explain in detail, and see if there are any errors or omissions.”
When Lin Daiyu and Lin Ruhai recounted the situation, they pondered it several times before simultaneously exclaiming, "Buddhist prayer beads!"
"Did your wife wear it on her own initiative?"
Lin Ruhai still remembered the first time he took Shen Ajiao to the temple, Shen Ajiao strongly refused and did not go in with him. Instead, she waited for him to come out. Master Huineng wanted to talk to her, but was refused.
Could that eminent monk be Huineng?
What secrets do the two share?
Looking back now, it seems like they didn't look like strangers at all during that meeting.
This has never happened before, so the story has to start with the Shen family.
"You go and watch over Madam first, I'm going out for a bit."
Lin Ruhai acted immediately, ordering someone to bring a carriage and heading to the Shen family's residence.
When Master Shen heard that it was Lin Ruhai, he was greatly surprised, as they were now secretly at odds.
He didn't expect anything from Shen Ajiao; it would be good enough if she didn't cause any trouble.
He still went out to greet him, saying, "Lord Lin, I am so sorry for not greeting you sooner. May I ask what is the matter?"
"father in law."
Uncle Shen looked like he'd seen a ghost. Lin Ruhai had never called him by name before, and he immediately became wary.
"My dear son-in-law, what brings you here today?" Lord Shen asked, leading Lin Ruhai inside while constantly probing his purpose.
If something goes wrong, the Emperor Emeritus might start to suspect him!
"Is it strange for relatives to visit each other? I saw the weather was nice today, so I came to visit my parents-in-law for a cup of tea and catch up."
Lin Ruhai carefully observed the Shen residence, but couldn't discern anything unusual, so he asked, "Where are my father-in-law and mother-in-law?"
Lord Shen sneered inwardly. Lin Ruhai was really good at pretending. Even Shen Ajiao knew about her background, so how could Lin Ruhai not know?
What exactly is he here for today?
"She hasn't been feeling well lately and hasn't come out."
Lin Ruhai asked in surprise, "What happened? How did you suddenly fall ill? It's my fault for not knowing. I'll go see my mother-in-law."
Lord Shen? Something's not right, he's not right!
Has Lin Ruhai gone mad?!
"Haha, it's just a minor illness, nothing to worry about. My dear son-in-law, last time the palace gave me a little tea, but I couldn't bear to drink it. You've come at the perfect time. Come on, have a couple of sips with me."
Lin Ruhai couldn't bear to look at Uncle Shen either. He was putting on quite a show; anyone who didn't know better would think they had a very good relationship.
"Of course, but since I'm already here, it wouldn't be right not to go and see her. How about this, I'll go to the gate of my mother-in-law's yard and say hello to her as a sign of my concern."
Uncle Shen couldn't refuse for a moment. He thought that it wouldn't hurt to say a few words at the door. Lin Ruhai was too difficult to deal with. He wanted to finish his conversation as soon as possible and send him away!
Lin Ruhai followed Master Shen toward Madam Shen's residence when he suddenly felt an irritation in his nose. "What's that smell?"
Did you burn something?
Lord Shen's face darkened. "You've made a fool of yourself, son-in-law. My wife has recently been deceived by a monk, who claimed that evil spirits were causing trouble and that she simply burned some unclean things in the house. You know my son..."
My deepest condolences to my father-in-law.
Lin Ruhai had heard about Shen Qi's affair. He was wondering who had done it, but since Master Shen hadn't found anything, he assumed that Shen Qi had gotten herself into trouble because she couldn't control her desires.
But the closer they got to Madam Shen's courtyard, the stranger they felt. The smell of burning things became more pronounced, and their unease grew stronger.
When they arrived, a bald-headed monk was sitting cross-legged on the ground, muttering something. Lin Ruhai was shocked to find that there was a brazier in front of the monk, and inside the brazier was a doll covered in needles.
Lin Ruhai looked closely and realized that the birth date and time on it looked very familiar!
It was at that time that he had someone find out his wife's real birth date and time!
Seeing that the doll was about to be set on fire, Lin Ruhai darted forward, kicked over the brazier, and shouted, "Father-in-law! Don't you know that the imperial court has explicitly banned witchcraft?!"
Master Shen never expected that Madam Shen would hire someone to perform witchcraft. He originally thought she was just looking for a master to perform a ritual to exorcise evil spirits and burn away unclean things. Who knew that she would do such a disastrous thing behind people's backs!
And his nemesis, Lin Ruhai, discovered it!
seek death!
You don't want to live, but I do!
Lord Shen strode into the room and immediately slapped Madam Shen, who was still lying on the bed, twice across the face. "You poisonous woman!"
Madam Shen felt her ears ringing. When she saw Lord Shen storming in, she thought those two wretches were whispering in her ear again. "What brings you here, Lord Lord?"
"Look what you've done! Tell me! Who bewitched you into this witchcraft! I'll kill him today!"
Lord Shen looked at Madam Shen and tried to signal her, but Madam Shen didn't even look at him. She lowered her head, her eyes flashing with endless hatred. "I'll do it myself!"
"You...do you want to die! Tell me quickly, or I can't protect you!" Lord Shen thought he had made his words very clear, and that Madam Shen, with her intelligence, should be able to understand.
Madam Shen was focused on the fact that once the magic was successful, life would return to normal, so she naturally didn't look at Lord Shen. "I'm only doing this for the good of our family."
"You...you..."
Lin Ruhai snatched the doll from the courtyard and punched the bald-headed monk. Only then did he realize that the bald-headed monk was the same monk who had persuaded him to let Daiyu be raised by her when he was a child!
Enraged, Lin Ruhai kicked him twice more.
The bald-headed monk's spell was suddenly disrupted, causing his internal energy to churn. The spell backfired on him, leaving him unable to fight back. Lin Ruhai ordered his men to pin him to the ground and kick him several times.
Inside, Lord Shen wanted Madam Shen to admit that it wasn't her fault, but little did he know that Lin Ruhai had ordered someone to tie up the bald-headed monk and take him away!
By the time he realized what was happening, Lin Ruhai had already arrived at the Shen family's door.
"Lin Ruhai! You stop right there!"
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