Chapter 41 She's Dead
It's almost the end of the year, and Shengjing, thousands of miles away, is bustling and peaceful.
Many wealthy families have begun to decorate their homes with lights and red lanterns have been hung under the eaves early on.
Jiang Lianzhi stared at the person in the painting blankly, feeling that she looked similar but not the same. A-yu seemed to be more energetic than the person in the painting, and the look in her eyes was brighter.
Yes, he painted her in her original form. In this life, he knew her earlier and the her he saw was different.
He picked up the brush and added a few strokes to the painting, then stepped back to look at it again. Sure enough, she looked even more like the one he had seen at the back door of the Shen residence that night.
A smile spread across his lips and he put down his pen with satisfaction, staring blankly as he had in the past few days.
The servant Gao Jin knocked on the door outside and said, "Master, Miss Shen is here."
He put his ear to the door but heard no movement from inside, so he knocked again, "Master?"
In the study, Jiang Lianzhi, who had been staring at the painting on the wall, finally moved.
He turned his head and asked hoarsely, "What's the matter?"
Gao Jin said cautiously: "Miss Shen Er is here, Madam asked me to let you know."
Jiang Lianzhi was silent for a moment, "What is she doing here?"
"He said he came to apologize to the young master and brought some..." Gao Jin paused. That name has now become a taboo for Jiang Lianzhi.
"She also brought some of Miss Shen's belongings."
Jiang Lianzhi clenched his fist, trembling slightly, and loosened it after a moment, "Let her wait in the side hall."
Chen Yan was dressed in plain clothes with a white silk flower pinned on her head. She kept looking towards the door. After a long time, she heard footsteps.
She immediately stood up, tangling her handkerchief in her hand, and saw Jiang Lianzhi crossing the threshold with his robe in hand. She bowed and saluted, "Master Jiang."
Jiang Lianzhi nodded and sat down, "Miss, why did you come here so late at night?"
Chen Yan's eyes immediately turned red, and she refused to sit down, saying, "I came here today to apologize to you, sir. I know you blame me, but I had no choice but to lie to you that my sister was still at home."
"My sister went to the border alone, and it was close to the marriage. If this matter were known to others, it would definitely tarnish her reputation. I'm sure you know how important reputation is to a woman."
During that period, Jiang Lianzhi would come to the house to give gifts once a day or sometimes every three days. They were all small things for girls.
He had been sending her off for more than a month until the news of the battle at the border came in. He knew that Chen Yu must be heartbroken at this moment.
She cried, not caring about etiquette at all, she just wanted to see if she was okay.
It was not until he found out that she was not at home at all that Shen Yan told him everything, saying that Shen Yu had gone to the border a long time ago, and it was Shen Yan who had accepted his things these days.
He went to the front line in person to look for people, but before they reached Yanliang Pass, news came from the Shen family that General Shen's body was escorted back to Beijing, along with Shen Yu's body.
When he came back, the body had already been buried.
Jiang Lianzhi's expression remained unchanged, "Miss Shen, please take a seat. There is no need to say more about this matter. I have never blamed you for this."
If you don't blame her for this, then what's going on?
Chen Yan choked up and said, "She is my elder sister. She has loved me since I can remember. She has never been reluctant to give me anything she has. I am the person in this world who most hopes that she can live."
There was silence in the side hall.
After a long while, Jiang Lianzhi finally spoke, "Did she leave any words before she left?"
"No," Shen Yan shook her head, "She left secretly, and no one in our mansion knew about it."
Jiang Lianzhi looked at her expression, as if trying to find some clues from it.
But no, Shen Yan stared at him without any dodging in her eyes, and the sadness on her face could not be faked.
Chen Yan turned her head and wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, saying, "I didn't touch anything that the master gave to my sister. Except for the spoiled cakes, I brought everything else. I know how the master feels about my sister, so I brought some of my sister's relics today to leave a memory for the master. I heard from Madam Jiang that the master has lost his appetite recently. If my sister knew about this, she would definitely not want the master to be like this."
Jiang Lianzhi blinked his eyelashes slightly, and suddenly smiled. He murmured, "She won't care about me. She probably hates me to death."
Shen Yan didn't hear clearly, "What did the master say?"
"Nothing." Jiang Lianzhi looked at her, "Where are her things?"
Chen Yan tilted her head, and the maid behind her presented her with an exquisite box.
Jiang Lianzhi opened it and found several things in the box, including a hairpin, a wooden comb, and a small wooden sword.
He picked up the wooden sword and asked, "What is this?"
"It was a wooden sword that my elder brother made for my elder sister when she was little. She loved it very much and she couldn't bear to throw it away even though she stopped playing with it."
Shen Yan choked up again as she spoke, "I originally wanted to keep it for myself, but my sister has set foot everywhere in the general's mansion.
However, her shadow is everywhere, and I think you need it more than I do."
Jiang Lianzhi lowered his eyes and stroked the wooden sword, saying, "Thank you, Miss Shen Er."
Shen Yan stood up and said goodbye, "Then I will leave first, sir, take care."
Jiang Lianzhi nodded, "Gao Jin, go and see him off."
"Miss Shen, please come this way." Gao Jin saw Shen Yan out.
Jiang Lianzhi put the wooden sword back, picked up the box, and looked at the sky as he stepped out of the door. He casually asked the servant at the door, "Why did Miss Shen come so late?"
Mrs. Jiang, who came to comfort him, happened to hear this and said, "Why else? Three members of the Shen family died in the battle. It sounds like a family of loyal heroes, but in the end there is no one to carry on the family. Only the stepmother and the young lady are left. If they fall, everyone will want to step on them."
"I don't know which heartless person spread the rumor that Madam Shen didn't like her first wife's child and insisted on sending Miss Shen to die. Now they are pointed at and criticized whenever they go out. Their life is very difficult. They can only go out when it's dark and there are few people around."
Jiang Lianzhi went to the study in silence.
Mrs. Jiang hasn't seen Jiang Lianzhi for a few days. His temper has become more and more unpredictable recently. She usually doesn't dare to disturb him in his courtyard, but today she finally found an opportunity.
"Lianzhi." Mrs. Jiang followed beside.
Since receiving the news of Miss Shen's death, Jiang Lianzhi had been in a state of panic for a while. Later, he lost his appetite, became noticeably thinner, and his temper became more gloomy.
Now everyone in the mansion treats him with caution.
"Now that Miss Shen is gone, the dead cannot be resurrected. It is not a good idea to keep delaying your marriage. Now I will take a step back and not force you to rush to see each other. Cuiyun in my courtyard was raised by me. You are familiar with her. She has a good temper and knows how to take care of people. I want to take her as a concubine for you first, and then make her a concubine after you marry your first wife. What do you think?"
Cuiyun's face was full of shyness, and she secretly glanced at Jiang Lianzhi.
Jiang Lianzhi didn't even look at her, veins bulging on his neck, but he still remembered that filial piety is the most important virtue, and he tried hard not to get angry.
The courtyard gate was right in front of him. He quickened his pace, and after entering the courtyard, he turned around and said, "Mother, it's late. I will go to pay my respects to you another day."
Madam Jiang watched the courtyard door close in front of her, then turned to Cuiyun and asked, "Did I say something wrong? He looked really angry."
Cuiyun said: "The young master probably hasn't gotten over his grief yet."
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