In the study of the Shen residence, Zhu Yan’s mind was in turmoil. Shen Du had been gone all day.
She had written clearly in the memorial, that the Empress shouldn’t punish Shen Du. But his prolonged absence made her wonder if she had overlooked something in her statement.
Reflecting on the day’s events, she felt there was both coincidence and a sense of inevitability in how things unfolded.
The serial killings were growing more complex, the Liang family case remained unsolved, and even Rong Zhui, whom she had somewhat trusted, had lied to her.
What hidden truths lay behind all this?
Zhu Yan took up her brush and notebook, meticulously recording and analyzing the entire case on paper.
Before she knew it, the moon had risen high.
It was late into the night, and still no sound came from behind the tightly closed door.
“Why hasn’t he returned?”
Zhu Yan opened the door and looked up at the full moon.
Though uncertain, worry had begun to creep into her heart.
“Perhaps he’s already on his way back,” she reassured herself. “No news is good news. I’m just overthinking things.”
With this thought, Zhu Yan turned to close the study door and headed to the bedroom to prepare for bed.
But as she pushed open the bedroom door, she collided with a muscular, warm body!
“Wha-!”
Before she could finish, Zhu Yan froze in place.
Shen Du had just finished bathing and stood before her completely naked.
Zhu Yan had bumped right into him, and the sight made her recently steadied heart race again.
Expressionless and speechless, she stood dumbfounded for a moment before turning to leave.
But as soon as she closed the door, Zhu Yan found herself laughing at her reaction. It’s not like she had never seen an unclothed man before. What was there to be embarrassed about?
In her years of investigating cases, hadn’t she seen plenty of naked corpses?
With this thought, Zhu Yan turned to go back in, only to encounter Shen Du opening the door.
He was now dressed in a plain white fur robe, his hair still damp, water droplets falling from the ends.
The fresh, moist scent enveloped her, and Zhu Yan was momentarily at a loss for words.
Shen Du’s expression was as usual as if nothing had happened. “Next time, remember to knock before entering.”
His cool tone made Zhu Yan’s heart skip a beat, feeling quite displeased.
“This is the bedroom, not a guest room. It’s your fault for not sleeping in separate rooms, what does it have to do with me?”
Shen Du remained silent. To ease the awkwardness, he changed the subject, “You were clever today.”
“Alright, alright. I just couldn’t afford to hire a theater troupe, so I came up with this little act. Now go out, I need to bathe.”
Without waiting for his agreement, she pushed him out and closed the door.
Watching her silhouette disappear behind the paper window, Shen Du’s lips curved into a smile again.
It seemed he was starting to accept this woman…
Bathing was the best way to dispel the day’s fatigue.
Zhu Yan sat in the tub, letting the hot water soak into every inch of her skin.
A day of worry and case analysis had left her mentally exhausted. Now, she cast aside all her burdens, quietly enjoying this moment of peace.
She didn’t know how long it had been, but she dozed off in this moment of tranquility.
Suddenly, a knock on the door startled her awake.
“Are you not done yet? The night air is chilly, I’m coming in.”
“…” Zhu Yan hurriedly got up to dress. “Wait a moment, I’ll be right out.”
After finishing up, Zhu Yan opened the door and looked at him quizzically. “If it’s chilly, why didn’t you go to the study instead of waiting here?”
“Tonight, I’ll be sleeping here with you.”
“…”
Zhu Yan was speechless, her heart racing in surprise. “What nonsense is this? There’s only one bed here. Where am I supposed to sleep if you sleep here?”
“I mean to share the bed with you.”
Shen Du suddenly turned, looking down at the blushing woman before him.
Zhu Yan’s body still radiated warmth from her bath, mixed with a faint fragrance. She was like a lotus fresh from the water, clear and fragrant.
Looking at such a beautiful creature, Shen Du felt a strange stirring in his heart.
“I only have three months to live by your hand, why torment me like this?”
Zhu Yan tried to rationalize, but Shen Du’s words left her no escape.
“Even if it’s only three months, you’re still Madam Shen for those three months. What’s improper about a husband staying in his wife’s room?”
“You!”
Zhu Yan knew Shen Du was deliberately teasing her, but what he said wasn’t unreasonable. She found herself unable to refute.
“Fine, if you want to sleep here, I’ll go sleep somewhere else.”
She had no desire to squeeze into a bed with a grown man, especially since the bed wasn’t very large.
As Zhu Yan turned to leave, Shen Du suddenly spoke.
“Tomorrow, Her Majesty will send someone here. If you, as Madam Shen, are found sleeping elsewhere, it could cause gossip.”
Hearing this, Zhu Yan finally understood. She had overthought things.
“Madam is so wary of her husband, could it be she’s thinking of something?”
Shen Du looked up at Zhu Yan again, his eyes full of mischief.
“I’m not thinking anything,” Zhu Yan said, hiding her embarrassment and feigning composure. “Even so, you can’t sleep on the bed.”
“Could it be that Madam is afraid to sleep in the same bed as her husband?”
Shen Du’s words carried a hint of challenge. “Never having been intimate with a man, sleeping in the same bed would naturally feel awkward. But Madam need not worry, I am your husband. Even if something were to happen, no one would gossip.”
Puff…
Zhu Yan nearly coughed up blood. Since when had Shen Du become so thick-skinned?
“Could it be that your husband has guessed correctly?”
Shen Du provoked her again, which thoroughly annoyed Zhu Yan.
“Who says I’m afraid? I am Madam Shen, and it’s only natural for a wife to serve her husband. Let’s sleep then, who’s afraid of whom!”
With that, Zhu Yan jumped onto the bed first, wrapping herself in the blanket like a cocoon and squeezing to the inner side.
Seeing Zhu Yan like this, Shen Du felt like laughing again.
The woman looked quite adorable in this state.
He returned to the bed, lying down beside Zhu Yan, and then fell silent.
After a moment of quiet, Zhu Yan slowly turned her head to look at Shen Du.
“Are… are you asleep?”
“No.”
“Then… are you cold?”
“Yes.”
There was only one blanket on the bed, and Zhu Yan had wrapped herself in it like a cocoon, leaving none for Shen Du.
Shen Du lay on the bed in his fur robe. How could he not be cold?
Zhu Yan shifted, pulling out some of the blankets from under her to cover Shen Du.
With her back to Shen Du, Zhu Yan thought he might express gratitude, but after a long while, she heard nothing.
Zhu Yan stopped thinking about it and, as she settled down, her thoughts returned to the case.
“Do you know much about Princess Yong’an?”