At dawn, before the sun had risen, voices could be heard from the room.
“No, I can’t rest until I get to the bottom of this.”
“If you can’t sleep, have the physician prescribe something to help.”
“Shen Du, you don’t understand what I mean.”
“It doesn’t matter what you mean. What matters is that this case is closed!”
“You are heartless. How can you hold such a high position and lack responsibility?”
“You think you’re responsible? Do you realize how many people this case involves? Can you handle the consequences if something goes wrong?”
“You! You’re just a coward!”
Their argument grew more intense, and the servants and Jing Lin outside the door dared not knock.
These two were at it again, and who knew when it would end?
As Jing Lin pondered how to handle the situation, the steward hurried over. “Guard Jing, someone from the Zhu family is here.”
Jing Lin frowned. “The Zhu family? Why are they here so early? Could something have happened?”
Without further thought, Jing Lin quickly went out.
After a brief exchange with the Zhu family’s servant, Jing Lin was troubled.
With the Grand Chancellor and Madam in a heated argument, it was not the best time to report this.
Seeing Jing Lin hesitate, the Zhu family’s servant grew anxious. “You must inform them; this is urgent.”
Faced with urgency, Jing Lin was in a bind. He gritted his teeth and finally knocked on the door.
“Who is it?”
Shen Du’s cold voice nearly made Jing Lin kneel, and the servants outside took several steps back.
“It’s… it’s me, Jing Lin.”
“What is it?”
“Someone from the Zhu residence reports an emergency.”
As soon as the words were out, the door swung open, and Zhu Yan stood there, angry and worried. “What did you say?”
Jing Lin’s lips twitched, and then a cold voice came from inside the room, “You are not to go!”
Jing Lin shivered and stepped aside, but Zhu Yan glared at Shen Du inside the room. “If you won’t go, I will!”
With that, Zhu Yan stormed off.
The door slammed shut again, and Jing Lin felt his soul leave his body.
Shen Du was furious, his fists clenched tightly. How could this stubborn woman be so obstinate?
Zhu Yan hurried back to the Zhu residence, only to find an unexpected familiar face.
“Third Sister?” Zhu Yan was surprised.
Third Sister Zhu Caiwei turned around at the sound of Zhu Yan’s voice, her eyes red from crying, as if she had suffered a great grievance.
“Little Six.” With a cry, the two sisters embraced tightly.
“What happened?”
Zhu Yan gently patted her sister’s back. Zhu Caiwei slowly stopped crying and pleaded, “You must help me, you must.”
“What happened?” Zhu Yan was confused.
Zhu Caiwei hesitated, then looked at Zhu Yan with sorrow. “Han Shiyuan is missing.”
Zhu Yan was stunned. Han Shiyuan was the man her sister had eloped with.
When Prime Minister Zhang Xingwei pushed for a marriage alliance between the Zhu family and Shen Du, the Zhu family considered it.
Fourth Sister Zhu Manshu was already engaged, and she was illiterate and carefree.
Little Six, Zhu Yan, was too young.
Only Third Sister was smart and of the right age, not too young to be sent off to die, and perhaps clever enough to survive.
But what the family didn’t know was that Zhu Caiwei and Han Shiyuan were already in love.
After the Empress ascended the throne, the country became more open, allowing women to come and go freely and participate in various activities.
Especially when girls from several families gathered to study literature and art or go on outings.
This openness had its benefits and drawbacks.
Women had freedom, which was a source of joy for them.
During outings, they inevitably met many unfamiliar men.
Han Shiyuan was one such man, meeting Zhu Caiwei during an outing. They fell in love at first sight and soon pledged themselves to each other.
Though Han Shiyuan’s family was ordinary, the Zhu family didn’t mind. As long as their daughter found a suitable husband and lived happily, the Zhu family would be pleased.
But an imperial edict changed everything.
After receiving the edict, the Zhu family hadn’t figured out how to respond, but Zhu Caiwei had already anticipated the outcome.
She was decisive and resourceful, so the day before the wedding with Shen Du, she eloped with Han Shiyuan.
Zhu Caiwei thought that if she ran away, Shen Du, being proud, would cancel the wedding.
But soon after leaving, she heard that her younger sister had married in her place and heard rumors of discord between Shen Du and Zhu Yan, which filled her with guilt.
Shen Du was known as the “White Yama,” ruthless.
Zhu Yan, a weak woman, would suffer greatly in his hands. Zhu Caiwei dared not imagine it!
Out of unease, Zhu Caiwei and Han Shiyuan decided to return to Chang’an to clean up the mess they had made.
But on their way back, Han Shiyuan, who had been inseparable from her, disappeared.
Zhu Yan understood the situation and couldn’t help but worry. How could a person vanish without a trace? There must be something strange about it.
However, the rest of the Zhu family didn’t share Zhu Yan’s thoughts.
They were both happy and worried about Zhu Caiwei’s return. Happy that she was safe, but worried that if word got out, Shen Du might come to seek retribution.
After all, Zhu Caiwei had jilted him, and how could the “White Yama” easily forgive such an insult?
“Little Six.”
Zhu Kuo was full of worry, looking at Zhu Yan with unease. “Your third sister’s safe return is a blessing, but if Shen Du hears of this, will he come to seek retribution?”
“…” Zhu Yan was puzzled, not understanding what her father meant.
“Retribution for what?” Zhu Yan asked, and her mother, Jin Shi, glared at her. “Are you pretending to be confused? Have you forgotten how you married into the Shen family?”
With the reminder, Zhu Caiwei also grew worried, nodding at Zhu Yan.
Zhu Yan understood and laughed. “I’ve been married to him for some time and know him well. He’s not like that.”
“That’s not certain,” Jin Shi continued. “He’s the Yama. You’ve been married to him for a short time; how can you know his temperament?”
Zhu Yan was helpless but continued to defend Shen Du. “How can I not know? Besides, he’s visited our family several times. Has he ever been rude or done anything out of line? Why do you doubt him?”
“Sigh…” Zhu Kuo was still uneasy, sighing deeply. “Little Six makes sense, but Shen Du is known for being unpredictable. He may have been lenient with us, but it could be a trap. We must be cautious.”
Zhu Yan was speechless. Even her father doubted Shen Du. What more could she say?