Zhu Yan looked innocent as she hesitantly asked Shen Du, “Are you… here to kill someone?”
“Not quite, but you owe me an explanation,” Shen Du replied, ignoring Zhu Yan’s attempt to block him and enter the room.
Zhu Yan was surprised but closed the door. Was this man planning to stay the night again?
“Are you sleeping here again tonight?” Zhu Yan asked knowingly, as Shen Du had already seated himself on the bed.
“Whether I stay or not depends on my mood, but you applied the wrong medicine to my wound. Don’t you think we should settle this account?”
Shen Du’s words startled Zhu Yan. Did she apply the wrong medicine?
Seeing Zhu Yan’s surprised expression, Shen Du felt an urge to laugh. This woman’s surprised look was quite adorable.
“That’s impossible. I followed the instructions in the book,” Zhu Yan tried to defend herself.
Shen Du said nothing more and simply unwrapped the bandage on his hand.
As the bandage came off, the small bumps on the back of his hand had grown to the size of soybeans, resembling undulating hills. They were densely packed and quite unsettling to look at.
“This… how did this happen?” Zhu Yan was so shocked she could barely speak. She quickly rushed over to examine Shen Du’s injury.
“This is the evidence of your crime,” Shen Du continued to tease while maintaining a somber expression.
“I…” Zhu Yan didn’t know what to say. After quickly gathering her thoughts, she could only apologize, “I didn’t mean to.”
“I think you did it on purpose,” Shen Du said as he gently grasped Zhu Yan’s chin, making eye contact.
His warm fingertips lightly massaged her skin. Zhu Yan’s expression changed from worry to fear. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”
She raised her hand and swore, “I truly followed the book’s instructions.”
“Then… shouldn’t you offer some way to atone for your mistake?” Shen Du continued to tease.
At this moment, the corner of his mouth curved into a meaningful smile.
Zhu Yan didn’t know how to respond to Shen Du’s words. From his angle, Shen Du had quite a different view of Zhu Yan.
Zhu Yan was half-kneeling before him, wearing a clean white sweatshirt. Her hair was still slightly damp, and her body emitted warmth from her recent bath, giving her the appearance of a lotus emerging from the water.
More interestingly, due to her nervousness, Zhu Yan’s shoulders were slightly raised, causing the white collar of her shirt to wrinkle and expand.
The view below her collarbone was more exposed than usual.
It was at this moment that Shen Du noticed that although this woman was young, her figure was quite nice.
Zhu Yan seemed to sense something strange. She quickly pushed Shen Du’s hand away, stood up, and took a few steps back. “What are you looking at?”
Shen Du stood up and stepped forward, forcing Zhu Yan to retreat step by step.
When she was backed up against the doorframe with nowhere to go, Shen Du’s hand slammed against the wall next to her ear with a “bang.”
Zhu Yan tried to escape, but as she turned, his other hand blocked her path. Shen Du lowered his head, staring intently at Zhu Yan. His voice was particularly low and carried a captivating allure. “I’ve thought of a way for you to atone. We’ve been married for days but have never performed our marital duties. Today, let’s consummate our marriage as a form of atonement.”
Shen Du’s words made Zhu Yan’s eyes widen in disbelief. Had this man drunk too much ginseng soup today? How could he suddenly think of performing marital duties with her?
Zhu Yan quickly shook her head, “That’s impossible. Grand Secretary, do you remember the three things you reminded me of on our wedding day? Now I also have three fantasies to present to you, Sir Shen.”
“Oh?” Shen Du frowned, seemingly intrigued by Zhu Yan’s words. “Tell me, what are these fantasies?”
“First, no killing for three months. Second, no sleeping together. Third…” Zhu Yan hesitated, seemingly embarrassed to voice the third thought.
“What’s the third?” Shen Du pressed.
“The third is no physical contact of any kind, including kissing and hand-holding.”
“…”
Shen Du was speechless for a moment. Had he married a celibate nun? Or was she simply not interested in men?
Could it be that there was a problem with his charm?
Not knowing how to respond to Zhu Yan’s words, Shen Du looked at the back of his hand that he had been leaning on.
The bumps that were soybean-sized earlier had now expanded to the size of broad beans, and they were unbearably itchy. This couldn’t go on.
Shen Du quickly withdrew his hand, gripping his wrist as he coldly looked at Zhu Yan. “Apply the medicine.”
When Zhu Yan saw Shen Du’s hand, she was shocked. What was going on? How had it progressed so quickly?
Shen Du’s brows were furrowed, and he looked to be in considerable pain from the injury on the back of his hand. Feeling guilty, Zhu Yan didn’t hesitate and immediately started rummaging through drawers and cabinets to find the medicine box.
“In the wardrobe, the third compartment, there’s a bottle of blue anti-inflammatory powder. It’s specifically for treating allergies and inflammation,” Shen Du said coldly.
Zhu Yan followed his instructions. After some searching, she finally found the anti-inflammatory powder and began to reapply the medicine for Shen Du.
This anti-inflammatory powder had a remarkable effect. As soon as it was applied to the wound, a cool sensation penetrated the core, also providing relief from the itching, and making one feel comfortable.
Seeing Zhu Yan carefully bandaging his wound, Shen Du changed the subject, “Did you notice that Zhang Baohuan’s gaze towards Han Shiyuan today was somewhat peculiar?”
Hearing this, Zhu Yan’s hand paused for a moment while bandaging the wound, then continued. “I thought it was just my imagination. You noticed it too?”
Shen Du looked at Zhu Yan. “Was it concern?” He seemed to be prompting Zhu Yan, but he also harbored his doubts.
What kind of relationship could it be that even the Cabinet couldn’t uncover? If the Cabinet couldn’t find out, the Court of Judicial Review probably didn’t have any records either.
This matter was likely orchestrated by the Empress herself, so Shen Du was weighing whether to investigate or not.
Zhu Yan hadn’t thought that far. “It was a concern, no doubt. Zhang Baohuan’s gaze showed unusual concern. The relationship between the two is not as simple as we thought. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, but I didn’t expect we’d both think the same thing.”
“You’re quite clever, not overlooking an important clue.”
Hearing Shen Du’s teasing, Zhu Yan felt a bit annoyed. While tying the bandage, she deliberately tightened it hard.
Shen Du winced in pain, “Ouch…”
Seeing Zhu Yan’s expression, he knew she did it on purpose. He had no intention of blaming her but warned, “If you keep testing my patience like this, I won’t care about your three fantasies. I’ll make you a true Madam Shen right here and now!”
Shen Du’s words immediately made Zhu Yan docile. She knew this man wasn’t joking with her.
“Be good and don’t move,” she said.
Shen Du: …