Third Sister had always been straightforward, brave, and resourceful. Why would she do such an outrageous thing today? It must be related to Han Shiyuan.
Thinking this, Zhu Yan went to Han Shiyuan’s room and pushed the door open.
Han Shiyuan looked unwell as if he had just awakened.
Seeing Zhu Yan arrive, he politely stood up and nodded, but was stunned by her first words.
“What’s your relationship with the people in the palace?”
Zhu Yan got straight to the point. Han Shiyuan’s face changed instantly, and he turned his head to one side, “Is Sixth Miss here to ask me about this? I have nothing to say.”
“At a time like this, you still have nothing to say?” Zhu Yan was irritated. She stepped forward and grabbed Han Shiyuan’s collar, demanding, “If it weren’t for you, our Zhu family wouldn’t have ended up like this. You’d better explain everything clearly, or I won’t let you off.”
Faced with Zhu Yan’s threat, Han Shiyuan just glanced at her lightly, “Hmph, isn’t Sixth Miss supposed to be clever? Find out for yourself.”
“You!” Before Zhu Yan could finish, suddenly another figure pushed the door open again.
“Why are you here?” Zhu Yan was puzzled by Shen Du’s arrival. Could he have followed her?
Shen Du ignored Zhu Yan and walked directly to Han Shiyuan’s side. “Speak. What exactly is going on?”
Han Shiyuan’s face turned ashen, still showing no intention of answering.
Zhu Yan was frustrated and was about to take action when Shen Du grabbed her wrist and pulled her away, taking matters into his own hands by seizing Han Shiyuan’s collar.
“Even if you don’t tell us, they won’t spare you.”
Shen Du’s words were full of threats, but Han Shiyuan remained resolute, showing no intention of speaking.
His pale face looked sickly, but at this moment, from Shen Du’s perspective, he was just asking for a beating.
With a “bang,” a fist landed hard on Han Shiyuan’s face. Han Shiyuan fell face-down on the bed, showing no intention of retaliating.
Zhu Yan was shocked and quickly stepped forward to stop Shen Du. “What are you doing? He’s still a member of the Zhu family. How can you hit him?”
Shen Du was annoyed. Zhu Yan didn’t understand why he suddenly became so angry.
At this moment, Han Shiyuan let out a light chuckle. “Lord Shen, that punch was too light. How about another one?”
“Are you crazy?” Zhu Yan shouted at Han Shiyuan. “He’s a martial artist. A few more punches could kill you.”
“What’s wrong with dying?” Han Shiyuan’s eyes welled up with tears as he lay on the bed, looking helpless.
“Speak.” Shen Du continued to question coldly, while Zhu Yan felt utterly helpless.
“I do know Zhang Baohuan, but I don’t want to have anything to do with them.”
As he spoke, a fierce look appeared in Han Shiyuan’s eyes, and his fists clenched tightly.
“Why?” Zhu Yan asked.
Han Shiyuan took a deep breath, his words full of resignation, “I don’t want to be indebted to them, but who dares to disobey Prince Ying’s orders? I refused her, and naturally, there wouldn’t be a good outcome.”
“What?” Zhu Yan was surprised by Han Shiyuan’s words, seeming to understand something from them.
“Princess Yong’an expressed her feelings for you?” Even Shen Du was somewhat surprised.
Han Shiyuan nodded, tears sliding down his cheeks, “I didn’t agree, and from then on, there were no good days left. It would have been fine if it was just me, but I implicated Caiwei too. It’s truly unforgivable.”
Zhu Yan’s delicate eyebrows furrowed together. If it involved Prince Ying, things would become complicated.
Leaving Han Shiyuan’s room, after walking a few steps, Shen Du suddenly stopped and said coldly, “This case stops here. You are not to interfere anymore.”
Zhu Yan was speechless, not immediately understanding Shen Du’s meaning.
“Why?” Zhu Yan asked, but Shen Du remained cold and emotionless, “There is no why. When I say you can’t investigate, you can’t investigate.”
With those words, he left without further explanation to Zhu Yan.
Zhu Yan was helpless. Did he think she wouldn’t investigate just because he said so? Her sister was almost framed; she had to investigate!
Returning to Shen Manor, Zhu Yan continued organizing the case files in the study.
As if deliberately, she mixed up the previously organized files and started reorganizing them.
Shen Du didn’t question it, treating it as if he was just keeping her company, allowing this woman to stay there.
At this time, Jinglin brought Zhu Mojie in.
As soon as Zhu Mojie entered, he looked at Shen Du with excitement, as if he had discovered a new world, “Guess what I found out?”
Shen Du frowned, while Zhu Yan perked up her ears in surprise.
“Han Shiyuan and Zhang Baohuan have a relationship, and it’s not an ordinary one.”
Hearing this, countless unsavory images flashed through Zhu Yan’s mind.
Her lips twitched, her face full of doubt. How could things develop like this?
“Is there anything else?” Shen Du asked coldly, but Zhu Mojie shook his head repeatedly.
“It’s only my first day there. Finding out this much is already pretty good.”
Shen Du took a deep breath and waved his hand, “You may go.”
Zhu Mojie was led away by Jinglin, and only then did Zhu Yan understand.
No wonder Shen Du had sent Zhu Mojie to the Hongwen Academy; he had planned this all along.
But why was the relationship between Han Shiyuan and Zhang Baohuan so awkward?
After pondering for a while, Zhu Yan looked at Shen Du and asked, “So what exactly is the relationship between Han Shiyuan and Zhang Baohuan?”
As she spoke, her hands were still organizing the files, as if she was just asking casually.
Shen Du glanced at her but didn’t respond.
Zhu Yan couldn’t sit still anymore. She angrily walked to the desk, facing him with a questioning look, “I’m asking you a question. Didn’t you hear me?”
Shen Du finally looked up at her properly, “When asking about matters, one should have the right attitude. Are you speaking to me?”
Zhu Yan’s lips twitched, but she felt helpless.
Quickly composing herself, she forced a smile on her face, “Husband, what exactly is the relationship between Han Shiyuan and Zhang Baohuan?”
The corners of Shen Du’s lips curved upwards, revealing a meaningful smile, but his answer almost made Zhu Yan fall over.
“I don’t know.”
Zhu Yan was stunned, feeling as if she had been toyed with. At this moment, Shen Du stood up.
He said to himself, “I didn’t know the reason Han Shiyuan could enter the Hongwen Academy before. I investigated thinking Princess Yong’an had let him in, but now it seems the direction was wrong.”
Hearing Shen Du’s explanation, the anger in Zhu Yan’s heart gradually subsided.
“If that’s the case, doesn’t it mean we’ve hit a dead end again?”
Shen Du nodded, then looked at Zhu Yan again, “This case isn’t as simple as it looks. From today on, you shouldn’t get involved.”
Shen Du understood Zhu Yan’s temperament well. Although he had warned her not to investigate the case today, Zhu Yan would still investigate secretly.
Rather than have her act on her own behind his back, it was better to be open about it now and persuade her to stop.
Seeing Shen Du discussing this with her, Zhu Yan’s expression became troubled, “Don’t you know me by now? Even if I agree with you now, once a clue appears, I still won’t be able to resist investigating. Rather than angering you later, I might as well tell you now that I will see this case through to the end. And don’t worry, I won’t hold you back or become a burden to you.”
Zhu Yan’s words left Shen Du speechless. He wasn’t worried about this woman holding him back or becoming a burden; he was only concerned for her safety.
If this case was truly related to the Shen family’s case from years ago, the investigation process would surely be complex and dangerous. Why couldn’t this woman just appreciate his concern?