Back at Shen Manor, Shen Du wanted to apply medicine to Zhu Yan’s forehead, but remembering she had just performed an autopsy, Zhu Yan insisted on bathing first.
Shen Du’s tight-lipped expression finally softened: “You examine corpses daily and face rotting bodies without flinching. Why pretend to be a clean freak now?”
Zhu Yan ignored him: “Are you going to apply the medicine or not?”
Seeing this, Shen Du obediently applied the medicine. Though it was only a slight bruise from kneeling, Shen Du showed rare anger: “This Zhang Xingwei is going too far.”
Shaking her head, Zhu Yan wasn’t concerned. Instead, she recalled another matter: “The Crown Prince is already established. Why is Minister Zhang still so afraid?”
“Because the Emperor is a woman,” Shen Du explained. “Her Majesty also has Princess Chaoyang, who closely resembles her.”
Zhu Yan frowned, feeling a headache coming on.
“He’s run out of options, that’s why he came to you. It’s because of your abilities.”
Zhu Yan looked confused. Shen Du continued: “Haven’t you noticed? You navigate effortlessly among the most powerful figures in Da Zhou, and you’ve even captured my heart. How many people can do that?”
Zhu Yan blushed and pushed him lightly: “Just talk normally. Why are you suddenly talking about yourself?”
“I’m not wrong,” Shen Du said, taking her hand and tilting her chin. His dark eyes filled with emotion as he leaned in to kiss her.
“Wait,” Zhu Yan dodged slightly, cupping his face and pushing him away. She found his skin pleasant to touch and couldn’t help but pinch it a few times. Seeing Shen Du’s expression change, she quickly said, “I haven’t had dinner yet. I’m hungry.”
As if on cue, her stomach growled.
Shen Du hurriedly called for food. Since it was the winter solstice, the steward had prepared a plate of dumplings and a plate of tangyuan, one savory and one sweet, for them to choose from.
The couple enjoyed a belated winter solstice dinner together, then went to bed hand in hand.
Of course, Shen Du found it somewhat difficult, but he restrained himself, as Zhu Yan showed no interest in that aspect.
A few days passed. Seeing that Zhu Yan hadn’t returned, the Zhu family grew impatient. Madam Ru and Madam Jin, along with the fourth sister Zhu Manshu, ignored Zhu Kuo’s objections and came to Shen Manor early one morning to visit Shen Du and Zhu Yan.
The doorkeeper informed them that neither was at home. Learning they were from the Grand Academician’s wife’s family, the steward came out to tell them Zhu Yan had gone to report for duty at the Ministry of Justice and hadn’t returned yet.
So the three took a carriage to the Ministry of Justice. Along the way, Madam Jin and Madam Ru complained about Zhu Kuo and warned Zhu Manshu not to bring up topics that might upset Zhu Yan.
They had heard about Zhu Yan’s near-death experiences in Yingzhou and how she barely had time to visit her family since returning to the capital. Then there was Zhu Kuo’s muddled behavior, insisting Zhu Yan apologize before he would forgive her.
They didn’t care about that. They were determined to see her today.
After announcing themselves at the Ministry of Justice, someone led them in. The smell of ink hit them as they entered. Zhu Yan and Lu Chuichui were organizing long-neglected case files.
With the year-end approaching, they were arranging and archiving the year’s files for a peaceful New Year.
Seeing that Zhu Yan had lost weight, Madam Jin’s eyes immediately reddened. She rushed over without hesitation:
“Sixth Daughter, my poor Sixth Daughter, your life is so hard!”
Unable to dodge, Zhu Yan put down her brush and hugged Madam Jin back, comforting her: “Mother, why did you come?”
Then she nodded to Madam Ru: “Mother!”
Madam Ru nodded, wiping tears with her handkerchief. She grasped Zhu Yan’s hand, asking about her well-being and feeling her forehead, deeply concerned:
“You’ve indeed lost weight. You’re not as plump as when you were at home.”
Zhu Yan let them pinch her cheeks, her eyebrows raised high. Was she thinner? She felt that with Shen Du’s attentive care these days, not only had she not lost weight, but she had gained some by not missing any meals.
Zhu Manshu, carrying pastries, entered a step behind. She placed the pastries on the desk, immediately attracting Lu Chuichui’s attention.
Lu Chuichui tossed aside the file in her hand, staring at the pastries with sparkling eyes.
Zhu Yan freed one hand to push the pastries toward her:
“Go ahead and eat.”
Lu Chuichui nodded, unwrapping the pastries and taking one in each hand. Her carefree manner made everyone smile.
Seeing Zhu Manshu also coming for a hug, Zhu Yan finally couldn’t bear it:
“Hey, I’ll fall apart if you keep hugging me.”
Zhu Manshu sheepishly rubbed her nose. Seeing Madam Jin and Madam Ru let go, she still couldn’t resist hugging Zhu Yan and spinning her around, exclaiming excitedly: “We’ve finally seen you! You left on the winter solstice without even having a meal.”
At the time, Minister Zhang had wanted to speak privately with Zhu Yan, so the women naturally didn’t dare approach the main hall. They only learned of Zhu Yan’s departure after she had left.
“Mother and Aunt prepared dumplings and zeng cake for you and brother-in-law. They reheated them several times waiting for you, but you never came to eat. Then we heard you had left. Mother and Aunt cried then.”
Imagining the scene, Zhu Yan apologized: “I’m sorry, it was unavoidable at the time.”
“It’s alright, we’ve heard what happened. We don’t blame you. We know you were thinking of us,” Zhu Manshu said considerately. She unwrapped the pastries she had brought and casually handed one to Zhu Yan: “Eat up, they’re still warm.”
It was Zeng cake, made from ground chestnut rice, topped with red date paste and cane sugar, then steamed. Sweet and soft when eaten, Zhu Yan had loved it since childhood, especially Madam Ru’s version. Taking a bite, she was satisfied:
“Thank you for your trouble, Mother.”
Madam Ru waved her hand: “I wish I could make it for you every day. Look how thin you’ve become.”
Zhu Yan smiled awkwardly, not bothering to explain. Seeing Lu Chuichui looking at her, she handed her a piece too, then asked:
“By the way, I left in a hurry on the winter solstice and forgot to ask. Were the rewards from Her Majesty delivered?”
“They were. If they hadn’t come, I would have been knocking on your door the next day,” Zhu Manshu said quickly, earning a reproachful look from Madam Ru. But she didn’t care, just shrugging it off.
Zhu Yan smiled. Having not eaten home-cooked food for so long, she indulged in a few more bites. The three women surrounded her, watching as if she were a monkey performing in Furong Garden.
Lu Chuichui, also satisfied, licked the crumbs off her fingers and said: “Delicious. Zhu Yan and I are busy every day, especially Zhu Yan with her additional autopsy duties. We haven’t had such a sumptuous meal in a long time.”
Zhu Yan wished she could stop her, but it was too late.
“Really?” As expected, Madam Jin was on the verge of tears, berating herself and looking at Zhu Yan with heartache: “It’s all my fault. I indulged your willfulness since childhood, not making you learn needlework or music. I thought with so many children in the family, not everyone needed to be talented. As long as you didn’t go too far, you’d still be able to marry.”
“Now look what’s happened. You insist on being a female official, working as hard as men day and night. The suffering is on your body, the pain in my heart.”
Zhu Yan’s mouth twitched, but before she could say anything, Madam Jin wiped her eyes and continued: “And you didn’t even marry well. How did you end up with this White King of Hell? Such a bitter fate. They say the White King of Hell dotes on his wife, bah! Those people are best at putting on a show. If he truly cared for you, why are you so haggard?”
Madam Ru nodded in agreement: “Indeed. The White King of Hell holds a high position and power, and he’s ruthless. How could he truly care for our Sixth Daughter?”
Zhu Yan’s eyes widened as she pointed at herself. Why couldn’t Shen Du care for her?