“It’s nothing,” Zhuyan quickly replied, then looked at Shen Du curiously. “You’re the Grand Prefect, in such a high position. Why do you always investigate clues personally? With so many subordinates at your disposal, why not let them handle the investigations?”
Hearing Zhuyan’s question, Shen Du furrowed his brow slightly and moved to her side. “Why this sudden inquiry?”
“No reason, I just can’t understand it,” Zhuyan feigned contemplation. “Look at Prefect Luo Zhi Lai. He’s your equal, but how does he handle cases? He idles all day, delegating everything to his subordinates. He lives so comfortably, unlike you who works so hard.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Du raised his hand and lightly tapped Zhuyan’s forehead. “You’re not focused on the investigation, always thinking about these useless matters. You also have a position. Why do you personally investigate clues? Do I need to explain further?”
Position?
Zhuyan was both amused and irritated. What position did she have? Could it be the wife of the Prefect…
Just as she was about to argue, Jinglin suddenly entered and saluted, “Grand Prefect, the woman called Yunque has come to the mansion.”
The room suddenly fell silent. Zhuyan’s heart sank as if plummeting into an abyss, feeling very uncomfortable.
“What woman?” Zhuyan inquired. Jinglin looked puzzled, “Hasn’t the Grand Prefect told Madam about this?”
“Told me what?”
Shen Du looked at Jinglin, who was at a loss for words, his lips twitching. How could he not know what to say? Why was the question being directed back at him?
Seeing their increasingly confusing exchange, Zhuyan grew more perplexed. “What’s going on? Who is Yunque?”
“She’s…”
“She’s a woman who stopped us on the road yesterday to plead her case,” Shen Du interrupted Jinglin, explaining confidently. “We’ve only met once, not familiar at all.”
Hearing this, Zhuyan understood and teased with a light laugh, “I was just asking casually, why explain so much?”
Shen Du didn’t know why he felt the need to explain to Zhuyan, but her retort displeased him, and his expression immediately darkened.
Seeing them fall silent, Jinglin felt awkward. “Miss Yunque is still waiting outside. Should we…”
“Let her in.”
“Don’t see her.”
Zhuyan said to let her in, but Shen Du didn’t want to see her.
Jinglin was bewildered, unsure whose order to follow.
Zhuyan looked at Shen Du, puzzled. “Why not see her?”
“I don’t want to,” Shen Du replied coldly, without further explanation.
“She’s come with a case of injustice. As the Grand Prefect, you can’t refuse to see her,” Zhuyan said, giving Jinglin a meaningful look.
Jinglin was truly in a difficult position. He usually only listened to Shen Du, but after recent experiences, he had come to value Madam’s words as well.
Moreover, knowing the Grand Prefect as he did, this “refusal” was likely just him being stubborn with his wife.
Jinglin remained in place, waiting for Shen Du’s final order.
Shen Du seemed to have taken Zhuyan’s words to heart and reconsidered. He looked at Jinglin and said, “Let her in.”
“Yes, sir.” Jinglin quickly responded and went to bring Yunque in.
Upon entering the study, Yunque ignored everyone, including Zhuyan standing nearby.
Her eyes fixed solely on Shen Du, full of adoration. “Grand Prefect, I’ve finally seen you again. You don’t know how poorly your people treated me. They tricked me into going to the yamen to file a complaint, but the officials there didn’t care at all and chased me out.”
As she spoke, Yunque clutched Shen Du’s sleeve like a spoiled child, swaying back and forth with a face full of grievance.
Jinglin and Zhuyan’s lips twitched, while Shen Du merely stood with a dark expression, not pushing her away.
This truly surprised them both.
Wasn’t someone like Shen Du supposed to snatch his clothes back and severely reprimand the person before him?
They exchanged glances, then looked back at Shen Du.
Shen Du’s face was as black as the bottom of a pot. After a long while, he finally spoke, “Then how did you find your way here?”
“I asked around. The people of the Grand Secretariat are all very imposing and have a distinctive aura. It wasn’t hard to find out.”
As Yunque spoke, she inwardly cursed her luck. In reality, she had truly inquired her way here.
The Grand Secretariat’s people were easily recognizable by their attire, making them easy to find.
“No need for flattery here. I told you I wouldn’t handle your case, and that hasn’t changed. Finding me is useless. Now that you have your answer, if you want to live, leave this place.”
Shen Du spoke coldly, yanking his sleeve free and looking towards Zhuyan.
Zhuyan watched the scene unfold like a bystander, while Yunque persisted, “That won’t do. If the Grand Prefect doesn’t help me, I won’t leave. Even if I die, I’ll die right here.”
“If that’s the case, let’s fulfill your wish.” Shen Du barked coldly, slamming a book on the table. “Jinglin!”
“Wait!” Just as Shen Du was about to order Jinglin to remove her, Zhuyan quickly stood up. “The matter isn’t clear yet. It doesn’t seem right to dismiss her like this. In my opinion, why don’t we…”
“Is that so?” Shen Du suddenly looked at Zhuyan with a strange expression, then glanced at Yunque with interest. “If that’s the case, Jinglin, take Miss Yunque down and treat her well. Prepare a bright room and let Miss Yun stay in the mansion.”
Jinglin was confused. After a moment’s hesitation, he quickly responded and led Yunque away.
Yunque, full of gratitude, bowed deeply to Shen Du three times before happily following Jinglin out of the study.
Zhuyan’s mind was buzzing. She didn’t know what had just happened.
She had only made a casual remark, and Shen Du had allowed the young woman to stay in the mansion. Was he doing this to make a point to her?
Or did he have feelings for the young woman?
Zhuyan didn’t think too much about it, but what she didn’t anticipate was that Yunque’s arrival would completely disrupt the peace of the Shen mansion.
Or rather… the peace in Zhuyan’s heart.
Yunque’s adoration for Shen Du was visible to the naked eye. She disregarded everyone else, following him constantly.
This scene made everyone in the Shen mansion gossip privately, beginning to wonder if Shen Du had fallen for another woman.
When Zhuyan heard these rumors, her heart was filled with mixed emotions.
But remembering that this person had an unresolved case of injustice, she forcibly suppressed her unease.
Seeing Zhuyan grow increasingly thin and worried, Qi Yeyun decided to stand up for her.
One day, when Shen Du led everyone to the Ministry of Justice to interrogate suspects, Yunque again tried to stand beside him but was pushed aside by Qi Yeyun.
Yunque, not understanding why Qi Yeyun was ostracizing her, angrily questioned, “What are you doing?”
“What am I doing? I should be asking you that,” Qi Yeyun retorted, his round eyes glaring at Yunque. “You’re always following the Grand Prefect for no reason. Even if you’re not annoyed, others are. As a young woman, don’t you know how to behave properly? What kind of behavior is this?”
“Heh…” Yunque gave a light chuckle, looking at Qi Yeyun. “I’m following him because I have an unresolved case. Only he can overturn it for me. Can you?”
Qi Yeyun fell silent, his lips twitching, before asking, “What case is so important that you have to follow him around like a shadow?”
“So many people died in the Jinxiu Fang case years ago. If I don’t stick to him like this, will he overturn the case for me? If you don’t want me to cling to him, then tell me, can you help me?”
Yunque’s words left Qi Yeyun bewildered.
When the Jinxiu Fang case occurred, Qi Yeyun was only a six or seven-year-old child. He knew nothing about it, let alone how to overturn the verdict.
Seeing Qi Yeyun unable to respond, Yunque gave him a disdainful look and continued to follow Shen Du’s footsteps.