Shen Du suddenly remembered, but unexpectedly, the woman spoke first: “Xu Wan.”
Xu Wan?
“Are you… Xu Zhaorong Xu Wan, the one by His Majesty’s side?”
Zhu Yan could hardly believe that the beautiful middle-aged woman before her was Xu Wan, the most capable female official on the Empress’s side – the decisive and talented Xu Wan who had earned the Empress’s trust.
“Who else did you think I was?” Shen Du was amused by Zhu Yan’s surprised expression.
Zhu Yan rubbed her nose, her eyes darting around. “Well, it’s my first time meeting someone I admire. I couldn’t control myself.”
Xu Wan chuckled, “To be admired by Madam Shen is my great fortune.”
Zhu Yan laughed awkwardly.
Shen Du took her hand and looked her up and down again. Zhu Yan’s ears turned red, feeling somewhat constrained. “I’m fine.”
Shen Du only stopped after confirming once more. Xu Wan smiled at the side:
“Madam Shen probably doesn’t know that as soon as you entered the Imperial Study, Minister Shen came looking for me. He was worried you might encounter some trouble and asked me to quickly go before the Empress to mediate.”
She patted Zhu Yan’s shoulder, “Madam Shen’s performance has impressed me.”
As Zhu Yan was about to say something, Xu Wan gestured, and the three of them walked towards the palace gate.
When they were far from the Imperial Study, Xu Wan asked, “Did the Empress give you any instructions?”
Zhu Yan shook her head, answering formally, “Not really. She just bestowed some rewards. I’m already very satisfied with that. After all, being able to ease Her Majesty’s worries is a blessing I’ve cultivated over three lifetimes.”
These were all diplomatic answers. How could Xu Wan not see through them? Zhu Yan was simply being cautious and unwilling to say more to her.
Xu Wan stopped, her gentle expression fading, and said seriously:
“Lai Luozhi is not someone to be trifled with. You should keep your distance from him and avoid any interaction if possible.”
Zhu Yan quickly nodded and bowed, “I understand.” Her heart was filled with doubts, but she dared not ask more.
“Good that you understand.” Xu Wan nodded slightly, cast a meaningful glance at Shen Du, and then turned to leave.
Even after Xu Wan had gone far, Shen Du hadn’t taken his eyes off her. Zhu Yan teased:
“Minister Shen, if you keep staring at Zhaorong Xu like that, why not divorce me soon? Perhaps you’ll have a chance to become Madam Xu’s secret lover?”
Shen Du glared at her, then suddenly flicked her forehead. “Your little head, apart from solving cases, is just full of nonsense and mischief.”
Zhu Yan pouted, “How am I being nonsensical? Look at how your eyes were almost glued to her just now.”
“Zhaorong Xu is beautiful and doesn’t look her age at all. She seems barely over thirty and is so talented. She’s indispensable to Her Majesty. I admire your liking for her, but I wonder if Zhaorong Xu could accept you?”
“Tsk,” Shen Du tugged at her hanging braid, “What nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever have such thoughts about her?”
Lowering his voice, Shen Du continued, “If it weren’t for her help back then, how could I have gotten out of the Imperial Harem?”
As darkness crept into Shen Du’s brow, Zhu Yan fell silent. She didn’t know about this – so it was Zhaorong Xu who had helped Shen Du leave the Imperial Harem. That’s why they had such a good relationship, and she had misunderstood.
“I’m sorry,” Zhu Yan apologized meekly.
Shen Du looked at the top of her head, “Did you think your little tricks could fool her? Not exposing you on the spot was already giving you face. Do you think the people around Her Majesty are as foolish as you?”
How did this turn into a personal attack?
Zhu Yan felt extremely embarrassed, her facial muscles twitching. “So, does that mean I was just showing off in front of an expert?”
Shen Du let out a cold laugh, “At least you have some self-awareness.”
Zhu Yan no longer wanted to deal with Shen Du.
When they returned to the Shen residence, Han Shiyuan sent someone to inform Zhu Yan that he wanted to meet her privately to discuss an important matter.
Han Shiyuan was in the Shen residence, yet he asked to meet her privately. Zhu Yan couldn’t help but be curious. She left Shen Du behind and went to Han Shiyuan’s guest room by herself.
Hearing the door open, Han Shiyuan quickly turned around, walked a few steps towards her, and said anxiously:
“Sixth Miss, Lai Luozhi is someone we absolutely cannot touch. He has caused me trouble several times, all because I offended him. Although I’ve had some conflicts with Princess Yong’an, she wouldn’t want me dead. The reason behind all this is Lai Luozhi controlling everything from the shadows.”
Zhu Yan listened with furrowed brows. She hadn’t even started investigating Lai Luozhi, yet everyone was already strongly advising against it.
If she wanted to get to the bottom of this, wouldn’t it mean eternal damnation for herself and her family?
Thinking of this, Zhu Yan shuddered. It would be one thing if it were just her, but if she implicated the entire Zhu family, that would be an unforgivable sin.
However, before Zhu Yan could weigh the pros and cons, Han Shiyuan continued,
“In the Jinxiu Fang case, whether Chen Huoe is the real culprit or not doesn’t matter. Chen Huoe is Lai Luozhi’s person, so whether she’s dead is irrelevant. You shouldn’t touch this case anymore.”
“…”
Zhu Yan’s lips parted, but she couldn’t utter a word.
She wasn’t alone anymore. She wasn’t just the Sixth Miss of the Zhu family now; she was also Madam Shen. If she implicated Shen Du in this case, it might be fine if they could win the fight, but if they couldn’t, wouldn’t it all be in vain?
Thinking of this, Zhu Yan felt an immense weight on her heart. For a moment, she was at a loss.
On one hand, she wanted to seek the truth, but on the other, she had to consider the safety of those around her.
It was truly a dilemma.
With a heavy heart, Zhu Yan found herself wandering out of the Shen residence in a daze. She had walked to Vermilion Bird Street, where few people were about. The setting sun cast an orange glow at the end of the long street.
A passerby bumped into Zhu Yan, snapping her out of her trance. She realized she had been so lost in thought that she had walked this far without noticing.
Zhu Yan smiled self-mockingly. Perhaps she had been too tired lately.
As dusk fell, Zhu Yan stood on the bluestone-paved street, hesitating for a moment before turning back. Suddenly, a dark shadow flashed by, causing her heart to sink.
She quickly turned around but saw no one. “Could it be my imagination?”
Zhu Yan muttered to herself, rubbing her forehead as she walked forward. Just as she was about to take a step, a sudden chill ran down her neck. Somehow, a knife was now at her throat.
“Madam Shen, I’m just following orders. Don’t blame me when you become a ghost!”
Zhu Yan’s eyes widened. She thought today had been troublesome enough, but she didn’t expect death to come so swiftly.
Storms always arrive without warning.
“Who are you?” Zhu Yan asked tremblingly. Even in death, she wanted to be a ghost who understood why.
“I won’t tell you who I am. Just don’t blame me, Madam Shen. When you meet King Yama, he’ll tell you why you’ve met with this misfortune. I’ll send you on your way now.”
With these words, the person behind her gripped the knife with both hands, swiftly and fiercely moving it towards the spot on Zhu Yan’s neck where her pulse beat the fastest.
Zhu Yan closed her eyes. This way of dying wasn’t painful at all. It was quite good.