Zhu Yan truly lived up to her word. In the days that followed, she took charge of everything as she had promised. She prepared broths and changed Shen Du’s bandages. Even Jing Lin couldn’t tell if they were acting or if they were a real married couple.
Both the Zhu family and the Ministry of Justice sent people to visit. Everyone was shocked by the severity of Shen Du’s injuries, unable to believe that someone could wound the “White King Yama” so severely.
Upon hearing the news, the Empress sent someone with condolences and valuable gifts. She ordered an investigation, but who would dare to truly investigate the affairs of the Court of Judicial Review? It might lead to an endless inquiry.
Lu Chuichui visited most frequently, even discussing with Zhu Yan about introducing her to a young man from the Ministry of Justice’s Comparison Bureau, just waiting for Shen Du to pass on. As a result, Shen Du instructed Jing Lin to remove Lu Chuichui and all the gifts she brought outside the main gate.
However, this didn’t seem to affect Shen Du’s good mood. The corners of his lips had been turned up since Zhu Yan entered the room.
Zhu Yan was quite puzzled. She had already brought the freshly stewed soup to his lips, but Shen Du not only refused to open his mouth but also kept smiling faintly. Had this man been driven mad by Lu Chuichui, or was he feverish again?
Or could it be that his wound was inflamed and infected?
As Zhu Yan’s thoughts ran wild, her lips twitched incessantly. If that was the case, what should she do? Would this man not live for much longer?
The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became. Zhu Yan slammed the soup bowl on the table with a “bang” and stood up to leave.
Shen Du suddenly awoke from his reverie and quickly called out to her, “Where are you going?”
Zhu Yan’s expression was very unnatural as she tried hard to conceal her thoughts. “Nothing… I just thought you could manage drinking the soup on your own, so there’s no need for me to wait on you. I wanted to go for a walk.”
“No need for you to wait on me?” Shen Du moved slightly, his brows furrowing. “I’m the injured party now. You know, who caused my injuries?”
“…”
Zhu Yan was left speechless by Shen Du’s words.
Although it sounded strange, it also seemed to make sense.
Helpless, Zhu Yan could only turn back and sit down in front of Shen Du again.
As she fed Shen Du the soup spoonful by spoonful, his eyes never left her face.
After several nights of staying up late, dark circles had formed under Zhu Yan’s eyes, and the whites of her eyes were red. Yet, she fed him soup meticulously, without even blinking.
Zhu Yan put down the bowl and frowned at Shen Du. Shen Du looked at her. They stared at each other until…
“Shen Du, shall we discuss the matter of compensation?”
Zhu Yan counted on her fingers,
“Look, there’s my lost wages, the pay for taking care of you, running errands…”
Shen Du’s smile finally faded. He looked down at Zhu Yan’s outstretched hand, his face darkening. Extremely reluctantly, he took out a bag of silver from his bosom and tossed it into Zhu Yan’s hand. Only then did Zhu Yan nod with satisfaction.
“Don’t worry, I will take care of you until you’re fully recovered.”
“You should have been responsible for me in the first place. This is just a reward I’m giving you out of consideration, understand?”
Zhu Yan grinned, seeing no reason to argue with money: “Alright, thank you for the reward, Minister Shen.”
Shen Du somewhat wanted to take back what he had just said.
Zhu Yan weighed the money bag, feeling that something wasn’t quite right. Why had Shen Du given it so readily, as if he had known she would ask for it?
“I’ve never seen you carry silver with you before.”
“I started today.”
Zhu Yan: …
——
After several days of peace, as Shen Du’s wound slowly began to scab over, Zhu Yan felt relieved. Then someone from the Zhu residence came to report that Zhu Kuo was unwell and wanted Zhu Yan to come back and see him.
Father was unwell? Zhu Yan hurried back home only to find that her father was merely suffering from a slight cold. When she saw him, he was leisurely watering flowers and playing with birds outside.
“Father, if you missed me, you could just say so. Why makeup such an excuse to worry your daughter? It’s not like Shen Du wouldn’t let me come.”
Just as Zhu Yan was about to reproach him, Zhu Kuo quickly pulled her aside and whispered, “Actually, it wasn’t your father who asked you to come. It was the Prime Minister. He wants to see you.”
Hearing this, Zhu Yan’s heart sank. Zhang Xingwei had come.
What did he want with her?
Could it be that he wanted to rope her in again?
Arriving at the guest room, Zhu Yan politely bowed to Zhang Xingwei, who looked at her with a gratified expression.
“Madam Shen, it’s been a while. I hope all is well with you.”
“You’re too kind, Prime Minister. How have you been these days?”
“Good, good, everything is fine. Thank you for your concern, Madam Shen.”
After the pleasantries, Zhang Xingwei got to the point. As Zhu Yan had guessed, his purpose for coming this time was to try to win her and Shen Du over to his side.
Zhu Yan clenched her fists. She knew she didn’t have much time to consider, but the lives of everyone in the Zhu family were in the Prime Minister’s hands. She had to make a wise decision.
“I will do my best to fulfill your request, Prime Minister. But please give me some time. I’ll find an appropriate moment to discuss this with Shen Du and see what he thinks.”
Zhu Yan’s meaning was clear: she couldn’t make decisions for Shen Du, but she would try her best. Zhang Xingwei was quite satisfied with this answer.
The family politely saw the Prime Minister out.
After seeing off Zhang Xingwei, Zhu Yan’s eyes darkened completely. She had no desire to be involved in court disputes. As for roping in Shen Du, it was just lip service.
Zhu Kuo looked at her several times, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back. In the end, he just patted her shoulder and said, “Follow your heart. Don’t force yourself.”
Zhu Yan felt a lump in her throat. Her father was worried that she might be concerned about them. Then Zhu Kuo added:
“Don’t worry. If something happens to Shen Du and you become a widow, the doors of the Zhu family will always be open to you.”
This… was indeed her unreliable father.
Zhu Yan returned to the Shen residence with a heavy heart. The housekeeper of the Shen residence hurriedly came to report that Yun Que had moved out of the Shen residence and left with Xu Zuo, the leader of the Local Constable.
This was quite unexpected for Zhu Yan. Could it be that the recent complex events had changed her nature?
But it wasn’t hard to understand. Her parents, who had raised her for many years, suddenly became prisoners and turned out to be accomplices in the Jinxiu Fang case years ago. Her long-held beliefs collapsed in an instant, so a change in her mindset was inevitable.
What surprised Zhu Yan was that Yun Que didn’t cause a scene at the Cabinet demanding the release of her parents, nor did she go to seek revenge on Lai Luozhi and end up with a bloody head. Instead, she quietly left the Shen residence and secretly joined the Local Constable. Perhaps she understood that even if her parents hadn’t participated in the murders, once the case was cleared up, they wouldn’t be able to get out for several years.
Staying here, she could still visit her parents from time to time. As for joining the Local Constable, Zhu Yan approved. Yun Que hadn’t forgotten her dream after all; she had just chosen a different path to pursue it.
Back in her study, Zhu Yan began to write a letter. She had promised the Empress that she would write down the details of this case in a letter and present it to her. She had been too busy with trivial matters these past few days to sit down and focus on it. If she delayed any longer, she might be accused of deceiving the Emperor.