Shen Du helped Zhu Yan down from the carriage, his face as cold as water, with one hand behind his back. “Follow me inside,” he said.
Ma San hurriedly stood up. After Shen Du’s group had entered, he followed behind, hunched over, the very picture of subservience.
In the main hall, Ma San, as if no longer feeling threatened, fell to his knees with a thud. He shuffled closer to Shen Du on his knees, his expression filled with grief. “Great Minister, you must save this lowly one! The old case of the Shen Manor is related to the Crown Prince. Just because this lowly one once worked in the Shen Manor, the Crown Prince’s men have come knocking. This lowly one fears they will silence me, and even more so, fears that the truth will be covered up. That’s why I’ve come to report.”
Crown Prince?
Shen Du looked down at Ma San, his eyes devoid of emotion, which made people even more uneasy. Ma San’s heart skipped a beat. To prove the truth of his words, he kept adding details while repeatedly kowtowing.
“Where’s the direct evidence?” Shen Du had a long sword at his waist. His slender hand casually rested on the hilt, tapping it idly.
Ma San trembled even more, frightened. He fumbled in his bosom and pulled out a token. “This is a token this lowly one picked up in the Shen Manor back then. The Crown Prince’s guards have never officially set foot in the Shen Manor, so how could this token appear there for no reason? This lowly one knew something was amiss, but before I could report to the master, he met with misfortune.”
The token was made of brass, generally round with a simple lotus leaf cover on top. The front was engraved with a pattern of heavy mountains and auspicious clouds, while the back was smooth without any decorative carvings. It was simple and elegant, yet had an air of unspoken authority.
Indeed, it was the waist token of the Crown Prince’s guards.
Shen Du took it and played with it in his hand. “Where do you reside?”
“After obtaining this token, this lowly one lived in constant fear, worried that the Crown Prince’s men would come to silence me. So I hid in a village outside the eastern suburbs. But this lowly one never expected that just as I settled down, the Crown Prince would come knocking again. This lowly one couldn’t sleep all night and hurried to find you before dawn broke.” Ma San’s every movement seemed natural, as if genuinely distressed by the danger he was in.
Shen Du’s eyes didn’t even blink. He swiftly drew his sword and thrust it directly at Ma San’s heart.
In the blink of an eye, before the grief could even fade from Ma San’s face, he fell straight to the ground. Blood gushed out, staining the blue bricks red.
Blood splattered on Shen Du’s face and neck, but he seemed not to notice. He casually tossed the sword aside and turned to look at the spotless blue sky and white clouds.
After a while, Zhu Yan, who had witnessed everything, brought up a basin of water. She wrung out a wet cloth and gently wiped Shen Du’s face.
“You’re not going to ask me why I killed him?” Shen Du asked.
“You must have your reasons. I trust you,” Zhu Yan replied, moving from his face to his neck.
Shen Du didn’t see any resistance or disgust on her face. He curved his lips into a smile, still looking at that clean patch of sky. “He lied.
“First, it rained in the eastern suburbs last night. When I was in the East Market, I saw many civilians from the eastern suburbs. They were all wet and muddy. But Ma San’s boots and the hem of his clothes were clean and dry. He couldn’t have come from the eastern suburbs.
“Second, this token was redesigned by the Crown Prince a year after my father was unjustly killed. Because it only slightly changed the layout of the mountains, not many people noticed. But I’ve seen both versions of the token and can easily tell the difference. He presented a token that only appeared a year after the incident, yet claimed he picked it up before it happened. Everything he said was untrustworthy.”
Shen Du’s voice grew deeper: “They can plot however they want, but I won’t allow them to use my father’s case in their power struggles.”
Ma San’s appearance was someone deliberately trying to make Shen Du target Crown Prince Li Zhong. Zhu Yan sighed silently, continuing to wipe away the blood spots. The wet cloth moved as gently as a spring breeze. Shen Du lowered his gaze, and the rare hurt in his eyes startled Zhu Yan.
The atmosphere gradually became ambiguous. Even the clear breeze approaching the front hall seemed to blush and turn away.
Shen Du slowly bent down, their breaths intermingling. He seemed to already feel the softness and fragrance of Zhu Yan’s lips.
“Master, the body has been taken care of…” Jing Lin’s voice cut off abruptly as he realized Shen Du and Zhu Yan were about to kiss. Before he could decide what to do, he met Shen Du’s fiery glare and hurriedly fled the scene. “I didn’t see anything.”
A guilty conscience needs no accuser.
Shen Du closed his eyes in frustration. The sorrowful mood had largely dissipated due to the earlier tender moment, leaving only annoyance at being interrupted. He coughed lightly a few times, then hurriedly pulled a woven pig figurine from his sleeve and stuffed it into Zhu Yan’s hand. “Keep this safe. You can use it as evidence when we divorce in the future.”
Zhu Yan: ??
Divorce?
What were we just doing? We almost kissed, and now you’re talking about “divorce”?
Zhu Yan was both angry and embarrassed. She gritted her teeth and glared at Shen Du’s back until he completely disappeared from her sight. She angrily threw the wet cloth back into the copper basin and left in the opposite direction without looking back.
Zhang Baohuan secretly sent news of the Lai Party’s banquet to the Shen Manor. Zhu Yan decided to take the risk and attend the Lai Party officials’ feast herself. Unable to stop her, Shen Du decided to accompany her.
As soon as they arrived, the Lai Party officials paused, and the singers and dancers also became nervous. The music and dance stopped abruptly, creating a moment of awkward silence.
Lai Luozhi slowly swallowed a cup of wine, sitting at the head of the table and looking down at them. “Such a small matter as our private Procuratorate banquet has disturbed the great Minister Shen. Has the Minister been too idle lately?”
“I’ve discovered that Lord Lai has some connections to the old case of the Shen Manor. As it concerns my father’s reputation, I couldn’t help but act hastily. Would Lord Lai be willing to discuss this in private?” Shen Du explained, using the reason he had prepared in advance.
“Oh, I’d like to hear what you’ve found out as well.” Despite his words, Lai Luozhi didn’t stand up. A servant refilled his cup, and he savored it with interest, clearly wanting Shen Du to reveal his findings in front of everyone.
His confidence made Shen Du uneasy.
As Shen Du was about to speak, two maids walked out from the inner room. They lifted the beaded curtains on either side of the door. Before the noble person inside had emerged, all the seated officials stood up.
“Aunt,” they said in unison as the noble person gradually came out.
With elaborate hairstyle and makeup, dressed in brocade and silk, it was a woman of dignified grace.
“Madam Tang!” The officials exclaimed in shock, their wine cups slipping from their hands and clattering to the ground.
Lai Luozhi smiled. “You’ve mistaken her identity. This is my elder sister, named Lai Luofu. She encountered a miraculous opportunity and was reborn after death. Your loved ones will one day be reborn just like her.”
The officials looked at each other, still with a hint of doubt in their eyes. But when they secretly glanced up and saw Lai Luozhi’s smiling face, they all bowed and said, “We thank Lord Lai for his benevolence.”