Zhu Yan blinked her eyes innocently, “Did I say something wrong again?”
Shen Du closed his eyes in utter despair. This woman was truly a rotten log when it came to matters of the heart, and an uncarved one at that.
Zhu Yan scratched her neck, “You asked me to cook for you, but my hands had just touched a corpse. I didn’t want to disgust you, so I didn’t. Then you said I praised Pan Chi for being upright, which I explained. Why is it still not right?”
Shen Du took a deep breath. He had no energy to argue with this woman anymore.
However, he was truly hungry now. Just as he was about to ask Zhu Yan to wash her hands and cook, there was a sudden knock on the door.
“Grand Secretary, Madam Shen, Lord Mo has sent this servant to bring you food.”
Hearing this, Zhu Yan immediately brightened up. This was truly a timely relief.
She quickly opened the door to receive the food, thanking the person who delivered it. She turned and placed the food on the table.
Having been busy for so long, she was hungry too. Seeing Shen Du still sulking on the side, Zhu Yan tapped her bowl with chopsticks, “Husband, it’s time to eat.”
Hearing Zhu Yan call him husband, Shen Du finally managed a slight curl of his lips. At least this woman had some self-awareness.
Sitting across from Zhu Yan, watching her wolf down her food, Shen Du also picked up his bowl and chopsticks. After just two bites, he frowned, “This taste is far inferior compared to your cooking.”
Zhu Yan couldn’t help but click her tongue, saying with disdain, “We’re away from home, don’t think too much. It’s already fortunate to have a ready meal to eat.”
Shen Du’s face darkened again. He was complimenting this woman, yet she showed no appreciation.
Seeing Shen Du’s expression change again, Zhu Yan fell silent and hurriedly focused on her food.
As they were eating, Pan Chi came looking for Zhu Yan but was stopped at the door by Jing Lin. “The Grand Secretary and his wife are dining. Outsiders should not disturb them.”
“Oh…” Pan Chi nodded meaningfully, quickly bowing to take his leave. “In that case, I won’t disturb them.”
With that, he turned and left.
Jing Lin was a bit surprised. The young master Pan was so easy to dismiss, which seemed strange to him.
As soon as he walked out the gate, Pan Chi vanished in a flash. His lips curled into a smile as he looked at the wall in front of him, then leaped over it in a single bound.
If he couldn’t enter through the door, he’d use the window.
Fortunately, the window wasn’t closed, and Pan Chi flew right in.
Entering the room, before Shen Du and Zhu Yan could react, Pan Chi was already seated beside them.
Without hesitation, he picked up a pair of chopsticks and started helping himself to the food in front of him.
Zhu Yan’s lips twitched. “The door wasn’t locked, why did you come through the window?”
Shen Du’s concern was opposite to Zhu Yan’s. His face darkened as he slammed his hand on the table with a “bang,” questioning harshly, “You’re a young master from an official family, with a reputation to uphold. Is this your idea of manners? Don’t you know it’s extremely rude to disturb others uninvited?”
“Avoiding the front door to play the role of a gentleman thief, hah!”
Pan Chi completely ignored Shen Du’s scolding. He quickly swallowed a few mouthfuls of food before looking at Shen Du calmly. “I… I had no choice. It’s necessary for the investigation, and the case is urgent. You should understand.”
Hearing Pan Chi say this, Shen Du’s face darkened even more. Understand, my foot!
He clenched his fist, but Pan Chi’s excuse left him without a rebuttal.
“Have you made any discoveries?” Zhu Yan completely ignored Shen Du’s expression, focusing entirely on the case.
Pan Chi took a sip of wine from the table and spoke leisurely, “I observed the victim’s wound. It’s shallow on top and deep at the bottom. When sprinkled with wood ash and smoothed out, there’s a textured pattern.
Based on my judgment, the murder weapon should be a specially made curved blade that can cut through iron like mud. I’ve seen such a curved blade once in the Western Regions. The blade edge looks slightly different from the victim’s neck wound, but the structure is similar. We’ll need to investigate further to confirm whether it’s the same or not.”
Zhu Yan’s brows furrowed slightly. “Although you can’t be certain yet, this is indeed a clue. Young Master Pan truly lives up to his reputation, so knowledgeable and experienced.”
“You flatter me,” Pan Chi quickly replied. “Miss Zhu’s attentiveness and meticulousness are also very admirable to me.”
Receiving praise from Pan Chi, Zhu Yan lowered her head shyly.
This scene greatly displeased Shen Du, who was sitting nearby. His fists clenched tightly, making a creaking sound.
Both of them noticed this. Pan Chi looked at Shen Du with surprise, “What’s wrong with Grand Secretary Shen? Why do you look so upset?”
Shen Du shot a murderous glare at Pan Chi. His icy words filled the entire room with a chill, “You know very well why!”
These four words were practically squeezed out from between Shen Du’s teeth. After saying this, he ignored everything else and threw a punch.
Pan Chi was quick to react. He kicked off the ground and flew far away, dodging Shen Du’s attack.
“We can talk this out. Why are you resorting to violence?” Pan Chi’s face was full of innocence, but by now Shen Du was completely blinded by rage.
“I have nothing to say to you.” Shen Du said coldly, standing up to attack Pan Chi again.
He used both fists and feet, but Pan Chi only dodged, never retaliating.
To maintain his dignity, Pan Chi, in his urgency, bowed to Zhu Yan and flew out the window.
Seeing Pan Chi leave, Shen Du’s heart finally calmed a bit. Zhu Yan, watching this scene, was completely dumbfounded.
When Shen Du lost his temper, it was no small matter. Although she didn’t know why Shen Du was angry, it was best not to ask now, lest she bring trouble upon herself.
Shen Du turned back to look at Zhu Yan. She quickly lowered her head to eat, afraid that saying one more word would implicate her.
Shen Du’s entire jaw was sore.
This trip to Gannan had Shen Du very worked up. Along the way, the two had gotten along quite well. Perhaps because everyone in the capital knew that Zhu Lianniang was already married, men generally avoided her. But who would have thought that Zhu Yan, a woman who was like a rotten log when it came to matters of the heart, would be so attractive to others?
In his spare time, Shen Du expressed his confusion to Jing Lin, “How could anyone like a woman like her? Is that Pan Chi blind?”
“Huh?” Jing Lin didn’t immediately understand Shen Du’s meaning.
“What do you mean ‘huh’? Haven’t you noticed how attentive Pan Chi is to Zhu Yan?”
Shen Du was a bit angry. Pan Chi was so blatantly showing favor to Zhu Yan, yet Jing Lin hadn’t noticed.
Jing Lin’s lips twitched. It wasn’t that he hadn’t noticed Pan Chi and Zhu Yan getting closer, but their interactions were for the sake of the case. Wasn’t that the purpose of this trip? If the two didn’t talk at all, how would they solve the case?
“Grand Secretary, I think… you might be overthinking it.”
Shen Du’s brows furrowed. “Go on.”
“Young Master Pan and Madam are only discussing matters related to the case. If they don’t communicate, how can they understand the case? So…”
“How foolish.” Shen Du said coldly. “Is that attitude necessary for discussing the case? They’ve only known each other for a day, yet they act like old friends.”
“The attitude might be a bit inappropriate, but coincidentally, Young Master Pan and Madam have the same profession. They have a lot in common to talk about, so…”
Before Jing Lin could finish, he felt a gaze cold enough to kill him fall upon him.
His heart sank, and he swallowed hard.
He quickly changed the subject, “Even so, Madam shouldn’t speak to him in that manner. That Pan Chi must be up to something. Don’t worry, Grand Secretary, I’ll remind him to keep his distance from Madam.”
“That won’t be necessary. He has some skills; you’re not his match.”
Hearing Shen Du say this, Jing Lin didn’t respond further.
After all, Pan Chi was a man of reputation. Although he hadn’t interacted with him much, he knew he wasn’t someone to be trifled with.
Moreover, this concerned Madam. It was best to let the Grand Secretary handle such matters himself.