Damned chivalry!
Only someone as thick-skinned as Pan Chi could speak so righteously about coveting another man’s wife.
Shen Du glared at him with extreme displeasure. “Keep your chivalry to yourself. My lawfully wedded wife belongs to the Shen family in life and death. You’re overstepping your bounds.”
“As I said before, I love meddling in others’ affairs. If Doctor Zhu truly has only three months to live, I’ll certainly protect her and not let you harm her in the slightest.”
At this point, Shen Du realized something was amiss. This man seemed overly concerned about his wife.
Shen Du suddenly stopped walking, and Pan Chi halted beside him.
Shen Du turned to him, his cold eyes devoid of any kindness. “Zhu Yan is my wife after all. Why are you so invested in her?”
Pan Chi smiled slightly and calmly replied, “I knew Sixth Lady Zhu in the capital when we were young and admired her greatly. Meeting her again after many years, she’s blossomed into such an exquisite beauty, and we’re in the same line of work. Naturally, I’d pay more attention to her.”
“Is that all?” Shen Du was unconvinced. Did Pan Chi take him for a three-year-old, claiming to care so much about a woman just because she was beautiful?
“That’s all,” Pan Chi said calmly. Seeing Shen Du’s disbelief, he continued, “The appreciation of beauty is universal. As mature men, you should understand my sentiments.”
Understand my ass!
Shen Du couldn’t recall when he had started caring so much about Zhu Yan.
But he could swear that when they first met, he hadn’t fallen for that woman.
Seeing that Pan Chi refused to reveal his true motives, Shen Du didn’t want to pursue the matter further.
However, this man’s constant concern for his wife irritated him. He glared fiercely at Pan Chi once more before quickening his pace back.
All those involved in the case had been brought to the main hall of the Yingzhou government office. Xu Jize was kneeling on the floor when the Du and Li families rushed forward to beat him.
They hurled insults, accusing him of harming their daughters and wives. The hall descended into chaos.
With a loud “Bang!”, Magistrate Mo Qianzhi slammed his judge’s mallet, silencing the crowd.
“There will be no commotion in this court,” Mo Qianzhi declared righteously. The Du and Li families retreated to the side, their eyes filled with hatred.
“Xu Jize, this official asks you: are you involved in the disappearance of the Du family’s young lady?”
“I’ve been wronged, Your Honor!” Hearing Mo Qianzhi’s question, Xu Jize immediately cried foul. “I have nothing to do with the abduction of Miss Du. I only wanted to rescue her, not harm her.”
Hearing this, Mo Qianzhi furrowed his brow. “Do you have any evidence to prove your innocence?”
Xu Jize’s expression became flustered. After quick consideration, he shook his head. “Your Honor, everything happened so suddenly. I was in a hurry to save her. No one witnessed it, so I have no one to prove my innocence. But I swear every word I say is true. I beg Your Honor to see clearly.”
This complicated matters.
Xu Jize claimed innocence but couldn’t provide evidence. However, it was true that he wasn’t at the scene after the incident. Either way, he couldn’t escape suspicion.
Zhu Yan, listening from the side, furrowed her brow as well. As she carefully recalled the case details, Jing Lin appeared beside her and whispered, “Madam, the Grand Commander, and the others have returned.”
Hearing this, Zhu Yan set aside her thoughts and hurried to the back hall.
Seeing Shen Du and Pan Chi return safely, her anxious heart finally settled.
She quickly approached Shen Du and asked, “You’re finally back. Did you find anything?”
“We found the person and brought back a corpse as well,” Shen Du said calmly. Zhu Yan’s heart sank at the mention of a corpse.
Could they have encountered some accident during the pursuit and fought with the culprit?
“Someone died,” Zhu Yan said in surprise. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”
As she spoke, Zhu Yan began examining Shen Du. Seeing her concern, Shen Du felt pleased. He lightly tapped her head and teased, “Am I someone who can be easily hurt by just anyone? You’re worrying too much.”
Though he spoke lightly, his heart was overjoyed. Zhu Yan finally relaxed a little.
She then glanced at Pan Chi beside them. Although he appeared unharmed, his clothes were covered in blood and dirt. Could he be injured?
“What happened to you? Why are you covered in blood and dirt?”
Zhu Yan looked at Pan Chi, who resembled a wronged child. He glared at Shen Du fiercely. “You have the nerve to ask! It’s all because of your terrible husband. The whole way back, he did nothing but torment me. I had to do all the dirty work alone, while he took all the credit. What kind of person is he?”
Hearing Pan Chi’s complaints, Zhu Yan felt awkward.
She knew Shen Du well enough—he was used to his male chauvinism and loved ordering people around.
To ease the tension, Zhu Yan said apologetically, “Regardless, it’s good that you both returned safely. That’s what matters most.”
As she spoke, she glanced at Shen Du beside her. Shen Du acted as if nothing had happened, exuding an air of male chauvinism.
Zhu Yan disliked this aspect of him and frowned. “By the way, how did you bring the bride back? Tell me the details.”
Just as Pan Chi opened his mouth to speak, Shen Du cut in before he could utter a word. “We first encountered the suspect fleeing in panic on the road. Then we found the bride trapped in a cellar. We rescued her, and in that cellar, besides the bride, there was also a corpse, which we brought back as well.”
Zhu Yan nodded with furrowed brows, while Pan Chi’s face turned ashen with anger.
Zhu Yan had asked him, yet Shen Du answered first and said everything. What was left for him to say?
Shen Du gave Pan Chi a meaningful look, raising an eyebrow in challenge.
Pan Chi clenched his fists. This man was truly insufferable and annoying. Someone like him standing next to Zhu Yan was an insult to her.
It was like pairing a fine cabbage with a pig. He wished he could give Shen Du a good thrashing.
Just as Pan Chi was struggling to contain his emotions, Zhu Yan suddenly realized something and asked Shen Du, “The suspect you mentioned, is he the one the Internal Guard sent over earlier?”
Shen Du nodded, and Zhu Yan continued,
“His name is Xu Jize, and he was a wedding guest. After you left, I also investigated the remaining people. From what they said, Xu Jize is a good person with no apparent motive for the crime. However, we can’t overlook any suspects. Whether he’s the culprit or not remains to be determined.”
Hearing Zhu Yan’s words, Shen Du nodded slightly.
At this moment, Pan Chi suddenly addressed them both, “When I went down to rescue the bride, I found a sack, which was likely used to abduct her. It could serve as evidence. If Xu whatever wedding guest refuses to confess later, we can present this evidence. He can’t lie in the face of proof.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Du looked at him angrily and asked, “If this was so important, why didn’t you mention it earlier?”