As the head fell, the crowd cheered and applauded, praising the wisdom of the imperial court and the Empress.
With the execution complete, the crowd quickly dispersed from the execution ground.
Shen Du escorted Zhu Yan away. Zhu Yan insisted on personally accompanying Pan Chi back to his room.
Pan Chi’s skin was now covered in a web-like pattern, and he wasn’t very lucid. It seemed he was close to forming a cocoon.
“I wonder if you’ll turn into a butterfly and fly away from here,” Zhu Yan joked, unsure how else to start a conversation.
The joke worked well, as Pan Chi gave her a strange look.
“Alright, I’ll stop teasing you,” Zhu Yan said, tidying up the room before sitting down again. Her face showed regret, “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t brought Xiu Xiu to take care of you, none of this would have happened.”
Pan Chi looked surprised. “After witnessing the execution, I thought you already knew Xiu Xiu’s identity and deliberately placed her by my side as part of a plan.”
This…
Zhu Yan’s throat tightened. She did have such intentions, but…
“I understand. You don’t need to explain. You probably didn’t know that under the watchful eyes of the Imperial Guards, she could still obtain the ‘Breaking Cocoon to Become a Butterfly’ poison.”
Zhu Yan was at a loss for words, her guilt deepening. “Pan Chi, you don’t need to be so considerate and make excuses for me. I…”
Pan Chi smiled lightly. “Or are you saying you deliberately wanted to poison me?”
Where did that come from?
Suddenly, Pan Chi felt something blocking his throat. He bent over, coughing incessantly. Zhu Yan was frightened and patted his back, asking anxiously, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”
After coughing for a while, Pan Chi finally stopped. His face was flushed, and he was panting. He smiled and said, “I’m just a bit tired. You should go now, I need to rest for a while.”
Zhu Yan was skeptical, but Pan Chi’s face showed calm determination. Seeing his exhausted expression, she had to say, “Rest well. I’ll leave now.”
As the door closed, Pan Chi lay on the bed, looking at the doorway and sighing quietly.
Soon, an overwhelming sense of suffocation came over him. Pan Chi lost consciousness, and the web on his body grew denser.
—
Since the confiscation of Guangchun Hall and Wang Buzui’s death, Yingzhou City had returned to normal. People no longer worried about Half-Faced Ghost coming to take their lives at any moment.
As citizens spread the news, they also praised the current administration and the Empress’s wise rule. However, no one praised the person directly responsible for Wang Buzui’s beheading—Grand Cabinet Minister Shen Du.
Zhu Yan learned of this while shopping in the city, dissatisfied with the rough purchases made by Jinglin and his men, and concerned about Pan Chi’s meals.
Even though the people of Yingzhou had seen Shen Du interrogate Wang Buzui in court, knew it was Shen Du who ordered the immediate execution and witnessed him throw down the execution token, no one praised him. It was as if they had agreed to ignore him completely.
That day, as Zhu Yan returned from outside, she happened to see Shen Du walking in the courtyard.
She smiled, trying to suppress her amusement, intending to tease Shen Du a bit.
Quietly approaching him, she found him staring at a bush with a vacant expression.
Zhu Yan reached out to push him but was instantly subdued. Her hands were pinned behind her back, her basket fell to the ground spilling its contents, and Shen Du’s hand gripped her throat, his face solemn.
At that moment, Zhu Yan felt a murderous intent.
“It’s me!” Zhu Yan felt dizzy from the chokehold.
Shen Du finally came to his senses and released Zhu Yan as if burned. He lowered his head to examine her neck, frowning, “Did I hurt you anywhere?”
Zhu Yan shook her head. Seeing him reach out again, she quickly backed away. Shen Du, sensing Zhu Yan’s fear, felt remorseful and tried to explain:
“In the past, at the Imperial Harem, I was bullied many times. Later, after leaving the harem to become an assassin, I developed this habit from constant missions. I never thought I’d hurt you.”
Zhu Yan was stunned. She knew Shen Du had left the Imperial Harem, but she didn’t know what he had done for a while after leaving. She only knew that later, when the Empress established the Cabinet, Shen Du became a Cabinet Minister.
She never imagined this was how Shen Du had obtained his position as a Cabinet Minister.
He had been lost in thought earlier and reacted instinctively to the sudden movement, not realizing it was her.
A sour feeling filled her heart. Zhu Yan moved closer, letting his hand touch her neck, comforting him, “I’m fine. You didn’t use much force.”
Shen Du pressed his lips together. He had almost…
“Huff, it won’t happen again.”
“Mm!”
Seeing the smile in Zhu Yan’s eyes, Shen Du cleared his throat and turned aside, “What did you want to see me about?”
Zhu Yan remembered her original purpose and said:
“The citizens in the city are very happy about Wang Buzui’s death.”
Shen Du was a bit confused by her statement but responded, “Naturally. Wang Buzui committed many evil deeds, and the people hated him deeply. They should be happy.”
“It’s just a pity…” Zhu Yan’s lips curled up, building suspense.
“Hmm?”
“Hmm?!” Just like that? “It’s just a pity that while the people praise the government for its great achievements, they didn’t mention you at all. Not even a single word about you.”
As she spoke, Zhu Yan sighed, knowing that the citizens were too scared by the White Judge of Hell’s reputation to dare discuss him.
Hadn’t Yunque once said that in Jiangnan, there were rumors that both the Black and White Judges of Hell liked to eat human flesh and drink human blood soup?
“I thought it was something important.”
Having been led on by Zhu Yan for so long, Shen Du smiled with a hint of helplessness. “Whether the people praise the imperial court or the government, aren’t they indirectly praising me?”
This man? How could he twist it around like this? How did he figure that praising the imperial court was praising him? Was it his imperial court?
Sophistry and self-deception. Zhu Yan looked at him in disbelief.
“Besides, I’ve always sought peace of mind and worked for the peace of the world. I don’t care whether they praise me or not.”
Tch, how boring.
“Yes, yes, yes, you’re the noblest, Grand Minister Shen. I’m leaving.” Zhu Yan bent down to pick up the scattered items, hoisted up her basket, and started to leave.
How could Shen Du let her go? He had been waiting here since early morning, not having seen Zhu Yan all day. After inquiring, he learned she had gone out shopping. Now that he’d finally seen her, how could he let her leave?
“Stay with me a while longer.”
Zhu Yan’s heart softened immediately. Who had ever seen Shen Du plead so gently? How could she resist?
Seeing that Zhu Yan wasn’t leaving, Shen Du took her hand and sat down in the corridor. His expression turned serious, “Although Wang Buzui is dead, Chen Huoe has arrived and taken Mo Qianzhi away. So, this matter is far from over.”
Zhu Yan nodded slightly in agreement, “They’re likely to make a big move.”
When they came to Yingzhou, they hadn’t anticipated the complexity of the situation here. Now, with everything intertwined and thinking of the unknown dangers and unpredictable return date, the previously joyful atmosphere changed to a solemn one in the blink of an eye.
Shen Du didn’t want Zhu Yan to worry too much, so he turned his attention to Pan Chi.
Zhu Yan had been tending to Pan Chi’s daily needs for the past few days. Shen Du was also preoccupied and unable to avoid the situation, so although he was aware of it, he had not inquired further.
“He’s not doing well,” Zhu Yan said, recalling the white threads on Pan Chi’s body, which were almost covering the original color of his clothes. She shook her head, feeling that the hope for his survival was slim.
“He’s still alive.”
“Why do I feel like you’re a bit gleeful about this?”
Shen Du caught off guard, quickly shifted his gaze, looking randomly at a corner of the courtyard.
The more he tried to hide it, the more obvious it became.
Zhu Yan found his reaction somewhat amusing. This kind of demeanor was not something she was accustomed to seeing from him.
“It’s just that if the poison isn’t treated soon, he might not survive,” Zhu Yan said, her expression sobering as she put away her earlier jest. “I’ve tried to give him some of my blood since I’ve experienced the same poison from Luofu, but it only slows down the spread of the threads, it doesn’t change anything.”
“What?” Shen Du’s expression turned from surprise to anger. He lifted her wrist and pulled up her sleeve, not seeing any injuries. Just as he was puzzled, he noticed the tips of Zhu Yan’s fingers were all cut. His face darkened immediately. “Are you risking your life for him?”
Zhu Yan withdrew her hand, feeling somewhat awkward. She forced a playful tone, “Don’t you think Pan Chi and I are bound by a fateful connection? Every time he encounters me, something bad happens, putting his life at risk. I think he must have owed me something in a past life, and now he’s here to make amends.”
Shen Du furrowed his brow and turned her face towards him, lifting her chin without a word before pressing his lips to hers in a firm kiss. After a moment, he pulled away, resting his forehead against hers, his voice low and serious.
“What past life? In the past life, you were also entangled with me. What does that have to do with him?”
After speaking, he gently blew on Zhu Yan’s injured fingers with a look of deep concern. “I’ve already sent someone to find an antidote. Don’t do anything to harm yourself further, or else…”
“Or else what?”
“Or else I will kill him immediately.”
What a commanding leader, even his threats carried a certain fierceness.
“Did you hear that?”
Under Shen Du’s intense gaze, Zhu Yan blushed and nodded in agreement.