Out of gratitude for saving his life, Shen Du had his men prepare the best room in the Yingzhou government office to accommodate the Holy Maiden. They provided her with the finest food, clothing, and amenities, ensuring she was not mistreated in any way.
However, the Holy Maiden appeared furious. Understandably so, as anyone would react similarly to being under house arrest.
Zhu Yan was initially concerned, repeatedly asking Shen Du if this was truly appropriate. After all, she was their savior and the Holy Maiden of Wusun. She worried it might cause a diplomatic crisis.
After being questioned all day, Shen Du rubbed his brow wearily. He pulled Zhu Yan into his embrace and silenced her with a deep kiss. Soon, Zhu Yan’s body softened, and she leaned against Shen Du’s chest, breathless.
Shen Du finally sighed in relief, enjoying the quiet. Knowing he needed to explain to satisfy Zhu Yan, he said:
“It’s truly fine. The so-called Holy Maiden is meant to serve Wusun for life and never leave its borders. Her coming here likely means someone secretly let her out. Otherwise, how could Physician Pan have succeeded so easily?”
At this point, Zhu Yan understood Shen Du’s intentions: “So by keeping the Holy Maiden under house arrest, you’re protecting her?”
Shen Du didn’t answer directly, only saying: “The Fire Moth Party remnants and Lai Luofu are still outside Yingzhou City. Now is not a good time to send the Holy Maiden back. Keeping her under house arrest also prevents news of her presence from spreading widely, which could cause chaos.”
Zhu Yan had a sudden realization and muttered: “I thought you wanted to keep her here to make a true match with Physician Pan…”
“Heh!”
“I did consider that, but to avoid causing issues between our two countries, it’s best not to.”
Shen Du took her hand, finding it ice cold. He went to close the window, watching the yellow leaves falling thickly outside. Feeling heavy-hearted, he removed his cloak and draped it over Zhu Yan. “The weather has turned cold. Don’t let yourself catch a chill.”
Zhu Yan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she looked down at the dark blue beast-patterned cloak. “When we arrived, it was still the sweltering heat of early June. I can’t believe it’s already the autumn equinox. I wonder if we’ll make it back to the capital in time for the New Year festivities.”
Originally, given Shen Du’s typically efficient manner, they should have finished by the end of summer at the latest. Who could have imagined that the “Half-Face Ghost” case would involve so much and keep them from returning?
“I had thought to make some autumn clothes for you and Jing Lin to keep warm, but there wasn’t time,” she said, somewhat embarrassed. “It’s also because I’m not skilled at needlework.”
Shen Du tilted her chin up, his eyes showing displeasure: “Why would you make some for Jing Lin too?”
Zhu Yan looked bewildered. Shen Du continued, displeased: “Don’t make anything for him. He’ll have his wife to do that in the future. How could I let my wife make things for him?”
Zhu Yan: …
“What about Lai Luofu? Has there been any progress?” If they could just capture Lai Luofu, they could return sooner.
Settling Zhu Yan on his lap, Shen Du replied: “Jing Lin has already led men to pursue him. With reinforcements stationed outside the city, he shouldn’t be able to get far.”
In truth, Lai Luofu was skilled at disguise and extremely cunning, making him very difficult to catch. But Shen Du didn’t want Zhu Yan to worry about such things.
Nodding, Zhu Yan felt somewhat reassured. She removed the cloak and handed it back to Shen Du: “I don’t need this. You’re just recovering from a serious illness, and it’s cold outside. You should keep it on.”
Knowing Zhu Yan cared for him, Shen Du felt warmth in his heart. Since they had confessed their feelings, Zhu Yan had become even more attentive to him than before.
Shen Du felt deeply grateful. Zhu Yan pushed him: “Go take care of your work. Come back early, and I’ll make you some nourishing soup.”
“Don’t worry, your husband isn’t that weak.”
Shen Du breathed against her earlobe, noticing her ear turning red. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he held her tighter.
“I’ll stay with you a while longer.”
Zhu Yan nodded, resting her head against Shen Du’s chest.
—
Yingzhou City had returned to normal. Zhu Yan thought she should get some clothes and daily necessities for the Holy Maiden to prevent her from catching a cold. So one day, she chose an opportune time to go to the Holy Maiden’s room.
Faint sounds were coming from inside. Zhu Yan moved closer to look.
She saw a strange object placed on the table inside. It had the shape of a flame, with two red snakes coiled around it, their heads facing the flame and flicking their tongues.
The Holy Maiden was dancing strangely around the object, chanting something under her breath.
Before she could see more, Zhu Yan turned and left. She went to the market and browsed for a while, hearing many rumors. Feeling puzzled, she bought a duck and handed it to the kitchen before washing her hands and heading to Shen Du’s room.
“Shen Du, isn’t it strange? I went out for a walk, and everyone was saying the Grand Chancellor only has a few days left to live.”
“I asked around, and they all said the same thing.”
Zhu Yan paused, looking up at the sky outside. It was gloomy, with dark clouds piling up on the horizon as if it might rain.
“Shen Du? Aren’t you better now?”
Shen Du lay in bed, looking weak and haggard. His coughing could be heard even from outside the room.
“Don’t scare me. You were fine before.”
Zhu Yan rushed forward to check his pulse, disregarding everything else.
As soon as she placed her hand on Shen Du’s wrist, he grasped it, looking at her with a smile.
In a flash, Zhu Yan understood: “You…”
Shen Du nodded: “I had Jing Lin suppress the news.”
So the common people knew Shen Du was on the brink of death, but didn’t know he had already recovered.
“You had this intention when you put the Holy Maiden under house arrest as well.” Zhu Yan felt her temples throbbing.
Shen Du massaged them for her, saying with concern: “I was afraid you’d react like this, so I didn’t tell you. These deceptive tactics – just observe them, don’t think too much about it.”
Zhu Yan nodded. With more experience in the outside world, she realized that examining corpses and solving cases were the simplest tasks. They didn’t require managing the hearts of the living, only seeking justice for the dead.
Jing Lin came in to inquire about how to handle the bodies of Wang Bu and Xiu Xiu. Seeing Shen Du and Zhu Yan being intimate, he quickly lowered his head and stood further away.
Zhu Yan’s eyes lit up: “Put them in the public mortuary. I’ll examine the bodies in the next few days.”
Jing Lin acknowledged and vanished in a flash.
Shen Du, who had been pretending to cough loudly, immediately became spirited and radiant when Zhu Yan entered. After being teased by her a few times, he sat down with a worried expression.
“What’s wrong?”
Zhu Yan, full of concerns, described the strange things she had seen with the Holy Maiden earlier. Shen Du frowned:
“If there was anything unusual, the imperial guards would have reported it to me.”
This meant there was nothing out of the ordinary.
“These barbarians like to worship totems and such as their beliefs, just as our Great Zhou believes in true dragons and auspicious phoenixes. As long as it doesn’t cause harm, there’s no need to interfere.”
Zhu Yan nodded, not voicing all her suspicions: “Can those imperial guards understand the Wusun language?”
“Of course,” Shen Du boasted a little. “My Grand Secretariat is full of talented individuals. Those few have a gift for languages. When we were responsible for receiving the Wusun envoys, by the time we saw them off, they had learned about seventy or eighty percent of the Wusun language.”
It was indeed impressive. Wusun envoys would stay for at least three to five months, sometimes three to five years. But to learn a language from scratch at that time truly required talent.
“Pfft, are you praising yourself?”
Shen Du tilted his head and glanced at her: “Is that not allowed?”
He tickled her sensitive spots, making Zhu Yan laugh and fall into his arms. She quickly covered her mouth, amusing Shen Du. He got up to pour some water but was pushed back down by Zhu Yan. As he looked at her in confusion, Zhu Yan grinned mischievously:
“If you’re going to pretend, at least make it convincing.”
Shen Du wrapped his arms around her, using her momentum to pull her down onto the bed. He rolled on top of her but, afraid of crushing her, propped himself up on his hands and looked down at her.
Zhu Yan, caught off guard, had no strength to resist. Her black hair was spread out, making her skin appear even more snow-white. With red lips, white teeth, and doe eyes filled with autumn waters, she gazed up at him wetly.
Shen Du cursed inwardly, realizing he had ignited his fire.
He got up and drank several cups of cold tea before feeling somewhat better. Thinking that if they could make it back to the capital alive, they must immediately perform the rites of husband and wife sharing a bed.
Lying on her back, Zhu Yan blinked rapidly a few times before realizing she had been tricked. She sat up angrily, glaring at the person sitting there leisurely.
Seeing her puffed-up cheeks and angry expression, Shen Du felt a fire burning in his heart and lower abdomen. His eyes darkened, and instead of comforting her or doing anything else, he simply rested his chin on his hand and smirked at her.
There were still dark circles under Shen Du’s eyes from the days of poisoning. Zhu Yan couldn’t bring herself to reproach him. She walked over and sat across from him.
Just as Shen Du was about to say something to appease his little wife, footsteps sounded outside the door. Physician Pan’s voice arrived before he did.