That day passed peacefully.
The next morning, when Zhu Yan received news that Su Guang had left Yingzhou, she was sitting at the table eating breakfast. Beside her, Shen Du could hardly suppress the smile on his face.
It was obvious that Shen Du was hiding something, so Zhu Yan gently kicked his leg under the table. Shen Du looked at her.
Zhu Yan blinked: “I slept well last night, but why did you suddenly disappear?”
“Oh, the Holy Maiden had a request, and I couldn’t refuse,” Shen Du reached out to wipe away some pastry crumbs from her mouth, and said smoothly, “Now, Pan Chi should be sitting quietly in a carriage heading to the Wusun Kingdom.”
As he spoke, he raised an eyebrow, his eyes full of mirth.
In all their days in Yingzhou, Zhu Yan had never seen Shen Du so happy. She couldn’t help but laugh, but still asked:
“Will Pan Chi obediently go with Su Guang?”
“Oh,” Shen Du chuckled, gently stroking her hair and pulling her hand to his side,
“Su Guang is the Holy Maiden of the Wusun Kingdom, skilled in hypnosis. I asked Su Guang to hypnotize Pan Chi while he was still weak from recovering from the poison.”
He acted as if it had nothing to do with him.
Although this method was effective, it was indeed a bit underhanded. Thinking this, Zhu Yan couldn’t help but look at Shen Du a few more times.
Shen Du lowered his head, giving her a questioning look.
“He helped you a lot in organizing the provinces and prefectures. Isn’t this a bit like abandoning him after using him?” Though she said this, there wasn’t much anger in Zhu Yan’s eyes. “It’s not loyal.”
Shen Du held Zhu Yan closer, glancing at the osmanthus tree outside the window, its branches full of flower buds, a faint fragrance beginning to drift. Then he looked back at his wife, his eyes filling with heat: “He coveted my wife. Not breaking his arms and legs was already a restraint. It’s best to send him far away.”
As he spoke, he leaned in closer.
His steady breath brushed against her face, and Zhu Yan’s cheeks turned pink, the blush spreading to her ears.
Shen Du took in every detail of her expression, moving even closer, watching his reflection in her eyes:
“Is my lady shy?”
He playfully ran his index finger along Zhu Yan’s cheek, feeling the soft, delicate skin.
Startled by this action, Zhu Yan pushed Shen Du away, but he caught her hands and pulled her into his embrace, not giving her a chance to escape.
Zhu Yan stared at him in a daze, slowly wrapping her arms around his waist. She buried her face in his chest, no longer avoiding him as she had in the past. Meeting Shen Du’s gaze from above, she said, “Shen Du, I love you.”
It was as if a thousand trees had suddenly bloomed in an icy wilderness, or a sky full of shooting stars had streaked past. The tightly wound string in Shen Du’s heart seemed to explode. The Grand Secretary Shen Du, who could face thousands of troops without fear and confront the most vicious thugs without changing color, was now flustered by these words from the woman before him. He stared blankly into Zhu Yan’s smiling dark eyes, at a loss for words.
Zhu Yan was a woman of strong character. Once she had made up her mind, there was no changing it. Seeing Shen Du’s dumbfounded expression, she smiled mischievously and took the opportunity to push him away, returning to her original seat.
Shen Du stared at Zhu Yan in a daze, watching her calmly sip her millet porridge with a lowered head. Only then did he come back to his senses?
He picked up Zhu Yan and carried her to the window, setting her on the dressing table. Zhu Yan complained, “I haven’t finished eating yet.”
Holding her hand, Shen Du felt a warmth spreading through his chest, his smile growing even gentler.
Zhu Yan put down her pancake, suddenly feeling a bit at a loss.
Shen Du was not particularly eloquent, certainly not compared to Pan Chi. Meeting Zhu Yan’s dark eyes, he took a deep breath and cupped her face:
“I love you too, my lady. I will love you for this lifetime.”
His words were filled with tender affection.
Zhu Yan smiled, contentedly draping her arms over his shoulders and giggling softly.
After a while, Shen Du reluctantly said, “Pack up. We’re returning to the capital.”
—
The carriage bumped along the road. Zhu Yan lifted the curtain to look outside, her expression focused, while Shen Du rode on horseback beside them for protection.
After experiencing so much in Yingzhou, they could finally go home. Zhu Yan was happy, but she also felt a sense of unease.
Laughing at herself, Zhu Yan’s eyes met Shen Du’s, and her heart settled a bit. She lowered the curtain, lightly patted her head, and closed her eyes to rest for a while.
Just as she closed her eyes, the carriage suddenly lurched forward. Zhu Yan woke with a start, the great impact throwing her against the front wall of the carriage.
Thinking her instincts were right, after all, Zhu Yan didn’t dare linger. She lifted the curtain, searching for Shen Du.
Shen Du was already riding towards her, reaching out his hand. Zhu Yan’s heart leaped with joy as she placed her hand in his.
Their hands clasped, Shen Du lifted her slightly, and Zhu Yan flew onto the horse, sitting in front of him.
Leaning back against Shen Du’s solid embrace, Zhu Yan’s fear dissipated. She whispered, “Be careful.”
Shen Du nodded, letting her hold the reins while he raised his bow and shot toward a particular spot.
Soon, a series of agonized screams rang out. Zhu Yan’s heart jolted, silently marveling at how quickly the people in the capital had received the news. They had deliberately avoided the main road, yet were still caught up so quickly.
Holding the bow, Shen Du used one arm to protect Zhu Yan, his deep eyes dark: “Hold on tight to me. We need to leave this place quickly.”
The group of horses galloped through the forest, while some ill-intentioned individuals moved through the trees on both sides of the road, using the trees as cover.
Finally, the dense forest began to thin out ahead.
The horses slowed down. Zhu Yan looked back at the forest, where a few trees were still swaying unnaturally, but they soon quieted.
“It seems some people don’t want us to return to the capital,” Shen Du said, holding Zhu Yan tightly as he slowed the horse and continued forward.
Behind them, Jinglin and the imperial guards followed closely, alert to their surroundings.
Zhu Yan and the others had anticipated that the journey back to the capital would be extremely difficult, but encountering several incidents was still quite troublesome.
After traveling several dozen li, they finally found a small teahouse as a resting point. The horses were tied to the nearest trees, and they went into the teahouse to regroup.
They weren’t the only ones resting there; a few people had already been sitting and waiting.
These people sat motionless, not drinking tea, only occasionally glancing up at them before quickly lowering their faces behind their wide-brimmed hats.
Zhu Yan wanted to laugh out loud. Did they need to be so obvious? Why not just write “I am an assassin” in big letters on their faces?
Shen Du looked at the tea brought by the waiter but didn’t drink it.
“Let’s go,” he said, taking Zhu Yan’s hand and standing up. The others followed the order and filed out.
The seated men were unexpectedly alert. Seeing Shen Du and his group mount their horses and leave, the men in wide-brimmed hats immediately gave chase.
A rain of arrows flew towards them, filling the sky, but the imperial guards were well-trained and dodged the arrows. Just as they were about to widen the distance, assassins suddenly appeared in front, blocking their path.
With obstacles ahead and pursuers behind, they were now trapped. Shen Du’s cold eyes gleamed, his stern face tense:
“Hold on tight!”
Facing forward, he raised his sword and charged.
Zhu Yan felt that cold killing intent. She wrapped her arms tightly around Shen Du’s waist, thinking to herself that she had become a burden to him.
This time was different from before. The number of assassins was triple that of the previous encounter. They had accurately calculated the number and fighting power of Shen Du’s group. A crowd of people focused on fighting one, determined to annihilate Shen Du’s group under their swords.
When Zhu Yan opened her eyes, the battle had already stopped. The first thing she saw was the blood on Shen Du’s clothes. She quickly looked up to check on him and saw that he was alert and energetic. Around them stood a group of people wearing special uniforms.
Rubbing her eyes, Zhu Yan searched her person and finally took out a token, displaying it to those people.
With the help of the Local Constable along the way, they finally arrived safely in the capital after several days.