Meanwhile, in Shen Du’s study.
Jing Lin hurried in, “Da Ge Ling, Madam has already retired for the night.”
Shen Du put down the book in his hand, a hint of guilt in his eyes. “Did she… did she do anything?”
Jing Lin shook his head, “No, she just stood at the door for a long time, seemingly lost in thought.”
Shen Du clenched his fist slightly, knowing full well what she was thinking. He knew she couldn’t take a joke, yet he often teased her like this.
“Da Ge Ling,” Jing Lin’s eyes also showed concern as he looked at Shen Du, “We don’t have much time left. Do you have any plans for this case?”
Shen Du’s eyes deepened. When it came to the case, he had many thoughts.
“Send someone to keep an eye on Tongming Pavilion and the Liang family, especially the madam Rong Zhui and Liang Jiren.”
“Yes.” Seeing that Da Ge Ling had already targeted someone, Jing Lin’s worries eased a bit. “And Madam…”
“I’ll handle things on this side. You just need to take care of your tasks.”
“Yes.” Jing Lin responded and then withdrew.
Only then did Shen Du take out a box of rouge from his sleeve. Zhu Yan was busy with the case all day, never taking time to dress up.
Since he saw her admiring a pearl hairpin last time, he realized she wasn’t uninterested in dressing up; she simply didn’t have the time.
Now that there was some tension between them, this box of rouge could come in handy.
The next morning, the two ate breakfast in silence, the atmosphere in the room icy.
It wasn’t until after breakfast, when Zhu Yan got up, that Shen Du suddenly called her, placing the rouge on the table, “This is for you.”
Shen Du’s tone was devoid of emotion, sounding to Zhu Yan as if he were speaking to a stranger.
Zhu Yan glanced at the rouge, “Is Da Ge Ling speaking to me?”
“Besides you and me, who else is in the room?” Shen Du retorted.
Zhu Yan was secretly pleased, but her expression remained cool, “Such fine rouge, it wasn’t taken from a corpse, was it?”
As soon as Zhu Yan said this, Shen Du’s face darkened. He had spent a fortune on this, the best rouge in all of Chang’an.
“Take it or leave it.” Shen Du was a bit annoyed and got up to leave.
“I’ll take it, of course!” Zhu Yan grabbed the rouge box and ran up to Shen Du, “Even if it was taken from a corpse, I’d still want it. I’m around them all the time, why would I be afraid?”
Seeing Zhu Yan like this, Shen Du’s stern face finally softened.
As Zhu Yan was about to leave, bouncing away, he quickly asked, “Where are you going?”
Zhu Yan stopped, “We’ve already identified our targets, so I’m going to have someone keep an eye on them.”
Shen Du frowned slightly. Women were always so contradictory, saying they wished him dead on one hand, yet wanting to work with him on the case on the other.
Xu Xiangren, upon learning that Zhu Yan needed help, immediately sent people to monitor the suspects.
But two days passed without any movement from either side.
Tongming Pavilion continued its business as usual, and the Liang residence remained peaceful.
Could it be that they were looking in the wrong direction?
Time was running out, and as each day passed, Zhu Yan felt like an ant on a hot pan, anxious and restless.
The next evening.
Zhu Yan appeared at the gate of the Liang residence, determined to investigate the situation herself.
“Madam Shen.” The Liang family’s servant greeted Zhu Yan, “Please wait here while we announce your arrival.”
“There’s no need.” Zhu Yan quickly said, “I’m just here to chat with the ladies, I can go in myself.”
The servants hesitated. As guards of the Liang residence, it was their duty to announce visitors, but they couldn’t afford to offend this guest.
“What’s the matter?” Seeing the servants’ dilemma, Zhu Yan spoke up, “As the wife of Da Ge Ling, do I not have this small privilege?”
“No, no, Madam Shen, please come in.”
The servants flustered, quickly invited Zhu Yan into the Liang residence.
Zhu Yan didn’t stand on ceremony, striding in with purpose. She had a goal in mind, but couldn’t let anyone find out.
Deliberately avoiding the routes of the maids and servants, Zhu Yan wandered around the Liang residence for half a day, yet still found no clues.
Seeing two maids approaching from a distance, Zhu Yan pretended to be lost and asked, “I’m here to visit the madam, but I’ve lost my way. Could you show me where to go?”
The two maids curtsied to Zhu Yan, “The madams are currently entertaining guests in the guest room. Please follow us, Madam Shen.”
“Oh… guests?” Zhu Yan was surprised, “I wonder if I know this guest. If not, perhaps I shouldn’t disturb them.”
Though she said this, her feet were already following the two maids.
“Madam Shen certainly knows her. The guest is Madam Tang, an old acquaintance of yours.”
The maid’s response set Zhu Yan thinking.
Madam Tang was here too?
Recently, Madam Tang had been visiting the Liang residence quite frequently. Could she also be involved in the case?
Before she could think further, they soon reached a path not far from the guest room.
Just as they were about to arrive, Zhu Yan quickly asked, “By the way, is everything well in the Liang residence? Are the master and madams getting along?”
The two maids nodded slightly, one of them saying, “Thank you for your concern, Madam Shen. Everything is well in the Liang residence, and the master and madams are getting along harmoniously.”
Zhu Yan pursed her lips. It seemed the Liang residence had become more vigilant, making it difficult to glean information from the servants.
Upon reaching the guest room, the two madams of the Liang family quickly rose to greet her, “Madam Shen, what brings you here without notice? What are the servants doing?”
“It’s not their fault,” Zhu Yan quickly explained, “I asked them not to announce me. I’ve been here often enough to find my way, but I got lost this time. It’s quite embarrassing.”
“Hehe…” Madam Zheng covered her mouth with a laugh, “Madam Shen, you’re an old friend of the family, yet you still get lost. Next time, just let us know you’re coming, and we’ll have a maid guide you to avoid any detours.”
“Certainly, next time I’ll have a maid lead the way,” Zhu Yan replied politely.
She glanced at Madam Tang, who was sitting nearby and nodded slightly.
Madam Tang said nothing, merely nodding in return, and they all sat down.
Madam Liu sipped her tea lightly and looked at Zhu Yan, getting straight to the point, “What brings Madam Shen here today?”
Madam Liu’s face was a bit pale, her voice carrying a hint of frailty, though she seemed much better than before.
“It’s nothing major,” Zhu Yan quickly said, “I just wanted to ask about the two young masters of the Liang family.”