Shen Che kicked the nearby wine jar. “It seems your alcohol tolerance has improved in the military camp these past few years. The last time you ran off to join Second Uncle, two jugs of wine knocked you out before leaving. Now it’s different; you can still recognize me as your Second Brother.”
Shen Zheng smiled, somewhat helplessly and sadly. “Don’t tease me.”
Shen Che sat on the railing of the pavilion. Unlike Shen Zheng, he didn’t have the habit of sitting on the ground unless there was a grass mat underneath.
Shen Zheng now clearly saw that Shen Che was also holding a jug of wine. After the clay seal was broken, the aroma of wine filled the air. Shen Zheng knew at once it was at least ten years old, possibly more.
Shen Zheng’s throat moved as he watched Shen Che magically produce two bowls. The golden liquid poured from the air into the bowls without spilling a drop.
Shen Zheng took the wine and tasted it. “Second Brother, you always find good wine.”
“There’s plenty of good wine in the world if you’re willing to look for it,” Shen Che said. “Some wines smell fragrant but burn your throat when you drink them. The next day after getting drunk feels like you’ve died once.”
Shen Zheng threw back his head and drained the bowl, setting it down heavily on the railing. “Another bowl.”
Shen Che obliged and poured another.
Shen Zheng wiped his mouth with his sleeve. “Second Brother, I’m a simple man. I’m used to being straightforward. If you have something to say, just say it.”
Shen Che raised an eyebrow. “Oh? If we’re being straightforward, shouldn’t you be the one with something to say to me?” Shen Che sipped his wine, thinking that Shen Zheng was indeed crude, drinking the wine like watering cattle. What a waste.
But Shen Che didn’t mind and let Shen Zheng guzzle away.
Shen Zheng hiccupped. “Then let me ask you, did you know all along that the person I was looking for was her?”
Shen Che glanced at Shen Zheng. “What ‘her’? That’s your Second Sister-in-law.”
The words “Second Sister-in-law” rolled around in Shen Zheng’s mouth for a while. He simply couldn’t bring himself to say it.
“Did you know early on?” Shen Zheng looked at Shen Che like a wronged child.
Shen Che wanted to kick Shen Zheng flying, but what could he do? He was his brother after all. “What difference does it make whether I knew early on or not?”
Shen Zheng thought about it. That was true. But then he remembered the things he had said to Shen Che and felt increasingly embarrassed. He lowered his head and apologized, “Second Brother, I’ll get drunk tonight, and when I wake up tomorrow morning, I’ll have forgotten everything from before.”
“Mm.” Shen Che grunted in response and poured himself another bowl of wine. Although he didn’t guzzle like Shen Zheng, he sipped continuously, quickly emptying the bowl. So he drank no less than Shen Zheng.
As crude as Shen Zheng was, he knew Shen Che was unhappy. His Second Brother was a pitiful man. After that incident, even his eldest brother seemed to have put aside his grievances. The three brothers joined forces, becoming unstoppable on the great grasslands, leading to the great victory at Le Yuan Pass.
“Second Brother, what are you thinking now?” Shen Zheng seemed to have forgotten his bitterness and turned to concern for Shen Che.
“What do you mean, what am I thinking?” Shen Che feigned ignorance.
Shen Zheng said, “If the ancestors find out about that matter, they’ll surely make you divorce her.”
“So the ancestors can’t find out,” Shen Che said calmly. Though his tone was indifferent, his words were resolute.
Shen Zheng made an “Oh” sound, then asked, “Can you endure it?”
“What else can I do?” Shen Che raised an eyebrow askew, drawing one leg up onto the railing. “If I can’t endure it, should I step aside so you can pick up the pieces?”
Shen Zheng’s dark face reddened. “Second Brother, I already said…”
Shen Che waved his hand. “There’s a long line of people waiting to pick up the pieces. You’re not the only one.”
Shen Zheng thought of Ji Cheng’s appearance and figured these words weren’t wrong.
“But what about in your heart? Can you just swallow this?” Shen Zheng asked again.
Shen Che smiled. “Why is a grown man like you so concerned about your brother’s bedroom affairs? If you’re feeling deprived, hurry and choose one of the girls Second Aunt picked out for you. This time, the ancestors and your mother are determined. Don’t think about running away again.”
These words made Shen Zheng want to get drunk even more. He felt his heart had just been wounded and was still bleeding. How could he not be allowed to lick his wounds first?
Moreover, Shen Zheng felt Shen Che’s words were full of schadenfreude, so he felt defiant and retorted, “Second Brother, don’t you think your current situation is heaven’s retribution for toying with girls everywhere in the past?”
Making others unhappy when he was unhappy indeed made Shen Zheng feel much better. Back then, Shen Zheng had complaints about Shen Che. In terms of looks, they were equals, so why did all the girls cling to his Second Brother when they went out drinking?
Now it was good. He got his comeuppance. Honestly, Shen Zheng had never expected his Second Brother to be such a devoted lover. When Zha Yina risked her life to appear in the Da Qin army camp, mocking Shen Che for being a cuckold, it was the first time Shen Zheng saw such a heartbroken expression on his Second Brother’s face.
Even so, Shen Che didn’t agree to Zha Yina’s renewed offer of allegiance.
Shen Zheng had called Shen Che a fool at the time. He didn’t know then that Ji Cheng was his Second Sister-in-law, so he cursed Ji Cheng too. His Second Brother, that big fool, actually refused Zha Yina’s offer to use her body to detoxify him, preferring to lose half his martial arts ability and be hunted by Huo De rather than accept Zha Yina’s kindness.
Honestly, Zha Yina was not only not ugly but as beautiful as a heavenly fairy. If it were Shen Zheng himself, he probably would have stripped and lain down long ago. But at that time, Shen Zheng could only worry helplessly.
All for such a woman, and still talking about preserving chastity? What nonsense!
It seems in this world, there is something to counter everything.
Hearing Shen Zheng mutter the words “retribution,” Shen Che stretched out his leg and kicked Shen Zheng in the back. “You’re getting cocky, aren’t you? Asking for a beating.”
When a man tells another man he’s asking for a beating, he is asking for a beating. When they were young, Shen Che often disciplined Shen Zheng, beating him black and blue until he cried for his parents and didn’t dare to shout at him again. Good food had to be offered to Second Brother first, and fun things also had to be given to Second Brother first. Shen Zheng later devoted himself to martial arts and joining the army, probably related to being scared by Shen Che’s beatings when he was young.
As soon as Shen Che mentioned beating, Shen Zheng felt a fire in his heart. He had been bullied as a child and still hadn’t taken revenge. Now that Shen Che’s martial arts were half-crippled, Shen Zheng didn’t believe he couldn’t beat him.
So the two brothers exchanged a glance, leaped out of the Moon Pavilion, and started fighting in the wind and snow.
Shen Zheng’s kicks were vicious, specifically aiming for the groin. Shen Che’s punches were no slower, targeting the face.
Finally, Shen Che stopped a punch a hair’s breadth from Shen Zheng’s nose and asked, “Still want to fight?”
By then, both of Shen Zheng’s eyes were hurting badly, almost swollen shut. His mouth was also swollen. If Shen Che’s punch had landed on his nose, his proud high bridge would have become a flat nose, which would have been too ugly.
“No more fighting,” Shen Zheng promptly withdrew his hand, looking at Shen Che who wasn’t even out of breath. “Second Brother! Didn’t your strength greatly decrease?”
Shen Che leisurely adjusted his sleeves and smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes from the fight. He said slowly, “When did I ever say such a thing?”
Shen Zheng thought back and realized that indeed, Shen Che had never said that.
“Then why were you hiding? And why did you hide with the Northern Expedition Army?” Shen Zheng pressed.
Shen Che coughed lightly. “How long has it been? Couldn’t my poison have been cured by now?”
That was true, Shen Zheng rubbed his head. He had overthought things. But looking at his Second Brother’s punchable face, it was easy for him to overthink.
Here, Shen Zheng had been beaten half to death by Shen Che, but his heart felt much better. Coveting his Second Sister-in-law was unforgivable by heaven’s law. If his Second Brother didn’t beat him, he would have died of guilt himself.
Now that Shen Che had beaten him mercilessly, Shen Zheng’s guilt had dissipated. There was no need to drink anymore. He turned and went back to his room to sleep soundly.
Shen Che looked at the carefree Shen Zheng, feeling both envious and jealous of his brother.
Shen Yu, watching from afar as Shen Che and Shen Zheng fought and then returned to their rooms, finally turned and went back to Chang Heng Courtyard.
Seeing Shen Yu enter, Cui Long hurried to meet him and help remove the snow-covered cloak from his body. “My lord, did you find Second Uncle and Third Uncle?”
Shen Yu nodded without speaking.
Cui Long gently and meticulously helped Shen Yu change his shoes, then wrung out a cloth to wash his face. “Does my lord want a bath?”
“Mm.” Shen Yu responded.
Cui Long hurried off to prepare.
While Shen Yu was bathing, she arranged the bedding. She and Shen Yu spent little time together. Seeing Li Rui pregnant, it would be a lie to say she wasn’t envious. Cui Long also desperately needed to bear a son to feel like a true member of the Shen family.
When Shen Yu came out, the candlelight cast Cui Long’s face in a shy and coy glow, a blush spreading across her cheeks that would stir any man’s heart.
However, Shen Yu seemed blind to it all. He didn’t notice Cui Long’s expectant expression, simply lying down and turning on his side to sleep.
Cui Long was stunned for a while before carefully getting into bed without making a sound. She moved closer to Shen Yu’s back, comforting herself that Shen Yu must be too tired, that’s why…
Shen Yu was indeed very tired, but he couldn’t fall asleep.
How many years had it been since he’d seen Ji Cheng? That cousin he had once earnestly sought to marry? The person he thought he had forgotten in a corner of his mind, but in the instant he saw her, the lamp light on her translucent white skin seemed to illuminate the darkness and filth in his heart.
She seemed unchanged, still as ethereal as smoke and mist. Shen Yu knew he should feel disappointed and disgusted with her, but in the darkness when he was alone, he had to admit that when he learned Ji Cheng had chosen to save Ling Ziyun with the antidote instead of Shen Che, he had felt a flash of satisfaction and inexplicable relief.
Did this prove to some extent that it wasn’t Ji Cheng who had chosen Shen Che, but as his Second Brother had said, he had forced her to marry him?
But these thoughts made Shen Yu feel too filthy and too unfair to Shen Che, which was why he and Shen Che had finally put aside their past grievances.
These grievances naturally also came from Ji Cheng. Initially, it was Shen Che constantly speaking ill of Ji Cheng and the Ji family that made Shen Yu stop pursuing her. Later, when Shen Che became engaged to Ji Cheng and Shen Yu confronted him, Shen Che admitted he liked Ji Cheng.
Shen Yu naturally felt betrayed, and by his own family no less. At the same time, he recalled Ji Cheng’s many excuses when he wanted to marry her, realizing it wasn’t out of modesty but because she harbored feelings for his brother. This sense of defeat made it hard for Shen Yu to face Shen Che, leading to their later disputes.
But when he saw how heartbroken Shen Che was by Ji Cheng’s actions, Shen Yu, aside from his dark thoughts, also genuinely felt bad for Shen Che.
However, what made Shen Yu recall this entanglement tonight was Shen Zheng. He couldn’t help but sigh. Fate was truly fickle; Shen Zheng had also developed feelings for Ji Cheng.
Shen Yu had gone to find Shen Zheng truly wanting to console him, but unexpectedly saw Shen Che also seeking him out. This matter was naturally best resolved privately between them, and they probably didn’t want others to know. Therefore, Shen Yu didn’t approach, but he couldn’t help worrying. Later, seeing the two fight and then walk away arm in arm, he finally felt relieved.