Vоlumе Тwо - Fire Moth
Сhаpter 100: Тhe Zhu Familу in Тrоublе
Еаrly morning, bеfore dawn, voices соuld be hеard соming frоm insidе the rооm.
“Nо, nо, I wоn’t be аble to sleер pеacefullу if I don’t get tо the bottоm оf this.”
“If уоu саn’t slеep, hаvе the imреriаl phуsiciаn рrescribе уou sоmething to helр.”
“Shen Du, you dоn’t undеrstаnd what I’m sаying at all.”
“Whаt уоu meаn isn’t imроrtаnt. Whаt mаtters is thаt this сasе ends hеre!”
“You’rе heаrtlеss! Fоr somеоnе whо holds such a high рosition, you havе no sense оf respоnsibility.”
“Yоu’rе the оne with a sense of responsibility, but have you considered how many people this case involves? If something really goes wrong, can you bear the consequences?”
“You! You’re just a coward!”
Their argument grew increasingly heated, but the servants and Jing Lin at the door dared not knock.
These two had started arguing early in the morning—when would it end?
Just as Jing Lin was pondering how to handle the situation, the steward hurried over. “Guard Jing, someone from the Zhu family is here.”
Jing Lin frowned. “The Zhu family? Why are they here before dawn? Could something have happened?”
Not daring to overthink, Jing Lin quickly stepped outside.
After hearing the Zhu family servant’s account, Jing Lin found himself in a dilemma.
At the moment, the Great Pavilion Commander and his wife were in the heat of an argument. Reporting to them now didn’t seem appropriate.
Seeing Jing Lin hesitate, the Zhu family servant grew anxious. “Go in and inform them! The matter is urgent.”
Urged on, Jing Lin felt even more troubled. Gritting his teeth, he finally knocked on the door.
“Who is it?!”
Shen Du’s cold rebuke nearly made Jing Lin kneel, while the servants guarding the door retreated several steps in fright.
“It’s… it’s me, Jing Lin, Great Pavilion Commander.”
“What is it?”
“Someone from the Zhu residence has come to report that something has happened at home—it’s extremely urgent.”
As soon as the words were spoken, the door suddenly swung open. Zhu Yan stood in the doorway, her face flushed with anger and worry. “What did you say?”
Jing Lin’s lips twitched, and at that moment, a cold voice came from inside the room. “You are not to go!”
Jing Lin trembled and stepped aside, but Zhu Yan glared fiercely at Shen Du in the room. “If you won’t deal with it, I will!”
With that, Zhu Yan strode away.
The door slammed shut again with a loud “bang,” startling Jing Lin half to death.
Shen Du seethed with anger, his fists clenched so tightly they creaked. That ungrateful woman—why was she so stubborn?
Zhu Yan hurried back to the Zhu residence, only to unexpectedly find an old acquaintance there.
“Third… Third Sister?” Zhu Yan was taken aback.
Upon hearing Zhu Yan’s voice, Third Sister Zhu Caiwei quickly turned around, her almond-shaped eyes red as if she had suffered great distress.
“Little Six.” With that call, the two sisters embraced tightly.
“What’s wrong?”
Zhu Yan gently patted her third sister’s back, and Zhu Caiwei slowly stopped crying. Clutching Zhu Yan’s hand, she pleaded, “You must help me. You absolutely must.”
“What happened?” Zhu Yan was completely bewildered.
Zhu Caiwei looked troubled. After a moment of thought, she gazed sorrowfully at Zhu Yan and said, “He’s gone. Han Shiyuan is gone.”
Zhu Yan froze. Han Shiyuan was the man who had eloped with her third sister.
Back then, Prime Minister Zhang Xingwei had strongly advocated for the Zhu family to form a marriage alliance with Shen Du, and the Zhu family had considered it.The fourth sister, Zhu Manshu, was already betrothed, and she was illiterate, with a careless and easygoing personality.
The sixth sister, Zhu Yan, was too young.
Only the third sister was clever and of suitable age—she wouldn’t be sent to her death, and perhaps she could rely on her wit to survive.
But what no one expected was that Zhu Caiwei and Han Shiyuan were already deeply in love at the time.
After the Empress ascended the throne, the country’s customs became relatively open, allowing women to freely leave their homes and participate in any activities.
Especially when girls from several families gathered to study literature, calligraphy, and painting, or to go on outings and excursions together.
However, while such customs had their benefits, they also had their drawbacks.
Women had freedom, which was a cause for great joy for them.
Going on outings and excursions inevitably led to encounters with many unfamiliar men.
It was during one such outing that Han Shiyuan unexpectedly met Zhu Caiwei, and the two fell in love at first sight. Over time, they secretly pledged their lives to each other.
Although Han Shiyuan came from an ordinary family, the Zhu family did not care about this. As long as their daughter could find a suitable husband and live happily, everyone in the Zhu family would feel comforted and delighted. Little did they know that an imperial decree would change everything.
After receiving the decree, the Zhu family had not yet figured out how to respond when Zhu Caiwei already foresaw the outcome.
She had always been decisive and courageous, so on the day before her wedding to Shen Du, she eloped with Han Shiyuan.
Zhu Caiwei had originally thought that if she ran away, Shen Du, being proud and arrogant, would surely cancel the wedding.
But not long after leaving, she heard that her sixth sister had taken her place in the marriage, and upon learning about the discord between Shen Du and Zhu Yan, she felt even more guilty.
Shen Du was known by everyone as the White King of Hell—ruthless, cruel, and merciless in his actions.
How much suffering and humiliation would the delicate Zhu Yan endure in his hands? Zhu Caiwei dared not dwell on it!
Out of unease, Zhu Caiwei and Han Shiyuan decided to return to Chang’an. They would clean up the mess they had made themselves.
But unexpectedly, on their way back, Han Shiyuan, who had always been inseparable from her, disappeared.
Zhu Yan learned the whole story, and her heart couldn’t help but worry. How could a perfectly fine person just vanish? There must be something strange about it.
However, the rest of the Zhu family did not share Zhu Yan’s thoughts.
Regarding Zhu Caiwei’s return, the Zhu family was both happy and worried—happy that their daughter had returned home safely, but worried that if word got out, Shen Du might come to demand an explanation.
After all, Zhu Caiwei was the one who had abandoned him and fled the wedding. How could someone who had insulted the White King of Hell be easily let off?
"Little Six."
Zhu Kuo looked at Zhu Yan with deep worry and unease. "It’s truly fortunate that your third sister has returned safely, but if this matter reaches Shen Du’s ears, will he come to demand an explanation?"
"..." Zhu Yan was confused, completely failing to grasp what her father meant.
"Demand an explanation for what?" Zhu Yan retorted. At that moment, her birth mother, Jin Shi, glared at her. "Are you pretending to be ignorant, or are you truly foolish? Have you forgotten how you ended up marrying into the Shen family?"
Reminded of this, Zhu Caiwei also grew worried and repeatedly nodded as she looked at Zhu Yan.
Zhu Yan finally understood what they meant and couldn’t help but chuckle softly. "I’ve been married to him for quite some time now, and I’ve come to know him a little. He’s not that kind of person.""That's not necessarily true," Jin Shi continued. "He is the King of Hell, after all. You haven't been married to him for long, so how could you truly understand his temperament?"
Zhu Yan was helpless but still defended Shen Du, saying, "How could I not understand him? Besides, he has visited our Zhu family several times. Has he ever been fierce to anyone? Has he ever done anything out of line? How can you all suspect him like this?"
"Ah..." Zhu Kuo let out a long sigh, still uneasy. "Xiao Liu's words make sense, but Shen Du is notoriously unpredictable. He has always shown restraint toward our Zhu family before, but perhaps he is deliberately setting a trap to deceive us. We must not let our guard down."
Zhu Yan was completely speechless. Even her own father harbored such suspicions about Shen Du—what more could she say?
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