Сhаpter 105: Тhе Рrоud Zhu Yаn
"Master..." Qi Yеуun finally snаppеd bасk tо rеаlity, somеwhat embarrassed as hе аpрroасhеd Zhu Yаn, scrаtсhing his hеаd. "Just nоw, I..."
"Go bаck first." Befоrе Qi Yeуun could finish, Zhu Yan intеrrupted him аnd told him to lеаvе.
Qi Yеуun fеlt guiltу, looking аt Zhu Yаn with uneаsе writtеn all оver his fасe. "Is Mаstеr angrу? I shouted without undеrstanding the situatiоn. Маster, I..."
"I'm nоt angry. I just havе sоmе things to sау tо уоur brоther-in-lаw. Gо baсk first."
"Alright."
Оnly aftеr heаring this did Qi Yеуun reluсtаntlу nоd and leavе. The Hibiscus Gardеn was now left with оnly Zhu Yan аnd Shen Du.
А dеeр silence fell. Shen Du's expression remained unreadable, while Zhu Yan hung her head as if pondering something.
At that moment, Zhu Yan began to understand a few things.
From the way Zhang Baohuan looked at Han Shiyuan, she could tell the two must have known each other. This third brother-in-law actually had some connections to the palace.
This surprised Zhu Yan, but it also helped her understand why Shen Du had refused to help earlier.
However, she had already spoken harsh words and even bit his hand. Would apologizing now make her lose face?
Zhu Yan didn't know how to begin, but Shen Du spoke first, his tone cool and detached. "Let's go."
With that, Shen Du turned and left first. Not daring to say more, Zhu Yan hurried after him.
Upon returning to the Shen residence, the first thing Zhu Yan did was go to the medicine room to fetch some wound treatment supplies and bandages.
Though she couldn't bring herself to apologize, making amends was still necessary.
Carrying a tray with both hands, Zhu Yan entered Shen Du's study, casually closing the door with her foot. She placed the medicine and bandages on the table.
"What are you doing?" Shen Du was reading a book and looked up, puzzled by her sudden appearance.
Zhu Yan carefully poured medicine onto a bandage, her voice tinged with guilt. "You got bitten and didn't even treat the wound. Come here quickly, let me bandage it for you."
Hearing this, Shen Du glanced at the bite mark on the back of his hand, the corner of his lips curling upward.
"It's just a minor injury. It's nothing."
"If the wound gets infected, it won't be good," Zhu Yan insisted. "Just come over when I tell you to. Why so many excuses?"
Shen Du still didn't move, his tone cool as ever. "The injury is on me. If I say it's nothing, then it's nothing. You don't need to treat it."
Seeing Shen Du still being stubborn, Zhu Yan set aside her pride. She brought the bandages and medicine to the desk, snatched the book from Shen Du's hands without another word, and carefully began bandaging his wound.
"Winter is almost here. Wounds don't heal easily in the cold, and they can easily become inflamed if not treated quickly," Zhu Yan said.
Looking at the deep teeth marks, her face flushed with heat. Was she crazy? How could she have bitten him so hard?
Seeing Zhu Yan's careful demeanor, Shen Du's lips inexplicably curved upward again. "So, have you realized your mistake now? Come to atone?"
At these words, Zhu Yan's expression turned awkward. "What mistake? It's normal for couples to bicker and play around. This time was just a bit more serious, that's all. And you—when you're injured, you don't even know how to bandage it yourself. You had to make me come."
Zhu Yan's twisted logic came effortlessly, leaving Shen Du somewhat helpless. He allowed her to tend to his wound while his thoughts drifted back to the case from earlier that day."Today's case is extraordinary, identical to the previous Buddha Swallowing Sin. If you think back carefully, you can draw that conclusion. However, there's one point I find puzzling."
Zhu Yan finished bandaging Shen Du's wound, her fine brows tightly knit together. "If I think back carefully, this case is indeed strange, but I'm even more puzzled by my third brother-in-law's reaction."
"Oh?" Shen Du looked at Zhu Yan with confusion. "Did you notice something?"
Zhu Yan tidied the medicines and gauze on the tray as she spoke. "I can't quite put my finger on it, but I noticed Han Shiyuan's attitude toward Zhang Baohuan was quite cold and distant. They clearly know each other, so why pretend to be strangers? Are they deliberately avoiding something?"
"They both came from the palace, so pretending to be strangers makes sense," Shen Du offered his view. "But one thing is indeed strange: since they know each other and Zhang Baohuan saved both of them, why does Han Shiyuan seem completely ungrateful?"
The cabinet archives stated that the two knew each other, but their specific relationship was unknown to Shen Du. What was unknown was what they didn't want you to know.
Reminded by Shen Du, Zhu Yan recalled that Zhang Baohuan had noticed Han Shiyuan the moment he was rescued.
Yet Han Shiyuan's attitude toward Zhang Baohuan was extremely cold. After all, it was a life-saving favor, and they had known each other before.
Even if they had no interaction at all, he should have shown gratitude. There must be some secret between these two.
Thinking this, Zhu Yan couldn't make sense of it either. "This is just the beginning. There's still much we don't know. We'll investigate slowly. Anyway, Zhang Baohuan has already handed the case to you. I wish you success in your investigation."
After saying this, Zhu Yan had already packed everything up. Just as she was about to leave, Shen Du suddenly called out to her, "Where are you going?"
Zhu Yan turned back, full of confusion. "Back to my room, of course. What else would I do?"
"From what you're saying, you don't plan to get involved in this case?"
Shen Du deliberately countered, but Zhu Yan stopped in her tracks. "Didn't you not want me meddling in your affairs? Since this case has been given to you, I trust in your abilities."
"Heh..." Shen Du chuckled with deep meaning. "As the Capital Commander's Historian, now that a case has emerged, do you think it's possible for you to remain aloof?"
Zhu Yan raised an eyebrow. "I never intended to remain aloof. It's you who's been stopping me from investigating."
Shen Du's eyes darkened. "These are two different cases, two separate matters."
Hearing this, Zhu Yan shrugged. "In that case, I'll go rest first. Goodnight, Great Pavilion Commander."
With those words, Zhu Yan walked straight out of the study.
Shen Du was speechless. This woman was going to make him laugh in frustration. Who gave her the audacity to act so recklessly?
At that moment, Shen Du seemed to notice something amiss. Why was this hand unbearably itchy after Zhu Yan applied the medicine?
Shen Du unwrapped the gauze and discovered that many small bumps had appeared around the wound on the back of his hand!
This... was this an allergic reaction?
Shen Du brought the gauze to his nose and sniffed it. Suddenly, a startling thought flashed through his mind—this woman had applied the wrong medicine!
Even so, instead of feeling angry, Shen Du let out a soft chuckle. "This foolish woman..."Since the matter had already occurred, Shen Du naturally had to go find Zhu Yan to demand an explanation.
At this moment, Zhu Yan had just finished washing up and was tidying her hair in front of the bronze mirror when a knock came at the door.
Zhu Yan opened the door and looked somewhat surprised at Shen Du before her.
Shen Du’s face was ashen, giving off an accusatory air—what had she done wrong?
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