Сhарtеr 109: Тhe Connесtion
Jiang Мing, standing neаrbу, quiсklу сhimеd in, "No, asidе from Qi Yeyun visiting today, nо оne еlse hаs соmе to sее hеr."
"Нuh?" Qi Yеyun sеemed to rеаlize sоmething and hurriedlу waved his hаnds. "I don’t know аnуthing. I wаs just сhаtting with hеr сasuallу. I..."
"Whаt did yоu tаlk аbout?" Вefоrе Qi Yeyun соuld finish, Lu Chuiсhui pressed оn eagerlу.
"Nоthing muсh. I just felt sоrry for her аnd сhаtted tо kеер hеr сomраny." Qi Yеyun lоoked flustеred, his bright, wаtеrу eуеs fillеd with griеvance.
Тhis child had always bеen well-behаved, and еverуоne likеd him.
Although suspicions were cast upon him now, his innocent appearance made it hard for anyone to blame him.
"Alright, alright," Zhu Yan mediated. "Madam Tang is not a kind person. Just stay away from her in the future."
Seeing Zhu Yan speak up, Qi Yeyun quickly nodded. "I’ll remember, Master. Please don’t blame me."
"I won’t blame you. It’s normal for a child to be curious."
Though Zhu Yan said this, the look in her eyes told her that Qi Yeyun was hiding something from her.
Returning to the Shen residence, Zhu Yan went straight to the study.
"What is the relationship between Han Shiyuan and the Hongwen Academy?" Zhu Yan got straight to the point, leaving Shen Du bewildered.
He shook his head slightly. "I don’t know."
"How could you not know?" Zhu Yan felt Shen Du was deliberately hiding it from her and persisted. "You hold a high-ranking position and are in a lofty position. How could you not know about the affairs of the Hongwen Academy?"
"Who told you that holding an official position means you must know everything under the sun?" Shen Du retorted.
He even felt that this woman had somehow become foolish.
"I..." Zhu Yan was at a loss for words. She had been too hasty, coming to ask Shen Du before even figuring out the connection.
No wonder Shen Du mocked her like this—she had brought it upon herself.
"Then..." Zhu Yan looked flustered before shifting her gaze to Shen Du’s bandaged hand. "Is your hand feeling better?"
Seeing Zhu Yan’s concern, a hint of something stirred in Shen Du’s heart.
The corners of his lips lifted as he continued in a teasing tone, "It was bitten by a dog, and it’s almost healed now."
"Who are you calling a dog?" Zhu Yan grew annoyed, placing her hands on her hips and glaring fiercely at Shen Du.
He actually called her a dog!
He was the dog! His whole family were dogs!
"Only dogs bite people," Shen Du said slowly, as if addressing Zhu Yan’s earlier mistake. "No matter what, even if you’re in a hurry, you must understand your situation. In front of outsiders, I am always your husband. Would I ever harm you?"
"That’s hard to say," Zhu Yan rolled her eyes and pouted. "Who knows if you might suddenly decide to take my life?"
Hearing this, Shen Du’s expression darkened again. This woman simply didn’t trust him at all!
"Those are old case files from a few years ago. Sort them out properly, and you are not to leave without my orders."
Shen Du’s tone was grim as he issued the command, not seeming to be joking.
"Huh?" Zhu Yan was baffled. What had she said wrong this time? This man had inexplicably gotten angry again.
Glancing back at the large pile of old books and documents on the table, Zhu Yan felt a headache coming on.
With such a massive pile of materials, how long would it take her to sort through them all?"No." Zhu Yan flatly refused. "If you have any issues, take them up with my people. But don't lock me up, and don't try to waste my time with such matters."
"So you've decided to be a proper Madam Shen after all?" Shen Du retorted.
The corner of Zhu Yan's mouth twitched, the muscles on her face trembling. "Can't you come up with anything new besides this?"
A meaningful smile played on Shen Du's lips. "Fine. If you don't comply, I'll petition the Empress to divorce you, then marry your third sister and break up her and Han Shiyuan, that loving couple."
"You!" Zhu Yan stamped her foot in anger, her hand trembling as she pointed at Shen Du. "You're despicable, shameless, you... you're beyond redemption!"
Shen Du stood up and slowly approached Zhu Yan. This woman looked rather adorable when she was angry.
He deliberately took a step forward and sniffed. "Why do I smell such a strong scent of vinegar? Are you jealous?"
"Pah!" Zhu Yan spat coldly, furious. "What do I have to be jealous of? Someone as despicable and shameless as you isn't worthy of my jealousy!"
"So, will you comply or not?"
Shen Du's eyes were full of mockery, but Zhu Yan had no way to resist. This man was becoming more and more shameless!
"Fine." Zhu Yan finally gave in. "I'll watch, I'll watch. I'll sit in your study and keep you company while you work, annoying you to death every day!"
With that, Zhu Yan turned and stormed off, sitting down in a chair to start organizing the documents.
Shen Du wasn't angered by this. Instead, a deep, meaningful smile lingered on his lips as he strolled away.
Seeing that Shen Du hadn't returned for a long time, Zhu Yan thought he might have gone out and considered slipping away quietly.
But as soon as she reached the door, Jing Lin stopped her. "Madam, where are you going?"
Seeing Jing Lin's respectful yet unyielding expression, Zhu Yan clenched her fists. "Jing Lin, we've known each other for quite some time, haven't we?"
Jing Lin frowned. "Not even a hundred days. What does it matter?"
"Ahem..." Zhu Yan felt awkward. "Then... can you tell me why Shen Du is angry?"
"Does Madam truly not know, or are you pretending to be ignorant? What you did behind the Great Pavilion Commander's back—should I really have to spell it out for you?"
"..." These words were so cryptic that Zhu Yan couldn't process them immediately. "Speak plainly. What did I do?"
"Who did Madam visit yesterday?"
Hearing this, Zhu Yan suddenly understood. So Shen Du had found out about her visit to Madam Tang.
Such a small matter, and Jing Lin made it sound as if she had gone out to meet a secret lover.
Zhu Yan was exasperated, but at least she finally understood why Shen Du was angry.
Taking a deep breath, a clever idea came to mind.
At noon, Shen Du finally returned.
Zhu Yan quickly placed the surprise she had prepared on the table and, like a virtuous wife, pulled Shen Du into the room.
"Husband, you're back. Please, sit. I cooked this dish myself. Try it."
Faced with Zhu Yan's sudden change in attitude, Shen Du immediately understood her intentions but pretended not to notice.
He carefully tasted the dish Zhu Yan had cooked. It wasn't bad, and Shen Du felt somewhat satisfied.
"How is it? Does it suit your taste?"
Shen Du nodded, neither warm nor cold. "It's passable, but far worse than what the kitchen makes.""..." Zhu Yan was momentarily speechless. This was the first time she had ever cooked for a man, and yet it was being belittled like this.
"This is my first time. Even if it doesn't taste good, you should at least give some encouragement. How can you be like this?"
Feeling a bit angry, Zhu Yan pouted and turned her body away, ignoring Shen Du.
Seeing this, Shen Du suddenly felt like laughing, but his tone remained cool as he said, "Alright, tell me, what's the matter?"
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