Chaрtеr 114: Тhе Susрicious Zhang Ваohuan
Whеn the Zhu familу sаw Zhu Yаn аrriving, thеir аttitude had аlready improved signifiсаntly сomраrеd tо befоrе.
Аftеr аll, times wеre different nоw. Whеn evеryone in thе Zhu family wаs at a lоss, thеу still hаd tо rеlу on Zhu Yan tо dеvise strаtеgiеs.
From а distanсе, Zhu Yan saw hеr third sistеr sitting alоne under the рavilion in the соurtуard, lоoking melanсhоlу.
Thе skу wаs grоwing dаrk, аnd a соol brеezе had begun tо stir. Why wоuld hеr third sistеr be sitting hеrе аlоne?
Zhu Yan aрproached, tоok a clоak, and drаpеd it оver hеr third sister’s shoulders. "It’s almost dark. Why are you still sitting here?"
Zhu Caiwei seemed lost in thought and hadn’t noticed Zhu Yan’s arrival. It wasn’t until the cloak settled on her shoulders that she snapped back to reality.
"It’s you. It’s quite late—why have you come at this hour?"
Zhu Caiwei inquired, but Zhu Yan didn’t offer much explanation, simply saying that she had been delayed by some matters at the Ministry of Justice.
Zhu Caiwei nodded in understanding, then sighed with a troubled expression.
"What’s wrong, Third Sister? Have you encountered something troubling?"
Seeing Zhu Caiwei sigh, Zhu Yan’s heart filled with concern.
"Someone from the palace came today. For some reason, I’ve been feeling uneasy."
"What?" Zhu Yan was quite surprised and asked further, "Who sent them?"
Zhu Caiwei shook her head. "Perhaps he came on his own. It wasn’t anyone else—it was Zhang Baohuan, Lord Zhang from the palace."
Hearing this, Zhu Yan was momentarily stunned. Zhang Baohuan had come to see her third sister—could it also be about Han Shiyuan’s matter?
"What happened then? What did he say?"
At this question, Zhu Caiwei’s expression grew even more somber. Shaking her head, she said, "He didn’t say much, or rather, he didn’t even have the chance to speak. I had just invited him to sit down when Shiyuan walked in. With just a few words, he sent Lord Zhang away. And Lord Zhang didn’t get angry at all. It’s because of all this that I’ve been feeling down—I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something strange between the two of them."
Hearing Zhu Caiwei say this, Zhu Yan’s mind grew even more chaotic.
Even her third sister had sensed something odd between Zhang Baohuan and Han Shiyuan. Could their relationship really be as unsavory as she had imagined?
Thinking of this, Zhu Yan shuddered involuntarily.
If that were truly the case, it would be rather difficult for her to accept.
Without lingering too long at the Zhu residence, Zhu Yan returned to the Shen residence.
While having dinner with Shen Du, Zhu Yan was completely absent-minded. Shen Du noticed this and glanced at her, casually asking, "What’s wrong? You seem down today. Did you uncover some new clues?"
Zhu Yan shook her head, as if she hadn’t heard Shen Du’s words, and muttered to herself with a frown, "How is this possible? Why would two grown men like each other? Isn’t that just too strange?"
"..." Listening to Zhu Yan’s words, Shen Du was utterly confused and also felt that something was off.
"What did you say?"
Only after another questioning did Zhu Yan fully snap back to reality. She quickly looked at Shen Du and said, "Today, Zhang Baohuan came to see me and asked about my third brother-in-law’s situation. Then I went to the Zhu residence, but from my third sister, I learned that Zhang Baohuan had also gone to the Zhu residence—and he went specifically to see my third sister. Yet the two of them didn’t get to say much before my third brother-in-law interrupted. Even so, Zhang Baohuan didn’t seem angry at all. Don’t you think that’s strange?"Shen Du's expression grew even more puzzled. "What's so strange about that? The two of them already knew each other. To cover up their secret, isn't it normal to drive away the other person?"
"What I find strange is why Zhang Baohuan wasn't angry about it. Even my third sister noticed it. Don't you think there's something special between him and Han Shiyuan..."
Zhu Yan didn't know what words to use to describe what she wanted to say next. Her expression was very animated, and she gestured with both hands, still unable to find the right way to express herself.
Watching Zhu Yan's gestures, Shen Du had already realized something. He lightly tapped Zhu Yan's head with a chopstick from the table and said in a displeased tone, "A woman, instead of learning the principles of supporting her husband and raising children, spends all day thinking about these frivolous and fanciful things. I really don't know what's going on in your head. How will you investigate cases in the future?"
"How is this frivolous? I'm just analyzing the case as usual. If two people have a special relationship, I naturally have to verify it. I didn't expect you to be so ungrateful. I share my doubts with you, and you mock me like this. What are you trying to do?" Zhu Yan retorted indignantly.
Shen Du was completely baffled. In the end, it seemed as if he were the one at fault, and for a moment, he didn't know how to refute Zhu Yan.
"No matter how special their relationship is, it's not as dirty and despicable as you imagine. A woman, thinking about such strange things all day, aren't you ashamed?"
"..." Zhu Yan was speechless. Then she chuckled lightly and said, "This is their business. What does it have to do with me? I'm just speculating. Besides, this case is already mysterious and suspicious. I'm thinking about the case, thinking about you. My good intentions are treated like donkey liver and lungs, wasting all my enthusiasm."
As she spoke, Zhu Yan seemed to get angry. She slapped her chopsticks on the table, pouted, and ignored Shen Du.
Shen Du was even more speechless. This woman's temper flared up so suddenly. He was only trying to correct her thinking, and now she was the one getting angry.
Shen Du opened his mouth, hesitated, as if unsure how to respond to Zhu Yan. In the end, he simply threw his chopsticks on the table, stood up, and left.
Zhu Yan made a disdainful expression at Shen Du's retreating back. After Shen Du left, she picked up her chopsticks again and started eating.
A person needs food like iron needs steel. Even if they were unhappy, she still had to fill her stomach.
This scene was witnessed entirely by Jing Lin, who was standing guard at the door, filled with helplessness and curiosity.
In the past, the Great Pavilion Commander would have roared in anger and twisted this woman's head off.
But now... it always felt as if there was something special between the two of them, like an ordinary married couple having a quarrel.
One ignored the other, and the other was self-sufficient, neither disturbing the other.
That day, just after Zhu Yan had finished washing up, she heard the servants say that her fourth sister and third sister had come to visit. Zhu Yan was overjoyed.
It was rare for her two sisters to visit her. She didn't know what wind had blown today to make them think of coming to the Shen residence. It was truly unusual.
Zhu Yan invited the two of them to the back garden, where the scenery was pleasant, quiet, and undisturbed—a perfect place for chatting.
Zhu Caiwei looked at the luxurious Shen residence with admiration.
But when she thought of Shen Du's character and how Zhu Yan was suffering here in her place, she felt another wave of guilt in her heart."Little Six, although the Shen residence has good conditions, Shen Du is truly not an easy person to get along with. For you to take Third Sister's place and marry him, it really must have been hard on you."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yan quickly explained, "Didn't I already say? Shen Du isn't the kind of person you imagine him to be. He treats me very well, so Third Sister shouldn't feel guilty."
"But there are rumors outside that you two are not on good terms as a couple. Moreover, Shen Du is known as the White King of Hell—he's said to be cruel, temperamental, and unpredictable. How can you be happy living with him day in and day out?" Fourth Sister Zhu Manshu chimed in, looking at Zhu Yan with sympathy.
Zhu Yan felt truly helpless. Lowering her head, she smiled and said, "Those are just rumors from outside. I know the truth of how things really are. If I truly didn't get along with him, he wouldn't have let me live until now, right?"
"People say you're exceptionally clever. Perhaps Shen Du keeps you around because he finds you somewhat useful and thinks you can help him."
Zhu Manshu spoke bluntly, not caring about how Zhu Yan might feel, and blurted out exactly what was on her mind. This left Zhu Yan somewhat embarrassed, and even Zhu Caiwei beside her tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to speak less.
"Fourth Sister has always spoken like this; don't take it to heart." Noticing the change in Zhu Yan's expression, Zhu Caiwei quickly smoothed things over. "But thinking about it carefully, Fourth Sister's words may be rough, but there's truth in them. After all, Shen Du has a bad reputation outside. You should be extra careful."
"I know," Zhu Yan replied. "Sisters, there's no need to worry about me. We've been married for many days now. If he were truly dissatisfied with me, he would have vented his anger long ago. Even if he finds me somewhat useful, at least I can keep my life."
Hearing Zhu Yan say this, both sisters expressed sympathy and said no more.
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