Сhарter 122: New Disсоvеrу 1
Sеeing this scenе, Zhu Yаn felt a surgе of angеr rising within hеr. Rеmеmbеring thе importаnce of the current саse, shе cоuld оnlу swаllow hеr rеsеntmеnt.
Lоst in thought, Zhu Yаn leaned аgаinst the dоorframe аnd lookеd upward. With just thаt оnе glаnсе, shе noticеd sоmething unusuаl.
"Jing Lin," Zhu Yаn сallеd out lоudlу, and Jing Lin immediаtеly bеcame аlert, turning his gaze tоwаrd hеr.
Zhu Yan рointed at thе rооf beаm. "Gо, sее if thеrе's anуthing оn the bеam."
Вeforе Jing Lin cоuld mоvе, Shen Du hаd аlrеаdy turned and lеaped onto thе beam.
This sсene mаde Yun Quе сlaр her hands in admiration, as if she wanted to pour out her heart in worship of the man before her.
Everyone felt Yun Que's reaction was a bit excessive. Qi Yeyun curled his lips and muttered, "Has she never seen a man before? Is it really necessary?"
His words reached Yun Que's ears, but she paid no attention, merely rolling her eyes at Qi Yeyun, completely lost in her own emotions.
Zhu Yan could only shake her head helplessly before turning her gaze to Shen Du on the beam.
"Take two steps forward. There's a hidden compartment on the left side of the beam. See if there's any clue inside."
Following Zhu Yan's instructions, Shen Du took two steps forward, crouched down, and touched the beam with his hand.
Sure enough, there was a hidden compartment, and inside were some fragments that looked like shredded paper.
They resembled letters or correspondence, but they had been torn apart. Why would something torn and discarded still be kept in a hidden compartment on the beam?
Shen Du descended from the beam, and Zhu Yan hurried to his side—after all, she was the one who had discovered it.
"What is this?" Yun Que quickly stood on the other side of Shen Du, positioning herself even closer to him than Zhu Yan.
Shen Du moved his steps with obvious displeasure, shifting closer to Zhu Yan.
Zhu Yan also rolled her eyes at Yun Que before focusing on what Shen Du held in his hand.
The paper fragments seemed to have been torn a long time ago, with many of the characters already illegible. Piecing them together would be nearly impossible. However, one piece, though also blurry, could barely be made out: Brocade Workshop!
These three simple words provided a valuable clue for the group.
Zhu Yan snatched the fragment with "Brocade Workshop" written on it and turned to walk out the door.
"What are you doing? The Great Pavilion Commander found this!" Yun Que shouted from behind.
Zhu Yan paid no attention, and Shen Du made no move to follow her. He merely shot Yun Que an annoyed glance before leading the others away.
Arriving at a teahouse, Zhu Yan waited for a long time before finally seeing Xu Xiangren.
"Second Brother Xu."
From a distance, Zhu Yan greeted Xu Xiangren, who noticed her and walked over, taking a seat opposite her.
"You called me here in such a hurry. Has something happened?" Xu Xiangren asked with concern.
"I found some clues, but I'm not entirely sure. I wanted to ask you to help me verify them."
As she spoke, Zhu Yan placed the paper fragments in front of Xu Xiangren.
Xu Xiangren picked up the fragments, his deep gaze seeming to recall something. "Alright, I'll go back and investigate. I'll let you know as soon as I have any news."
"Mm," Zhu Yan nodded, then looked at Xu Xiangren seriously. "Second Brother Xu, if this case is truly related to Chen Huo'e's case from back then, what do you plan to do?"
Xu Xiangren hesitated for a moment. "If that's the case, then I'll just make her die again."As she spoke, her eyes grew increasingly somber. "Whether it's a person or a ghost, we must give the people an explanation. Even if she has returned from the dead, I'll make sure she dies again."
Zhu Yan lowered her head. "Then be careful. I'm worried—"
"No need to worry." Before Zhu Yan could finish, Xu Xiangren cut her off. "What others can investigate, we Unrighteous Agents can investigate too. What others cannot, we still can. Go back and wait for my news. As soon as I have any, I'll inform you immediately."
Zhu Yan nodded. Without even drinking his tea, Xu Xiangren stood up and left.
Thinking Xu Xiangren would soon have leads, Zhu Yan decided to wait a while longer at the teahouse.
But after waiting for a long time with no sign of anyone, she finally got up and returned.
Before even stepping into the Shen residence, she could already hear Yun Que's excited cheers coming from inside.
"The Great Pavilion Commander is truly brilliant! You didn't see it—his martial arts were simply unfathomable. With a single spin, he flew up to the roof beam. Everyone present clapped and cheered. Isn't that amazing?"
Entering the Shen residence, she saw a crowd of servants gathered around Yun Que, listening intently as she recounted the day's events.
It was as if they were hearing some bizarre legend, and they were all engrossed.
Zhu Yan couldn't bear to watch any longer and turned to leave. On the way, she encountered the Shen residence's steward.
"Steward," Zhu Yan called out to him, giving him a meaningful look. "Our Shen residence does not keep useless people. If this continues, sooner or later, they'll be driven out by the Great Pavilion Commander."
The steward also glanced in the direction of the crowd and quickly nodded in acknowledgment. "Yes, yes, the Hall Leader's Wife is absolutely right. I'll go deal with this right away."
Satisfied with his response, Zhu Yan turned and left.
After she had walked away, the steward looked back at Zhu Yan's retreating figure. The Hall Leader's Wife had never carried herself with such authority in the residence before. What had happened today? She had actually taken on the air of the Hall Leader's Wife and ordered him to act, and she did so with such poise and grace, appearing truly dignified. This was the true Hall Leader's Wife of the Shen family.
The old steward dispersed the gathered servants, leaving Yun Que feeling neglected once again.
With a displeased expression, she glared at the old steward and complained, "What's wrong with letting everyone rest for a bit? We've been busy all day. Can't they talk with me for a while?"
"Oh dear," the old steward said apologetically. "Miss Yun Que, you exaggerate. If you ask the servants to talk with you, how could they dare refuse? But we all receive wages from the Shen residence and work for the Great Pavilion Commander. Gathering everyone together like this without working isn't right—it's simply unreasonable, don't you think, Miss Yun Que?"
Yun Que was thoroughly silenced by the old steward's words. She wanted to argue but had no grounds to do so.
She could only resign herself to her misfortune. Under another's roof, one must lower their head.
After learning of the old steward's handling of the matter, Zhu Yan felt as if a weight had been lifted from her chest, but she also found it somewhat surprising.
What was wrong with her? Why did she find this woman so unbearable no matter how she looked at her?
Lost in thought, Zhu Yan walked to Shen Du's study. It was already dusk, but Shen Du was not in his study. She had no idea where he had gone.
Yun Que had already returned, so Shen Du should have come back as well. Why was he nowhere to be seen? Zhu Yan was puzzled.
Feeling that her attitude earlier had been somewhat poor, she decided to take the initiative to find him and apologize along the way.
Just as Zhu Yan was about to leave, the Unrighteous Agent Jiang Langxing arrived at the Shen residence. "Hall Leader's Wife."Jiang Langxing called out, and Zhu Yan quickly turned to look at him. "What brings you here? Lord Lu isn't around."
Hearing Zhu Yan's teasing, Jiang Langxing flushed slightly. "I came to see the Hall Leader's Wife, not Lord Lu. Why do you always bring him up?"
Seeing the faint blush on Jiang Langxing's cheeks, Zhu Yan chuckled softly. "What do you need from me?"
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