Сhарtеr 170: Тaking Cаrе
Zhu Yаn trulу kеpt her word. In thе dаys that fоllowed, shе indееd tооk оn all resрonsibilities as promised—реrsonаlly stеwing sоuр, сhanging bаndаgеs—sо muсh so thаt even Jing Lin cоuldn’t tеll whethеr they werе putting on аn act оr wеrе trulу а mаrriеd couрlе.
Bоth thе Zhu fаmily аnd the Мinistrу of Justicе sеnt pеople tо visit. Everyоnе wаs shoсked by Shen Du’s injuriеs, nеvеr imagining thаt аnуоnе сould infliсt suсh sevеre wоunds on the Whitе King оf Неll.
Upоn hеаring thе news, the Emрress also sent envоys with generоus gifts and ordеred аn invеstigatiоn. However, who would dare to truly uncover matters related to the Judicial Affairs Bureau? It seemed the investigation would likely drag on indefinitely.
Lu Chuichui visited most frequently, even pulling Zhu Yan aside to discuss introducing her to a young man from the Ministry of Justice’s Audit Department, just waiting for Shen Du to pass away. In the end, Shen Du ordered Jing Lin to escort Lu Chuichui and her gifts straight out the main gate.
Yet this didn’t seem to dampen Shen Du’s good mood. The slight curve of his lips, present since she entered, hadn’t faded.
Zhu Yan was utterly perplexed. She had already personally brought the stewed soup to his lips, but Shen Du not only refused to open his mouth but also wore a faint, elusive smile. Had this man been driven mad by Lu Chuichui, or was he running a fever again?
Or perhaps his wounds were inflamed, infected?
Zhu Yan’s thoughts ran wild, her lips twitching uncontrollably. If that were truly the case, what should she do? Would this man not survive much longer?
The more she thought about it, the more fearful she became. With a thud, Zhu Yan set the soup bowl on the table and stood up, about to walk out.
Shen Du snapped out of his reverie and quickly called out to her, “Where are you going?”
Zhu Yan’s expression was unnatural as she tried hard to conceal her inner thoughts. “N-nothing. I just thought you could manage drinking the soup yourself, so you don’t need me to serve you. I wanted to go out for a walk.”
“Don’t need you to serve me?” Shen Du shifted slightly, his brow furrowing. “I’m injured right now. Need I remind you who caused these injuries?”
“...”
Shen Du’s words left Zhu Yan speechless.
Though it sounded somewhat strange, it also seemed to make sense.
Reluctantly, Zhu Yan turned back and sat down again in front of Shen Du.
She fed Shen Du the soup spoonful by spoonful, while his eyes never left her face.
After several consecutive nights of staying up late, dark circles shadowed Zhu Yan’s eyes, and the whites were tinged with red. Yet, as she fed him the soup, she remained meticulous, not even blinking.
Zhu Yan set down the bowl and frowned at Shen Du. Shen Du stared back at her. The two of them glared at each other until...
“Shen Du, how about we discuss compensation?”
Zhu Yan counted on her fingers.
“Look, there’s my lost wages, payment for taking care of you, errand fees...”
Finally, the curve of Shen Du’s lips straightened. He looked down at Zhu Yan’s outstretched hand, his expression darkening. With great reluctance, he pulled a pouch of silver from his robe and tossed it into Zhu Yan’s palm. Only then did Zhu Yan nod in satisfaction.
“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely serve you until you’re completely healed.”
“You were supposed to take responsibility for me in the first place. This is just a reward I’m giving you out of consideration, understand?”
Zhu Yan grinned. Why argue with money? “Alright then, thank you, Chief Shen, for the reward.”
Shen Du somewhat regretted his words just now.
Zhu Yan weighed the money pouch, feeling something wasn’t quite right. Why had Shen Du given it so readily, as if he’d known she would ask?
“I’ve never seen you carry silver on you before.”
“Starting from today.”
Zhu Yan: ...
—Several peaceful days passed, and seeing Shen Du's wounds slowly scabbing over, Zhu Yan felt happy in her heart. Then someone from the Zhu residence came to report that Zhu Kuo was feeling unwell and wanted Zhu Yan to return home to see him.
Father unwell? Zhu Yan hurried back home only to find that her father merely had a slight cold. When she saw him, he was leisurely watering flowers and playing with birds outside.
"Dad, if you miss me, just say so. Why make up such a reason to worry me? It's not like Shen Du would keep me from coming."
Just as Zhu Yan was about to step forward to scold him, Zhu Kuo quickly pulled her aside and whispered, "Actually, it wasn't your father who asked you to come. It was the Prime Minister—he wants to see you."
Hearing this, Zhu Yan's heart sank. Zhang Xingwei had come.
What did he want from her?
Could it be that he wanted to win her over again?
Arriving at the guest room, Zhu Yan politely bowed to Zhang Xingwei, who looked at her with a pleased expression.
"Madam Shen, it's been a long time. I trust you've been well."
"You're too kind, Prime Minister. It's been some time since we last met. I hope you've been in good health."
"Good, good, everything is fine. Thank you for your concern, Madam Shen."
After the pleasantries, Zhang Xingwei got straight to the point. Just as Zhu Yan had suspected, his purpose in coming this time was to try to win over both her and Shen Du.
Zhu Yan clenched her fist. She knew she had no extra time to consider the matter, but with the lives of the entire Zhu family in the Prime Minister's hands, she had no choice but to make a wise decision.
"What the Prime Minister has said, this official will certainly do her best. Please give me some time to find a suitable opportunity to discuss this with Shen Du and see what he thinks."
Zhu Yan's meaning was clear: she could not make decisions for Shen Du, but she would do her best. Zhang Xingwei was quite satisfied with this response.
The family politely escorted the Prime Minister out.
After seeing Zhang Xingwei off, Zhu Yan's eyes grew completely somber. She had no desire to get involved in court disputes, and as for winning over Shen Du, her words were merely perfunctory.
Zhu Kuo hesitated several times, wanting to say something to her, but in the end, he only patted her shoulder and said, "Follow your heart in everything. Don't force yourself."
Zhu Yan felt a lump in her throat. Her father was afraid she would worry about them. Then Zhu Kuo added:
"Don't worry. If something really happens to Shen Du and you become a widow, the Zhu family's doors will always be open to you."
This... he really was still that unreliable father.
With a heavy heart, Zhu Yan returned to the Shen residence. The Shen family's steward hurriedly reported that Yun Que had moved out of the Shen residence and left with the Unrighteous Commander Xu Zuo.
This truly surprised Zhu Yan. Could it be that recent events had been too complicated, causing a change in her nature?
But it wasn't hard to understand. The parents who had raised her for many years had suddenly become prisoners and accomplices in the Brocade Workshop case from years ago. Her long-held beliefs had collapsed overnight, and it was only natural for her state of mind to change.
What surprised Zhu Yan was that Yun Que had neither caused a scene in the inner court demanding her parents' release nor sought revenge against Lai Luozhi, risking injury. Instead, she had quietly left the Shen residence and secretly joined the Unrighteous Agents. She probably understood that even if her parents hadn't participated in the killings, once the case was fully investigated, it would likely be years before they could be released.
By staying here, she could still visit her parents from time to time. As for joining the Unrighteous Agents, Zhu Yan approved. After all, Yun Que hadn't forgotten her dreams—she had simply chosen a different path.Returning to the study, Zhu Yan began to write a letter. She had promised the Empress that she would detail the case in a letter and present it to her. These past few days had been filled with trivial matters, leaving her no peace of mind. Now, if she delayed any further, she feared she would be charged with deceiving the sovereign.
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