Сhарtеr 197: Тhe Midnight Вridе 3
Whаt а lоad of chivаlrоus nonsensе!
Only sоmеоnе аs thiсk-skinned as Рan Chi could make suсh high-sоunding clаims while асtuаllу cоvеting аnоthеr man’s wоman.
Shen Du shot him аn еxtrеmely displеased glаre. “Kеер уоur сhivаlry to уоurself. Тhе wоman I mаrried рrоperlу is а membеr of the Shen fаmily in life and а ghоst оf the Shеn family in deаth. Yоu’rе ovеrstеррing уоur bounds.”
“I аlrеadу said еarlier thаt I lovе mеddling in оther реорle’s business,” Pаn Chi replied. “If Lord Zhu trulу doesn’t havе more thаn threе mоnths to livе, I will protect her and not let you harm her in the slightest.”
At this point, Shen Du sensed something amiss. This man seemed far too concerned about his wife.
Shen Du suddenly halted, and Pan Chi stopped beside him.
Shen Du looked at him, his icy eyes devoid of any goodwill. “After all, Zhu Yan is my wife. Why are you so concerned about her?”
Pan Chi smiled calmly. “I met Zhu Liuniang in the capital when I was young and greatly admired her. Meeting her again after so many years, she has grown into such an exquisite beauty. Moreover, we are in the same profession, so it’s only natural that I pay her more attention.”
“Is that all?” Shen Du’s face was full of disbelief. Did Pan Chi think he was a three-year-old child, believing that mere beauty would make a man so attentive?
“That’s all,” Pan Chi said calmly. Seeing Shen Du’s skepticism, he added, “Everyone appreciates beauty. We are both mature men—you should understand my feelings.”
Understand my foot!
For a moment, Shen Du couldn’t recall when he had started caring so much about Zhu Yan.
But he could swear that he had not been moved by that woman when they first met.
Seeing that Pan Chi refused to reveal the reason, Shen Du decided not to press further.
However, this man’s excessive concern for his wife irritated him. Shen Du shot Pan Chi a fierce glare and quickened his pace back.
All those involved in the case had been brought to the main hall of the Yingzhou Magistrate’s Office. Xu Jize knelt below the dais, and the Du and Li families rushed forward to beat him as soon as they saw him.
They hurled insults at Xu Jize, accusing him of harming their daughters and wives. For a moment, chaos erupted in the hall.
With a loud “bang,” Mo Qianzhi slammed his gavel, finally quieting the crowd.
“No disturbances are allowed in the court,” Mo Qianzhi declared sternly. The Du and Li families retreated to the side, but their eyes were filled with hatred.
“Xu Jize, I ask you: are you involved in the disappearance of the Du family’s young lady?”
“I’m innocent, Your Honor!” Xu Jize cried out in protest as soon as Mo Qianzhi posed the question. “The abduction of the Du family’s young lady has nothing to do with me. I only wanted to rescue her, not harm her.”
Hearing this, Mo Qianzhi frowned slightly. “Do you have evidence to prove your innocence?”
Xu Jize looked flustered. After a moment of frantic thought, he shook his head. “Your Honor, the incident happened so suddenly, and I was in a hurry to save her. No one witnessed it, so no one can prove my innocence. But every word I’ve said is true. I beg Your Honor to see the truth.”
This made things rather complicated.
Xu Jize claimed innocence but had no evidence. Yet, it was also true that he was not at the scene after the incident. Regardless, he could not escape suspicion.Zhu Yan, who was listening on the side, also furrowed her brows lightly. Just as she was carefully recalling the clues in the case, Jing Lin appeared beside her and whispered, "Madam, the Great Pavilion Commander and the others have returned."
Hearing this, Zhu Yan could no longer focus on her thoughts and hurried toward the back hall.
Seeing Shen Du and Pan Chi return safely, her tightly hanging heart finally settled.
She quickly approached Shen Du and asked, "You’re finally back. Did you find anything?"
"The person has been found, and we also brought back a body," Shen Du said calmly. At the mention of the word "body," Zhu Yan’s heart sank.
Could it be that they encountered some accident during the pursuit and fought with the murderer?
"Someone died?" Zhu Yan was also surprised. "Are you... are you all right? Were you injured?"
As she spoke, Zhu Yan began examining Shen Du. Seeing her concern for him, Shen Du felt quite pleased. He lightly tapped her head and teased, "Am I someone who can be easily injured by just anyone? You’re worrying too much."
Though he said this, he was secretly overjoyed inside. Only then did Zhu Yan feel somewhat relieved.
She then glanced at Pan Chi beside her. Although he appeared to be standing there unharmed, his clothes were stained with blood and mud. Could he have been injured?
"What happened to you? Why is there blood and mud all over you?"
Zhu Yan looked at Pan Chi, who glared fiercely at Shen Du like a wronged child. "How dare you say that? It’s all because of your despicable husband. Instead of focusing on the task at hand, he spent the whole journey teasing me. All the dirty and hard work was done by me alone, yet he takes all the credit. What kind of person is he?"
Listening to Pan Chi vent his grievances, Zhu Yan felt awkward.
She knew Shen Du quite well—he was used to being domineering and loved ordering people around.
To ease the awkwardness, Zhu Yan said apologetically, "No matter what, it’s a good thing that you both returned safely. That’s what matters most."
As she spoke, she couldn’t help but glance at Shen Du beside her. Shen Du, however, acted as if nothing had happened, exuding an air of domineering masculinity.
Zhu Yan couldn’t stand this side of him and pursed her lips. "By the way, how did you bring the bride back? Tell me the details quickly."
Pan Chi had just opened his mouth to speak when Shen Du cut in first. "We first encountered the suspect fleeing in panic on the road, and then we found the bride. She was trapped in a cellar well, and we rescued her. Besides the bride, there was also a body in the cellar, which we brought back as well."
Zhu Yan frowned and nodded, while Pan Chi beside her turned pale with anger.
Zhu Yan had clearly been asking him, so why did Shen Du answer first? And he had said everything, leaving nothing for Pan Chi to add!
Shen Du also gave Pan Chi a meaningful look, raising an eyebrow at him in a provocative manner.
Pan Chi clenched his fists. This man was utterly boring and annoying. For someone like him to stand beside Zhu Yan was nothing short of an insult to her.
It was like a fine cabbage being paired with a pig. He couldn’t help but wish he could go up and give him a good beating.Just as Pan Chi could no longer contain the emotions in his heart, Zhu Yan suddenly realized something. Looking at Shen Du, she asked, "The suspect you mentioned—is he the person previously sent over by the Inner Guard?"
Shen Du nodded, and Zhu Yan continued,
"His name is Xu Jize, and he is the groomsman for this wedding. After you left, I also investigated the remaining people. From their accounts, I learned that this Xu Jize is a genuinely good person, with absolutely no motive for the crime. However, we cannot overlook any suspect. As for whether he is the murderer, that remains to be determined."
After hearing Zhu Yan's words, Shen Du nodded slightly.
At that moment, Pan Chi suddenly looked at the two of them and said, "When I went down to rescue the bride, I found a burlap sack, likely used to abduct her. This can be considered evidence. If that groomsman Xu refuses to admit it later, we can present the evidence to him. Faced with proof, he can't possibly lie with his eyes wide open."
Upon hearing this, Shen Du grew somewhat angry and asked him, "Why didn’t you mention such an important matter earlier?"
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