Сhаpter 274: Тhе Firе Моth Party 6
Тhis wоman... If yоu callеd hеr fооlish, shе hаd a reрutation for beauty; if уоu cаlled hеr сlеvеr, she sееmеd аs stuрid as а pig.
Seeing his ехprеssion grow incrеasingly unрleasаnt, Zhu Yаn соuldn’t hеlр but shrink hеr neck: “Did I sау somеthing wrоng?”
Shеn Du glanсed аt hеr: “Is that how уоu seе me?”
What did she mеan by “alwауs stаring at hеr head”? Was hе sоmе kind of murdеrоus mаniас?
Whеn it was timе tо baсk down, shе had to bаck dоwn—it wаsn’t shаmeful. Zhu Yаn immеdiаtеly shook hеr head: “No, don’t slandеr me. I didn’t say аnything bad аbout уоu.”
Just momеnts ago, she had seemed terrified of him, but now she was acting clever again. Shen Du couldn’t help but laugh at her dog-like demeanor.
Seeing him laugh, Zhu Yan grinned as well, and in that moment, all her cleverness vanished.
Shen Du sighed and muttered quietly: “If we were to divorce, what reason could I use to keep you?”
Ever since Zhu Yan married into the Shen household, the residence had become much livelier. It was easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go from luxury back to frugality. Having grown accustomed to Zhu Yan’s presence, returning to loneliness would surely be difficult.
Perhaps his discomfort with her absence had begun long ago.
“What?” Zhu Yan hadn’t heard clearly.
Shen Du returned to his usual expressionless state and replied flatly: “Nothing.”
Pan Chi limped in and sneered: “Stone-faced and so sentimental.”
A grown man, yet so hesitant and indecisive when it came to love—utterly lacking in decisiveness.
Shen Du shot him a glare: “What would a carefree wanderer like you understand?” He was purely speaking without feeling the pain.
“What’s wrong with being carefree? It’s just the treacherous court politics and the grim situation.” Pan Chi was indignant: “Then again, someone who can’t even protect themselves can hardly protect others, can they?”
Pan Chi’s words were not untrue. The entire Shen family had been executed, leaving only Shen Du as the sole survivor. Although there were collateral branches, they had drifted so far apart over generations that they were practically unrelated.
It was precisely because Shen Du stood alone and unsupported that, after being consigned to the inner court, he caught the Empress’s attention and became a sharp blade in her hands.
Pan Chi was different. He had his family behind him, and two trees together formed a forest, far more reliable than a single tree.
Even after the bloody storms of court upheavals, the Pan family could protect themselves unscathed. Therefore, protecting Zhu Yan would be effortless for him.
Shen Du’s face darkened, but he had to admit that Pan Chi was right. It was precisely because he knew he couldn’t protect Zhu Yan that he remained ambiguous about their relationship.
Seeing the two of them arguing again, Zhu Yan looked exasperated and glared at Pan Chi: “Your injuries haven’t healed yet. Why are you running around again?”
These two were like fire and water—they always ended up quarreling whenever they met.
Pan Chi smiled warmly: “Naturally, I came to help you.”
“Your face is as pale as these corpse shrouds. Don’t cause more trouble—go back to your room and rest! Once your injuries have fully healed, you can come help me.”
Zhu Yan tried to shoo him away. She couldn’t let him stay any longer. Both of them were already injured, and if they started fighting again over some disagreement, wouldn’t that just add injury to injury?
“I won’t…”
Pan Chi refused, but Zhu Yan insisted. As they tangled again, Shen Du took Zhu Yan’s hand and separated the two, pushing Pan Chi out with one arm.
“Hey, Shen Du, you can’t bully the injured. Hey…”
Shen Du raised an eyebrow: “Or should I beat you until you’re injured?”
Pan Chi: …"Great Pavilion Commander, something terrible has happened in the prison!"
The voice arrived before the person did, followed by a panting yamen runner who was stopped by Jing Lin. After delivering his message, the runner bent over, gasping for breath.
Shen Du's brow furrowed tightly. "What happened?"
The runner steadied his breathing before replying, "Wang Buzui and Lord Mo are fighting in the cell. It's almost turning deadly."
Upon hearing this, Shen Du immediately strode out of the Autopsy Room and headed toward the dungeon, with the yamen runner close behind.
No wonder Shen Du was anxious. Wang Buzui and Mo Qianzhi had yet to confess anything. If anything happened to either of them now, it would be a significant loss.
Once Shen Du left, Zhu Yan naturally followed. Pan Chi stood in place, watching her retreating figure, momentarily lost in thought.
After a moment's hesitation, he gritted his teeth and followed as well. Due to his injuries, he walked extremely slowly.
By the time they reached the dungeon, Wang Buzui and Mo Qianzhi were still brawling. Having received twenty lashes in court, Wang Buzui was no match for Mo Qianzhi—it was more like a beating than a fight.
Shen Du glanced over and snapped, "What are you standing around for? Open the cell door and pull them apart."
There might be bigger fish behind Wang Buzui. If he were beaten to death, how could he serve as bait?
Only after Shen Du gave the order did the nearby yamen runners open the cell door. Several of them worked together to drag Mo Qianzhi away.
Wang Buzui looked half-dead, lying on the ground with only the breath to exhale and none to inhale.
As he was pulled away, Mo Qianzhi snorted heavily. "Grand Commander Shen arrived just in time."
Ignoring his sarcasm, Shen Du demanded, "Mo Qianzhi, as an official of the court who has committed numerous crimes, do you truly feel no remorse at all?"
Mo Qianzhi shook off the yamen runners' grip, straightened his clothes, and assumed a haughty posture.
"Remorse? For a world that belongs to men, I embrace it willingly."
"So, for the sake of your so-called world, you would sacrifice the lives of the people?" Shen Du's eyes darkened. "When you first became my father's disciple, you were not this kind of person."
Back then, Mo Qianzhi was far from someone who would disregard others' lives for his own gain—he wouldn't even step on an ant.
At the mention of Shen Shijie, Mo Qianzhi suddenly erupted in anger, pointing at Shen Du. "You are not worthy of mentioning him."
Shen Shijie was a hero who sacrificed himself for righteousness, unlike Shen Du, who willingly became that woman's lapdog to save his own life.
Before Shen Du could react, Zhu Yan rushed forward, slapped Mo Qianzhi's hand away, and stood protectively in front of Shen Du, her eyes wide with anger. "Nonsense! You are the one unworthy of mentioning Lord Shen."
She then turned to look at Shen Du and comforted him, "Shen Du, don't listen to his nonsense. I believe Lord Shen would be proud of you if he knew."
Shen Du felt somewhat comforted and couldn't help but reach out to pat Zhu Yan's head, replying gently, "It's alright."
Mo Qianzhi steadied himself and cursed, "A femme fatale! Women are nothing but trouble, bewitching men until they lose all sense of right and wrong. Shen Du, you are no exception, and neither is Wang Buzui."
"How laughable! For your own selfish desires, you dare to expect me to trade my life for yours? Dream on."
Hearing Mo Qianzhi's audacious words, Wang Buzui struggled to his feet from the ground and slapped Mo Qianzhi hard across the face."You're talking nonsense. Little sister is no calamity, she's the kindest woman in the world. Why do good people get no reward, while the wicked live for a thousand years? I can't accept it! Little sister coming back to life is more important than anything, so I must absorb more Qi fortune to revive her."
"Qi fortune?"
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