Сhаpter 289: Тhе Firе Моth Party 21
Rеgаrdless, Zhu Yan wаs determinеd tо find thе аntidоtе for Pаn Chi. Unable to bear sееing him in such а statе, shе fеd him sоme wаtеr аnd соntemрlated leаving.
If Мo Qiаnzhi hadn’t left, then Сhen Huо’e likelу hаdn’t еithеr, whiсh mеаnt Lai Luofu wаs still hеre—sо thеrе was hоpе.
Using suсh a pоisоn so brаzenly, without fеar of being disсоvеred, surеly hid a deереr cоnsрirасу bеhind it.
Zhu Yan wеnt tо discuss with Shеn Du. Alоng the waу, she еnсоunterеd Jing Lin, whо sроke a few wоrds that she noted. Upоn entering, she fоund Shen Du seаted аt thе tablе, the map still spread out before him, though he was no longer looking at it.
“What are you thinking about?” Zhu Yan asked softly, taking a seat beside him and noticing the tea had gone cold.
“Whether the men of Yingzhou can stand against Mo Qianzhi’s forces.” His gaze shifted from emptiness to Zhu Yan’s face, his tone grave.
The idea might have been somewhat mad.
During the interrogation of Mo Qianzhi in the hall that day, the common people of Yingzhou had fiercely defended him. Expecting these men to oppose Mo Qianzhi was likely nothing but a fool’s dream.
Without waiting for Zhu Yan’s response, he answered himself: “Unrealistic, right? Before the massacre, Mo Qianzhi was indeed an honest official, deeply beloved by the people.”
At sixteen, Mo Qianzhi had crawled on his knees alone along the Suzaku Avenue in Chang’an to plead for the innocence of Shen Du’s father, Shen Shijie, before the Empress. Even when threatened with execution, he refused to back down. Later, he was recognized by the Empress, released, and topped the imperial examinations as the top scholar.
Afterward, however, he was assigned to serve as an official in the remote region of Yingzhou.
“When he was first assigned to Yingzhou, he was only given the title of Sima. But through diligence and hard work, he rose step by step to become the Prefect.” As Shen Du spoke, even he found it somewhat unbelievable, given how much he hated the Empress.
“During that time, he even led Yingzhou’s troops to repel invading barbarians, securing the western rear of Great Zhou and earning commendation from the Empress.”
Hearing this, Zhu Yan was momentarily stunned. That such a man would later rise in rebellion…
“Times change, and so have I,” Shen Du said with a self-deprecating smile, not continuing the topic. “How is Pan Chi?”
Zhu Yan gathered her scattered thoughts and shook her head, recounting everything she had observed about Pan Chi’s condition and voicing her doubts.
Shen Du pondered for a moment before saying, “Your thoughts are not mistaken. It would be harder to believe if they had no ulterior motives. It’s possible that as soon as we left the capital, Lai Luofu disguised herself as Chen Huo’e and followed us. The news of Chen Huo’e’s death and reappearance in the capital hasn’t reached remote Yingzhou, so no one suspects her presence. And by brazenly using ‘Cocoon to Butterfly’ to make us aware, there must be many schemes behind it.”
“We must plan carefully.”
Zhu Yan shared the same thought, but added, “Pan Chi’s poisoning cannot be delayed. I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to deal with that scoundrel. Consider it a favor I owe you.”
This made Shen Du laugh in exasperation. He lifted Zhu Yan’s chin and said, “You’d owe me a favor for Pan Chi? You speak as if you and he are family.”
His dark eyes were intimidating, and Zhu Yan forced an awkward smile. “No, that’s not what I meant.”
Shen Du studied her closely before finally relenting.
Given the current situation, the circumstances were dire.
With no reinforcements, no matter how long they waited here, no divine soldiers would descend from the heavens. Instead, they would only wear themselves down."You haven't eaten much, have you?" Zhu Yan looked at his somewhat haggard face, thinking to herself that he was only twenty-three this year. Pan Chi only knew how to travel and enjoy life, basking in the empty title of "great detective" while living freely, yet Shen Du had shouldered the heavy responsibility of protecting the nation and defending the homeland.
She abruptly rolled up the map, leaned on the table, and tilted her head to look at him: "How can this be? If you ruin your health, I'm afraid there will be no one left to protect Yingzhou."
Shen Du only shook his head as he stared at Zhu Yan. She too had grown much more haggard these past few days. At an age when she should have been properly made up, caring for her husband and children without a worry in the world, she had followed him instead...
Seeing Shen Du so stubborn, Zhu Yan also became determined, insisting that Shen Du must eat.
Thinking this, Zhu Yan stood up and, before Shen Du could react, walked toward the outside.
"Wait here, I'll be right back."
Watching her retreating figure, still carrying the bounce of a young girl, Shen Du smiled helplessly and dozed off slightly by the table.
Not knowing many dishes, Zhu Yan finally decided to cook a few of her specialties, hoping only that Shen Du wouldn't complain about them.
After working for a long time, Zhu Yan carried a wooden tray inside.
Just in time, she saw him resting his head on his hand with his eyes closed, so she gently placed the tray on the table, but still managed to wake him.
Shen Du smiled faintly and looked at the steaming dishes: "Can I take this as you cooking for your own husband?"
Then he saw her ears turn red as she lowered her head, placing the dishes on the table while muttering: "Stop with the sweet talk."
But Shen Du did not pick up the wooden chopsticks beside him, his gaze fixed on Zhu Yan.
He had come to Yingzhou to investigate a case, never expecting such a turn of events, nor that she would be dragged into this mess.
At the thought of this, Shen Du couldn't help but feel guilty.
Seeing him not touching his chopsticks, Zhu Yan felt somewhat helpless: "Why aren't you eating? Does it not suit your taste?"
"I had no appetite, but since my wife personally cooked," he said as he picked up the wooden chopsticks, "how could your husband not show his appreciation?"
Zhu Yan also picked up her chopsticks. After working for so long, she too felt somewhat hungry.
Before they could even start eating, they heard the sound of someone running toward them from outside.
Sure enough, the sound grew closer, and soon Jing Lin strode in, hand on his sword: "Great Pavilion Commander, Guangchun Hall is now completely empty. We couldn't find the antidote."
After speaking, he glanced slightly at the two of them getting along harmoniously and realized he might have come at an inconvenient time.
Zhu Yan was stunned, looking at Shen Du a few more times. Warmth surged in her heart—she hadn't expected Shen Du to have already sent someone to search for the antidote, while she...
Shen Du frowned: "How could it not be found?"
Jing Lin couldn't answer for a moment, but the Inner Guard Bureau had indeed searched Guangchun Hall for days without finding anything related to "Cocoon to Butterfly."
The strange poison seemed as if it had never existed.
"Did you check secret rooms and the like?" Shen Du asked.
Jing Lin nodded: "We searched all secret rooms and hidden compartments but found nothing related to the poison."
"We almost tore up the entire floor of Guangchun Hall to look."
The room fell silent for a moment, unusually quiet.
Shen Du's expression was unpredictable, and Jing Lin couldn't leave, so he had to continue standing there.
Zhu Yan also lost her appetite and slowly put down her chopsticks: "Chen Huo'e is cunning and treacherous; of course, she wouldn't keep the poison at Guangchun Hall. It's not your fault."
Jing Lin almost wanted to hug Zhu Yan and have a good cry.Noticing her movement, Shen Du raised his hand to signal Jing Lin to leave, then also set down his wooden chopsticks.
Thinking that Pan Chi's injuries were all because of her, Zhu Yan felt deeply uneasy in her heart: "If I hadn't arranged for Xiuxiu to take care of him, perhaps he wouldn't have been poisoned. I should have gone to look after him myself from the start."
Even if Shen Du had objected, she wouldn't have been able to walk away.
"Nonsense," Shen Du's expression darkened. "You are my wife—how can you go and care for another man?"
"But he was injured because of me, and now his life hangs in the balance," Zhu Yan murmured. "What I fear most in this life is owing favors."
These words sounded much more agreeable: "Don't worry just yet—there will always be a way."
Zhu Yan shook her head slightly, the guilt in her heart growing even stronger.
"Rest assured, I will repay this favor on your behalf."
OpenNovel