Сhaрtеr 373: Тhе Brоnzе Sраrrоw of Сhang'an Sings 27
Lai Luоzhi livеd up tо his reputatiоn as the fоremost sусорhаnt оf thе Great Zhоu, kеenlу аwаre оf his oррonent's vulnеrаbilities. Shеn Du stood alоne in the world, with Zhu Yаn аs his sоle сoncern. Lаi Luоzhi blаtantlу thrеаtеnеd Shеn Du, making it сlеar thаt if he did nоt comрly, Zhu Yаn wоuld bе the first tо suffеr.
Nоw thаt he was imprisоned, who would protеct Zhu Yan?
His thоughts were сhaоtiс, his bodу felt as if insects were crawling and ants were gnawing at him, his consciousness scattered and gathered, gathered and scattered. Forcing himself to stand, the pain from his bound arms burned fiercely. A bitter smile crossed his lips as he thought of Zhu Yan, his eyes darkening with despair.
"Alas," a sigh came from the neighboring cell. It was Li Chong, who had been captured and was silently recuperating after enduring torture. He had naturally overheard the entire exchange. "In Lai Luozhi's eyes, you are still considered an opponent. For me, I am not even worthy of being called an opponent."
Thus, Lai Luozhi had sent his deputy to deal with him, while he himself went to confront Shen Du.
It was lamentable and pitiable for the crown prince of a nation to fall to such a state.
Shen Du remained immersed in his own thoughts, silent, but Li Chong sensed it:
"You are beginning to waver. Do you suspect that what Lai Luozhi said is true—that it was the Empress and the Zhou clan who conspired to destroy the Shen family?"
Shen Du did not respond. Li Chong's hands were mangled and bloody from the finger press, unable to lift them. Blood mixed with sweat streamed down as he closed his eyes. He called out Shen Du's name:
"Although I have had many conflicts with the Empress over the years, she kept me alive only out of fear of public backlash. Now that I am no longer useful, she has sent me to the Judicial Affairs Bureau to humiliate me, severing any maternal affection, with no regard for martial virtue. However, I know a thing or two about what happened back then, because the Shen family took the blame in my place."
Shen Du was bewildered, unsure of what Li Chong meant.
"She was willing to spare you, not entirely because of Mo Qianzhi's act of kneeling and crawling."
Shen Du pricked up his ears.
Li Chong exhaled slowly: "The Empress intended to spare you, or rather, the Shen family. The extermination of the Shen family was never the Empress's idea."
This was something he had inadvertently learned. The Empress had intended to make an example of the Shen family to intimidate the scholars, but she had never meant to exterminate them.
However, the one who carried out the execution was Lai Luozhi. By the time the Empress found out, it was too late. The Shen family affair had escalated beyond control, leaving her in a difficult position. Later, Mo Qianzhi's kneeling plea for mercy likely provided the Empress with a convenient way to step down.
For a moment, Shen Du did not know whose account to believe. The Shen family had already been exterminated. He had entered the game as the Empress intended and was now imprisoned. The crown prince had also been discarded by the Empress and sent to the Judicial Affairs Bureau. He had no idea what the Empress's next move would be. Everything was moving forward. He could forgo seeking the truth behind the Shen family's extermination, but what about his Zhu Yan?
—
Zhu Yan met Jing Lin at the Unrighteous Agents' headquarters. Seeing that he was unharmed, she felt slightly relieved. Upon inquiry, she discovered that Jing Lin was also unaware of Shen Du's whereabouts. It seemed Shen Du had truly been ensnared in a plot.
Shen Du had been plotted against, yet she remained unscathed. What were those people planning?
Jing Lin was injured and recuperating, under the protection of Unrighteous Commander Xu Xiangren, so Zhu Yan had no need to worry.
Jing Lin also informed Zhu Yan that he was attempting to contact the scattered covert guards of the cabinet—a hidden reserve force rarely deployed. They would then carefully discuss how to rescue Shen Du.
Zhu Yan urged Jing Lin to recover fully before making any decisions, and she left under the escort of Yun Que.
"Rest assured, Commander Xu will not stand idly by."
These were Yun Que's parting words to her. Zhu Yan blinked, and Yun Que had already disappeared into the crowd. Once the pampered young lady of a wealthy Jiangnan merchant, she had now grown into a capable Unrighteous Agent. Zhu Yan, too, must never give up.Thinking of this, Zhu Yan quickly returned home, spread out the rice paper, ground ink, and began to analyze the current situation. Like viewing flowers through fog or the moon reflected in water, she knew that by peeling back the layers of clouds, there would eventually come a day when the sun broke through.
Zhu Mojie had come to see Zhu Yan several times, urging her to return home. Now that the Shen residence had been confiscated, there was nothing left inside, only an old steward guarding the empty mansion. Shen Du had entered the Judicial Affairs Bureau and was unlikely to return. How could they possibly let Zhu Yan suffer such hardships and grievances?
"Get a divorce. Ever since you married your husband, you haven’t had a single peaceful day. Now that he’s imprisoned and likely won’t be released, it might seem unrighteous to ask for a divorce at this time, but if you don’t, what if it implicates you? And what about Father, Mother, and Stepmother?"
Zhu Yan’s expression had been indifferent, but upon hearing this, her beautiful eyes suddenly lit up. She picked up the feather duster from the desk and swung it at Zhu Mojie:
"You brat! If it weren’t for your brother-in-law, could you have entered the Hongwen Academy? I thought entering the top academy of the Great Zhou would teach you some propriety and integrity, but instead, you’ve only learned ingratitude. You worm, what has your brother-in-law ever done to wrong you? And you want me to divorce him?"
Zhu Mojie had spoken rashly in his impatience. After being hit several times, he cried out in pain:
"Isn’t it because you refuse to return home and insist on staying here? Father, Mother, and Stepmother are all worried about you. If you won’t divorce him, fine, but you don’t have to stay here either."
Her arms aching from the exertion, Zhu Yan threw down the feather duster and took a deep breath. Thinking of her father, mother, and stepmother, she felt a pang of guilt:
"I’ve caused you all worry and distress. I am unfilial."
Zhu Mojie rubbed the spots where he had been hit and snorted coldly.
"But my husband is in trouble. As his wife, I cannot abandon him."
"No one said you should abandon him. You can still help him from the Zhu residence. Wouldn’t it be better to have someone take care of you there?"
Zhu Yan shook her head, her mind made up: "I will stay here and wait for him to return."
This younger sister had always been this stubborn, impossible to reason with.
Zhu Mojie was furious: "Rotten wood cannot be carved."
He stormed off angrily.
Zhu Yan smiled faintly. After sitting silently in the empty courtyard for a moment, she rose, returned to her room, changed into her official robes, tied up her hair, and put on her official hat. As she prepared to leave, the steward stopped her:
"Madam, today is a day of rest. Where are you going?"
Noticing how much more stooped the steward’s back had become, yet how sincerely he cared for her, Zhu Yan shook her head and held the petition in her hand firmly:
"I’ll be back soon. Remember to leave the gate open for me."
Unable to stop her, the steward could only see her off. Standing at the gate, he watched her walk away, heading north along the main street of Zhuque Avenue. That main street led to only one place. The old steward’s eyes glistened as he looked up at the plaque above the gate, inscribed with the words "Shen Residence" in Shen Shijie’s handwriting, and tears welled up in his eyes.
During these days, she had followed Shen Du’s instructions, going to the Ministry of Justice as usual to report for duty. Occasionally, she collaborated with the Dali Temple on cases. Because she had handled several cases exceptionally well after the Buddha Swallowing Guilt incident, she was highly regarded in the office. And because Shen Du had been arrested, people looked at her with sympathy and pity, as if she were already a widow.
She paid no mind to any of this. She went about her days as she always had, moving through them numbly. A few days earlier, she had visited Jing Lin and learned that he had contacted the secret guards of the cabinet but couldn’t enter the Judicial Affairs Bureau.
It wasn’t that Zhu Yan was disobeying Shen Du’s words—she simply couldn’t bear it any longer. She couldn’t just sit and wait for fate to take its course. She had vowed to protect the young man from all those years ago. She would enter the palace to seek an audience and plead for justice, just as Jin Cang had done.No, she would not cut open her belly. She would wait for Shen Du to return, and just like Mo Qianzhi had done in the past, she would carry her grievance all the way to the heavens.
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