Chарtеr 375: Тhе Bronze Sраrrow of Сhang'an Sings 29
Withоut hеsitаtiоn, Zhu Yаn quiсkened hеr pace and steррed thrоugh the mаnsiоn gаtе. As sооn аs shе еnterеd, she saw the hоusеkeеper cаsting a symрathetiс glаnсе hеr wау.
Thinking it was рitу for hеr suffеring frоm kneеling and сrаwling, Zhu Yan pаid nо mind. She tоok a detоur back to hеr rооm to сhange out оf hеr dаmp, snоw-соvеrеd сlothеs, but аs she рassеd the cеntral hаll, shе сaught sight оf а fаmiliаr figure and frozе on the spot.
Tаll and upright, his hair wаs casuаlly tiеd with а jadе hairpin. Dressed in casual attire, his frame appeared much thinner, yet his face remained handsome and resolute, his eyes bright and piercing as they turned toward her.
Who else could it be but Shen Du?
Soaked to the bone, her forehead burning with fever, Zhu Yan’s consciousness had been hazy, but now she seemed rooted to the spot. Trembling, she steadied herself against the doorframe, unable to believe her eyes.
He was looking at her too.
After days apart, her cheeks had grown gaunt, her robes looser. Her official uniform, soaked through by rain and snow, had darkened in color, and the knees were torn, revealing the red and swollen skin beneath, frozen and bruised. Unchanged were her starry eyes, clear and distinct, bright and captivating. On her snow-white face, a stark red scab marred her forehead.
Now, weak and leaning against the doorframe, her lips tinged blue and pale, he had learned upon his return that she had crawled on her knees all the way to plead his innocence before the emperor. By now, she was likely burning with a high fever, yet she stubbornly refused to collapse, her beautiful eyes wide open as she gazed at him, utterly bewildered.
Was she frightened by the whip marks on his face?
“Shen Du,” Zhu Yan stumbled forward, tears welling in her dark eyes and streaming down her face. “I’ve finally waited for your return. Your face…”
Unexpectedly, Shen Du sidestepped to avoid her, his deep eyes shadowed, his expression complex.
Glancing down at her outstretched hands, Zhu Yan turned back to look at him, her gaze lingering on his face, filled with pain and concern.
“Shen Du, let me see your wounds.”
Shen Du clasped his hands behind his back, eyeing her coldly without moving.
This sudden change left Zhu Yan at a loss. She guessed, “Shen Du, I’m not afraid of your wounds. Let me see them.”
Zhu Yan’s voice was hoarse, grating like a rusty saw cutting through wood. Her breaths were long and labored; she already knew she was ill.
A flicker of reluctance passed through Shen Du’s eyes as he glanced at Zhang Baohuan nearby.
Zhang Baohuan stepped forward, thrusting the imperial edict into Shen Du’s arms and sweeping a glance over the scars on his face. “My duty is only to deliver His Majesty’s decree. You must quickly hand over the affairs of the Grand Secretariat to Vice Minister Lai. Do not delay.”
With that, he turned to leave but was stopped by Shen Du. Shen Du’s throat, having been struck by the whip, was also rough and unpleasant to the ear. “Since Supervisor Zhang is here, please bear witness.”
“Witness to what?” Zhang Baohuan asked, puzzled. He glanced at the swaying Zhu Yan and gave Shen Du a meaningful look, but Shen Du ignored it. Quickly grinding ink, he drafted a letter and handed it to Zhang Baohuan to read.
“A divorce agreement?” Zhang Baohuan’s expression turned odd, his tone unfriendly. “You wish to divorce Zhu Yan?”
Shen Du’s eyes flickered with uncertainty, but he nodded firmly, avoiding Zhu Yan’s gaze.
Even Zhang Baohuan, who preferred to stay out of others’ affairs, couldn’t stand by and watch. Pointing at Zhu Yan, who was on the verge of collapse, he spoke with conviction:
“Your wife, Zhu Yan, just crawled on her knees from the main street of Zhuque all the way to His Majesty’s bedchamber to plead your innocence, submitting a blank petition. Look at her—she’s been freezing in the snow all day. She’s fallen ill from the cold.”Seeing Shen Du's expressionless face, Zhang Baohuan raised his eyebrows and sighed with a rather emotional tone: "She didn't even mind that you were a dying man, risking her life to fight for your survival, and yet here you are, having just gained your freedom, and you want to divorce your wife? Shen Du, I originally thought you had some chivalrous spirit—how could you do something like abandoning your wife?"
Shen Du's expression was inscrutable: "It's not a divorce, it's a separation by mutual consent."
"You—" Zhang Baohuan was furious. "Is this really the time to argue over semantics? You've been demoted now. You're no longer the Great Pavilion Commander; you're just a lowly Inner Guard in the Inner Guard Bureau. From now on, even the Inner Cabinet will be under the control of Vice Minister Lai. What are you still acting so high and mighty for? Your wife has stood by you through thick and thin, and yet you—how can you even bring up separation by mutual consent?"
Being pointed at and scolded by Zhang Baohuan, Shen Du's expression darkened. Beside him, Zhu Yan, repeatedly struck by the words "separation by mutual consent," covered her head and fainted, collapsing to the ground.
Shen Du brushed aside Zhang Baohuan's pointing hand and rushed over in a swift stride, picking up Zhu Yan and carrying her into the inner chamber. His gloomy eyes betrayed a flicker of worry.
Zhang Baohuan shook his head and lifted his chin. "Clearly, you can't bear to part with her, so why all this fuss?"
Without lingering further, he hurried back to the palace to report.
By the time Zhu Yan awoke, it was already late at night. She had been trapped in a nightmare, unable to escape, running frantically until she saw a face covered in hideous whip scars, which jolted her awake.
Above the bed canopy, butterflies frolicked among a hundred flowers. Zhu Yan pushed aside the brocade quilt and sat up. Even though the room was heated by an underfloor furnace, the sudden exposure of her sweat-drenched body to the air made her shiver uncontrollably.
Wiping the fine beads of sweat from her forehead with her sleeve, Zhu Yan felt as if stones were grinding in her throat, causing a sharp pain. Recalling the scenes from her dream, she suddenly realized that the face she had seen was Shen Du's face as it looked now.
Not just his face—Shen Du's exposed wrists, arms, neck, and collarbone were all covered in whip scars.
"Shen Du!"
Zhu Yan stepped toward the door, determined to find Shen Du.
The door was pushed open from the outside, and Concubine Jin, carrying a bowl of soup, collided with Zhu Yan. Fearing she might scald Zhu Yan, Concubine Jin quickly turned aside, but even so, the bowl fell to the ground, spilling the medicinal soup everywhere.
"Liu Niang, your high fever has just subsided. Where are you going?"
Zhu Yan's mind was not entirely clear, and she urgently replied, "I need to find Shen Du. He's injured, badly injured."
Unexpectedly, upon hearing the name "Shen Du," Concubine Jin's expression changed. She blocked the door fiercely, refusing to let Zhu Yan leave, calling for others while saying:
"My dear daughter, wait until you're fully recovered and your fever is gone before going out, alright? Look, it's snowing outside."
The snow continued to fall, darkening the sky until it was impossible to distinguish day from night.
"No, he needs me." Zhu Yan refused, frowning as her vision blurred repeatedly.
Just then, the rest of the family arrived. Seeing Zhu Yan so obsessed with finding Shen Du, Zhu Mojie was furious:
"You're still thinking about that scoundrel? You knelt and crawled all the way to plead for his innocence—the entire Chang'an City knows about it. And what about him? As soon as he was released, without even considering that you were ill, he sent you back to the Zhu residence, and even... even..."
Zhu Yan looked at him. "Even what?"
Zhu Manshu stamped her foot. "He even sent a letter of separation by mutual consent, and he didn't even show his face."
Zhu Mojie fumed, "Does he have the face to show up?"
Zhu Yan felt as if struck by lightning, her head throbbing with pain. She staggered back a few steps and was steadied by Concubine Jin. Scanning the worried faces of the Zhu family, she belatedly remembered: Shen Du had already returned home, had been demoted, and the Inner Cabinet would henceforth be Lai Luozhi's domain. And the first thing he had said to her was "separation by mutual consent."He must have suffered a great deal of torment. He was once so robust, yet now he is so thin. Even with his face covered in scars, one can still see the sunken cheeks.
“Where is the divorce agreement?”
Seeing Zhu Yan ask so calmly, they were momentarily puzzled, exchanging uncertain glances.
Finally, Zhu Manshu shoved the divorce agreement into her hand, her words still sharp:
“It serves him right to be demoted—an ungrateful wretch. He caused our Little Six to suffer from a chill that still has her burning with fever, and he didn’t even show his face, just sent someone to bring her back.”
Concubine Jin wiped her tears nearby. Zhu Yan calmly read through the contents of the divorce agreement, then looked up at Concubine Jin. “Mother, when I returned, were my clothes dry or wet?”
“Naturally, they were dry,” Concubine Jin sobbed as she stood up. “I’ll go brew another bowl of medicine for you.”
“No need, I’ve brought it.” Ru Shi entered with a bowl of medicinal soup. “When I saw you drop yours earlier, I went to the kitchen to fetch another. Sixth Sister’s illness cannot be delayed.”
Jin Shi looked grateful. “You’re right, Sister.”
Ru Shi handed over the medicinal soup, intending to offer some comforting words, but without a word, Zhu Yan picked up the bowl and drank it all in one go.
Everyone was pleased to see this. Jin Shi said she would help Zhu Yan change her clothes and asked Zhu Mojie to leave.
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