Chарtеr 378: Тhе Вrоnze Spаrrоw оf Сhаng'an Sings 32
"This mattеr is оf great imрortanсе. Nоw thаt Lаi Luоzhi's minions arе everywhere in the саpitаl, for sаfеtу's sаke, I shаvеd оff mу bеard. Whаt do you think?"
"Тhе differеnce is so grеat that еven if I enсоuntеrеd уоu оn the streеt, I wоuldn't reсоgnizе yоu at first."
Хu Хiangren strоkеd his smoоth chin, looking quitе pleasеd. "Тhаt's eхactly thе еffеct I wаntеd."
Аftеr his mоmеnt of рridе, it was timе to gеt down to businеss. Xu Хiаngrеn said sеriоuslу, "Сan you gеt in touch with Shen Du?"
Zhu Yan frownеd. "Why don't yоu tell him direсtly? Тhаt shouldn't bе difficult for the Unrighteous Agents."
"But we don't know what his intentions are now."
Rumors in the streets are often harsh, so Xu Xiangren's concerns were understandable.
Zhu Yan said firmly, "He will definitely agree."
Though she said this, Zhu Yan wasn't entirely certain about Shen Du's current arrangements. With this matter weighing on her mind, she didn't stay long and got up to leave. Xu Xiangren also set off for another place. When Zhu Yan asked, he didn't seem to mind sharing:
"I'm going to see Chancellor Zhang. This matter concerns the Crown Prince—he can't just stand by, can he?"
Well, the busiest person in the world is probably Xu Xiangren, the Unrighteous Agent Commander. He worries about everything.
Now that Zhu Yan had been publicly divorced by Shen Du—essentially publicly abandoned and cast aside—it was difficult for her to return to the Shen residence openly.
Zhu Yan first returned to the Zhu family, feeling distracted all the while. After dinner, Lu Chuichui came on horseback to take her to the Lotus Garden to watch a new play. Only then did she realize it was the Lantern Festival. Her eldest and second brothers had already established their own households, while her fourth sister Zhu Manshu and fifth brother Zhu Mojie naturally followed along.
The Lotus Garden was filled with foreigners performing magic tricks—fire-eating, molten iron flowers, bending steel with bare hands—everything imaginable. Naturally, Great Zhou's own magic performances were also present.
Colorful lanterns dazzled the eyes, but Zhu Yan couldn't focus on any of it. Amidst the bustling crowd, she felt lonely inside, still preoccupied with what Xu Xiangren had mentioned.
This peaceful and joyful era of prosperity was about to change.
No, why was she still worrying about losing face?
Though she thought this way, when Zhu Yan saw Lu Chuichui excitedly run backstage, an idea struck her.
Not long after, Lu Chuichui finished her performance on stage and went backstage. Zhu Manshu and Zhu Mojie followed closely behind, anxiously asking where Zhu Yan was.
Lu Chuichui looked around. "Huh? Wasn't the one dressed as a maid beside me just now her?"
She then went to find the actress who had played her maid earlier, only to discover it wasn't Zhu Yan. The three of them were completely dumbfounded.
Meanwhile, Zhu Yan rushed to the Shen residence to find Shen Du, but the steward informed her that Shen Du was at the Lai residence. She bid farewell and hurried to the Lai residence. The steward called out to her, asking her to change out of her costume, but Zhu Yan refused.
She had no time for that, and besides, this way no one would recognize her.
Coincidentally, it was the Lantern Festival, and the Lai residence had invited a theater troupe to perform. Relying on her familiarity with the Lai residence from previous visits, Zhu Yan successfully blended in with the troupe. The female lead, about to go on stage, couldn't find her maid. Seeing Zhu Yan dressed as a maid, she immediately pulled her onto the stage.
Fortunately, Zhu Yan had been trained by Lu Chuichui. Though a bit awkward, her posture, singing, recitation, acting, and martial arts were enough to get by.
Today's play was "The Dancing Lady," the same one Lu Chuichui performed at the Lotus Garden. It told the tragic love story of a poor scholar and a wealthy young lady, quite poignant. The actress sang with deep emotion.Zhu Yan flicked her water sleeves, placed her hands on her waist, and twisted her body, her gaze colliding with Shen Du’s in the crowd. Her heart pounded like a drum, and she turned to follow the female lead in thanking the audience before retreating backstage.
Racking her brains, Zhu Yan couldn’t figure out how to make contact with Shen Du. Time ticked by, and as she watched Lai Luozhi remain calm and composed, sitting as steady as Mount Tai, with no telling what changes might be unfolding in the palace, Zhu Yan grew anxious. In desperation, she sneaked out to find Shen Du.
Turning a corner and hiding in the shadows, Zhu Yan witnessed Lai Luozhi treating Shen Du like an animal. She was on the verge of erupting in anger when Lai Luozhi turned and left, leaving Shen Du bent over in a bow.
Before Zhu Yan could react, Shen Du scooped her up and soared into the air, leaving Lai Manor behind. They leaped across rooftops and walls until they arrived in the Zhu family courtyard.
Zhu Yan felt as if she were dreaming. "Shen Du, how did you know it was me?"
Shen Du didn’t answer, turning his back to her as if to leave, but Zhu Yan grabbed the corner of his robe. "Wait."
Shen Du seemed impatient, so Zhu Yan spoke quickly: "Do you know that Lai Luozhi has fabricated evidence to falsely accuse Xu Zhaorong and Princess Chaoyang of treason? And also—"
"Zhu Yan!" Shen Du turned around, bathed in the clear glow of the full moon. His deep eyes behind the mask fixed on her, silencing her. "Don’t stir up trouble. Think of the Zhu family."
With that, he pried her slender fingers away and left without a hint of hesitation.
Zhu Yan stood frozen in the courtyard.
The moonlight flowed like water, slowly washing over her. The fiery anxiety that had consumed her all day was doused in an instant, and she felt as though her frantic efforts had been nothing but a joke.
"Shen Du, have you truly become Lai Luozhi’s lackey, a coward?" Zhu Yan shouted angrily at the bright moon in the sky, shaking her fist. "I’m willing to disregard the Zhu family, so why are you so hesitant? How am I not thinking of the Zhu family? It’s precisely because I am thinking of them that I cannot let the Great Zhou’s sky change."
That night, Zhu Kuo rested in Jin Shi’s room, and Ru Shi had also retired early. Being older, they naturally didn’t join in the younger generation’s festivities, but they hadn’t expected to be woken from a sound sleep by Zhu Yan’s commotion. One by one, they draped their clothes over their shoulders and came out to see what was happening.
"Sixth Sister, why are you back so early?"
"Yes, were you just calling for Shen Du?"
Zhu Yan waved her hands awkwardly. "No, I’m going to find Fourth Sister and Fifth Brother." With that, she slipped away.
Chastened by Shen Du’s warning, Zhu Yan became much more subdued. The next day, she sent a letter to Xu Xiangren informing him of Shen Du’s stance. After that, she went about her days as usual, traveling between the Ministry of Justice and the Zhu residence, even visiting the palace less frequently, living a peaceful life.
However, when Prime Minister Zhang went to the Ministry of Justice to retrieve some documents and saw Zhu Yan, he unexpectedly lingered for a moment to speak with her.
"Does Prime Minister Zhang have any instructions?" Zhu Yan adopted a strictly businesslike attitude.
Prime Minister Zhang observed her for a long moment before asking something unrelated to official matters: "I heard Shen Du gave you a divorce letter?"
Zhu Yan didn’t understand Zhang Xingwei’s intention. "Yes."
"Have you gone to the magistrate’s court to finalize it?" Only after appearing in court would the divorce be official, meaning they would go their separate ways with no further ties.
Zhu Yan shook her head, her eyes bright and clear.
Clearly having anticipated this, Zhang Xingwei picked up his teacup, pushed aside the tea leaves, took a sip, and frowned slightly. "Why haven’t you gone to court?"
Zhu Yan answered this with righteous confidence: "I don’t agree to the divorce." That was why she hadn’t gone to court.
"Heh heh, that’s just like your temperament."
Zhu Yan glanced around. "Prime Minister Zhang, if you have something to say, please speak plainly." She really didn’t want to linger and chat here.Chancellor Zhang composed himself slightly, set down the teacup in his hand, and stroked his beard. "The sixth daughter of the Zhu family is indeed different from ordinary women. Very well, I shall speak plainly."
Zhang Xingwei's amiable demeanor was something Zhu Yan found quite unfamiliar. The respect she displayed was entirely for show.
"You and Shen Du are past the point of no return. The court is now in great turmoil. If you truly wish for your father to remain neutral, you should divorce Shen Du. You must be aware of which faction Shen Du currently belongs to."
Which faction did Shen Du belong to?
Zhu Yan wore a look of confusion. But when she saw Zhang Xingwei's half-smiling face, she suddenly understood—Shen Du was now a follower of Lai Luozhi, and Xu Xiangren had already informed Zhang Xingwei that Lai Luozhi intended to rebel. Thus, Shen Du would inevitably be implicated.
Her eyes flickered with uncertainty as her thoughts grew muddled.
"Alright, you should go to the court hearing as soon as possible."
Having said what he needed to say, Zhang Xingwei did not linger. He rose and left.
In the past, whenever Zhang Xingwei visited, it was to glean information about Shen Du's movements through her. Now that Shen Du had fallen from power and Lai Luozhi was plotting rebellion, Zhang Xingwei had unexpectedly taken an interest in her well-being—and it even seemed somewhat genuine. Hah.
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