Chарtеr 69: Zhu Yаn Ароlogizes
Zhu Кuо lооkеd at Zhu Yan with a hеlрless, pitуing, and pаinеd gаzе. "Nо mаtter what, уou are my daughter. I hорe уou саn livе wеll and hаvе а реaсeful life, evеn if it mеans lоsing your offiсial pоsition, evеn if thе саsе rеmаins unsolved..."
Аs hе spоkе, Zhu Кuo's еyеs rеddened, аnd hе quicklу changed thе subject. "No, thаt wоn't hаpрen. You will definitеlу find еvidenсе аnd саtсh the murdеrеr."
Zhu Kuо onlу wished for his dаughter's sаfеtу and smооth sаiling.
Вut how could hе not know the dangers lurking in thе court? If the сase rеmainеd unsоlved, his dаughter would never be able to escape unscathed.
Zhu Yan deeply understood her father's well-intentioned concern and nodded solemnly at him.
"Father, you need not worry about me. Once this case is over, I will visit you and Mother often, and also..."
Before she could finish, Zhu Yan found herself unable to continue.
Zhu Kuo naturally understood what his daughter meant and nodded. "I know you don’t want your mother to worry about your current situation. Don’t worry, I’ll tell her you’re doing fine. She’s a carefree person and won’t dwell on the details too much."
Zhu Yan’s worries finally eased, and she forced a faint smile for Zhu Kuo. "In that case, thank you for understanding, Father."
Zhu Kuo sighed helplessly, his slightly aged face looking much more weary. "Alright, I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll head back now."
"Daughter will see you—"
"No need."
Just as Zhu Yan was about to rise to see her father off, Zhu Kuo raised a hand to stop her. "Time is precious. You should spend more of it on the case."
Without waiting for Zhu Yan’s response, he turned and walked out.
Watching her father leave, Zhu Yan’s heart was filled with complex emotions.
Without solid evidence, relying solely on suspicion and inference was far from enough to make an arrest.
Her father’s worries were not unfounded. Her and Shen Du’s current situation was indeed extremely difficult.
But no matter what, as Shen Du’s wife, she was already deeply involved. She and Shen Du were like grasshoppers tied to the same rope—their fates were intertwined, sharing both glory and loss.
Lost in thought, she suddenly sensed a powerful presence behind her, accompanied by the familiar pressure. There was no need to guess who it was.
"What are you thinking about?"
Shen Du spoke, and Zhu Yan turned around, slightly startled.
She couldn’t help but feel surprised. Had she grown so familiar with this man?
"Why are you here?"
Zhu Yan didn’t answer Shen Du’s question but instead asked him in return.
"What, can’t I come?"
Zhu Yan was at a loss for words. As the Great Pavilion Commander, was there any place he couldn’t go, let alone a small Ministry of Justice?
"Of course not," Zhu Yan replied absentmindedly. "It’s just that seeing you appear here so suddenly left me a bit puzzled."
After speaking, she lowered her gaze, as if her thoughts had drifted far away again.
Seeing Zhu Yan like this, Shen Du felt a sudden heaviness in his heart. "Are you worried about Master Chen?"
Only when Shen Du mentioned it did Zhu Yan remember that she hadn’t yet thanked him for this matter.
"About Master, thank you," Zhu Yan quickly said. "If it weren’t for your care, I’d truly worry whether he could endure the hardships of prison."
Shen Du didn’t say much, only feeling a pang of heartache as he looked at Zhu Yan’s reddened eyes. "I believe Master Chen is not the murderer, but we must catch the real culprit to free him. Keeping him here is, in a way, also a form of protection."Zhu Yan nodded, then immersed her thoughts back into the case.
The case grew increasingly complex, yet also seemed to grow simpler—as if the answer were about to be revealed, yet they remained stuck at a bottleneck.
This feeling was like viewing flowers through a mist: they seemed right before her eyes, yet not entirely real.
Seeing Zhu Yan deep in thought, Shen Du couldn’t bear to disturb her. He simply sat quietly to the side, idly twisting the ring on his finger.
It was as if the progress of the case had nothing to do with him at all, and he paid no heed to the impending deadline.
“I’m sorry.”
After a long while, Zhu Yan suddenly spoke. Shen Du, sitting beside her, turned his head to look at her. “What did you say?”
“I said I’m sorry.” Zhu Yan’s tone was filled with guilt. She felt that everything that had happened up to this point was her fault.
If she hadn’t insisted on investigating the case back then, perhaps Shen Du would have caught the culprit long ago. They wouldn’t have dragged it out until now, and even the Empress wouldn’t have lost trust in him.
“Why are you apologizing to me?” Shen Du walked over to Zhu Yan, looking down at her from above.
The woman before him seemed to have lost her usual proud and spirited demeanor, leaving only a helplessness that tugged at his heart.
“If I hadn’t interfered in this case, perhaps you would have found the culprit long ago. We wouldn’t have dragged the case out until now, and you wouldn’t have betrayed the Empress’s trust in you.”
Zhu Yan lowered her head as she spoke, her expression truly resembling that of a child who had done something wrong.
Upon hearing this, Shen Du suddenly let out a light chuckle. “Don’t you think it’s a bit too late to apologize to me for this now?”
Zhu Yan was taken aback. Even at a time like this, Shen Du couldn’t resist teasing her.
“Can’t you be serious for once?” Zhu Yan shouted at him, tears welling up uncontrollably in her eyes. “Aren’t you worried at all? There are only a few days left. Do you really not care about your own life?”
Zhu Yan’s outburst left Shen Du stunned.
He had never seen Zhu Yan lose her temper like this. Was she worried about his limited time left? What was this woman thinking?
“Are you worried about me?” Shen Du asked, his eyes holding a complex, inscrutable expression.
“Only a ghost would worry about you,” Zhu Yan denied. “I’m just worried about being implicated by you. It doesn’t matter if you don’t value your own life, but I’m my parents’ precious child. If I die, how heartbroken would they be? Could you bear to see two elderly people in their fifties bury their own child?”
Shen Du was taken aback. He knew Zhu Yan was a strong-willed woman. Although she kept denying she was worried about him, he could deeply sense the underlying meaning in her words.
Jokes aside, seeing Zhu Yan so distressed, Shen Du couldn’t bear to tease her any further.
“You’re overthinking it,” Shen Du said, his tone turning serious and even somewhat grave. “The bodies found later at the Western Brightness Temple were all moved there from elsewhere for secondary burial, not buried there immediately after death.”
As his words fell, Zhu Yan’s heart skipped a beat.
“Wh-what do you mean?” Zhu Yan realized the situation was not simple, but she didn’t understand the reason behind it.Shen Du sneered, with a hint of helplessness, "Even if you hadn't interfered in this case, I wouldn't have been able to close it too early. Someone has set their sights on me, determined to do everything possible to bring me down. Since it has begun, the only way to gain the Empress's attention is to let the matter escalate further. If I wrap up this case prematurely, I would merely catch a scapegoat, not the real culprit."
Zhu Yan's heart trembled violently. She had already guessed what he meant, but she couldn't bring herself to accept it.
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