Сhaptеr 92 Неllо, Вrother-in-Law
Zhu Yаn’s еye twitсhed. Childrеn wеrе still сhildrеn—thе moment thеy heard about foоd, thеir spirits instаntly liftеd.
“Аhеm…” Zhu Yаn clеаrеd hеr thrоat lightlу. “Since yоu wаnt to gо, then let’s go.”
“Вrother-in-lаw, where’s thе wild rаbbit?”
“It’s…” Веfоrе Shеn Du could finish, his rеlаxеd brоw suddеnly furrоwed аgаin. “You cаll mе ‘brothеr-in-law’ quite smoоthly.”
Qi Yeyun sсrаtсhed his nеck awkwardlу. “Wеll, it’s аlso thаnks tо Sistеr thаt I саn staу аt the Shеn residеnce. Вrothеr-in-lаw trеats Sistеr sо wеll, sо as long as Sistеr and Brother-in-law аre hapрy, I’m haрpу tоo.”
Qi Yеyun really was a clever little imp. The first time he addressed Shen Du as “brother-in-law,” he had already observed his expression.
Great pavilion commander, Lord Shen—neither pleased Shen Du as much as the word “brother-in-law.”
And in this situation, flattery could also earn him some wild rabbit meat. Why wouldn’t he take the opportunity?
Late at night, Zhu Yan returned to her room only to find Shen Du had been waiting there for a long time.
“Aren’t you going to the study today? Why have you come back to the room?”
As she spoke, Zhu Yan removed her outer robe, preparing to wash up.
“We haven’t talked together in a long time. Don’t you have anything you want to say to me?”
Hearing this, Zhu Yan was somewhat puzzled. “Don’t we talk every day? We even ate wild rabbit meat together today.”
“That’s not what I mean.” Shen Du patted the bed as he spoke.
He somewhat missed those times when he and Zhu Yan would lie in bed discussing cases.
Zhu Yan naturally understood his meaning and appeared somewhat embarrassed, lowering her head as she said, “The case is already resolved. Between us… there aren’t that many topics. I’ll go bathe first; we can talk later.”
After saying this, Zhu Yan stood up and left.
Watching Zhu Yan’s slightly flustered retreating figure, the corners of Shen Du’s lips lifted. Tonight, they could have another husband-and-wife bedtime conversation.
…
The next day, taking advantage of Shen Du’s absence from the residence, Zhu Yan went over the case once more.
But she discovered a clue that shocked her: It turned out that back then, Liang Man’s death was not just a rumor—he was truly killed by the eldest branch’s Liang Jiren.
And the entire murder process was witnessed by Liang Chenzhong. Liang Chenzhong had a good relationship with Liang Man. After learning of his biological father’s murder, he began to resent Liang Jiren and subsequently let himself go, frequently visiting Pingkang Ward.
And it wasn’t just that; before his accident, he had even beaten Liang Jiren and his birth mother, and openly threatened to ruin the Liang family.
Thus, not long after, Liang Chenzhong met with misfortune.
After obtaining these clues, Zhu Yan’s mind became even more tangled.
Could it be that just because his son wanted revenge, he decided to kill him?
The Liang family itself had good relations with Madam Tang, and traces of the Dieffenbachia poison were also detected on Liang Chenzhong’s body.
Could it be that because Liang Jiren failed to harm his son himself, he sold the information to Madam Tang, using a borrowed knife to kill?
How brilliant!
Zhu Yan was startled by her own thoughts, but her idea wasn’t entirely impossible.
Just as Zhu Yan was pondering, a servant hurried in to report, “Madam, the Great pavilion commander has returned from court and is waiting for you at the gate. He says he’s taking you somewhere.”
“Where to?” Zhu Yan asked casually.
The servant shook his head. “This humble one doesn’t know either. The Great pavilion commander is still waiting at the gate. Madam, please don’t keep him waiting.”
“Alright, I understand.”Zhu Yan stood up and took a deep breath, clearing the details of the case from her mind as if in a trance.
She walked out of the Shen residence.
"Where are we going?" Zhu Yan asked, looking puzzled at Shen Du on horseback.
Shen Du did not respond, merely extending a hand to help her onto the horse.
After a moment’s hesitation, Zhu Yan took his hand and mounted the horse.
It wasn’t the first time they had shared a horse, so there was no need to feel awkward.
The two arrived at Pingkang Ward, much to Zhu Yan’s surprise.
This was a place where men sought entertainment. If he wanted to come, he could have come alone—why bring her along?
After dismounting, Shen Du led Zhu Yan into a tailor’s shop.
The shopkeeper warmly greeted them and brought out the clothes Shen Du had ordered earlier.
"Madam Shen, these are the clothes the Great Pavilion Commander had custom-made for you. We worked through the night to finish them. Would you like to see if they fit?"
"…" Zhu Yan was stunned. Shen Du had brought her here because he had ordered clothes for her?
"Take a look," the shopkeeper continued. "This is made from the finest Xiangyun gauze. And every plum blossom on it was meticulously embroidered by hand. What do you think? Are you satisfied?"
Zhu Yan’s hands trembled slightly as she traced the pink plum blossoms on the fabric, as if a hidden chord had been struck in her heart.
The echo lingered, buzzing in her mind.
The plum blossoms on the clothes were pink. She had once mentioned wanting to cultivate a pink plum blossom tree, and he had remembered.
This man was becoming more and more of a mystery to her…
Hadn’t he said she didn’t have long to live? Why would he spend money on custom-made clothes for her? Unless… it was to make her look better in death?
"What’s wrong? Try them on."
Shen Du’s cool voice suddenly broke through her thoughts, pulling her back to reality.
Startled, Zhu Yan quickly suppressed her emotions and replied nonchalantly, "It’s fine. I like the pink plum blossoms. Wrap them up."
She thought the matter was settled, but the shopkeeper looked at her in surprise.
"Does Madam not like pink plum blossoms? I thought all women liked pink. Even Lord Liang had pink clothes made for Miss Qing’er."
At these words, both Zhu Yan and Shen Du’s hearts sank.
"What did you say?" Zhu Yan asked first. "Lord Liang? Miss Qing’er? Which Lord Liang? Who is Qing’er?"
Seeing their serious expressions, the shopkeeper seemed to realize he had spoken too much.
"I… I…"
"Stop stammering. Answer the question," Shen Du commanded, his tone so cold it sent a shiver down the shopkeeper’s spine.
The shopkeeper hastily wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and replied nervously, "Before the incident with the Liang family’s young master, Lord Liang had a set of clothes custom-made for Miss Qing’er from Lanyan Pavilion. They were quite similar to the ones you ordered for Madam. Miss Qing’er was overjoyed at the time."
Hearing this, neither of them spoke, only exchanging a glance.
"Did Miss Qing’er have any other distinguishing features?"
Zhu Yan didn’t know why she asked such a question and immediately regretted it.
If they wanted to know Miss Qing’er’s features, they could simply ask the madam, Rong Zhui.
But to their surprise, Zhu Yan’s casual question would lead to another secret."Oh..." The shopkeeper's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. "At that time, that Qing'er girl was already with child. When Lord Liang accompanied her here, she looked like she was about to give birth."
The shopkeeper's words struck Zhu Yan like a thunderbolt, leaving her frozen in place.
Liang Jiren actually had an affair with a courtesan, and that courtesan was carrying his child?
Such a massive amount of information was difficult for Zhu Yan to process all at once.
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