Chapter 25: Husband and Lover Meet

“Whether I can save him or not, I’ve already done my best. There’s nothing more I can do.”

Perhaps the noise of carriages and horses downstairs was too loud, disturbing the peace and making Liu Fuying feel restless.

She stood up and forcefully closed the half-open window.

“By the way,” she turned back and asked Jin Li, “Is there any news from the Shen Family?”

“Yes, I heard two groups of doctors have already been there. They just left the Shen Family not long ago, so Old Madam should be fine. Madam, when are we going back?”

“How can we go back?”

Liu Fuying sat down in front of the bronze mirror, lowering her gaze to look at her clenched fists resting on her knees.

“They drove me out. How could I return on my own without any dignity?”

Upon closer inspection, she noticed a trace of bloodstain on her sleeve.

She raised her hand to confirm, rubbing her fingers together and finding a faint red smear on her fingertips—indeed, it was blood.

It must have been from when she went to hold Pei Zhouwu earlier.

“Madam, that’s not what I meant. I meant, when will General or Old Madam come to take us back…”

Whatever Jin Li said, Liu Fuying seemed unable to hear it.

Her mind was filled with the image of Pei Zhouwu covered in blood.

Shen Family.

Liu Shiyuan had been waiting in the courtyard for a long time, and the servants of Shuxing Courtyard infuriated her, refusing to let her enter and wait inside.

This was the result of Liu Fuying’s strict rules.

Of course, it was also because Shen Xiunian had ordered no one to disturb Old Madam’s rest.

Even though Shen Xiunian himself had given the order to keep outsiders out, Liu Shiyuan still blamed Liu Fuying for it. Sitting under the crabapple tree in the courtyard, she muttered curses under her breath.

“That damned wretch, making it sound so nice, telling me to come and persuade the General but not coming with me.”

“She must have done it on purpose. Old Madam is ill and shouldn’t be disturbed, and she’s not even home herself. How could I, as a sister-in-law, be alone with my brother-in-law? That little wretch made me wait here for so long, and I haven’t even had lunch.”

But the thought that Shen Xiunian hadn’t eaten lunch either brought her a sweet sense of sharing hardship with him.

After what felt like an eternity, Shen Xiunian finally emerged.

Prompted by her personal maid, Liu Shiyuan brightened up and hurried over.

“Brother-in-law, you’re finally out. You haven’t…”

Shen Xiunian didn’t even glance at her, striding directly toward the courtyard gate.

Left coldly aside, Liu Shiyuan’s face stiffened.

“Miss, General Shen has left.”

In no time, Shen Xiunian disappeared through the courtyard gate.

Liu Shiyuan gritted her teeth and quickened her pace. She had come all this way; she couldn’t return empty-handed. This rare opportunity couldn’t be easily wasted.

Finally catching sight of Shen Xiunian again, she saw he was heading toward the main gate of the Shen Family.

“Brother-in-law,” Liu Shiyuan gasped for breath as she ran, “Brother-in-law, are you going out? My sister is still at home waiting for you to find her. Don’t be angry with her—she was just anxious. Please, for her sake…”

Shen Xiunian abruptly stopped and finally turned to look at her.

“Brother-in-law, you…”

“So she really is at the Liu Family.”

After uttering these words, Shen Xiunian turned away again, his steps even more hurried than before.

Liu Shiyuan’s eyes lit up, thinking that if Shen Xiunian was going to the Liu Family, perhaps she could share a carriage with him?

But when she stepped outside, she saw a Shen Family carriage already waiting at the gate.

No matter how urgently she chased after him, Shen Xiunian did not look back at her again. He swiftly boarded the carriage and departed immediately.

Liu Shiyuan stamped her foot in anger. If not for her maid reminding her to be careful of being seen and gossiped about, she might have lost her temper on the spot.

She had no choice but to return to her own carriage and follow slowly.

By the time she returned to the Liu Family, Shen Xiunian had already come out and was preparing to leave.

Seeing no sign of Liu Fuying behind him, she immediately grinned again.

“It must be that wretched woman causing trouble again, stubbornly refusing to go back with brother-in-law. Good, good, keep angering him and give me a chance.”

After getting out of the carriage, she immediately went up to him.

“Brother-in-law, why are you leaving so soon after arriving? Did my sister say something wrong again?”

She wore a flattering smile, but Shen Xiunian ignored her, striding over the threshold without even glancing her way.

“Brother-in-law.” Liu Shiyuan grew anxious.

She was the legitimate daughter of the Liu Family. Why would Shen Xiunian rather marry an insignificant concubine-born daughter than give her a proper look?

“Brother-in-law!”

Liu Shiyuan felt both resentment and anger. Having waited so long, her stomach had long been growling with hunger, yet she had endured it all just for the chance to exchange even a few words with Shen Xiunian.

And what was the result?

In her anxiety, she instinctively grabbed Shen Xiunian’s sleeve.

Unexpectedly, Shen Xiunian reacted as if touched by a ghost, startling and shaking off her hand with some force. Partly due to her own unsteadiness, and especially because they were on the steps before the door, she stumbled and her whole body tumbled downward.

The steps were five or six layers high. Liu Shiyuan was seen rolling down like a sack.

There were quite a few people at the entrance, and all witnessed it.

Shen Xiunian adjusted quickly, his expression immediately returning to its usual indifference. He walked down the steps with ease, stood beside Liu Shiyuan, and spoke to her without even lowering his head.

“There’s no need for hypocritical visits to mediate. If the Liu Family truly cared for her well-being, how could she not even stay half a day? If not for a heart grown cold, why would she leave in anger?”

Before the marriage, Shen Xiunian had already learned about the Liu Family.

He knew the Liu Family was harsh.

Liu Fuying returning to her maternal home and leaving again in less than half a day was likely due to suffering ridicule from the Liu Family.

This legitimate daughter of the Liu Family was quite something. What was her purpose in coming to the Shen Family and waiting so long? Nothing more than trying to step on Liu Fuying to climb higher. Although he looked down on Liu Fuying and had come to find her only for his mother’s sake, the attitudes of the other Liu Family members disgusted him even more.

Liu Shiyuan had lost face and buried her head, unwilling to lift it, with only her sobs growing increasingly audible.

In the distance, the sound of hoofbeats approached.

It was Shen Xiunian’s subordinate.

“General, His Majesty has issued an edict.”

Once in the carriage, the subordinate explained the matter in detail to Shen Xiunian.

Early that morning, this subordinate had already come looking for Shen Xiunian, having informed him of the incident that had shaken the entire city—Pei Zhouwu’s murder. Little did they expect that this matter would fall upon the Shen Family, with Shen Xiunian tasked to investigate.

“General, His Majesty orders you to set out for Xiangshan immediately.”

“Is there more to the story?”

“It is said that when His Majesty heard the news this morning, he flew into a rage and initially intended to immediately issue an edict to throw Marquis Pei into the death row prison. It was the Empress who desperately pleaded, kneeling outside the hall to beg for mercy, saying that if the Marquis had rebellious intentions, he would have rebelled long ago. Why wait half a year, only to act just when the newly appointed head of the guards took office? The Empress even argued that if the Marquis truly harbored treacherous intentions, she would be willing to die with him.”

“So he wants me to investigate?”

“Perhaps His Majesty is concerned about the Crown Prince. During the court session, he sought the opinions of the ministers. Unexpectedly, just after the court adjourned, news arrived that someone had encountered a corpse being carried down from Xiangshan on the street in the morning. They saw a stick of incense fall from the body, picked it up, and upon smelling it, immediately felt dizzy and nearly collapsed on the street.”

“Incense for inducing unconsciousness?”

“Yes, exactly. This further supports the Empress’s claim that there is more to the story.”