Chapter 58

Yuan Ye hid behind the crowd, finding her recent smile exceptionally jarring.

He had left Yan Prince Manor and been in Anle County for several days now.

During this time, he had been staying at an inn, occasionally sending his subordinates out to gather information.

The people of Anle County had a very good opinion of Shen Ji and his wife. The County Magistrate was incorruptible and loved the people, having accomplished many practical things. His wife was gentle, virtuous, and kind-natured. In the mouths of the public, they were like a celestial couple.

Auntie Yang, from next door to the inn, worked as a kitchen helper in the County Yamen Back Residence. When she mentioned Shen Ji’s wife, her praise was endless.

“…You don’t know, the Madam is especially amiable and generous. See these clothes I’m wearing? The Madam gave them to me. And these boots, the Madam gave them to me too. The Madam said I’ll get them every season from now on, at least two sets.”

The crowd was filled with envy. “You’re truly fortunate.”

“Of course.” Auntie Yang was quite proud. Although being a kitchen helper wasn’t easy, the job was close to home, offered a few days off each month, paid well, and was a respectable position to speak of.

She had been lucky to find such a job.

As she was speaking, a pale-faced man suddenly spoke up and asked, “Is she happy every day?”

The question was so abrupt that Auntie Yang froze for a moment. “Who? Are you talking about the Madam? Happy, of course she’s happy. Why wouldn’t she be?”

The man let out a heavy, cold snort, then flicked his sleeve and turned to enter the inn.

Auntie Yang just thought the man was utterly baffling.

Yuan Ye returned to his room, his gaze darkening as the image of Su Zhenyue lifting the carriage curtain, a coquettish pout on her smiling face, appeared before his eyes.

A beauty’s faint smile, her eyes full of light.

It was clearly the exact same face, yet it was completely different from the one in his dreams.

A voice suddenly rose from the bottom of his heart: On what grounds? On what grounds was he tormented by dreams night after night, while she got to live happily with another man?

He hadn’t even gotten his revenge on her yet, so what right did she have to be happy?

No, that’s not right. She shouldn’t be by anyone else’s side.

Whether she was crying or laughing, the person she looked at should be him.

She was his to begin with. It was just that something had gone wrong somewhere.

Then he would just have to snatch her back, so she couldn’t go anywhere.

This voice in his heart grew louder and louder. Yuan Ye’s spirits lifted, and he felt the blood in his veins begin to boil.

That’s right, he could take her back.

In the dream, they had been husband and wife for nearly three years before she killed him in retaliation.

No matter how he took revenge on her next, it would be a matter between husband and wife.

But getting close to Su Zhenyue was not easy.

The Anle County Yamen Back Residence was heavily guarded, with yamen runners at the front and personal guards at the back. It was impossible for an ordinary person to sneak into the inner residence.

Yuan Ye ordered his men to keep watch outside the County Yamen Back Residence, but he could never find a suitable opportunity.

Su Zhenyue rarely went out. When she did, she was always accompanied by personal guards. Those guards were from the Yan Prince Manor and were highly skilled in martial arts. Yuan Ye was not confident he could snatch her directly from their hands.

All he could do was wait patiently for the right moment.

An opportunity would eventually arise.

Yuan Ye waited patiently, day after day, until the twelfth lunar month.

On this day, Su Zhenyue went out to the largest cloth shop in the county.

—Having learned her lesson from the last time with the winter clothes, she intended to prepare everyone’s New Year outfits and spring attire for the coming year well in advance.

As usual, she took personal guards with her when she went out.

Upon arriving at the cloth shop, Su Zhenyue was slightly surprised.

It turned out that with the end of the year approaching, many people were planning to buy fabric for new clothes. The shop was currently filled with seven or eight customers, making it a bit crowded.

Seeing the crowd, Su Zhenyue didn’t have her personal guards come in, telling them to wait outside.

She lowered her head to select fabrics. Other customers came in during this time, but she paid them no mind.

It wasn’t until she vaguely sensed a cold, cloying gaze fixed on her that Su Zhenyue subconsciously looked back. When she saw the person’s face clearly, her pupils abruptly shrank.

It was Yuan Ye.

What was he doing here?

In the carriage that day, Su Zhenyue had faintly thought she saw Yuan Ye, but when she looked again, he was gone. More than a month had passed, and life had been peaceful; she had almost forgotten about the incident.

Unexpectedly, she had run into him again in this place.

Su Zhenyue was secretly alarmed and subconsciously tightened her grip on Nanxing’s hand.

“Miss, what’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Su Zhenyue waved her hand. “I think I feel a little unwell. I’d like to go back early.”

Nanxing didn’t suspect a thing and nodded. “Alright, let’s head back for today and come back to choose another day.”

The two turned to leave, but after just a few steps, someone bumped into them head-on.

Nanxing couldn’t help but frown. Why doesn’t this person watch where he’s going?

But the man had already spoken. “No wonder you looked familiar. It turns out to be Madam Shen.”

The words “Madam Shen” helped Su Zhenyue calm down a little.

That’s right, she was married now and had no connection to Yuan Ye.

There was no need to be afraid of him.

But she was still astonished. At the Yan Prince Manor, she had hidden in the crowd, and the two of them had never interacted face-to-face. How did he recognize her?

Su Zhenyue feigned confusion. “And you are?”

“Madam may have forgotten, but we met at the Yan Prince Manor. My surname is Yuan.” Yuan Ye’s gaze swept past a small mole by Su Zhenyue’s ear and lingered for a moment on Nanxing.

So this was the maid for whom she was willing to risk her own life to kill him for revenge.

Was this maid really that important to her?

Su Zhenyue smiled faintly. “So it is Young Master Yuan. I have an urgent matter to attend to, so I must take my leave. Please, make yourself at home.”

Then, with a slight nod, she and Nanxing quickly departed.

However, after just a few steps, she heard Yuan Ye call out softly behind her, “Yue’er.”

Nanxing frowned, secretly finding the man exceedingly rude.

Could it be that when Miss went to the Yan Prince Manor for the birthday celebration, she encountered a scoundrel?

But Su Zhenyue’s heart leaped in shock, and a shiver ran down her spine. She felt a chill seep out, instantly spreading to her limbs.

This was what Yuan Ye had called her in the dream after they were married. Most of the time, he called her “Mistress Su.” But when he wanted to torture her, he would call her “Yue’er” with an unsettling intimacy.

Why did he suddenly call her that?

His recognizing her had already shocked her, but this “Yue’er” made her tremble with fear.

Su Zhenyue’s heart pounded, but she did nothing. She pretended not to have heard and, pulling Nanxing along, quickly left the place.

Yuan Ye’s face was grim as he discreetly made a hand signal.

There was a large bronze mirror in the cloth shop, convenient for customers to see how fabrics looked on them.

It was also Su Zhenyue’s good fortune that, in her haste, the corner of her eye caught a clear glimpse in the bronze mirror of Yuan Ye’s gesture and what followed.

In the blink of an eye, two men suddenly darted out from behind Yuan Ye, holding handkerchiefs and aiming to cover Su Zhenyue’s mouth and nose.

The handkerchiefs were coated with a potent narcotic. Once pressed over a person’s mouth and nose, a single breath would cause them to fall unconscious without a sound.

The only drawback was the peculiar smell.

In an instant, the handkerchiefs were right in front of her. At the same time, a strange odor reached her nose. Su Zhenyue instinctively twisted her body to the side, narrowly dodging them.

Unexpectedly, after failing once, the two men lunged at her again. Without time to think, she flicked her right hand, and the sleeve arrows on her wrist shot out in succession.

The distance was short, the shots accurate.

Caught off guard, the two men were hit and their steps halted.

Su Zhenyue grabbed Nanxing and ran for the shop’s exit, shouting, “Help! Help!”

Just then, three customers entered the shop, conveniently separating them from the assailants.

Su Zhenyue ran out as fast as she ever had in her life. The moment she was out of the cloth shop, she saw the personal guards waiting outside.

“Madam?”

Seeing them, Su Zhenyue’s eyes lit up, and her heart settled slightly. She took a deep breath and pointed back at the shop. “Inside, there are people inside with ill intentions.”

The guards’ expressions turned grave. “Be careful, Madam. We’ll go take a look!”

Su Zhenyue had brought four personal guards with her today.

Immediately, two stayed to guard her and Nanxing, while the other two quickly entered the cloth shop.

By now, the shop was in chaos. Customers were panicking, their screams filling the air, but there was no sign of Yuan Ye or his two men.

The shop assistant, trembling, pointed towards the back door.

The two guards exchanged a look. Fearing it was a ruse to lure them away, they didn’t dare to give chase. They hurriedly returned to escort Su Zhenyue back to the County Yamen Back Residence first.

Sitting in the carriage, Su Zhenyue’s face was pale, and her body was still trembling uncontrollably.

“Miss?” Seeing her like this, Nanxing was both frightened and worried.

Su Zhenyue grasped her hand, feeling both thankful for her high alert and good luck today, and secretly suspicious: What is going on with Yuan Ye?

The two of them had never had any dealings in this life. Why would he send people after her?

And why did he call her that?

Could it be that he also…

No, impossible. How could such a bizarre experience be something everyone could have? Besides, a man like Yuan Ye, so fierce and violent, shouldn’t be the one to have it, of all people.

Despite comforting herself this way, Su Zhenyue couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread.

She couldn’t help but think, what if? What if Yuan Ye was really like her? What should she do then?

In the dream, Su Zhenyue had been tormented by Yuan Ye for a long time. After Nanxing’s death, she had accidentally learned of Yuan Ye’s fatal weakness. With the intention of taking him down with her, she used that weakness to successfully eliminate him.

If he was truly like her, it was highly likely he would seek revenge.

Of course, it was also possible she was overthinking it, and he had other reasons. But no matter what, this was not a good thing for her.

Seeing her pale face, Nanxing was inevitably worried but didn’t know how to comfort her. She could only soothe her in a gentle voice, “Don’t be afraid, Miss.”

“I’m not afraid.” Su Zhenyue squeezed her hand tightly, telling her and also telling herself, “I’m married now, and I have many personal guards with me. I’m not afraid of them.”

Nanxing wrapped her arms around her, patting her back comfortingly.

Listening to her heartbeat, Su Zhenyue’s emotions steadied slightly.

About another quarter of an hour later, the carriage returned to the County Yamen Back Residence.

Shen Ji had not yet returned from his trip out of the county seat.

Su Zhenyue drank a cup of hot tea, her heart calming a little. She secretly pondered that she should tell Shen Ji about today’s events. But how could she bring up the entanglements involved?

— — — — — —

After hastily leaving the cloth shop, Yuan Ye was secretly resentful, his face unsightly.

Today’s failure was truly beyond his expectations.

In his dream, that woman was beautiful and fragile, with no ability to protect herself. He thought it would be effortless to drug her and take her away.

He never expected her to have arrows hidden in her sleeves and be so vigilant.

Could it be that she wasn’t the person from the dream?

No, she had to be. Even the small mole by her ear matched, not to mention the maid named Nanxing.

There were no such coincidences in the world. And it was impossible for him to have imagined a person out of thin air.

“Young Master, what should we do?” a subordinate asked, clutching his wound.

Yuan Ye was also thinking about what to do.

She rarely went out, so this had been a rare opportunity, but unfortunately, he had failed to seize it.

Worse, he had revealed his identity to her today, which was tantamount to alerting the enemy. Moreover, her current husband was the County Magistrate here, with yamen runners and Yan Wang Manor Guards under his command.

If she told her husband about this, not only would it be much harder for Yuan Ye to succeed in the future, but he would likely face considerable trouble.

—If he had known, he wouldn’t have shown his face today. It was because he couldn’t hold back, and he had been too arrogant.

Wait, since it was difficult to get to her, why not target someone else?

Wouldn’t killing her husband work just as well?

Without her husband, she would be helpless and alone, wouldn’t she be his to mold as he pleased?

Yuan Ye was extremely excited, feeling as if he had found a new direction.

That’s right, how could he have forgotten that?

He knew that Shen Ji had gone out of the county seat today. Wouldn’t it be more convenient and faster to eliminate him before he returned?

In any case, a person like Shen Ji shouldn’t have been alive in the first place.

He was just returning everything to its original state.

— — — — — —

During his tenure as County Magistrate, Shen Ji often went out of the county seat for visits.

Anle County had many towns and villages under its jurisdiction. He couldn’t just sit high in his office all the time; he had to go out and understand the local people firsthand.

When he first arrived in Anle County, Shen Ji would take several personal guards with him every time he left the county seat. After a while, he started taking only two or three, leaving the rest to guard the back residence.

—He was confident in his martial arts skills and unafraid of common thugs.

On this day, Shen Ji took his men to the countryside and only started heading back at sunset.

However, as the group rode back towards the county seat, they were suddenly ambushed halfway.

With a soft swish, several crossbow bolts cut through the air, aimed directly at the fine horses beneath them.

The horses, injured and in pain, bolted madly.

At that moment, assassins who had been lying in wait on both sides of the road rushed out.

Shen Ji’s heart tightened. The first thought that came to his mind was: Could it be the Crown Prince striking again?

He hadn’t brought many men, but each one was an expert. The group reacted swiftly and acted decisively, immediately dismounting to engage the enemy. Facing more than twenty opponents, they didn’t fall behind for a time.

Shen Ji himself, relying on the advantage of his sleeve arrows, took down several men in a row.

In the midst of the fight, one of his personal guards even caught an opponent off guard and slashed off his mask with a single strike.

By now, dusk was settling, but Shen Ji still recognized the man’s face at a glance. His pupils instantly constricted.

He recognized this person. At the Royal Grand Concubine’s birthday banquet, this man had stood behind Yuan Ye. He was one of Yuan Ye’s trusted bodyguards.

It was Yuan Ye?!

Not the Crown Prince?!

Shen Ji swung his sword and shouted, “Did Yuan Ye send you?”

The man didn’t answer, simply raising his blade to strike.

Shen Ji asked again, “Why?”

The man only gritted his teeth and replied, “What’s with all the nonsense? You should have died long ago.”

Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves thundered like rolling drums, approaching from a distance.

It turned out to be several personal guards coming from the county seat to meet them.

—Su Zhenyue had encountered trouble today and felt uneasy. After leaving a few men to protect herself, she had sent others out of the county seat to find Shen Ji. As luck would have it, they stumbled upon this very scene.

With reinforcements, Shen Ji’s side gained a huge boost in confidence.

Seeing that the situation had turned against them, the assassins hastily fled.

It was getting dark, and several personal guards immediately gave chase.

The others were about to follow when Shen Ji quickly stopped them. “Don’t chase. Let’s take these few back first.”

He was referring to the assassins who were injured and unable to escape.

“Did Yuan Ye send you?”

The captured assassins remained silent.

It was already late, and since the men wouldn’t talk, Shen Ji didn’t have the patience for a detailed interrogation. He decided to take them back and question them slowly.

Drawing on his experience from the villa in the capital’s suburbs last year, he had his men disarm them, dislocate their jaws, and gag them to prevent them from committing suicide.

After handling all this, Shen Ji asked the personal guards who had come to meet him, “Why did you suddenly come out of the county seat?”

“The Madam sent us.”

Shen Ji was slightly surprised. “The Madam?”

Whenever he went out of the county seat, Mianmian never interfered. Why would she suddenly send people to meet him today?

“The Madam ran into a bit of trouble when she went out today…” Glancing at Shen Ji’s expression, the personal guard added, “But don’t worry, Madam is fine, just a little frightened.”

Shen Ji let out a soft “en,” but how could he not worry? He urged his horse onward, hurrying back even more anxiously.

After returning to the county seat and hastily dealing with the aftermath of the attack, he rushed home without stopping.

By the time he returned to the Anle County Yamen Back Residence, the sky was already dark.

The moment Shen Ji stepped into the manor, he heard his wife’s voice:

“Cousin!”

Her voice was clear and melodious, tinged with surprise and unease.

Immediately after, a soft body threw itself into his arms.

Shen Ji wrapped his arms around her gently. “Today, you…”

He had only managed to say three words when Su Zhenyue let out a low cry. “Cousin, you—you’re injured?”

The moment she got close, she had smelled the scent of blood on him. Now she quickly pulled away from his embrace to examine him closely.

“It’s nothing, it’s someone else’s blood,” Shen Ji answered simply. “I was ambushed on the way back.”

Su Zhenyue breathed a sigh of relief, then asked worriedly, “Ambushed? Who was it?”

Did the Crown Prince send assassins again? Or…

Not wanting to worry her, Shen Ji didn’t answer. Instead, he asked about her situation. “I heard you also ran into some trouble today?”

Su Zhenyue’s face turned pale. She hesitated and said, “Let’s talk in our room.”