Chapter 385: Shen Garden

Inside the bridal chamber, red candles burned high.

Duan Rong was already lying on the bed, fast asleep.

Xiao Yu sat to one side, using a cotton towel to wipe the fine sweat from his forehead.

She gripped the towel, staring blankly at Duan Rong, who was reeking of alcohol and sleeping in an unrefined manner.

The guests seemed to have all dispersed; outside, it was already quiet.

At this moment, Xiao Yu felt no sleepiness; her heart was overflowing with a certain kind of happiness.

This happiness was so real and so full that she thought she could be this happy for the rest of her life...

By the bedside, Xiao Yu thought of many past events.

The way she looked when she first met Duan Rong.

When her younger sister's funeral procession was leaving, the back of Duan Rong as he suddenly blocked her path in front of the city gate.

And also, when she was abducted by Wei Yutian, the blurry, warm silhouette in the dust-filled Secret Chamber...

Not until she heard the crowing of a rooster outside the window did Xiao Yu snap out of it; she got up to blow out the red candles and lay down beside Duan Rong, knowing that dawn was approaching, yet she slept very soundly.

After marriage, Xiao Yu became even more attentive, making various snacks and soups for Duan Rong.

Although she often failed, after doing it many times, Xiao Yu's culinary skills did improve somewhat.

Of course, regardless of whether it tasted good or was a disaster, Duan Rong would eat it all clean, and he always encouraged Xiao Yu, saying that she could grace the hall and manage the kitchen, and that even if one searched with a lantern, one could not find such a good wife.

As for the affairs of the Escort Agency, Duan Rong only asked about them occasionally; a month had passed, and Yang Zhen was already managing things in a proper manner.

In all things, employing the right people is the top priority.

If you use the right person, it is like pushing a boat with the current, and naturally, you will have a good situation. Once you use the wrong person, everything rots in one go, and it is too late to fix it.

In the half-month or so since the wedding, letters had come from Ximen Kankan and Shen Mizhi every few days, all asking the couple to go to Yuanyang Prefecture and Ruyang Prefecture to play.

Ximen Kankan wrote to Duan Rong. Shen Mizhi wrote to Xiao Yu. But neither of them had any intention of setting off, only replying that they would talk about it in a few days.

This day, Shen Mizhi sent another letter to Xiao Yu.

Inside the room, Xiao Yu held the letter and was reading it aloud to Duan Rong. In the letter, Shen Mizhi said how bored she had been these days, then poured out her grievances, begging Xiao Yu to come to her place for a few days.

After reading it, Xiao Yu looked at Duan Rong with a smile. "What do you think? This girl makes herself sound quite pitiful; shall we go or not?"

"This..." Duan Rong was hesitating when he suddenly heard a familiar voice outside, shouting for him.

That was Ximen Kankan's voice.

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Well, he's come knocking at the door."

The two got up and went out to greet him, and sure enough, they saw Ximen Kankan holding a horse whip, rushing in from outside.

As soon as Ximen Kankan saw the two, he first bowed respectfully to Xiao Yu, called her sister-in-law, then straightened up, pointed at Duan Rong, and shouted, "Duan Rong, what is going on with you? I've written you several letters; the three-month home leave is about to end, are you going or not? My father gave me a death order; if you don't go, I don't have to go back either."

"You figure it out. From now on, I'll eat at your house and stay at your house; I'm going to eat you, a little rich man, into poverty." As Ximen Kankan said this, he sat down on the nearby veranda and crossed his legs.

Ximen Kankan's comical appearance made them both laugh.

Duan Rong walked over and patted his leg. "Get up!"

Ximen Kankan said, "What for?"

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Your sister-in-law is stewing white fungus and lotus seed soup inside. Get up, and I'll get you a bowl to taste."

Ximen Kankan jumped up immediately. "Sister-in-law's stew? Then I must have a good taste!"

Inside the room, Xiao Yu took the amount that was originally one bowl, poured seventy percent of it into two small bowls, and served one to Duan Rong and one to Ximen Kankan.

Looking at the translucent white fungus and the milky-white lotus seeds, Ximen Kankan's eyes lit up instantly. "Looks pretty good!"

Duan Rong said, "Of course."

As Duan Rong said this, he had already started eating, eating with great relish.

Ximen Kankan didn't bother with a spoon either; he just lifted the bowl and poured a large mouthful into his mouth.

As soon as it entered his mouth, Ximen Kankan's expression changed; if Xiao Yu hadn't been standing right there, he would have spat it back into the bowl. He barely managed to swallow that large mouthful, and when he turned his head, he saw Duan Rong holding back laughter.

Ximen Kankan might have choked, as he kept coughing incessantly.

Duan Rong patted his back and said, "Slow down, it's fine. Tonight, I'll have your sister-in-law make you a few more dishes to welcome you!"

"Ah, there's more tonight!" Ximen Kankan's coughing stopped immediately.

Duan Rong smiled maliciously and said, "Of course there is! Since you've come, you have to taste your sister-in-law's cooking, right?"

"That's right, that's right! Must taste it," Ximen Kankan agreed repeatedly.

That evening, Xiao Yu made a table full of dishes for Ximen Kankan; this was the longest dinner Ximen Kankan had ever eaten in his life.

Duan Rong kept putting food into Ximen Kankan's bowl.

Every time he put food into Ximen Kankan's bowl, Ximen Kankan would glare at him.

Ximen Kankan looked dejectedly at the dishes already piled high in his bowl, and the moment he bit into a piece of dry, woody chicken, he felt like crying but had no tears! Honestly, he even had the urge to kill.

Early the next morning, Duan Rong and Xiao Yu took a carriage and went with Ximen Kankan to Yuanyang Prefecture.

In the carriage, there were also some gifts that Xiao Yu had instructed Zhu Xiaoqi to buy on the street yesterday.

Upon arriving in Yuanyang, they entered the Ximen Mansion. Ximen Yong received them very warmly.

Ximen Yong pulled Duan Rong along, speaking in such an intimate and enthusiastic manner, and calling him "worthy nephew" at every turn, which made Xiao Yu feel a bit dazed, as if they were truly relatives.

Duan Rong and Xiao Yu played in Yuanyang Prefecture for a full three days.

Ximen Kankan took them to visit all the famous places in Yuanyang Prefecture.

Ximen Kankan said, "Let me tell you, this Yuanyang Prefecture is only fun for the novelty; it's really not as flavorful as our Xiangu County."

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Don't be ungrateful. The Prefecture City is definitely better than our little broken county."

Ximen Kankan said, "Whether it's good or not, anyway, the home leave is almost over, and I'm not staying here for long."

Three days later, Duan Rong and Xiao Yu left Yuanyang Prefecture.

When they left, Ximen Yong gave them a grand gift. It was a complete set of pearl crowns and silk sashes.

When Xiao Yu opened the chest and saw this set of things, her eyes instantly turned red.

Originally, these were things parents should prepare for a daughter getting married, but when she married Duan Rong, both her parents had already passed away. Xiao Yu felt, firstly, that it was meaningless to prepare them for herself, and secondly, she felt they were too expensive, so she had saved the money. But she never expected that Ximen Yong would seem to see right through her heart and actually make up for this regret of hers.

Duan Rong saw that the items were valuable and did not understand the intention, wanting to refuse, but Xiao Yu had already pulled him along to bow and thank Ximen Yong.

Xiao Yu performed a squatting salute and said, "Uncle, this gift is as heavy as Mount Tai; my husband and I will keep it in our hearts."

Ximen Yong was also quite moved at this moment; he pulled Xiao Yu up and said, "Good, good. Get up. As long as you two are doing well, my heart will be happy."

Ximen Yong then held Duan Rong's hand and bid them a long farewell before standing there, watching until their carriage had gone far away.

In the carriage, Xiao Yu felt that Ximen Yong's affection for them was far beyond the norm, so she asked about the ins and outs of Duan Rong's interactions with the Ximen Family.

Duan Rong told Xiao Yu everything about his affairs with the Ximen Family from beginning to end, only omitting the part where he helped Ximen Kankan paint a Spring Palace Painting.

Duan Rong and Xiao Yu left Yuanyang Prefecture, but they were not on their way back; they were heading to Ruyang Prefecture to see Shen Mizhi.

On the day before they set out from Xiangu County, Xiao Yu had already written a letter to Shen Mizhi, telling her the date they expected to arrive in Ruyang Prefecture.

This day, Duan Rong and his party arrived outside the city of Ruyang Prefecture.

They discovered that Shen Mizhi had already been waiting for them in a pavilion outside the city for a long time.

Shen Mizhi rode her horse over and embraced Xiao Yu.

Shen Mizhi pulled Xiao Yu along, suddenly in a great mood, and like a chirping little bird, she talked incessantly.

Duan Rong could only rub his nose and follow behind the two of them.

The group walked to the front of a towering and magnificent courtyard gate; Duan Rong's heart stirred—the security of this residence was actually quite tight.

Those tall, large trees that rose well above the courtyard walls.

There were actually several of them with people hidden within their lush crowns.

Duan Rong chuckled silently to himself. "With Shen Yanliu being this cautious and guarded, I fear he hasn't made few enemies over these past three years!"

That evening, Shen Yanliu and Ma Chunmin hosted a sumptuous banquet to entertain Duan Rong and Xiao Yu.

Ma Chunmin's cold and bright eyes swept over Duan Rong from time to time; she truly had not expected that the little Escort from three years ago would transform so drastically and become an Inner Sect Disciple with such illustrious achievements.

The major Tainted Blood case in Xiangu County had naturally already spread throughout the nearby prefectures and counties. Ma Chunmin had also long since chatted about it with Shen Yanliu.

According to Shen Yanliu's account, Duan Rong's promotion to an Inner Sect Disciple was already a certainty.

To people in the secular world, an Inner Sect Disciple of a Sect was a high and lofty existence.

Ma Chunmin naturally did her utmost to curry favor, from time to time picking food and pouring wine for Duan Rong and Xiao Yu, accompanying them in conversation and laughter.

Throughout the banquet, Shen Yanliu kept addressing Duan Rong as "Lord," which made Shen Mizhi blush repeatedly, feeling quite embarrassed.

Seeing that the banquet was about to end, Shen Yanliu suddenly looked at Shen Mizhi and said, "Mizhi, tomorrow take your two friends to visit our manor outside the city. The scenery there is quite nice!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Mizhi's dim eyes finally brightened slightly; she looked at Xiao Yu and said, "Sister Xiao, I've been there once; the scenery is indeed nice. Tomorrow I will take you to look around."

Xiao Yu glanced at Duan Rong and smiled, "That would be lovely. This season is just right for a spring outing!"

That manor was located beside the Official Road, more than ten miles east of the city.

The manor was very large, with winding corridors and sheltered by cultivated bamboo; it was very quiet and secluded.

This manor was called Shen Garden, taking Shen Yanliu's surname to name it.

The group set out in the morning, one person per horse, chatting as they traveled, and it was already noon by the time they reached the manor.

The people in the manor had received orders the previous night and had already prepared a luncheon.

At the luncheon, most of the dishes were game and fresh fruits and vegetables; Duan Rong tasted some, and the flavors were not bad at all.

After lunch, they rested for a while.

Near this manor, there was a small hill, so Shen Mizhi took them to the hill for a spring outing and sightseeing; it was only when dusk arrived that they returned to the manor.

Just as they walked into the manor, they saw two small blue-cloth sedan chairs being carried by people, also entering the manor.

Watching those two small sedan chairs, they followed the corridor and headed deeper into the manor.

Duan Rong turned his head to look at Shen Mizhi and asked, "Who are the people in those sedan chairs?"

Shen Mizhi frowned, shook her head, and said, "I don't know."

Duan Rong said, "Let's go over and take a look."

Duan Rong turned his steps and headed in the direction of the two small sedan chairs. Shen Mizhi, also not knowing who was in the small sedan chairs, followed Duan Rong to take a look.

The group had just walked to a moon gate.

When someone suddenly flashed out and blocked them, saying in a deep voice, "Guests, this area cannot be toured."

Duan Rong frowned slightly; they had visited this place at noon, and at that time, no one had stopped them. How did it become a restricted area by dusk?

Shen Mizhi also had not expected this to happen; she stepped out from behind Duan Rong and asked with some indignation, "We just entered this inner garden at noon. Why can't we tour it now?"

The man saw Shen Mizhi, bowed, and said, "Young Lady! This is the Master's order. We are only acting on orders; I hope the Young Lady will not make things difficult for us."

Just then, Duan Rong had already seen that inside the courtyard gate, in front of the two small sedan chairs parked not far away, a maidservant had gone over to open the curtain, and two middle-aged men wearing official uniforms and black-winged hats stepped out of the chairs.

Judging by the rank of their official uniforms, those two were of the status of a County Magistrate.

Duan Rong suddenly said, "Since it is Master Shen's order, we shall not disturb you."

As Duan Rong spoke, he gave Xiao Yu a look, and Xiao Yu pulled Shen Mizhi along, and the group returned to the place where they had dined and rested.

When they returned, the evening banquet had already been prepared, but throughout the entire evening banquet, Shen Mizhi was dejected.

They had only been eating for a while when someone suddenly entered.

As soon as this person entered, Duan Rong's eyes suddenly brightened. This person was an old acquaintance.

It was the shop assistant from Guyue Studio in Xiangu County, Guan Kui.

Guan Kui entered, bowed to them, looked at Duan Rong, and said, "Lord, do you still remember this humble one?"

Duan Rong smiled and said, "You fellow, why are you here? Truly, the mountains don't turn but the water does; to think I'd meet you here."

Although Duan Rong said this, his heart was as clear as a mirror.

The fact that Tang Wanhong was Shen Yanliu's confidant, although it had always been quite secretive within Xiangu County, was something he had already known for a long time.

Shen Yanliu was promoted to Surveillance Commissioner of Ruyang Prefecture, so naturally, Tang Wanhong followed along.

This Guan Kui was a shop assistant who had followed Tang Wanhong for many years, so naturally, he also rose to prominence.

Guan Kui smiled and said, "My lord has a good memory to recognize this humble one at a glance. It is like this: knowing that my lord enjoys antiques, Manager Tang currently has a fine painting and would like to ask my lord to cast an eye over it. I wonder if my lord has the time to grace us with your presence?"

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong glanced at Guan Kui.

He saw that Guan Kui's demeanor was humble, as if he would not mind even if Duan Rong refused him at this moment.

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Since Manager Tang has invited me, how could I not go?"

After Duan Rong finished speaking, he turned his head to look at Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi, saying, "You two eat first; I will be back shortly."

Duan Rong stood up and followed Guan Kui out the door.

In the veranda, Guan Kui carried a lantern, walking in front to light the way for Duan Rong.

Guan Kui led Duan Rong to a moon gate.

Duan Rong's heart stirred; this place was the inner garden they were not allowed to enter before.

But this time, no one came out to stop him; he stepped through the gate and saw those two small blue-cloth sedan chairs, parked not far away under the cold moonlight.

Guan Kui said, "My lord, this way!"

Duan Rong turned his head and followed Guan Kui toward a side room.

As the two walked into the veranda, a black shadow suddenly sat on the railing; the person wore a felt hat that covered their face, held a black porcelain wine pot in their hand, and was leaning against a lacquered pillar, pouring wine into their mouth.

Seeing that person, Guan Kui said, "Who told you to drink here? Why don't you get lost? A drunken sot—I don't know why Manager Tang invited you here."

Upon hearing this, the person flipped their body and jumped out of the veranda.

Duan Rong's eyes brightened. What skill!

Out of curiosity, his Divine Sense was instantly released, sweeping over.

Under the penetration of his Divine Sense Envelopment, he immediately discerned the realm of those two people.

True Qi Realm Second Layer!

This garden truly was full of hidden talents!

Just at this moment, Duan Rong's expression suddenly changed slightly, and the muscles on his face could not help but twitch.

Under his Divine Sense Envelopment, he saw into the side room at the other end of the veranda.

On the floor of the room lay scattered discarded official robes, black-winged caps...

On the bed, a scene of spring splendor unfolded.

He saw a dark, thin middle-aged man lying on top of a fair, tender woman...

Inside the room, the sounds of whimpering lingered incessantly...

Duan Rong almost had a nosebleed.

(End of this chapter)