Chapter 60: One Wave Not Yet Settled

Su Chen thought so, then lowered his gaze to look at Xiao Jingyuan, who had set the ledger aside and was pressing his finger on the deed.

Seeing him stare at the deed with a grim expression, he furrowed his brow, also leaned in to look, and asked, "What's wrong?"

Where Xiao Jingyuan's cold, pale fingertip pressed, the ink had long dried; on the white paper with black characters was written an inconspicuous name: Shen Wei.

Su Chen paused, astonished, and said, "Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel Shen Wei—isn't that the Fourth Miss's second uncle?"

No wonder Xiao Jingyuan's face looked so grim.

This Drunken Cloud Pavilion actually has a "merit" entry for the Rongguo Duke's Manor!

Su Chen pondered a moment, then said, "I've met that Vice Minister Shen before; he's a regular at the Purple Dawn Pavilion, someone who easily befriends the powerful and behaves frivolously—perhaps he was coaxed into signing while drunk, and may not even know about the gambling house; this still needs careful investigation."

If it weren't clear what kind of person Shen Shuangning is, seeing her appear at the gambling house today, and now her second uncle's name on the profit-sharing deed, the Rongguo Duke's Manor would surely be dragged into this.

But this is also Su Chen's own opinion; he still doesn't know what the Young Master Xiao thinks.

Su Chen couldn't fathom Xiao Jingyuan's intention, and added, "Take a look—most of these officials are court appointees; aside from Song Zhang, you know several of them, their families are clean and they're upright... Huh? Xie Yan? How did the Yongning Marquis's Manor get involved too?"

Su Chen's tone shifted, and he said somewhat relieved, "That shows Sun Qianhu indeed concealed the gambling house matter, in order to drag more people into it."

Xie Yan is the elder half-brother of Xie Lintong, and also the eldest legitimate son of the Yongning Marquis.

Xiao Jingyuan could tell Su Chen's words were meant to exonerate the Rongguo Duke's Manor, yet he showed no emotion about it.

After slowly folding the deed and handing it over, he calmly instructed, "Spread the word about the gambling house; it's getting late today, and tomorrow please have these officials come one by one to the Guardian Bureau."

Su Chen put away the deed, his expression slightly relaxing.

It seems those words still worked; otherwise, following Xiao Jingyuan's swift and decisive style, everyone named on the deed would already have been arrested and taken to the Guardian Bureau.

Those officials care most about face, especially someone like Shen Wei; if they were just dragged off to the Guardian Bureau like that, they'd surely be furious enough to spit blood.

But whether Xiao Jingyuan is being lenient out of consideration for the Yongning Marquis's Manor or the Rongguo Duke's Manor is hard to say.

In short, Su Chen let out a breath; he least wanted to see Xiao Jingyuan and Shen Shuangning's relationship turn sour, after all, as the saying goes—when immortals clash, the little ones suffer.

Su Chen just followed behind Xiao Jingyuan, walking and walking, when the person ahead suddenly stopped without warning.

Su Chen didn't expect him to stop abruptly, nearly bumping into him, but he reacted quickly and stood still.

"What's wrong?"

Su Chen noticed Xiao Jingyuan turn his head to look toward the rockery, squinting his eyes; he thought the other had spotted an assassin, shivered suddenly, and became alert.

Though Su Chen knew no martial arts, his first reaction was to step in front of Xiao Jingyuan, assuming a protective stance to shield him.

But the next moment, Xiao Jingyuan withdrew his gaze.

Su Chen remained wary: "Is there an assassin?"

Xiao Jingyuan: "Nothing, just thinking about something."

Thinking of the scene when he first met Shen Shuangning at the rockery, the memory is quite lascivious, yet it still can't compare to the soul-stealing allure seen later in his dreams.

Su Chen also didn't know what he could think of just staring at those stones; he only saw him raise a hand to rub his brow, looking irritated yet helpless, indescribably complex.

Having followed this great Buddha for so long, Su Chen could somewhat read his expressions; on two or three occasions when the Young Master showed this look, it was always related to the Fourth Miss.

Su Chen rolled his eyes and said nothing.

Xiao Jingyuan ordered: "Move everything back to the Guardian Bureau, seal off the Drunken Cloud Pavilion, not even a fly may enter, and I'll go to the palace shortly."

Su Chen nodded in assent.

Shen Shuangning dreamed again of returning to the Drunken Cloud Pavilion.

She stumbled out of Zhai Ji's clutches, the cold wind blowing through the corridor unable to ease her inner heat, and her stubborn resolve faded at some point.

Later she crashed into a man's embrace, clutching his chest with both hands, like a person on the verge of death from thirst finally finding a clear spring.

That man was quite tall, just right to block the strip of moonlight coming in from outside the corridor; her slender figure was completely shrouded in his shadow, and she weakly lowered her head, her eyes seeing only the pair of shoes finely embroidered with silver thread.

"My lord......"

She actually called him that.

The man's body stiffened for an instant, then a large hand clamped around her throat!

Thus she was forced to lift her head and look at his face—

Xiao Jingyuan?!

It was as if a thunderclap exploded in her mind.

Shen Shuangning, on the verge of death from illness, bolted upright and fully woke.

Light from outside seeped in through the window lattice, and all around was quiet.

A Heng, who had been dozing outside the cubicle while propping her chin, heard the movement sharply, instantly woke, and hurriedly came in.

"Miss, you're awake." Saying this, she lifted the curtain, and saw Shen Shuangning pale-faced, still muttering to herself.

"How could this be? Impossible, it must be a nightmare......"

"Miss?" A Heng reached out to wipe the cold sweat from the miss's face.

As her fingertip touched her cheek, Shen Shuangning snapped back to awareness, turned her head to look at A Heng; her eyes held no sleepy haze, but were sharp, tinged with fine panic.

A Heng was startled by Shen Shuangning's gaze, hadn't even spoken when she seized her arm.

"A Heng, I ask you: before the Lantern Festival, when I went missing at the Drunken Cloud Pavilion, did you see the Young Master Xiao there?"

A Heng was about to answer "yes," but then suddenly recalled Young Master Xie's instructions—

"The Young Master Xiao finds it troublesome; from now on, no matter what your miss asks, you must not mention him."

So A Heng forced herself to change her answer, shaking her head and saying, "No."

Shen Shuangning trusted A Heng completely, and deep down didn't want to accept that answer, so she didn't press further, instead letting out a breath of relief.

She thought, perhaps she had returned to that unpleasant place and happened to run into Xiao Jingyuan again, making her uneasy.

What one dreams of isn't necessarily true.

Shen Shuangning let out a long sigh.

Only then did A Heng ask, "Miss, what nightmare did you have? Why did you suddenly bring up the Young Master Xiao?"

Shen Shuangning recalled the scene from her dream, her face instantly flushed, and she naturally couldn't tell her what she had dreamed of, so she changed the subject.

"When did you come back?"

"It is now the next day, the hour of Si, and the sun has just risen."

A Meng replied, "Not long after the young lady returned, I came back as well, around the third quarter of the Xu hour, that's right..."

A Meng took out the waist token she kept close to her person and said, "I've retrieved it."

It turned out A Meng had not been detained by Zhai Ji; he had merely lured her away, and A Meng had been chasing that thief, circling half the city, so angry she gave him a beating.

After returning, she found Drunken Cloud Pavilion already surrounded by the Investigating Bureau; asking Qing Feng revealed what had happened, learning that Shen Shuangning had already returned to the manor, she hurried back and only then realized she had walked into a trap.

"It's all my fault; A Meng will never leave the young lady's side again." A Meng grasped Shen Shuangning's hand, her face full of guilt.

Shen Shuangning lightly patted the back of her hand, saying, "How could I blame you? Don't talk nonsense; it was I who sent you."

A Meng pressed her lips together, wearing a grim expression.

At that moment, A Zhao entered carrying the morning meal.

After putting away the waist token, Shen Shuangning got up, dressed and washed, filled her stomach, and gradually recovered her vigor.

The room held no one else, and A Zhao and A Meng sat down to keep her company while she ate.

A Zhao watched Shen Shuangning sip her pumpkin porridge spoonful by spoonful, and uncontrollably recalled the scene of Young Master Pei secretly kissing the young lady, her small face flushing red.

A Meng noticed her change, didn't think much of it, and asked suspiciously, "Little Zhao, why is your face red?"

A Zhao startled, immediately raised a hand to touch her own face, out of the corner of her eye saw the young lady also looking at her, so she pretended to be hot, fanned herself with her hand, and turned her back.

A Meng said, "Is it really that hot? The weather is quite cool."

A Zhao wanted to cover her mouth.

Shen Shuangning didn't say anything, her mind preoccupied with other matters.

Before, she had constantly feared that Zhai Ji would recognize her, to the point that upon seeing him she would be anxious; now that he had recognized her, she instead felt somewhat relieved.

However, yesterday's events alerted her and strengthened her resolve to adopt Pei Zhi's method.

"A Zhao, in a moment deliver the visiting card to the Dukedom of the Nation's Manor; I wish to see Young Master Pei."

"By the way, also go to express thanks."

A Zhao was hesitating whether to tell the young lady what she had seen yesterday, when she heard the young lady mention Young Master Pei, and couldn't help but her expression changed.

Shen Shuangning also finally noticed that the usually steady A Zhao seemed off.

"What's wrong with you today, distracted?"

A Zhao bit her lip; whenever she thought of her negligence that had allowed the young lady to be taken advantage of, tears welled up uncontrollably.

Both Shen Shuangning and A Meng were startled by her sudden tears.

A Meng hurriedly rose and went over to comfort her, while Shen Shuangning also showed concern, causing A Zhao to cry even harder.

She was mute, not knowing how to tell the young lady, gesturing with both hands for a long time, yet the two people before her still failed to understand her meaning.

In the end, Shen Shuangning could only conclude that A Zhao had been frightened by yesterday's events and had not yet recovered.

"All right, it's fine now; in a moment you'll come with me to the Dukedom of the Nation's Manor."

A Zhao's expression tightened, and she nodded with hiccuping sobs.

She must follow and keep watch, absolutely cannot let that rascal take advantage of the young lady again!

As Shen Shuangning walked out of the Orchid Garden, she only then noticed that the Dukedom's Manor was unusually quiet today; asking the servants, she learned her mother was not in the manor.

Her brows furrowed slightly, a faint sense of unease stirring.

On the way she encountered Second Madam, seeing her uneasy expression, she stepped forward and softly called out.

"Second Aunt."

Lady Yu heard the voice, turned her gaze, saw it was her, stared for a moment, then forced a smile: "It's Ningning, where are you headed?"

Shen Shuangning did not conceal her purpose, replying, "I'm going to the Dukedom of the Nation's Manor. Second Aunt, do you know where my mother went?"

Lady Yu's eyes flickered, her fingers clenched the silk handkerchief, after thinking she saw no need to conceal, and said, "Your Second Uncle was summoned early this morning to the Investigating Bureau; your mother went in his stead."

Lady Yu did not tell her that Madam Shen had gone to Prince Yan's Mansion to seek the Princess Consort.

Upon hearing this, Shen Shuangning's expression shifted slightly: "How could the Investigating Bureau come after my Second Uncle?"

Lady Yu wore an expression of extreme regret: "It's Drunken Cloud Pavilion."

"A gambling house? How did my Second Uncle become involved in this?"

No wonder my mother and elder brother are not in the manor.

At this point Shen Shuangning had not yet realized how serious the matter was, after all, under the laws of the Great Liang, running an underground gambling house is not a capital offense.

Lady Yu said, "Your Second Uncle was deceived by a man surnamed Sun, secretly signing Drunken Cloud Pavilion's profit-sharing contract without my knowledge; who would have thought that Drunken Cloud Pavilion not only housed a gambling den but was also found by the Investigating Bureau to contain a pile of gunpowder! Sun Zhaoping committed suicide out of fear of guilt, the Sun clan's hundreds of members were all imprisoned, charged with rebellion, and await execution of the entire clan."

Lady Yu's eyes were full of panic, unable to avoid contemplating the worst outcome.

"Your Second Uncle only dared to tell me of this this morning, and then was taken away by the Investigating Bureau!"

"The Investigating Bureau surely obtained the contract, which is why they came knocking; Sun Zhaoping's offense is grave rebellion! If they deem your Second Uncle an accomplice holding that contract, even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn't wash him clean."

What can we do?