Union

Chapter 153 Green
At the residence of the Vice Minister of Rites, I bid farewell to my senior brother and his wife, who had repeatedly seen me off. I also escorted another senior brother to his residence.

After declining his senior's offer to stay for dinner, Chen Yanzhou sat back in the carriage, his expression remaining calm and composed, showing no sign of agitation or worry.

It wasn't until he entered the Rongguo Duke's mansion and his own courtyard that Chen Yanzhou's expression turned completely cold.

Once he entered the study and sat in the armchair, Chen Yanzhou's expression had returned to calm, but in an eerie way.

He looked at Sui Yu and said, "Tell me, what exactly did you discover?"

"Your subordinate has discovered, discovered..."

He discovered that their second master had been cuckolded!
Not only has he been cheated on, he might even become a father unexpectedly!

Of course, Sui Yu didn't say those words out loud right away.

He was afraid that those two sentences would send the Second Master away.

After the rain subsided, Sui Yu recounted what had happened after listening to the arrangements made yesterday and visiting the Tingchan Temple.

He intentionally laid out some groundwork to give Second Master some time to prepare. Second Master was probably also preparing himself mentally, and didn't let him ramble on, getting straight to the point.

So, Suiyu explained the situation in detail, following the timeline.

After receiving his orders yesterday, he led his men out of the city and went to Tingchan Temple, where Lin Shuqing usually went to pray to the gods.

Because Tingchan Temple was mainly used by royal relatives and nobles for worship, it was heavily guarded. It took them quite a bit of effort to sneak in.

Once inside, things became much easier. Sui Yu had previously accompanied the Second Master in escorting the Duchess here, so he was familiar with the layout and led the group directly towards the guest courtyard.

For example, a large temple like Tingchan Temple occupies a vast area, so it naturally has many guest rooms.

In addition, given that the Rongguo Duke's family was a distinguished family, there was naturally a special guest courtyard at Tingchan Temple to accommodate the women of the household.

Sui Yu and his men went into hiding with almost no effort.

But then she considered that if Lin Shi really had something wrong, those filth incidents shouldn't have occurred in this guest courtyard. After all, Lin Shi would definitely bring many maids and servants with her when she traveled, and if anyone lived in the same courtyard, nothing would escape their notice.

As soon as the rain started to stir, he immediately ordered his men to disperse and hide in the other uninhabited courtyards.

Lin Shuqing hadn't arrived that night, so naturally nothing happened. Inside and outside the temple, all was calm, save for the howling wind blowing fiercely in the dark night.

Lin Shuqing arrived yesterday morning, and the incident began just before nightfall.

Sui Yu had assumed the day would pass peacefully and was even preparing to arrange for a shift change. Unexpectedly, at that moment, a slight noise came from the mountain gate; a messenger had arrived under the cover of night.

The visitor didn't intend to disturb anyone, and even waved his hand to refuse when the young novice monk offered to lead the way. Afterwards, he settled down in an empty courtyard not far away.

Not long after these people arrived, Lin Shuqing started demanding a late-night snack. When the prepared bird's nest porridge and shredded chicken porridge were served, she threw a tantrum and refused to eat them, ordering the maids to take them away and share them.

The maids and servants were all overjoyed to be able to eat their mistress's share. Lin Shuqing sent them away to eat, and then took off her clothes, pretending to go to bed.

The maids dared not disturb her, so they quickly helped her to rest and then took the food that their mistress did not want to eat back to her room.

Then, in less than half an hour, everyone in the courtyard fell into a deep sleep.

Sui Yu's heart, which had been pounding not long ago, tightened even further upon seeing this scene.

As she expected, Lin Shuqing's monthly visits to the Zen temple to hear the temple's secrets would soon be exposed to him.

But this is unlikely to be a good thing.

Sui Yu grieved for her master, yet there was nothing she could do. She could only follow Lin Shuqing like a ghost, trying to see clearly which one didn't want to live…

However, he could only follow for about ten meters before he couldn't keep up, because he sensed that there were other people watching him from the sidelines.

If he hadn't been highly vigilant and hadn't anticipated that Lin Shuqing, if she truly had a illicit affair and hadn't kept it hidden for so long, must be someone no ordinary person, and hadn't been extremely cautious, he would have been caught red-handed if he had made even the slightest mistake.

Having discovered someone lurking in the shadows, Sui Yu became even more alert. He fell further behind, now at least thirty to fifty meters away from Lin Shuqing.

Fortunately, Lin Shuqing didn't walk far before she arrived at the courtyard where someone had just settled down. And the person she was looking for seemed to be waiting for her in the courtyard.

The two had barely met when they made some noises. Then, after confirming a certain piece of information, Sui Yu was so angry that she almost ground her teeth to powder.

It's one thing to guess that Lin Shuqing is inappropriate, but it's another thing if she really is inappropriate and has really cuckolded her master!
Sui Yu really wanted to rush forward regardless of everything and tear that adulterous couple to shreds.

Fortunately, reason calmed him down, and he listened intently to what was happening on the other side.

They seemed to be about to make a scene, but then suddenly froze because of Lin Shuqing's words.

Lin Shuqing's shrill voice rang out especially loudly in the darkness, "No, I might be pregnant..."

That one sentence stunned Sui Yu into oblivion; he didn't even hear what the adulterous couple behind him were saying.

His ears were ringing, and his mind was blank. He vaguely felt that he had heard Lin Shuqing and the others' conversation afterward, but it was as if he hadn't heard anything at all.

As it turned out, Sui Yu did indeed hear it.

It was quite a coincidence that he had arranged for someone to hide in the courtyard where Lin Shuqing's godfather lived.

Perhaps they hadn't expected that people would hide in this empty courtyard, or perhaps they hadn't anticipated that even those who frequently walk by the river would eventually get their shoes wet. Those people never thought they would be exposed; they were simply conducting a routine inspection of the house, and finding nothing amiss, they left. Thus, the people Sui Yu had arranged stayed behind.

Afterwards, the man, with a dark face, told Sui Yu the second half of what she thought she had missed. It was also from that man that Sui Yu learned who the woman who was having an affair with Lin Shuqing really was.

Sui Yu dared not reveal the person's name, but secretly glanced at her second master's expression.

Second Master's expression was very calm, as if he wasn't the one whose wife had cheated on him.

Second Master even picked up the hot water that Lei Ting had just brought up and brewed himself a pot of tea.

After taking a small sip, the Second Master put down his teacup, his voice calm and even, "That person was the Second Prince, wasn't he?"

Sui Yu suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with astonishment, as if asking: Second Master, how did you guess this?
As for how Second Master guessed it, the answer isn't difficult. On the night of the Lantern Festival, he rescued Lin Shuqing from drowning. At the time, he was so focused on saving her that he didn't have time to see who was on the shore. However, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a tall, handsome man in brocade robes standing by the weeping willows on the shore.

Upon reflection, the man's appearance was quite similar to that of the Second Prince.

However, that section of the river was dimly lit, and the man had deliberately stood in the shadows, so Chen Yanzhou couldn't see his face clearly, and he never thought about it again.

It has been confirmed once again that Lin Shuqing had a relationship with the Second Prince after he was demoted to Yungui County as an official.

One day, she received a fast letter from someone in the capital. The letter was brief, only instructing her on one thing: she had inadvertently stumbled upon an old woman who worked for Lin Shuqing and delivered mail to a cloth shop every month. As soon as the old woman left, the shop's clerk would have to rush to the Second Prince's residence.

It was purely coincidental that the people in the capital stumbled upon this matter. They initially thought it was a spy sent by some mansion, and even considered digging deeper, hoping it might come in handy for their master in the future. But who could have imagined that their digging would lead them to their own master?

When that letter was written to Chen Yanzhou, the person left in the capital was sweating bullets. He was terrified of uncovering such a shameful affair and being punished by his master; but if he didn't speak up, he would be betraying his conscience.

Regardless of how the person in charge was, Chen Yanzhou's expression changed drastically upon receiving the letter.

He suddenly realized that the Second Prince must have been standing by the river when he saved Lin Shuqing. But for some reason, the Second Prince did not help Lin Shuqing when she fell into the water, nor did he object or stop the marriage agreement between the Rongguo Duke's Mansion and the Chang'an Marquis's Mansion.

Chen Yanzhou naturally didn't know how the Second Prince had considered things. It was an undeniable fact that Lin Shuqing and the Second Prince had once been mutually in love, and that they had even maintained a connection after their marriage.

Chen Yanzhou guessed that Lin Shuqing would secretly meet with the Second Prince, but he did not expect that they would be so bold as to commit such a shameful act, right under the noses of many Buddhas in Tingchan Temple!
A storm brewed in Chen Yanzhou's eyes, and for a moment, his phoenix eyes shot out a cold, piercing light. But only for a moment, and then he completely concealed that coldness.

Looking at Sui Yu again, Chen Yanzhou's expression seemed calmer.

He said, "Tell me about Lin Shuqing's pregnancy."

"This..." Sui Yu scratched his head, unsure how to answer.

He stammered, "I heard it's because I haven't had my period for two months, and I've been feeling nauseous mornings and evenings these past few days..."

"Don't leave anything unsaid. Just say what you mean. You're not the one having the affair, so why are you hiding it from me?"

Seeing that the Second Prince still had the energy to curse, Sui Yu realized he wasn't completely out of his mind. He immediately raised his head, his voice becoming more spirited. "Well, I don't know much either. I've only overheard a few things. Lin Shuqing originally wanted to talk more with the Second Prince, but then she heard a young novice monk from the temple trying to curry favor with him, bringing him food and hot water. Coincidentally, a maid in Lin Shuqing's courtyard, who was unlucky enough to have her bird's nest soup and chicken porridge laced with drugs, got up in the middle of the night and saw that Lin Shuqing's door had been blown open by the wind, while the night watchwoman was asleep. She went to close the door, but when she looked inside, she found that Lin Shuqing wasn't there, so she started making a fuss. After a while, everyone in the courtyard was sleeping like logs, and it took a lot of pinching to wake her up. Because of this, Lin Shuqing had no choice but to hurry back."

After this incident, the fact that everyone in the courtyard had drunk the poisoned bird's nest soup and chicken porridge could no longer be kept secret. Now everyone in the courtyard is on edge and wants to find the culprit as soon as possible.

He figured that with these people watching over them, the Second Prince and Lin Shuqing would definitely not have a chance to meet secretly. In addition, he also wanted to tell the Second Master the news as soon as possible, so he left a few people there and went down the mountain himself.

After saying this, Sui Yu shut her mouth tightly and dared not speak again.

But he waited for a long time and still didn't hear the Second Master speak.

This isn't right.

If any man is cheated on by his wife, he might not beat her into a split, but he'll at least teach the adulterer a lesson.

Don't say that the Second Prince is a member of the imperial family and that ordinary people like them can't afford to offend him.

Second Master doesn't belong to the category of ordinary people.

He was also very cunning and calculating; dealing with the Second Prince was a piece of cake for him.

But then again, how should we deal with the Second Prince?

And Lin Shuqing...

These two people got away with their carefree lives, but they've stirred up such a huge mess. We need to deal with them, but we also need to cover this up properly, otherwise not only will our Second Master lose face, but the entire Duke's mansion will be tarnished.

Sui Yu wanted to ask the Second Master what his plans were, but to his surprise, when the Second Master spoke again, he directly told him, "Go back and rest."

Sui Yu thought he was hallucinating. He picked at his ears and asked, "Second Master, what do you want me to do?"

"I'm not hallucinating. I told you to go rest. Alright, hurry up and get out of my way."

This time, Sui Yu heard clearly and didn't dare to get in the way of Second Master anymore.

He stepped out of the room in a few quick steps, closed the study door behind him, and walked into the courtyard.

Lei Ting was guarding the side of the courtyard closest to the study.

Being so close, Lei Ting could hear everything that was said inside.

Even though Lei Ting was usually stern and had a deadpan expression, he couldn't help but show a look of shock and confusion on his face at this moment.

Lei Ting was still in shock when Sui Yu walked past him.

When Suiyu waved to him, Leiting finally snapped out of his shock. But when he opened his mouth, he couldn't utter a single word.

Sui Yu didn't dare to speak and disturb the Second Master, only whispering to Lei Ting, "Be careful in the study. If anything seems amiss, call someone immediately."

Lei Ting nodded, and after that, he indeed stayed outside the study without leaving for a moment, not even going to the outhouse.

However, the study remained quiet throughout.

This study remains as quiet as it has been for many years to come.

……

In the morning, Aunt Ding came over from Madam Feng's place, saying that Madam Feng had learned that her son was at home, so she specially cooked two of her son's favorite dishes and invited the Second Master to dine at Wenhua Garden.

Lei Ting thought to himself, "Let alone the dishes made by the Madam, even if they were made by the Emperor himself, the Master probably wouldn't be able to eat them now. Even if he forced himself to eat them, he probably wouldn't taste them."

But before Lei Ting could go forward to ask for instructions, Chen Yanzhou had already pushed open the study door and walked out.

He stood in the bright sunlight, the jade pendant at his waist shining even more lustrously. Such a noble young man, possessing both virtue and talent, with a refined and elegant demeanor, and a clear and graceful spirit, made him seem unapproachable simply by looking at him.

Chen Yanzhou smiled faintly, "I'll go and have dinner with Mother now, since she has cooked for me. I haven't visited her since I came home today, which is my fault. I'll go with my aunt to Mother's courtyard now."

The aftereffects of this H1N1 flu are really, really serious. My sore throat just won't go away; it's painful, itchy, and I keep coughing. Every cough makes the pain worse, and I can't help but try to hold it in. I've taken so much medicine, but nothing seems to work. I drink several cups of hot water a day, but it doesn't seem to help much either. It's so dry; I wish it would snow! We haven't seen any snow all winter, and everyone's getting sick in waves. Take care, everyone, and make sure to keep warm when you go out. Drink plenty of hot water, whether it helps or not. I hope everyone has a healthy New Year.