Chapter 91

Shen Yu was restless. When she wasn’t on duty, she would stroll the streets, gathering information.

The capital’s gambling dens were a melting pot of all walks of life and the perfect place to gather intel.

To avoid drawing attention, Shen Yu only gambled small amounts and never got involved with large sums of money.

Pei Chunli was preparing to return home, lounging in the carriage feeling drowsy. Suddenly, he had a stroke of luck as he lifted the curtain and saw Shi Yu just coming out of the gambling den.

Pei Chunli was overjoyed and quickly got off the carriage to catch up.

“Brother, brother!”

Pei Chunli shouted several times and chased after her for quite a while before catching up, panting heavily as he blocked her path. “Why are you avoiding me?”

“I’m not avoiding you, I just didn’t hear you.”

Shen Yu did hear someone shouting “brother” on the street, but who would have thought it would be Pei Chunli, hoarse from shouting, with two servants behind him.

Pei Chunli caught his breath, “Finally caught you.”

“Do you need something from me?”

Pei Chunli sighed in relief, “Can’t I just look for you without a reason?”

“Oh,” Shen Yu responded nonchalantly, “If there’s nothing, I’ll be on my way.”

“Don’t go.” Pei Chunli grabbed her arm, “I haven’t had dinner yet, and Shiyuege is right ahead.”

He bumped her shoulder, “Would you like to have dinner with me, little lord?”

“Unfortunately, I’m not hungry.”

Shen Yu remembered Xie Tingzhou’s words – Pei Chunli’s father was a member of the Crown Prince’s faction.

“I don’t care,” Pei Chunli persisted shamelessly, “The Beilin Mansion has closed its doors to guests, so I couldn’t come find you.”

He complained, “Moreover, why can Li Jifeng visit? Is it just me who was rejected by Xie Tingzhou?”

Mentioning Xie Tingzhou, Shen Yu suddenly remembered something. The other day, Chang Liu suddenly asked her if she had privately agreed to marry Pei Chunli. Xie Tingzhou was also present at the time.

Shen Yu stopped and asked, arms crossed, “You explain to me, when did we privately agree to marry?”

Pei Chunli was righteous, “Last year, we privately agreed at the flower house to be together for life. In short, isn’t that a private agreement to marry?”

Shen Yu almost leaned against the wall.

Just as she was about to shake off Pei Chunli and leave, she caught sight of a carriage approaching. The driver was from the Shen family.

Shen Yu discreetly moved to the side, with most of her body blocked by Pei Chunli.

Since the incident at the Shen Mansion’s treasury, she thought Shen Yan would calm down for a while, but today she heard some news at the gambling den.

According to rumors, Miss Shen had been visiting General Shen’s grave every day recently and was buying a lot of medicinal herbs and grains in the city. It was said she wanted to send them to the famine-stricken Danzhou this year to earn a good reputation in the capital.

In the past, Shen Yu would have believed Shen Yan’s kindness, but now she could only wonder if she was up to something again.

Once trust between people collapses, it’s hard to rebuild.

The Shen family’s carriage stopped in front of an herbal shop, confirming the rumors.

Shen Yu thought for a moment and then stepped into a tea house diagonally opposite.

The maid got off the carriage first and then helped Shen Yan down.

Shen Zhong’an was handsome, and all the children resembled him. In addition to resembling Shen Zhong’an, Shen Yu had a pair of eyes as bright as her mother’s, with a touch of heroism.

Shen Yan, however, was different. She had a gentle appearance and seemed to have lost some weight, making her appear even more delicate.

Shen Yu stood at the window for a moment, watching the two enter the herbal shop, then turned around and almost bumped into Pei Chunli’s chin.

“Why are you following up here?” Shen Yu asked irritably.

Pei Chunli, with his chin in his hand, seemed thoughtful. “Could it be that you like this kind of girl?”

Shen Yu wanted to roll her eyes. This guy’s thought process was always different from others.

“I hate this kind of girl.”

Pei Chunli mimicked her posture with his arms crossed, feeling that it looked quite dashing. He decided to do it more often in the future.

“Since you don’t like her, then I don’t either.”

Shen Yu gave him a glare, “Can’t you have your own opinion?”

“No,” Pei Chunli said confidently, then suddenly changed the subject when he looked away, “She’s coming out.”

Shen Yu glanced over and saw Shen Yan and her maid already coming out of the herbal shop, with the shopkeeper seeing them off with a smile.

“Miss Shen, take care. The herbs you ordered will be delivered to your home tomorrow.”

The shopkeeper probably didn’t know that calling her Miss Shen was taboo for Shen Yan.

Shen Yan’s expression remained unchanged, but she seemed much calmer than before.

She smiled faintly and said, “Thank you, shopkeeper.”

Shen Yu frowned in thought.

It seemed that buying medicinal herbs was indeed true.

Before, Shen Yan and Lady Shen had a bad reputation. They had greatly improved their situation through disaster relief, but the Shen family was not wealthy now. Shen Yan was neither too early nor too late in providing disaster relief. Why now?

As she pondered, she saw Shen Yan being helped to the carriage by her maid. After a brief exchange, Shen Yan stepped onto the shafts of the carriage.

In the next moment, she seemed to lose strength, falling from the carriage and fainting in her maid’s arms, unconscious.

“Miss!” The maid exclaimed, “What’s wrong with you?”

The maid shook Shen Yan a few times in a panic, but there was no response.

“Help! Someone, help!”

The shopkeeper and the assistant from the herbal shop rushed out, and the crowd began to gather.

Pei Chunli sighed, holding his arms, “She’s so weak.”

Shen Yu gave him a sideways glance, “Why don’t you go down and be a hero to save the beauty?”

The area in front of the herbal shop was chaotic.

Unlike medical clinics, not every herbal shop had a resident doctor, and this one happened not to.

Some women came forward to help, pinching noses and pressing acupoints.

The maid held Shen Yan in distress.

The shopkeeper said, “Why not carry Miss Shen into the carriage first? There’s a medical clinic nearby. Let’s take her there.”

The crowd grew bigger, blocking the entire street.

Jiang Lianzhi’s carriage was stuck in the middle of the road.

“Go and see what’s going on ahead.” Jiang Lianzhi said.

    The boy quickly squeezed into the crowd and ran back to tell him, “It was Miss Shen Er who fainted at the door of the medicine shop.”

    Jiang Lianzhi frowned.

    Shen Yu was very nice to this girl in his previous life, but he really didn’t like this girl. Maybe it was because she had a pair of eyes that were completely opposite to Shen Yu’s. One was clear, while the other was deep and deep that people of the same age should not have.

    Ayu loved this girl so much in her last life. If he just stood by and ignored her, she would probably blame him.

    “Go and have a look.” Jiang Lianzhi said.