Chapter 10

Chen Tiao hesitated for a long time before finally stammering out his carefully considered explanation, stumbling over his words.

When he said, “Sister-in-law is so beautiful,” Tangxiu couldn’t help but laugh out loud, not giving him any face.

She was happy, but Chen Tiao secretly glanced at Chen Yue beside her. He saw the same expression that made it impossible to discern his emotions, but he knew that his brother was definitely in a bad mood. Chen Tiao swallowed again, persevering to finish the rest of his words, then lowered his head, not daring to say another word.

He was afraid that if he spoke, his brother would drag him out of the window.

He was still young, and he didn’t want to end up paralyzed.

Just thinking about the miserable scene of himself lying in bed at an old age, with no one to bring him food, made Chen Tiao feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

He waited until new bowls and chopsticks were brought, and the dishes were served. By then, Tangxiu’s drunkenness had probably worn off. She picked up her chopsticks and started eating, naturally putting some food in Chen Yue’s bowl. Chen Yue’s expression finally softened visibly.

Chen Tiao breathed a sigh of relief.

It really had to be his sister-in-law who could…

He was halfway through his secret joy when he saw Chen Yue’s expression quickly return to the same as before, no, even worse, as if he had just eaten gunpowder.

His joy instantly turned into despair.

What happened now?

Chen Tiao cautiously peeked at the other side and saw that his sister-in-law had suddenly realized that she and his brother were divorced. She shouldn’t be serving his brother food like before. So, she took the food she had just put in his brother’s bowl and put it back in her own.

“…”

Chen Tiao was stunned.

Could, could she do that?

Tangxiu didn’t serve Chen Yue any more food after that.

Chen Yue’s expression never improved.

Chen Tiao felt even more like he was sitting on pins and needles.

Now, he couldn’t even enjoy his food, let alone drink. Especially when he accidentally served Chen Yue the same dish. Even though Chen Yue didn’t react at all, his heart was pounding with fear. He wished he could cry and beg his brother to throw him out of the window. He would even accept being paralyzed.

He was finally relieved when Tangxiu put down her chopsticks. Chen Tiao was overjoyed and couldn’t wait to say goodbye.

Chen Yue nodded.

But then Tangxiu asked, “Didn’t you say you were going to send me out of the city?”

Chen Tiao: …

Chen Tiao wanted to cry even more.

He didn’t remember offending his sister-in-law. How could she be so cruel to him in front of his brother?

Feeling the icy gaze fixed on him, Chen Tiao secretly clenched his fist, trying to suppress the urge to tremble. He forced himself to say, “With Brother here, why do I need to send Sister-in-law?”

After saying that, he got up and ran off without looking back.

His back was desolate and determined, making Tangxiu lean back and laugh. She realized for the first time that this kid was quite amusing.

Chen Yue spoke from beside her. “Tangtang.”

“Hm?”

Tangxiu turned her head.

Chen Yue said, “This time is fine, but don’t drink in front of other men in the future.”

Tangxiu stopped laughing and looked at Chen Yue.

“Does your brother count as another man?”

Chen Yue said, “Yes.”

Tangxiu gave him a smirk.

The last few times she had drunk at the Princess Consort’s Mansion, not only was Chen Tiao there, but the Duke was also there sometimes. He hadn’t said anything like that then.

Men, they really have different demands all the time.

After finishing her last sip of soup, Tangxiu told the maids to take the remaining spring wine and prepare to leave.

She stood up, and Chen Yue also stood up, holding his embroidered spring knife.

Seeing that Chen Yue was really going to send her out of the city, Tangxiu was taken aback. She quickly said, “Don’t bother. It’s not appropriate.”

Chen Yue paused in the middle of fastening his embroidered spring knife.

“What’s not appropriate?”

“Nothing is appropriate.”

It was already inappropriate for them to be having dinner together, given their current relationship. If he sent her out of the city, what if he deliberately delayed her departure until the city gate closed, using it as an excuse to say he couldn’t go back to the Marquis’s Mansion? Should she tell him to get lost, or should she take him back to the estate with her?

Once they got back to the estate, would they naturally end up sleeping together?

What would be the difference between that and not being divorced?

“Go back to your Marquis’s Mansion,” Tangxiu reminded herself of her divorced status. “I don’t need you to send me.”

Chen Yue didn’t say anything.

He held his embroidered spring knife and watched as Tangxiu was escorted downstairs by her maids.

When Tangxiu got into the carriage, Chen Yue was about to leave, but he caught sight of a familiar zitan fan resting on the edge of the table. It was clearly Tangxiu’s. She had left it behind in her haste.

He had to send it to her. He thought.

Tangxiu returned to her estate, a tranquil haven nestled amidst rolling hills and verdant fields. She had just instructed the maids to prepare a soothing bath, a ritual of warm water and fragrant oils to wash away the day’s weariness, when a soft “knock, knock” echoed from her window.

She spun around, her eyes darting across the room. Thankfully, she was alone. The knocks were gentle, almost hesitant, and the maids outside hadn’t heard. If they had, they would have already been asking if she needed anything. She approached the window, her voice a hushed whisper, “Didn’t I tell you not to follow?”

He had promised her, hadn’t he? Why was he…

Wait a minute.

He hadn’t actually promised.

“I didn’t follow,” a man’s voice, low and husky, came through the window. “You forgot your fan.”

“It’s forgotten,” Tangxiu said. “I’ll just have someone get it later.”

“I’ve already brought it to you,” Chen Yue replied.

Tangxiu was speechless.

After a moment, she finally opened the window a crack, her hand slipping through the gap, beckoning him to hand her the fan.

Chen Yue lowered his gaze, fixing it on her hand. The lamp inside the room cast a soft glow, illuminating her palm, delicate and smooth, the purplish veins on her wrist standing out in stark relief. Slowly, he placed the end of the folding fan in her palm, but he held onto the other end, the fan handle, refusing to let go. He asked, “Do you know the owner of Zhengfangzhai?”

The hand that was about to snatch the fan paused.

“I do,” the owner of the hand replied, her voice cool and collected. “Why?”

A silent thought crossed her mind. She knew it. Even after the divorce, he still had his people around her.

This was a habit he would probably never break.

Then she heard Chen Yue ask, “Did the owner have a sister or daughter?”

“You’re asking the right person,” she said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Speaking of the owner of Zhengfangzhai, Tangxiu forgot about grabbing the fan. “He had a daughter, but she died a long time ago.”

“Before he came to the capital?” Chen Yue asked.

“Yes,” Tangxiu replied.

The owner of Zhengfangzhai wasn’t originally from the capital. He had first made a name for himself in his hometown with his excellent skills, earning enough money to move his family to the capital. He had been operating for many years before Zhengfangzhai became established.

His daughter was born in his hometown and died there as well, many years ago, about twenty or thirty years. The owner of Zhengfangzhai had never mentioned her after he came to the capital. It was understandable that the Jinyiwei  wouldn’t be able to find out about this if they only investigated within the capital.

After listening, Chen Yue asked, “How do you know what others don’t know, Tangtang?”

Tangxiu laughed, a soft, melodious sound.

“Commander Chen, are you interrogating me?”

Before Chen Yue could explain, she said casually, “Don’t you know? When I was little, my mother trained me to develop a habit. Whenever a shop in the capital suddenly became crowded and its business was booming, I would have my people investigate to see if it posed any threat to our family’s business.”

She had to thank her grandfather for that.

Her grandfather had been in business for most of his life and had suffered countless losses. Fortunately, he had learned from his mistakes. Later, whenever he partnered with someone, he always paid close attention to their family background and investigated them thoroughly, no matter how troublesome it was, to avoid any problems during the partnership.

This meticulous approach influenced her mother, and her mother influenced her. So, it wasn’t a big deal for her to have people investigate Zhengfangzhai, then follow the trail back to her hometown and find out about the daughter who had passed away.

As for the history of Zhengfangzhai’s rise that she had read a long time ago, she still remembered it clearly. That wasn’t a big deal either. Chen Yue already knew she had a good memory.

Of course, it was precisely because Chen Yue knew that sometimes he wouldn’t use the Jinyiwei ‘s methods and would instead try to get information from her. Tangxiu was used to it.

“Well, is this reason sufficient?” Tangxiu tapped the end of the fan with her finger. The fine zitan wood made a soft clicking sound. “If the Commander is not satisfied, do you want to take me away for further interrogation?”

Chen Yue hummed in agreement. “I’ll take you back to the Marquis’s Mansion and interrogate you.”

Tangxiu snorted with laughter. “You wish.”

Then, she grabbed the end of the fan and pulled with force. The folding fan was successfully pulled into the window.

The fan was inside, but the window crack was still open. Tangxiu unfolded the fan and waved it, saying, “Why are you suddenly asking about this? Is there a case involving Zhengfangzhai?”

Tangxiu had just asked casually and didn’t expect Chen Yue to answer.

In the past, when he was investigating cases, he would usually only tell her what he wanted her to know. He wouldn’t tell her anything else.

So, after asking, Tangxiu wanted to send Chen Yue away. But this time, Chen Yue actually answered her.

He said, “It’s a bit involved.”

Then, he briefly explained. It turned out that the case he had been working on recently involved many people. It not only involved officials in the capital accepting bribes, but also the trafficking of young children. The Jinyiwei  investigated further and found that the identity of a young girl was unclear. Further investigation revealed that only one testimony mentioned Zhengfangzhai, but the wording was very vague, and the year was very old. It was possible that the trail had already gone cold. Chen Yue thought he would try to get some clues from Tangxiu.

It turned out he was right. Tangxiu actually knew a secret that even the Jinyiwei didn’t know.

“I see.”

Tangxiu asked again, “What did the emperor say about how to arrange for those children?”

Chen Yue was wearing his flying fish robe today, so he must have already organized the case and reported it to the emperor. The trafficked children who could be rescued must have been rescued by now.

Sure enough, Chen Yue said, “The emperor said that after they are rescued, they should be sent to the  Charity Bureau Orphanage first. When their identities are confirmed, those with relatives will be notified to take them home. Those without relatives will stay at the Charity Bureau Orphanage and the government will pay for their care.”

Tangxiu hummed in agreement.

She would send someone to the Salesian Affairs Bureau later to see if she could help.

They chatted about the case for a while, and then Tangxiu started to chase Chen Yue away again.

“Go,” Tangxiu urged him. “If you don’t leave soon, the city gate will close and you won’t be able to get into the city.”

Chen Yue said indifferently, “Then I won’t go in.”

“Where will you stay then?”

“Here, with you.”

Tangxiu didn’t answer.

She had only thought that way before because she was teasing him. It seemed that he really intended to do that?

Shameless.

Tangxiu simply closed the window and ignored him, no matter how much he knocked.

She ignored him, and Chen Yue didn’t say anything. They both remained silent.

It wasn’t until the maids entered the room and said that the hot water was ready that Chen Yue said softly, “Then I’ll go.”

“Go quickly.”

Tangxiu rudely replied and walked towards the bathroom.

Because the recipe required drinking spring wine and then eating the medicinal meal and soaking in the hot spring the next day, Tangxiu hadn’t bathed that night. She simply washed up and came out. As she passed by the window, she took a look. There was nothing unusual outside. Chen Yue must have left.

Good riddance.

Tangxiu thought, if he hadn’t left, she would have felt like they were having an affair.

It was kind of exciting to think about.