Seeing her father’s stern face, Shen Yuan shrank back slightly, yet she still retorted stubbornly, "I haven't even said what I'm going to do yet!"
Shen Yun let out a cold snort. "You're my daughter. Do you think I don't know what you're up to?"
"I'm my mother’s daughter!" Shen Yuan stood up, made a face at him, and ran off.
However, she wasn't one to let herself go hungry. She turned around and headed straight to her sister-in-law’s courtyard to scavenge a meal.
"Sister-in-law, Sister Yingchun’s cooking is getting better and better, hehe."
Almost the entire bowl of yanduxian on the table ended up in Shen Yuan's stomach.
"If you like it, come by more often."
With a gentle smile on her face, He Ying watched Shen Yuan eat. Whenever Shen Su was away from home, she would take her meals in her own courtyard. Fearing she might be lonely, Shen Yuan would run back and forth, eating one meal with her father and then joining her sister-in-law for a bit more.
"Sister-in-law, I might be coming here to eat for many days to come."
Shen Yuan had a plan in mind. She knew that once she carried it out, let alone being allowed to eat, she would be lucky if her father didn't give her a beating.
He Ying had no idea what was happening, but she was more than happy to have Shen Yuan accompany her for meals every day. She immediately said, "Whatever Manman wants to eat, just tell Yingchun."
Each of the senior maids she had brought as part of her dowry had their own special talents; Yingchun’s specialty was her culinary skills.
"Then I’ll be troubling Sister Yingchun."
"Cooking is no trouble at all. If the Young Miss wants to eat anything, just let me know," Yingchun said with a smile.
When Shen Yuan was a child, she often followed Shen Su to the He household. While Shen Su studied under Father He, Shen Yuan would be taken to the inner quarters to find He Ying and Madam He. There wasn't a single servant in the He residence who didn't know her.
Shen Yun noticed that after that day, his daughter stayed quietly in her own courtyard. He specifically asked the maids, and they all said the Young Miss was in her room reading.
He assumed his daughter had found some interesting new storybook and was too preoccupied to cause any trouble.
Shen Yun kept track of the storybooks Shen Yuan brought home from outside, and the maids would report to him what kind of books she was reading. Since they were harmless things, Shen Yun let her be.
What Shen Yun didn't know, however, was that in addition to the storybooks on the surface, Shen Yuan had others she had smuggled in. She usually hid them under her covers to read in secret, and Shen Yun was completely unaware.
Just as he didn't know that Shen Yuan’s recent good behavior was merely a facade while she prepared for something big.
Dali Temple—
At noon, the staff of Dali Temple gathered in the dining hall for their meal, gossiping about how a certain official had been caught at the entrance of a brothel and beaten by his wife with a club.
"Lord Shen, someone from your household is here. They are waiting outside," an attendant from within the temple came in to announce.
Hearing this, Shen Yun’s heart skipped a beat. He hastily put down his chopsticks, cupped his hands to his colleagues, and hurried out.
Dali Temple was not located within the inner palace grounds, so its management was not strictly rigid.
The officials on duty there would leave a passage token at home, making it convenient for family members to deliver items or send word in case of an emergency.
Shen Yun walked out hurriedly. From a distance, he recognized the person at the gate at a single glance. Who else could that be, dressed in the clothes of a family servant boy, but his own troublesome daughter!
Shen Yun was so angry he was practically fuming, but he couldn't shout out here.
Seeing Shen Yun come out, Shen Yuan even performed a formal bow with exaggerated solemnity.
"Master, the Young Miss has personally prepared some food and asked me to deliver it."
The veins in Shen Yun’s temples throbbed. Personally prepared food? He’d be lucky if she didn't "personally" drag her father down from his position as Assistant Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
"Follow me in."
It wasn't convenient to talk outside, so Shen Yun led his daughter into his private office.
Only after closing the door did he suppress his voice and let his anger flare. "Shen Yuan! I truly underestimated you!"
"Dad, don't be mad. I just wanted to share your burdens."
"Share my burdens? I think you want to worry me to death!"
Shen Yuan set down the food box she had used for the act. "Dad, this matter is strictly between you and me. I won't go around talking about it."
Shen Yuan knew her father was a man of great principle. However, she wasn't there to pry into case details or leak information. No matter what the case was, she thought she might find some clues just by listening.
Lin Yougui was still inside Dali Temple. Shen Yun knew that if he let his daughter catch one glimpse, she could determine if he was the murderer. But how could one take such shortcuts in an investigation?
"Manman, leave the things and go home."
Initially, hearing her father’s voice soften, Shen Yuan thought he might agree. To her surprise, he still told her to go home.
"Dad—"
In the past, whenever Shen Yuan acted spoiled like this, Shen Yun would indulge her, but this time it was useless.
"Manman, investigating a case is no child’s play. I am the Assistant Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Whether a case is solved or not is my responsibility; it has nothing to do with you. I cannot use you to take shortcuts. You are not a member of Dali Temple; you are not permitted to inquire about the case."
Once Shen Yun finished speaking, he opened the door. Shen Yuan knew there was no room for negotiation, so she followed her father out with her head hanging low.
Unexpectedly, as the two walked into the courtyard, they ran into Xie Hui leading a group of men out.
"Lord Shen."
Shen Yun saw the person behind Xie Hui and his eyelids twitched. He wondered if it was fate, as Xie Hui happened to be bringing Lin Yougui out at that exact moment.
"Lord Xie, this is…"
"We are following the Chief Minister's orders to escort Lin Yougui back to Linjia Village."
They called it an escort, but in reality, it was surveillance. Xie Hui also wanted to take this opportunity to return to Linjia Village and search the crime scene for any overlooked clues.
Shen Yuan had come to Dali Temple disguised as a servant boy. Upon encountering people, she naturally kept her head down and hid behind her father. However, hearing the name "Lord Xie" reminded her of how her father had previously mentioned that Lord Xie was quite handsome, so she took a secret peek.
【I told you these Dali Temple officials were all idiots. They couldn't find out anything, and now they're even letting me go back.】
【In a few days, I'll go to Yunzhou with Li Niang. By then, the mountains will be high and the Emperor will be far away—who will know about Chen Shi? It's a pity about Xiao Bao, though. But I can always have more sons later…】
Shen Yuan’s breath caught. She instinctively stared intently at the man behind Xie Hui, who was hunching his back with a submissive, honest expression.
Perhaps Shen Yuan’s gaze was too obvious, as Xie Hui noticed it too. He looked down and his eyes met a pair of clear, bright eyes.
Shen Yun said to Xie Hui with a smile, "My daughter personally prepared some food, and so, the servant was sent to deliver it."
Then he said in a low tone, "Wenmo, you may leave now."
Shen Yuan lowered her head, answered with a deep-voiced "Yes," and quickly retreated.
All the way until she stepped out of the gate of Dali Temple, Shen Yuan felt a gaze following her. She even accidentally tripped on the threshold.
Only after Shen Yuan had left Dali Temple did Xie Hui say to Shen Yun, "Your daughter is so filial. You are truly blessed, Lord Shen."
Shen Yun gave a couple of dry laughs. "Please, go about your business, Lord Xie."
Xie Hui nodded and left with the constables and Lin Yougui.
Xie Hui didn't expose anything, though the identity of that "servant" wasn't hard to guess.
Despite the servant's clothing, any discerning person could tell at a glance it was a girl.
When that girl tripped on her way out just now, Xie Hui clearly saw a flash of worry in Lord Shen Yun's eyes, indicating that the girl couldn't possibly be an ordinary maid.
Moreover, someone with such spirited eyes didn't seem like an ordinary maid either.
He had heard that Shen Yun had a son and a daughter; the son had just reached his twentieth year, while the daughter had not yet had her hair-pinning ceremony. Given this, the girl's identity was practically obvious.
After getting into the carriage, Shen Yuan clutched her chest and panted, completely unaware that her identity had already been seen through.