Step by careful step…
Su Yihan lifted her eyes slightly:
“The one admired by the general—whether it’s a blessing or a curse, I cannot tell.”
Shen Yu looked at her and chuckled:
“Miss, I’m more accustomed to being called by my full name.”
Su Yihan rolled her eyes at him:
“You really do have a masochistic streak, don’t you?”
She said no more. With no one in the room able to eavesdrop, Su Yihan began a meticulous second search of the space.
The room was filled with scrolls, brushes, and paper, including a completed love poem:
At first sight, my heart fluttered,
My feelings secretly pledged, but unspoken.
To enter the palace as a consort, one wall stands between,
Even in death, as a butterfly, still longing for the flowers.
“Miss, do you think this poem is the reason Kong Wenlang harmed Miss Han?” Tao Chun asked excitedly.
“A sick kind of love—if life cannot unite them, then they must be buried together in death!”
“Pfft.” Di Yuanxin laughed, tapping Tao Chun lightly on the head:
“That’s clearly a sour poem Kong Wenlang wrote before his own suicide.”
Tao Chun pouted:
“Well, it makes you seem cleverer.”
She laughed and stood behind Su Yihan:
“Miss, do you think Tao Chun’s analysis is correct?”
Su Yihan glanced at her and said lightly:
“Tao Chun, go to the Jiangdian shop in the eastern city and buy a bag of walnuts.”
“Ah?” Tao Chun scratched her head, puzzled:
“Aren’t we investigating the case? Why walnuts now?”
Su Yihan gently tapped her nose:
“No, it’s for our little Taozi.”
To replenish her brain.
Tao Chun huffed in exasperation and stomped out.
Returning to the matter at hand, Su Yihan checked where the drug powder had been found and placed it under the bed.
Though it sounded hidden, in reality, placing it there practically screamed: “Come catch me, you fool!”
Su Yihan looked at Shen Yu, adopting a lofty pose:
“Go ahead, crawl in and take a look.”
Shen Yu laughed at her audacity and pointed at Di Yuanxin:
“Why not let him do it?”
Di Yuanxin lowered his head humbly:
“My eyes aren’t keen enough to catch the details.”
If his lady wanted General Shen to crawl under the bed, how could he refuse?
He added with a sly smile:
“My lady trusts the general’s investigative skills.”
Su Yihan lifted a corner of her lips:
“General, you wouldn’t betray a girl’s trust, would you?”
For this pair of mischievous master and servant, Shen Yu merely sighed and didn’t dawdle. He knelt on one knee, keeping close to the floor to inspect under the bed.
Sure enough, he spotted clues previously overlooked.
Standing, he brushed the dust off and said:
“There are footprints.”
“Work for us, then.” Di Yuanxin crawled under as well, picking up Kong Wenlang’s shoes by the bed to compare the prints.
Not his shoe size.
Measuring the shoes, Di Yuanxin crawled out, only to see Su Yihan gently wiping the dust from Shen Yu’s face with a silk handkerchief.
Shen Yu leaned slightly, looking down. The lady’s expression was one of mild disdain. Once done, she tossed the handkerchief into his arms.
Unfazed, he held it. A tall, imposing man, with the stature of a dragon, holding a soft, pink handkerchief in his hand.
Had he stumbled upon some secret illicit affair? Di Yuanxin silently stepped back, but the bed was in the way. He stubbed his toe and yelped in pain, supporting himself with the bedframe and scratching his head:
“This bed is a bit too hard.”
Su Yihan glanced at him:
“That’s how scholars discipline themselves. If the bed is too soft and comfortable, it’s hard to get up.”
So Kong Wenlang really was a scholarly man, focused on studying diligently for the imperial exams.
“Oh…” Di Yuanxin nodded, chuckling:
“He’s a bit harsh on himself.”
He then said seriously:
“The footprints under the bed aren’t Kong Wenlang’s. Based on the width and length, they’re female.”
Before Su Yihan or Shen Yu could say anything, Di Yuanxin added:
“I’ll fetch Xiao Luo’s shoes for comparison.”
Without delay, he rushed out, ignoring his own awkwardness.
Now only two remained in the room. Su Yihan instinctively raised her hand, expecting Tao Chun to support her.
After a moment, realizing Tao Chun had been sent away in anger, she was about to lower her hand when a warm, strong one slid underneath, calloused from years of handling swords.
Shen Yu followed, matching her movement:
“Shall we go, Miss?”
Su Yihan turned, surprised to see him.
“Hey! You’re running off like you’re reborn or something!” Tao Chun, having been left outside, waited at the door in case her lady’s health faltered.
Seeing Di Yuanxin rush out of the room, she grabbed him:
“Stop right there!”
Di Yuanxin halted:
“Why are you still here?”
He had assumed Tao Chun had gone to the eastern city to buy walnuts.
Tao Chun glared:
“You just left Miss Su alone with General Shen?”
Di Yuanxin saw nothing wrong—his lady was clever, showing Shen Yu mild disdain, and the general didn’t seem annoyed.
Tao Chun stomped her foot:
“You’re hopeless!”
This General Shen was unpredictable—who knew what he might do?
She raised her skirts to enter the room, colliding with the two inside. Shen Yu supported Miss Su, who gazed at him with eyes full of “liking” and “affection.”
Tao Chun felt the world collapse and whimpered:
“Miss… I may be a bit clumsy, but having served you all these years, I’ve earned my place. Even if I’m no longer needed, it should be someone familiar and trustworthy, not a newly met, ill-tempered man replacing me…”
She pouted, tears welling in her almond-shaped eyes:
“Miss, can he really take care of you properly?”
Shen Yu: “…”
Su Yihan: “…”
Feeling awkward, Su Yihan withdrew her hand from Shen Yu’s, giving Tao Chun a teasing look:
“What nonsense are you thinking?”
Tao Chun blinked in surprise:
“Really not to replace me?”
Su Yihan tugged her braid:
“You overestimate your place in your lady’s life.”
Even the emperor couldn’t treat Shen Yu as a personal servant—what merit did she have?
“That’s good!” Tao Chun smiled, satisfied, a snot bubble forming.
Su Yihan, annoyed, pulled another handkerchief from her sleeve and tossed it to Tao Chun:
“Wipe it.”
Shen Yu held the handkerchief tightly: so this was a wholesale handkerchief business now?
Tao Chun straightened herself, supporting Su Yihan and positioning herself between her lady and Shen Yu.
Though her lady disliked General Shen, she had to prevent him from acting on any improper thoughts. Miss Su was hers to protect!