Chapter 21: Chang'an Tong Que Ming (Melody of Golden Age)

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Chang'an Tong Que Ming (Melody of Golden Age)

 Chapter 21: 

A Life-Threatening Bet

Inside the restaurant, the attendants began lighting the lamps. It was already past the hour of You (5-7 p.m.), but the bustling street outside was still lively.

Shen Du withdrew his cold gaze, raised his hand to brush aside his cloak woven from fine brocade, and lowered his head to look again at the single black sesame seed in his hand. He scoffed and flicked it away, letting it fly off to join the dust.

Suddenly, a voice interrupted, "What’s the bet? The Grand Chief Guard wouldn’t bother betting, but I’ll bet with you."

Jing Lin felt it was necessary to regain some face for his Commander and to firmly put this brazen spy in her place, making her realize one thing:

Going up against the White King of Hell is a dead end.

With such a bold and impassioned psychological setup, the woman in front of him curved her doe-like eyes into crescent moons. "Sounds good," she said.

Jing Lin couldn’t help but feel that tonight’s sunset seemed a little dull compared to the woman before him.

However, seeing the calculating glint in Zhu Yan's eyes, Jing Lin shook his head. It must be an illusion.

"If you win, and the perpetrator turns out to be a man, I will request a divorce myself. And," Zhu Yan's gaze darkened, "my life will be at your Commander's disposal."

Jing Lin was shocked. Before he could respond, Zhu Yan continued:

"If I win, and you lose, and the perpetrator turns out to be a woman, then the Grand Chief Guard must personally divorce me, and my life remains my own."

Shen Du lowered his gaze, his right hand playing with a teacup. Upon hearing this, he suddenly lifted his eyes, a brilliant cold light flashing in them.

Cold sweat beaded on Jing Lin's forehead. "I have no authority to decide matters concerning my Commander."

Zhu Yan paid him no mind:

"Additionally, I want to add one more condition."

"Please speak!" Jing Lin, looking as if he were mourning a parent, responded weakly.

Zhu Yan grinned, pushed forward the lamb bone she'd finished eating, and wiped her fingers. "If I win, you must beat a gong and parade around Chang'an City, shouting, 'Jing Lin of the Inner Guard is no match for the Zhu family's Sixth Lady in solving cases.' How about it?"

Her almond-shaped eyes gleamed with cleverness, and there was a mischievous satisfaction in them from having successfully played a prank.

The corner of Shen Du's eyes curved slightly—he rarely saw this playful side of her.

Under the eyes of the crowd, Jing Lin slowly knelt before Shen Du, cupped his hands, and kowtowed, the atmosphere growing heavy.

The diners in the hall barely dared to breathe; some even cast sympathetic glances at Zhu Yan.

The Zhu family's Sixth Lady—she must have a death wish.

"Agreed!"

As the man spoke, the matter was settled. Jing Lin wiped his sweat, secretly hitting himself a few times. He had already been tricked once; why would he provoke this woman again?

He shouldn't have. Really shouldn't have.

No one noticed the fleeting, rare smile that appeared at the corner of Shen Du's lips, like a glimpse of a startled swan.

Today's meal, this very moment, is quite similar to the wedding night. However, if today’s wedding were truly held as planned, what would await her wouldn't be food but... knives, swords, spears, halberds, and lethal poisons, not to mention the eighteen types of torture instruments in their Inner Prison.

Of course, Shen Du would never let the wedding go smoothly.

"Hehehe..."

Suddenly, a charming laugh rang out. Zhu Yan gently brushed away the unease that crept over her hand. She saw the hem of a red dress trimmed with gold thread flutter out from behind the curtains on the second floor. A woman, holding a silk fan with a butterfly and peony motif in one hand and waving the other to those behind her, strode over to the two of them like a gust of wind. She wore phoenix-patterned shoes and a phoenix hairpin atop her head.

This woman had a broad forehead and a prominent jaw, dragon-like eyes, and a phoenix-like neck, exuding an extraordinary aura. She carried a subtle yet powerful presence, the kind developed from a lifetime in a high position.

Zhu Yan roughly guessed the identity of the newcomer and barely perceptibly shook her head. What a pity. Though her features were good, the temples at the sides of her forehead were a bit shallow. As the soothsayers would say, it seems she lacks the fate to become a ruler.

But according to the rumors, this person certainly doesn’t lack an imperial ambition.

“Your Highness, Princess Ying.”

Shen Du rose to his feet to pay his respects and subtly kicked Zhu Yan under the table to remind her.

Zhu Yan snapped back to her senses and quickly stood up as well. “Your Highness, Princess Ying, may you live a thousand years.”

“Hehehe, no need for such formalities. Please, rise.”

Only then did everyone in the hall stand up. Princess Ying, the Princess Yong’an, looked down to examine Zhu Yan, her phoenix eyes narrowing with a touch of sharpness.

“You must be the sixth young lady of the Zhu family?”

Zhu Yan was taken aback and hadn’t yet replied when the accompanying woman softly remarked, “This must be the one. Just now, she used the case as a wager to seek a divorce. She appears quite clever, even managing to put the Grand Chief Guard under her thumb. It seems Master Zhang's skills in training people are no empty boast.”

Zhu Yan furrowed her brows, realizing that the Princess Yong’an’s companion was targeting her. Every comment seemed unrelated yet pointed directly at her. Was this person some kind of skilled manipulator?

“Madam, you are joking,” Zhu Yan said, pausing as she noticed the silk fan in the hand of the woman beside Princess Yong’an. It was the same peony-patterned white silk fan she had seen outside Ximing Temple.

“I am merely a ninth-rank clerk in the Ministry of Justice, responsible for case records and inquiries. I don’t see any connection between myself and Zhang Xiang, as mentioned by this Madam.”

Zhu Yan then looked at Shen Du: “Since I am married to my husband, naturally, I respect him.”

Shen Du’s gaze turned towards her. Zhu Yan smiled naturally, and her words seemed sincere. Shen Du didn’t return her gaze but looked at the woman:

“What? Does Madam Tang think there is some connection between me and Zhang Xiang?”

The woman, addressed as Madam Tang, brought the peony-patterned silk fan to her nose, lowered her eyes, and replied:

“I wouldn't dare, Grand Chief Guard Shen, you jest.”

Zhu Yan bit her lip, her gaze falling on Shen Du’s eyes, only for him to immediately look away...

In a moment of contemplation, Zhu Yan moved closer, taking one of Shen Du's hands and holding it in her own, her tone gentle and sorrowful:

“Husband, please allow me to investigate the case. I won’t mention the divorce anymore and will follow your wishes from now on.”

With her doe-like eyes full of mist and her smiling lips tinted with a hint of red, Zhu Yan clung to Shen Du’s arm, much like a cat begging for attention in the morning...

Shen Du’s expression was enigmatic, while Jing Lin was unsure whether to withdraw his hand or not.

His master had been slighted.

“Hahaha, I thought it was something serious. It turns out it was a matter of private pleasure. This Princess misunderstood. Apologies for the misunderstanding between you two.”

Princess Yong’an was assisted to sit down, with Madam Tang taking a seat to her right. The thin silk of her sleeve fell away, revealing her white arm with distinct bones and a few calluses.

At the same time, Zhu Yan caught a whiff of a distinctive fragrance and couldn’t help but look at Madam Tang a few more times.

“Have you been to Ximing Temple today? Around the hour of Chen?” 

Madam Tang nodded slightly, “Yes, I went. I left around the end of the hour of Yin to pray for my late husband.”

“Indeed,”

Zhu Yan hadn't expected Madam Tang to admit it directly. “A serial murder case occurred at Ximing Temple today, with a total of twelve corpses being unearthed. The temple has long been closed. Why did Madam Tang remain there?”

Madam Tang did not answer immediately. She first glanced at Princess Yong’an and then at Shen Du before returning her gaze to Zhu Yan, maintaining her usual composed demeanor.

“Why can’t I stay if others do?”

Her black eyes swept over Zhu Yan carefully, though her features remained hidden behind a veil.

“Are you suspecting me, Madam Shen?”

At this, Princess Yong’an also turned her attention, curiously asking:

“You were just betting whether the culprit was male or female. So, Madam Shen, are you suspecting that Madam Tang is the female culprit you mentioned?”

[Author's Note:] Zhu Yan: Confrontation time.

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