Chapter 1314 - 7: The Portrait
Father doesn’t care about him anymore, but Mother still punished him to kneel in the ancestral shrine?
Shen Junshan doubted if he had heard it wrong.
Lady Ji Bei looked serious.
If it weren’t for the Shen ancestors’ blessings and Shen Junshan carrying an amulet, would he still be alive to talk to them here?
Kneeling for three hours was considered light.
Shen Junshan braced himself to kneel in the ancestral shrine.
As soon as he left, the Empress summoned Lady Ji Bei to the palace.
The Duchess of Duke Chong was the Empress’s cousin, as was Young Master Zhou’s mother.
The Empress’s nephew was robbed, and due to fighting Shen Junshan, he broke two fingers. Upon hearing, the Empress was thunderously enraged.
If this matter were to end just like this, what face would the Empress have?!
Especially recently, the Empress has been in a bad mood; the Crown Prince’s health has been worsening for over two months, and there is no sign of improvement.
The medicine seems to have little effect despite being taken like water, causing the Empress great distress.
The Jibei Marquis Mansion hit the Empress’s sore spot.
However, when the Empress summoned Lady Ji Bei to the palace, she could only give her a few scoldings and order her to manage her son better, but nothing more could be done.
As for how Young Master Zhou’s fingers were broken, many at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion witnessed it. Shen Junshan reminded him not to hit his chest, but he insisted, so Shen Junshan couldn’t be blamed.
During the Empress’s reprimanding, Lady Ji Bei did not utter a single word of rebuttal, and the Empress’s fist was like hitting cotton, with nowhere to vent her anger.
After fifteen minutes of scolding, the Empress was even angrier than before.
Meanwhile, Shen Junshan was on his knees reflecting.
But he didn’t feel that he had done anything wrong.
He was bathing in water, and suddenly a lady appeared there; awkward for both when he emerged from the water.
Even though he was the one who got exposed, he must be responsible to the lady.
If he pretends not to know, everyone will be better off.
Who could have predicted that he, being considerate for others, would be deliberately set up by them?
Robbing Young Master Zhou of a brocade robe wasn’t right, but being in a desolate place, would he walk thirty miles barefoot to another village to steal clothes?
Robbing seemed a tad more open than stealing.
The pain in his kneeling knees was unbearable, and only a short time had passed.
After a month without kneeling, it was a bit uncomfortable.
Upon hearing footsteps approaching, Shen Junshan immediately straightened up his kneeling.
Listening attentively for a moment, Shen Junshan turned his head to see a charming silhouette at the door.
The person was Shen Junshan’s cousin, Yan Ning, also known as Yunzhi.
She laughed as she reached the door.
Shen Junshan glared at her, "Trying to scare me on purpose."
With that, his straightened back relaxed, and he sat cross-legged on the mat.
Yan Ning entered with her hands behind her back, and Shen Junshan asked, "Did you manage the task I entrusted to you?"
"Of course, Uncle always favors me," Yan Ning smiled.
"I wanted to see what my future sister-in-law looked like; why wouldn’t Uncle agree?"
"... ."
What future sister-in-law?!
That person was a thief, wasn’t she?!
Was his cousin’s news really this blocked?
Yan Ning didn’t know the truth, as Shen Junshan had quite a temper, and the maids feared him, daring not to spread the embarrassing tales of the second young master—unless they wanted their lives to be too smooth.
The maids didn’t dare, and Yan Ning, just returned from an outing, knowing her cousin was grounded in the ancestral shrine, came quickly with the portrait to find him.
Hmm.
Shen Junshan had been looking for Yun Chu for days in the streets, desperately but without a clue.
He truly didn’t know what the person who stole his brocade robe, money, and horse looked like.
However, while Shen Junshan didn’t know, his father, Marquis Jibei, did.
Openly asking would undoubtedly lead to interrogation by his father; not even knowing what his ’beloved’ looked like wouldn’t make sense.
He could only rely on his cousin for help and lied, saying the lady had covered her face with a veil, and he didn’t dare remove it.
Yan Ning heard, bewildered; her second cousin, fearless and brave, would hesitate to unveil a lady’s face.
Was this really her second cousin?
She didn’t doubt Shen Junshan deceived her, as her brave second cousin never lied to her.
Holding the portrait, Shen Junshan felt even angrier.
Thanks to that female thief’s fortune, he even deceived his cousin.
Shen Junshan’s eyes burned with fury as he hurriedly unfolded the portrait.
The painting was by Marquis Jibei himself, created with the figure envisaged as his future daughter-in-law.
Narrowing his brows upon seeing the painting.
Because it portrayed a man.
Even more, he looked somewhat familiar.
This... wasn’t it the young friend he just met today?!
Shen Junshan looked up at Yan Ning, "Is this painted by my father?"
"Uncle painted it personally, why can’t you recognize it?" Yan Ning responded.
"... ."
It was his father’s handwriting.
His father would never joke with his cousin.
No wonder earlier that day, when he accidentally kicked a cabbage into her back head, upon turning around with a face of anger, she didn’t scold but ran away.
So she recognized him.
Stole his brocade robe and horse, how could she dare approach him?!
In frustration, Shen Junshan exerted strength on the painting, wrinkling it involuntarily.
Knowing where Yun Chu stayed, Shen Junshan no longer kneeled, got up, and said, "Tell my mother, I will come back to continue kneeling for the remaining two hours."
Before Yan Ning could respond, Shen Junshan had already disappeared from the shrine.
Yan Ning held her forehead.
Her cousin was perfect in all aspects, except a bit too impulsive.
This rare visit to the shrine was for cousin, even though he left, she still lit an incense stick before leaving.
When Shen Junshan parted ways with Yun Chu, he asked about her place, Yun Chu told him.
But—
With the intention to avoid Shen Junshan heart and soul, she must have lied.
Claiming a fake inn, Shen Junshan went there, no such person.
Shen Junshan was even angrier.
He was stumbling continuously in small valleys!
Old grievances plus new ones, he vowed not to rest until capturing Yun Chu.
Next, Shen Junshan searched all over the Capital City for Yun Chu.
Yun Chu was trying to find someone to rescue her father and appeal, but to no avail.
One day, from a distance on the street she saw Shen Junshan on horseback and quickly ran through the alley.
Two days later, she tried the same old trick, continuing to go to the Ministry of Justice Prison for visits.
But this time, couldn’t even bribe, prison guard said, "If you want to visit Lord Qian, head to West Street Vegetable Market."
Yun Chu was stunned, "Why go there?"
"A quarter of an hour ago, Lord Qian was taken to West Street Vegetable Market for execution and display."
"Hurry, perhaps you can see him off on his last journey."
Yun Chu’s heart froze.
With much difficulty, using Lord Qian as a cover to visit her mother, now Lord Qian had been executed.
Though she was at the Ministry of Justice Prison, without Lord Qian, she had no excuse to enter.
Yun Chu, carrying the food box, kept looking back as she returned to the inn.
Unable to enter the Ministry of Justice Prison, even returning to the inn wasn’t easy.
Exhausted physically and mentally back at the inn, upon stepping in she overheard a servant advising the inn’s clerk, "Once the person in the portrait returns, capture and send them to Jibei Marquis Mansion, our second young master will reward heavily."
"Did the person in the portrait offend Second Young Master Shen?" The clerk gossiped.
"More than offend?" the Jibei Marquis Mansion servant replied.
"Our second young master would peel her skin, you must have heard of our second young master’s temper, need I say more?"
Yun Chu turned pale and hurriedly withdrew her foot.
Not daring to look back, she carried the food box and ran away.
Yun Chu almost wanted to die.
Didn’t he not recognize her?
Why was he seeking her again?!