Chapter 2: Home

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Upon their return, Si Yan only alighted from the carriage after Guan Fu had driven off the surrounding people.

Guan Fu looked at the wound on Si Yan’s leg and couldn’t help but speak up.

“General, you can’t keep going on like this. Why don’t you find a physician to treat you?”

Si Yan didn’t even blink. It was as if he was watching someone else bleed out. His tone was light.

“Everything is going to plan.”

Guan Fu wanted to know what exactly that plan was, but he wisely kept his mouth shut. He glanced at the carriage from the corner of his eye, and became worried again when he thought of the person in it.

“General, what about the lady?”

Guan Fu had followed Si Yan since he was a fresh recruit, so even if he didn’t know everything about Si Yan, he knew enough.

In the early years when Imperial Censor Chen was still alive, he had taken care of Si Yan. Logically speaking, they should take care of the daughter of his benefactor.

But even he knew that Shen Yu’s daughter was a mute. Was this girl a decoy?

When he thought about it carefully, he ruled out the possibility of a chance meeting. Many people knew about their return to the capital this time, and they had specially taken a lesser-known path. Why would this girl turn up there, at the right place and at the right time?

Si Yan’s concerns were similar to his. He stood there for two seconds with his hands behind his back and then spoke.

“Lock her up in the dungeon. You will investigate her matter yourself. If there are any suspicions, kill her without mercy.”

Guan Fu nodded. “Orders received.”

The next morning, Shen Li opened her eyes in a daze when she heard the noise outside. She got up from the cold and damp ground.

She curled up in the corner and watched as the figure approached.

Shen Li was a little uneasy. She was truly Shen Li, so she should not be afraid of the man investigating her.

However, when Shen Li recalled her encounter with that man, especially his eyes that seemed to see through everything, she felt terrified.

Not long after, the iron chains of the cell door were unraveled. Shen Li had come to see her at night. Guan Fu was behind him.

Si Yan’s expression was cold. He glanced at Shen Li indifferently before he gave Guan Fu an order.

“Send her to the place where the accident happened yesterday.”

When Shen Li heard that she was going to be let free, she even forgot about her hunger. She forced a smile and said respectfully, “Thank you, my Lord.”

Shen Li quickly got up and was about to walk out. However, when she passed by Si Yan, she was suddenly blocked by the sword in Si Yan’s hand.

Shen Li turned her neck slowly and looked at the man. Although she was cursing his ancestors in her heart, she still put on an obedient look. She blinked and asked, “My Lord. What’s wrong?”

Si Yan looked down at her, his words extremely threatening.

“When you leave today, you will forget everything that happened here. Are we clear?”

Shen Li heaved a sigh of relief. She had thought that it was something far more complicated. She nodded without hesitation.

“Yes, yes, yes, I promise.”

Shen Li was afraid that he would not believe her, so she even raised her hand and swore to the heavens.

“I promise I won’t say a word about this, and should we encounter each other again in the future, I’ll turn around and never look back. I will never forget your kindness in saving my life.”

Si Yan’s mouth twitched when he saw her meek expression. He looked at her suspiciously for two seconds and waved her off impatiently.

He didn’t know how a person like Shen Hai could teach such a glib-tongued daughter.

Not long after, Shen Li returned to the mountain road from yesterday. The sky was still dark, and there was a thin mist about. She could vaguely make out a few dots of light, looking like people holding out torches in a search party.

Shen Li’s heart skipped a beat, but she was not sure if these people were her family or the bandits from yesterday.

Guan Fu was already urging her to get off.

Shen Li asked timidly, “Who are those people over there? I hope they’re not the ones from yesterday.”

Before she could finish her words, Guan Fu seemed to have seen through her thoughts and shook his head.

“That’s impossible. Those fools were taught a lesson yesterday. They won’t be coming out to cause trouble for a while.”

Shen Li blinked and nodded in understanding. It seemed that they did not just know each other, but also had some history.

However, this was none of Shen Li’s business. It was better to know as little as possible.

She nimbly jumped off the carriage, thanked Guan Fu, and walked into the fog.

Shen Li crept closer to the crowd and saw a face that overlapped with her memory at first glance.

If she remembered correctly, that should be her stepmother. Shen Li’s mother had died young, so when her father remarried, he chose the well-educated and polite Zhong Shi.

She was a good woman, but unfortunately, she was only acting on the whims of her father. They had forced her into the marriage. Before they could consummate their marriage, Shen Li’s father had gone to the border because of an urgent Imperial edict. He never returned.

On account of the elder Shen’s contributions, the Emperor posthumously conferred him the title of Imperial Censor. However, the Shen family only had one daughter. She had no place in court, much less an official rank. The posthumous title was nothing more than an embroidered pillow that followed him to the grave.

Although she had no parents, in Shen Li’s memory, her stepmother treated her well. The two of them lived in seclusion and lived a comfortable life.

Shen Li gathered his emotions and ran over. She called out tearfully, “Mother!”

Zhong Ning had been searching the entire night, and her face was pale with exhaustion. When she heard the word “mother ,” she thought she was hallucinating.

She turned around slowly and was stunned. After a moment, she ran over and hugged Shen Li.

Zhong Ning trembled as she raised her hand to touch Shen Li’s cheek. The shock on her face had yet to fade.

“You… You can speak now?”

Shen Li looked at Zhong Ning up close. She suddenly felt that “mother” was not a fitting title.

This stepmother of hers had an incredibly youthful face. She didn’t look much older than her.

However, since the words had already been spoken, Shen Li could only bite the bullet and continue.

“When I was running away, I accidentally rolled down the mountain and fell into a deep sleep. When I woke up this morning, I could speak. Mother, do you think this is a blessing in disguise?”

Zhong Ning held Shen Li’s hand, and her lips trembled. She nodded heavily and murmured, “It’s good that you’re back. It’s good that you’re back.”

At this moment, the people around them had already noticed the commotion and gathered around.

When Jin Changqing saw Shen Li, he had a complicated look on his face. He hesitated for a moment before walking over.

“Li’er, are you alright?”

When she spotted the handsome man, Shen Li sneered in her heart. ‘What a show of concern. Why did he run away so quickly yesterday?’

However, before she could find an opportunity to speak, she saw Jin Changqing being blocked by a woman.

Shen Li glanced over and saw the woman looking at her with disdain. At the same time, she pulled Jin Changqing back and covered her nose and mouth with a handkerchief.

“Alright, we’ve found her. Let’s go back.”

Shen Li could not recall who she was for a while. However, it was easy to guess that she was Jin Changqing’s mother; her supposed mother-in-law-to-be.

Now that they had found Shen Li, they had no reason to remain in the wilderness for long. Although Zhong Ning was reluctant to part with Shen Li, she believed that Shen Li was already married and should belong to the Jin family. Naturally, she should leave with the Jin family.

However, just as she was about to send Shen Li to the Jin family’s carriage, Mrs. Jin suddenly blocked her way.

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