The room was quiet, and the sound of birdsong could be heard from the open carved lattice window.
The ceaseless chirping of cicadas also echoed, sometimes near, sometimes far.
It was quite vexing.
But Su Xiaoqi was not in the mood to care about these things at the moment. She looked up and stared blankly at Shen Yun.
She felt as if she had been targeted by him.
How could she have held back and spoken the truth for a moment?
She wanted to retort, but hesitated and then gave up.
Shen Yun had long suspected her, but for some reason, he had not asked.
However, she couldn't continue to treat Shen Yun like a fool.
"I, Su Xiaoqi, am indeed from the City God Temple. Does my husband dislike me?" Su Xiaoqi said, half-truthfully, half-falsely.
She deliberately paused after the word "I," implying that Su Xiaoqi was indeed raised in the City God Temple.
But she wasn't the real Su Xiaoqi.
So, it wasn't a lie, just a different way of phrasing it.
"Wife, we are husband and wife. I remember you said that husband and wife are one, and when the husband prospers, the wife prospers. If you can't explain clearly in one sentence, then use two, three, or four sentences.
I am always patient with my wife."
Shen Yun's tone was gentle, like a gentle spring breeze caressing her cheek, soft and comfortable.
"I, husband... the child has no mother, it's a long story. Can you not ask for now? I haven't figured out how to say it yet."
Shen Yun saw the hesitation, uncertainty, and fear in Su Xiaoqi's eyes.
He knew the discussion on this topic should stop.
Although he was curious about Su Xiaoqi's origin, he didn't want to push too hard and scare her away.
Su Xiaoqi's mind had been tense all along, fearing that Shen Yun would continue to press.
She really didn't know how to explain. What if Shen Yun couldn't accept her origins?
She had just found a connection with Shen Yun, and she didn't want to lose it.
Shen Yun's hand on Su Xiaoqi's shoulder trembled slightly.
He was somewhat surprised by Su Xiaoqi's feelings for him.
At the same time, he was overjoyed.
It turned out that his wife had fallen deeply in love with him without even realizing it.
His efforts were not one-sided; he loved Xiaoqi, and Xiaoqi loved him too.
A surge of overwhelming joy washed over him like waves.
He no longer wanted to inquire about Su Xiaoqi's origin.
Who she was, where she came from, none of that mattered.
The key was that she was his wife, would be the mother of his child, and the person he would spend his life with.
Seeing Shen Yun's gaze lowered and his face lost in thought, Su Xiaoqi, fearing he would delve deeper into her origins, quickly said, "This Minister Wang is a very formidable person. Husband must be careful of him."
Shen Yun nodded. "I know a bit about his background. To have survived that catastrophe over a decade ago,
and at a time when Mr. Gu and Lord Du were forced to leave the capital, yet he remained in the court, is indeed not to be underestimated."
Su Xiaoqi was relieved that Shen Yun responded so quickly.
This was good.
It meant he wasn't thinking about her identity or origins.
Just as Su Xiaoqi relaxed, she heard Shen Yun say word by word:
"Wife, no matter where you grew up or where you come from, you are now and will always be my wife." He said this seriously.
Su Xiaoqi's eyes welled up, and tears began to well up uncontrollably.
"Husband, I..." She felt an urge to confess everything if Shen Yun asked just one more question.
Shen Yun saw her thoughts but did not press further.
As he had said, no matter Xiaoqi's origin, she was his wife.
This fact would never change.
So, what was there to be so troubled about?
The atmosphere between them was very good. The young couple sat embraced, sharing their thoughts.
Once Su Xiaoqi's emotions settled down, she quickly remembered what she had wanted to tell Shen Yun:
"By the way, regarding Chai Zilin, whom we discussed earlier, do you know where he is now?"
She felt that this matter was of great importance and she couldn't act on her own, so telling Shen Yun was the safest option.
"Chai Zilin, he is in the backyard."
Shen Yun raised an eyebrow. "Who brought him in?"
Seeing that he wasn't surprised by this at all, Su Xiaoqi couldn't help but frown. "Husband, you already knew."
Shen Yun chuckled. "Zhang Lei mentioned that an uninvited guest had entered the backyard."
Su Xiaoqi was relieved to hear this.
So, it was Zhang Lei who reported it.
She was being foolish to think Shen Yun wouldn't know if she didn't tell him.
She knew the capabilities of Feng, Yu, Lei, and Dian.
"How does husband think this should be handled?"
"It's best not to keep him in the manor. If it can be concealed, then fine.
If it cannot be concealed, it becomes harboring a criminal."
Su Xiaoqi had considered this.
But she didn't have a good impression of the Prince Ning's manor, which was why she had been passive in dealing with Chai Zilin's matter.
"Then where should we send him?" Su Xiaoqi was emotionally inclined to help Chai Zilin.
She had never had a good impression of people like Shen Fu.
He had committed many evils, and compared to other victims, the punishment he received was less than one percent of his misdeeds.
"I'll handle it," Shen Yun readily agreed.
He saw that his wife wanted to help Chai Zilin.
Therefore, no matter how difficult the matter was, he would accomplish it.
As for his personal dislike for Shen Fu and the Shen family, these were things that could be disregarded.
Mr. Gu had said that those who achieve great things are not bound by trivial matters.
Personal emotions were even less worth mentioning.
"Speaking of which, the Prince Ning's manor really has it in for us. Many incidents have been related to them."
Since they entered the capital, many of the things they encountered, especially the bad ones, were related to the Prince Ning's manor.
First, it was Princess Qionghua, then Prince Ning's heir, Shen Fu.
It was unknown who it would be next.
After discussing this matter, Su Xiaoqi brought up the banquet she planned to host at the hot spring estate.
The time had been set. The next step was to invite the guests.
The Grand Princess's manor, the Duke of Yu's manor, and the Du family would definitely receive invitations.
"Wife, you send invitations to families you are close to, and I will send people to deliver the rest." Shen Yun also included the people from the Hanlin Academy.
He also considered the list that Mr. Gu had given him earlier.
He even sent invitations to the family members of many court officials whom he had only met once.
This time, it was a broad net, which would not only promote the hot spring estate but also deter Liu Yuanming, who was always causing minor trouble.
With Shen Yun's help, Su Xiaoqi no longer had to worry about the guest list for the banquet.
Moreover, Shen Yun had already given her advice: if they couldn't send invitations, they had the Duke of Yu's manor and the Grand Princess's manor.
The influence of these two families in the capital was considerable, and sending invitations would surely elicit a response.
Su Xiaoqi began to get busy.
Renovating the estate was the main expense, but the banquet's liquor and various supplies were also indispensable.
Furthermore, since she had the idea of opening a club, she couldn't fall behind.
However, just as she was incredibly busy, Du Yiyi came crying to her door.