Shen Yun's confidence stemmed from his understanding of Chu Yunwei's predicament.
As a hostage, he was isolated and helpless in the capital of Da Liang.
He certainly wouldn't want to make enemies of them.
However, this encounter still infuriated Shen Yun.
He had put considerable effort into preparing this birthday banquet for Su Xiaoqi, wanting her to remember his kindness.
Instead of the romance Su Xiaoqi desired, this farce had unfolded.
It truly soured his mood.
But since it had happened, it couldn't be ignored or pretended not to have occurred.
After all, they had a more pressing issue to address.
How to bring Chu Yunwei back to the capital.
He was originally a hostage of Bei Chu.
Without a special imperial decree of amnesty, he could not easily leave the capital.
"Since Young Master Chu cannot leave the capital casually, how did you arrive in Mianzhou City before?" Su Xiaoqi pointed out the flaw in his words unceremoniously.
"Before, I had a substitute residing in the hostage manor. Now..." Chu Yunwei's voice hitched, and he said with a touch of sadness that the substitute had been assassinated months ago.
He now had no one to stand in for him in the capital.
He couldn't go anywhere.
This time, he had heard that the Emperor would summon those who were hostages from various countries in mid-September, which was why he had rushed back.
Who knew he would be ambushed on the road? His attackers clearly had no intention of letting him live.
"Judging by your injuries, they likely didn't intend to kill you," Shen Yun remarked.
Chu Yunwei said, "They wished for me to fail to return, and then use Emperor Da Liang's sword to kill me, thereby provoking conflict between Liang and Chu."
Shen Yun fell silent for a moment, quickly analyzing the pros and cons.
He indicated that he could lend a hand.
"Thank you, Brother Shen. Brother Shen has saved me this time. If you ever need my assistance in the future, please do not hesitate to command me." Chu Yunwei spoke politely.
Shen Yun remained silent, tacitly accepting Chu Yunwei's offer.
He wasn't in the business of charity, helping others at the drop of a hat.
He had the option not to help.
But it was evident that if the hostage from Bei Chu could not die at this juncture,
his survival would be more conducive to peace on the borders between Da Liang and Bei Chu.
At this time, Da Liang was in the twilight of its emperor's reign, somewhat chaotic and not suited for large-scale conflict.
Chu Yunwei, having resided in the capital for a long time, naturally understood this.
He lowered his head thoughtfully, his left index finger unconsciously grooming the nail of his thumb.
The group successfully returned to the capital, shaking off their pursuers and escorting Chu Yunwei back to the hostage manor on Bajiao Street.
On the way back, neither Shen Yun nor Su Xiaoqi spoke.
But it was unclear who initiated it, when they suddenly embraced each other fiercely, their lips meeting like ignited fireworks, crackling and exploding.
They finally accomplished what they hadn't been able to do at the manor, right there in the carriage.
Afterward, Su Xiaoqi was completely limp, sprawled in Shen Yun's arms, her cheeks flushed. She had been quite passionate just now!
Shen Yun, however, held her tightly, cherishing her as he savored the memory of their passionate encounter. He slowly exhaled a long breath.
How could his wife, so lovely, not stir his heart?
The carriage resumed its journey. Not long after, there was a loud clang as two horse-drawn carriages collided in the narrow alley.
"Whose carriage dares to collide with the carriage of Marquis Dingbian's estate?"
A loud shout echoed.
Su Xiaoqi was startled.
Shen Yun's expression deepened. He adjusted his robes, turned back, and kissed Su Xiaoqi, saying, "Wife, don't worry. I know whose family it is."
He lifted the carriage curtain and jumped down.
Soon, a gentle and polite voice was heard: "Is the young master of Marquis Dingbian's estate in the carriage?"
"It is this young master. Who are you?" a somewhat rough and impertinent voice replied.
Su Xiaoqi couldn't help but lift the curtain to look.
She happened to see a head emerge from the opposite carriage.
It was a young, delicate face.
The man had refined features, fair skin, and wore fine clothes, with only dark circles under his eyes, giving him an air of lacking energy.
It was obvious he was someone who indulged excessively in carnal pleasures.
Su Xiaoqi's peek happened to catch his eye.
Due to their intimacy, Su Xiaoqi's cheeks were rosy, and her pair of peach-blossom eyes were clear and clean, appearing extremely alluring.
The young master of Marquis Dingbian's estate, who had been sitting at an angle,
sat up straight upon seeing her. His eyes were fixed on Su Xiaoqi, his mouth slightly agape, and he was drooling.
"Li-little lady... so, so beautiful."
Su Xiaoqi frowned. Was this young master of Marquis Dingbian's estate a stutterer?
However, whether he stuttered or not was yet to be determined.
But he was definitely a lecher.
His behavior was far too obvious.
Seeing the saliva trickling down his lips, Su Xiaoqi's face showed disgust. She called out, "Husband."
Shen Yun, seeing that the so-called young master was actually staring at his wife, had already returned to protect her.
However, out of respect for his status as a young master, he didn't want to escalate the conflict.
He then cupped his hands in a respectful bow and sincerely apologized.
The young master chuckled and pointed at Shen Yun, saying:
"Your carriage hit my carriage. Do you know your mistake?"
Shen Yun frowned. In fact, it was their carriage that had hit the couple's carriage.
However, this was not the time to argue, and judging by his appearance, he wasn't someone who reasoned.
He feared getting entangled with him.
As he was in a hurry to get back, he offered another long bow, performing all the necessary courtesies and maintaining appearances.
Even if the matter escalated, he wouldn't have to worry about failing to report it.
Yet, the young master of Marquis Dingbian's estate was completely unappreciative.
He took a fan from his waist and opened it with a "bang," revealing a lewd illustration of exposed flesh.
He swayed unsteadily, leering at Su Xiaoqi.
Reminded by his subordinates, he snapped out of his daze and demanded.
"You insignificant nobody who rammed my carriage, I was supposed to make you pay me. But today, I am magnanimous and will not pursue the matter. Just give... just give me your carriage and the person along with it as compensation to this young master..."
How dare he have designs on his wife? Shen Yun, who was not a good-tempered person, stopped pretending to be humble and said sternly:
"Shut up. What a fine young master you are, to be so utterly shameless."
"How dare you! My master is the young master of Marquis Dingbian's estate, the nephew of the current Imperial Consort's wet nurse, and the Crown Prince's own cousin. Who are you to disrespect my master?"
The words Marquis Dingbian, Imperial Consort, and Crown Prince struck Su Xiaoqi. She suddenly understood who the person before her was.
She suddenly recalled something.
When Wen Ruohua and Madam Li were chatting in the Grand Hall of Liuyuan, they had mentioned an incident.
They said that the wife of Marquis Dingbian initially had only one daughter and, for ten years, had no other pregnancies, making her anxious to find fertility secrets.
Later, someone introduced her to Master Kongshan of Huangjue Temple, who performed rituals to grant children, and she then successfully gave birth to a son.
At that time, Marquis Dingbian was forty years old, having a child in his old age. He doted on him exceptionally.
The child was enfeoffed as the heir apparent when he was merely a month old. Afterward, he was given whatever he desired, spoiling him immensely.
At a young age, he was already a menace in the capital.
As he grew older, he became even more depraved.
He was particularly fond of women.
Besides frequenting entertainment districts, he would often wander the streets and alleys. If he saw someone attractive and to his liking, he would forcibly abduct them, causing a commotion.
If they were lucky enough to survive, Marquis Dingbian's estate would compensate the family with some money to settle the matter privately.
If they were less fortunate, or had a strong will, and died on the way, their bodies would be directly taken to a mass grave. The estate would adamantly deny abducting them, leaving no proof of their crime.
Of course, it wasn't just these matters that Su Xiaoqi remembered.
It was his eventual fate.
It was said that later, someone uncovered his past, suspecting that he was not the biological son of Marquis Dingbian at all.
But rather, there were complications when Madam Huang of Marquis Dingbian's estate sought to conceive...