Su Xiaoqi was very curious how Shen Yun had managed it.
No matter how she asked, he only said, "Perhaps Lord Huang is truly just and incorruptible. I reasoned with him, and he listened."
Su Xiaoqi's brows twitched as she heard this. She pulled at the corner of her mouth, "You don't even believe that yourself, do you?"
Who would believe that.
Shen Yun gently put an arm around her shoulder and said softly, "My wife worries too much, she'll grow old."
His words made Su Xiaoqi feel uneasy.
She shivered theatrically, gently pushed Shen Yun away, and rolled her eyes at his back.
You good-for-nothing, all you do is wear a mask to deceive people.
"My wife, I worked tirelessly to accomplish this matter. Don't you think you should reward me?"
Su Xiaoqi looked at his handsome face as he leaned closer, deliberately turning her head away as if pretending not to see him.
"Ah, we're family, do we still need to say thank you?"
"Good, my wife is right. Of course, we don't need to thank each other as family," Shen Yun said, as if he had eaten honey, his entire heart sweet.
Su Xiaoqi didn't realize the deeper meaning in his words. She was just happy to have finally cornered Shen Yun for once.
But she soon realized she had overthought things.
Young Master Shen was by no means someone who would easily suffer a loss.
If the mountain wouldn't come to him, he would go to the mountain.
He tilted his chin and sealed Su Xiaoqi's lips.
"My wife..." he murmured softly, his voice as light as a breath, making Su Xiaoqi's heart resonate with him.
She couldn't help but respond to his actions.
Su Xiaoqi was quite annoyed that she was so easily led by Shen Yun.
Shen Yun, however, reaped the benefits and then played the victim.
"My wife says no, but your body is honest."
"Shen Yun..." Su Xiaoqi gritted her teeth.
"I was wrong, my wife," Shen Yun admitted without hesitation.
Su Xiaoqi looked at his sincere expression and loving gaze, and for a moment, he seemed like a stranger.
In the plot, Shen Yun was a person of deep and cold disposition.
When had he ever had such a smile as bright as the morning sun?
Su Xiaoqi couldn't help but reach out and pinch his cheek, sighing softly, "You look better when you smile more."
Shen Yun said, "As long as my wife likes it."
Su Xiaoqi chuckled and couldn't help but speak her mind, "This isn't like you, but I like this you." Shen Yun's smile grew even brighter, his eyes sparkling like diamonds.
"If my wife likes me, would you grant me one request?"
Su Xiaoqi asked, confused, "What request?"
Shen Yun spoke to her with a rare earnest and solemn expression.
She thought it was something very important, so she put on a serious listening posture.
But soon, the expression on Su Xiaoqi's face broke.
"You, what did you say?" Say it again, Su Xiaoqi threatened with her eyes.
This Shen Yun, she shouldn't have harbored any illusions about him.
Shen Yun held her tightly, whispered clearly into her ear:
"I said, if I succeed in my studies one day, we will consummate our marriage."
"Shen-Yun!" Su Xiaoqi roared like a lioness.
"My wife, there's no need to be too excited. It's what I owe you," Shen Yun said to himself.
Su Xiaoqi pushed him hard, but his body was as firm as a rock, and she couldn't budge him at all.
Su Xiaoqi was forced to listen to Shen Yun repeat himself.
Her expression was fierce, but her face had flushed unnaturally.
Shen Yun knew that the woman in his arms wasn't devoid of feelings for him.
She simply had all sorts of worries that prevented her from taking that step towards him.
There would be time in the future. Sooner or later, he would make her willingly be with him.
Patience was his greatest asset.
Unlike the tender affection between the young Shen couple, the Su family was shrouded in gloom.
"What, they escaped again." Su Baiwan was very angry.
He asked Steward Su if their Su family's money wasn't appealing anymore.
"It's appealing, but perhaps Lord Huang sees how capable he is now and dares to provoke him." Su Jiamo's news was quite well-informed.
"Hmph..." Su Baiwan's face darkened.
Su Jiamo persuaded him again, advising them to temporarily refrain from making a move, as Shen Yun wouldn't be able to escape once they reached the capital.
"Jiamo, do you know something?" Su Baiwan, being shrewd, quickly deduced something from Su Jiamo's words.
"Oh, father, just don't worry about it. Listen to me and don't make any more moves."
After several setbacks, Su Baiwan felt a bit apprehensive.
He nodded and went along with Su Jiamo.
On the eighth day, the weather that had been gloomy for several days unexpectedly cleared up.
The spring sun was brilliant, and a gentle breeze brushed past. Su Xiaoqi and Shen Yun bid farewell to their families and, with minimal fanfare, departed from the north gate of Mianzhou City. They met up with He Qiulei, who had been waiting, and Qi Yunwei, who couldn't refuse their invitation, and together they headed north.
From south to north, they took the Jinniu Road, then crossed Qingchuan, reached the Qin Mountains, then to Hanzhong, and finally to Weicheng.
Along the way, with Shen Yun holding the official document for the imperial examination issued by the government, they stayed in official post stations. Moreover, they were dressed discreetly, so they remained relatively safe.
The bandits and highwaymen along this route also had principles; they were not to rob scholars on their way to the capital.
Firstly, they were poor; there wasn't much to gain from robbing these scholars.
Secondly, they were afraid. Normally, they would cause minor trouble among the outlaws, robbing passing merchants or the like, without causing any fatalities.
The authorities would turn a blind eye.
But if a life was taken, especially if it was a scholar on their way to the capital, the problem would be immense.
The higher authorities would be enraged and would surely dispatch troops to suppress them.
It wasn't worth it, it wasn't worth it.
That's what the outlaws thought, but some people thought otherwise.
Shen Yun and his party had a relatively smooth journey, except for Li Shushao, who was driving the carriage.
He would occasionally receive orders from his master.
To temporarily turn onto a small path, or to abandon the small inn where they were supposed to stop for a meal.
Or to speed up and reach the official post station before a certain time.
Li Shushao was quite tormented by this.
Fortunately, his master could also drive, and sometimes when he saw Li Shushao was very tired, he would take turns driving with him.
This situation eased somewhat after their party crossed the Qin Mountains and entered Shiling Prefecture along the official road.
It was still snowing in Shiling Prefecture, and Su Xiaoqi, out of the blue, caught a cold from the wind.
Earlier, Su Xiaoqi had been afraid of slowing Shen Yun down and had concealed it, thinking she could just tough it out.
After all, in modern times, when she caught a cold, she never thought of taking medicine immediately.
She would always endure it, drink plenty of water, and usually, after three to five days, the symptoms would pass.
Otherwise, taking medicine all the time wasn't good, as medicine had its side effects.
However, after enduring it for three consecutive days, not only did the symptoms not lessen, but they worsened.
From nasal congestion and runny nose to coughing, her throat itched, and she couldn't help but cough. Shen Yun heard it and wanted to take her to see a doctor.
Su Xiaoqi had to say that she had backup medicinal ingredients and was a doctor herself, so she didn't need to see one. She just needed to find a place to brew a batch of medicine and take it.
But after persisting like this for another day, the symptoms still didn't improve, and she developed a fever.
This made Shen Yun's previous method of traveling impossible.
Even though Su Xiaoqi insisted that she was a healer, Shen Yun preemptively stated that a healer could not heal themselves.
He insisted on taking her to the nearest medical clinic in Baoning Prefecture for treatment.
As Su Xiaoqi alighted from the carriage, she glanced back and noticed that the carriage carrying He Qiulei and Qi Yunwei was gone.
She found it somewhat unusual.