Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 188 Terrified
Upon receiving Pei'er's message, Shen Tu Zhuo hurriedly finished his official duties and returned.

Tan Huai Ke's invitation was a rare treat, and he was naturally delighted. He guessed that the Guangli Chamber of Commerce had some new developments and wanted to inform him? Or perhaps the tassels with the beads he had strung were finished and she wanted to give them to him in person? He also had some good news to tell her, and he would tell her all at once while they had dinner at that side courtyard that evening.

Shen Tu Zhuo went there excitedly, but when he entered the room he found Tan Huai Ke looking solemn.

He immediately tensed up: "What's wrong? Did something happen to the shop? Or is someone from the Chamber of Commerce causing trouble?"

“Neither.” Tan Huaike shook his head, looking at him meaningfully. “I’m grieving for someone.”

"Who? Who broke your heart?" Shen Tu Zhuo's heart trembled at that gaze. He felt something was wrong, but he was too worried about her to care about anything else. "That old bastard Tan Li is causing you trouble again? You wait, I'll take care of the entire Tan family one by one! They're still bothering you!"

Tan Huaike gestured for Pei'er to close the door and leave, then personally served Shen Tu Zhuo a bowl of freshly cooked sunflower soup: "You've just finished your errand, have some soup to tide you over." After Shen Tu Zhuo took a sip of soup in a daze, she imitated Tan Anfu, lowered her head and covered her eyes with a handkerchief, saying, "I'm so sad for you, Uncle, your child... couldn't be saved."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Tu Zhuo spat out the sunflower soup he had just taken a bite of with a "poof".

Just like Tan Huaike when he first heard the news, the sunflower soup once again stained the table. This time, it was freshly cooked and even hotter than the pot from noon. Shen Tu Zhuo was so agitated that he immediately stood up, shaking off the dripping soup from his clothes, and said, "What didn't get saved?"

Tan Huaike almost couldn't help but laugh, but fortunately, he covered half of his face with a handkerchief, which temporarily calmed him down.

She did this with the intention of teasing him, so how could she be the only one to lose her composure over this, especially since it was "Young Master Zhuo" who caused this messy situation?

Tan Huaike continued sadly, "Your child."

Shen Tu Zhuo was shocked: "You're pregnant... no, when did we..." His mind went blank for a moment, still not understanding, "Huh? Where did the child come from?"

So Tan Huaike vividly reenacted what Tan Anfu had said that day. Throughout the entire process, Shen Tuzhuo didn't interrupt her, letting her perform to her heart's content, simply listening attentively with a variety of expressions on his face.

Upon hearing that Tan Anfu was pregnant, he was first surprised, and then felt a mix of emotions; when he heard that Tan Anfu refused to have an abortion because she couldn't bear to part with the child, he showed a hint of disdain, as if he had seen through her; when he heard that Tan Anfu caused trouble at home after her marriage and eventually had to have an abortion with medication, he finally felt a little sorry for her and his eyes showed regret.

After Tan Huaike finished his performance, he wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of his eyes and said, "That child came into the world so mysteriously, and left just as mysteriously. Doesn't Uncle feel heartbroken?"

Shen Tu Zhuo sighed, "What did the child do wrong? It was just bad luck to be born into the wrong family and live such a wasted life." Then he said righteously, "But what does this have to do with me? I have never had any affair with Tan Anfu, so naturally the child is not mine. When the Qianjin Canal was being dug, the Tan family did try to scheme against me, hoping to take advantage of my drunken state and force me to have sex with her, but their plan completely failed."

"Really? Why didn't you succeed?" Tan Huaike pressed.

"The incense that Tan Anfu lit was too strong and overpowering, it made me dizzy, so I pushed her away and ran out," Shen Tu Zhuo said confidently. "I took a cold bath in the river and woke up, and several canal workers can testify to that. As for what happened later, I only found out when Tan Li and his wife came to me for help."

"So Tan Anfu was tricked by someone else?"

"Alas, it's all the Tan family's own fault. Tan Li probably wanted to use me as leverage to find someone to witness my 'affair' with Tan Anfu. But the witness fell into the trap instead, and Tan Anfu herself was bewitched by the incense, unwittingly causing this disaster. The Tan family didn't want to make a fuss, so I punished the offending canal chief and gave them enough face. I never expected Tan Anfu to repay kindness with enmity and pin the blame on me."

"So that's how it is." Tan Huai Ke nodded slightly. "No wonder she came to me to plead her case, instead of confronting you or asking Aunt Jun for a title. I suppose she knew she couldn't get away with it, so she could only put on a show for me." "But why is she telling you all this?" Shen Tu Zhuo said helplessly. "Does she want you to take pity on her, help her rebuild her family business, and save her elder sister from this predicament?"

"Of course not, Lady Fu is not the kind of person who would willingly lower herself," Tan Huai Ke said calmly. "I am the thorn in her side, and I suspect she has other tricks up her sleeve. She's only telling me this to try and sow discord between us."

"You didn't actually believe her nonsense, did you?" Shen Tu Zhuo said excitedly, "I swear to God..."

"If I really believed you, would I still be here questioning you? I would definitely file a complaint with Aunt Jun and cause chaos in the Shentu Mansion and the Tan family." She glanced at his lower body and said sarcastically, "What a pity, you didn't get to enjoy the good fortune, and the child isn't yours. Uncle, you're just a good-for-nothing."

"If my sister-in-law is willing to remarry me, she can see for herself whether I am all show and no substance."
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Having cleared his name, Shentu Zhuo finally relaxed.

Even though his clothes and trousers were stained with sunflower paste, he didn't care much and took the opportunity to ask, "Oh, sister-in-law, I've been feeling a bit empty around my waist these past few days, like something's missing. You've had my jade pendant for so long, are you planning not to return it?"

Knowing that he was asking for the promised string of pearls, Tan Huaike avoided the issue and said, "I've been too busy lately, I don't have time to do that. Please give me a few more days."

Shen Tu Zhuo said with a grin, "So there are things you're not good at too? It doesn't matter if you can't make it up well, and it doesn't matter if you don't return the jade pendant. Knowing that my sister-in-law will be jealous of me makes me happier than anything else."

"Jealous? Am I jealous?"

"You didn't? Then who is Fang Cai who knew Tan Anfu was lying, yet still insisted on testing me?"

Tan Huaike smiled and changed the subject: "You seemed to be in a good mood when you came. Is something good happening?"

Speaking of this, Shentu Zhuo said seriously, "Indeed, there is good news. Song Shu is coming to Zhangye for an inspection."

Has the King of Qin already set off?

"He didn't just set off; his journey from Wuwei to Jiuquan was incredibly swift and decisive, completely subduing the officials at all levels in Hexi. It seems he's already detoured to Yangguan these past two days, intending to give the Zhenxi Army a taste of their power."

"That's wonderful," Tan Huai Ke said happily. "I don't know about other things, but because the Zhenxi Army was so passive in dealing with the opening of the new trade route, you were unable to complete your mission properly, and our business was also delayed. It's really annoying. Now that the King of Qin is going to show off his power, we can at least have someone backing us up."

"That's right. He even sent me a letter through Qiao Mao, saying that he would hold a grand banquet in Zhangye County to express his gratitude for the rescue and assistance he had given during the year-end sacrifice."

"Is it really that grand? Isn't he being too polite? Isn't that just the duty of the people of the county? We can't just stand by and watch a prince get chopped into mincemeat."

"Ha, I think he has ulterior motives."

The rescue involved Tan Huaike driving a carriage to accompany him to the outskirts of the city to escape assassins; the assistance involved Tan Huaike disguising himself as Princess Mohe and traveling with him back to Andu for a marriage alliance.

Shen Tu Zhuo muttered sourly, wondering what might be the reason behind it.
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Next chapter: Today I'll let her steal the spotlight again.