Shen Mingzhu's face grew paler and paler. Her mind went blank for a moment, and she instinctively wanted to deny what Xie Lang had said. But... Xie Lang would never lie.
Shen Mingzhu closed her eyes briefly, still in disbelief.
She had never suspected the people around her, for they were all confidants bestowed upon her by the emperor and the empress. Even Shen Mingyuan had no way to interfere with them.
"You..."
Seeing the look on Shen Mingzhu's face, Xie Lang reached out and patted her on the shoulder. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
"Do you know?" Shen Mingzhu looked at Xie Lang, her eyes filled with disbelief. "I've never suspected the people around me, because they were all left to me by the emperor and the empress."
But something had gone wrong this time!
Shen Mingzhu took a deep breath and looked at Xie Lang. "Tell me, in all these years, how many truths have I missed?"
What kind of secrets were hidden behind the relationship between her father and mother, and her elder brother's death?
Shen Mingzhu was silent for a moment, then looked at Xie Lang and said, "Let's start the investigation from those around my mother after we return to the capital."
Xie Lang was surprised at her words. Looking at Shen Mingzhu, he said, "You... Alright, I'll pay attention."
"But things may not be as bad as you think." Xie Lang reached out and patted Shen Mingzhu on the shoulder again. "You're already very capable. If it were someone else, they might not even be able to keep what you have."
Shen Mingzhu sighed and continued, "Do you think the empress really didn't know about my elder brother? Didn't she and the emperor find out any truth at all?"
Previously, Shen Mingzhu had never suspected them. But now, she felt a sense of unease. How powerful a force a king and a queen had! It was impossible that they couldn't find out about these things.
As for herself, Shen Mingzhu had taken over the forces left by the empress dowager. It had taken her three years to finally find some clues.
At first, she thought it was because the real culprit had hidden too well. But now, she wasn't so sure. She even suspected that her parents had known the truth and were hiding it from her. That was why she had searched for three years and only recently caught a glimpse of what was behind it.
Shen Mingzhu felt her fingertips go cold. She instinctively took a sharp breath, not knowing what to say for a moment. Her gaze on Xie Lang was filled with indescribable heaviness.
Xie Lang didn't know how to comfort her either. So, there was a gentle look in his eyes. He reached out and patted Shen Mingzhu on the shoulder again, saying softly, "Don't worry. Even if the road ahead is difficult, as long as you want to keep looking, I'll help you."
Hearing Xie Lang's words, Shen Mingzhu thought of what she had done and felt too guilty to say a word.
She let out a heavy sigh, stepped forward, and hugged him.
"Thank you."
Xie Lang was stunned for a moment, then heard Shen Mingzhu's muffled voice.
He reached out and hugged her back, gently patting her on the back, as if comforting a child.
[Alas, really... If it were someone else, I would have scolded them to death. But it's Shen Mingzhu. Now I have to clean up her mess.]
[But Shen Mingzhu has really had a hard time. It's true that no one in the royal family is easy. It's quite remarkable that Shen Mingzhu has managed to retain so many forces over the years.]
Shen Mingzhu hugged Xie Lang and smelled the faint fragrance on him. She couldn't help but ask, "Why? Xie Lang, why are you helping me so much?"
Xie Lang was taken aback for a moment and said, "What, are you suddenly feeling guilty and planning to compensate me?"
Shen Mingzhu ignored the teasing in Xie Lang's tone and listened to his inner thoughts.
[Alas, what else can I do with the woman I've fallen for?]
She was silent for a moment, then said to Xie Lang, "I'll compensate you when we get back. You can take whatever you like from my private treasury."
Hearing this, Xie Lang was almost amused by Shen Mingzhu's words. But just as he was about to speak, he felt a slight dampness on his chest, as if... as if it were the tears of the person in front of him.
He suddenly lost his voice.
In recent days, Xie Lang had noticed that perhaps due to a lack of security, Shen Mingzhu always liked to distance herself from others. It was the same with him and with Zhou Chengyu. Whenever someone helped her, she would immediately offer a reward.
Especially now, with her emotions in turmoil, she didn't know how to face her own helplessness.
"Alright." Xie Lang reached out and ruffled Shen Mingzhu's messy hair. "Then I won't be polite."
Shen Mingzhu listened as Xie Lang analyzed her thoughts bit by bit in his heart, but pretended not to know. Her mood was even more complicated.
Why was Xie Lang so good - tempered! Why didn't he get angry or blame her!
Shen Mingzhu only felt a deep sense of guilt in her heart. Seeing Xie Lang being so good - tempered made her even more uncomfortable.
She gritted her teeth, looked up, and with a pair of teary eyes, she glanced at Xie Lang, then suddenly bit his lips hard.
Xie Lang hissed in pain. Looking at the emotions in Shen Mingzhu's eyes, he couldn't help but grit his teeth and say, "Shen Mingzhu!"
Shen Mingzhu looked at him, answered, and her gaze was fixed on Xie Lang.
The night was deep all around. Shen Mingzhu watched as Xie Lang's expression was covered by the thick darkness. She could only see his bright eyes clearly, so she instinctively paused.
The atmosphere around them suddenly heated up. Shen Mingzhu heard Xie Lang let out a soft laugh and felt her ears turn slightly red.
"Forget it. I won't argue with you this time." Xie Lang looked at Shen Mingzhu again, then laughed and said, "I'll be waiting for you to have a good bite when we're back in the capital."
Shen Mingzhu: "..."
Why did she bite him just now?
...
She didn't sleep a wink all night.
When the first light of dawn began to peek through the forest, the group finally started to leave.
Shen Mingzhu was riding a horse. The wound on her foot hadn't changed much, but it was more painful than the day before. Xie Lang's face darkened when he saw this, and he glared at her.
"Do you remember the way out?"
Seeing that Xie Lang left without any hesitation, Shen Mingzhu instinctively asked.
"Of course I do." Xie Lang said, glanced at Shen Mingzhu, and added, "Unlike some people who act impulsively."
Shen Mingzhu lowered her head silently and muttered, "It'll never happen again."
Xie Lang sighed and quickened his pace. Worried about Shen Mingzhu's wound, he felt even more anxious.
They had only walked for half an hour when Xie Lang suddenly stopped.
"Someone's coming?"
Shen Mingzhu was on horseback. Seeing Xie Lang's movement, she asked, "Whose people are they?"
Were they hers, Xie Lang's, or...
Shen Mingzhu wasn't in a hurry. After the commotion this time, the people behind the scenes didn't dare to act at first. Now that both she and Xie Lang's people were here, the culprits would surely want to clean up their tracks and run away. So, the people coming couldn't be the real killers.
She looked ahead and saw an unexpected person standing there.