Ch 68: Sudden Storm
“Husband has returned.” Meng Tingyue swallowed the words “His Highness” about to leave her lips, a smile playing on her face as she got off the bed to greet him.
The room was gently enveloped in warmth, and a light, elegant scent of incense flowed through the air, almost identical to Meng Tingyue’s own scent.
The woman in front of him was slender, wearing a pale yellow jacket that made her look even more serene.
Her dark hair was loosely tied up, with a few strands casually falling over her shoulders. Her face was plain, without cosmetics, yet surprisingly captivating.
Shen Yunheng’s gaze involuntarily fell on the fair skin exposed at her neck, then involuntarily looked away, striding towards the table with a subtle hint of detachment in his tone.
“During the day, you sent someone to look for me. What was it about?”
“It was merely because I was worried about my husband, so I sent someone to inquire.”
After speaking, Meng Tingyue added, “Knowing that my husband is busy with state affairs all day, and it also happened to be a heavy rain, I thought that my husband might stay overnight in the Eastern Palace tonight.”
Shen Yunheng said calmly, “No.”
“Seeing Husband return to the mansion confirms that.” Meng Tingyue gently placed the account books she had just been reviewing on the table in front of Shen Yunheng, and then sat down.
“These are the account books from these years. I have carefully examined them these days and found some problems…” Meng Tingyue carefully explained to him, fearing that Shen Yunheng wouldn’t understand.
There was a moderate distance between the two of them. To better explain the problem, Meng Tingyue unconsciously stretched out her arm and leaned forward to point at the account books.
After a while, her arm and neck felt a little sore, so she naturally pulled the stool and slowly moved a little closer to him.
Shen Yunheng caught every subtle movement of hers with his eyes, a hidden current seemed to be surging in the depths of his eyes, a complex and difficult-to-discern emotion flashed in his eyes, as if a distant memory was gently touched, and the lines on his face unconsciously tightened.
Meng Tingyue was focused on analyzing the matter at hand and did not notice Shen Yunheng’s strangeness.
Even if she had noticed, she wouldn’t have thought anything was wrong. As husband and wife, even returning to the bed to make love was perfectly natural.
Zheng Steward managed the accounts perfectly, and even with her careful search, she only found a few subtle omissions, as if Zheng Steward had deliberately revealed a flaw.
The account books were made so clean that she suspected that Zheng Steward had been prepared and had replaced the account books in advance.
The Crown Prince was busy with battles on the battlefield in his early years, neglecting many matters in the mansion, which allowed Zheng Steward to run the mansion with an iron fist. Secretly replacing the account books would be effortless for him.
Since she couldn’t find any problems on the surface of the account books, she decided to try a different approach.
“These small matters are not a big deal, but it seems inappropriate for Zheng Steward.”
Meng Tingyue casually mentioned this, leaving a subtle mark in Shen Yunheng’s mind, like a faint ink stain. Then she smoothly turned to the main topic.
“I have carefully calculated that the location of the mansion’s shops in Jingdu is not bad. Compared to shops of the same type in the same area, the revenue of the mansion’s shops is lower.”
“On closer thought, there are three main reasons for this.”
“First, the shop assistants may be a little slack and not doing their best;”
“Second, the quality of the goods sold is mediocre, making it difficult to stand out in the vast market. Customers naturally prefer better options;”
“Third, someone is embezzling funds.”
Seeing Shen Yunheng frown in thought, Meng Tingyue continued, “I took the time to visit those shops these past two days and secretly sent people to ask the people about their opinions and evaluations of these shops.”
“The quality of the goods sold in these shops is generally average. Although they are not worse than other merchants, they are not much better either. The prices are also higher than others, and the shop assistants are arrogant and condescending, and good at discriminating against customers.”
These words were not Meng Tingyue’s fabrication, but the conclusion she had drawn after careful investigation. If Shen Yunheng cared, he only needed to send someone to verify it to know the truth.
Shen Yunheng, upon hearing this, flew into a rage, slamming his hand heavily on the table, causing the teacups to tremble slightly. “What audacity!”
He knew that Meng Tingyue was not a rash person and would not be playing tricks on him in this matter.
“Ling Qi!” He shouted angrily. Ling Qi, who was waiting outside, quickly entered the room.
“His Highness.”
“Why has no one reported this matter until now?” Shen Yunheng questioned, his tone full of reproach.
Ling Qi’s heart tightened, and his knees involuntarily bent as he knelt down. “Your subordinate has been waiting in the mansion and has not heard Zheng Steward mention this matter, nor received any relevant letters.”
Meng Tingyue pondered for a moment. If Ling Xiao was a close aide who accompanied the Crown Prince on the battlefield, then Ling Qi must be the one who ran back and forth between the two, delivering messages for the Crown Prince.
Meng Tingyue took Shen Yunheng’s arm and said understandingly, “Perhaps Zheng Steward was also kept in the dark and doesn’t know the truth of the matter.”
Shen Yunheng’s eyebrows, still slightly furrowed in anger, swept over Meng Tingyue before looking away. “Regardless of whether it was an accident or not, it was his negligence.”
“Ling Qi, quickly send someone to investigate the truth of this matter. If it is true… I need Zheng Steward’s explanation.”
“Yes, I will go right away.”
The moment Ling Qi turned around, a lightning bolt split the sky, illuminating the vegetation in the courtyard and revealing the raging wind and rain outside.
The thunder followed the disappearance of the lightning. Although Meng Tingyue was prepared in her heart, she was still startled and involuntarily leaned towards the vague sense of security beside her.
A soft warmth suddenly entered Shen Yunheng’s arms, and a faint fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose, yet it made him frown, instinctively pushing away this sudden warmth.
At this moment, the thunder outside roared again, as if trying to swallow up all other sounds. The candle flickered a few times and finally went out, instantly plunging the room into endless darkness.
In the darkness, a pair of delicate hands quietly wrapped around his waist, and a warm little head pressed against his chest.
He helplessly raised his hand and gently placed it on Meng Tingyue’s slightly trembling back. Under his fingertips was her instantly tense body. He tried to soften his tone, “Don’t be afraid, it’s me.”
Meng Tingyue was scared out of her wits, and the little bit of spirit she had managed to gather in her mind was dispelled by the darkness.
Her voice was as thin as a mosquito’s whine, with a hint of helplessness and panic, “The lamp… why did it go out?”
At this time, a maid servant hurriedly entered the room, her eyes quickly scanning the extinguished candle, and softly reported, “Reporting to His Highness, the candle has burned out. I will go change a new one.”
The maid servant entered to check the candle and replied, “Reporting to His Highness, the candle has burned out. This servant will go and change a new candle.”
Rumble——
At that moment, thunder rumbled outside, and lightning flashed, like an angry dragon in the sky, wantonly surging.
But in Meng Tingyue’s ears, she could still hear Shen Yunheng’s firm and steady heartbeat, unintentionally dispelling her surrounding unease and fear, bringing a subtle sense of peace.
