She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Chapter 340 Reunion after a long absence

After listening quietly to Zhao Yi's entire plan, Shen Qingtan asked, "Did you know in Yingcheng that Magistrate Xu and the Censor were Lin Yi's men, and that after faking their deaths to escape, you had my father arrest them?"

"Okay." Zhao Yi said gently, "Jiang Mu and Jiang Chao go to the border between Yingcheng and Yuncheng to bring the person back."

Shen Qingtan did not ask the guard why he betrayed Lin Yi, after all, the guard had parents, wife and children, which were his weaknesses.

The secret guards are different; they are orphans with no weaknesses, and would rather die than betray their masters.

"I heard you cough." Shen Qingtan's gaze fell on his pale face, her fingers gently touching his cheek: "Are you sick?"

"I caught a slight cold, but after taking the medicine my cousin prescribed, I'm feeling better," Zhao Yi explained. "I was just pretending to cough badly in front of them today."

"After all, I didn't actually die of illness. Hearing the increasingly rampant rumors outside, I should have come forward to dispel them. But I didn't show up, letting the news of my death spread. A meticulous person would inevitably suspect that this was a scheme of ours."

Zhao Yi explained clearly, "Now that they see me weak and sick, they will assume that I fell into the river, escaped death, and fell seriously ill. Once my condition improves slightly, they will set off to come here."

Even if someone doubts him, he can use his illness as a reason to refute it.

"And you?" Zhao Yi asked, "Are you being given any trouble in the capital?"

“No one is making things difficult for me. Since you haven’t returned to the capital, I’ve stayed home and haven’t received any guests, for fear of holding you back.”

Shen Qingtan told Zhao Yi about the situation in the mansion in detail: "The Consort Shu has arranged spies in our mansion. We haven't found out who the masters behind the other eunuchs and palace maids are yet."

"This isn't necessarily a bad thing. At least they're out in the open, so we just need to be more vigilant against them. If we use them properly in the future, they can become our pawns."

Zhao Yi wiped her damp eyelashes with a handkerchief: "We'll use our own people in the main courtyard and study, just in case there are spies hiding in the shadows."

Shen Qingtan gave a soft "hmm" and sat quietly, letting him wipe her face with a handkerchief.

The couple hadn't been together for a long time, and even just sitting together like this, without saying a word, felt sweet and wonderful.

Shen Qingtan fondly remembers the time she spent intimately with the Duke's mansion.

"Is Brother Changsheng in Yuncheng?" Shen Qingtan wanted to be alone with Zhao Yi in a room, but she was very worried about Gu Changsheng: "I want to see him."

Zhao Yi tucked the handkerchief into her sleeve. "I'll take you to see him."

"Wait a minute." Shen Qingtan tugged at her plain clothes and said softly, "I'll go change into some bright clothes."

Zhao Yi smiled and said, "Okay."

Shen Qingtan turned and went to the inner room to redo her makeup.

Hearing footsteps, Zhao Yi looked up and saw Shen Qingtan wearing a light-colored dress and a bright red cloak covered in gold sable fur.

She wore flowers today and applied makeup to her cheeks, which made her look radiant.

Seeing Zhao Yi staring at her face, Shen Qingtan covered her face with embarrassment and said, "I haven't been sleeping well these days, and I don't look well. I'm afraid Brother Changsheng will worry."

"The last time I saw you dressed like this was on our wedding day when we served tea." Zhao Yi hadn't seen her dressed so exquisitely in a long time, and a special feeling welled up in his heart, as if he were back to the feeling of meeting her on their wedding day.

Shen Qingtan was slightly taken aback. Such attire was quite ordinary for her. When attending banquets or meeting important people, she would always pay attention to her clothing and appearance to avoid losing her composure.

Zhao Yi's words made her feel that on their first day of marriage, she was exceptionally special in his eyes.

Now that they've been apart for so long, her completely new look seems to him no different from when they were newlyweds.

Shen Qingtan couldn't help but recall a proverb: "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

"Let's hurry up." Shen Qingtan's cheeks were slightly flushed. She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head to protect herself from the wind and snow. "If we go late, I'm afraid we'll disturb Brother Changsheng's rest."

Zhao Yi smiled without saying a word, took out a red and gold handkerchief and covered her face, revealing her misty eyes.

He seemed bewitched, lowering his head to kiss her lips through the thin handkerchief.

This kiss made her heart race even faster than a direct kiss on the lips.

After Zhao Yi released her, Shen Qingtan quickly lowered her head, readjusted the towel on her face, and gently pursed her red lips.

"Let's go." Zhao Yi took Shen Qingtan's hand and headed towards the shantytown.

-

Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan arrived at the shanty. They could faintly hear conversations coming from inside. There were no heartbroken cries, and even a few laughs.

Shen Qingtan looked around, and as she was about to enter the shantytown, she paused, her gaze falling on a corner.

A little girl, about three or four years old, was seen tugging at Gu Changsheng's sleeve, looking up at him with her small face, seemingly saying something.

Gu Changsheng bent down and squatted in front of the little girl, looking at her with blurred vision. Her chubby little face had a pair of big, watery eyes that showed a bit of dependence on and closeness to him.

"Brother, the medicine is so bitter, I want to eat candy."

In an instant, Gu Changsheng felt as if he had returned to the past, with Shen Qingtan tugging at his sleeve and acting coquettishly towards him.

Seeing that Gu Changsheng didn't speak, the little girl timidly said, "Brother, it's not that I want to eat candy."

"Hmm." Gu Changsheng continued, "It's your tummy that wants to eat."

Shen Qingtan, who was walking over, suddenly stopped in her tracks upon hearing these words.