Shen Zhijie watched her dejected figure retreat, pressing his lips together.
He said quietly to his father, "Father, do you think Yuzhu-"
"Go check on her," Shen Wuji suddenly said sternly.
"No, go find your mother and ask her to keep Yuzhu company. She's more sensitive than either of us and understands girls better. She'll know how to comfort her."
Then he added, "Remember, whether or not your second uncle acknowledges Yuzhu in the future, she's part of our family. No one is allowed to bully or neglect her."
Shen Zhijie immediately replied, "Father, do you even need to tell me that? She'll always be my sister!"
"Enough talking. I'll go find Mother right now!"
"Go on, hurry!"
Shen Wuji hurriedly shooed him away.
"All right!"
After he left...
Only then did Shen Wuji remember Xiao Yu beside him.
Looking slightly apologetic, he said, "You must find us rather embarrassing, Your Highness."
Xiao Yu had his head lowered, lost in thought.
Suddenly, he replied, "Lord Shen... you have two wonderful children. How enviable!"
Shen Wuji: "..."
What did Prince Yu mean by that?
He didn't understand.
He asked, "Your Highness... could it be that you're thinking of getting married?"
At that, the corner of Xiao Yu's mouth twitched.
What was he thinking?
This body was only twelve. What marriage?
"...I just miss Father and Mother."
After a pause, he added, "Come to think of it, my elder sister is about Yuzhu's age."
He wondered whether his sister was betrothed yet, and to what sort of family.
Hearing this, Shen Wuji immediately sensed a hidden meaning, and his heart lurched.
Oh no!
He hurriedly said, "I'm incompetent... I truly have no way of reuniting Your Highness with your family..."
"Please don't put me in a difficult position, Your Highness..."
"I have elderly parents and young children to support, and-"
"Enough. I was merely expressing my feelings."
Looking a little displeased, Xiao Yu said, "Why are you just like my imperial brother, Lord Shen, assuming I want to return to the Southern Border?"
He did miss home.
But he also knew returning now wasn't realistic.
After all, his imperial brother hadn't entirely let go of his suspicions toward Father.
Hearing him say this, Shen Wuji suddenly couldn't help feeling sorry for him.
No matter how exalted his position, the person before him was still only a child.
He missed his parents and his siblings.
Yet the emperor's suspicions had sent him all the way to the capital, separating him from his family.
He replied, "If Your Highness ever needs my help, I'll do everything within my power!"
Xiao Yu said, "Then let me thank you in advance, Lord Shen."
"Husband, Zhijie told me we had a guest, so I brought some refreshments."
Madam Shen entered and asked, "Am I interrupting?"
The moment Shen Wuji saw Madam Shen enter, his face lit up like a flower in full bloom.
"My dear!"
He strode over to her and took the refreshments from her hands.
As though terrified she might tire herself out, he guided her into a chair. "My dear, sit down!"
A moment later, he asked, "Is Yuzhu... all right?"
"Zhijie told me everything."
Madam Shen replied, "Don't worry. Yuzhu is stronger than we imagined."
Catching sight of the adorable child beside them, her eyes lit up.
She pushed her husband aside.
"Greetings, Prince Yu," Madam Shen said, curtsying.
Her eyes stayed fixed on Xiao Yu.
He sat so straight and proper. What a well-behaved child.
I want to pat him.
Noticing her peculiar gaze, Xiao Yu stiffened slightly.
He hurriedly replied, "...Please rise, Madam Shen."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
She had barely sat down when a voice reached her ears.
[Madam Shen really is a stunning beauty, naturally lovely.]
[No wonder Duan Wu lost all control of himself the moment he saw her.]
Madam Shen stiffened.
She seemed to have just heard something rather improper...
Shen Wuji had been delighted by the praise of his wife, but at the second half, fury immediately flared in his eyes.
Who was this Duanwu?
Who the hell was he?!
How dare he covet his wife!
[Unfortunately, Lord Shen knew nothing about it. He even let Duan Wu stay at his estate and treated him generously.]
[He practically handed him the perfect opportunity!]
[Lord Shen might not believe it if I told him.]
[Duan Wu was a good friend of his second brother, who introduced him...]
[Precisely because his own brother introduced him, Lord Shen never guarded against him.]
[Duan Wu originally did come to the capital on business, but the moment he saw Madam Shen, she became all he could think about.]
[He's also the man who impersonated Lord Shen. He's exceptionally good at imitation.]
[Once he realized he'd fallen for Madam Shen, he began copying Lord Shen, sometimes deliberately, sometimes unconsciously. Gradually, he started thinking of taking his place.]
[Duan Wu traveled far and wide as a merchant, so he knew plenty of people with unusual talents. Among them was someone skilled at making Human-Skin Masks.]
[So Duan Wu conspired with that man, knocked Lord Shen unconscious, peeled off his face, and swapped it with his own.]
[From then on, Lord Shen became Duan Wu, and Duan Wu became Lord Shen.]
[When truth becomes falsehood, falsehood becomes truth; when falsehood becomes truth, truth becomes falsehood... no wonder the Shen siblings couldn't recognize their own father.]
[Madam Shen did notice something was off. After all, they'd shared a bed for nearly twenty years. But every time she saw her husband's face, she... hesitated.]
[After all, the face was real!]
After hearing this, Shen Wuji and Madam Shen felt their blood run cold.
Horrifying!
Absolutely horrifying!
Especially Madam Shen.
The thought that another man might one day be lying beside her made her shudder, a chill spreading through her entire body!
It was utterly terrifying!
Shen Wuji, meanwhile, sat on pins and needles, his face burning with fury.
What man could remain calm after hearing that another man might end up lying beside his wife?
He had never imagined such a terrifying, sinister art existed in the martial world!
They were doomed!
Though he and his wife loved each other unwaveringly, they were only ordinary people. If their faces were switched, she wouldn't recognize him!
[This Skinning Technique strips people's faces off without their consent. How cruel!]
[How can I get Lord Shen to arrest that man and lock him up before he goes out and hurts anyone else?]
Shen Wuji's eyes immediately lit up.
That's right.
He could arrest the man who switched faces and lock him away first. Then no one could help that Duanwu.
And his face wouldn't be stolen.
Wait.
No.
He would go to the Court of Judicial Review right now and have notices posted. They had to catch this man as soon as possible!
Then let's see how that Duanwu could impersonate him and steal his wife!
"Master, someone outside is asking for you," the steward said, suddenly entering.
"Who?" Shen Wuji asked.
"He says his name is Duan Wu, and that the second master sent him."
The instant Shen Wuji heard the name "Duan Wu," he exploded.
"Get out! Tell him to get out right now! Get out!"
Before you continue