Chapter 129 Rejection: Was She Just Being Imaginary?

Pei Yuan curled his lips and looked up at Shen Chu, "Did you hear that? This prince has already promised to make the beauty smile."

"Such a precious item, and we are not related, why should I part with it and give it to you?"

Xie Qingqiu smiled sweetly, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."

Pei Yuan grunted in agreement and continued bidding: "Fifty thousand and eleven taels."

Shen Chu suddenly felt inexplicably wronged.

She couldn't tell whether she felt wronged because Pei Yuan was unwilling to give her the jade pendant, or because of Pei Yuan's words, "We are not related."

It's just that I feel wronged.

She whispered, "My family really has an elderly person waiting for him to save their life, Your Highness. Can we speak in private for a moment?"

There were too many people around, and it was inconvenient for her to reveal her identity, so she thought of going to a private room with Pei Yuan to discuss it.

If they entered the private room, she could remove her mask and discuss things with Pei Yuan as Shen Chu.

They've been through so much together during this time.

He's raced dragon boats, cut off eggs, beaten up censors, deceived people, investigated the Dali Temple, and dug up graves.

We can now be considered friends who have gone through thick and thin together and share secrets, right?

If she tells him the truth, she wonders if Pei Yuan will agree to give her the jade pendant.

She hinted to Pei Yuan, "If Your Highness is willing to speak further, I have a prescription for a good calming medicine that I can give to Your Highness first."

Isn't that a pretty obvious hint?

Even if Pei Yuan couldn't recognize her voice, he should be able to guess that it was Shen Chu, right?

Pei Yuan chuckled, "Why do we need to speak in private? Young master, please understand, this is the Green Jade Pavilion's appraisal event, not a charity hall."

"If you have money, take it; if you don't, admit defeat. All that rambling and nonsense is unmanly."

Shen Chu was stunned for a moment, then instantly understood.

Given Pei Yuan's keen senses, he must have already guessed that she was Shen Chu the moment she opened her mouth.

It wasn't that he was unwilling to speak privately, but rather that he was unwilling to give her the jade pendant.

It seems that the shared experiences of these past days are not as important to him as a beautiful woman's smile.

In the end, she was just being delusional and presumptuous.

Shen Chu closed her eyes briefly, then spoke again, her voice strained, revealing a hint of grievance, "Your Highness, please, I beg you!"

She knew this was an appraisal event at the Green Jade Pavilion, where the highest bidder won, and she also knew that others had no obligation to give her what they wanted.

But the person opposite her was Pei Yuan, and she felt wronged and suffocated.

Pei Yuan tightened his grip on the railing under the eaves, then casually relaxed it, impatiently urging the manager of Green Jade Pavilion, "Continue."

The manager of Green Jade Pavilion looked over and asked, "Would the young master like to add more?"

She took a deep breath and shook her head with a look of reluctance.

Fifty thousand and ten taels was her limit. She should have borrowed some silver from Li Chengxuan when she came.

How can I explain to Zhou Jun that I didn't manage to buy the jade pendant back?

The more she thought about it, the more agitated she became, and she turned and left dejectedly.

As she was leaving, she heard the shopkeeper shout, "Fifty thousand and eleven taels, third time, sold!"

Xie Qingqiu excitedly tugged at Pei Yuan's sleeve, beaming with joy, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Shen Chu felt a strange tightness in her chest and strode away.

Pei Yuan didn't hear Shen Chu's voice, so he frowned and pulled his sleeve away from Xie Qingqiu's hand.

"Sun Yan, pay the money."

Sun Yan took out 50,000 taels of silver notes from his pocket and then took out 11 taels of loose silver from his purse and handed them to the manager of Green Jade Pavilion.

The manager of Green Jade Pavilion twitched his lips. He had been holding treasure appraisal events for many years, but this was the first time he had ever sold something for such a round number of coins.

That's pretty outrageous!

After accepting the money, he bowed to Pei Yuan and said, "Please wait in the private room, Your Highness. I will wrap up the jade pendant and deliver it to you personally later."

Pei Yuan hummed in agreement and turned to return to the private room.

Xie Qingqiu followed her inside, smiling brightly, and said, "Your Highness, I didn't expect you to actually buy the jade pendant for Qingqiu. It seems you still cherish her..."

"It's getting late. I'll have my guards escort you back to Qingfeng Tower," Pei Yuan interrupted her.

Xie Qingqiu's smile faltered. "I'll stay here with Your Highness and wait for the jade pendant."

Pei Yuan shook his head, "You should go back first. I have things to take care of and don't have time to worry about you."

A hint of disappointment flashed across Xie Qingqiu's face, but she dared not object. She could only say softly, "Qingqiu will go back now. Jade pendant... Can Qingqiu go to the manor to see His Highness tomorrow?"

Pei Yuan remained noncommittal. "I have things to do tomorrow, let's talk about it later. Your birthday is in a couple of days, go back and prepare well."

Xie Qingqiu's eyes lit up. Her birthday was in two days. His Highness must want to give her the jade pendant on her birthday.

That must be it.

She smiled again and said, "It's late, Your Highness should go back and rest early."

As soon as Xie Qingqiu left, Pei Yuan whispered to Sun Yan, "Follow her and find out what Shen Chu wants this jade pendant for."

Sun Yan looked up at the sky speechlessly; he knew it all along.

Ever since His Highness met Lord Shen, he has inexplicably taken on a new task: eavesdropping.

The other guards' lightness skills are not as good as his, making them easy for Lord Shen to spot.

Thus, the glorious task of eavesdropping fell heavily on his shoulders.

Sun Yan sighed, touching his nose, "Your Highness, why did you do that? You knew that Lord Shen wanted this jade pendant, so why didn't you just give it to him?"

Your subordinate saw that Lord Shen was very sad when he left just now.

Pei Yuan frowned slightly. "The Ice Flower Hibiscus Jade is a top-quality jade. If a mere fifth-rank censor like him were to buy this jade, it would only bring him trouble."

Tonight, countless people are eyeing this jade pendant. If Chen Chu actually takes it, she might not even be able to bring it back to the Marquis of Changning's residence before it's robbed.

Sun Yan touched his nose. "I didn't understand."

"If you don't understand, then go and carry out the mission."

"I don't even need to listen to guess what Lord Shen will say. I remember vividly the things he said to you."

"roll!"

"Oh well."

Sun Yan swiftly left the Green Jade Pavilion and headed straight for the Marquis of Changning's residence.

When he landed on Shen Chu's rooftop once again with practiced ease, he couldn't help but think smugly that, fortunately, his lightness skill and tracking ability were unmatched in the martial arts world.

Otherwise, if he had been eavesdropping every few days, he probably would have been discovered long ago.

Before he could finish gloating, he heard Shen Chu's angry voice coming from inside the house.

"Pei Yuan, you cold-blooded, heartless bastard!"

Sun Yan's spirits lifted. Here it comes, here comes Master Shen's blunt insults!

"A ruthless villain, it's a shame I changed my opinion of you."

"Cunning and ruthless, even a dog is more reliable than him!"

"Hongxiu, don't just stand there, help me curse him."

Hongxiu gave an "oh" and casually said, "Young master, don't be angry. The sixth prince was just captivated by the courtesan of Qingfeng Pavilion and didn't recognize you for a moment."

If he knew it was you, he would definitely be willing to give up the jade pendant.

Mentioning this made Shen Chu even angrier. Pei Yuan had clearly recognized her long ago but pretended not to.

"Hmph, he's not blinded by love, he's blind at night, not only in his eyes but also in his heart."

“Young Master is right.” Hongxiu nodded in agreement, then realized something was amiss. “Blind at night? You’re saying the Sixth Prince is blind at night? Is that true?”

Sun Yan, who was lying on the roof, was also stunned. How could Lord Shen know that his prince was blind at night?