Chapter 138 Shen Chu is his man

Pei Yuan realized what he had said as soon as it left his mouth, and almost bit his tongue in regret.

It must be because he was troubled by his dream that he actually thought that Shen Chu, a man, was more handsome than Xie Qingqiu, the courtesan.

This is insane!

He quickly changed the subject with a stern face, "What's wrong with you so early in the morning? Just say what you have to say."

The little bubble that had just appeared in her heart burst into pieces. Shen Chu said angrily, "If Your Highness doesn't want to sell the jade pendant, just say so. Why try to fool me with a fake jade pendant?"

You knew perfectly well that I bought the jade pendant to return to Princess Qinghe and to help Zhou Junma improve his health, yet you still deliberately gave me a fake one.

Do you know that Zhou Junma vomited blood because of this fake jade pendant? If he were to die, how would I face my friend Ah Jun?

Now, Princess Qinghe is accusing me, saying I'm cruel and greedy, and she's going to report me to the Censorate.

She became more and more aggrieved as she spoke, and by the end, even her voice trembled slightly.

Ultimately, the matter stemmed from the steward of Princess Qinghe's residence sending the wrong gift first. It was Marquis Changning who greedily kept the jade pendant and then sold it. It was Pei Yuan who bought the jade pendant at a high price and then gave her a fake one.

In the end, she was made to bear the blame and slander of Princess Qinghe.

Why should I?

The more Shen Chu thought about it, the more wronged she felt.

Pei Yuan frowned, reached for the jade pendant on the table, and asked, "Fake?"

Shen Chu let out a cold snort from his throat.

Pei Yuan lowered his eyes to examine the jade pendant, a storm gradually gathering in his eyes. "Chen Chu, do you think I deliberately fooled you with a fake jade pendant?"

With a cold expression, he suddenly approached Shen Chu, "Is this how you see me? Do you think I deliberately fooled you with a fake jade pendant?"

The coldness emanating from him made Shen Chu's heart tremble, and she subconsciously took two steps back. Had she misunderstood Pei Yuan?

Then, remembering that Xie Qingqiu was already showing off the real jade pendant to everyone, he felt a pang of sadness and couldn't help but say sarcastically:

"In the end, I was immature. Miss Qingqiu is the apple of His Highness's eye and his beloved confidante."

Who am I to His Highness? How dare I presume to try and buy back the jade pendant from him?

Pei Yuan narrowed his peach blossom eyes and took another step forward. "Who are you to me? Don't you know?"

Shen Chu had already been forced into a corner by him. Hearing this, she looked up in confusion and asked, "Who am I to you?"

"You are my..." Pei Yuan stopped mid-sentence.

Who is Shen Chu to him?

He slept with Shen Chu, so Shen Chu is his man?

The thought flashed into his mind and almost made him jump.

He never dreamed he would have a man in his life...

"Your Highness, what am I to you?" This time, Chen Chu pressed on.

She advances, he retreats; she advances again, he retreats again.

In the blink of an eye, Pei Yuan retreated to a corner.

Chen Chu stared with her bright almond-shaped eyes, her expression somewhat aggressive, "Your Highness, tell me, what am I to you?"

"On what basis does Your Highness expect me to believe you, to trust that you wouldn't deceive me for the sake of a confidante?"

Pei Yuan gripped the jade pendant tightly in his hand, his face flushed as he stammered, "You're mine."

Shen Chu's heart skipped a beat.

Pei Yuan realized that his words were more likely to be misunderstood after they were spoken, so he quickly explained, "Didn't you already agree to jump into my trap?"

"So, you can be considered one of my people, albeit reluctantly. Since you're one of my people, I naturally won't deceive you, and you should trust me."

So that's what it meant. Chen Chu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that he had discovered that she was the one at Jingguo Temple that night.

"So what exactly is going on with this fake jade pendant?"

Pei Yuan squinted and pondered for a moment, then grabbed Chen Chu's hand. "Come with me."

The man's hands were rough and strong. Only after getting into the carriage was Chen Chu able to shake off Pei Yuan's hand, and she complained softly:

"I'll follow wherever Your Highness says. It's not good for two grown men to be seen like this on the street."

Pei Yuan's pupils contracted slightly as his gaze fell on his own hand, where the lingering warmth of Chen Chu's palm still remained.

Ever since he found out that Shen Chu was the one from that night, he's found it increasingly easy to get close to her. This is the second time they've held hands since yesterday.

This is really not a good sign.

He sat down in the corner of the carriage with a sullen face, keeping a distance of an entire carriage from Chen Chu, who was sitting at the door.

Shen Chu could clearly feel the coldness and impatience emanating from him. She frowned and wondered what was wrong with him again.

The carriage sped towards Qingfeng Tower.

Qingfeng Tower is currently extremely lively.

The brothel was busiest at night, while the girls rested in the morning.

But today the hall was packed with people. The young ladies in the building and the young gentlemen waiting to admire the jade pendant all had their eyes on Xie Qingqiu.

Xie Qingqiu held a finely crafted wooden box in her hand and slowly opened it. Everyone immediately crowded around it.

"My God, it's so beautiful! No wonder it's called the Ice Flower Hibiscus Jade Pendant."

"This was a token of love given by the former emperor to his favorite concubine. Now the Sixth Prince is giving it to Miss Qingqiu. Wow, doesn't this make it a token of love between the Sixth Prince and Miss Qingqiu?"

Xie Qingqiu blushed and said shyly, "My status is lowly, so what's the point of talking about betrothal? I'm already content just to serve Your Highness."

The girls at Qingfeng Tower laughed and joked.

"Sister Qingqiu, please don't be modest. Everyone knows that the Sixth Prince truly loves you."

"Over the years, the Sixth Prince has never come to Qingfeng Tower with anyone else but you. It's so enviable."

"Who says otherwise? Take this Ice Flower Hibiscus Jade Pendant for example, I heard it cost more than 50,000 taels of silver."

A hint of smugness crept into Xie Qingqiu's eyes.

The whole capital was abuzz with the news that the Sixth Prince had bought the Ice Flower Hibiscus Jade Pendant as a birthday gift for her, so the pendant had to stay in her possession.

If Chen Chu really takes the jade pendant, Xie Qingqiu will become the laughingstock of the entire capital.

Xie Qingqiu concealed the smugness in her eyes and feigned shyness, saying, "I only happened to hear that Green Jade Pavilion was going to auction the Ice Flower Hibiscus Jade Pendant, so I mentioned it to Your Highness. Who knew that Your Highness would actually buy it?"

"It's clear that His Highness truly cherishes Miss Qingqiu."

That night, a young master from the Green Jade Pavilion immediately shouted, "I can testify to this. That night, some reckless young man challenged the Sixth Prince to a price. The Sixth Prince refused to budge an inch and finally won the jade pendant."

The courtesans at Qingfeng Tower all looked on with envy. "The Sixth Prince really dotes on my sister. We're so envious."

Xie Qingqiu tossed her hair, smiling without saying a word.

Her trusted maid curled her lip, "It wasn't just during the auction; even yesterday at our young lady's birthday banquet, Lord Shen came specifically to see His Highness."

I heard that she asked His Highness for the Ice Flower Hibiscus Jade Pendant, but His Highness refused her outright.

Upon hearing this, the courtesans at Qingfeng Tower all winked and smiled.

"How can Lord Shen be compared to Miss Qingqiu?"

"If you ask me, it's that Lord Shen is ungrateful. He knows this is a birthday gift from His Highness to the young lady, yet he still comes to ask for it back."

"Young Master Shen is, after all, a man. No matter how good his relationship is with the Sixth Prince, I'm afraid that in the Prince's heart, he is not as important as Miss Qingqiu."

As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Yuan and Shen Chu walked in.