Chapter 289 Sixth Brother, Do You Like Me?

Shen Chu recalled the time when Pei Yuan lightly struck her with his cane, leaving her back lacerated and bleeding.

Even if she weren't pregnant, let alone now, if she were given fifty strokes of the cane, she would die here.

The cold, angry voice of the Longqing Emperor rang in my ears.

"Chen Chu, are you convinced?"

Shen Chu felt a chill run down his back, and his throat was so dry that he couldn't utter a single word.

"Father!" Pei Yuan stepped forward, his expression a mixture of surprise and anxiety.

Clearly, Emperor Longqing's sudden action was unexpected.

"Shut up!"

Emperor Longqing roared at Pei Yuan.

"I haven't settled accounts with you yet for the Flying Eagle Guard helping with the investigation. You'd better kneel down obediently. If you say another word, I'll drag him out and behead him immediately."

Pei Yuan pursed his thin lips, his expression somewhat cold.

"Your Majesty, please have mercy!"

Unable to contain himself, Li Chengxuan knelt down on the ground with a thud.

"I beg Your Majesty to spare Shen Chu's life, for the sake of the late Marquis Ning'an and Prefect Shen."

"If you must hit me, then hit me. I'm willing to take the punishment for Ah Chu. I'm tough; hit me however you like."

The Longqing Emperor scoffed, "Nonsense! Can you just substitute anyone for someone else to take your punishment?"

Li Chengxuan retorted, “Why not? There are ancient tales of people taking punishment for their fathers or relatives.”

"Why can't I take the punishment in place of my brother today?"

Luo Heng followed closely behind, and he spoke much more logically than Li Chengxuan.

"Your Majesty, although it is illegal for Shen Chu to impersonate someone else to enter the court and serve as an official, there are extenuating circumstances."

Moreover, his actions stemmed entirely from loyalty and filial piety. If he hadn't entered the court as an official and insisted on investigating the case of the Marquis of Ning'an's mansion, it's unknown how long the parasites of the court, such as the Feng family, would have remained hidden.

"I beg Your Majesty to consider his merits and show leniency."

Next, He Zhengxiang came forward to plead for leniency.

"Since joining the Censorate, Shen Chu has worked diligently and cleared up all the difficult and long-standing cases in the Censorate and the Court of Judicial Review in just a few months."

Moreover, he once inspected various departments on behalf of His Majesty, and purged the corrupt practices in the court.

"I beg Your Majesty to consider that he did not intend to deceive me and to show leniency."

Then Zhou Jun and the rest of the Inspectorate all knelt down and begged for mercy.

"Your Majesty, please forgive Lord Shen."

In no time, a large number of people were kneeling on the ground, which deeply moved Shen Chu.

The Longqing Emperor's anger had not subsided, but his expression softened.

“Chen Chu, so many people have pleaded for you. If I insist on punishing you, it would make me seem heartless.”

He then changed the subject and continued:

I am not a ruthless person. In that case, I can give you a chance to redeem yourself through meritorious service.

I will remember these fifty strokes of the cane for now. If you can manage this, I will spare you the punishment.

If I fail to do so, Your Majesty may severely punish me, adding the fifty strokes of the cane I received today to the punishment.

Shen Chu rubbed the sweat from her palms, her gaze shifting slightly.

"This humble subject is willing to obey Your Majesty's command, even unto death, and will go through fire and water."

The Longqing Emperor snorted.

"Don't speak too definitively. Two months ago, a major case occurred in Yangzhou, in which twenty or thirty people disappeared one after another."

All the missing women were teenage girls or young women in their twenties.

I have already dispatched the Vice Minister of Justice to investigate, but we still have no leads. In the past half month, another ten or so people have gone missing.”

Shen Chu instantly understood what the Longqing Emperor meant.

This humble subject dares to request permission to go to Yangzhou to investigate this case, and will certainly get to the bottom of it.

The Longqing Emperor looked at him intently.

"Are you really willing to go? This case is extremely tricky. Even the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, a veteran investigator, has no clue about it."

Shen Chu nodded, "I beg Your Majesty to grant this sinner a chance to atone for his crimes."

Emperor Longqing remained silent for a long time before looking at Pei Yuan.

"Sixth Brother, what do you think?"

Pei Yuan stepped forward, bowed, and said, "The Yangzhou case has caused widespread panic, and dozens more people have gone missing in the past half month."

Shen Chu has always been meticulous and skilled at investigating cases; it wouldn't hurt to give him a try.

The Longqing Emperor stroked his beard and nodded.

"Very well, since that's the case, I'll give you a chance to redeem yourself through meritorious service. I'll bestow upon you the name Shen Chu and temporarily grant you the status of an imperial inspector."

"You have one month to solve the case of the missing woman in Yangzhou. I will not only spare you fifty strokes of the cane, but also allow you to inherit the title of Marquis of Ning'an."

Shen Chu's eyes brightened slightly.

No wonder Pei Yuan inexplicably said earlier, "His name is Shen Chu."

It seems to be the result of his efforts in lobbying His Majesty.

She took the imperial examination under the name Shen Chu. By keeping the name Shen Chu, she was able to preserve her examination results and her qualification to continue serving as an official.

He just hadn't expected His Majesty to suddenly order her to be flogged.

"I take into consideration that you are the only surviving member of the Ning'an Marquis's family, and I will allow you to go to Yangzhou after your family's remains have been reburied."

Shen Chu kowtowed and expressed his gratitude, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Great, that solves the troublesome problem that's been bothering me.

She was just worried about how to carry out her plan to fake her death, and His Majesty just gave her the opportunity.

They went to Yangzhou to investigate a case, and after finishing the investigation, they created an accident.

He seized the opportunity to commit suicide and never returned to the capital.

It's absolutely perfect.

The grand court assembly ended, the Feng family fell, and Jiang Hongzhi was sentenced to immediate execution.

Li Ming is dead, and all his relatives have been demoted to commoners. Marquis Shen Zhihai of Changning has been stripped of his title and his original sinecure of the fourth rank has been directly reduced to the sixth rank, making him a minor official in the Ministry of War.

However, given his mental state, I'm afraid even a junior official wouldn't be able to handle the job.

Stepping out of the palace, Shen Chu felt an unprecedented sense of relief.

The heavy weight that had been pressing on her heart for over a decade was suddenly lifted, giving her a sense of relief that felt strangely disorienting.

As soon as she got home, Pei Yuan pulled her back to her room.

"Sixth Brother, what are you doing?"

Pei Yuan pursed his lips and explained earnestly.

“Yesterday, my father and I had a clear agreement. He bestowed upon you the name Chenchu ​​and allowed you to inherit the title of Marquis of Ning’an. I did not expect him to suddenly order you to be flogged.”

No, he didn't really want to punish you; he just wanted you to...

On the initial screen, it read, "His Majesty wants me to be grateful to him."

A slap followed by a sweet treat, a combination of kindness and severity, has always been a tactic used by superiors to control their subordinates.

Pei Yuan nodded, "It's good that you understand. If you don't want to go to Yangzhou, I can talk to Father Emperor again."

Shen Chu was startled.

Please don't.

"No need, I want to go to Yangzhou to see a doctor. Doctor Han said that the water and soil in Yangzhou are good for people, so it's a good place for me to recuperate for a while."

Pei Yuan frowned, his gaze sweeping over Shen Chu's face.

These days, he's been poisoned and locked up in a death row.

Shen Chu noticed that her face had become noticeably thinner.

“Alright, I’ll send a few Flying Eagle Guards with you to protect your safety.”

Shen Chu quickly refused.

Are you kidding me? Pei Yuan sent people to follow her, how could she possibly fake her death?

"His Majesty is already angry that you used the Flying Eagle Guard to participate in this investigation. If you send the Flying Eagle Guard to accompany me south, it will be even more inappropriate if His Majesty finds out."

Pei Yuan insisted, "Your safety is more important."

Chen Chu's heart skipped a beat, and her senior brother's words involuntarily came to mind again.

Pei Yuan has done so much for her, taking care of her in every way. Could it be that he has really fallen in love with her?

A thought was clamoring in my mind.

Ask him!

She couldn't help but blurt out, "Sixth Brother, do you like me?"