Chapter 3 She is not a gentleman, she is a woman!

People around gasped.

The Sixth Prince has always been a libertine and dissolute man, but to openly favor women in a Buddhist monastery is far too unrestrained.

The Empress Dowager's face darkened. "How dare you! This is Jingguo Temple, surrounded by women. If you continue to be so dissolute, I will never forgive you."

"Grandmother, please don't be angry. Your grandson will go to Buddha to repent and ask him to guide me to find the girl from last night."

Pei Yuan waved his fan and left with a grin.

Upon seeing this, Shen Chu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"You wretched child!" The Empress Dowager cursed Pei Yuan angrily, and her voice also became two degrees lower when she spoke to Chen Shi. "Quickly check if your maid is in the room of the young scholar Shen."

Mrs. Chen quickly turned around to look.

The small room was spotless, with none of the bloody scenes she had imagined.

How is that possible?

Where is Chunxing?

thump!

A loud noise suddenly came from her room not far away.

The door suddenly opened with a bang, and someone tumbled out.

A strong smell of blood hit the air.

Everyone turned around and gasped in surprise.

"Oh no! Someone's dead!"

The body lying at the doorway was a male corpse, a dagger stuck in his chest, staring intently outside.

Inside the door lay a woman, her face deathly pale and her eyes wide open.

Wang's mother's legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground.

"Madam...Madam, it is Chunxing and Zhao Er."

Chen trembled all over, feeling as if three thunderclaps had exploded above her head.

How could Chunxing and Zhao Er have died in her room?

The Empress Dowager's cold, sharp question rang in her ears: "Chen, what exactly is going on? Someone, summon the people from the Jingzhao Prefecture immediately."

"No, no!" Chen cried out instinctively.

"For such a serious Buddhist site to have such a murder case occur is simply unforgivable. Chen, you should think carefully about how to explain this to the people of the Jingzhao Prefecture."

The Empress Dowager, her face full of anger, turned and left.

Chen felt a chill run through her body and collapsed to the ground.

------

Because of the murder, the Empress Dowager immediately returned to the palace.

The officials of Jingzhao Prefecture sealed off all the courtyards of Jingguo Temple, prohibiting unauthorized personnel from moving around freely.

When Chen Chu returned to her room, Aunt Qiao sneaked in.

She was also holding a bowl of steaming soup in her hand.

She leaned closer to Chen Chu, her bright eyes narrowed, and asked in a low voice, "How was it last night? Was that male prostitute handsome, had good stamina, and was skilled?"

The passionate scenes of last night flashed through Chen Chu's mind.

Her face flushed, and she glanced at Aunt Qiao. "So keen on good looks, good stamina, and good skills? Is it because my father isn't good-looking, not good-stamina, and not good-skilled?"

Aunt Qiao pouted, then took out a scallion chicken from somewhere and started gnawing on it.

“Your father and I are different. Our relationship is based on love, okay? Besides, your father is a famous handsome man in the capital. How could he not be good-looking?”

"So my dad isn't physically strong or skilled?"

Aunt Qiao rolled her eyes at her, seemingly recalling her affair with Marquis Changning, and then smiled dreamily while holding the scallion chicken.

Shen Chu was already numb.

Whenever Aunt Qiao mentions the Marquis of Changning, she always looks like a young girl in love.

"I'll be officially appointed in half a month, and I want to go to the Censorate."

Aunt Qiao focused intently on eating the sesame oil chicken. "You're still too young to deal with these official matters. Let your father handle it for you."

Your father is still waiting for you to bring honor to the Shen family.

Shen Chu frowned slightly. "I have things I want to do. Once I've finished them, I'll resign. Do you expect me to be an official for the rest of my life?"

Aunt Qiao paused, "Back then, I had no choice but to have you disguise yourself as a man. Who would have thought you would secretly take the imperial examination? Now that you've become the top scholar, let's have you serve as an official for a few years first."

Lady Changning had no children for many years after her marriage. Later, the Marquis of Changning took Consort Qiao as his concubine.

Aunt Qiao became pregnant soon after entering the household, but unexpectedly, Lady Chen, the wife of the Marquis of Changning, also became pregnant the following month.

Aunt Qiao suffered a difficult childbirth and was diagnosed as never being able to have children again.

Fearing she would fall out of favor, she publicly announced that she had given birth to a son.

Unexpectedly, Madam Chen used underhanded means to force Marquis Changning to send the newborn Chen Chu back to the Taoist temple in his hometown of Huzhou to be raised.

Shen Chu grew up in the Taoist temple until she was seventeen. It wasn't until she secretly passed the imperial examination and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination), which attracted the attention of the Marquis of Changning, who then sent someone to bring her back to the capital to participate in the spring imperial examination.

Perhaps recalling the past, Aunt Qiao sighed and pushed the soup bowl in front of her over.

"Here, this is a contraceptive soup. Remember to drink it when it gets cold."

"What happened last night was an accident. It's fine to have some fun, but don't get pregnant, or your disguise as a man will be exposed."

"The people from the Jingzhao Prefecture will be here to question you in a little while, so I'm going back to my room now. Remember to take your medicine."

Shen Chu gazed at the steaming soup in front of her and sighed silently.

What happened last night was indeed an accident, and she can't get pregnant.

She picked up the contraceptive soup, about to drink it, when a faint sneer suddenly rang out from outside the window.

Shen Chu's hand trembled, and some of the contraceptive soup spilled from her hand.

Who's outside?

The window was flung open, and Pei Yuan appeared in front of it, a mocking look on his aloof and noble face.

Shen Chu's heart skipped a beat. When did this guy arrive?

"I never expected that the dignified sixth prince would have the habit of eavesdropping."

"Do you think I, a prince, am as despicable as you, even spying on people having sex?"

Chen Chu breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that she had just arrived and hadn't heard her conversation with Aunt Qiao.

"Your Highness, I entered by mistake and did not peep. If Your Highness has nothing else to do, please forgive me for not being able to entertain you further."

Pei Yuan leaped in with his long legs, reaching Shen Chu in just a few steps.

He bowed slightly, looking down at Chen Chu from his high position. His tall figure blocked out a large patch of sunlight behind him, making it seem as if the sunlight was dimming.

"what you do?"

The sudden sense of oppression caused Shen Chu to lean back slightly.

"People in the capital say that Scholar Shen is a gentleman, upright and elegant, but alas, he is nothing but a fraud."

Shen Chu's heart trembled slightly, but she still maintained a gentle smile on her face.

"Your Highness, I do not understand what you are saying?"

"This morning, I happened to witness a good show and I'm going to tell the people of the Jingzhao Prefecture how a seemingly weak top scholar managed to carry one person in each hand and quietly complete the scene of murder and framing."

These seasoned officials, who have been investigating cases for years, should understand immediately.

Shen Chu's smile faltered slightly.

Pei Yuan saw her throwing Zhao Er and Chunxing back into the room of the Lady of Changning Marquis.

What a lousy thing.

No wonder she felt someone watching her from behind, but when she turned around she found nothing.

She clenched her fist, poured a cup of tea and pushed it over, her smile becoming even more gentle.

"Let's not beat around the bush. If His Highness really wanted to expose me, he wouldn't be here."

"What does Your Highness wish Shen Chu to do? Please speak plainly."

She was filled with anxiety, wondering what demands Pei Yuan would make of her.

The feud between her and Pei Yuan began on the day she arrived in the capital.

Upon arriving in the capital, he happened to witness Pei Yuan and the heir of the Marquis of Changping vying for the title of courtesan.

Pei Yuan broke the leg of the heir of the Marquis of Changping and startled her horse, causing her to fall out of the carriage.

She was furious and, after arguing with Pei Yuan, wrote an article on the spot.

The text harshly criticizes Pei Yuan for being an unambitious prince, a dissolute playboy, and for committing violence in the streets, portraying him as a parasite of the Great Wei Dynasty.

The article was written in a beautiful and powerful style, and it was widely circulated in the capital, sparking quite a bit of discussion.

The censors submitted memorials impeaching Pei Yuan, and the emperor, in a fit of anger, had Pei Yuan flogged thirty times and ordered him to apologize to the Earl of Changping.

It was precisely because of this incident that she caught the Emperor's attention, and he personally selected her as the top scholar in the palace examination.

On the day of her parade through the streets, her horse was unexpectedly startled. In order not to hurt others, she lay on the horse's back and rode out of the city, but accidentally trampled Pei Yuan, who was preparing to return to the city.

From then on, she and Pei Yuan became enemies.

Now that this guy has something on me, I don't know how he'll retaliate.

Pei Yuan toyed with the jade-bone fan, a playful smile appearing in his peach-blossom eyes.

"You think I'm here to threaten you?"

Isn't that right?

Pei Yuan's tall figure circled around her once, his jade-bone fan gently tapping her shoulder.

"Hmph, I hate people like you the most. You talk about sages, but you don't hesitate to kill people."

"You think yourself so upright and virtuous, writing articles that vehemently criticize me, the prince, but haven't you done your share of despicable things behind the scenes?"

Chen Chu remained silent.

"Why are you silent now? Weren't you so arrogant and quick-witted in front of me before?"

"So Your Highness came here to mock Chen Chu?"

Pei Yuan laughed, stretched out his leg to hook a chair, and sat down opposite Chen Chu, grinning mischievously.

"Will you still write sarcastic articles criticizing this prince in the future?"

"Won't."

"Do you still dare to ride your horse and injure me?"

"I wouldn't dare."

"Tsk, you're already chickening out? Shen Chu, you're nothing but a hypocrite."

Shen Chu: "Yes, I am a hypocrite. Will Your Highness expose me?"

She was never a gentleman; she was a woman.

Her words seemed to please Pei Yuan, who chuckled softly a few times.

"It depends on my mood."

Chen Chu.....

Wouldn't that mean we'd have leverage over her from now on?

The gloomy expression on her face seemed to please Pei Yuan even more, and he picked up the contraceptive soup on the table with amusement.

"What is this? After killing someone, he made himself a nourishing soup? To calm his nerves and exorcise evil spirits?"

Chen Chu...