Chapter 377 Keeping a Mistress in a Golden House: Only Wanting to Hide One Person

Prefect Jiang shook his head slightly and murmured, "Xun'er, you can't hate us."

"We're doing all this for your own good. You're the Chiang family's only hope, and we absolutely cannot let you experience the hardships we went through in our childhood."

Chiang Hsun wiped away his tears with his sleeve and growled incoherently, "For my own good? Did you even ask me if I wanted this kind of good?"

I committed a heinous crime, was dismissed from office, imprisoned, beheaded, and had my property confiscated, making me the son of a sinner for the rest of my life.

Is it for my own good to live a life where I can never hold my head up high?

No, you're only doing this for yourselves! I hate you! I'll always hate you.

From this day forward, you are no longer my father; I am now an orphan without parents.

After shouting those words, Chiang Hsun turned and ran away.

Prefect Jiang trembled and collapsed to the ground.

He responded without a trace of remorse to both Shen Chu's accusations and Madam Jiang's resentment.

But Chiang Hsun's words clearly hurt him.

He was hunched over, his eyes downcast, and he didn't say a word, as if he had aged more than ten years in an instant.

Shen Chu stood up and stared at him coldly.

"You resent the injustice of fate because of your childhood experiences, and you resent the unfairness of the world because of your marriage in your youth."

But none of this is about you and Jueming teaming up to skin and dismember those teenage girls alive.

How is your cruelty any different from that of the thugs who murdered your family when you were a child? How is it any different from that of beasts?

Prefect Jiang seemed to have his spine crushed, and he lost all his energy and spirit.

He sat on the ground in a daze, and after a moment he suddenly raised his head and looked at Shen Chu with a sinister gaze.

"So, my brother never betrayed me, right?"

"If he confessed, you wouldn't have used my wife and so many witnesses to force me to reveal myself, but instead just had the Flying Eagle Guard arrest me, right?"

Shen Chu never expected that he would care about this issue at this point.

She pursed her lips and gave a light sneer.

“Jueming is indeed a tough nut to crack. If you hadn’t become suspicious because of our plan to alert you, we would have had a hard time finding any fault with you.”

Chiang Hsun was stunned.

It turns out that his brother was still protecting him until the very last moment.

It turned out that his suspicions ultimately led him to walk right into a trap.

He really is a beast!

Prefect Jiang covered his face and sobbed softly.

Pei Yuan stepped forward to help Shen Chu up, then waved his hand and instructed Sun Yan and Yu Feng.

"Arrest the man, and have the prefectural government office sealed off. Focus your search on Prefect Jiang's courtyard and study."

"yes."

Yu Feng stepped forward and dragged Prefect Jiang away.

Shen Chu stepped forward, took out a pill and put it into Ling Ce's mouth. She then pinched his chin and waited for his Adam's apple to move so that she could confirm that he had swallowed the pill before letting go.

After a while, Ling Ce slowly woke up.

He blinked blankly, rubbed his forehead, and suddenly jumped up.

"Damn it, did that Jiang guy really drug me?"

As soon as he jumped up, he felt dizzy again, cried out in pain, and slumped back into the chair.

Chen Chu sat opposite him and gave him a big eye roll.

"What did I tell you when you came? I told you to be careful and thorough, and not to fall into their trap."

You're lucky; you get taken down as soon as you get here.

If we had arrived even a moment later, you would have been skinned alive by that Jiang fellow.

Ling Ce gritted his teeth in anger, "There was no poison in the food or drink. I was very careful. I don't know where this bastard put the poison."

Shen Chu gestured to the chopsticks and wine glass in front of him.

Ling Ce's eyes widened. "You mean he smeared the medicine in the cup and on the chopsticks? That cunning old man!"

Pei Yuan scoffed.

Ling Ce immediately bristled, "Pei Laoliu, what are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing at your stupidity."

"You!" Ling Ce slammed his hand on the table angrily. "If it were you, you might have knocked the person down the moment you walked in."

Pei Yuan remained calm and composed, saying, "Yes, I was the one who took him down."

Ling Ce... an arrogant madman.

Sun Yan's voice rang out from outside the door.

"Your Highness, someone from the residence reports that Miss Chen is making a scene here, demanding to see you. She says that if Your Highness doesn't return soon, she will make a big fuss and let everyone know that Your Highness is in Yangzhou."

Pei Yuan's expression darkened, and a hint of disgust flashed in his eyes.

Chen Chu frowned. "Chen Jiaying is also in Yangzhou?"

Pei Yuan nodded, "I don't know who sent a secret letter to Prince Heng, telling him about my unauthorized trip to Yangzhou."

The secret letter was intercepted by the Chen family, and Chen Jiaying came after them.

Ling Ce immediately erupted in anger and grabbed Pei Yuan by the collar.

"You old Pei, on the one hand you're all lovey-dovey with my junior sister, and on the other hand you're even keeping a mistress in a golden house."

"If I don't teach you a lesson today, you won't know why my fist is so round."

With that, he was about to throw a punch.

Pei Yuan raised his hand to block Ling Ce's fist, his expression calm.

"I won't keep a mistress in a gilded cage. If I were to hide someone, I would only want to hide one person."

His gaze fell on Shen Chu, then quickly returned to Ling Ce and said:

"I will definitely handle this matter properly. If I can't, you may kill or torture me, it's up to you."

Ling Ce snorted and reluctantly withdrew his hand.

Pei Yuan gave Chen Chu a deep look. "I'll go back first and come find you again tonight."

Shen Chu nodded, "Yes, I also need to go to the prefectural government office to handle the aftermath. You go ahead and do your work."

After leaving Xiangmanyuan, we returned to the house.

The gatekeeper saw Pei Yuan return and hurried over to greet him.

"Young master is finally back! Miss Chen has already sent someone... Ah!"

Before he could finish speaking, Pei Yuan kicked him to the ground.

The gatekeeper fell flat on his back, looked up and met Pei Yuan's cold, sharp face. Startled, he quickly got up and knelt on the ground.

"Young master, spare my life!"

Pei Yuan looked down at him and asked coldly, "I'll ask you again, the morning after I went to Qingshan Temple, someone clearly came to the manor to look for me, why did you lie and say that no one did?"

The gatekeeper turned pale as he recalled the master and servant who had come the other day.

They were all wearing veils, but the mistress was pregnant, her belly protruding.

"Speak!" Pei Yuan suddenly shouted sharply.

The gatekeeper shuddered and blurted out instinctively.

"It was Miss Chen, Miss Chen instructed me not to tell anyone."

Upon receiving the news, Chen Jiaying, who had arrived dressed in her finest attire, happened to overhear these words, and her eyebrows immediately furrowed.

"You audacious servant, how dare you slander me! When did I give you such an order? You are clearly making false accusations."

The gatekeeper was taken aback. "Miss Chen, it's definitely you..."

Chen Jiaying shrieked, "Slap him in the mouth!"

Her maidservant was stopped by Sun Yan as soon as she stepped forward.

Pei Yuan curled his lips into a smile, but the smile didn't reach his eyes.

“Miss Chen, my servants are not for you to discipline.”

Chen Jiaying's expression changed slightly, and her eyes reddened with a wronged look.

"Your Highness, how dare he, a lowly servant, slander me so casually? Am I not allowed to teach him a lesson?"

"No, they are my servants. I will discipline them myself."

Pei Yuan snorted, "Guards, give him twenty strokes of the cane right here, so he can properly recognize who his master really is."

Chen Jiaying's expression changed.

Pei Yuan wasn't just hitting a servant; he was slapping her in the face.