Chapter 396 It's so good to have you; none of those things are A-Chu

"Master Xiao Shen."

Li Anning's eyes were bright, and her voice was noticeably gentler than it had been when she spoke.

Shen Chu was slightly taken aback, then smiled slightly.

"You're calling me that now, so you're not angry with me anymore?"

Li Anning blushed slightly and shook her head somewhat embarrassedly.

She was never one to mince words, and once she understood, her speech regained its previous crispness.

"I'm not angry with you anymore; in fact, I like you even more than before."

Shen Chu was taken aback.

Li Anning smiled and said, "Don't be afraid. When I said I like you, I meant I admire you even more."

You, a girl, actually took the imperial examination like a boy in order to seek justice for your family, and even became the top scholar.

That's an amazing thing, not to mention that you became an imperial censor and helped the people uncover so many wrongful convictions.

I think none of the officials in the court are as smart and capable as you.

Shen Chu was both amused and exasperated. "I'm not as amazing as you make me out to be. I only joined the government to seek justice for my family."

Li Anning looked at Shen Chu with eyes full of admiration.

"Anyway, in my heart, you are the most amazing. You showed me that girls can also serve as officials in the imperial court, just like boys."

When a girl grows up, she doesn't only have the path of getting married, having children, and being confined to the inner quarters.

"Young Master Shen, you are truly amazing! From now on, you will be the person I, Li Anning, like and admire the most."

Shen Chu was amused by Li Anning's enthusiasm and naivety.

"Miss Li."

"Oh dear, we're both women now, so please stop calling me Miss Li and just call me Anning."

"Alright, Anning, don't call me Master Shen anymore. I'm three years older than you, so just call me Sister Chuchu."

"Oh, Sister Chuchu."

The two girls smiled at each other, and all the previous misunderstandings vanished in that smile.

After laughing, Shen Chu couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness and a myriad of emotions.

"In this world, the paths left for girls are indeed too narrow. When will women be able to serve as officials in the court like men, travel outside like men, and support their families like men?"

If that were the case, she wouldn't need to conceal her identity and disguise herself as a man to enter the court.

Li Anning held her hand and said with a grin, "Maybe one day it will come true. Then women will be able to serve as officials in the court and hold up half the sky."

Shen Chu smiled and couldn't help but tease her.

"If that day ever comes, what would Anning want to do?"

Li Anning said without hesitation, "I want to be a female general who dominates the battlefield, personally build an Iron Women's Army, and become a heroine who protects the country."

After saying that, she couldn't help but stick out her tongue, looking at Chen Chu somewhat embarrassed.

"Sister Chuchu, do you think I'm being too far-fetched? My brother laughs until his stomach hurts every time I say that."

Shen Chu smiled and shook her head, "How could that be? I believe you can definitely do it. Besides, becoming a female general is not something that can be achieved overnight; it requires a long period of training."

"Now that you're back in Beijing, you can quietly train your men."

Li Anning's eyes widened in surprise. "Really? Sister Chuchu, do you really believe that girls can one day become officials in the imperial court?"

I...I was just saying it offhand."

Shen Chu said earnestly, "I believe that day will definitely come."

Li Anning was silent for a moment, then hesitated. "Shall I give it a try?"

Shen Chu nodded emphatically and patted her hand. "Give it a try."

Li Anning's eyes suddenly lit up, as if the stars in the sky had been suddenly illuminated.

"Well... Sister Chuchu has read many books, so if I have any questions..."

Shen Chu replied without hesitation, "Come find me anytime."

Li Anning couldn't help but hug her tightly, gently nuzzling her arm and acting coquettishly with a grin.

"Sister Chuchu, it's so good to have you."

When Shen Chu was young, he was the youngest child in his family. Later, he came to Medicine King Valley and had senior brothers and sisters above him.

This was the first time a girl younger than me had acted like a little sister to me.

She couldn't help but reach out and rub Li Anning's head.

Wow.

The car door was suddenly opened, and Ling Ce's head popped in.

"arrive......"

As soon as he opened his mouth, he saw the intimate posture between Li Anning and Shen Chu and couldn't help but speak up.

"Li Anning, you...she's a woman, and you like her too?"

Li Anning linked arms with Shen Chu and made a face at him.

"Yes, I like her even though she's a woman, so what's it to you?"

Ling Ce's face darkened. "You're simply insane, and seriously so."

Li Anning also got angry, and immediately rolled up his sleeves, jumped out of the car, and went to argue with Ling Ce.

Shen Chu listened to the two people chattering and making noise outside, and was slightly lost in thought.

Li Anning's words just now made her realize something she had been deliberately ignoring.

It's time to think about this carefully.

------

Not long after Shen Chu left Yangzhou, Luo Heng immediately received the news.

He immediately began preparing to return to Beijing.

The gold mine exploration task was completed, but he had been holding back from reporting it, waiting for Chen Chu to arrive.

Just as he was about to leave, he saw Shi Jin, a trusted confidant of Prince Heng, coming in from outside.

"Where is Lord Luo headed?"

Luo Heng was taken aback. "Oh dear, what wind blew Lord Shi all the way to Yangzhou?"

Shi Jin smiled slightly, "Naturally, I am here on the orders of His Highness Prince Heng to invite Lord Shen back to the capital."

"His Highness Prince Heng invites Lord Shen back to the capital?" Luo Heng's expression changed slightly, and his heart sank.

It was Prince Heng who summoned A Chu to the capital, which means that Prince Heng already knew that he had concealed the fact that Shen Chu was a woman.

Shi Jin gestured for him to enter.

"His Highness has a few words for me to convey to Lord Luo."

Luo Heng followed Shi Jin into the house.

Shi Jin cut to the chase, "Lord Luo knows about Shen Chu's disguise as a man, right?"

Luo Heng pondered how to explain it.

Shi Jin waved his hand, "Forget it, the prince said he can let it go, as long as Lord Luo cooperates with the prince to expose Shen Chu's disguise as a man in court."

Luo Heng's expression changed drastically.

If Achu's disguise as a man is exposed, she will face the death penalty.

He clenched his fist. "Does Prince Heng want to use this incident to completely bring down Prince Rui?"

Shi Jin stroked his beard and smiled.

"Lord Luo is a smart man. That's right, the Prince does want to use the Shen Chu incident to get rid of Prince Rui completely."

Luo Heng frowned, "But this will kill A Chu."

Shi Jin patted him on the shoulder and laughed heartily.

"I didn't expect Lord Luo to be so chivalrous. You should think carefully about whether you can use this matter to get rid of Prince Rui."

His Highness Prince Heng will be the most likely candidate for Crown Prince. If Prince Heng ascends to that position in the future, Lord Luo will have made a great contribution to his success.

"What kind of woman won't you have by then?"

Luo Heng pursed her lips, "But none of those people are A-Chu."

Shi Jin's expression darkened slightly. "What? You're willing to give up your promising future for Chen Chu?"

Luo Heng hesitated for a moment.

He had tried to assassinate Pei Yuan several times but failed. If he could use the power of Prince Heng to get rid of Pei Yuan, it would indeed be a good plan.

But if this leads to Ah Chu's death....

After a moment of internal struggle, Luo Heng quickly made a decision.