Chapter 399 How good are my skills?

Bang.

The hairpin in Chen Jiaying's hand suddenly fell to the ground.

She grabbed the maid, her long fingernails digging into the maid's skin, and asked in a stern voice:

"What did you say? Say it again?"

The maid shrank back in fear and said tremblingly, "I heard...I heard that Lady Rui came to ask Master to annul the engagement."

"That's impossible, you lowly servant! If you dare utter another word of this, I'll rip your tongue out!"

Chen Jiaying raised her hand and slapped the maid, then turned and ran to the front yard.

She rushed to the study and confronted Vice Minister Chen.

"Father, where is Prince Rui? Did he come to annul the engagement? Did you agree?"

Vice Minister Chen silently tucked his son's jade pendant into his sleeve and nodded with a cold expression.

"This marriage is off, but fortunately Prince Rui has agreed to let the Empress Dowager cancel the marriage."

It won't affect your reputation. With the Empress Dowager around, she'll find you a good marriage in the future..."

Before she could finish speaking, Chen Jiaying's face turned pale.

"Father, why did you agree to cancel the engagement? Are you getting senile?"

I disagree. I will not marry anyone but Prince Rui.

Vice Minister Chen was so angry that his face turned ashen.

He naturally couldn't tell Chen Jiaying the reason for canceling the engagement, so he could only reprimand her with a stern face.

"There's no use in crying. I've made up my mind about this matter. Tomorrow I will go to the palace to discuss it with the Empress Dowager."

Chen Jiaying panicked immediately.

Although the Empress Dowager doted on her, she wouldn't object if her father made up his mind.

With a slight flick of her eyes, she quickly stepped forward and tugged at Chen Cifu's sleeve, acting coquettishly.

“Father, I heard that the South Vietnamese delegation will arrive in the capital tomorrow. You should tell the Empress Dowager by now.”

If Your Majesty cancels my engagement with the Prince when a foreign delegation comes to pay a visit, wouldn't that make you a laughingstock?

Besides, it was our family that initiated the cancellation of the engagement. Isn't that a slap in the face to the royal family? Even if His Majesty doesn't say it, he must be angry inside.

Even if we want to annul the engagement, shouldn't we wait until the South Vietnamese delegation leaves?

Vice Minister Chen frowned and gave Chen Jiaying a deep look.

After so many years as father and daughter, how could he not see that his daughter was still unwilling to give up and wanted to use this time to struggle one last time?

That's fine.

If the daughter has a way to force Prince Rui to marry her, then even if Prince Rui has leverage over the Chen family, he won't be able to expose her.

After all, they're all tied to the same rope.

"If you have any ideas, then go ahead and do them."

Chen Jiaying's eyes lit up, and a smile immediately appeared on her face.

"My daughter will definitely persuade Prince Rui to agree to this marriage."

After Chen Jiaying left, Chen Cifu's anger gradually subsided, and his rationality returned.

He stroked the booklet that Pei Yuan had sent him, lost in thought.

How could Pei Yuan know so much about his son's affairs in Liangzhou?

As soon as Chen Jiaying returned to her courtyard, her maid led Wanqiu over.

“Miss Chen, my young master asked me to inform you that if you wish to make a move, tomorrow night’s reception banquet will be an excellent opportunity.”

Chen Jiaying frowned.

"I heard that the reception banquet is being held at the Huitong Hall. How can a woman like me be allowed to enter the Huitong Hall?"

Wanqiu bowed, "My young master will arrange everything. I will come to pick you up at Shenshi (3-5 PM) tomorrow."

Chen Jiaying thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay."

------

In the evening, Shen Chu and his group arrived in the capital.

Li Anning parted ways with her at the city gate, agreeing to visit her at the Ning'an Marquis's residence another day, and then returned to the Weiwu Marquis's residence on his own.

Shen Chu, Ling Ce, Han Feng, and Hong Xiu returned to the Ning'an Marquis's residence.

When I left the capital last time, apart from the ancestral hall, the rest of the Ning'an Marquis's residence had not yet been repaired.

When I returned this time, all the courtyards had been renovated.

Looking at the newly renovated Ning'an Marquis's residence, Shen Chu's feelings were very complicated.

Aunt Qiao greeted her at the door, watching Ling Ce jump down from his horse.

At that time, Ling Ce was still wearing that human skin mask.

Then look at Shen Chu, who stepped down from the carriage, her belly protruding, wearing a veil.

I was a little dumbfounded for a moment, but fortunately, managing the business these days had made me much clearer-headed.

She enthusiastically took Ling Ce's hand, calling him "A-Chu" repeatedly, and led him inside.

As soon as she was settled, Aunt Qiao couldn't wait to come up to her and wink at her.

"Where did you get a man who looks exactly like you? He...he's a real man, right? Or is he a woman disguised as a man again?"

Shen Chu quickly replied, "He is my third senior brother, a real man, no doubt about it."

Aunt Qiao patted her chest, breathed a sigh of relief, and then asked Chen Chu.

What's going on between you and Prince Rui?

Shen Chu's face flushed slightly. "What? What happened?"

Aunt Qiao rolled her eyes. "You haven't even come back yet, and Prince Rui has already sent someone to tell me to have someone clean the Marquis's mansion."

"They also sent people to find midwives and embroiderers, and Jinbao specifically instructed me to find a trustworthy wet nurse. Don't tell me these things weren't prepared for you!"

Pei Yuan is looking for a midwife, an embroiderer, and a wet nurse for her?

A warm feeling welled up in Chen Chu's heart, and she couldn't help but smile.

Aunt Qiao stared at the smile on her face, a smile as wide as a badger in a melon patch, unable to suppress her curiosity.

"The prince knows you're a woman? This child..."

She wanted to ask Shen Chu, "Doesn't Pei Yuan care about becoming a father unexpectedly?"

Shen Chu pursed her lips and said softly, "It's his."

Aunt Qiao was so shocked she almost bit off her own tongue.

"You...you mean that guy I randomly dragged along at Jingguo Temple...that guy..."

She was so shocked that she couldn't speak properly for a moment.

Shen Chu chuckled and continued, "That's right, the handsome, strong, and skilled male prostitute you brought back was Prince Rui."

Aunt Qiao was struck dumb, and it took her a long time to regain her composure.

"My God, the male prostitute I casually pulled in turned out to be Prince Rui! He... he doesn't know that I was the one who pushed him into the dark room back then, does he?"

Shen Chu shook his head.

“I didn’t say, but if he knew your criteria for choosing people, I don’t think he would be angry.”

Aunt Qiao's eyes darted around, and she chuckled.

"We can all see that he's handsome, but only you have the right to comment on his physical strength and skill."

"Tell me, is he really that physically strong and technically skilled?"

Shen Chu blushed. How was she supposed to answer that?

Just as she was pondering how to answer, Pei Yuan's figure appeared at the door.

"What are you talking about?"

Shen Chu's face turned even redder.

You can't exactly say we're talking about your stamina or your skill level.

Aunt Qiao, however, remained calm, greeted him with a smile, and left.

Only Shen Chu and Pei Yuan remained in the room.

Shen Chu stepped forward, "Why are you here...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Pei Yuan pulled her tightly into his arms.

He lifted her onto his lap, his deep voice tinged with amusement.

"A handsome, physically strong, and skilled male prostitute? Hmm?"

It turns out that this guy overheard her conversation with Aunt Qiao.

Chen Chu trembled slightly, a surge of heat rushing from her neck to her head.

Pei Yuan, however, refused to let her go, and whispered while biting her earlobe:

"Young Master Shen, I'm also very curious about your answer. How strong am I? How good are my skills?"