Chapter 78 He really should have been killed with one blow.

The cool jade fan pressed against his shoulder, and Pei Yuan's voice was as cold as a ghost, carrying undisguised contempt.

"He dares to do that?"

Shen Chu blinked; she didn't know whether the Third Prince dared to do it.

But what's with this cold anger that seems to have come from an ice cave?

Could it be that she actually guessed right?

Did Pei Yuan really have sex with the Third Prince?

Oh my god.

"What are you standing there for? Keep charging," Pei Yuan said coldly.

"Your Highness must let me go so I can go fetch water, right?"

She pouted and glanced at the jade fan pressed against her shoulder.

Pei Yuan snorted coldly and slowly retracted his jade bone fan.

Having been squatting on the ground for a long time, my legs went a little numb, and I couldn't get up immediately, so I knelt on one knee.

As I got up, I saw that my hands were stained with a lot of blood. The smell of blood filled my nostrils, and a sense of unease rose from the bottom of my heart.

She couldn't hold it in and turned around to vomit.

Hmph!

Before he passed out, all he heard was Pei Yuan's furious roar: "Damn it, where are you spitting?"

She collapsed softly to the ground.

-----

When I opened my eyes again, it was already bright outside.

"Young master, you're awake?"

Chen Chu sat up and saw Hongxiu standing guard beside her. She rubbed her forehead and remembered what had happened last night.

Pei Yuan forced her to clean up the scene. Her hands were covered in blood, and she vomited upon smelling the blood, then fainted.

Strange, she's very strong and has killed people, how could she vomit at the smell of blood?

It must be because it was underwater for too long.

Shen Chu asked, "Did you bring me back?"

Hongxiu chuckled.

"why are you laughing?"

Hongxiu said, "I took a stroll around Qingfeng Tower last night and came back, only to find that you hadn't returned yet, so I had to go back to look for you."

Unexpectedly, we encountered the Sixth Prince carrying you on his back, heading towards our residence.

"What?" Shen Chu exclaimed in surprise, "You mean the Sixth Prince carried me back?"

“Yes.” Hongxiu said with a smile, “Oh dear, young master, you don’t know how miserable the Sixth Prince was. His clothes were mostly wet, and he smelled sour all over. He was also carrying you, who was unconscious, on his back.”

The Sixth Prince's chest and back are covered in your vomit. How did you manage to vomit so evenly, young master?

When the Sixth Prince saw you, his face turned pale. He turned you away and left without looking back.

"If it weren't for my exceptional lightness skills, I wouldn't have been able to catch you."

Chen Chu...

She vomited so quickly and urgently that she didn't even realize she had vomited on Pei Yuan.

To her even greater surprise, Pei Yuan didn't abandon her by the dark river, but instead brought her back.

From this perspective, Pei Yuan seems to still have some humanity left.

Could it be because they both ended up in the same pit?

She shook her head, got up, washed up, and ate breakfast.

Yesterday was the Dragon Boat Festival, so everyone had a day off. Today, I still have to go to the Inspectorate as usual to be on duty.

She ate breakfast while listening to Hongxiu talk about her family.

"After the Marquis dragged Chen back yesterday, the eunuch quickly delivered the imperial decree, which punished the Marquis with a six-month salary reduction and demoted him from the position of Chief of the Military Selection Department of the Ministry of War to Deputy Chief."

After the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree left, the Marquis was so angry that he kicked over the table, slapped Chen twice, and shouted that he wanted to write a letter of divorce.

Later, Shen Yan and Shen Qingshuang knelt on the ground and begged, only then did they change their minds and say they wouldn't write a letter of divorce, but would temporarily lock Chen in the courtyard and send her to stay at the estate that day.

Shen Chu was not surprised by Marquis Changning's decision.

Not only did Lady Chen embarrass Marquis Changning, but His Majesty also criticized her for failing to manage her household properly, which naturally enraged Marquis Changning.

If it had been her who made a fool of herself at Mochou Lake yesterday, Marquis Changning would probably have chosen to beat her to death without hesitation.

She put down her chopsticks, a cold smile playing on her lips. "She won't go to the estate."

Hongxiu nodded, "Young master guessed correctly. Shen Qingshuang went to the palace in the afternoon, and the nanny from the Empress's palace came in the evening."

The Empress wanted to bring Lady Chen into the palace, saying she would personally tutor her and have her copy scriptures and repent daily in the palace's small Buddhist hall until she changed her nature before sending her back.

Chen Chu lost her appetite.

Chen is the Empress's cousin, and yesterday's events were a conspiracy between the two of them. Even though the Empress did not plead for Chen at the time, she will definitely not ignore Chen afterwards.

Bringing Chen into the Buddhist hall in the palace was ostensibly for teaching repentance, but in reality, it was also a way of supporting Chen.

Marquis Changning deliberately said that he would send Lady Chen to the palace today, but in fact he was testing the Empress's attitude.

As long as the Empress still cares about Lady Chen, Marquis Changning will not dare to actually divorce her.

Similarly, with the Empress protecting Chen, she would have to plan carefully before seeking revenge for A-Chu.

Why is it that Ah Chu, bearing the reputation of a jinx, spent seventeen years in a Taoist temple practicing Buddhism and was burned alive in a fire, while Chen Shi lived a life of luxury in the capital?

She wanted to ruin Chen's reputation, make her suffer scorn and die a miserable death, only then could she appease Achu's spirit in heaven.

Shen Chu whispered a warning to Hongxiu, "If you do this..."

After giving all the instructions, Shen Chu went to the Inspectorate.

Her colleagues congratulated her.

"In yesterday's dragon boat race, Master Shen displayed his prowess and impressed us all."

"I'll ask Master Shen for advice on dragon boat racing techniques another day."

Shen Chu exposed Sun Hong's fraudulent claim of credit at the grand court assembly, and coupled with his outstanding performance in yesterday's dragon boat race, many people in the Inspectorate now regard Shen Chu in a new light and speak to him much more politely.

Just then, the sound of drumming came from outside the door.

"Someone has come forward to seek justice; go and see."

Shen Chu walked over and saw a boy with delicate features, like a porcelain doll, kneeling at the door.

The dashing young master of Qingfeng Tower.

Liu Feng held a petition in his hands, his voice filled with sorrow, "This humble citizen, Liu Feng, accuses the Third Prince of killing my parents and humiliating my elder brother. The Jingzhao Prefecture government failed to investigate or verify the facts, and hastily closed the case."

I, a humble citizen, humbly request that Your Excellencies reinvestigate the case of the tragic deaths of my parents and elder brother, and restore justice to them.

The censors looked at each other, but none of them stepped forward to accept the petition.

Liu Feng touched the ground with his forehead, his voice filled with sorrow: "Three years ago, when the Third Prince was hunting in the autumn, he happened to encounter my elder brother. He had someone drug my brother and take him back to the villa to play with and humiliate him."

My parents eventually found out the news and went to the other residence to beg the Third Prince to spare my brother. However, the Third Prince humiliated my brother in front of my parents. Unable to bear the humiliation, my brother bit his tongue and committed suicide.

In a fit of rage, the Third Prince ordered my parents to be beaten to death. When I went to the Jingzhao Prefecture to file a complaint, the case was hastily closed, with the authorities saying that my parents and brother had committed suicide.

I had no one to turn to for help, and I only managed to escape the Third Prince's pursuit by hiding in a brothel for the past few years.

I implore Your Excellencies to review this case again and report it to the Emperor.

Liu Feng's face was pale, his expression sorrowful, and he looked at everyone present with hope.

However, no one responded.

A hint of despair flashed in Liu Feng's eyes.

Shen Chu couldn't help but rub his fingers together.

Last night, Pei Yuan took the Third Prince away, and she has been speculating about Pei Yuan's next plans.

Could it be that Liu Feng is part of his plan?

"Over the years, Liu Feng has been secretly collecting evidence of the Third Prince's crimes. Heaven rewards those who persevere, and he has finally gathered enough evidence. Please take a look, gentlemen."

Liu Feng pulled out a thick stack of papers from his pocket and handed them over.

Shen Chu took it and looked at it; it was filled with records of things related to the Third Prince.

Five years ago, the third prince was inspecting the canal transport and secretly ordered local officials to send boys aged ten to thirteen for his own pleasure, resulting in the deaths of more than a dozen boys.

Three years ago, the Third Prince took a fancy to a pair of twins from a farming family. That very night, he had them tied up and brought to his mansion, where they were tortured to death.

Two years ago...

This wasn't the only incident like this; after reading through several pages, Chen Chu was so angry that her throat hurt.

The Third Prince is a hypocritical scoundrel, a beast. No, calling him a beast is an insult to beasts.

More than a dozen vibrant lives, young men as fresh as jade, were destroyed at the hands of that devil, the Third Prince.

His actions were utterly outrageous.

Shen Chu suddenly regretted not killing him with a single blow last night.

No, even death would be too good for him!