Chapter 384 Zhou Rulin wants to recruit me!
Zhou Rulin: "Chen Suizhu's words are full of errors and omissions, and there must be a lot she didn't say."
Shen Lanxi looked at her with a deep gaze and said, "I will report these things to His Majesty truthfully and let my uncle make a decision."
When Zhou Rulin heard her bring up her father, he swallowed back what he was about to say.
"Chen Suizhu, where are the maids and guards who used to follow you?"
Chen Suizhu's eyes flashed, and she said sarcastically, "You didn't bring any? Do you think everyone is like you, surrounded by servants and bossing around maids and servants wherever you go?"
Shen Lanxi: "Where are the others? Surely you didn't all bring maids?"
Chen Suizhu: "It's been so long, I don't remember it at all. Why don't you ask the Prince Ji's Mansion? Zhou Yunxue is the legitimate daughter of the Prince's Mansion, her background is different from ours, which are from humble families. She must have maids with her."
Shen Lanxi: "Everything you say now will be reported to His Majesty later. If you want to lose your head, then keep being stubborn!"
Chen Suizhu's eyes darkened, and she fell silent.
Zhou Rulin: "You said you broke off willow branches on the shore, who can vouch for that?"
Chen Suizhu: "Those who went boating on the lake can all testify to me that we were all gathered together at the time."
Shen Lanxi: "Is it because you are jealous of me that you have been making things difficult for Zhou Yunxue after I left?"
Chen Suizhu remained silent, her face dark.
She didn't kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of her.
Shen Lanxi felt a chill run down her spine.
A round of applause erupted.
Zhao Zheng slapped Chen Suizhu across the face, his strength knocking her and the chair she was sitting on to the ground.
"Zhao Zheng, how dare you hit me!" Chen Suizhu covered her face, questioning him with a face full of resentment.
Zhao Zheng was agitated and angrily cursed, "You poisonous woman! Even if Yunxue wasn't pushed into the water by you, you're still involved. Back then, the Marquis's family had just broken off the engagement with the Prince of Ji's family when your Chen family took the initiative to propose marriage. I knew then, what a coincidence! It turns out you wanted the position of my Lady of Yongning Marquis!"
Chen Suizhu scrambled to her feet as if possessed and rushed toward Zhao Zheng.
Zhou Rulin was standing in the middle. Out of courtesy, Zhou Rulin hurriedly and hastily dodged away, calling for help as he did so.
"Come here quickly and stop her!"
Zhao Zheng pushed Chen Suizhu to the ground again.
"You madwoman, you vile woman..."
Zhou Rulin looked at the mess in the room with a dark face, feeling utterly exhausted.
He spent the entire day either mediating disputes or trying to reconcile them.
It felt like all the words of the past year had been spoken in this one day. My mouth was so dry that I didn't even have a sip of hot tea.
"Lanxi, even if Chen Suizhu didn't do this, she's still involved. Are we still going to go find Zhou Yunyuan?" Zhou Rulin asked wearily.
Shen Lanxi: "We've already investigated, one more won't make a difference."
That's true.
“I don’t think we’ll get any more information if we keep asking. Why don’t we go ask Zhou Yunyuan again?” Zhou Rulin said.
Shen Lanxi: "Okay!"
Marquis Yong'an and his wife were hurling insults and accusations at each other inside the house, while Shen Lanxi and Zhou Rulin had already left the manor.
"It's already this late, why don't we go eat first?" If we don't eat now, we'll miss lunch.
Shen Lanxi: "Shall we each go back to our residences, or just grab something to eat outside?"
Zhou Rulin: "I'm not that particular. I can have a good meal at a roadside stall."
Shen Lanxi: "The Crown Prince is really approachable, quite different from what I imagined."
"What's different?" he asked, quite curious.
As Shen Lanxi led Zhou Rulin to a stall, she said, "Princes are naturally pampered. Take Zhou Ruan for example, he lives a life of luxury, with fine clothes and exquisite food. And Zhou Ruyuan, even though he has been on the battlefield, he wouldn't casually suggest going to a small stall for a meal like the First Prince."
Zhou Rulin suddenly realized and nodded with a smile.
"It's probably because my fiefdom is barren, so I'm reluctant to spend money."
Shen Lanxi smiled and shook her head: "Even if you're reluctant, your status is what it is. I actually think you're very... approachable."
Zhou Rulin's brow twitched, then he smiled and waved his hand: "You can't say things like that carelessly. If someone with ulterior motives hears this, who knows what they'll say about me."
Shen Lanxi: "There's no one else here, Your Highness, just take it as me saying it casually."
Zhou Rulin looked at the person leading the way, his smile deepening.
While eating wontons at the stall, Zhou Rulin specifically instructed his guards to inquire whether Zhou Yunyuan was at the mansion.
When they had almost finished eating, the guard came to report.
“Zhou Yunyuan is not here; she went with her husband to visit relatives.”
Shen Lanxi flattered, "The Crown Prince is indeed very thoughtful. If we had gone directly there, we would have definitely come up empty-handed."
Zhou Rulin: "Have you found out when they'll be back?"
Guard: "I'll be back tomorrow."
Shen Lanxi: "That's perfect. Let's organize our confessions a bit, go to the palace, and report on the progress."
Zhou Rulin nodded: "Lanxi, you have truly broadened my horizons today. You have shown me that women are just as capable as men."
Shen Lanxi: "You flatter me, Your Highness."
It was getting late, so the two of them went over their testimonies in the carriage and arrived at the palace before the gates closed.
"Uncle, the First Prince and I have made some progress today, and we have come to report it!"
Emperor Renxiao only wanted to use Zhou Yunxue's case to achieve his desired goal; he didn't care about the case itself.
Even in front of Shen Lanxi, he still had to put on an act.
"Speak."
Shen Lanxi recounted what had happened, then presented her revised confession, and continued, "I suspect there's a problem with the dowry list provided by the Prince Ji's residence. Perhaps the four maids listed didn't go to West Mountain with him."
Emperor Renxiao: "Speak your mind."
Shen Lanxi: "I would like to request that Prince Zhennan verify Princess Yuxue's dowry at Xishan."
Emperor Renxiao glanced at Zhou Rulin, pondered for a moment, and then said, "If it concerns the case, then it is permissible."
Shen Lanxi: "According to Chen Suizhu's testimony, the eldest princess has been implicated. I am unsure how to proceed and would appreciate your guidance, Uncle."
When Emperor Renxiao heard the name of the eldest princess, his face darkened.
"Lanxi, you should leave the palace first. I will leave the matter of the eldest princess to your elder brother."
"yes."
...
Upon leaving the palace, Shen Lanxi let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Spending today playing along with these people is really testing her patience!
"My lord, have you made any progress today?" Che Mingyuan was already waiting in the mansion.
Shen Lanxi said with sharp eyes, "Zhou Rulin wants to recruit me."
Che Mingyuan laughed and said, "He's not bothered by details."
Shen Lanxi said coldly, "He's surrounded by wolves, he has no other choice."
Che Mingyuan said in a low voice, "A letter has been sent. Zhou Chengan's words are correct. After he was sent out of the capital, he was initially guarded, but when he saw that the Prince Ji's mansion was not paying attention to him, no one cared about him anymore."
"On the surface, the heir apparent is in charge of the Prince Ji's mansion, but in reality, it's Zhou Qinian's concubine who's in charge. It's not obvious from the outside, but there's a fierce power struggle going on inside."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
