The autumn wind gradually cooled, and the ground was covered with yellow leaves. The streets of the capital were still crowded with people. No matter the recent earthquake or the extravagance of the nobles, they only provided some after-dinner talk for the busy people. Life was still going on as usual.

A woman in her early twenties stood at the busy street, motionless for a long time.

Passersby cast curious glances at him.

After an unknown amount of time, the woman suddenly stopped a passerby and asked, "Brother, how do I get to Shuntianfu Yamen?"

The person who was stopped was in his twenties, with lively eyes, and didn't look like an honest person.

The man saw that the person who stopped him was a young woman of decent appearance, and he immediately became enthusiastic. He pointed and said, "Go straight from here, turn left at an intersection, then go west for two intersections and turn left again, and you will be there."

The woman looked confused.

The man took one look and said with a smile, "Why don't I just take you there? I'm not in a hurry anyway."

Beautiful women are always popular. To a man who has seen beauties in the capital, the woman before me is not a great beauty, but she is also very good, especially her fair and tender skin. I feel pity for her.

The man was happy to help out a little, not asking for anything else, but just a few words would be nice.

The woman nodded and followed the man.

People who noticed this scene thought: Tsk tsk, this young wife must be from another place. She was so rash as to follow someone away, and she wasn't afraid of being kidnapped.

No, I have to go and see, maybe there's something exciting going on.

There were many people who thought so and had no urgent business, so they followed in twos and threes.

On the way, the man asked: "Big sister, are you from outside the city?"

The woman pursed her lips and said nothing.

"Are you coming to the capital alone?" the man asked again.

The woman remained silent.

"What are you doing at Shuntianfu Yamen?"

The woman still didn't speak.

The man touched his chin and thought: What a loss.

Fortunately, Shuntianfu Yamen was not far away. Not long after they walked, the man raised his hand and pointed: "Big sister, do you see it? We have arrived at Shuntianfu Yamen."

"Thank you, big brother." The woman finally thanked him and walked towards the entrance of the yamen step by step.

The man who led the way did not leave.

Just kidding, it would be even more of a loss if you just left without seeing the excitement.

The woman lingered at the entrance of the government office for a while, then walked to the big drum, picked up the drumstick and started beating it hard.

Boom boom boom——

The loud and deep sound of drums broke the silence in the government office.

Zhen Shicheng put the case file on the table and immediately became alert.

The drums are beating to protest injustice; there is something else going on.

Soon Zhen Shicheng saw the young woman beating the drum, and he slapped the wooden stick in surprise to ask why.

The woman stroked her belly lightly, and everyone in the lobby was stunned when she opened her mouth.

"I heard that Zhen Qingtian is dedicated to serving the people. This time I came to the capital to ask the Qingtian Master to help me find the father of my unborn child."

Looking for father?

Many yamen runners were looking at each other and had already come up with countless possibilities.

This young woman was fair and pretty, and quite pretty. Could it be that she had been harmed by some young master and was abandoned after an affair?

The young woman is from another place, and it is possible that the man came to Beijing to make a living, and when he became rich, he got a beautiful wife and concubines.

The most boring thing is that I got separated from a man and had to ask the government for help in finding him.

Compared to the curiosity of the yamen runners, Zhen Shicheng was much calmer and asked gently, "Where are you from?"

"I am from Jinli Town, Qianhe County."

When Zhen Shicheng heard the woman say that she was from Jinli Town, he frowned subconsciously and had a bad feeling.

"Do you have a guide?"

The woman took out her travel permit and handed it to the bailiff to present to Zhen Shicheng for inspection.

After confirming the woman's origin, Zhen Shicheng continued, "Tell me about the details of your trip to Beijing to look for your husband."

The woman said loudly: "Sir, I am not looking for my husband, I am looking for the father of my unborn child, because that man is not my husband!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the yamen runners who had been speculating in this direction immediately became excited.

Zhen Shicheng's expression was cold.

There was an earthquake in Qianhe County several months ago, and many people from the capital were sent to provide disaster relief. Could the person this woman is looking for be someone from the imperial court?

It is certainly not Zhen Shicheng's style for officials to protect each other.

"Go on."

"That man asked the young woman to stay with him for a few days. Unexpectedly, more than a month later, the young woman found out that she was pregnant. She had no choice but to come to him..."

Zhen Shicheng stroked his beard and said, "So, your husband is someone else?"

The woman whispered yes.

The bailiffs looked at the woman with contempt.

A woman who has a husband but still accompanies other men is not a faithful wife.

"In that case, how can you be sure that the baby in your belly is someone else's?"

The yamen runners looked at Zhen Shicheng with admiration.

The adults really hit the nail on the head.

The woman bit her lip and said, "I have been married for many years but have no children. After accompanying that noble man, I found out that I was pregnant. If the child is not that noble man's, whose could it be?"

One of the yamen runners muttered, "This is really hard to explain. How can I accompany you, my nobleman, but not others?"

Many people laughed.

The woman looked at the speaker with a sharp gaze, her face flushed red: "I am not that kind of woman, it's my husband who accepted the money from that nobleman--"

She couldn't say any more and covered her face and cried.

The yamen runners were stunned.

There are such men?

Zhen Shicheng coughed lightly: "Do you know the identity of that person?"

"I know, but I just can't find it, so I beg you to help me."

"Uh, who is that person?"

The woman was silent for a moment, then trembled and said, "That noble man... is the prince."

When these words were spoken, everyone in the room was shocked.

Zhen Shicheng's expression twisted, and he gasped in pain as he looked at the few strands of whiskers that had been pulled out in shock.

As I get older, my beard starts to shed easily. If I pull it any further, it will become bald.

The next moment, Zhen Shicheng felt overwhelmed.

This woman actually said that the baby in her belly was the prince's. It was so absurd and bizarre, but when he thought that the prince dared to sleep with the emperor's concubine, he was not surprised at all.

"Do you know what crime it is to make random accusations against the prince?"

The woman shuddered: "I dare not, I have evidence!"

"Where's the evidence?"

The woman hesitated for a moment, then took something out of her arms and presented it to Zhen Shicheng.

It was a jade pendant.

When Zhen Shicheng saw the four-clawed dragon pattern on the jade pendant, his eyes narrowed.

The woman bowed her head and said, "This jade pendant was given to me by a noble man."

Zhen Shicheng was silent for a moment.

The prince went to comfort the disaster victims on behalf of the emperor, but he ended up spending money to sleep with the victim's wife. That would have been fine, but he even left a token after sleeping with her. Was he afraid that others would have no evidence?

Thinking that the Great Zhou had such a crown prince, Zhen Shicheng just felt tired.

Seeing Zhen Shicheng silent, the woman kowtowed and said, "Sir, I really have no way out. After you left, my husband thought I was unfaithful, so he quickly took a concubine and indulged in pleasure. When he found out I was pregnant, he had already spent all the money he had earned, so he forced me to go to the capital to ask you for the money. If I didn't obey, he would have beaten me to death..."

A few days later, Zhen Shicheng went to the palace to meet the emperor.