Chapter 18 Her purse was on Pei Yuan's chest
"Your Highness, are you awake?" Shen Chu asked softly.
The inner room was silent.
Shen Chu's nostrils twitched slightly as he faintly smelled a burnt odor.
She gently lifted the curtain to the inner room and went inside.
Pei Yuan was still asleep in bed.
A small incense burner was leaning at the foot of the bed. The lid was open, and incense ash scattered everywhere. The unburnt incense glowed red and lit the hanging bed sheet.
No wonder there was a burning smell.
Chen Chu quickly stepped forward, grabbed the tea from the small table next to her, and poured it over the affected area.
The fire was extinguished.
She breathed a sigh of relief, put the teapot back on the small table, and was about to leave when she heard Pei Yuan on the bed shout, "No!"
Shen Chu turned her head to look over.
Pei Yuan's face was pale, his brows were tightly furrowed, his head was shaking incessantly, and large beads of sweat kept sliding down his forehead.
"No, don't come any closer."
Is this a nightmare?
After hesitating for a moment, Shen Chu decided to walk away.
Pei Yuan suddenly grabbed her arm.
Chen Chu stumbled and had to brace herself on the bed with one hand to avoid falling.
She glared at Pei Yuan with some annoyance, only to find that he was still muttering incessantly, his voice painful and shrill, as if he were experiencing something extremely painful in his dream.
His hands were strong and powerful, gripping Chen Chu's arm tightly as if he were grasping a lifeline.
Shen Chu winced in pain; her arm must have been pinched bruised.
Just as she was about to pry Pei Yuan's hand off, he yanked it hard again.
She panicked and quickly pressed down on the bed again to avoid falling headfirst into Pei Yuan's chest.
Pei Yuan seemed to sense something in his sleep. He took her arm and nestled it against his neck, gently rubbing his neck against hers. A warm, affectionate smile appeared on his face as he softly murmured, "Mother."
Three black lines appeared on Chen Chu's forehead.
She didn't want a son as old as Pei Yuan.
She tried to pull her arms away, but found she couldn't break free.
Just as she was hesitating whether to forcibly pry them apart, her gaze suddenly fixed on Pei Yuan's chest.
His white undershirt opened slightly during the struggle, revealing a striking section of lake blue underneath.
The color looked like her purse.
Shen Chu immediately forgot to struggle, and while remaining in a half-lying position, she gently used her fingers to lift Pei Yuan's inner garment.
Close to her chest lay a lake-blue purse, its color faded, embroidered with a pattern of mandarin ducks playing in the water, and outlined with pale gold thread.
It was the one she had lost.
Shen Chu was shocked. She had gone to Jingguo Temple that day but couldn't find it, and she thought it was really lost.
Unexpectedly, Pei Yuan found it.
She quickly reached out to take it, only to find that the purse was tied to Pei Yuan's inner robe belt with a thin thread.
To get the purse, you must untie the sash of your inner garment.
What's wrong with this guy? He actually kept her purse close to his heart.
She gently inserted two fingers and slowly pulled the knot on the sash of her inner garment.
It's open!
She was overjoyed and reached for her purse.
Just as her hand was about to touch the purse, a large hand reached out and tightly gripped her arm.
Pei Yuan's icy voice rang out from above, "Chen Chu, what are you doing?"
Shen Chu froze, slowly turning her head to meet Pei Yuan's gaze.
His gaze was as cold as a knife, filled with utter hatred.
"What? Trying to take advantage of me while I'm asleep? Shen Chu, you are truly despicable."
"I have absolutely no interest in you, you homosexual king! Get out of my way!"
Shen Chu twitched his fingers, feeling an urge to throw a punch.
After she gained fame for her battle against Pei Yuan in the capital, many girls were attracted to her, but she avoided them all.
When the top scholar paraded through the streets on horseback, countless handkerchiefs and flowers were thrown at her, but she did not respond at all.
Pei Yuan laughed at her for being a homosexual at the time.
Later, a runaway horse kicked Pei Yuan, and the two became enemies. Pei Yuan then gave her the title of "King of the Homosexuals".
"Likewise, I have no interest in Your Highness either. But Your Highness, you dragged me to bed without saying a word. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were planning something to do to me," Shen Chu retorted sarcastically.
Pei Yuan frowned, his gaze shifting downwards, and he saw that he was holding Shen Chu's hand and placing it on his neck.
He jolted upright, sat up abruptly, and shoved Shen Chu aside.
"Nonsense! How could I possibly pull you onto the bed? If you didn't have ulterior motives, why did you enter the inner room while I was asleep?"
Chen Chu staggered slightly, but managed to regain her balance.
She rolled her eyes and pointed to the bed sheet that had been splashed with tea, saying, "If I hadn't come in, Your Highness would probably have been burned to a crisp."
"Speaking of which, I did save His Highness's life."
Pei Yuan's gaze fell on the scattered incense burner on the ground, his eyes flickered slightly, and a hint of mockery appeared between his brows.
"Who knows if you knocked over the incense burner while harboring ill intentions, and then tried to use it as an excuse to become my savior?"
Shen Chu couldn't help but say, "Your Highness has a truly rich imagination."
Pei Yuan narrowed his eyes and looked her over calmly, as if assessing the truthfulness of her words.
Shen Chu was too lazy to say anything more. "The scriptures have been copied. I've come to deliver them to Your Highness."
Pei Yuan gave a light "hmm," and said, "Let me take a look."
Shen Chu handed over the scriptures.
Pei Yuan casually flipped through a few pages, put them away, and glanced at her indifferently.
"Is there anything else?"
Chen Chu...
Her hands were practically broken from copying, and she didn't even say thank you?
Silently, I added another entry to my mental notebook: arrogant and rude!
"Chen Chu takes his leave."
She bent down and stepped back, but couldn't help glancing at his chest.
What a pity, I almost got the money.
Pei Yuan's face darkened when he saw that Pei Yuan's gaze was fixed on his chest.
"Get out of here. If you ever look at me with that sticky gaze again, I'll gouge your eyes out."
Shen Chu... She's only interested in her purse; who cares to even glance at you?
It seems I'll have to find another way to get my money back.
After leaving Qingfeng Tower, Shen Chu went to Yihuchun Tea House.
She had arranged to meet Li Chengxuan, the young master of the Duke of Huguo's mansion, here today.
Li Chengxuan was already waiting at the entrance of Yihuchun. When he saw Shen Chu from afar, he greeted her with a smile and hooked his arm around her shoulder.
"Achu, why are you so late? We've been waiting for you for ages."
Shen Chu pushed his arm away, "Don't put your arm around my shoulder."
Li Chengxuan, unimpressed, put his arm around him again, saying, "How can we show our brotherhood if we don't put our arms around each other's shoulders?"
Shen Chu stepped aside and glared at him.
Li Chengxuan smiled and touched his nose. "Come on, let's go upstairs for tea."
To talk about her friendship with Li Chengxuan, we have to start from when she came to the capital.
When she arrived in the capital, Pei Yuan startled her carriage, causing her to fall out. However, she was not injured because she happened to fall on top of this young master.
Li Chengxuan made her a human cushion, after which she engaged in a verbal battle with Pei Yuan, and in a fit of anger wrote an article to denounc Pei Yuan, leaving Li Chengxuan stunned.
The young nobleman took the article she had written, read it over and over again, and only uttered one word: "Damn!"
The second sentence: "I like people who are knowledgeable and can curse without using foul language."
The third sentence: "There aren't many people who dare to curse the Sixth Prince in the street. I'm determined to make you my friend."
After that, Li Chengxuan would often come to see her. She would ignore him, but he was not annoyed. Instead, he would sit next to her with a smile and watch her read.
In Li Chengxuan's words, "I get a headache just looking at the words in the book. My grandmother told me to make more friends who love reading, so that I can also be influenced by the fragrance of ink."
After spending time together several times, she gradually learned about Li Chengxuan's background.
Li Chengxuan was born into the Duke of Huguo's family. His grandmother was the current emperor's aunt, the Grand Princess of Chengyang, and his father was the heir apparent of the Duke of Huguo.
Fifteen years ago, the southern border invaded, and the old Duke of Protectorate, along with his five sons and four grandsons, all died on the battlefield, leaving only Li Chengxuan, who was just two years old at the time.
When the tragic news arrived, the Grand Princess of Chengyang brought her young grandson Li Chengxuan to the palace and granted him the title of Duke of Protector of the State, making him the youngest Duke of the Great Wei.
After that, Li Chengxuan, the only son, grew up under the pampering of his grandmother and a group of aunts. They did not expect him to be talented in literature or martial arts, nor did they expect him to achieve great things. They only hoped that he would be happy, safe and healthy.
Therefore, Li Chengxuan's life was all about doing whatever made him happy.
He felt an instant connection with Shen Chu, and after several interactions, he came to regard her as a close friend.
If someone gives him a hard time, he will turn around and leave, refusing to serve them.
Even though Shen Chu gave him a cold shoulder, he was still willing to smile and continue following behind her.
Despite being glared at by Shen Chu, he still happily poured her a cup of tea.
Chen Chu took a sip and asked, "Young Master, how is the matter I asked you to handle?"
Pei Yuan, who was about to enter the private room next door, happened to hear this and his peach blossom eyes narrowed.
Shen Chu and the young master?
What happened between them?
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