Chapter 359 Shen Chu is actually a woman!
It was a piece of paper, only the size of a thumb.
The text contains only one sentence: "Prince Rui secretly traveled to Yangzhou for a woman, to No. 12 Liushui Lane."
Number 12 Liushui Lane is the address of this house.
Pei Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly. "Where did you come from?"
Chen Jiaying sat down next to Pei Yuan, her tone revealing her smugness.
"This is a secret letter addressed to Prince Heng, which was intercepted by my father's men."
Knowing that the Prince had left the capital without permission, the Empress Dowager and my father were very worried. Therefore, they ordered me to leave the capital overnight and travel to Yangzhou, hoping to bring the Prince back to the capital before Prince Heng discovered the situation.
Pei Yuan stared at the words on the note, his heart churning with shock.
No more than five people knew he was coming to Yangzhou. Since the news had reached the capital, it could only have originated from Yangzhou.
Has anyone in Yangzhou recognized him?
After arriving in Yangzhou, he only visited places like Qingshan Town, Sanyuantang, and Qingshan Temple.
Even fewer people in Yangzhou know him. Who could it be?
Chen Jiaying silently observed Pei Yuan's expression, then appropriately revealed a hint of grievance.
"Your Highness, I have been taught by the Empress Dowager since childhood that I am not the jealous woman from a humble family."
If Your Highness truly falls for that young lady, why not bring her back to the capital? I would be happy to be her good friend.
She presumptuously tried to persuade Pei Yuan.
"The prince ran to Yangzhou without a word, all for a woman. His actions were far too impulsive."
Fortunately, my family intercepted the secret letter first. With the Empress Dowager and my father helping to mediate, Prince Heng will definitely not find out.
Pei Yuan held the note in his hand without saying a word.
A hint of displeasure flashed in Chen Jiaying's eyes.
She's already humbled herself so much, why won't the prince agree?
"Does Your Highness disagree with this proposal?"
She gritted her teeth, reached out and grasped Pei Yuan's hand, and said with a wronged expression, "If Your Highness really likes her, you can grant her the position of a concubine."
The soft, smooth feeling on his hand brought Pei Yuan back to his senses, and he flung Chen Jiaying's hand away.
What did you just say?
Chen Jiaying pinched her palm and forced a smile.
"I said I really wanted to meet that girl and see what kind of woman she was that could make the prince abandon everything in the capital and come to Yangzhou."
What kind of woman?
Pei Yuan stared intently at the word "woman" on the note, his gaze so intense it seemed he could pierce through it.
The person who wrote this secret letter knew his address in Yangzhou, which shows that his every move was being secretly monitored.
The letter also stated that he had come to Yangzhou for a woman.
But he came to Yangzhou for Achu.
woman?
woman!
Pei Yuan suddenly stood up, his strength and speed so great that he overturned the chair behind him.
Bang.
Unfortunately, the overturned chair landed on Chen Jiaying's foot.
"Ouch."
Chen Jiaying bent over in pain, clutching her foot, tears streaming down her face.
"Jiaying's foot hurts, Your Highness, please help her up."
She drawled out her voice in a pitiful, coquettish tone.
Only the sound of the wind answered her.
She stood up and saw Pei Yuan whirl away like a gust of wind, disappearing instantly outside the courtyard gate.
Chen Jiaying was so angry that her face was almost contorted. She raised her hand and swept all the food on the table onto the ground.
"hateful."
Before she came, the Empress Dowager and her mother both instructed her not to be willful in front of the prince.
She's already been this understanding, isn't that enough?
"Someone come here."
A guard from the Chen family appeared at the door. "What are your orders, young lady?"
"Keep a close eye on the prince, see where he goes and who he meets."
She wanted to see just what kind of vixen could bewitch the prince like this.
-----
Jiangning.
Luo Heng marked several circles on the map, and then gave instructions to a few miners.
"Dig down where I marked."
The miners left, and Wanqiu hurriedly walked in.
"Young master, a message just arrived from Yangzhou via carrier pigeon. Pei Yuan is investigating Fengyun Pavilion based on the information we've gathered from the prisoners we've captured."
Luo Heng nodded to indicate that he understood.
"Don't worry, he won't be able to find anything about me for a while."
Fengyun Pavilion is a martial arts organization he founded. It takes in wandering martial artists and homeless orphans, who are personally trained by these wanderers.
Fengyun Pavilion was initially created to help him reclaim the Luo family's business, but as the Luo family's business grew larger and larger, Fengyun Pavilion became a sharp sword in his hands.
"How are things going with the Chen family?"
Wanqiu handed over a note.
"Chen Jiaying has arrived in Yangzhou and is trying her best to bring Prince Rui back to the capital."
Luo Heng's lips curled into a cold smile.
Wanqiu looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated.
"Just ask whatever you want."
Wanqiu hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Young Master deliberately let the Chen family intercept your letter to Prince Heng, was it because you were afraid that if Prince Heng found out, it would implicate Shen Chu?"
Luo Heng put down his pen, remained silent for a moment, and then nodded.
"In the end, I couldn't bear to hurt her."
If Prince Heng knew that Pei Yuan had secretly gone to Yangzhou, he would definitely investigate further the reasons why Pei Yuan went to Yangzhou.
If this leads to the discovery that Shen Chu was disguised as a man, it could result in her being sentenced to death.
“If the Chen family finds out, things will be different. The Chen family is now tied to Prince Rui, and they will definitely cover for Pei Yuan.”
However, they will also send people to Yangzhou to investigate the truth, and Chen Jiaying will inevitably come along.
Wanqiu, you've spent time in the palace of the deposed crown prince; you should know how terrifying a woman's jealousy can be.
Luo Heng blew on a drop of ink that had dripped from his brush and sneered.
"Chen Jiaying's jealousy is the best knife in my hand. I'll keep an eye on Chen Jiaying's every move, and when the opportunity arises, I'll meet with her."
------
Pei Yuan ran all the way out of Liushui Lane when a sudden gust of wind blew up outside.
No wind could be stronger than the turbulent waves in his heart.
A fake Shen Chu lived in the prefectural government office.
That night at Qingshan Temple, he encountered another woman who seemed very similar to Shen Chu.
The secret letter sent to the capital said he had secretly gone to Yangzhou for a woman.
The mystery that had been troubling him for days was beginning to take shape; he saw a glimmer of light.
That ray of light can be summarized in one sentence.
Shen Chu was actually a woman!
If that's the case, then everything makes sense.
Pei Yuan trembled, and a flood of memories suddenly surged into his mind.
In the dark room of Jingguo Temple, Shen Chu picked up a pen to copy scriptures, her wrists whiter than a woman's.
During the dragon boat race, Shen Chu was hooked around the waist by him, her slender waist resembling that of a woman.
And there was her sleeping on his big bed, her sleepy and coquettish appearance.
And there are so many other things that I used to think made her seem effeminate...
Those past events flooded into his mind, overwhelming Pei Yuan to the point of almost going crazy.
However, a sliver of reason within him kept reminding him.
If Shen Chu were truly a woman, how could she have passed all the examinations, from the provincial level to the palace level, without anyone noticing anything amiss?
All of this is just his speculation. To find out the truth, we must find the real Shen Chu.
His heart felt like it was being fried in a pan of oil; he wanted to verify it all himself.
But in such a vast city as Yangzhou, where is the real Achu?
At this moment, Achu is writing a memorial to the Longqing Emperor in the mansion.
Although she was disappointed at not seeing Pei Yuan, she still mustered her spirits and went through the whole story of the girl's disappearance again.
Upon closer examination, she discovered several suspicious points.
Just as he was pondering this, Ling Ce hurriedly returned.
"Achu, stop writing and come with me."
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