Chapter 93: I'll confess, okay?
The carriage was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; Shen Chu could even hear her own heart pounding.
She struggled to steady her hands holding the bundle and slowly untied the knots on it.
This process felt long and agonizing to her.
The bundle was simply tied in a slipknot, so even if she wanted to delay, she couldn't drag it out for too long.
The bundle was eventually opened, revealing the dress underneath.
When Pei Yuan used his jade fan to lift a corner of her skirt, Chen Chu suddenly reached out, slapped the fan away, and pressed down on her skirt.
"Your Highness, please stop looking. I'll explain, okay?"
Pei Yuan raised an eyebrow, his eyes conveying an unreadable meaning. "What do you mean?"
Shen Chu's face flushed red. She reached under her skirt and rummaged around for a while before pulling out a book and handing it over.
"I dared not let Your Highness see the skirt, actually because I was afraid Your Highness would discover it."
Pei Yuan lowered his eyes and looked at the book that Shen Chu handed him.
The cover features a vibrant, blooming peony, with five large, elegant characters beside it: "Love Under the Peony."
"What is this?" He raised an eyebrow, picked up the book, and flipped through it casually.
What came into view was a scene of men and women embracing in various poses, their clothes disheveled, beneath a cluster of peonies.
Pei Yuan seemed to have been burned, and flung the book away, his voice slightly deep.
"Chen Chu, you actually read this?"
The book was thrown in front of Shen Chu, who hung his head, looking extremely ashamed.
"This book was a gift from the owner of the clothing store when I went to buy clothes."
I was afraid Your Highness would see this and laugh at me, so I didn't want to open the bundle.
It was only out of curiosity that I accepted the book, as the owner of the clothing store said the postures and forms in the book were all different.
If Your Highness is curious, this humble subject may present this book to you.
Pei Yuan's gaze couldn't help but fall on the open pages of the book.
Unlike the previous page, the poses on this page are even more novel and daring, making one's heart race.
He quickly turned his head and said, "I never expected that you, who appear to be such a gentleman, would be such a dissolute person inside."
Shen Chu looked up and saw Pei Yuan slightly raise his chin and turn his head to the side, as if the book on the ground was poisonous.
It's just erotic art, hasn't this guy ever seen it before?
She chuckled, feigning conviction, "Men, after all, are driven by food and sex. Has Your Highness never read books like this?"
“Of course…” Pei Yuan paused, then snorted coldly, “Of course I’ve seen it.”
"Oh." Her eyes brightened slightly as she leaned closer, holding the book. "Would Your Highness be willing to discuss with me which position is more comfortable?"
"Shen Chu!" Pei Yuan's face darkened. "Don't you have any shame?"
Chen Chu blinked. "We're all men, can't we have a chat? Your Highness, don't be so petty."
She took another step forward as she spoke.
Has Your Highness tried this position?
Pei Yuan was forced to move aside, his voice cold and deep, "This prince has no interest in discussing such matters with others."
She advanced, he retreated; she chased, he dodged; in an instant, he reached the car door.
Pei Yuan said coldly, "I think you're using buying clothes as an excuse; you really just want to buy this kind of book, don't you?"
"Your Highness, please don't be so blunt. Only the tailor shops in the south of the city sell this kind of book. But I also carefully selected the clothes. If you don't believe me, Your Highness, you can see for yourself that they are not bad at all."
As she spoke, she lifted the skirt from her bundle and shook it, her smile instantly freezing on her face.
"Oh, this..."
The skirt she was holding up was torn in two, and apart from the color, its original style was completely unrecognizable.
She peeked out and quickly stuffed the skirt back into her bundle.
"Never mind, I'll go find a good tailor shop and buy a new one later. Would Your Highness like to come along?"
"Your Highness, we have arrived at the Wucheng Military Command." Sun Yan's voice rang out from outside the carriage at that moment.
Pei Yuan glanced at her, his face darkening as he lifted the curtain and jumped straight down from the carriage.
Only Shen Chu remained in the carriage.
She let out a long sigh of relief, only then realizing that her back was completely soaked.
That was close!
Fortunately, the moment she opened the bundle, she remembered that she had lost a book of erotic pictures inside.
That was when Hongxiu went to a clothing shop to buy women's clothes. The shop owner saw that Hongxiu was dressed in men's clothing and thought she was a man, so he gave her a book.
Hongxiu didn't even open it to look at it; she just stuffed it into her bundle.
She noticed it when she was changing clothes, and even joked that the way clothing stores do business these days is really peculiar.
Unexpectedly, this erotic picture book ultimately helped her drive Pei Yuan away.
Recalling Pei Yuan's furious expression just now, she couldn't help but purse her lips.
This guy spends his days frequenting brothels, so of course he doesn't need to study erotic art.
That should be enough to get by for now. Pei Yuan's attention shouldn't be on the skirt anymore, right?
She had no idea that the first thing Pei Yuan did upon returning to the Five Cities Garrison was to instruct Sun Yan, "Go and investigate the clothing shops in the south of the city to see if any of them offer erotic pictures as a gift with the purchase of clothing."
Sun Yan was completely confused. "Do we still need to investigate the woman we met in the south of the city today?"
Pei Yuan paused for a moment, then said, "Continue the investigation. Even if we have to search every inch of the south of the city, we must find this person."
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When Shen Chu returned to Xizhao Courtyard, Aunt Qiao was pacing anxiously in the room.
"You're finally back. Quick, go lie down on the bed. Chen will be here soon."
As Aunt Qiao spoke, she stepped forward to take off Chen Chu's outer garment, too anxious to ask about her doctor's visit that day.
Shen Chu frowned. "Has Madam Chen returned from the palace?"
Aunt Qiao said, "Yes, there was a flood in Hanyang a few days ago. The Crown Prince was ordered to go and provide disaster relief. The Empress Dowager summoned the women of noble families and said that she wanted to do her part for the people of Hanyang."
Mr. Chen immediately expressed his willingness to donate 500 shi of grain and a house to store disaster relief supplies.
The Empress Dowager immediately praised Chen for her righteousness and kindness, and personally pleaded with His Majesty to allow her to leave the palace.
It was the Empress Dowager's personal maid who personally escorted her back, and even summoned everyone in the household to the front courtyard to kneel and listen to the Empress Dowager's praise.
I avoided going to the front yard because you were injured, but when Chen heard that you had been caned, she pretended to want to visit you.
She's on her way to Xizhao Courtyard right now, accompanied by the Empress Dowager's trusted maid. You should lie down quickly and not let her see the extent of your injuries, and most importantly, don't let her know you've been out."
Just as Shen Chu took off her outer clothes and lay down on the bed, Chen Shi came in.
"I heard that Achu was injured, so I came to see how her wound is?" Chen asked with concern as soon as she entered the room.
"Thank you for your concern, Mother. Achu is fine and will recover in a few days."
Chen Chu gave a casual reply, her gaze falling on the nanny beside Madam Chen.
It was the same old woman she had met in the south of the city earlier that day.
It seems that the Chen family donated their house in the south of the city to store disaster relief supplies.
As a result, Lady Chen received the Emperor's forgiveness and the Empress Dowager's reward, successfully turning the page on the incident from the day of the dragon boat race.
Seeing the undisguised smugness in Chen's eyes, Shen Chu curled up a cold smile.
Did she think that with the Empress Dowager and the Empress backing her up, she would be helpless?
hehe.
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