Chapter 283 Whose Credit Is It? Shen Chu Turns Silent
Emperor Longqing gave Pei Yuan a deep look.
"When the Imperial Guards brought you to the palace, you spoke eloquently before me, saying that someone had framed you and that the treasure on the estate outside the city was not hidden by you."
You assured me that you would find the real treasure within two days, which is why I deliberately issued an edict to imprison you, so that Chief Minister Feng would lower his guard.
"Take another look at this. This is what Shen Chu wrote to me when she was brought into the palace."
Emperor Longqing took out a piece of paper and placed it on the table, then looked at Pei Yuan.
A sentence was written on the paper:
The Sixth Prince is innocent. I have already arranged for people to find the treasure within two days.
Pei Yuan's hands suddenly clenched, and his pupils contracted slightly.
The Longqing Emperor asked with a suspicious look, "You two didn't plan this beforehand, did you?"
Pei Yuan shook his head, "Your subject has not been in contact with Shen Chu these past two days. Moreover, today's events happened suddenly. Your subject was suddenly brought into the palace and had no time to discuss it with anyone."
The Longqing Emperor stroked his beard and nodded.
"So, he went to the palace to defend you, but he didn't expect his identity to be exposed."
Pei Yuan's eyes flickered slightly.
The Longqing Emperor smiled enigmatically, "Since you all arrived at the same destination without prior consultation, to whom should I attribute the credit for finding this treasure?"
Pei Yuan replied without hesitation, "Naturally, it is thanks to Shen Chu and Li Chengxuan. I am doing this to prove my innocence. If it weren't for Shen Chu's earlier plan and Li Chengxuan's successful implementation, the treasure wouldn't have been found so quickly."
Li Chengxuan echoed this sentiment.
"Yes, Your Majesty, if it weren't for A-Chu's guidance, I wouldn't have led people to cause trouble at the Feng family's residence."
"The recovery of the treasure was mostly thanks to A-Chu, Your Majesty. Please, Your Majesty, release A-Chu."
Emperor Longqing, his face cold, couldn't help but slam his hand heavily on the table.
"Even though Shen Chu made a contribution in finding the treasure, it cannot erase the fact that he impersonated a young master of the Marquis's mansion and participated in the imperial examination."
Do you know that this is a capital offense punishable by beheading?
"What?" Li Chengxuan was stunned. "Ah!...Your Majesty means that A-Chu is not A-Chu?"
No, what I mean is..."
He was so shocked that he couldn't express himself clearly for a moment.
Pei Yuan suddenly knelt down.
“Father, I know Shen Chu’s true identity. It was I who stopped him from telling you.”
The Longqing Emperor suddenly turned his head to look at him.
"Who exactly is Shen Chu? Do you know his identity?"
Pei Yuan nodded slowly.
"Speaking of which, he is not entirely unrelated to the Marquis of Changning's mansion. I have investigated and found that he is actually Shen Zhixing's youngest son, Chen Mo."
"Shen Zhixing's youngest son? Didn't all of Shen Zhixing's sons die in Liangzhou back then? How could any of them still be alive?"
"Your Majesty, I have not found out how he survived the massacre in Liangzhou, but I can confirm that he is indeed Shen Zhixing's youngest son."
Over the years, the Ning'an Marquis's mansion has been known as a traitor, and he is also a member of the traitors. How dare he show people his real name?
He took the imperial examination under the name of Shen Chu, with the aim of seeking justice for his father and the entire Ning'an Marquis's mansion.
Emperor Longqing frowned, deep in thought.
"So he is Shen Zhixing's son. No wonder he was so insistent on investigating the case of the Marquis of Ning'an's mansion."
Pei Yuan nodded.
"It was because of his insistence on the case of the Marquis of Ning'an's residence that I became suspicious and discovered his identity after a secret investigation."
Shen Chu originally wanted to reveal his true identity to his father, but I think investigating the Feng family and finding the treasure is more important.
"Shen Chu is quick-witted and resourceful, so I advised him to find the treasure first before revealing his identity to you."
Emperor Longqing recalled how Shen Chu readily admitted her mistake after Shen Qingshuang exposed her, and he began to believe Pei Yuan's words to some extent.
Pei Yuan continued, "Your subject knows that impersonating someone else to participate in the imperial examination is a capital offense, but he had no other choice."
If he hadn't joined the Inspectorate, he wouldn't have been able to investigate and clarify forty or fifty wrongful convictions in just over four months.
Without Shen Chu, the salt administration in Changsha Prefecture wouldn't have been purged so quickly, the ambitious Feng family wouldn't have been exposed so soon, and the treasures of the previous dynasty wouldn't have surfaced so quickly.
"I beg Your Majesty, in consideration of Shen Chu's many merits, to spare Shen Chu's life."
After listening for a while, Li Chengxuan finally realized what was going on.
He knelt down with a thud.
"Your Majesty, I beg you to spare A-Chu. If his merits are insufficient, may I exchange them for the imperial edict and certificate of merit from the Duke of Huguo's mansion?"
Emperor Longqing's face darkened.
"Nonsense! The imperial edict is for the use of your own people in the Duke of Protectorate. If you dare to take it out again, I will take it back."
Li Chengxuan was so frightened that he immediately fell silent.
Emperor Longqing then changed the subject, saying, "However, what you two said isn't entirely unreasonable. Guards, bring Shen Chu up here first."
Immediately, a palace attendant went to the death cell to announce Chen Chu's death.
When Chen Chu walked out of the death row, it was nearly evening, and the sky was filled with the afterglow of sunset.
She looked up, took a deep breath, and smiled at the jailer at the door.
"Who said once you're on death row, you're never coming out? I'm out now, aren't I?"
The jailer's face was a jumble of emotions, and his smile was somewhat obsequious.
"It was my fault for being blind. Please forgive me, Lord Shen."
Shen Chu chuckled and turned to leave.
Upon entering Longquan Palace, Pei Yuan, who was still kneeling on the ground, suddenly turned his head and looked over.
Their eyes met, and for a moment they subtly scanned each other's entire bodies.
Pei Yuan saw that apart from his official robes being a little wrinkled, he had no other injuries, and then he smiled.
Shen Chu smiled and then knelt down to pay his respects.
"This humble subject greets Your Majesty."
The Longqing Emperor snorted coldly and asked bluntly:
"Is it true that you are Shen Zhixing's son and that he has remained silent?"
Shen Chu was momentarily stunned.
Silence is her younger brother; they are twins, a boy and a girl.
Why did His Majesty mistake her for Chen Mo? Or rather, how did His Majesty know that she was Shen Zhixing's child?
She hesitated, unsure how to answer.
Pei Yuan said softly, "I have already told Father Emperor everything about your identity. You can say whatever you want to say."
Shen Chu suddenly turned to look at Pei Yuan, her eyes wide open.
Therefore, Pei Yuan revealed the identity of the silent one to His Majesty.
When did Pei Yuan find out?
Her mind was momentarily confused.
The cold snort of the Longqing Emperor rang in my ears.
"You'd better tell the truth. If you dare to lie in the slightest, I will not spare you."
Shen Chu felt a chill run down his spine and suddenly came to his senses.
Now that things have come to this, she has no choice but to grit her teeth and accept her silent identity.
You can't say she's not silent, but rather that she's Shen Chuchu, can you?
That would make her die even faster.
Anyway, from the initial stage to the silence, there's no difference; she's still a woman disguised as a man.
Her forehead touched the ground, and she said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, I am indeed Shen Zhixing's youngest son, Chenmo. Back when Liangzhou was massacred, I was playing around and ran off with my mother to travel the world, and luckily escaped the Northern Rong's slaughter."
The disgraced official participated in the imperial examination under the identity of Shen Chu, firstly to repay the kindness of the real Shen Chu, and secondly to seek justice for his father and the Ning'an Marquis's family.
Now that Chief Minister Feng and his son have been arrested, His Majesty has ordered Lord He to investigate the matter. I believe that he will be able to bring justice to my father and the Marquis of Ning'an.
"This sinful subject is willing to bear all punishments for impersonating someone else to participate in the imperial examinations; I would die without regret. Please, Your Majesty, decide my fate."
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