Chapter 49 The Heron with Blue Feathers
Shen Chu looked in the direction of the sound.
The one who spoke was Prince Heng, Pei Ji, the fourth son of Emperor Longqing, and the only adult prince besides the crown prince to be granted the title of prince.
Prince Heng was known for his gentle and refined manners and his respect for scholars. At this moment, he stood with his hands behind his back, his smile gentle, as if he were asking an ordinary question.
This issue brought everyone's attention back to the present.
All eyes were focused on the search catalog in Shen Chu's hand.
Emperor Longqing frowned and asked, "Minister Shen, what's on the paper?"
Shen Chu presented the search catalog with both hands, "Your Majesty, there is nothing on the paper."
"I was deliberately trying to trick Sun Hong into revealing the truth. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness for my rudeness."
Zhao Dewen, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly looked up and looked over, his eyes filled with a coldness that seemed capable of devouring a person.
Shen Chu curled her lips into a smile.
It was too late for regrets; Zhao Dewen was defeated by his own paranoia.
The eunuch presented the search catalog to Emperor Longqing. The snow-white Xuan paper contained only the four characters "search catalog," and indeed there was nothing else on it.
The Longqing Emperor stroked his beard and snorted, "You're quite clever; you've mastered the trick of creating something from nothing quite smoothly."
Shen Chu looked completely innocent. "The file management method that I painstakingly wrote was originally intended to make it easier to find files, but it was stolen by a shameless villain and even used to deceive Your Majesty."
"I have no witnesses or physical evidence, so this is the only way I can think of to prove myself."
Prince Heng stood to the side, looking puzzled. "I clearly heard someone say that a pattern appeared. Did Lord Shen tamper with the paper?"
The Longqing Emperor looked at Shen Chu with a hint of suspicion.
Chen Chu blinked. "Really? I guess it was just that it was facing the sunlight. The peach blossom pattern on the Xuan paper could be faintly seen in the sunlight, and some of you gentlemen were just mistaken for it."
The various government departments of the imperial court used peach blossom Xuan paper for their daily office work. This paper is thin and strong, with a curtain pattern on it. It looks like a peach blossom in the sunlight, hence the name peach blossom Xuan paper.
A cold, mocking laugh suddenly rang out, sounding quite abrupt in the quiet square.
Shen Chu looked in the direction of the laughter and saw Pei Yuan standing not far to the left, his shimmering peach blossom eyes full of mockery.
Her heart skipped a beat.
What's that guy laughing at?
Can things really be that unlucky?
As she took the search catalog, she took the opportunity to sprinkle the powder she had prepared beforehand onto it.
This powder is colorless and odorless, but it will take on certain shapes when heated, and is often used to process special letters.
How could the faint peach blossom pattern on the peach blossom paper possibly lure Sun Hong and Zhao Dewen into a trap?
She applied the medicine very discreetly, confident that she could evade everyone's gaze.
When Shen Chu recalled how Pei Yuan had forced her to drink "poisoned wine" the day before, and how she had tried to drug him but was caught by Pei Yuan, her confidence crumbled.
"What are you laughing at, Sixth Brother?" Emperor Longqing asked Pei Yuan.
Pei Yuan curled his lips into a smile. "Peach Blossom Xuan paper does indeed show patterns under sunlight. To think of using this characteristic of Peach Blossom Xuan paper to prove your point, Lord Shen is indeed clever, but..."
He deliberately dragged out his words and paused, glancing sideways at Shen Chu.
Shen Chu felt a chill run down her spine under his gaze, her heart suddenly pounding, and she quickly racked her brains for a solution.
If this guy exposes her in front of the emperor, how should she deal with it?
In an instant, a layer of cold sweat seeped out on her back.
Then Pei Yuan chuckled: "However, what I'm laughing at is... from my angle, Lord Shen, dressed in a blue official robe, kneels on the ground, and from a distance, all you can see is a blue heron."
Your subject thought there was a blue-feathered heron perched there.
Pei Yuan's words drew the attention of all the ministers present, who all turned to look at me.
Some people couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.
Shen Chu was a fifth-rank censor, and according to regulations, his official robes were blue, embroidered with a heron.
Emperor Longqing was taken aback, then amused. He even squinted and scrutinized Shen Chu, as if trying to gauge how much she resembled a heron.
Shen Chu... you're the bird, your whole family are no good birds.
Wait a minute, a heron with blue feathers on its head... that sounds familiar.
After Emperor Longqing finished laughing, he cleared his throat and glared at Pei Yuan, saying, "We're getting down to business. You almost took us off track."
When she turned to look at Chen Chu again, the doubt from before was gone, replaced by a smile.
"Alright, Little Shen, get up, stop kneeling."
"To think of using the characteristics of peach blossom paper to prove one's innocence—no wonder you came up with such a brilliant method for managing case files. I was right about you."
Shen Chu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. Your Majesty is wise."
"Minister Shen has contributed such an ingenious management system; he deserves a reward. Guards, bestow upon Shen Chu one hundred taels of gold and a set of writing implements."
Shen Chu quickly expressed his gratitude.
Many officials in the court looked at Shen Chu with much brighter eyes.
Shen Chu was appointed as a fifth-rank censor as soon as he entered the court, and now, only five or six days later, he has received another reward from His Majesty.
It seems that His Majesty is not dissatisfied with Shen Chu for harming the Sixth Prince.
For a moment, everyone began to re-evaluate the value of Shen Chu.
Upon seeing this scene, a thoughtful look flashed across Prince Heng's eyes.
Those who have made contributions should be rewarded, and those who have made mistakes should naturally be punished.
The Longqing Emperor gave Zhao Dewen a cold glance and announced: "Zhao Dewen failed in his duty. Considering that you are recuperating at home, you are hereby fined six months' salary as a warning to others."
Zhao Dewen knelt down to express his gratitude, his face pale. As he retreated, his gaze toward Shen Chu was filled with malice.
Shen Chu didn't care.
If Sun Hong was the rotten apple in the Inspectorate, then Zhao Dewen was the one who ruined the whole thing.
The moment she chose to confront Sun Hong, she was destined to stand on the opposite side of Zhao Dewen.
The grand assembly ended in a lively and bustling atmosphere.
Shen Chu was summoned to Longquan Palace by the Longqing Emperor.
Do you know why I left you alone?
Shen Chu shook his head. "Does Your Majesty have any instructions for me?"
Emperor Longqing leaned back on his dragon throne and smiled.
“Actually, I knew long ago that the file management regulations were written by you, not by Sun Hong.”
Shen Chu was greatly surprised.
Emperor Longqing was amused by her stunned expression. "What? Can't you understand why I would reward Sun Hong and promote him to the rank of fifth-grade censor if I knew you made it up?"
Shen Chu nodded hesitantly, but a chill ran through her heart.
The Longqing Emperor said, "Because I am very curious, I want to see if you will choose to silently suffer this injustice without any witnesses or evidence, or try to prove yourself."
As it turns out, you did a great job and did not disappoint me.
Shen Chu rubbed her fingers together, feeling a tightness in her chest.
What she painstakingly wrote was taken by someone else.
Just as she was trying to prove herself to everyone, the emperor told her that it was all just a game he had set up to see how the people involved would struggle.
She really wanted to ask the emperor what would happen if she chose to silently suffer this injustice.
Is he destined to be stuck in the Censorate as a lowly censor who can be bullied by everyone?
Are the so-called facts and truths, the so-called fairness and justice, not even considered by those in power?
A dull, nameless anger lingered in his chest.
Then she heard the Longqing Emperor ask with a chuckle, "Little Shen, aren't you curious how I knew that you compiled the search catalog?"
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