Chapter 258 Having seen through it, why don't you let Ah Chu help me get dressed?
Pei Yuan's gaze swept over the haphazardly arranged furnishings in the room, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.
"The former residence of the Marquis of Ning'an?"
Shen Chu was surprised, "How did Your Highness recognize me?"
Yes, this is her real home, the Ning'an Marquis's residence.
The exit of the secret passage was in the courtyard of her grandfather, Marquis Ning'an.
Directly opposite is their grandfather's study, which is the room they are in right now.
Although she lived in Liangzhou most of the time, she only returned to the Marquis's residence for one or two months during the Spring Festival each year.
But her grandfather's study is the place she remembers most vividly.
The study was very large and filled with books, making one's eyes dizzy from looking at them.
When she was a child, she couldn't stay still and what she hated most was studying.
To temper her temperament, her grandfather always required her to sit here and study quietly for half a day every day.
She was mischievous and would often sneak out of the window to play in the yard.
Therefore, she was very familiar with everything in the yard. Even though ten years had passed and the yard was overgrown with weeds taller than a person, she still recognized the place at a glance.
But to everyone's surprise, Pei Yuan guessed it right away.
Pei Yuan pointed in a certain direction with his chin, "I saw that."
Shen Chu followed his gaze.
Underneath the crooked bookshelf lay half a broken plaque.
It was covered with a thick layer of dust and cobwebs, but the two characters "Ning An" could still be faintly made out.
Pei Yuan said, "We've been walking underground for an hour. Judging from our pace, we're definitely still in the inner city. Looking out, although it's overgrown with weeds, we can still tell it's a large courtyard."
Upon seeing this plaque, one would naturally guess it was the residence of the Marquis of Ning'an.
He raised a long eyebrow slightly and asked suspiciously, "What? Didn't you guess it from this plaque?"
Shen Chu forced a smile and said, "Yes."
Even so, I couldn't help but walk over and pull out the plaque.
The plaque was broken in the middle, and ten years later, the wood at the break point has begun to crack.
She brushed away the dust with her sleeve, revealing the two characters "Ning An" written in bold, powerful strokes.
She carefully stroked the plaque, her fingers gently tracing the characters on it.
It is said that this plaque was personally written by the first Marquis of Ning'an when his ancestors were granted the title, and it has been passed down to this day.
When she was a child, her grandfather would hold her on his lap and trace those two characters stroke by stroke.
Recalling the past, Chen Chu's eyes welled up with tears.
Grandfather, did you see that?
Chu Chu went home.
One day, I will definitely make sure that the plaque of the Marquis of Ning'an's mansion is hung back on our front door.
She took a deep breath and gently placed the plaque on the table next to her.
Turning her head, she met Pei Yuan's thoughtful gaze.
Why is Your Highness looking at me like that?
Pei Yuan's eyes flickered slightly.
Before the fire broke out at the general's mansion, he was reviewing the files on Liangzhou officials that Sun Yan had found.
When Shen Chu first moved next door, he probed and was certain that Shen Chu knew Lu Zhan, so he became suspicious of Shen Chu's identity.
Seeing the sadness that Shen Chu inadvertently revealed, his suspicions were immediately confirmed.
Ten years ago, the one who guarded Liangzhou was his maternal uncle, the Duke of Zhenguo, from the Lu family.
The prefect of Liangzhou at that time was Shen Zhixing, the second master of the Ning'an Marquis's mansion.
Shen Zhixing and the Duke of Zhenguo got along very well, and their families had a good relationship.
According to the investigation, Shen Zhixing has three sons and one daughter. If his third son had survived, he would be seventeen years old this year.
She was about the same age as Shen Chu.
If Shen Chu's true identity is Shen Zhixing's youngest son, then all his actions would make sense.
He firmly believes that Shen Zhixing is innocent, even with insufficient evidence.
He knew Lu Zhan, so naturally he couldn't bear to hear the details of Lu Zhan's dying moments.
He was the grandson of the Marquis of Ning'an, which is why he showed a sorrowful expression when looking at the plaques of the Marquis of Ning'an's residence.
Pei Yuan grew increasingly suspicious as he thought about it, and feigned a sigh, saying:
"Watching you wipe the plaque just now, I felt a pang of sadness. I heard that the old Marquis of Ning'an was a man of great learning and talent, yet he ended up with his entire family executed. It's truly lamentable."
He paused, then changed the subject, "However, I've heard that the old Marquis of Ning'an was a strict and rigid man, extremely harsh on his descendants and very cruel to his servants..."
Shen Chu frowned and immediately retorted.
"No, he is the most easy-going person. He treats everyone equally, whether they are from the direct line or the collateral line. He is kind, gentle, and always gives earnest advice. Your Highness must have misheard."
As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized they were inappropriate.
She gave an awkward smile. "These are all old stories. I only heard them from Marquis Changning. In short, Marquis Ning'an is not that kind of person."
"I see." Pei Yuan smiled.
Seeing that Pei Yuan's expression was normal, Shen Chu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Little did they know that Pei Yuan had already made up his mind.
Shen Chu was indeed not the real Shen Chu. He used the identity of the eldest son of the Marquis of Changning to enter the capital, with the purpose of seeking justice for the Marquis of Ning'an.
Pei Yuan gave him a deep look, a smile playing on his lips.
Whether he is Shen Chu or not, it doesn't matter.
As long as it's him, that's enough.
Since Shen Chu was unwilling to talk about it, he simply pretended not to know.
But he will accompany Shen Chu to seek justice for the Ning'an Marquis's family.
Feeling uneasy under his smiling gaze, Shen Chu quickly changed the subject:
"Now that Your Highness is awake, let's go back first, lest everyone think we've been killed."
Pei Yuan nodded, "Okay."
He sat up, revealing his strong chest to Shen Chu.
Although Pei Yuan was thin, his chest was firm and strong, and the afterglow of the setting sun gave his bronze skin a faint golden hue.
Shen Chu glanced at it a couple more times, then quickly lowered her eyes.
hiss.
Hearing Pei Yuan gasp, she quickly looked up, "Your Highness, what's wrong?"
Pei Yuan's arm froze in mid-air, his brows furrowed.
"My back hurts, and I can't use my arms."
His dark eyes were fixed on Shen Chu, a faint smile on his face.
"Why don't you help me get dressed, Ah Chu?"
Shen Chu hesitated, "Wasn't everything fine in the secret passage? How come my arm suddenly became weak?"
Pei Yuan sighed, looking completely innocent.
"It's probably because of a fever."
Seeing that Shen Chu was standing still, he looked over with a deep and mysterious expression.
"You heartless little thing, I did save your life today, didn't I? You wouldn't be so cruel as to not even help me put on my clothes, would you?"
"Well, it seems I'll have to go home shirtless."
Having said that, he made a move to get up.
Shen Chu stepped forward and grabbed his arm. "No, I'll help you put it on, okay?"
She picked up the inner garment and first helped Pei Yuan put it on.
"Stretch out your arm."
Pei Yuan stretched out his arms, letting him put on his inner garment and then tie the belt.
He was a full head taller than Chen Chu, and when Chen Chu stood in front of him, it felt as if she were being held in his arms.
His gaze lowered, sweeping over Shen Chuqing's elegant profile before finally settling on her ear.
Shen Chu's ears were like a pair of seashells, small and cute, with a faint pink hue, making one want to pinch them.
His hand inexplicably reached out.
Just as the ear was about to be touched, Shen Chu suddenly looked up.
Pei Yuan was so frightened that he suddenly lowered his hand, so quickly that it was as if he had never raised it at all.
Chen Chu, unaware of his movement, took a step back and examined him closely, saying, "The backs of both my outer and inner garments are burned, so we'll have to make do for now..."
Before she could finish speaking, Pei Yuan suddenly grabbed her and spun her around, pinning her against the wall.
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