Chapter 190 Your Eyes Are Crying, Arguing
Chen Chu paused for a moment, then turned her head away.
Who said I want to cry?
Pei Yuan clicked his tongue lightly.
"You're still pretending in front of me? Do you need me to get you a mirror so you can see your own expression right now?"
What expression?
Pei Yuan stroked his chin, turning his head to carefully examine her.
"It's the expression of a child who has been wronged but is holding it in. I feel wronged, I feel sad, I want to cry, but I don't say it."
Shen Chu twitched the corner of her mouth and said, "Your Highness is overthinking it. I'm just shocked and angry about the Shen family's case."
Pei Yuan snorted, "Lying, is it just shock and anger?"
Look, just like right now, you're smiling, but your eyes are crying.
Shen Chu, do you know why I hated you in the first place?
Shen Chu didn't understand why the topic had suddenly gone off-topic.
"Wasn't it because I wrote an article criticizing you?"
Pei Yuan scoffed.
"I command the Flying Eagle Guards, and many people criticize me behind my back. Why would I really dislike you because of an article?"
"Why is that?"
"Because of the smile on your face, the whole capital says you are a noble gentleman, gentle and refined, with a smile as bright as the moon in your arms."
But your smile doesn't seem genuine; it's more like a habit you've deliberately practiced.
At least to me, your smile seems forced and insincere.
Shen Chu's heart trembled slightly.
Her smile was definitely something she had practiced.
Her master said that she had chosen a difficult path, so she had to be fully prepared.
So she dressed in men's clothing day and night, studying diligently to prepare for the imperial examinations.
She practices in front of the mirror every day how to maintain the perfect smile so that no one can see through her inner emotions or guess her thoughts.
She practiced diligently for ten years, and even her master said she did very well.
But Pei Yuan saw through her disguise at their very first meeting.
She forced a smile, her lips twitching slightly.
"Your Highness isn't a mind reader, so how could you know if my smile was deliberate or insincere?"
Pei Yuan glanced at him sideways, pointed to his eyes, and smiled with a somewhat wicked air.
"This prince has discerning eyes. How could your little disguise possibly escape my notice?"
Chen Chu...
Even with your discerning eyes, you couldn't tell I was a woman, could you?
Seeing that he remained silent, Pei Yuan cleared his throat and said:
"I've prepared a shoulder for you, are you going to cry or not?"
You don't need to pretend in front of Sixth Brother.
At this moment, Shen Chu was no longer capable of crying.
His words distorted my anger, and half of it dissipated.
She pursed her lips, shook her head, and couldn't help but ask:
"I was so angry with Your Highness a few days ago, and I even said I wanted to be just an ordinary colleague with you. Why are you taking such good care of me now?"
Pei Yuan cleared his throat, a hint of arrogance in his voice.
"Since you call me Sixth Brother, I can only condescend to take care of you."
"Who told us to have raced dragon boats together, castrated people, beaten up censors, deceived people, investigated the Dali Temple, dug up graves, and even spent a night in Jingguo Temple..."
Realizing he had almost let something slip, Pei Yuan immediately shut his mouth.
Chen Chu panicked for a moment, but still asked, "One night what? Why isn't Your Highness saying anything?"
Pei Yuan said righteously, "I'm referring to that night at Jingguo Temple, when you groped me and took advantage of me."
Shen Chu's eyes flickered slightly as she retorted, "I already said I only touched you twice, there was no groping."
Pei Yuan scoffed coldly.
fraud.
If he hadn't already known what happened that night, he would have truly believed Shen Chu's lies.
He steered the conversation back to the case, "Now it involves the Shen family case from ten years ago, what are you planning to do?"
Shen Chu said without hesitation, "Since the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion has been wronged, then the truth should be set right, and the Ning'an Marquis's Mansion and Prefect Shen should be exonerated."
"This is a case from ten years ago, and it's extremely difficult to investigate. Are you sure you want to investigate?"
Shen Chu frowned slightly. "Your Highness doesn't approve of my investigation?"
Pei Yuan said, "As far as I know, the Ning'an Marquis's family was executed because Shen Zhixing secretly passed on the Liangzhou defense map to the Northern Rong."
This led to the massacre of Liangzhou City, and my uncle, the Duke of Zhenguo, and his entire family were wiped out.
At this point, Pei Yuan frowned slightly.
For some reason, mentioning the Duke of Zhenguo's family made his heart ache inexplicably.
"You just believe Jiang Hongzhi's words? You're so certain that Shen Zhixing is innocent?"
Shen Chu blurted out.
"He is innocent; he would never commit treason."
Pei Yuan: "You're not him, so don't speak so confidently. Investigating a case requires evidence."
“Jiang Hongzhi’s words are evidence, and the letters he hid are physical evidence.”
Pei Yuan stated objectively, "Jiang Hongzhi's words and the evidence he possesses can only prove that Shen Zhixing did not communicate with the Northern Rong."
However, this does not prove that he did not steal the Liangzhou defense map, nor does it prove that he did not pass the map on to the Northern Rong.
Shen Chu was somewhat angry. "So Your Highness doesn't believe that Prefect Shen is innocent?"
“I didn’t say I didn’t believe it, but we can’t make a judgment based solely on Jiang Hongzhi’s words.”
Shen Chu's eyes widened.
"How can this be a rash conclusion? Since the letter was forged, it proves that Prefect Shen had no dealings with the Northern Rong at all, so how could he have stolen the defense map and given it to the Northern Rong?"
"Where's the evidence? Are you trying to overturn the case of the Marquis of Ning'an's family based on this one deduction?"
Shen Chu pursed her lips, feeling somewhat impulsive.
"I think Your Highness clearly doesn't believe the Shen family is innocent."
Or do you think he harmed your uncle, the Duke of Zhenguo's family, leaving your mother alone and helpless in the palace, and causing you to lose the support of your maternal family and live a lonely and miserable life?
"You hate the Shen family, don't you?"
Pei Yuan was also getting impatient.
"You're being ridiculous! I'm stating the facts to you, and you're just arguing with me!"
Don't you think you're being very irrational right now? Why?
"You and the Shen family of the Ning'an Marquis's mansion are merely related by blood, why are you so agitated?"
“I…” Shen Chu paused, then said angrily, “I am an imperial censor. Isn’t it only natural to get agitated when I see an injustice?”
"Is that so?" Pei Yuan asked, his face full of suspicion.
Chen Chu regretted being too excited just now, took a deep breath and said:
"It's pointless to say more when we don't see eye to eye. Since we have different views, Your Highness, I will investigate this matter myself. There's no need to trouble Your Highness."
She turned and left.
Pei Yuan was so angry that his face turned ashen.
"Why does your temper flare up so suddenly? Who spoiled you with this bad habit?"
Chen Chu returned to her own courtyard in a huff.
Li Chengxuan and Zhou Jun were waiting for her in the courtyard.
Seeing her come in, Li Chengxuan rushed over excitedly and asked, "How did it go? Did Jiang Hongzhi confess everything?"
Shen Chu glanced at Li Chengxuan and Zhou Jun's attire and was stunned.
Both men were dressed in white prison uniforms and had disheveled hair.
Li Chengxuan's face was covered in streaks of chicken blood.
Don't ask Chen Chu how she knew it was chicken blood.
I guessed it from the chicken feather hanging on Li Chengxuan's head.
"What are you two dressed like that for?"
Li Chengxuan put his arm around Zhou Jun's shoulder, smiling smugly.
"Of course it's the street thug who was just arrested. As for me, I already put on a show last night."
Now I should play the role of a prisoner who has been tortured. I'm thinking that if Jiang Hongzhi doesn't confess, I'll have Ah Jun go in and stab him a couple more times today.
Zhou Jun burst into tears from nervousness, "Waaah... Ah Chu, I'm scared, I've never stabbed anyone before."
What if I misjudge the situation and accidentally kill Jiang Hongzhi?
Speaking of this, Shen Chu suddenly remembered something.
She asked Li Chengxuan, "What happened last night? Didn't I tell you to just stab Jiang Hongzhi once as a gesture?"
Why did you stab him so deep? You almost killed him.
At this point, Li Chengxuan's face immediately showed grievance.
"Ah Chu, this is not my fault. It was the Sixth Prince who made me do it."
Did Pei Yuan instruct you to do this?
Shen Chu was stunned.
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