Chapter 207 Major Discovery: Shen Chu May Be a Woman
As Shen Chu secretly gathered her strength, preparing to shake off the Imperial Guards, a panting voice came from outside the door.
"The imperial edict has arrived."
The Crown Prince and Shen Chu suddenly turned their heads away.
Outside the door, Sun Yan rushed in carrying a eunuch.
Shen Chu's eyes suddenly lit up.
They've finally arrived. If they hadn't come, she would have had no choice but to use the imperial sword to force the crown prince to submit.
Sun Yan arrived at the door and put down the eunuch.
The eunuch collapsed to the ground with a thud, craning his neck and panting heavily, his gaze towards Sun Yan filled with resentment.
He's never run that fast in his entire life.
In the end, he was even disliked and had to be led by the scruff of his neck.
Sun Yan touched his nose.
If he runs even a little slower, he'll have to eat potato pancakes this morning.
If he had arrived any later, and something had really happened to Master Shen, he probably would never be able to live without shredded potatoes for the rest of his life.
She reached out to help the eunuch up, ignoring his resentful gaze, and said, "Please announce the imperial decree, Your Excellency."
The eunuch pressed his trembling legs as he stood up, panting heavily with each step. Fortunately, His Majesty's edict was very short.
"His Majesty summons the Salt Inspector Shen Chu to the Qinghe Imperial Palace immediately for an audience."
Shen Chu bowed respectfully, "Your subject obeys the decree."
"Since His Majesty has summoned you, I will not disturb Your Highness any longer."
The crown prince gave Shen Chu a sinister look.
"Chen Chu, I underestimated you."
Shen Chu lowered his eyes, his expression respectful, and said, "Your subject takes his leave."
Having said that, he turned and left.
Sun Yan quickly grabbed the eunuch and chased after him.
The prince was furious and kicked over the table next to him.
The clanging noise startled the eunuch who had just reached the door, causing his legs to buckle and him to kneel on the ground with a thud.
"Your Highness...we have found Xiangyu and Miss Wanqiu."
The prince frowned deeply. "Tell them to come see me."
Xiangyu and Wanqiu held their breath and walked in awkwardly.
"Your Highness."
The Crown Prince sneered, "Useless things, you can't even get a single useful piece of information out of me. I really wish I could kick you both to death."
Xiangyu and Wanqiu turned pale with fright and knelt on the ground, begging for mercy.
"Please spare us, Your Highness! We've tried everything we can, but Lord Shen won't even touch us!"
"Yes, not only did he not touch us, he also knocked us unconscious and threw us out."
The crown prince's expression changed slightly.
"Nonsense! Everyone outside heard your moans and groans. How could they not have touched you? Don't think that I won't punish you just because you're saying this."
Xiangyu and Wanqiu exchanged a glance, their expressions a mixture of shame and anger.
Xiangyu whispered, "That's because Lord Shen pressed our pressure points and then used a strand of hair to hit our ear canals."
Wanqiu nodded in agreement, "It was so painful and itchy that the servants couldn't bear it and cried out."
The prince was taken aback. "A strand of hair hitting your ear?"
He then flew into a rage and kicked Wanqiu, who was closest to him, in the chest.
"Two pieces of trash, it's just a hair hitting your ears, and you're making such a fuss?"
Wanqiu screamed and slammed her body against the door, bending over backward.
Xiangyu trembled with fear, rushed forward and grabbed the prince's leg, screaming:
"Your Highness, spare my life! This servant...this servant has made a crucial discovery."
The Crown Prince looked disgusted. "Tell me about it. It would be best if it were a major discovery, or I'll chop you up."
Xiangyu's lips trembled as she prostrated herself at the Crown Prince's feet and said, "Lord Shen is very likely a woman."
The prince narrowed his eyes and leaned forward to pinch Xiangyu's chin.
"Are you kidding me? Just because he didn't touch you, you're saying he's a woman?"
Xiangyu's chin was pinched, forcing her to look up at the Crown Prince, her frail and boneless body trembling incessantly.
"This servant...this servant dares not lie. This servant has been trained in various ways since childhood and is familiar with all the physical structures of men and women."
From height and build to every bone and even the texture of the skin, the servant can feel it all.
A normal man's shoulder width is approximately the width of two skulls, while a woman's shoulder width is about one and a half skulls. Mr. Shen's shoulder width is clearly disproportionate.
Looking at the Crown Prince's expressionless face, Xiangyu swallowed hard and continued:
"Moreover, when I was massaging his shoulders, I touched his collarbone."
Men's collarbones are shorter and higher, while women's collarbones appear to point outwards and are positioned lower.
The Crown Prince raised an eyebrow slightly. "Just because the proportions and positions of the bones are wrong, you're saying that Shen Chu is a woman?"
He is the eldest son of the Marquis of Changning and the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examination. What need is there for him to disguise himself as a man to serve as an official in the court?
This is a capital offense, and you're clearly afraid of being punished by me, so you're deliberately making up excuses to fool me.
You scoundrel, do you think I'm a fool?
"Guards, drag her away and slap her fifty times!"
Xiangyu was so frightened that her face turned pale, and she cried, "I am at least 70% sure about this matter, please believe me, Your Highness."
The crown prince waved his hand impatiently.
Xiangyu was dragged away without any mercy.
The crown prince paced back and forth in the room for a moment, then frowned. "Chen Chu is a woman? Ridiculous."
But if he were a man, how could he resist the temptations of Xiangyu and Wanqiu?
Could he really be a woman?
------
Qinghe Imperial Palace.
Ahead lies the Hall of Diligent Governance, where His Majesty conducts state affairs.
Sun Yan called out to Shen Chu and mustered up the courage to say what he had been holding back all the way.
"Young Master Shen, as the saying goes, lust is a sharp knife that can cut to the bone. Pleasure should not be indulged, and desire should not be overindulged. Those who indulge in lust usually die young."
After all the trials and tribulations, can the wildflowers and weeds outside compare to the people around us?
"What?"
Chen Chu was completely confused; he heard but didn't understand.
Sun Yan scratched his head; this was the most tactful thing he could think of.
You can't exactly say, "Look at my prince!"
"Where is the Sixth Prince? Is he in the Hall of Diligent Governance?"
Sun Yan snapped out of his reverie. "Your Highness, you've probably just finished slicing potatoes and gone to bed, right?"
Why are you cutting potato shreds again?
Just as Shen Chu was about to ask, Eunuch Cai walked out of the Qin Zheng Hall.
"Young Master Shen, please come in quickly. His Majesty has been waiting for you for quite some time."
Shen Chu dared not delay and hurriedly entered the Hall of Diligent Governance.
Emperor Longqing said, "This morning, the sixth prince came back and said that this matter is related to the Feng family. The specific files are with you."
"You brat, you just left those words and ran off. I have no choice but to summon you here to report. Tell me, what exactly happened?"
Shen Chu's brow twitched slightly.
Early this morning?
According to Pei Yuan's pace, shouldn't he have arrived at Qinghe Palace last night?
"Young Minister Shen?"
Chen Chu snapped out of his daze and quickly presented the prepared dossier, carefully reporting the whole story of the Changsha Salt Administration Case.
Emperor Longqing slammed his fist on the table in anger.
"What a family the Feng family is! They are the Empress's maternal family and the Crown Prince's maternal family, yet they dare to abuse their power to amass wealth, oppress the villagers, and act lawlessly."
"I will have the three judicial departments conduct a thorough joint investigation into this matter, and they will not let it go lightly."
A slight stirring appeared in Chen Chu's heart.
Judging from the emperor's attitude, he did not seem to favor the Feng family.
If she were to propose a retrial of the Ning'an Marquis's case at this time, would His Majesty agree?
Emperor Longqing said, "Shenchu, you did a good job this time. Go and rest for now. I will reward you handsomely after the case is concluded."
Shen Chu kowtowed and bowed, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Jiang Hongzhi's written confession and the letters that were seized are still with Pei Yuan.
As Shen Chu left the Hall of Diligent Governance, about to inquire about Pei Yuan's whereabouts, she suddenly heard a familiar low laugh.
Following the sound, I walked to the garden and saw Pei Yuan's figure in the distance.
She hurried over, and upon getting closer and seeing the situation in the pavilion, she stopped in her tracks.
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