Chapter 132 Jingguo Temple, Pei Yuan Tests Shen Chu
Pei Yuan strode out with his hands behind his back.
Shen Chu barely managed to keep up with him, and said with a smile, "Thank you for speaking up for justice today, Your Highness."
Pei Yuan glanced at him sideways and noticed that his breathing was slightly rapid. He paused slightly and slowed down his pace.
"Heh, you must be feeling quite pleased to hear me praise you, right?"
Shen Chu smiled brightly, her voice filled with undisguised joy, "I never expected Your Highness to think so highly of me."
Pei Yuan's lips curled up. "Hmm, you're as cunning as a fox, as delicate as a woman, and impulsive as a fool. You have no redeeming qualities whatsoever. The only redeeming quality you have is that you're not greedy."
Chen Chu...
Sigh!
You can't expect something good to come out of a dog's mouth.
She stepped aside to block Pei Yuan, "Your Highness also saw what happened today. The Ice Flower Hibiscus Jade Pendant was mistakenly sent to my house by the steward of the Princess's Mansion, but my father sold it to Green Jade Pavilion."
Now that Prince Zhou needs to use the jade pendant to regulate his body, I wonder if Your Highness would be willing to part with it and give it to me.
"If Your Highness is willing to part with it, I can offer additional payment."
Pei Yuan scoffed, "Do you think I'm someone who's short of money?"
Chen Chu choked on his words. He could spend more than 50,000 taels of silver to buy a jade pendant. He was certainly not short of money.
"Then... Your Highness can name your terms, as long as Your Highness agrees to sell the jade pendant to me."
Pei Yuan leaned forward slightly, his gaze deepening. "Conditions... I can name my own?"
Shen Chu's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of unease inexplicably arose. He quickly said, "Of course, the conditions must be within my capabilities. There must be no murder or arson, and no violation of the laws of the court."
Pei Yuan chuckled softly, his laughter as mellow as wine, making one's ears inexplicably itchy.
"Don't worry, you can definitely meet my conditions."
Shen Chu raised her hand and pinched her ear. "Your Highness, please speak."
Pei Yuan straightened up. "If you want the jade pendant, come with me to a place first."
Where to?
"You'll see when you get there."
Shen Chu watched Pei Yuan get into the carriage and hesitated for a moment.
For some reason, she felt inexplicably flustered.
Pei Yuan lifted the carriage curtain and glanced at him sideways. "What? You're afraid to go? What are you afraid of?"
Shen Chu quickly shook his head, "No, my maid will come to pick me up in a little while. Or, Your Highness, could you leave an address so I can go there in my own carriage?"
Pei Yuan lazily lowered the carriage curtain. "It seems you don't really want the Ice Flower Hibiscus Jade Pendant."
"No." Shen Chu dared not hesitate any longer and quickly climbed onto the carriage.
Jinbao's eyes darted around, and he said with a smile, "Don't worry, Master Shen, we'll be waiting for Miss Hongxiu here."
"Thank you very much, Grandpa Jinbao."
The carriage swayed and rocked its way forward, the atmosphere inside somewhat eerie.
Sitting opposite Pei Yuan, Shen Chu felt that there was something strange about the way he was looking at her today.
She looked up and saw Pei Yuan suddenly look away, pick up his teacup, and pretend to drink tea.
This is the third time.
Her heart ached as if it were overgrown with weeds. "Where is Your Highness taking me? Can't you say what you want to say now?"
"cannot!"
She choked for a moment, then closed her eyes, feeling somewhat suffocated.
If not, then forget it.
She leaned against the carriage wall and yawned. She had spent half the night at the Green Jade Pavilion but failed to buy the jade pendant. She had been tossing and turning since returning home.
The carriage was swaying rhythmically, and the jolting made her drift off to sleep.
Hearing the even breathing, Pei Yuan's gaze fell on Shen Chu's face once again.
The interior of the car was dimly lit. Shen Chu leaned her head against the wall of the car, and only her soft profile and smooth chin could be seen.
If the person he slept with that night was indeed Shen Chu...
Pei Yuan's hand gripping the teacup tightened slightly.
No, that won't happen!
The carriage suddenly stopped, and Sun Yan's voice rang out from outside, "Your Highness, we have arrived."
Pei Yuan snapped out of his daze and realized that he had been staring blankly at Shen Chu's sleeping face for a long time.
He cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly and patted Chen Chu on the shoulder. "We're here."
"Hmm," Shen Chu groggily opened her eyes, followed Pei Yuan off the carriage, and was stunned when she looked up and saw the place in front of her.
"What...Why did Your Highness bring me to Jingguo Temple?"
"You'll find out once you go in." Pei Yuan glanced at her and climbed the steps.
Chen Chu followed him inside, completely bewildered.
The sky was clear and the air was fresh, and many people came to Jingguo Temple to offer incense. However, Pei Yuan did not follow them into the main hall. Instead, he went straight in through a side gate.
This direction is.....
When she saw Pei Yuan push open the door to the darkroom in the northeast corner, her heart pounded even harder.
Two months ago, in this very dark room, she and Pei Yuan spent a night together.
Did Pei Yuan discover something by bringing her here today?
"What are you standing there for? Come in." Pei Yuan stood at the door and nodded at her.
She took a deep breath, suppressed her panic, and stepped into the house, only to be surprised to find that the furnishings had changed.
This was originally a dark room used by Jingguo Temple to store incense and candles. In addition to the bed used for resting, the four sides were filled with shelves for storing incense and candles.
There was only a small table in the very center. She had previously leaned on the small table to help Pei Yuan copy scriptures when she came to look for the purse.
The shelves for incense and candles are gone. A table and two chairs have been added to the room, and writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones are placed on a small table next to it. The entire darkroom looks clean, tidy, and much more spacious.
It was as if someone frequently came to visit.
She subconsciously turned her head to look at Pei Yuan.
As if sensing his gaze, Pei Yuan smiled and said, "This prince has rented this place."
His hand, tucked into his sleeve, trembled slightly, and he deliberately put on a puzzled smile. "Your Highness, as a prince, you can have any kind of house you want. Why would you rent a small, dark room?"
Pei Yuan hooked up a chair and sat down with an air of superiority. "You don't know why I rented it?"
Shen Chu shook his head, "How could this humble subject possibly guess Your Highness's thoughts?"
Pei Yuan smiled faintly, his narrow, almond-shaped eyes staring straight at him, his gaze filled with undisguised inquiry.
In this room filled with memories, under his sharp, probing gaze, Shen Chu's legs went weak, but she dared not show the slightest abnormality on her face.
She mimicked Pei Yuan's manner, hooking up a chair and sitting down opposite him. "Your Highness, I would like to discuss the jade pendant with you."
"No rush, I'd like to talk to you about something else first."
"What would Your Highness like to discuss?"
Pei Yuan leaned forward slightly, looking at her across the table, his eyes gleaming. "Let's talk about what happened two months ago when you touched me in this dark room."
"Cough cough!" Despite being mentally prepared, Chen Chu was still so startled by those words that she almost jumped up.
She used a dry cough to cover her panic while quickly seeking a solution.
Since Pei Yuan brought her here, he must have suspected something.
Which link in the chain went wrong?
Before she could figure it out, she heard Pei Yuan sneer, "What? You dare to do it but not to talk about it?"
She suppressed her panic, and her smile grew even brighter. "Who said I'm afraid to talk? Come on, let's talk!"
"Where would Your Highness like to begin? Are you asking about how your hand felt when I touched it? Or are you talking about your reaction when I touched it?"
He thought Pei Yuan would be furious if he asked this question, but to his surprise, Pei Yuan smiled and said, "No, let's talk about it in a different way this time."
How about another approach?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com