Chengxuan sounded a bit displeased. “We’re already so familiar with each other—why do you keep calling me Xiao Gongye? I call you Chu, so you should just call me Xuan.”
With that, he looked at Shen Chu with eyes full of expectation.
Shen Chu had no choice but to change his form of address. “Brother Chengxuan.”
Li Chengxuan beamed with joy.
He was the only remaining child in his family, having grown up without siblings, and being called “Brother Chengxuan” by Shen Chu made him feel wonderful all over.
“From now on, your big brother’s got your back.”
Shen Chu’s mouth twitched slightly.
Li Chengxuan thumped his chest. “Don’t worry, I’ve already shown your case analysis annotations to His Majesty, and the Emperor praised your talent. Chu, you still haven’t told me why you wanted me to show that to His Majesty?”
Shen Chu smiled bitterly and explained how Changning Hou had gone to the Libu to register that she would not participate in the Xuanshi.
“I don’t want to enter the Hanlinyuan, and now I can’t take the Xuanshi either, so I have to find my own way.”
Li Chengxuan frowned. “But this alone probably won’t be enough, right? Even though His Majesty praised your case annotations, he probably wouldn’t think of sending you to the Censorate.”
Shen Chu smiled faintly. “That’s why I need to ask Xiao Gongye… no, Brother Chengxuan, to help me once more.”
Li Chengxuan was thrilled by being called Brother Chengxuan and promptly promised:
“Whatever you need, just say it. If it’s within my power, I won’t hesitate for a moment.”
Shen Chu whispered something softly in his ear.
Li Chengxuan laughed. “That doesn’t sound too difficult. Leave it to me.”
After Shen Chu left Yihu Chun, Li Chengxuan listened to a few more tunes before preparing to leave.
The moment he opened the door, a guard was standing there.
“Xiao Gongye, our Liu Dianxia requests your presence.”
Li Chengxuan’s expression changed slightly, and he asked with forced courage, “May I ask what Liu Dianxia wants with me?”
“You’ll know once you go, Xiao Gongye.”
Li Chengxuan was escorted to the private room next door.
Pei Yuan was reclining by the bed, toying with a celadon tea cup in his hand. Hearing the commotion, he glanced over sideways.
With just one look, Li Chengxuan nearly collapsed to his knees in fear.
The Sixth Prince’s gaze was terrifying.
His fear of the Sixth Prince was rooted deep in his heart, stemming mainly from when he was a child playing in the palace and personally witnessed the Sixth Prince kill a lively, adorable little puppy with a single strike of a stick.
He was eight years old at the time, and the Sixth Prince was nine.
The Sixth Prince’s eyes as he gripped the stick were full of sinister menace, as if he had crawled out of hell.
Li Chengxuan was so frightened that he fell ill after returning home, feverish for several days. Ever since then, whenever he saw the Sixth Prince, he couldn’t help but recall that look, and he would shudder from the bottom of his heart.
“Your… Your Highness.”
“Hm. Tell me—what did Shen Chu ask you to do?”
Li Chengxuan’s eyes darted around. “N-nothing much, just drinking tea and… having fun…”
Crash.
The tea cup in Pei Yuan’s hand shattered into fine powder, scattering into the air.
Li Chengxuan went pale with fright, his legs turning to jelly.
Then he remembered Shen Chu’s fearlessness in facing the Sixth Prince, and suddenly found his courage. Stiffening his neck, he shouted, “We were just having fun! I’m not afraid of you, Your Highness. That’s right, I’m not afraid of you.”
“Oh? Quite bold.” Pei Yuan chuckled softly, brushing the dust from his hands as he looked over, his gaze sweeping across coolly.
“I wonder if other parts of you are just as bold?”
Li Chengxuan froze for a moment, then followed Pei Yuan’s gaze before realizing what “other parts” he was referring to.
His expression changed, and he instinctively clamped his legs together, covering his vital area with both hands.
Wuwu, that place of his could never withstand Liu Dianxia’s fist.
Li Chengxuan confessed in dejection:
“It’s really nothing. In a couple of days my family is holding a flower-viewing banquet, and Chu wants me to find a way to lure His Majesty to my house.”
Wuwu, Chu, don’t blame your brother—your brother’s family has only him left as the sole heir.
He still needs to carry on the family line.
Li Chengxuan silently regretted in his heart, failing to notice the flicker in Pei Yuan’s eyes.
By the time he came to his senses, he had already been escorted out the door by the guards.
He walked out in a daze, secretly wondering what Pei Yuan was planning, and for a moment actually forgot to tell Shen Chu about the matter.
Inside, Pei Yuan instructed his guard Sun Yan, “Go investigate what has happened at Changning Marquis’s residence these past two days.”
Sun Yan went out and returned quickly, recounting how Shen Chu had thrown Changning Marquis’s residence into utter chaos two days prior.
“I don’t understand, Zhuangyuan Shen. Why would he fall out with the marquis’s residence so completely? He’ll need the marquis’s residence’s support for his official career sooner or later.”
Pei Yuan stroked his jade-handled fan, the corner of his mouth curving slightly.
“This Shen Chu is getting more and more interesting. His way of doing things rather suits this prince’s tastes.”
Sun Yan scratched his head, “Didn’t Your Highness used to despise Zhuangyuan Shen? Why does it seem like you’re becoming more and more interested in him?”
Pei Yuan’s smile faded slightly as he suddenly recalled what happened at Qingfeng Lou that morning.
He had great difficulty falling asleep, and once he did, he was prone to nightmares, waking up in a state of violent agitation that lasted a long while.
But that morning, he had inexplicably felt a trace of warmth in his sleep, like a gentle breeze drifting into his dream, pulling him back from the nightmare.
Was that wisp of warmth connected to Shen Chu?
In the blink of an eye, the day of the flower-viewing banquet at Da Zhang Gongzhu Fu arrived.
A sea of flowers had been planted at Chengyang Da Zhang Gongzhu’s residence, said to have been planted when Lao Huguo Gong married the Da Zhang Gongzhu.
Every spring, when the fragrance of flowers filled the air, Chengyang Da Zhang Gongzhu would hold a flower-viewing banquet, inviting the noble young masters and young ladies of the capital to attend.
Changning Marquis’s residence naturally received an invitation as well, and Shen Yan, the heir, had even rushed back from the academy especially for it.
Shen Chu, Shen Yan, and Shen Qingshuang entered Da Zhang Gongzhu Fu together.
Shen Qingshuang was a renowned talented lady of the capital, and as soon as she appeared, a crowd of young ladies and noble sons gathered around her.
“Miss Shen, have you written any fine poems lately? Care to share one or two with us?”
Facing so many inquiries, Shen Qingshuang’s delicate face took on a sorrowful look.
Her maid Qiu Wen curtsied to the crowd, “Forgive us, everyone, but my young lady has been weary of mind lately, her heart weighed down with troubles—she truly isn’t in the mood to write poetry.”
“Who has upset Miss Shen?”
Qiu Wen sighed and said with a worried look, “You all don’t know—my young lady has had a truly miserable time these past days. Our eldest young master, riding high on his Zhuangyuan title, pays no respect to the elders and sisters of the family at all. His conduct has been full of defiance, and the elders have been driven to their beds in anger. Not only that, he… he actually beat my young lady, relying on the Marquis’s favoritism. Poor my young lady…”
“Qiu Wen, that’s enough.” Shen Qingshuang frowned and cut her off, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief. “Family shame should not be aired abroad. Big brother was probably just in a bad mood—he’ll be fine in a couple of days.”
The crowd was filled with righteous indignation and began denouncing Shen Chu one after another.
“How can Shen Chu be such a scoundrel?”
“How could he hit his own sister? A disgrace to scholars everywhere.”
“Though talented enough to become Zhuangyuan, his character is truly vile—a scholar in name only.”
“Miss Shen, don’t worry. We’ll help you get justice.”
Shen Chu had no idea she had stirred up everyone’s indignation. The moment she entered the residence, she went straight to find Li Chengxuan.
“How is it? Will His Majesty be able to come today?”
Li Chengxuan was pacing anxiously in circles. Seeing him arrive, he hurriedly said, “Yesterday His Majesty personally promised me he would come visit Grandmother at the residence. But just now, Eunuch Cai sent someone to inform us that the Sixth Prince had urgent business and returned to the palace, so His Majesty most likely won’t be able to make it.”
Shen Chu frowned. Once again, Pei Yuan was ruining her plans.
Li Chengxuan smacked his forehead. “Oh no, there’s something I forgot to tell you.”
He recounted how Pei Yuan had interrogated him two days prior, then said with a face full of remorse, “Chu, it’s all my fault. I should have gritted my teeth and refused to say anything.”
Shen Chu patted his arm to comfort him. “It doesn’t matter. At this point, we’ll just have to think of another way.”
Though she said this, in her heart she already had the urge to flay Pei Yuan alive.
Everything hinged on today for her entry into the Censorate. Everything had been prepared perfectly, and now, at the crucial moment, His Majesty wasn’t coming.
Then who was she supposed to perform for?
Brimming with frustration, Shen Chu walked into the garden. Burdened with worry, she failed to notice the gazes of the people around her.
It wasn’t until someone placed an exquisitely prepared dish right in front of her.
“Does the little Shen Zhuangyuan recognize this pastry? If you can tell me its origin, I shall reward it to you. How about that?”