Noble Lady

Chu Yao actually came to the county government office early.

However, she arrived early and was worried about disturbing Xue Chenyu's rest, so she asked Fang Rui to help her pass the message later.

Fang Rui was naturally willing to oblige, and then these words reached Situ Zhen's ears.

This is how the scene happened where Situ Zhen personally told Xue Chenyu that Chu Yao had arrived.

Of course, even if Miss Xue didn't dare to dislike him in person, he could probably guess that she was plotting against him in her heart.

"Why didn't the prince say it was Miss Chu's idea?"

Situ Zhen looked at Fang Rui inexplicably: "Will she stop being angry with me if I tell her?"

He is a prince, how can he let a little Chu Yao tell him what to do? To put it bluntly, it is his own decision.

So it was reasonable for Xue Xiaoyu to blame him.

……

"Miss Xue."

Seeing Xue Chenyu, Chu Yao happily came over to greet her.

"Miss Chu, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so long." Xue Chenyu said apologetically.

"No, no, I came too early." Chu Yao didn't show any impatience. "I've heard about what happened in the past few days, especially yesterday."

In a very short time, he built a simple platform, and then set up a formation for offering sacrifices to heaven, cleverly helping the court to save face.

Even a commoner like her could see that Miss Xue was afraid of the imperial power.

She didn't think Xue Chenyu was doing that to win people's hearts and please the emperor. If she wanted to flatter him, she wouldn't have to do so many practical things.

To win people's hearts, there is no need to offer sacrifices to heaven, and there is no need to credit the plaque to the emperor.

"It's funny."

"Ms. Xue is truly amazing," Chu Yao said sincerely. "If it were me, I would have been so overwhelmed by the gratitude that I would have been so confused and disoriented that I wouldn't know what to do."

What godfather and godmother said is right. The noble ladies in the capital are all extraordinary. Their minds and vision are not comparable to those in a small place like theirs.

Xue Chenyu was a little surprised. Chu Yao's words were compliments, but she was indeed praising her sincerely.

Why?

Because of what she did yesterday?

However, she didn't intend to delve into the topic, but instead asked, "Miss Chu, why did you come here so early in the morning? Do you have any good news?"

"That's right." Chu Yao calmly accepted her change of subject. "According to what Xia He said, I brought something that Miss Xue should need."

As she spoke, she took out a purse from her bosom and poured out a handkerchief wrapped in something from the purse.

Then he lifted the veil, revealing a small silver longevity lock inside.

The words "Peace every year" are engraved on it.

"Sister Nian said that this is something very important to her, but Miss Xue can take it if she needs it. She just hopes that she can get it back later."

"Don't worry, I won't damage anything."

"Sister Nian has two more words for Miss Xue to convey."

Xue Chenyu: "Please speak."

"As white as the snow on the mountain, as bright as the moon between the clouds; I heard that you have two minds, so I came to break up with you."

Xue Chenyu and Chu Yao exchanged glances and saw expectation in each other's eyes.

This "Year after Year of Peace" longevity lock is a key item.

Next, it all depends on it.

For all this, I have to thank Shopkeeper Huang.

At first, he kept saying that Zheng Duoqi rarely went out, but later when Zheng Duoqi got into trouble and went to jail, Huang's tight-as-clam mouth opened up on its own.

Knowing that Chu Yao had something else to do, Xue Chenyu did not stay long. She just asked Xia He to follow her and make sure to decide on the location of the shop as soon as possible.

Xia He was naturally happy, and then happily followed Chu Yao away.

Xue Chenyu went back to his room and fiddled with things for a while, then took Yuzhu and Yumei to the prison.

Qiuhua can't be on duty all the time, so she takes a day off today.

……

In prison.

The candlelight was as small as a bean, swaying with a dim halo.

The surroundings were cold and damp, with a mixture of musty and fecal odors.

Xue Chenyu only took a quick look in the corridor and then asked the jailer to go to the prison to pick up the person.

To be honest, she has lived two lives and this is not the first time she has come here. The last time was when Xue Huai committed a crime in her previous life.

But the environment in this prison is really unbearable.

moment.

Zheng Duoqi was taken out by the jailer.

Xue Chenyu sat at the table with tea and snacks in front of her, and Yuzhu and Yumei stood behind her.

The light blue long jacket is paired with an apricot-yellow tube top, and the skirt is a light yellow that is slightly lighter than apricot.

She had a simple bun on her head, secured with a jade-colored hairpin, and a red headband at the back.

It makes her look beautiful and charming, and she exudes the elegance of a lady from head to toe.

Zheng Duoqi, with disheveled hair and a prison uniform, saw Xue Chenyu at first sight when he came in.

Even though he was tied to the rack, his scholarly pride couldn't help but begin to play tricks on him.

"Ms. Xue is quite refined. She's not satisfied with my situation and even came to the prison to see my miserable state."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but even if I'm imprisoned, I won't give up my ambition to rise to the top."

"Pfft." Yumei laughed unceremoniously. "Don't insult the words 'ambitions to the sky'. A criminal like you, you dare to flaunt your scholarly integrity?"

"Yumei, don't be rude. He is Mr. Lu's student after all." Xue Chenyu stopped Yumei from talking.

Yumei pouted.

Unexpectedly, Xue Chenyu then said, "If the scholars in the world knew what you, Zheng Duoqi, did, one of them would drown you with spit."

"You stole the disaster relief food and exchanged it for your own wine, meat, fine clothes, famous paintings and beauties. Humph!" Xue Chenyu sneered, "You are a complete moral loser, a scum of the world. All scholars in the world will be ashamed of you!"

Zheng Duoqi's face was as dark as a pig's liver. "You, you're just being stubborn. You keep saying that I embezzled disaster relief grain. Why don't you provide some concrete evidence?"

"With just such an incomplete account book, you will not be in the right even if you bring it to court." Zheng Duoqi was very proud.

The smug look of a villain was fully displayed at this moment.

Xue Chenyu just sneered and then took out the purse.

Just like Chu Yao did before, he peeled off the package layer by layer.

Finally, in the dim candlelight, the full appearance of the silver longevity lock was revealed.

See you soon.

Zheng Duoqi, who had previously looked like a smug villain, suddenly changed his expression.

"What is that? What are you holding?!"

"Show it to him." Xue Chenyu handed it to Yumei.

"Okay." Yumei happily carried the longevity lock and walked in front of Zheng Duoqi.

Zheng Duoqi clearly saw the four words "Peace every year".

"How did this thing end up in your hands? How did it come from? What did you do to her?"

"What could I do to her?" Xue Chenyu was puzzled. "Why don't you check your conscience and ask yourself what you have done?"

Zheng Duoqi: "I..."

Of course he couldn't tell it.

It was he who was unfaithful and ungrateful back then, and it was he who abandoned her in the end.

Now that he has some power, he comes back to ask for forgiveness and asks people who are good and decent to give up their jobs and become his concubines.

Anyone who has never been kicked in the head by a donkey will not agree to this.

Thanks to him, even though his brain was kicked by a donkey, he still feels ashamed sometimes.

"That person asked me to bring you a message—"

"what?"

"As white as snow on the mountain, as bright as the moon in the clouds;"

"I heard that you have two opinions, so I came to resolve it."

"Song of the White-haired Lady" is Zhuo Wenjun's "Song of the White-haired Lady".

Zheng Duoqi: "Impossible, I don't believe it. How could you find her? How could she trust you, a person without any relatives or friends?"

This was also thanks to the innkeeper Huang of Longsheng Inn, who revealed the story of Zheng Duoqi's persistent pursuit of a woman in her thirties, so she was able to follow the clues to find the person.

Then they found Chu Yao, the local tyrant. It was thanks to her that they found the person, otherwise it would not have been so easy to find him.

Of course, Xue Chenyu would not tell him this.

"Don't you understand? In her heart, you are now inferior to a stranger like me. If you are greedy for fame and fortune, don't pretend to be affectionate in front of this girl. It's disgusting."

Zheng Duoqi's face turned pale when his past events were revealed so blatantly.

Pride was shattered.

"…What do you want to know?"