Matriarch Rules, Scumbag Begs - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: Good-Looking Is Enough

The room was frighteningly quiet.

The sharpness in Pei Chengyun’s handsome features had receded, replaced by a deep and mild gaze fixed on Shen Qiuci.

He was calmly waiting for Shen Qiuci to give him a satisfactory reply.

Shen Qiuci’s heart sank.

It was precisely this kind of sharpness that was so subtle yet made one feel all the more thorny.

Shen Qiuci did not avoid his gaze, her mind rapidly thinking for a countermeasure.

Before entering the capital, she had ordered the Tianji Office to conduct a detailed investigation into the Danyang Marquis Mansion.

In the investigative document the Tianji Office provided her, from beginning to end, there was no mention of Pei Chengyun.

And Xia Shang—she had always served by her elder sister’s side before—also knew nothing of Pei Chengyun’s existence.

He said he had once met her elder sister?
…

Whether this statement was true or false, Shen Qiuci could not acknowledge it.
“Really? It’s a pity that after my fall from the pavilion, my memory of many past events has become vague. I no longer remember you, Lord.”

“Is that so?” Pei Chengyun shrugged and sighed. “What a pity.”

He reached out his hand towards Shen Qiuci, feigning solemnity as he said,

“Since Sister-in-law has forgotten, why not get acquainted again? I am Pei Chengyun, the newly appointed Chief Minister of the Dali Temple of the Qi Dynasty, the second son of the Danyang Marquis, and also…”

He paused, the corners of his lips curving into a handsome arc. “…your brother-in-law.”

Shen Qiuci turned sideways to avoid his outstretched hand and coldly tossed out a remark,

“My husband said you are a bastard. I dare not claim kinship with a wild brother-in-law like you.”

After saying this, she gave a slight curtsey and quickly turned to leave.

Pei Chengyun was momentarily taken aback, then waved after her retreating figure, calling out loudly,

“Well then… Wild Sister-in-law, take care on your way~”

He watched as Shen Qiuci’s strides grew larger and more hurried due to his flippant words, the smile on his face deepening.

It wasn’t until Zhui Yue entered holding a thick stack of case files, blocking his view, that he looked away.

Zhui Yue glanced back at the now distant Shen Qiuci, feeling somewhat concerned inside.

Earlier, not knowing whom Pei Chengyun had brought back, he could still crack a few jokes. But once he learned that the ‘suspect’ detained today was the legitimate daughter of General Shen’s household, he could no longer laugh.

Who in the Qi Dynasty didn’t know that the Shen father and son had once saved the Emperor’s life? The Emperor also showed considerable favor towards the Shen family.

Today, his master had inexplicably detained Shen Qiuci and brought her to the Dali Temple for questioning. If this matter reached the Emperor’s ears, it wouldn’t be good.

He said, “Lord, the Heir’s wife didn’t look very pleased when she left just now.”

Unexpectedly, Pei Chengyun responded with an amused smile and a teasing remark,

“Whether her expression is pleasing or not isn’t important. What matters is that she’s good-looking.”

Zhui Yue: “……”

Pei Chengyun glanced at the stack of documents in his arms and asked, “Have you found everything I asked for?”

Zhui Yue said, “This pile contains the official records of the cases involving the deaths of Landlord Fang and the Minister of Personnel’s eldest son. And this pile is the information about their life anecdotes you instructed us to gather.”

He piled the documents mountain-high in front of Pei Chengyun, rubbed his lower back, and said,

“These files contain a vast amount of recorded information. If we have to go through them one by one, it will probably take three days just to read them all. Lord, you’ll have quite a task ahead.”

“Won’t happen.” Pei Chengyun lit an oil lamp, then kicked a chair from near his feet over to Zhui Yue. “Sit. You read them, and tell me about them.”

“Huh?” Zhui Yue stared in disbelief, pointing at himself. “Me? My Lord, don’t joke with me. You know I can’t stand looking at these things! Whenever I see those densely packed characters, my head feels like it’s splitting in two!”

Pei Chengyun said calmly, “If you don’t want to read them, then strip off your uniform and go receive fifty military strokes.”

Zhui Yue’s backside tightened instinctively. “No, no, no! I love reading! I was born to read these files! If I go a day without reading them, I… I feel utterly miserable!”

With that, he hastily sat down on the chair and began flipping through the files, his smile more uglier than crying.