My low-key cultivation of immortality was discovered by the emperor in my diary.

Chapter 74: Beauty Like Jade Sword Like Rainbow

Princess Jin'an was also in the crowd.

Seeing this, she stepped out, walked through the bustling crowd, and finally stopped in front of Chu Wenchen.

She stared directly at Chu Wenchen and angrily questioned, "Why did you do this?"

“She’s too eye-catching. I’m afraid that if she attends the snow appreciation banquet, she’ll be favored by important people and get out of my control. Besides, I don’t like her and don’t want her to steal Wen’er’s thunder.”

After speaking, he swallowed hard, trying to maintain his composure, but his constantly shifting eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.

Upon hearing this, Chu Lengyu gave a light snort, which was similar to her guess.

Princess Jin'an asked again, "Why did you lie to me yesterday at the Duke of Zhenguo's residence?"

Chu Wenchen's lips trembled slightly. He wanted to deny it, to make excuses, and tried his best to control his mouth, but to no avail.

A mysterious force twisted his tongue, making him reveal the truth he was unwilling to admit: "I dare not let others know that I let Chu Lengyu fend for herself in the backyard, forcing her to run away from home. Besides, the princess's visit is such a rare opportunity. I want Lin'er and Wen'er to perform well; how could I let an outsider ruin this?"

"Let them fend for themselves, outsiders..." Upon hearing this, the princess frowned, realizing that she had acted impulsively and seemed to have asked about some inside information that was not appropriate to be revealed here, and couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

She turned around and looked apologetically at Chu Lengyu.

Chu Lengyu simply stood there calmly and said, "Tell me all the other bad deeds and illegal things you've done."

As soon as she finished speaking, the entire scene fell silent, and everyone waited for his answer.

Before tens of thousands of eyes and ears, Chu Wenchen was drenched in sweat, and his body trembled uncontrollably once again.

He tried to evade the question, but the invisible force he couldn't resist made him slowly and clearly recount the evil deeds he had committed, one after another.

Out of jealousy, he stole his classmate's valuables while in school, secretly framed him, causing them to become enemies and damaging his reputation, leading to his expulsion from school...

He forced his maid to have sex with him, but then claimed that the maid had seduced him first, spreading rumors that led to her death from shame...

In order to seize fertile land, farmers were killed, their families destroyed, and their lives ruined...

He severely punished his servant because he was in a bad mood, causing the servant to become disabled...

There are many, many more.

Those past events that he himself had never paid attention to, or that had been buried deep in his heart and almost forgotten, were all told out by him at this time and place, making him appear as if all his disguises had been stripped away, and exposed to everyone.

His face grew increasingly grim with each crime revealed, his heart filled with fear.

Chu Lengyu stood aside, a complex emotion welling up inside her.

In the original owner's memories, Chu Wenchen's image, though not without hypocrisy and affectation, was still generally considered to be a charming and elegant person.

However, the truth at this moment is like a sharp knife, cutting through all appearances and revealing the ugliness and evil hidden beneath.

The atmosphere among the crowd grew increasingly tense. The people around them listened with righteous indignation, some cursing under their breath, others clenching their fists.

Some of them may have been bullied by Chu Wenchen, while others may simply sympathize with the weak and hate injustice.

"He's done so many terrible things, isn't he afraid of being struck by lightning!" An old woman pointed at Chu Wenchen, her voice filled with shock and anger.

"You can never judge a book by its cover. He looked so refined, but I never imagined he was so vicious!" a young man said indignantly.

"He is truly unfit to be a son!" a woman gritted her teeth, her eyes blazing with fury.

Song, the woman who was usually domineering and greedy, was now limp on the ground, filled with fear and trepidation.

Although her voice was loud, she could only let out weak moans at this moment, her eyes filled with fear and despair.

Chu Lengyu coldly swept her gaze over Song Shi, without a trace of sympathy in her heart. Seeing that Chu Wenchen had finished giving his instructions, she gave Song Shi the same order.

Song was greedy and unscrupulous. Although she did far fewer evil deeds than Chu Wenchen, her actions were more sinister and vicious.

Even her marriage to Chu Wenchen was something she orchestrated.

This matter was extremely secretive, and even Chu Wenchen himself was hearing about it for the first time, causing his eyes to widen in surprise.

Back then, my elder brother asked someone to arrange a marriage for him. The other party was the daughter of a marquis. Both sides had met and been introduced, but the other family suddenly changed their minds.

At the time, Chu Wenchen thought that the other party was too picky and looked down on him, who was born out of wedlock, so he secretly harbored resentment.

Later, he met Ms. Song by chance and thought she was nice. Although she didn't have a good background, he also disliked those high-and-mighty daughters of officials and noble ladies.

So not long after, he and Ms. Song got married.

Not long after their marriage, Song gave birth to a son and a daughter. Chu Wenchen loved her dearly and never took a concubine.

He never imagined that the incident back then was actually orchestrated by the Song family.

She confessed, "I bribed the waiter at the teahouse to slip a little drug into the pastries given to that young lady, thus ruining her reputation. Naturally, the Marquis's mansion wouldn't make a fuss about such a disgraceful thing, so they quickly canceled the marriage and secretly sent her away. After that, I took the opportunity to get close to the Second Master..."

"You wicked woman!" Chu Wenchen's eyes were bloodshot.

He had mistakenly believed that Madam Song was gentle, considerate, and attentive, but he never expected that she had been plotting against him so early on.

No wonder she kept bringing up reputation when dealing with Chu Lengyu; it turns out she had done it before and succeeded.

She not only married him as she wished, but also became the wife of a duke and marquis. It was truly a risk-free and highly profitable deal.

Therefore, when dealing with unmarried women, Song naturally tended to rely heavily on this tactic.

Now, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Chu Wenchen felt he had truly lost face.

"My lord, I have borne you children and managed the household affairs for the past ten years or so. I have done my part, though I may not have done anything great," Song said, tears streaming down her face. "Please forgive me this once."

Chu Lengyu shook her head as she listened.

Although gossip sounds interesting, their gossip is all built on the suffering of others.

For example, the young lady of the Marquis's mansion who was framed by the Song family.

A drugged pastry easily ruined her life.

Of course, nothing is absolute. Since she didn't marry a scoundrel like Chu Wenchen, she might find a suitable partner again.

Whether it's a blessing or a curse, who can say for sure?

Chu Lengyu asked the Prefect of the Capital, "Since the two of them have confessed to their crimes, how will the government deal with them?"

"This..." The Prefect of the Capital wiped the sweat from his forehead, "This matter has been witnessed by thousands, so perhaps we can jointly petition His Majesty to demote him to a commoner. As for other things... I can't say for sure."

Chu Lengyu nodded: "It's still because of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, right?"

Looking at her calm face, the Prefect of the Capital suddenly felt a sense of panic.

He quickly moved closer and whispered, "These four kings and eight dukes wield immense power. A single move can have far-reaching consequences. Two of them are currently leading troops outside. We must not act rashly."

Chu Lengyu understood his concerns, but she had no intention of letting the Chu family couple off the hook.

Oh, the Duke of England's mansion and the Prince of Qin's mansion, she's offended them too today.

If they dare to cause trouble, then we'll deal with them all at once, so they won't end up like the Chu family, constantly bothering her.

It's likely that there are few innocent people in the mansions of those princes and nobles.

Her high-profile actions today, which have caused such a stir, should be enough to deter those with ulterior motives. It's time for her to meet with the emperor and have a proper chat.

Chu Lengyu pondered for a moment, then took out a small porcelain bottle from her storage bag.

The Prefect of the Capital stretched out his hands, and the small porcelain bottle floated steadily over and landed firmly in his palms.

"Inside is a Shennong Herbal Pill, which can cure all diseases and prolong life," she said leisurely. "Give it to the emperor. As for the issue of the Four Kings and Eight Dukes, I will discuss it with him in detail later."

"You wish to enter the palace for an audience?" asked the Prefect of the Capital in surprise.

"..." Chu Lengyu raised an eyebrow. "How about I bring him up now?"

"No, no, no, that's fine." He quickly waved his hand and carefully put the small porcelain bottle into his pocket.

Looking at Chu Wenchen and his wife, he asked curiously, "What do you plan to do with them?"

Chu Lengyu was somewhat surprised by his question and asked in return, "Having harmed so many people, is there any other outcome besides paying with one's own life?"

The Prefect of the Capital wiped his sweat, forced a smile, and dared not speak.

Princess Jin'an stepped forward and suggested, "Why don't we leave them to me to handle?"

"You?" Chu Lengyu looked at the young princess.

Her sharp gaze made Jin'an's heart tighten, and he said seriously, "They have done so many evils, it would be too easy for them to die like this. Please trust Jin'an this time, Miss Chu."

Chu Lengyu was skeptical, but asked bluntly, "You want to use them to curry favor with me?"

"Oh, you figured it out," Jin'an said somewhat embarrassed.

It was only then that she remembered that her father had given her a task.

However, even without that mission, she still wanted to be friends with Chu Lengyu. She possessed such incredible methods and such a unique style.

Chu Lengyu frowned, but finally decided to give her this chance to prove herself. She was in a good mood today and didn't want to waste her energy on the Chu family.

“They can be handed over to you.”

Jin'an wanted to say thank you, but felt it wasn't quite right. Finally, she said somewhat nervously, "I will definitely live up to your expectations."

Chu Lengyu nodded slightly, then used magic to lock the Chu couple in a lattice cage, cutting off their cries.

Princess Jin'an then had a chance to ask, "Miss Chu, are you using magic?"

"Spells," Chu Lengyu said, uttering only two words.

Seeing that she had no intention of discussing the matter in detail, Jin'an wisely refrained from asking further questions, knowing she would have plenty of opportunities in the future.

She took a step back and bowed respectfully, saying, "Jin'an thanks Miss Chu for your gracious visit to Yingxue Tower. I apologize for any oversights or shortcomings in my hospitality."

“…You’re too kind.” Chu Lengyu helped her up and said, “Let’s go, the banquet is about to begin.”

"Huh?" Jin'an asked, bewildered. "Hasn't it started yet?"

Faced with her doubts, Chu Lengyu simply smiled mysteriously, turned to the void, and said in a crisp voice, "Play music!"

"Zheng—" The sound of a pipa began.

Everyone listened intently.

The pipa is gently plucked, initially soft and delicate, like a spring breeze caressing the face, gently awakening the sleeping earth.

As the sounds of the xiao and dizi (traditional Chinese wind instruments) are added, the notes gradually become richer and more varied, sometimes like the murmuring of a river, softly singing; sometimes like the swaying shadows of flowers, dancing gracefully.

The music leaped and danced, as round as pearls. At times it was loud like a shooting star streaking across the night sky, and at other times it was soft like morning dew gently touching lotus leaves, fluttering and falling into the crystal-clear jade plate, producing a crisp and melodious sound that lingered in the air.

The Jade Pool shimmered with light, and pink and white lotus flowers bloomed one after another. While it was clearly the dead of winter on earth, this place felt like spring and summer.

The surroundings were quiet, except for the sound of the pipa, which seemed to shut out all the troubles and noise.

The flower shadows swayed gently, seemingly moving in sync with the melody.

At the climax of the piece, the pipa's sound surged and roared, like a rushing river, flowing a thousand miles. The intense emotion and power were truly moving.

The great strings roared, like a torrential downpour from the sky, rapid and powerful. Each note was like a thousand arrows being fired at once, striking the deepest part of people's hearts and stirring up ripples.

Then, a gentle pluck of the strings, delicate and tender, like a beautiful woman whispering in one's ear, gentle as water, captivating and evoking endless imagination.

The large and small strings intertwine and blend, sometimes stirring emotions, sometimes tender, making one's heart surge, and then returning to tranquility.

Like a river that eventually flows into the sea, returning to a deep and silent place.

People were so engrossed in the music that they were only surprised to find that the sky was now a dazzling galaxy of stars when the music gradually faded away.

The stars and moon join hands, the Milky Way stretches vast.

All worries and anxieties seem so small and insignificant at this moment.

In this scene, someone couldn't help but sigh: "The tower is a hundred feet high, one could pluck the stars with their hand. I dare not speak loudly, lest I startle the celestial beings."

Now, they are all people in heaven.

But the stars are still so far away.

Green Bamboo was mesmerized. She had never seen such a beautiful starry sky before, as if the whole world had fallen into eternal peace at this moment.

Her life, which had always been confined to the narrow confines of her home, was suddenly shattered today, as if someone had smashed open her window and roughly pried open her roof, causing her to lose all her old perceptions.

The world is so vast and beautiful.

Chu Lengyu didn't disturb her, but turned to Jin'an and whispered, "Could you please help me out and keep an eye on this place for me? If anything happens, just call them."

She pointed at the Four Heavenly Kings, and Princess Jin'an almost lost her balance, saying incredulously, "Me?"

"Is it convenient for you?"

"Mmm!" Princess Jin'an had no time to think and nodded repeatedly.

Seeing her serious expression, Chu Lengyu smiled and said, "Then I'll leave this place to you for now. I have some things to attend to and need to leave. Oh, and by the way, remember not to announce the end of the banquet before I come back."

“Okay!” Jin’an nodded again, and sensibly did not ask her what she was going to do.

A streak of light fell into Chu Lengyu's hand; it was the Unrivaled Sword.

She took to the air once more on her sword.

The starry sky was merely a backdrop for her.

A beauty like jade, a sword like a rainbow.