The Legitimate Daughter Princess Consort can Read Minds

Chapter 20: Absurd

Gu Yunru’s pupils lit up with excitement as she listened to the chatter in the crowd. The shopkeeper was of medium height, with a dignified and honest appearance, but now his eyes were already clouded with hatred.

“Ah! I’m going to kill you!”

The shopkeeper pulled out a pig-killing knife and charged at a delicate-looking young man.

But just as he was about to strike, a figure in light clothing rushed forward and firmly grasped the shopkeeper’s wrist, causing the knife to fall to the ground.

The crowd held their breath and stared, murmuring to each other, “Isn’t that the son of the Grand Court’s magistrate, and the new top scholar Cheng Shaoyuan?”

“Yes, how did he end up here? He’s a talented person, and we didn’t expect him to have such good martial arts skills.”

These words reached Gu Yunru’s ears, and she snorted disdainfully.

“Shopkeeper, calm down. There are so many people here, aren’t you afraid of being wanted by the officials?” Cheng Shaoyuan spoke calmly as he looked at the shopkeeper.

“Even if I die, I’m not afraid. Am I supposed to be afraid of that delicate little face?” The shopkeeper retorted.

Qingxin, looking at the chaos in the teahouse, cautiously leaned towards Gu Yunru and said, “Miss, should we leave this place quickly?”

“Why so anxious? The show hasn’t ended yet.” Gu Yunru didn’t want to miss this opportunity to witness the spectacle.

Qingxin stuck out her tongue and had to obediently stand behind her.

“What’s going on?”

Cheng Shaoyuan looked genuinely concerned, as if he had already figured out what was going on.

Just then, a woman came running out of the backyard, crying with messy hair and two black and blue marks under her eyes. She grabbed the shopkeeper’s hand and cried out, “My lord, I really didn’t do anything to wrong you! You have to believe me, my lord.”

Gu Yunru, who was standing aside, understood the situation. This young man and the shopkeeper’s wife used to work in a fish market back home. They came to the teahouse to do odd jobs because their hometown was hit by famine. Over time, rumors spread that he and the shopkeeper’s wife were involved in some unspeakable things.

Seeing the expression on the shopkeeper’s wife’s face, which was filled with despair and sorrow, Gu Yunru concluded that the woman was telling the truth.

“How dare you say you haven’t done anything wrong to me? They have come knocking on our door!”

The young man hung his head, his nose swollen and his face bruised. He seemed to insist that he had indeed been involved with the shopkeeper’s wife and even that their newborn child was his. He had come to blackmail the shopkeeper.

“My lord, I really don’t know why Hu San would say such things, but they’re not true. You have to believe me!”

The young woman was heartbroken and cried so much that she evoked sympathy. The shopkeeper was furious and pushed her away.

She stumbled to the side but found a woman in a white dress behind her, who helped her up.

“Thank you, miss.”

Gu Yunru smiled, “No need to thank me. Shopkeeper, after all, this is your wife who gave birth to your children. Why do you treat her like this?”

“She’s so shameless and doesn’t know how to behave like a proper wife. I’ve been wanting to divorce her for a long time, and now she’s even put such a big green hat on me. I’ll kill these adulterers!”

The shopkeeper became more and more furious as he spoke, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets, but Cheng Shaoyuan was still standing in front of him, so he couldn’t do anything.

“I mean, shopkeeper, you trust a stranger’s words over your own wife’s, that’s just too much,” Cheng Shaoyuan said.

Gu Yunru wanted to help the woman vent her anger, but the young man stood up straight, his chest puffed out, and said to Gu Yunru, “Who’s this little girl? You don’t know anything. This teahouse should belong to me. I just came back to take what’s mine!”

“You’re talking nonsense. Why did you want to harm me?” The woman was in agony, her eyes already blurry with tears. A woman’s chastity and reputation were the most important things, and Gu Yunru patted her shoulder and comforted her, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you get justice.”

“Enough, let’s go to the yamen if you have something to say.”

Cheng Shaoyuan, who had not spoken all along, spoke up at this point. He wanted to take this group of people to the yamen for questioning, but Gu Yunru appeared in front of him and interrupted him. “This is a small matter. There’s no need to go to the yamen. I believe every word this woman says.”

“Oh? You don’t even know her, and you’ve only just met her today. How can you believe her?” the young man asked.

“Can’t I trust my intuition? Enough nonsense. Let’s start with a blood test. Since Hu San insists that this child is his, we’ll have to see if their blood matches,” Gu Yunru said.

If Hu San’s lie was exposed, then the charge of extortion could be established. Cheng Shaoyuan stood motionless, looking curiously at Gu Yunru’s every move. This girl seemed to be more than meets the eye.

Gu Yunru walked over to the woman’s side and asked for her opinion. The woman’s mind was already blank and she couldn’t come up with any ideas, so she left it to Gu Yunru.

Hu San looked down, his eyes evasive, and kept touching his nose. Gu Yunru walked over to him with a smile and said slowly, “You should know about blood tests. Although you come from the countryside, you should have heard of them. If the blood completely matches, then you’re the father. If not, then there’s no relationship at all. Since you insist on having relations with this woman, it’s time to prove her innocence.”