Chapter 502: An Interlocking Chain
Chapter 502: Chapter 502: An Interlocking Chain
Chen Shaobei told Jiang Zhi to leave the Su Mansion at once to avoid any trouble.
But Jiang Zhi hesitated.
"General, there’s something I don’t understand. If we haven’t done anything wrong, why should we hide?"
Chen Shaobei said gravely, "Gossip is a dreadful thing. You have to stay away."
Jiang Zhi pressed her lips together. She thought about it. ’As for me, I don’t really care.’
’After all, Ningning was right. I haven’t done anything wrong, so what is there to be afraid of?’
However, to avoid damaging Chen Shaobei’s reputation, she decided to leave.
Unexpectedly, just as Jiang Zhi reached the outer courtyard, she was stopped by a maid sent by Lady Shu.
From a distance, Chen Shaobei saw Jiang Zhi frown as she listened to the maid.
A moment later, she actually followed the maid in the opposite direction.
’It looks like she’s going to see Lady Shu!’
Chen Shaobei frowned slightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Su Mansion’s servants bringing over the inn’s Shopkeeper.
’So, they’re planning to have him identify on the spot who was frequently going in and out of that room?’
A sense of foreboding washed over Chen Shaobei, and he immediately went to find Mo Lingwei and Shen Ningning.
「Inside Lady Shu’s room.」
Jiang Zhi stood before her, head bowed.
Su Zhirou, emboldened by Lady Shu’s backing, looked rather smug.
"Mother, you see? I told you I wasn’t lying! She really is a woman!"
A moment ago, the maid had searched her with Jiang Zhi’s consent.
She was, indeed, a woman!
Lady Shu was still processing the revelation.
If this soldier was a woman, and she had been staying in the Chen Family Army’s barracks this whole time...
If word of this got out, it would undoubtedly cause a great deal of trouble.
Naturally, Lady Shu had no desire to implicate others.
She said to Jiang Zhi, "I’ve asked you here to clarify what happened that day. My adopted daughter, though I’ve spoiled her and she can be impulsive, is not one to speak nonsense."
"Miss... Miss Jiang, was it you going in and out of the inn for those few days?"
Jiang Zhi had already composed herself.
With her head still bowed, she admitted it.
Su Zhirou eagerly seized the chance to slander her.
"Mother, back when I injured my ankle and was resting in the barracks, I saw General Chen Shaobei constantly defending her. Their relationship is clearly more than it seems. Perhaps..."
"Zhirou!" Lady Shu snapped, her expression stern.
Su Zhirou pursed her lips and shot a resentful glance at Jiang Zhi.
At this, Jiang Zhi cupped her hands and spoke, her demeanor poised and dignified.
"Lady Shu, I have nothing to hide. I am indeed a woman, but I have no intimate relationship with the General."
"The reason I was going in and out of the inn was that the General took pity on me and rented a room there for me to bathe and rest."
"We have done nothing improper. Miss Su, on the other hand, recklessly fell at the barracks gate last time. The General took pity and had her carried inside."
"Not only did she falsely accuse me of trying to take liberties with her, but now that she has left, she continues to scrutinize General Chen’s every move, turning a minor issue into a city-wide scandal. I would like to ask, Miss Su, what exactly is your goal?"
Su Zhirou was stunned by Jiang Zhi’s barrage of questions.
Her face paled, as if her innermost schemes had been laid bare for all to see.
"Mother!" Su Zhirou could only turn to Lady Shu for help. "It’s not enough for just us to believe her! We should gather the guests to hear her explanation and clear my name! Otherwise, Vice General Zhang will have nowhere to vent his anger."
Lady Shu slammed a hand on the table. "Nonsense!"
She looked at Su Zhirou. "This was your mistake. You went to the Zhang Family to stir up trouble without knowing the truth. That was your fault. At the banquet today, you will apologize properly to Vice General Zhang and his wife."
Su Zhirou’s breath caught. She pointed at Jiang Zhi. "And what about her?"
Lady Shu’s tone was indifferent. "Miss Jiang, you may leave for now. I will not speak of your situation to anyone else. However, I must advise you, hiding your identity like this is not a long-term solution."
"To avoid further trouble in the future, you should discuss a solution with General Chen as soon as possible."
Jiang Zhi cupped her hands. "Thank you, Lady Shu. I understand."
After she left, Su Zhirou stomped her foot in frustration. "Mother! I..."
Lady Shu cut off her complaint. "Zhirou, if you continue to be this unreasonable, I will send you back to Shu State this very night!"
Su Zhirou was resentful, but she had no choice but to swallow her anger.
Lady Shu stood up. "Come. Accompany me to our guests. It is almost time for the banquet to begin. When you see Vice General Zhang and his wife later, you will properly admit your fault and apologize."
"There is no shame in admitting your mistakes and correcting them. What’s important is that you remember not to do such a thing ever again."
Su Zhirou followed behind her, eyes downcast, and mumbled a listless "mm."
However, just as the two of them stepped out of the corridor, a maid from the front courtyard came running up.
"My Lady, Miss, this is terrible! That Miss Jiang who just left has been stopped by Vice General Zhang."
"What?!" Lady Shu’s expression changed. "Why?"
The maid said in a rush, "It seems someone told Vice General Zhang that it was actually our Miss who saw Miss Jiang, but she was too embarrassed to say so herself and used his name to expose the matter."
"Vice General Zhang is publicly demanding to know if Miss Jiang is a woman. General Chen is furious, and the Crown Prince and the Princess have both gone over. You must go and see at once!"
Lady Shu hurried off. "Let’s go, quickly."
’I can’t let them start fighting over this.’
Su Zhirou lifted her skirts, an irrepressible glint of joy in her eyes.
’So, besides me, someone else knew about this?’
A commotion had already erupted in the main courtyard.
Vice General Zhang was grabbing Jiang Zhi by the sleeve, demanding she prove her identity.
Chen Shaobei stepped between them, saying sternly, "Zhang Chi, let go!"
Vice General Zhang looked at him. "General! If she’s a woman, she cannot stay in our barracks! I’m afraid you’ve been kept in the dark as well. Jiang Zhi, if you have any courage, admit in front of everyone that you are not a woman! Otherwise, how is our entire Chen Family Army supposed to face the world?"
Jiang Zhi bit her lip. She tried to speak several times, but Chen Shaobei cut her off each time.
Chen Shaobei’s voice was cold. "I don’t care who told you these rumors. They aren’t true. Jiang Zhi is one of the household soldiers I personally recruited, and I take full responsibility for her conduct!"
"If you are still my soldier, then let go. Whatever this is, we’ll discuss how to handle it when we return to the barracks."
Vice General Zhang hesitated, then slowly released his grip.
With a grim expression, Chen Shaobei moved to lead Jiang Zhi away.
The guests at the banquet today were all prominent figures in the Capital.
The highest-ranking among them were Mo Lingwei and Shen Ningning.
Since the two of them were standing by without speaking, the other guests didn’t dare to say a word.
Mo Lingwei glanced at the crowd.
He wasn’t particularly worried about anything else, only that if something happened to Jiang Zhi, it would upset Shen Ningning.
So, he finally spoke up, his voice cold. "Go back for now. It won’t be too late to discuss this matter once it’s been properly investigated."
Chen Shaobei took Jiang Zhi by the wrist and was about to leave.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Zhi lowered her head and froze in place.
Mo Lingwei raised an eyebrow, and Chen Shaobei also looked surprised.
He turned back and saw Jiang Zhi’s head was still lowered, her face tinged with shame.
Her voice was so low that only Chen Shaobei could hear.
"Everyone already suspects me. If I leave like this, it will look like I have a guilty conscience, and it will only implicate you further, General."
Chen Shaobei froze when he heard this, realizing what she intended to do.