The cousin is beautiful but ruthless.

Chapter 10 I owe someone a favor

“Madam, you’ve misunderstood. The other day, when I went out to shop, I encountered a man riding his horse through the market, knocking over my purchases. Just then, Young Master Pei happened to pass by, and his servant helped me out of the predicament. I was in such a hurry that time that I didn’t have a chance to thank him, so this time I only managed to meet him briefly to express my gratitude.”

Shen Hanyu remained calm and composed. It was true that she had gone out to buy things, and Pei Du had been away from home for several days because of Pei Xingzhi's matter. As for what had happened outside, who could say for sure?

Xu Ying chimed in, "We really should thank her; Hanyu did a great job."

Han Yueru was skeptical and was about to question him when Xu Ying said, "Madam Han, don't worry too much. Hanyu is young and wouldn't lie. If you don't believe me, just ask the maidservant who serves her or the servant boy next to Young Master Pei. Don't misunderstand the two children; it wouldn't sound good if word got out."

If you ask Chun Tao and Chun Xi, these two are Xu Ying's people. Since it concerns the reputation of the women in the family, they will definitely agree with Shen Hanyu. If you ask Pei Du's servant, it will be even easier to resolve.

One sentence shut Han Yueru up, and Han Yueru forced a smile.

She had intended to make a big fuss, thinking that the Duke would definitely be angry. Of course, she knew that Pei Du and Shen Hanyu had nothing going on, but it was hard to say what would happen if word got out.

The Duke detested the outrageous things his sons did, but unexpectedly, Shen Hanyu, who seemed weak, was sharp-tongued and chose to lay things out on the table.

Xu Zhun rolled his eyes and smiled to ease the atmosphere.

“I don’t believe you that Yuanzhou rescued someone on a whim, but I do believe you that he rode through the city on horseback. Miss Shen, I’m afraid you saw him ride through the city and bump into your things, and then he threatened you. Everyone knows that Pei Du has never been one to show mercy to women.”

Li Jun laughed along, "Xu Zhun's words make sense. I believe this explanation more. Since the truth of this matter is uncertain, we might as well ask Pei Du to come out and explain."

Pei Du toyed with the wine cup in his hand. Now that things were out in the open and Han Yueru had failed, he didn't need to explain further. He just smiled, and the matter was over.

Shen Hanyu sat down calmly. She knew that Pei Du was about to explain, so she spoke first in order to gain a favor.

Xu Zhun moved closer to Pei Du and said, "Yuan Zhou, this time you owe them a favor."

He nudged Pei Du with his elbow, his eyes mocking.

Pei Du's gaze fell squarely on Shen Hanyu. This girl had quite a few tricks up her sleeve.

"Yes, I owe someone a favor."

Xu Zhun looked Pei Du up and down with a curious expression, then clicked his tongue twice and didn't dare to tease him anymore.

Xu Ying breathed a sigh of relief. When she got back, she would definitely interrogate Shen Hanyu thoroughly and make her tell the truth to see what kind of relationship Shen Hanyu had with Pei Du.

If Shen Hanyu and Pei Du really had some kind of entanglement, Xu Ying would truly be unwilling to accept it.

The matter between Liang Ruoyan and the Third Prince is still undecided. Pei Du is the best candidate besides the Third Prince. As for Pei Xingzhi...

Xu Ying snorted coldly. As long as the position of the heir of the Founding Duke's Mansion remained unchanged, she would not consider Pei Xingzhi. In the end, he was just an illegitimate child with no legitimate claim.

"Mother," Liang Ruoyan grabbed Xu Ying's sleeve, "Is what Shen Hanyu said true?"

Xu Ying patted the back of her hand, "Don't worry, we'll deal with her when we get home."

Liang Ruoyan let go of her hand, a hint of resentment showing in her eyes. Shen Hanyu really shouldn't have brought her to the flower viewing banquet!

The banquet ended peacefully. Although there were some minor incidents in the middle, everyone just watched it as a joke, so no one mentioned them again.

However, just before leaving, Li Jun suddenly called out to Liang Ruoyan, which made those who were full of curiosity stop and watch.

Zhao Wuxia placed the scroll in Li Jun's hands, and Li Jun then gave the scroll to Liang Ruoyan.

“Miss Liang, I have prepared some gifts for the Liang family’s daughters. This is for you.”

Liang Ruoyan blushed and shyly accepted the gift.

Although others received similar gifts, hers was given to her personally by Li Jun, making it all the more special.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

After giving the gift, Li Jun and Zhao Wuxia left together, with Zhao Wuxia looking helpless.

"If you go to deliver it yourself, the whole of Chang'an will be buzzing about you and Miss Liang tomorrow."

Having drunk some wine, Zhao Wuxia was somewhat tipsy and no longer addressed Li Jun with the same respect.

Li Jun smiled, not caring what those people were spreading.

The Liang family's carriage returned to the Marquis's residence. Xu Ying didn't rush to settle accounts, but went to see the old lady first.

Shen Hanyu was grabbed by Liang Fangrong and asked what had happened today. Before Shen Hanyu could finish explaining, Granny Song came over.

"Young lady, the old lady requests your presence."

Since Granny Song is Xu Ying's person, and the old lady called Shen Hanyu over, Xu Ying must be there too.

Liang Fangrong sensed something was wrong and was a little worried, so she went with Shen Hanyu.

When they arrived at Fu'an Hall, the old lady had no expression on her face. Xu Ying smiled and invited Shen Hanyu to sit down. All the women in the family were there, including Liang Siyu and Liang Sihan. Liang Sihan had her head down, looking like she had done something wrong.

Holding Shen Hanyu's hand, Liang Fangrong asked anxiously, "What's wrong?"

Xu Ying scoffed, "It's all about what happened at today's banquet. Hanyu, tell me, what exactly is going on between you and that young master from the Founding Duke's Mansion? Don't try to fool us with those excuses from the banquet."

Shen Hanyu thought to herself that it was indeed about this matter. Xu Ying wanted to use the old lady to interrogate her and find out the truth. She must have said a lot of bad things to the old lady, such as how Shen Hanyu alone had dragged down the reputation of the other daughters of the Marquis's family who were about to get married.

Liang Ruoyan was happy to receive a gift from Li Jun, but that didn't stop her from taking a jab at him at this moment.

"Grandma, you have no idea how tense the situation was at the time. Although we managed to get away with it, I originally thought my cousin was telling the truth. But when my mother asked Chunxi and Chuntao, it turned out that nothing of the sort happened."

The old lady leaned against the soft pillows, not in a hurry to speak.

Liang Fangrong panicked. She didn't know what had happened, but when she heard Shen Hanyu and Pei Du getting into a fight, she knew that Pei Du was someone they couldn't afford to mess with.

"Miaoyi, did you do something wrong? Tell me quickly." Liang Fangrong turned to Shen Hanyu and asked her to come over and admit her mistake.

Shen Hanyu naturally couldn't admit it; she had been prepared for this all along.

“Aunt, I have no unclear relationship with Young Master Pei. We just met on the day we went shopping. Chun Tao and Chun Xi were not with me the whole time. During the time they were away, I met Young Master Pei and we had a quarrel.”

Shen Hanyu's eyes drooped, and she looked very aggrieved.

Just as Xu Ying was about to ask further questions, the old lady was helped up by Qiu Yue to sit up.

"Where are Chuntao and Chunxi?"

Chuntao and Chunxi were called in and knelt down with a thud.

Xu Ying's expression changed, and then she heard the old lady ask, "When you two went out to shop the other day, were you not with the young lady for a while? I want to hear the truth. If you don't tell me, you'll be packing your bags and leaving once I find out."