Chapter 1984: Taking a Temporary Rest in the Cheng Family

Chapter 1984: Taking a Temporary Rest in the Cheng Family

Cheng Jiatong suddenly looked up, recalling the rumors that the County Princess of Wen'an had been engaged for a long time, and her intended match was Young Master Meng, the scholar who had achieved a top result in the recent prefectural examinations.

She immediately remembered what Shu Yu had said earlier—she had mistaken the person.

So, she had indeed mistaken the person? Not only had she mistaken the person, but she had also considered taking action against the County Princess?

As this realization dawned on Cheng Jiatong, her face turned pale.

At that moment, Cheng Xian introduced the two newcomers to Shu Yu, "These two are the eldest young master and fourth young miss of the Cheng family. The County Princess is already aware of it." After a pause, he added, "I'm here on business in Changjin Prefecture and temporarily staying at the Cheng family."

With this statement, Shu Yu instantly understood.

Cheng Xian, the Cheng family, and... Prefect Magistrate Cheng, they all shared the surname Cheng. So, there was some connection between the Cheng family and the Prefect Magistrate Cheng of Southwest Linzhang Prefecture. Otherwise, Cheng Xian wouldn't have been staying here.

However, judging from Cheng Xian's demeanor, the relationship seemed somewhat distant, and the Cheng family appeared to be trying to curry favor with Prefect Magistrate Cheng.

Regardless, even if the relationship was distant, there was a connection. Out of respect for Prefect Magistrate Cheng, Shu Yu couldn't pursue the matter too vigorously, at least not involving the authorities.

Fortunately, Shu Yu hadn't intended to involve the authorities in the first place. Both Qi Lie and Meng Yunzheng were busy with their own affairs, and she didn't want to disturb them with such a minor issue. But since someone had attempted to kidnap her with thugs, she felt the need to seek an explanation.

With a sigh, Shu Yu said, "Since these are friends of officer Cheng, there's no need to involve the authorities. However, this matter concerns my safety and reputation, so I need to clarify it."

Cheng Xian nodded. "That's only natural."

He turned to Cheng Jiatong, whose body trembled.

Shu Yu also looked at her and said, "Miss Cheng, when I left my house today, a group of thugs approached me with ropes and sacks, ready to attack me. If Xia Yan hadn't been with me, I might have met an unfortunate fate. Coincidentally, we captured the leader of these thugs. According to his confession, you had hired them to kidnap me, tarnish my reputation, and make me commit suicide out of shame?"

When Shu Yu made this statement, Cheng Xian furrowed his brows. Such actions were excessively malicious.

He stared coldly at Cheng Jiatong and asked, "Fourth Miss, is this true?"

"No, it's not true! I didn't know anything about this!" Cheng Jiatong vehemently denied it. If this had happened before, her family would have helped her resolve it. But now, the situation was different. Attempted kidnapping and damaging the reputation of the County Princess were grave crimes she couldn't afford to shoulder.

Cheng Wenbao quickly added, "County Princess, my fourth sister, despite her occasional willfulness, would never commit such an act. There must be some misunderstanding."

"With both eyewitnesses and physical evidence, what misunderstanding could there be?" Xia Yan, who had been quiet until now, pushed the thug forward.

The thug had been terrified since he learned of Shu Yu's identity. Now, with everyone's attention on him, he hastily spoke, "It was Fourth Miss who instructed us. Her personal maidservant personally approached us and gave us money as a down payment. Look, this is the deposit. She said that once the job was done, she would pay us sixty taels of silver each. She told us that the target was just a girl from the county, without any background or powerful backers. If we had known she was the County Princess, we wouldn't have dared to act."