Chapter 17: It seemed like a victory, yet it also seemed like a defeat.

Shen Chu said, "If you give me the land deeds for the eight shops now, I will promise the Marquis that I will not go to the Ministry of Personnel to amend the examination registration."

Aunt Qiao looked puzzled. "Isn't it only for one month? Why do we need a land deed?"

"Without a land deed, I'm afraid I won't have enough leverage, and the shop manager won't listen to me. What should I do?"

Aunt Qiao agreed, "Okay, I'll go back and get it now. We'll go apologize to the Marquis together later."

The Marquis desperately wants you to enter the Hanlin Academy, to bring glory to the Marquis's family. If he knew you were willing to do so, he would be overjoyed.

Shen Chu lowered her eyes, remaining noncommittal.

After Aunt Qiao left, Hongxiu came in and couldn't help but sigh, "Finally, Aunt Qiao relented, but it's a pity she only agreed to let the young master take care of him for a month."

What if she hands the shop over to the government office again a month later?

Shen Chu chuckled softly, "A month is enough."

She intends to expose the hypocrisy of the Marquis of Changning within this month.

Hongxiu asked curiously, "Young master, you wouldn't really agree to the Marquis's request to enter the Hanlin Academy, would you?"

Shen Chu chuckled, "Really? I only promised not to go to the Ministry of Personnel to amend the examination registration."

Hongxiu gave a thumbs up, "But young master, the Marquis has already registered you to skip the exam."

If you want to go to the Censorate, you must take the selection exam. The Marquis won't let you take the exam.

Shen Chu smiled and said, "Who said you can only become an official by participating in the selection process?"

Hongxiu asked, puzzled, "Young Master, what do you plan to do?"

Shen Chu wrote a letter, "Please deliver this letter to the Duke of Huguo's mansion and give it to the young master Li Chengxuan."

Hongxiu had just left with the letter when Aunt Qiao arrived with the land deed.

"We agreed that you'd only be in charge for one month, so you can't just mess around in the shop. If you don't understand something, come and ask me."

Shen Chu carefully put away the land deed and agreed with a smile.

"My aunt also has to promise me one thing: let me manage the shop for a month, and don't tell my father yet."

Aunt Qiao asked, puzzled, "Why didn't you tell him?"

"We won't tell you. You can return the shop in a month and give your father a surprise."

Aunt Qiao thought about it and agreed.

The mother and son went together to the study of the Marquis of Changning.

Of course, they didn't even get inside.

Marquis Changning roared inside, "You unfilial son, tell him to get out of here, I don't want to see him."

Aunt Qiao gave Chen Chu a look.

Shen Chu knelt down with a sigh, "Father, it's all my fault."

Aunt Qiao sobbed, "My lord, it was my fault for not disciplining A-Chu properly. He knows he was wrong now and is kneeling at the door to beg for forgiveness. If you are still angry, I will kneel with him."

The study door creaked open.

Marquis Changning stood at the door with a gloomy face, his eyes glaring at Chen Chu like fire.

"Tell me where you went wrong?"

Shen Chu: "Your son shouldn't have made your grandmother faint. I'll go and kowtow to her to apologize in a little while."

If his grandmother were to ask him to take his cousin Yu Fang as a concubine, he would agree immediately.

Marquis Changning frowned slightly. "Let bygones be bygones regarding the concubine matter. It's enough that you know you were wrong. In the future, you must not disobey your elders."

These past two days, Zhao Yufang has been crying and shouting that she will never become Shen Chu's concubine, for some unknown reason.

When the old lady spoke harshly, Zhao Yufang would kneel on Songshou Hall, crying, and wouldn't get up.

The old lady was so angry that she couldn't get out of bed.

Shen Chu said respectfully, “Your son will remember your teachings, Father. Today, I should not have made such a scene in the kitchen and the accounting office, which almost angered you.”

From now on, my son will silently eat any spoiled food sent from the kitchen, and he will pretend not to know if the accountant embezzles money again.

All that matters is that Father is happy.

Marquis Changning suffered a heart attack.

This doesn't sound like an admission of wrongdoing at all.

But Shen Chu still wore an incredibly sincere face, as if she were admitting her mistake.

Aunt Qiao stood by, her face full of disapproval, and retorted, "Achu, you can't think like that. You are the eldest son of the Marquis's mansion. How can you eat spoiled food?"

"The Marquis dotes on you so much, he'll definitely be angry if he finds out, won't he, Marquis?"

Marquis Changning... He's getting a little angry right now.

With a blank expression, he asked in a cold voice, "What else did you do wrong?"

Shen Chu: "My son shouldn't have allowed Hongxiu to beat up the guards in the manor. If they want to beat me, they should be allowed to beat me to death."

If my father ordered the archers to shoot arrows, then he should have let them shoot me dead.

A son would die for his father's happiness.

Marquis Changning's face couldn't hold back any longer, and he uttered that damned phrase again: "As long as Father is happy."

He was not happy at all.

"Anything else?"

After so much self-examination, why haven't you mentioned the Qiao family's shops at all?

Shen Chu looked blank. What else?

Aunt Qiao said with a happy face, "And another thing, A-Chu said that all matters concerning his official career will be arranged by the Marquis. Isn't the Marquis happy? Aren't you surprised?"

Marquis of Changning... what's there to be happy about?

He looked at Shen Chu suspiciously, "You really want to do whatever I say?"

Shen Chu nodded, "My son will not apply to the Ministry of Personnel to participate in the selection examination again. As soon as the selection results are announced, my son will take up his post immediately."

Marquis Changning snorted coldly, still unwilling to give up, and asked again, "Where else did you go wrong?"

A cold smile flashed in Shen Chu's eyes. Given the hypocritical nature of Marquis Changning, he would certainly not directly ask for the shop back.

With a sorrowful expression, she said, "My son has made a terrible mistake this time. To show my sincere remorse, I have decided to kneel in the ancestral hall for two days to repent."

Marquis Changning frowned and remained silent.

Shen Chu stood up. "Son, go kneel in the ancestral hall now."

After taking two steps, he turned back with a hesitant look, "Kneeling in the ancestral hall for two days might delay my job of copying scriptures for the Sixth Prince."

Father, why don't you go and ask the Sixth Prince to resign from this post?

Alas, the Sixth Prince is capricious; I wonder if he will take his anger out on his father.

"Fine, as long as Father is happy, son..."

The Marquis of Changning's forehead veins throbbed, and he forced out a few words through clenched teeth:

"Come back. You don't need to kneel in the ancestral hall anymore. This is a one-time exception."

"What about the son's house arrest?"

"It's solved!"

"Thank you, Father. As long as you are happy, I am willing to stay home for another two days."

Marquis of Changning: ...He's unhappy, he wants to die.

Even though Chen Chu had come to him to kowtow and apologize, for some reason, he felt even more choked up.

He felt as if he had won the battle, yet he also felt as if he hadn't.

-----

After Shen Chu returned, he instructed Hong Xiu to take the land deeds and talk to the managers of each shop.

She then obediently stayed behind closed doors and copied the scriptures for two days.

My hands were almost worn out from copying, but I finally finished copying the Surangama Sutra.

She took the copied scriptures to the Sixth Prince's residence, but the gatekeeper told her that the Sixth Prince was at Qingfeng Tower.

Shen Chu asked the gatekeeper to hand over the scriptures, but the gatekeeper refused to accept them and even sent someone to take her to the Sixth Prince.

Helpless, Shen Chu had no choice but to take the scriptures and go.

Qingfeng Tower was one of the top brothels in the capital, decorated in an elegant and noble style, clearly a place where people squandered their money.

Pei Yuan's personal attendant, Jin Bao, led Shen Chu into a room on the third floor.

Jinbao pointed to the inner room and lowered his voice, saying, "His Highness is taking a nap and should wake up soon. Young Scholar Shen, please wait a moment."

Shen Chu placed the scriptures on the table. "I'm just here to deliver the scriptures. Please ask Eunuch Jinbao and Your Highness to let me know that I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

Jinbao quickly waved his hand, "It would be better to trouble Scholar Shen to wait here. If His Highness has any questions about the scriptures, he can ask you at any time, so that you don't have to make another trip."

Chen Chu had no choice but to sit down and wait.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn has passed, a sound finally came from the inner room: thud!

It looked as if something had fallen to the ground.