The morning light was just beginning to break, and soft light filtered through the carved window lattices, spilling onto the elegantly decorated dining room of the Jiang residence. The Jiang residence's breakfast table was always a bit more lively and cozy than at other homes. Su Jinli sat at the table, a silver hairpin in hand, gently poking at the delicate osmanthus cake in her bowl. Her eyes, a hint of laziness and contentment, inadvertently fell on her son, Jiang Siyan, who sat across from her.
Jiang Siyan was wolfing down the last mouthful of porridge when his small, fleshy hands deftly pulled out the tiny abacus from his bosom. Immediately, the sound of its clacking rang out. "Mom," Siyan said without looking up, his chubby face wrinkled in concentration. "Yesterday, I bought the new 'Essentials of Business' from Chengnan Bookstore with my monthly allowance from Dad. I still have twenty-three wen left." His voice was crisp and childish, yet it carried a seriousness about financial calculations.
Jiang Yan sat aside, smiling as he picked up a piece of temptingly colored braised meat and gently placed it in Su Jinli's bowl. He then shook his head helplessly and said, "Reading is a good thing, but why are you calculating so meticulously?"
"Dad doesn't understand," Si Yan closed the abacus and sighed like a little adult, "Little by little, it adds up to a lot. In the future, I will open the largest bookstore in the capital, even bigger than mom's 'Jinxiu Pavilion'!" His little face was full of longing and determination, as if the magnificent bookstore had already been completed before his eyes.
Su Jinli couldn't help but burst out laughing. Just as she was about to reach out to ruffle his hair, the butler rushed in, his face as pale as paper and his breathing extremely rapid. As soon as he entered, he cried out in a sobbing voice, "Madam! Master! This is terrible! Censor Li from the Censorate has submitted a memorial implicating... implicating the young master for embezzling disaster relief funds!"
With a clang, the silver hairpin in Su Jinli's hand fell onto the table without warning, making a crisp and abrupt sound. Jiang Yan's teacup, which he had just picked up, froze in mid-air. His gentle and kind face suddenly darkened. He looked at the butler with a sharp gaze, his tone serious and unquestionable, "Tell me clearly, what's going on?"
"It's... it's Censor Li who's impeaching us in court," the steward said, his forehead veins bulging with anxiety, and he kept rubbing his hands together. "They say that the young master embezzled twenty taels of silver while helping the Imperial Academy supervisor check the disaster relief accounts! Now the Imperial Academy has sent people to question him!"
"Bullshit!" Su Jinli suddenly stood up, her wide sleeves sweeping across the edge of the table, sending a few peanuts tumbling to the floor. Her eyebrows arched, her eyes blazing with anger. "How old is my son? Only twelve! How could he possibly understand what corruption is?"
Si Yan was still in a state of confusion and shock. When she heard the word "embezzlement", her eyes instantly turned red. Like a frightened deer, she shrank back holding the abacus tightly, and said in a tearful voice: "I didn't! I really didn't take the money!"
Jiang Yan immediately pulled his son into his arms, gently patting his back in an attempt to soothe his fear. Then, Jiang Yan looked up at Su Jinli, his eyes as calm and composed as ever. "Jinli, don't be impatient. We know what kind of child our Siyan is. There must be a misunderstanding here. Let's get to the bottom of this first."
"How do I ask? Do I have to wait until they take him away and torture him into confessing?" Su Jinli put her hands on her hips, and the bold and daring spirit of the prime minister's daughter back then instantly returned. "Let's go! Let's go to the Imperial College! If anyone dares to lay a finger on my son, I will blow down the door of his Imperial College!"
"Mom!" Si Yan couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into tears. The cry was not from fear, but more from grievance. "I really didn't take it! That money...that money I..."
"Alright, alright, I believe you!" Su Jinli quickly squatted down, gently holding her son's face with both hands, her eyes full of love and concern. "Tell me, what happened to that twenty taels of silver?"
Si Yan sobbed, her lips trembling with excitement. "Last month... last month I followed Dad to the charity cemetery outside the city and saw many little kids without parents... They were so pitiful, hungry and cold. I gave all the money I saved from my monthly allowance, and... the extra money I earned from helping Mom with the accounts, to Aunt Zhang at the charity cemetery..."
"What did you say?" Su Jinli and Jiang Yan were stunned at the same time, their eyes full of surprise and surprise.
Si Yan wiped her tears, her voice small but firm: "Madam Zhang said that buying rice and cloth requires money. I calculated that twenty taels of silver can feed them for a month. I, I thought I wouldn't tell my parents yet. When I save enough money, I'll... tell you."
Jiang Yan looked at his son's red eyes from crying, his heart aching. This kid loved money like his life, keeping accounts more meticulously than anyone else. He never expected that he would secretly donate his money to the charity cemetery.
Su Jinli suddenly stood up, her anger not only not subsiding, but even greater: "Great! This Li Yushi! He's just accusing people without even investigating the matter! Let's go find him!"
"Wait," Jiang Yan hurriedly reached out to hold her back, his expression serious. "Court affairs are complicated, and we can't act so rashly. Si Yan donated money, do you have any evidence to prove it?"
Si Yan nodded vigorously and said in a tearful voice, "Yes! Aunt Zhang wrote me a receipt and I have kept it locked in the box!"
As he was speaking, a loud voice suddenly came from outside: "Who dares to touch my nephew! I, Young Marquis Su, am here!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the door curtain was suddenly lifted, and Young Marquis Su rushed in aggressively carrying his iconic toy sword, followed by the breathless Su Qingyao.
"Sister! Brother-in-law! I heard Siyan was sued?" Young Marquis Su slammed his broadsword to the ground, making a loud noise. "Who is it? Tell me quickly, I'll kill his whole family!"
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