Chapter Thirty
Even if Yan Shujin and Yan Qiyu were very smart, just a few months ago they were still country bumpkins from the county town. They knew about aristocratic families, but at most they had seen the servants of aristocratic families. They had never even met the managers. They had never been exposed to these intricacies. Now, they were dumbfounded as they listened to Mr. Du's analysis.
Yan Qiyu tapped the table and asked, "Is this a case of using someone else to do the dirty work?"
Mr. Du nodded.
Yan Qiyu asked again, "Then is the Luo family willing?"
Seeing Yan Qiyu's conflicted expression, Mr. Du couldn't help but laugh and asked, "Why don't you want to?"
Yan Qiyu couldn't say it; he felt that if it were him, he would absolutely not want to.
Yan Shujin asked, "Did you give them any benefits?"
“Yes.” Mr. Du thought Yan Qiyu was kind-hearted, but Yan Shujin was more likely to notice the key point: “Exchange of interests. In fact, these aristocratic families do things, even if those things are already rotten, they will still wrap them in a layer of bright silk.”
Yan Shujin felt that what Mr. Du was trying to say was that even if a noble family gave her a pile of excrement, they would still put it in a brocade box.
Mr. Du said, "As long as the Luo family is offered something that appeals to them, they will be willing to give up at most one son. Moreover, at most, it will only damage Luo Zhengyao's reputation, not anything else."
Yan Shujin remained silent, unsure of what to say for a moment.
"And even if the benefits offered are not tempting to the Luo family, they have no way to refuse." Mr. Du's voice was somewhat low. He knew those people. "So you need to think about why the Luo family did such a thing. Was it for their own sake, or for other reasons? That way, when it comes to settling accounts later, those people won't get away with it."
Yan Shujin nodded vigorously and said, "I understand. If they get away, I'll be at a disadvantage."
She originally thought it was too much trouble and that's why she didn't want to think about it. But after listening to Mr. Du, she still had to think about it. After all, if she missed one or two items when calculating the accounts, she would be the one who suffered a loss.
Yan Shujin likes to eat a lot of things, but she doesn't like to suffer losses.
Yan Qiyu said, "Sir is right. We must also be wary of those behind us, lest we be plotted against."
Mr. Du found it amusing to watch the siblings handle things in such different ways. It seemed that different personalities led to different solutions to problems: "Princess, how do you plan to resolve this?"
“If my father and the others were to get involved in this, it would be going too far,” Yan Shujin said. “So it’s just right for me to step in. I plan to beat up Luo Zhengyao first, and then I’ll stand guard at the Luo family’s door. I’ll beat anyone who comes out, and I won’t let anyone bring in any food. People always need to eat, and they’ll learn their lesson after a few meals of hunger.”
Mr. Du paused for a moment and then said, "This is not good for your reputation."
Before Yan Shujin could speak, Yan Qiyu said, "Then I'll do it, and I won't let my sister do it."
"Go study hard." Yan Shujin poked Yan Qiyu's forehead: "Were you the one getting beaten up or the one beating up in the past?"
Yan Qiyu puffed out his cheeks and said, "There are guards, so I don't need to lift a finger. Sister, a young lady should have a good reputation. I'm a man, so I don't need to."
Yan Shujin's eyebrows curved into a smile, and she reached out to pinch Yan Qiyu's face, making him cry out in pain: "Dare to disobey me?"
Yan Qiyu felt a pang of bitterness in his heart: "No, I dare not."
Yan Shujin then let go, rubbed his arm again, and said, "Listen to me on this matter."
Yan Qiyu was unconvinced, but looking at Yan Shujin's fist, he lowered his head and picked at his fingers. When he grew up, he would... he would still have to listen to his sister.
Seeing that the siblings had made their decision, Mr. Du said nothing more: "Alright, there's no point in arguing about this. You need to remember that as long as you stand tall enough and are powerful enough, no one will dare to criticize you anymore, because you are the ones who need to be looked up to."
Yan Shujin narrowed her eyes and said, "Just like my uncle?"
Before he succeeded, he was called a traitor and a rebel, and was cursed with all sorts of nasty insults. But now, even those high-ranking families have to be mindful of his uncle's feelings, and no one dares to utter those words anymore.
Mr. Du felt he had no way to respond to this, since Yan Chao was now the emperor. Yan Shujin, as his niece, could say it, but he couldn't: "Next time in class, answer the question about the relationship between the four social classes: scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants."
Yan Shujin glanced at Mr. Du. No answer was the best answer; even Mr. Du dared not comment.
Mr. Du watched Yan Shujin's eyes darting around and thought to himself, "Little fox, did you remember?"
"I've got it."
Yan Shujin and Yan Qiyu obediently agreed.
Mr. Du said, "Alright, Your Highness, go and memorize your lessons."
Yan Qiyu agreed and went to memorize her lessons.
Mr. Du then turned to Yan Shujin and asked, "Do you think the Crown Prince needs his reputation more than you do?"
“Yes.” Yan Shujin knew she couldn’t hide it from Mr. Du, and Yan Qiyu was still young, so he didn’t understand these things enough: “He is the heir.”
Mr. Du's expression changed, and he felt sorry for Yan Shujin. If Yan Shujin were a man...
Yan Shujin genuinely didn't take these things seriously: "Sir, back then, I had a terrible reputation in the village and town, but so what? When I went to buy meat, no one ever dared to shortchange me, and no one ever dared to cause trouble for my family."
"Why should I care about those who are afraid of me, those who don't want to get close to me because of my bad reputation?" Yan Shujin retorted. "They're all just empty words, there's no need to care."
Mr. Du couldn't help but remind you, "You'll have a hard time getting married in the future."
Yan Shujin smiled and said, "It's alright. Once I've taken a liking to someone, I'll just tell my uncle, and he'll grant me the marriage."
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