Chapter 26 The Ancient Scholar Used as Cannon Fodder (Part 26) Chu Nanfeng...
Chu Nanfeng also thought this method was good; at least it was more acceptable than Xie Zian's idea of changing the law.
After asking Lin You for details, he changed some details that didn't fit the current situation, and then told the two of them about it.
The other two were quite surprised to hear his radical solution, as they were both thinking about how to reduce the number of prisoners in jail and thus reduce unnecessary expenses.
If we follow Chu Nanfeng's method, the prisoners in jail will not only not need the court to pay for their services, but might even earn some money for the court.
Xie Zian was an impatient man, and immediately grabbed Chu Nanfeng and took him to the study, insisting that he write out a detailed report.
Chu Nanfeng lived in the east wing of the new house, and the study was fully equipped with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Chu." Young Master Xie grinned at him, and very attentively laid out the paper, ground the ink, and even prepared the brush.
"I've already explained it in great detail, why don't you just write it down yourself?" Chu Nanfeng said, already picking up his pen.
Although Xie Zian was obsessed with painting and could also compose poems, he usually dressed in a martial arts outfit and often carried a sword with him, suggesting that he preferred martial arts to literature.
Chu Nanfeng assumed that he only needed a draft of a report, and since he was too lazy to ask the clerk in the Prince's mansion to repeat it, it wouldn't hurt to write it for him.
He used Xuan paper for practicing calligraphy, and since it was just a draft, his handwriting was much more elegant and free than usual. He wrote three full pages, checked them, and revised two sentences before handing them to Xie Zi'an.
"Brother Chu, your calligraphy is truly excellent, and your literary talent is also remarkable!" Young Master Xie praised, and once the ink had dried, he rolled it up and tucked it into his sleeve.
"I'm leaving now. I'll come visit Brother Chu again when I have time." Xie Zi'an waved his hand casually, and without waiting for Chu Nanfeng to speak, he turned around and went out the door, running away decisively.
Chu Nanfeng shook his head and chuckled at Xu Wuchen's hurried manner. Xu Wuchen remained standing to the side with his arms crossed, showing no intention of leaving.
As Chu Nanfeng scooped water to wash his brush, he casually asked, "Isn't Guard Xu coming back with us? Is there something else?"
Xu Wuchen looked at him for a while, then suddenly clasped his hands in a salute and said in a very serious tone, "Mr. Chu, my young master is kind-hearted, but he is not so casual with everyone. He truly considers you a friend."
"Zian and I hit it off immediately. He's just a bit young and impetuous, it's nothing to worry about." Chu Nanfeng waved his hand dismissively, thinking he was just saying that Xie Zi'an was very informal.
But then Guard Xu continued, "The Marquis and His Majesty are childhood friends. The young master has been in and out of the palace since he was a child. His Majesty spoils him even more than the Marquis. He has always been very casual in front of the Emperor."
Chu Nanfeng paused, looked up abruptly, and stared at Xu Wuchen in disbelief. "You mean, he took the memorial I wrote and just went straight into the palace?!"
What he wrote was just a draft, barely even worthy of being called a letter. Xie Zian wouldn't have sent it directly to the Emperor, right?
“Mr. Chu, there’s no need to worry so much.” Xu Wuchen looked at his flustered appearance, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"This isn't the first time the young master has done this. I guess His Majesty is used to it. Last year, he even took the doggerel that the Marquis wrote when he was drunk and had it appraised with His Majesty."
The Emperor not only did not blame him, but also wrote a special note and sent it back. Then, the young master Xie was punished by the enraged Marquis Xie and was confined to his quarters for ten days.
However, he was only confined for three days before the emperor summoned him to the palace to admire the flowers, and the matter of confinement was naturally dropped.
"Congratulations on your new home, sir. I shall take my leave now." Xu Wuchen looked at Chu Nanfeng, who was still somewhat dazed, and turned to leave gracefully without needing anyone to see him off.
Although Mr. Chu looked shocked and somewhat embarrassed and helpless, he showed no anger or resentment. He was truly a good man. It seems that the young master has made a good friend this time.
"He clearly knew that Xie Zian would go directly to the palace, yet he didn't stop him, and he deliberately said this to you. Is he testing us?" Lin You suddenly asked.
"Sister noticed?" Chu Nanfeng was a little surprised. Usually, he had to explain these things to her in detail, but this time she was unusually perceptive.
"He's making it pretty obvious. Lord Xu is really getting paid like a guard but doing the work of a mother," Lin You remarked.
She was able to see through Xu Wuchen's probing because, on the one hand, Xu's actions were rather blatant, and on the other hand, because of her two older sisters.
When Lin You first started living at school, her two older sisters were worried that she would be taken advantage of, so they specially invited her roommates to dinner to observe and test their character, fearing that she was too naive and would be bullied or deceived.
Xu Wuchen's prediction and Chu Nanfeng's worries were very accurate. As soon as Young Master Xie left the house, he ran towards the palace gate without stopping.
He had a pass that allowed him to enter and exit the palace at will, so he didn't need to wait for an announcement at the palace gate. He walked in very skillfully and went straight to the Imperial Study.
The Emperor has some rare free time today and is checking his son's homework while also inquiring about his recent life.
Perhaps because he suffered a lot in his childhood, his health has never been very good. Now he is almost fifty years old and has only an eight-year-old prince, Li Yi, and a ten-year-old princess, Li Xuan.
Upon hearing that Xie Zian had arrived, the Emperor was quite surprised: "This kid ran away so fast in fright before, I thought he wouldn't bother me again until at least before the New Year."
"Perhaps Brother Xie has gotten into trouble again and needs Father's help," Li Yi said with his hands behind his back, acting like a little adult.
The emperor nodded in agreement, summoned the man in, waved him off from formalities, and asked curiously:
"Why are you here at this time? Did you anger your father again? Or has something happened that you can't handle? Tell me and I'll give you some advice."
Xie Zian couldn't help but purse his lips. You don't want to help at all, you just want to see me make a fool of myself. He said dejectedly, "I haven't caused any trouble, so why do you think I'm such a troublemaker?"
The emperor nodded: "Indeed, you haven't caused much trouble. Last year, you were only confined by your father twice, beaten so badly you couldn't get out of bed three times, and had two ministers and three members of the imperial family complain to me."
Xie Zian wiped his face, pretending he hadn't heard anything, took out the slightly wrinkled note from his sleeve, spread it out on the table, and changed the subject, saying, "I've brought you something good."
The Emperor picked it up, glanced at it, and casually asked, "Written by your new clerk? The handwriting is quite good."
After Xie Zian's habit of submitting manuscripts directly to the Emperor was exposed, the Xie family's clerks began copying memorials directly onto official documents when writing reports for the young master.
The emperor had only read two lines when he heard Xie Zian say, "This was written by my new friend, Brother Chu Nanfeng."
There was even a hint of smugness in his tone.
"You're more like a bad friend. This is just a draft that Brother Chu wrote for you. Did he even know you'd just send it over like this?" Li Yi peeked at it and couldn't help but complain.
“Brother Chu just moved, and there are no memorials in the study. I can’t possibly run back to the Marquis’s residence to copy them and then send them over, or it will probably be dark by then.”
Xie Zian secretly made a face at Li Yi, and while the emperor was looking at his manuscript, he quickly reached out and pinched his cheek.
Seeing Li Yi's eyes widen suddenly, Young Master Xie even raised an eyebrow at him. Then, Xie Zi'an was slapped on the head by the Emperor.
"Alright, you two stop fooling around here." The Emperor handed the manuscript to Li Yi, asking him to take a serious look.
Then he turned to Xie Zi'an and asked, "Was all of this content Chu Nanfeng came up with?"
“Yes, Xu Wuchen just asked a question casually, and Brother Chu came up with such an idea. Isn’t that amazing?” Xie Zian nodded, looking proud.
The emperor couldn't help but rub his forehead, wondering how his silly child had made such a friend. Was it just a case of fools having good fortune?
"You, Brother Chu, were clearly going to make your own decisions and let you take the credit, but you couldn't even be bothered to copy a single one."
If it were someone with a plan, they would at least subtly mention their own name in the article. But this article, even in tone and stance, is written from Xie Zi'an's perspective. It really seems like it was written just for a silly boy.
Seeing Xie Zian's bewildered expression, the emperor helplessly gave the order:
"Don't bother him before the spring examination, don't delay his studies. If your brother Chu can enter the court as an official sooner, I can have an easier time."
Xie Zian, who was under special confinement, was very depressed. He extorted a set of fine writing materials from the emperor as a reward for his brother Chu before leaving dejectedly.
His Majesty is being completely unreasonable this time! How could he possibly delay Brother Chu's studies?! He only played with Brother Chu once!
Besides, Brother Chu is so capable, why would he need to cram at the last minute? He just goes out for a stroll every few days.
[Ding! Emperor's favorability +3, 30 points gained.]
[Ding! Main quest: Obtain the Emperor's praise within ten days and gain 3 points of favorability. Completed. Reward: 20 points.]
"Ding! Your exclusive fanboy Xie Zian has completed the mission." Lin You said cheekily, mimicking the system's voice, which made Chu Nanfeng's lips twitch.
"Alright, we've got over a hundred points now. Isn't Sister curious about that skill book? Shall we buy it and take a look?"
Those skills that many palace women envy are utterly useless to a one-man army. The points have no other use either, so he used the points he had just saved to buy a dessert skill book that didn't sound very good.
With a flash of white light, a book appeared in Chu Nanfeng's hand. It seems he'll have to be careful around people when buying things in the mall from now on.
The skill book was just an ordinary-looking book. But when Chu Nanfeng opened it, it turned into a beam of light and disappeared. Suddenly, a dozen or so recipes for making pastries appeared in his mind.
Lin You looked on with great interest, thinking it was like learning a game skill. "How does it feel? Have you learned it?"
[Ding! You have obtained the Pastry Skill Book, triggering a special quest: Invite the Emperor to taste the delicacies you have personally prepared. Success will reward you with 50 points; failure will deduct all your points.]
Hearing the mission prompt, Lin You almost rolled her eyes. This cheat system is pretty clever.
Chu Nanfeng was also intrigued by this skill. He went to the kitchen to check the ingredients and started kneading dough and preparing fillings. The dough changed shape in his hands, and after a few folds, he actually made a beautiful lotus flower.
The outer layer is a gentle pink, and the inside is a tender pale yellow. When you put it in a strainer and fry it slowly in oil over low heat, the petals bloom like real flowers, layer upon layer, which is very unique.
When Chu Nanfeng finished tinkering in the kitchen for a short while and then brought out a plate of beautiful and tempting lotus flower pastries, Chu's mother and Chu Qing were both taken aback.
Chu Nanfeng gave the two a wink, and Chu's mother and Chu Qing understood that this was probably Lin You's doing again.
Mother Chu took a lotus-shaped pastry first, took a small bite, and the layers of flaky pastry exploded in her mouth, filling her mouth with a fragrant aroma. It was sweet but not greasy, and she immediately praised it repeatedly.
"Sister, come with me. I've decorated your room. See if you like it." Chu Qing took two lotus-shaped pastries and beckoned Lin You to the west wing.
The layout of this house is similar to that of the east wing where Chu Nanfeng lives, except that the study has been replaced by a bedroom, with a similar arrangement to Chu Qing's bedroom, but the colors and patterns are Lin You's preferences.
Chu Qing didn't like having a maid following her around all the time, so she had her do needlework with her mother. Only at night would Xiao Hong stay on the small couch outside her bed.
"Mother says I'm all grown up now and need my own room. I can't keep living with her all the time." Chu Qing sighed, resting her chin on her hand.
"It's good that you're staying with me, big sister." The little girl quickly smiled again. "Big sister, I've learned how to embroider butterflies. I made you a jacket with butterflies and flowers on it. In a few days, I'll embroider you a skirt with a hundred butterflies on it..."
The little girl muttered to herself, sharing many of her girlish thoughts. Lin You looked at her, and her expression softened.
She took a mint out of her backpack and placed it directly in the little girl's hand.
"Sister, it really is you! When you gave me candy this morning, I thought I was seeing things!"
Chu Qing laughed even more happily, showing no fear of being in the same room as a female ghost, as if she were her older sister, only she couldn't see her.
The little girl took out all the hair accessories from her dressing case and put them in the drawer. She then carefully placed the two mints inside, treasuring them as if they were some rare treasure.
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