Chapter 7: Asking Shen Shuwei to come and apologize
Chu Xinrou was having a headache. When she heard Chu Yunlan's voice, she quickly stood up and bowed. Her voice was gentle, "Brother, why are you here? But the academy is closed for vacation?"
When Chu Xinrou mentioned the academy, Chu Yunlan felt uncomfortable and coughed a few times, "No, I took a day off today."
"Let's not talk about this for now. Xinrou, give me a hundred taels." Chu Yunlan said hurriedly, remembering the purpose of his coming here.
He needed money to pay his tuition and also to buy a few high-quality inkstones to decorate his desk so that people would not laugh at his poverty.
When Chu Xinrou saw Chu Yunlan coming over just to ask for money, she immediately looked embarrassed and stammered, unable to speak.
Chu Yunlan noticed that she looked strange and asked caringly, "Is the steward in the mansion making things difficult for you and not letting you withdraw money?"
Chu Xinrou bit her lower lip and shook her head. After a while, she said softly, "One hundred taels is too much, isn't it? The mansion is in trouble right now."
Chu Yunlan's eyelids twitched.
In the past, when he asked Shen Shuwei for money, he would always ask for hundreds of taels. Shen Shuwei never said that the money he asked for was too much, but just gave him the silver silently.
Why did things suddenly become difficult in the mansion?
Chu Yunlan thought Chu Xinrou was having some difficulty managing the household, so he slowed down his voice and asked considerately, "What about the eighty taels?"
Seeing that Chu Xinrou was about to refuse, Chu Yunlan hurriedly said, "Xinrou, this eighty taels is my tuition fee. It can't be any less, otherwise I will be expelled from Bailu Academy."
Hearing that it was for tuition fees, Chu Xinrou reluctantly sent her maid to count out eighty taels of silver and gave it to Chu Yunlan. She said distressedly, "Didn't the headmaster of Bailu Academy make an exception and admit you to the academy because he admired your talent and fame? How dare you ask for tuition fees?"
If she said that it was her elder brother who hired Zhuo Jue, the academy should have waived all fees for her elder brother and given him additional subsidies, but she still had the nerve to ask for money.
It really damages the character of scholars.
Chu Yunlan was unable to elaborate, but Chu Xinrou continued, "I heard from the steward in the mansion that Sister Shuwei and the headmaster of the White Deer Academy are very close. Could it be that Sister Shuwei is resentful of my elder brother for speaking up for me the day I returned home, and is resentful of him, and has said something to the headmaster?"
As Chu Xinrou spoke, she observed Chu Yunlan's reaction, and sure enough, she saw Chu Yunlan's face darken.
Chu Xinrou was delighted and continued in a low voice, "Big brother has earned the appreciation of the dean through his own ability. He should be exempted from tuition fees like those poor students in the academy. Why would he ask big brother for money out of the blue?"
Chu Yunlan was not thinking about the tuition, but the earth-shaking change in the attitude of the teachers in the academy towards him in the past few days. He had no idea that it was because Chu Xinrou had withheld the money he had originally intended to bribe the teachers.
Without money to bribe and without Shen Shuwei to revise his policy papers, which teacher would be willing to support a piece of rotten wood and stinky feet?
After hearing what Chu Xinrou said, Chu Yunlan felt something was not right. He thought it was Chen Shuwei who was causing the drastic change in the teachers' attitude towards him.
Chen Shuwei used to listen to her and do what she said. If he studied late at night, she would personally make bird's nest and send it to him. She knew how much she cared about Chu Yunlan.
She must be deliberately taking revenge on me for not wanting to keep her in the Marquis' Mansion, and doing this to attract my attention.
Chu Yunlan immediately held Chu Xinrou's hand and said with a sullen face, "I had raised her in the Marquis' Mansion for over ten years and treated her like a younger sister. I never imagined she would be such a vicious and evil person."
"Brother, don't hold a grudge against Sister Shuwei. It was me who took her place, and she did something wrong out of resentment." Chu Xinrou comforted him magnanimously.
After hearing this, Chu Yunlan felt even more distressed about Chu Xinrou's difficulties. "She has taken advantage of your status and enjoyed the blessings for so many years, yet you still call her sister. Xinrou, you are too kind. Someone like her is not worthy of being your sister."
"Fortunately, I kicked her out. Otherwise, if she stayed in the mansion, she would have been a nuisance. I don't know how she would have bullied you."
Chu Xinrou leaned in Chu Yunlan's arms and said softly, "Brother, for my sake, please don't embarrass Sister Shuwei too much. Just give her a light punishment and a big warning, okay?"
Chu Yunlan looked down at his sister's delicate and innocent face. How could he say anything else? He held her hand and said softly, "Okay, I promise you, but I still have to teach this vicious woman Shen Shuwei a lesson. Otherwise, what if she sets her sights on you in the future?"
"With big brother protecting me, Xinrou is not afraid of anything." Chu Xinrou smiled sweetly.
After leaving Liuliyuan, Chu Yunlan was filled with anger and was only thinking about how to deal with Shen Shuwei and warn her not to use any despicable means.
In his heart, she could never compare to Xinrou, his well-behaved and obedient sister.
If she was more obedient, admitted her mistakes and apologized, and was willing to go to the White Deer Academy to speak well of him, he would consider forgiving her and giving her some money.
After all, the Shen family was in a place where their property was confiscated and they were exiled, so life there was no way it would be better than in the Marquis' Mansion.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he walked out of the corner door, he was stopped by a nanny.
"Are you Miss Chu Xinrou's elder brother?"
Chu Yunlan frowned and looked the man up and down, "Who are you?"
You can tell from his dress that he comes from a small family. How can such a person be worthy of talking to him?
The nanny could see the disdain in Chu Yunlan's eyes, and she was immediately unhappy. Thinking that her master still had something on Chu Xinrou, and he dared to speak like that, she immediately became arrogant and said, "My master has a message for Miss Chu Xinrou. She wants her to send 500 taels of silver to the Earl's Mansion before the day after tomorrow."
Bo's Mansion? Changping Bo's Mansion, isn't that Shen Shuwei's home?
Is this the person sent by Shen Shuwei to threaten Xinrou?
Well, he didn't come to settle the score with her, but she came to him on her own!
Chu Yunlan was immediately enraged and kicked the nanny fiercely. "Get lost! Go tell your master that shameless and despicable people like her should stop trying to get Xinrou!"
The nanny was caught off guard and kicked to the ground by Chu Yunlan. When she heard his harsh words, which attracted the laughter of passers-by around her, she immediately felt embarrassed and hurriedly got up and limped back.
Bah! Who is he calling a cheap thing in the Jingning Marquis Mansion? The real cheap thing is right in their mansion.
After hearing the nanny's exaggerated report, Chen Wan and Mei Yingzhu became very angry and smashed the teacups on the table.
"Good! What a Chu Xinrou! She thinks she has support after entering the Marquis of Jingning's Mansion and doesn't even take us seriously!" Mei Yingzhu said hatefully.
Shen Wan's eyes flashed with viciousness. She patted Mei Yingzhu on the back to calm her down. "Don't be angry, mother. Since Chu Xinrou is not a human being, we don't have to give her face."
"Isn't the Marquis' Mansion going to hold a family reunion banquet for her? Then we will..."
-
Shen Shuwei has been busy these days trying to clear the Shen family of charges as soon as possible, but she had no idea that her elder brother wanted her to go up the mountain to Changmen and speak well of him.
Today she also received some good news. Censor Zhang sent someone to deliver a letter to her early in the morning. He had already reported to His Majesty the case of the Minister of Revenue embezzling money, cutting corners and destroying the royal ancestral temple, and he had obtained His Majesty's permission to conduct a secret investigation.
Coupled with the clues that Shen Shuwei secretly revealed to him in the past few days, the case is almost certain to be solved.
However, in order to avoid alerting the enemy, Shen's father had to stay in prison for a while. Because the case involved a wide range of people, and the Shen family had contributed a lot, the informant quietly told Shen Shuwei and others that His Majesty would reward them generously once the case was settled.
Shen Shuwei was so happy that he asked people to close the door and set up a simple banquet at home. Even Shen Heng, who was still recuperating in bed, got out of bed and drank half a glass of light wine.
After learning that their family was not only pardoned by the emperor himself but also heavily rewarded, the faces of the Shen brothers and sisters were filled with joy.
Especially Shen Zhiyang, who hung his whole body on Shen Shuwei and praised her to the sky.
Chen Zhang's injuries have almost healed in recent days, and a smile rarely appears on his stern face.
Shen Shuwei looked at him, thinking of the previous life when, after the Shen family was exiled, her second brother followed the rebels and conquered five cities of Da Qi, leaving Da Qi unable to resist.
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