Chapter 12 Pei Yuan is indeed her nemesis
Pei Yuan, dressed in a light purple brocade robe embroidered with cloud patterns and with his hair tied up with a jade crown, strode forward against the light.
A beautiful young woman followed behind him, graceful and charming.
He was indeed a womanizer, never forgetting to bring his female companions when he went out.
"Greetings, Sixth Prince." Marquis Changning quickly bowed and asked, "Has Your Highness found the scriptures you sought in the library?"
"Um."
Pei Yuan walked to the door and glanced at Shen Chu sideways. "Did Scholar Shen anger the Marquis?"
Marquis Changning hesitated whether to let Chen Chu get up, when he heard Pei Yuan chuckle softly:
"Young Scholar Shen is about to enter officialdom, so Marquis Changning should teach him well."
If this causes any trouble, people will inevitably say it's the father's fault for not teaching his son properly.
“Your Highness is right.” Marquis Changning smiled, glared at Chen Chu, and said, “Go kneel to the side and continue kneeling.”
Shen Chu raised her eyes and looked at Pei Yuan with a deep gaze.
She was kneeling to show Aunt Qiao that with this guy here, Aunt Qiao definitely wouldn't be able to appear in the study.
She was just thinking of taking the opportunity to get up when this guy made her kneel again with a single sentence.
Pei Yuan is indeed her nemesis!
Marquis Changning invited Pei Yuan in to speak.
Shen Chu sighed inwardly at the bad luck of the year.
If she had known Pei Yuan would come today, she wouldn't have chosen to stage this self-inflicted injury.
Just as I was sighing deeply, the light in front of me suddenly dimmed.
She looked up and met a pair of haughty eyes.
She is Shen Qingshuang, the daughter born to her stepmother. She is two years younger than her and just turned fifteen this year.
Every time Shen Qingshuang saw her, she would glare at him fiercely, raise her chin haughtily, and leave, never taking her seriously.
This time, Shen Qingshuang didn't bother glaring at her. Instead, she raised her hand to touch the hairpin on her head, patted her chest shyly, and spoke in an incredibly soft voice:
"Father, I've brought you some snacks..."
"Oh, the Sixth Prince is here too. Qing Shuang greets the Sixth Prince."
Shen Chu listened to Shen Qingshuang's affected voice from inside the room and a slight smile appeared on her lips.
No wonder I didn't glare at him; it turns out he was lovesick.
She quietly got up, rubbing her aching knees, while openly listening to the conversation inside the room.
"Does Your Highness need the scriptures for something?"
Pei Yuan's voice sounded languid, "In a few days it will be the anniversary of my mother's death. I'd like to find someone to copy a few scrolls of scriptures to offer before the Buddha. I've been thinking that since you, Marquis, enjoy refined pursuits, do you have any recommendations?"
Copying scriptures?
A bad feeling suddenly arose in Shen Chu's heart.
The next second she heard Marquis Changning call her, "Achu, come in."
She frowned and limped into the house.
“A-Chu’s handwriting is not bad. A-Chu, write a few words for His Highness to see if they are usable.”
Shen Chu glanced at Pei Yuan and saw him sitting imposingly in a grand chair, propping his head up with one hand, his peach blossom eyes glancing over indifferently.
She quickly looked away, picked up the paper, and began grinding the ink slowly.
Shen Qingshuang said shyly, "Qingshuang also wants to do her part for Consort Yu. Why don't you take a look at my small calligraphy with flowers in my hair?"
Marquis Changning glanced at his daughter, stroked his beard, and smiled, "My daughter's calligraphy is quite good. Qingshuang, why don't you write a few words too?"
Shen Qingshuang's eyes lit up, and she immediately squeezed Shen Chu aside, dipped her hand in the ink she had just ground, and wrote a few words in one go.
"Your Highness, please take a look and see if it meets your standards."
Pei Yuan glanced at it, a slight smile playing on his lips. "This prince certainly doesn't dislike Miss Shen's calligraphy, but I'm worried that my mother might not approve of it and come looking for you at night."
Shen Qingshuang's pretty face turned pale.
"My mother loved flowing, graceful calligraphy, especially bold and powerful characters."
Upon hearing this, Marquis Changning quickly replied, "Achu's handwriting is the most powerful; she'll definitely succeed."
"Achu, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up and write a few words."
Shen Chu secretly curled her lip, feeling that Pei Yuan was doing this on purpose.
He must have seen the scriptures he copied the day before.
Flowing like clouds and water, unrestrained and powerful?
Ha, who said she can only write in one font?
Just as Chen Chu made up her mind to change the font and make do, she heard Pei Yuan chuckle.
"Since the Marquis says that Scholar Shen writes well, then let Scholar Shen copy the scriptures for this prince."
Shen Chu's hand trembled, and a blob of thick ink fell onto the paper.
This guy is clearly after me; he's definitely getting revenge for waking me up the other day.
Hmph, they'll hold a grudge.
"Qingqiu, give the scriptures to Scholar Shen."
The young woman standing behind Pei Yuan placed a thick handwritten copy of the Surangama Sutra on the desk.
It was the book I took from the library.
"Can Scholar Shen finish copying it in five days?"
cannot.
Her hands will be ruined from copying such a thick book.
Marquis Changning hurriedly agreed on her behalf, "Of course he can. Once Achu has finished copying, I will have him personally deliver it to Your Highness."
Chen Chu...
"Then I thank you very much, Lord Marquis and... Young Scholar Shen."
Pei Yuan glanced at her sideways, then smiled and left.
Shen Chu asked Marquis Changning, "Why did Father agree to help the Sixth Prince copy scriptures on my behalf?"
Marquis Changning was displeased. "The Sixth Prince has been greatly favored in the past two years. His Majesty's affection for him has almost surpassed that for the Crown Prince and Prince Heng."
However, this person is always unpredictable and difficult to deal with. You haven't been in the capital for long, so you don't know that the Sixth Prince not only leads the Five Cities Garrison, but he also commands a secret department called the Flying Eagle Guard.
The Flying Eagle Guards are directly under the Emperor's command, monitor all officials, and can arrest people directly if they discover any abnormalities. They have great power.
If you diligently copy the scriptures and manage to please the Sixth Prince, you might be able to use this opportunity to establish a relationship with him.
This will only benefit you when you serve as an official in the court; there will be no harm in it.
After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "Alright, for the sake of copying the scriptures for the Sixth Prince, I'll spare you from kneeling in your grandmother's courtyard as punishment."
Go back and diligently copy the scriptures. Once you've finished, you should report to the Hanlin Academy.
Holding the scriptures, Shen Chu said, "I won't go to the Hanlin Academy."
Marquis Changning was so angry that he smashed a teacup.
Not far from the study, Shen Chu was stopped by Shen Qingshuang.
"What's up?"
Shen Qingshuang glared at her, her eyes filled with undisguised jealousy.
Why didn't you refuse the Sixth Prince just now?
Chen Chu found it amusing. "Does my sister think that if I refuse, the Sixth Prince will use you to copy scriptures?"
"There were only you and me in the room at the time. If you had refused, His Highness would have naturally ordered me to copy it."
Chen Chu remained silent.
She directly handed the scriptures to Shen Qingshuang.
"Since my sister likes to copy, let her copy it."
Shen Qingshuang took a step back, refusing to take the scripture, and said shrilly, "You know perfectly well that His Highness rejected me, yet you deliberately flaunt it in front of me. So what if you can write a few lousy characters?"
"Little sister, you've misunderstood. I genuinely want you to copy, copy as much as you want."
Shen Qingshuang said with disdain, "Don't call me sister. Aunt Qiao is just a lowly woman from a merchant family. Calling her half a mistress is an honor."
"What right do you, a son of a concubine, have to be my elder brother?"
*Smack*
With one hand holding the scriptures, Shen Chu slapped Shen Qingshuang across the face with the other.
The force was a bit too strong, and five finger marks instantly appeared on Shen Qingshuang's face.
Shen Qingshuang staggered from the blow, reached up to touch her hand, and found it covered in blood. She was so angry that her face contorted.
"You bastard, how dare you hit me?"
*Smack*
Another slap, even louder than the first.
Shen Chu sneered, "Half of our blood comes from our father. You call me a bastard, but what are you?"
Whether you acknowledge it or not, I am still your father's eldest son. An elder brother is like a father, so if you say something wrong, I can naturally discipline you.
If you're not satisfied, you can go to your father and argue your case. Ask him how his blood, now in my veins, makes me a bastard.
Shen Qingshuang's expression changed slightly; naturally, she dared not go to Marquis Changning to explain.
She glared at Chen Chu fiercely, then covered her face and ran away crying.
Shen Chu shook his hand, picked up the scriptures, and returned to his residence, Xizhao Hall.
Hongxiu came forward, took the scriptures, and took out a piece of paper from her bosom.
"Young master, we've found out everything. All the properties listed here were handed over to the public fund by Aunt Qiao."
Chen Chu took the paper and glanced at it, "Caiyifang, Diancuige, Tonghe Restaurant, Grain and Oil Shop..."
Ah, whether it's selling clothes and jewelry, restaurants and teahouses, or grain and oil shops, it's all a business with extremely high profits.
In total, there were eight shops, and the combined monthly profit was nearly ten thousand taels.
She put the paper away, and then she heard the guards' voices outside.
"By order of the Marquis, the eldest son is hereby ordered to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors and devote himself to copying scriptures."
Hongxiu was startled and opened the door to go out and ask the guards for clarification.
Shen Chu pulled her back and shook her head, "No need, I'll just take these few days to calm down and not see anyone."
"Where is Aunt Qiao also?"
"Um."
Especially Aunt Qiao, she has put on a show today with great care, now it's time to see how the people from the Marquis's mansion will put on their act.
She wanted to show Aunt Qiao what kind of people the Qiao family's money had raised.
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