Chapter 16 She was more daring than the Marquis of Changning
Chen Chu stepped forward and pulled Hongxiu behind him.
“Father, Hongxiu is not a servant in our household. If she is really shot and killed in the Marquis’s mansion, I’m afraid you will have to make a trip to the Jingzhao Prefecture.”
Marquis Changning's expression stiffened slightly. He suddenly remembered that when he brought Shen Chu back, she was accompanied by only this one maid.
What did Shen Chu say back then?
Shen Chu said that Hongxiu was a chivalrous woman from the martial arts world who was rescued by him by chance, so Hongxiu was willing to become his maid and stay by his side to serve him.
He thought it was a good thing that his son had a servant who knew martial arts.
I regret it so much now. I should have driven Hongxiu away back then, and I wouldn't be in this dilemma now, unable to deal with Chenchu.
"As for me, my father can order the archers to fire arrows at will. If I dodge even once, I'm not Shen Chu."
"Oh, a friendly reminder to Father: shooting one's own child is considered a violation of human ethics by the Ministry of Justice, and the punishment is execution or exile in the autumn."
Marquis Changning was furious, his face contorted in rage, and he couldn't bring himself to swing the hand that was raised in mid-air.
Shen Chu smiled faintly, then tugged at Hongxiu and swayed away.
Madam Chen was filled with resentment. "How could the Marquis let him leave like this? He..."
Enraged, Marquis Changning slapped Lady Chen across the face.
"Shut up, do you want me to shoot my own child?"
Chen was knocked so hard she staggered, covering her face as she looked at Marquis Changning in disbelief.
"Did the Marquis hit me?"
Marquis Changning was so angry he was practically delirious, and he couldn't understand how things had come to this.
Shouldn't Shen Chu be kneeling before him, crying and begging?
How could it be that he lost both money and face?
After thinking it over, I still blame Chen.
"It's all your fault. You can't manage the kitchen properly, but you keep a very clear record of the accounts."
Chen's face was covered in tears, and she was so angry that her teeth were chattering.
"It was clearly the Marquis who instructed the accountant to record it clearly, and besides..."
"Shut up!" Marquis Changning roared. "Men, drag the accountant out and beat him to death! Old Woman Yang's tongue has been cut out and sold!"
"My lord, spare me! Spare me!" Granny Yang was so frightened that she wet herself on the spot. As she was dragged away crying, she was filled with remorse.
If she could do it all over again, she would choose the eldest son.
She would never dare to feed the eldest son spoiled food again.
Hearing Granny Yang's screams, Chen turned pale with anger.
The inner courtyard accountant and Granny Yang were both people she brought from her maiden home. Marquis Changning's actions were tantamount to slapping her in the face again.
Before she could recover, she heard Daoist Master Ning continue:
"What are you standing there for? It's already past noon. Send someone to buy some ready-made food from the street."
Marquis Changning glared at her darkly, then turned and left.
Chen was so angry she felt like her teeth were aching.
Shen Chu took all the money, so where is she going to get more?
Are we going to use up her dowry?
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Shen Chu asked Hongxiu to take the silver to the street to buy a table full of delicious food, and the two of them happily ate a meal.
Hongxiu ate until her belly was round and full, then rubbed her stomach and leaned back in her chair, sighing, "It turns out that people in the capital are pretty much the same as people in the martial arts world; whoever is the most domineering gets to speak."
With the last bite of food in her mouth, Shen Chu chuckled and said, "It's not about who's the toughest or who's the most outspoken, it's about who's more willing to go all out."
Clearly, she was more willing to go all out than the Marquis of Changning.
Hongxiu clapped her hands, "That's great! Aunt Qiao has gotten back the money she paid for her shop last month. For the sake of his reputation, the Marquis will probably be too embarrassed to ask Aunt Qiao for money again, right?"
Shen Chu shook her head. "You're wrong. The real battle is just beginning."
Hongxiu was puzzled.
At this moment, Aunt Qiao came in with red eyes. As soon as she entered, she grabbed Chen Chu's hand and pleaded with her with teary eyes.
"A-Chu, please don't argue with the Marquis, okay?"
Shen Chu grasped her hand in return, his gaze falling on Aunt Qiao's fair face.
There are five clear finger marks on it, and the marks are bluish, showing how hard the person hit them.
Her face darkened. "What happened to your face? Did he hit you?"
Aunt Qiao's eyes flickered slightly, and she subconsciously turned her face away to avoid Chen Chu's gaze.
“The Marquis only hit me when he was angry. I don’t feel pain; I feel more sorry for him.”
Aunt Qiao's eyes reddened. "A-Chu, be good. Let's put the money back into the public treasury, and then go to the Marquis to apologize, okay?"
Shen Chu frowned. "This is not good."
Aunt Qiao's tears fell down in a steady stream.
"The Marquis has gone to the Madam's place for two days in a row. I heard he asked for water twice last night, sob sob..."
"The Marquis promised me he wouldn't touch the Madam. Ah Chu, my heart aches so much."
Shen Chu pinched the bridge of her nose.
Getting the money back from the Marquis's mansion was never difficult; the real challenge was dealing with Aunt Qiao.
"Didn't you say he loves you? If he loves you, why does he sleep with your wife?"
Aunt Qiao murmured, "The Marquis went to the Madam's place on purpose to anger me, to make me angry that I didn't manage you well."
"Ah Chu, as long as we return the money and sincerely apologize to the Marquis, he will surely treat us mother and son well from now on."
Shen Chu could no longer bear it, "Hasn't Aunt ever considered that the Marquis has favored you all these years because of your money?"
Aunt Qiao's face turned pale, she simply couldn't believe it, "How could that be? The Marquis is a refined man, he despises such vulgar things as money the most."
Chen Chu.....
I really wanted to knock my aunt's head open.
"Aunt, do you only care about the Marquis and not at all about whether I live or die?"
Aunt Qiao had two lines of tears on her face and looked completely bewildered.
"What’s wrong with you"
Shen Chu patiently said, "Haven't you figured out what happened this time? I only had a few words with the Marquis, and the servants in the manor are already fawning over him and belittling him, feeding me spoiled rice and porridge made with stones."
These people eat your food, drink your water, and even abuse your children. Don't you feel any remorse at all?
Aunt Qiao said, "Of course I feel sorry for you, but it was all because of Madam Chen who ordered the servants to mistreat you. It has nothing to do with the Marquis."
Chen Chu.....
Reasoning with them won't work.
She rubbed her eyes. "But I don't want to be controlled by others like this. Do you remember what I told you? On the way back to the capital, the Chen family sent people to assassinate me several times."
They eat your food and drink your water, yet they still dare to assassinate me.
After I entered officialdom, I became an even bigger thorn in Chen's side, and she would definitely try every means to kill me.
Aunt, do you really want me to be tortured to the point of near death and still not have enough money for medicine?
Aunt Qiao was shocked, "This... With the Marquis here, how could it have come to this?"
"How could I not? If it weren't for Hongxiu protecting me, I would have died on the way to the capital long ago. Where was the Marquis then?"
"Then...what should we do?"
Chen Chu held Aunt Qiao's hand, "Aunt, how about letting me manage these shops? I don't want to be controlled by others anymore."
Aunt Qiao frowned, "How can you manage a business at such a young age? Besides, you're going to become an official."
"If I don't know how, I can learn. Being an official won't prevent me from running my business in private."
Aunt Qiao looked hesitant.
Shen Chu: "If you don't trust me, how about you hand over the shop to me for a month? During this month, you don't have to worry about anything."
If I fail to manage things well in a month, I will return all the shops to you.
"Whether my aunt hands it over to the public funds or manages it herself, I have no objection."
Shen Chu tried to comfort her in a low voice from a different angle.
"I've already made such a scene and angered Father. Even if you return the money now, he won't want it, right?"
Aunt Qiao nodded, "Indeed, the Marquis cares about his reputation and has always looked down on such vulgar things as gold and silver, so he will definitely not accept them."
"So why don't you hand over the shop to me for a month first? Is Aunt worried that Father won't love you anymore if you don't hand the shop over to the public?"
Aunt Qiao shook her head, "How could that be? The Marquis doesn't love me because of money. Even if I didn't pay, he would still love me."
Chen Chu smiled, "Then what are you hesitating for, Auntie?"
Aunt Qiao thought about it and suddenly realized that what Shen Chu said made sense. Even if the marriage was delayed by a month, the Marquis's mansion could still survive.
“Then… if you agree to go to the Hanlin Academy as the Marquis arranges, I will hand over the shop to you for a month.”
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