7. Don't go looking for trouble.
"Who says I need to rely on a man?"
Not long after the discussion at Xingyuan Restaurant ended, news spread that Shen Suqin had publicly belittled the "Eastern Liang Rhapsody," considered the finest essay in the world.
Everyone says this wild girl from the countryside, upon entering the capital, has been jumping around trying to make a name for herself, even attempting to outshine her elder sister. Unfortunately, she's just a clown, spouting nonsense and offending all the scholars in the land.
Even Shen's father was ridiculed by his colleagues, who said that "the Shen family has produced two talented women, which is a great blessing for the family."
At first, Shen Jinghe was completely confused, but after his colleagues recounted Shen Suqin's conversation at Xingyuan Restaurant, he was so shocked that he broke out in a cold sweat.
How could this girl have caused such a big mess in just half a day?
For a moment, he didn't know what to do.
A close friend suggested that he persuade his second daughter to apologize and admit that "Dongliang Fu" was the best work in the world; at the same time, he asked his eldest daughter's teacher, Zhan Boyan, to mediate and quell the anger of the literati.
Zhan Boyan was a great Confucian scholar of his time, and no scholar dared to disobey his words.
Upon hearing this, Shen Jinghe thought it was feasible and quickly asked for leave to go to Shen Suqiu, hoping she could help him make a connection and meet Dr. Zhan.
Although Shen Jinghe didn't get along with Shi Yunzhu, he was relatively close to his eldest daughter, who had grown up by his side. This was mainly because Shen Jinghe himself was gentle, refined, and rarely made enemies.
He arrived at the gate of the Imperial College, and after being announced by the gatekeeper, Shen Suqiu quickly came out.
Shen Jinghe handed her the seasonal fresh fruit he had bought on the way. He had been thinking about buying it ever since Shen Suqiu said she wanted to eat it last time.
Shen Suqiu took him in her arms and asked, "Did Father come about Suqin's sister?"
Shen Jinghe felt a little uncomfortable. "Yes, you know she comes from a small town and doesn't understand the seriousness of many things. But did your classmates make things difficult for you? Did they say anything nasty?"
Shen Suqiu looked down at the fruit in her hand and said, "There were some harsh words, of course, but it was alright, I could handle them."
"If you can manage, that's fine. If you're not feeling well, go home and stay for a couple of days..."
Shen Suqiu interrupted him, "Father, do you want to see my teacher?"
“Um…” Shen Jinghe said, forcing himself to speak, “I would like to ask your teacher to mediate and say a few words in your sister’s defense.”
What did your sister say?
"I haven't contacted her yet, but I will make her apologize."
"Let Suqin apologize first. He needs to show some attitude before we can talk to the teacher to make peace. What do you think, Father?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Jinghe agreed, "You're right, I'll go find your sister first."
"Well, Father, you should go back first. I'll go back later too."
"well."
After seeing Shen Jinghe off, Shen Suqiu carried the fruit back to the academy.
To be honest, she quite agreed with Shen Suqin's opinion, feeling that the so-called number one article in the world was both pretentious and affected.
But her teacher was a staunch supporter of the "Dongliang Fu" and couldn't stand anyone saying anything bad about it. Especially since he was the one who elevated the "Dongliang Fu" to its pedestal, how could he possibly speak up for someone who slandered it?
"It seems you're quite adept at courting death if I don't cause you trouble," Shen Suqiu said calmly.
On the other side, Shen Jinghe went straight to the side courtyard as soon as he returned to the mansion.
Just then, Shen Suqin was sitting in the courtyard talking with Jiang Yao. When she saw him arrive, she got up to greet him.
"Why did Father leave in such a hurry?" She gestured for Ju Tao to pour a glass of water.
Jiang Yao pulled him down to sit, patted his chest to help him catch his breath, and said, "Even if it's a big deal, you can't be in such a hurry. Getting anxious will only hurt your health."
Father Shen pressed her hand down, glared at Shen Suqin with annoyance, and said, "You, you dare to say anything out loud. How dare you say that the 'Eastern Liang Rhapsody' is overrated?"
Jiang Yao gasped, quickly grabbing her daughter's hand and asking, "Did you really say that?"
Shen Suqin showed no remorse whatsoever, "I told you."
"Oh dear," Jiang Yao gently patted her hand and said, "How dare you? Aren't you dragging the Shen family into opposing all the scholars in the world? Scholars kill without a knife, do you know that?"
“We need to find a way to apologize right now,” said Father Shen. “Otherwise, you can write a sincere apology right now and I will post it for you.”
"Yes, your father is right, write it now."
"After I finish writing it, I'll ask your older sister's teacher, Dr. Zhan, to mediate and hopefully calm things down. Ideally..."
"Did Father go to see Sister Suqiu?" Shen Suqin interrupted him.
Shen Jinghe said, "I've looked for it."
What did she say?
She said you should apologize first so she can talk to the teacher to make peace.
Shen Suqin raised an eyebrow and said quietly, "Father, do you know who elevated the 'Eastern Liang Rhapsody' to a divine status?"
"who?"
“Zhan Boyan”.
Shen Jinghe: "..."
"But in a way, he's my junior apprentice."
Shen Jinghe was dumbfounded.
That evening, Shi Yunzhu surprisingly arranged a banquet to welcome Shen Suqin.
Originally, she was too lazy to go and play along with her act, but seeing that Shen Jinghe and Jiang Yao were going to be put in a difficult position by her again, she went anyway.
Upon arriving at the dining room, Shen Suqiu was already seated upright, with Shen Jinghe and Jiang Yao sitting to her left.
Shi Yunzhu had not arrived yet.
Shen Suqin glanced at it and sat down next to Jiang Yao.
The table was empty, with no food on it yet. It seemed that the dishes would be served only when the princess arrived.
The rules are really strict.
Shen Suqin was idly fiddling with a cup when Shen Suqiu glanced at her and said to Shen Jinghe in a low voice, "Father, my younger sister is a little lacking in manners. I hope she won't make a fool of herself in the future."
Shen Suqin stopped and smiled gently: "Sister, I advise you not to go looking for trouble."
Shen Suqiu said coldly, "As your elder sister, I have taught you to behave properly. You should be grateful."
"Thank you, but it's not necessary."
"As expected, they're from the countryside."
“You were born and raised in the capital, but how good are you?”
The two argued back and forth, neither willing to give in, until Shi Yunzhu was helped into the dining room by Granny Gui.
She walked to the head seat, glanced at everyone in the hall, her gaze lingering on Shen Suqin for a moment before she said to Granny Gui, "Serve the dishes."
Granny Gui turned around and instructed the maid, "Serve the dishes."
Before long, the food was served in a continuous stream, but Shi Yunzhu remained unmoved, and no one at the table dared to touch it.
"Let's start eating," Shi Yunzhu said.
Shen Jinghe and the others then picked up their chopsticks and began to eat the dishes in front of them.
The food on the table was bland and not to Shen Suqin's liking. She also disliked the formalities at the dinner table, so she simply didn't touch her chopsticks and waited until she finished eating to take the Shen couple back to their courtyard.
"What's wrong? The food isn't to your liking?" Shi Yunzhu put down her chopsticks and asked Shen Suqin.
Shen Jinghe and the others also put down their bowls and chopsticks, except for Shen Suqiu, who continued eating by herself.
Shen Suqin glanced at it, feeling displeased but not showing it on her face, and said perfunctorily, "I ate dinner out."
"Hmph," Shi Yunzhu snorted coldly, "It seems she still has a wild heart and no sense of self-awareness as a lady from a respectable family."
"Jiang Yao, this is your good daughter. She is rude and arrogant. If I were you, I would be ashamed and have no appetite at all."
Jiang Yao lowered her head and said, "The princess is right to reprimand me."
"Since you think what I said makes sense, then fast for three days as a way to reflect on your actions. Do you agree?"
Jiang Yao dared not say no, and slowly nodded in agreement.
"Speak!" Shi Yunzhu commanded respect without anger.
Jiang Yao shuddered.
Shen Suqin reached out and gently pressed her shoulder, raising his voice to say to Shi Yunzhu, word by word, "Your Highness is quite majestic."
Shi Yunzhu glanced at her indifferently: "Did I, the princess, give you permission to speak?"
Shen Suqin crossed her arms, leaned back in the chair, and slightly raised her chin, saying, "I have my own mouth, do I need to listen to your orders?"
"Shen Suqin! Who do you think you're talking to?" Granny Gui said angrily.
“I’m neither blind nor stupid, I don’t need you to remind me,” Shen Suqin changed her posture, loosely resting her hands on the edge of the table, her fingertips idly rubbing the chopsticks on the table. “Princess Changtai, the current emperor’s niece, and Prime Minister Pei’s brother-in-law, is so powerful and influential, so remarkable.”
"you!"
Shi Yunzhu waved her hand to signal Granny Gui to be quiet, "Since you know this, why do you still dare to act like this?"
"Otherwise what? You dare kill me?"
"So, you're going to marry the Great General? But do you think Xiao Pingchuan can protect you?" Shi Yunzhu laughed at her for being short-sighted. "Not to mention that the war in the Northern Border has been over two years in the making, and the Black Flag Army is no longer of any use. Just look at that hot potato of Black Flag Army military power—who wouldn't want to get their hands on it? Xiao Pingchuan has no backing; he's barely able to take care of himself. How could he possibly have time to care about you?"
Shen Suqin said casually, "Who said I need to rely on a man?"
After speaking, she picked up a chopstick with two fingers, exerted force with her fingertips, and with a "whoosh," the chopstick shot out, grazing Shi Yunzhu's cheek and embedding itself straight into the pillar behind her.
The chopsticks penetrate three inches into the wood.
The hall fell silent instantly.
The maids were the first to react; they screamed and scattered in terror.
Then it was Granny Gui who rushed over to check Shi Yunzhu's cheeks.
Shen Suqiu suddenly stood up, glaring coldly at Shen Suqin, who looked relaxed.
Shen Suqin raised an eyebrow at her, stood up, and stared at Shi Yunzhu's throbbing forehead, saying, "Princess, as you can see, I do have some experience in killing. Don't mess with me, or next time the chopsticks will be stuck in your heart."
"Don't even think about killing me. It's a life for a life, I won't lose out." She kicked the chair next to her leg away. "But I suppose the princess's life is worth more than mine."
After saying that, she turned and walked outside.
He took two steps, then stopped, turned to Jiang Yao and Shen Jinghe, and asked, "Aren't you coming?"
The two men hurriedly got up and followed closely behind her.
Before the three of them had even left the courtyard, they heard the sound of bowls and chopsticks falling to the ground from the dining room.
Shen Suqin smiled and stepped into the darkness.
"Who does she think she is! How dare she threaten me, the princess!" Shi Yunzhu was so angry that she overturned the table.
Shen Suqiu stepped back and stood beside her, her gaze fixed on the direction Shen Suqin had left.
“Granny Gui, have you ever noticed who raised Shen Suqin?” she asked.
The matter of intercepting Shen Jinghe's money has always been handled by Granny Gui. Apart from her, no one in the manor is interested in Fuliang Mountain.
"Replying to Miss, we haven't sent anyone to Fuliang Mountain for nearly ten years, so we really don't know the situation there."
"Um."
Should we send someone to investigate?
Shen Suqiu thought for a moment, "No need. She can only risk her own life. I don't think she has anything to rely on. It's not worth making a special trip for her."
"We can't let her get away with this." Shi Yunzhu gritted her teeth; she had never been provoked like this before.
Shen Suqiu took her arm and said, "I'll take you back to your room. Calm down first, don't get upset and hurt yourself."
"How can I not be angry? What is she! I've already shown her a huge favor by letting her live for eighteen more years, and she still dares to threaten me."
Yes, she still wants you dead, Shen Suqiu thought to herself.
"Don't worry, even if we don't punish her, she's already dug her own grave," she said.
"How so?"
Shen Suqiu waved away the maids following behind her and said in a low voice, "During the day, she publicly denigrated the 'Dongliang Fu' as utterly worthless."
"Hiss, has she gone mad?" Shi Yunzhu hadn't gone out today and didn't know about this.
"Probably. She has now offended not only all the scholars in the world, but also the powerful families."
"Won't this... implicate the Shen family?"
Shen Suqiu shook her head, helped her up the steps, and pushed open the door to the bedroom.
“No,” Shen Suqiu said with a smile, “Mother, do you know who in the world most admires the ‘Dongliang Fu’?”
"who"
"My teacher, Master Zhan Boyan, was the foremost master of philosophical discussions in the world."
"You want Old Master Zhan to teach her a lesson personally."
“A mere lesson isn’t enough. For someone like Shen Suqin, who is attention-seeking, fame-seeking, and incompetent, being publicly exposed at a discussion meeting is the most suitable way to expose her true colors.”
To ruin a person, you must first make them unable to hold their head high in front of the world.
Then, through gradual wear and tear, a person is naturally ruined.
“That’s good. If you need any help from your mother, just let me know.”
"Yes, on the day of the discussion, I would like to trouble Mother to find a few distinguished and noble families to attend."
"good."
Inside the side courtyard, Jiang Yao and Shen Jinghe were still shaken.
They had already accepted that Shen Suqin would resort to violence, but turning against the princess was something they couldn't comprehend.
The two had always been used to living cautiously under the princess's oppressive power and had never dared to resist, so they were terrified tonight.
"You're incredibly reckless," Shen Jinghe said. "What if she really tried to kill you?"
“She won’t. If she kills me, how will she explain it to His Majesty? You’ve forgotten, I still carry the imperial decree of our marriage.” Shen Suqin replied.
"That's true, but..."
Shen Jinghe was about to speak when he was interrupted by a knock on the door. He went to open the door, and the person who came in was actually Shen Suqiu.
"Father."
"Come in quickly."
Shen Suqiu followed him into the courtyard, "Sister Suqin, Second Madam."
She has always been dignified.
"What brings you here?" Shen Suqin asked bluntly.
Shen Suqiu smiled and said, "My teacher is going to hold a discussion at Yinshan Residence, and he specially sent me to deliver an invitation to my sister."
"This!" Shen Jinghe hurriedly stood up and took the invitation. After a quick glance, he exclaimed, "This is no invitation; it's clearly a challenge!"
"Huh?" Jiang Yao also leaned over to look.
"Second Madam, there's no need to worry. There's always room for maneuver," Shen Suqiu said.
"What kind of 'room for maneuver' are you referring to?" Shen Suqin asked with a smile.
The two men looked at each other and saw a burning desire to fight in each other's eyes.
Shen Suqiu took two steps closer to Shen Suqin and whispered, "If you get married quietly and don't cause any trouble, I'll help you persuade the teacher to let you off the hook."
Shen Suqin turned her head and said in an even softer voice, "Why don't you tell your mother to get out, and I'll help you preserve your current reputation."
Shen Suqiu frowned. She didn't know what Shen Suqin had to rely on to dare to say such things.
“I gave you a chance,” she said.
"unnecessary."
"Then prove your strength."
Shen Suqin placed one hand on her shoulder and slowly pushed her away, saying calmly, "The discussion meeting, as you wish."
"Heh, let's get through tomorrow's hurdle first."
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