8. Get out of here!
◎"If you don't want to listen to me, why are you all crowding around here?"◎
When I woke up the next morning, there was a commotion outside the Shen residence.
A servant reported that no fewer than a hundred scholars had gathered at the main gate of the Shen residence, clamoring to see the Second Miss.
Shen Jinghe went to his duties early in the morning. Jiang Yao couldn't handle this kind of thing, and Princess Changtai wouldn't intervene. Naturally, only Shen Suqin remained in the mansion.
She finished washing up and eating breakfast in a calm and collected manner, and then, under Jiang Yao's worried gaze, she swayed and went out the door.
Upon arriving at the main gate, she saw hundreds of scholars, each holding a handwritten copy of "The Rhapsody of Dongliang," staring at her with indignant expressions.
"Apologize, apologize."
"To rectify the name of the 'Dongliang Fu'!"
"Apologize."
The crowd shouted in unison.
Shen Suqin picked at her ear, signaling Ju Tao to speak.
Ju Tao took a step forward and raised her voice: "What are you shouting about? Find someone who can talk."
After he finished speaking, a person stepped out from the crowd.
The newcomer had a fair complexion and elegant, proper manners. He bowed before speaking, "Chen Er..."
"Alright," Shen Suqin waved her hand, "You're from the Imperial Academy, right?" She saw this man follow Shen Suqiu at Xingyuan Restaurant yesterday. "Shen Suqiu sent you here."
Her tone was firm.
The visitor was clearly not good at lying, and instead of answering, said: "The 'Dongliang Fu' is highly praised by scholars all over the world. Your denigration of it is an insult to all scholars. You must apologize."
Shen Suqin slowly narrowed his eyes and said, word by word, "A gentleman does not stumble before others, does not lose face before others, and does not speak carelessly before others. You all have studied very well."
The visitor originally intended to be courteous to Shen Suqin, a woman, in the spirit of a gentleman.
But I didn't expect her to be so sarcastic right from the start. No wonder Senior Sister Suqiu said that her younger sister was hard to get along with.
"Who do you think you are?" he said. "Do you even deserve to say such things?"
Shen Suqin didn't speak, but quietly looked at him with a cold gaze that made the man feel a chill run down his spine.
"You, don't look at me like that. Did I say something wrong? You're just a country woman who's only had a few years of schooling and knows a few words, yet you dare to openly slander the 'Dongliang Fu' and now you're putting on a lecturing face in front of us. You're not worthy!"
The man's time at the Imperial Academy was indeed worthwhile; his words were firm and resounding.
Everyone agreed, "Brother Wen is right."
"Brother Wen is right."
Annoyed by the clamor below, Shen Suqin said coldly, "If you don't want to hear me, why are you all crowding here? Did I invite you here?"
"You still want to vindicate the 'Dongliang Fu'? Since when is only one voice allowed in this world? Wen Baichang, right?" This is what Ju Tao just told her. "The Wen family of Lingnan, noble scholars, regard money and fame as dirt."
At this point, Wen Baichang was somewhat smug, feeling that the second young lady of the Shen family had finally come to appreciate her worth.
To everyone's surprise, she immediately said, "Bullshit! If you really didn't care about fame and fortune, why were you following Zhan Boyan around?"
Zhan Boyan was Shen Suqiu's teacher.
Everyone gasped in shock. In Liang, a city that respected teachers and respected the way of the world, someone actually dared to address a great Confucian scholar by his name.
"When Zhan Boyan was unknown, he claimed that he was indulging in nature and had no interest in officialdom; later, after participating in several philosophical discussions, he became famous and said that he wanted to broaden his channels of communication and went to the Imperial Academy to seek high office. His high praise for the 'Eastern Liang Rhapsody' was surely to maintain his image as a refined scholar who was indifferent to fame and fortune, so as to cover up the fact that he was promoted through philosophical discussions."
Zhan Boyan started as a minor clerk in the county, but through his daily philosophical discussions, his reputation grew, and his official career flourished. Today, he has become an official in the Imperial Academy. Many junior officials in the court follow his path of promotion through philosophical discussions, leading to a growing trend of officials being half-officials and half-scholars.
Wen Baichang and everyone else present turned pale after being spoken to by Shen Suqin.
She glanced at him with her beautiful eyes, a smirk playing on her lips, and continued, “Since you insist on coming here to be scolded, then I’ll just make it clear. The literary style of the ‘Dongliang Fu’ is not the point; the point is that it is the best of all landscape rhapsodies, and the most convenient fig leaf for the official school to indulge in unrestrained behavior and satisfy their desires under the guise of nature.”
The officialdom of Daliang was controlled by aristocratic families who had lived a life of luxury since childhood and disliked worldly affairs. After the rise of the trend of singing praises of nature and engaging in pure conversation, a large number of officials became both scholars and officials, calling their indulgence in pleasure "a form of academic exchange" and their travels to mountains and rivers "a form of nature."
"You want to climb higher, and the ladder of the 'Dongliang Fu' can't be knocked down, right? That's why you've been swarming around me like flies, determined to vindicate the 'Dongliang Fu'. Ha, dream on!"
Shen Suqin spoke so much in one breath that her mouth became dry and her heart grew increasingly irritable.
"Alright, get out of here..."
“Shen Suqin,” a cold voice suddenly interrupted her.
Shen Suqin frowned. She hated hearing Shen Suqiu's dry, cold, and indifferent voice the most right now. "What are you doing?" she asked, turning around.
"You really know how to court death."
Shen Suqin: "What? Are you afraid that if I offend the aristocratic families too much, you'll drag the Shen family down with you?"
With those words, Shen Suqin had truly offended the aristocratic families.
Shen Suqiu sneered, "You're smarter than I thought."
"Thank you for the compliment."
"Don't be so quick to thank me. You slandered my teacher in front of everyone. Don't you want to give me an explanation?"
"In no mood."
Shen Suqiu narrowed her eyes, "I'm afraid you have no choice but to accept it."
Shen Suqin took two steps back and scrutinized her from head to toe, then asked, "What do you mean by 'not allowed'?"
Shen Suqiu ignored her and took two steps forward, saying to the crowd, "'The wise find joy in mountains, the benevolent find joy in water.' Mountains stand between heaven and earth, their majesty unyielding to wind and rain; water nourishes all things, always flowing eastward despite all obstacles. To find joy in mountains and water is inherently linked to self-cultivation, moral integrity, and serving the world. Only those who are preoccupied with worldly affairs focus their attention on the smallest details."
As she said this, she glanced at Shen Suqin; it was immediately clear who was the ambitious and scheming one.
"As for the 'Ode to the Eastern Liang Dynasty,' I have said that its benefits will last for generations, and its status cannot be shaken by just some random cat or dog barking a few words."
Everyone agreed with this statement and nodded in agreement.
“Miss Shen,” Shen Suqiu turned to face her, “Do you accept what I just said?”
Shen Suqin: "No."
Shen Suqiu smiled calmly, "Since that's the case, then my teacher will have to handle it personally. Three days from now, at the Yinshan Residence Discussion Meeting, I will send you this invitation on behalf of my teacher. Do you dare to accept it?"
She's trying to build momentum for the conference in advance, so that Shen Suqin will lose face big time.
Everyone was overjoyed.
What is this? Is the world's foremost master of philosophical discourse about to return to the public eye after many years?
They were able to witness such a grand occasion in their lifetime.
And the girl opposite is an unknown, extremely arrogant village girl.....
Would she dare to accept the offer?
Everyone waited intently for Shen Suqin to speak.
“Why wouldn’t I dare?” Shen Suqin replied. “I’ll meet you at Yinshan Residence in three days.”
Shen Suqiu clapped her hands. "Very good."
After saying that, she turned to face the crowd: "Everyone, you heard that. At Yinshan Residence, Elder Zhan Boyan is facing off against Shen Suqin, the illegitimate daughter of the Shen family. See you in three days."
Everyone joined in the applause.
This is going to be funny.
After dismissing the people gathered at the entrance, Shen Suqiu and Shen Suqin returned to the mansion one after the other.
As they walked under the covered walkway, Shen Suqiu suddenly stopped and asked her, "How about we make a deal?"
Shen Suqin stopped as well. After standing all morning, her legs were a little sore, so she sat down on the railing and looked up at her, saying, "Tell me about it first."
As mentioned before, Shen Suqin was extremely beautiful, probably because she inherited Shen Jinghe's outstanding face without reservation. At this moment, she tilted her head slightly, her eyebrows and eyes were distinct, her lips were red and her teeth were white, and she was beautiful beyond compare.
Shen Suqiu paused for a moment before slowly saying, "After the discussion, no matter the outcome, you will no longer interfere in the affairs of the Shen family."
Shen Suqin: "Have you lost your memory?" She remembered that she had said that last night.
"I just wanted to make this happen. In the end, there's no irreconcilable conflict between us."
Shen Suqin's smile faded, and he narrowed his gaze as he looked her up and down. After a long while, he suddenly asked a completely unrelated question, "You know about what happened back then, don't you?"
Shen Suqiu lowered her eyes, avoiding her scrutiny, and remained silent.
“Sigh,” Shen Suqin stood up, took a step forward. She was tall and graceful, a head shorter than Shen Suqiu. She patted Shen Suqiu’s head and said, “Then there’s nothing we can do.”
She could not let go of the events of that year or the death of the original owner of this body.
Shen Suqiu looked up, brushed her hand away, and said, "Everyone is doing well now, isn't everyone? Why do you have to break it?"
"Are you doing well? Only you and the princess are doing well," Shen Suqin said. "People always have to pay the price for their mistakes. Haven't you had enough of being well off for the past ten years?"
"So what do you want?"
“I don’t know,” Shen Suqin said honestly. “Didn’t you notice? None of this was initiated by me. I was just retaliating. Shen Suqiu, if you want to start a war, just start one openly. There’s no need to play the emotional card. After all, there’s no affection between you and me.”
Shen Suqiu's expression was cold and stern. "You really don't know what's good for you."
Shen Suqin shrugged.
The two stared at each other in silence for a long time before turning away. As they brushed past each other, Shen Suqiu said calmly, "I will make you lose everything."
Shen Suqin didn't turn her head, her gaze fixed straight ahead. "We'll see."
After the two parted on bad terms, Shen Suqin originally thought that she could have a more peaceful day.
Unexpectedly, after lunch, a servant came to report that a guest had visited the front yard, saying that he had come to see Miss Shen.
Shen Suqin slumped in her chair and waved to the servant, indicating that he should go first and that she would follow later.
"Who could it be?" she said lazily.
Jiang Yao, who was shelling beans and preparing dinner, chimed in, "There are quite a few people who are on good terms with the Shen family, but not many of them are your age. Most of the people who came this time are from the Pei family."
Shen Suqin became interested. "How did you know?"
She thought Jiang Yao never left the house and knew nothing about it.
"Sigh, this incident has caused such a big stir, the biggest impact will be on the Pei family. It would be strange if they didn't send anyone." Jiang Yao said with a worried expression. "Zhao Zhao, do you really have to go to the discussion meeting in three days?"
"What if we don't go?"
Jiang Yao's brows relaxed a little, and she quickly said, "If you don't go, then your mother... no, I mean I'll go in your place and apologize to them."
Shen Suqin didn't expect her to say that. "Do you know that if you apologize, they will humiliate you?"
Jiang Yao lowered her head. "I know, it's nothing."
Shen Suqin took a deep breath, patted her hand and said, "Don't worry, you don't need to go for me."
"But......"
Shen Suqin shook her head. "I'm hungry. You cook quickly. I'll be right back." She stood up. "Ju Tao, come with me."
"Yes, Miss."
Upon arriving at the front yard, one could hear the charming laughter and chatter of women coming from the main hall.
Shen Suqin listened carefully and found that there were quite a few people, including the princess, Shen Suqiu, and two strangers.
“Little sister, you’ve arrived,” Shen Suqiu saw her first, “Come and greet your cousin and Miss Liu.”
Ju Tao stood behind Shen Suqin and whispered to her, "On the right is Pei Tingxue, the second daughter of Prime Minister Pei, and on the left is Liu Xi, the eldest daughter of the Liu family, who is a third-rank Imperial Censor. The three of them have been friends since childhood."
Shen Suqin nodded and bowed gracefully, "Greetings, cousin, Miss Liu."
She never caused trouble in trivial matters.
The person opposite her didn't tell her to get up. "She's quite polite, and not as rude as my aunt described," Pei Tingxue said.
Shi Yunzhu was also puzzled as to why she had changed her appearance today, and said, "She probably finally found out which way the Pei family's gate faces."
Pei Tingxue covered her mouth and laughed.
Amidst the laughter of the crowd, Shen Suqiu said gently to Shen Suqin, "Get up."
Shen Suqin raised an eyebrow at her slightly, stood up, and casually found a seat to sit down.
Pei Tingxue was displeased and coldly said to Shen Suqin, "Did I ask you to sit down?"
Shen Suqin looked over expressionlessly.
“Didn’t my cousin bring a gift? Let’s look at the gift first,” Shen Suqiu said.
“Oh, a gift. Someone, take a jade pendant from the maid and toss it on the table. With a flick of her chin, she says, ‘Take it.’”
Shen Suqin glanced at it and saw that it was a crudely made jade pendant with cotton-like inclusions. She bluntly said, "The surface is dry and rough, and the jade color is yellowish-white. It's a bit beneath the reputation of the famous Pei family to give away such inferior goods."
Liu Xi stepped forward and said, "As the saying goes, a good horse deserves a good saddle. Miss Pei wants to bring out the best, but some people don't even look in the mirror and see if they're worthy of it?"
Being asked "Are you worthy?" twice in one day ignited Shen Suqin's anger.
“A plaque for peace and safety, a good omen,” Shen Suqiu suddenly said.
Shen Suqin glared at her, suppressing her anger and refusing to lash out again.
“Oh, it’s a ‘peace and safety’ plaque. I just had the servants pick it randomly,” Pei Tingxue said, seemingly determined to make her suffer today. “Aunt, please make me some sweet soup. I want some.”
With her elders present, she felt uncomfortable making a scene.
Shi Yunzhu could see right through it. "I'll go now. I'll stay for dinner before I leave."
"OK."
After Shi Yunzhu left, the hall was quiet for a moment.
"Miss Pei, if you have something to say, don't waste time, just say it." Shen Suqin relaxed and leaned back in her chair.
Shen Suqiu sat upright and glanced at her, recalling how every time she saw her, she seemed boneless, always leaning or slouching. But her overall demeanor was relaxed and cheerful, and this languid posture wasn't unattractive; rather, it had an indescribable charm.
Noble ladies in the capital value their reputation, and they cannot show their status without speaking in a roundabout way. As a result, Pei Tingxue was unable to cope with her straightforward speaking style and was speechless for a moment.
Liu Xi then spoke up at the opportune moment: "Miss Shen has offended all the powerful families in the world on behalf of the Pei and Shen families. I hope you will behave yourself at the discussion meeting."
"Hmm? That's strange. Your surname is Liu, so how come you're talking about the Pei and Shen families? Could it be that Miss Liu will soon marry into the Pei family and become a member of the Pei family?"
Shen Suqin was just curious; she had no ill intentions.
Unexpectedly, this seemed to have touched a nerve with Liu Xi. Her expression changed, and she said sharply, "I'm just trying to be helpful. Don't be ungrateful. Who I marry is none of your business. It's better than you marrying a peasant."
"Yes, he is a great general, but so what? He's having a good time at Cangshuang Tower right now. Visiting a place like that before the wedding, it seems he doesn't take you seriously at all."
After she finished speaking rapidly, Shen Suqin only caught the three words "Cangshuanglou," which sounded somewhat familiar.
"Cangshuanglou is the biggest den of iniquity in the capital, offering everything from food and drink to gambling and prostitution," Ju Tao explained in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, Shen Suqin sat up slightly straighter.
Liu Xi thought she had offended her, and kept nagging, "Besides, who in the city doesn't know that General Xiao's true love is Shen Jiansheng? You're just a country girl from the countryside, he wouldn't even look at you."
"How pitiful! Her father doesn't love her and her mother doesn't care for her. She finally managed to marry a general. Tsk tsk."
Shen Suqin took a deep breath, slowly stood up, walked to Liu Xi, and interrupted her: "Have you said enough? I've never seen someone act like a dog so well. Did your cousin value you back then just because you're good with words?"
"Alright, I don't want to hear anymore. I have to go to Cangshuang Tower to catch him," Shen Suqin said with a smile. "After all, he's my fiancé."
After saying that, she gently stroked Liu Xi's cheek, "Thank you for reminding me, Miss Liu."
"And sister, you didn't refute me just now, does that mean you're also interested in the general?"
Shen Suqiu smiled faintly: "Whether I care or not is not important, what matters is that the General cares, isn't it?"
She was deliberately trying to disgust Shen Suqin.
Shen Suqin nodded meaningfully: "Indeed, I will ask the general directly."
Shen Suqiu's expression instantly turned as if she had swallowed a fly.
"I'm leaving, you guys have fun." Before leaving, she turned back to Pei Tingxue and said, "By the way, cousin. Don't worry about the discussion, we can't lose either way."
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