Wen Shu felt that there was no one worse than Li Chu.
So much so that the word “rascal” wasn’t even enough to summarize her character.
Who in the world would spread such rumors about themselves? After this farce, both of their reputations would be affected.
Wen Shu’s strength was soft and weak; she couldn’t push Li Chu away at all. She had to give up awkwardly, clenching her fists against her robes on her lap, and complained with a resentful tone, “I even defended you in front of my father, saying that you weren’t the type to spread wild rumors.”
Li Chu tilted her head to look at Wen Shu’s lowered head. Seeing her expression, she asked with a pleasantly surprised smile, “We aren’t even married yet, and you’re already defending me in front of your father-in-law?!”
After all, from the first time they met after their reunion, Wen Shu’s impression and attitude toward her had not been close at all.
Wen Shu, “…”
She knew they weren’t married yet, too! How could she already be calling him “father-in-law”?! If her father heard this, it would probably scare her father, a ninth-rank clerk, to death.
Wen Shu pursed her lips and shot Li Chu a brief, sharp glare.
Seeing that she was no longer struggling or resisting, Li Chu finally let go of her hand, which had been pinching the back of Wen Shu’s neck.
Wen Shu’s skin was fine and smooth. When Li Chu’s rough palm touched it, she almost thought she was touching smooth, delicate jade. Now that she had to let go, she was truly reluctant, yet at the same time, she felt a bit embarrassed and guilty.
But then, she immediately thought that she wasn’t doing it to take advantage of Wen Shu on purpose; it was because Wen Shu insisted on dodging, so she had instinctively pinned her down.
Besides, they were people who were going to get married. She would touch even more places in the future, so what did she have to feel guilty about?
Li Chu immediately looked at Wen Shu openly and honestly, looking at her slender, fair, and delicate face, her pink-tinged earlobes, and the peach-colored corners of her eyes, not knowing if it was from shyness or anger.
As if to prove she was qualified, Li Chu looked at her with justified self-confidence.
The promise Wen Shu made to her in childhood, and the agreement she made with Wen Shu, were part of the reason she wanted to marry Wen Shu; the other part was that Wen Shu was beautiful.
On that day, when Wen Shu placed first in the palace examination and wore red robes while riding a horse through the streets, the moment she pursed her lips and raised her face to look up at her was a scene Li Chu would never forget in her life.
Wen Shu felt that Li Chu’s gaze was too hot and direct. Unable to handle it, she quietly raised her sleeves to cover her face, sulking to herself behind the fabric.
Even if Li Chu confessed about the rumors to her, she had no way of dealing with Li Chu.
Li Chu raised her hand to tug at the corner of Wen Shu’s sleeve, defending herself: “Although I was the one who spread the news, I didn’t spread it blindly.”
She used a little force to pull down the sleeve that Wen Shu was using to cover her face, holding it firmly in her palm so she couldn’t raise it again. Face to face, she said, “The matter between your family and the Yang family was clearly spread by the Yang family.”
Wen Shu was stunned, “The Yang family hasn’t given up yet?”
She really didn’t know what value the Yang family saw in her that made them insist on her.
Li Chu asked with curiosity, “What do you intend to do?”
Wen Shu pursed her lips and frowned, looking serious, dignified, and upright as she said, “If they are unrelenting, I will beg Chancellor Chu to make the decision for me.”
Clearly, in private, she had thought about this matter over and over again. Even if Li Chu didn’t offer to help in the future, she had her own way of dealing with it.
Wen Shu felt that during the Qionglin Banquet last time, it was Chancellor Chu who had intentionally or unintentionally relieved her distress. Unlike other officials, Chancellor Chu came from a humble background and should be able to understand her helplessness when facing the powerful.
By then, whether it was the Yang family or the Sainan Earl’s mansion, they would not continue to pester her.
Wen Shu puffed out her cheeks and jerked her sleeve out of Li Chu’s palm, “If you continue to make trouble, I will also report you to Chancellor Chu.”
Her tone carried a hum of smugness, like someone who had found a straw to grasp at, but her attitude toward Li Chu differed from when she mentioned the Yang family just moments before.
After all, in the hearts of the scholars from humble backgrounds in recent years, the people they admired were none other than Chancellor Chu (Chu Xiu) and the Minister of Rites, Lord Pei (Pei Jingmo). Thanks to these two, women were able to pursue careers, step out of the inner courtyards, and have the same freedom as men to choose their own lives.
Li Chu heard the reverence in her words, and at the same time, was amused by her smug tone, “Then I will give you a chance to report me in front of her.”
Wen Shu, “?”
The carriage stopped in front of the Pei family’s small courtyard, guided by Guan Lu.
The driver, Doubai, turned his head and said, “Young Master, General, we have arrived.”
Wen Shu didn’t rush to get out of the carriage but lifted the curtain to look outside.
The alley was spacious, and the stones on the flagged road were laid flat. Combined with the neat and imposing houses, one could see at a glance that it was a place where the wealthy and noble lived.
However, gripping the curtain, Wen Shu turned to look at Li Chu, “Where is this?”
Shouldn’t Li Chu’s family banquet be held at the General’s Mansion?
Li Chu picked up her dress with one hand, bent over, and jumped out of the carriage. She turned around and reached out to Wen Shu, her palm facing upward, “This is my other home.”
Wen Shu got out of the carriage skeptically, but she avoided Li Chu’s hand and supported herself on the carriage frame, stepping onto the footstool to get down.
Li Chu raised her eyebrows and looked at her empty palm, but she didn’t say anything.
The two stood side by side in front of the small courtyard.
Unlike the neighboring residences that spanned multiple courtyards, this one appeared to have only one. The wooden door was closed, and on the left and right sides under the “Pei Family Small Courtyard” wooden sign hung lanterns with the character “Pei,” written in a gentle and graceful calligraphy, which was very literary.
However, the characters on the wooden sign above were different.
The four characters on the plaque were written in a flying dragon and dancing phoenix style, bold and grand, fully displaying the writer’s ambitions—it was just that they looked inexplicably familiar.
But Wen Shu couldn’t remember where she had seen them before, so she vaguely said, “They look somewhat similar to your handwriting.”
Li Chu looked at her sideways, “Naturally they are similar. I have been copying her calligraphy since I was six. Even though my handwriting has developed its own character now that I am grown, it still bears her shadow.”
Wen Shu nodded in agreement and even gave a rare, slight smile, teasing, “I can tell. Your writing is wild, domineering, and claws at the air; it can’t compare to this person’s writing, which appears more seasoned, unrestrained, and adept at controlling its intensity.”
Being compared like that, Li Chu didn’t get angry. Instead, she raised her hand and rested her palm gently on Wen Shu’s head, praising her proudly, “As expected of Little Sheep, just by looking at the writing, you summarized her personality perfectly.”
In the imperial court, who could be more seasoned and slick in dealing with people than Chancellor Chu? She was more like a fox than a fox, yet she was adept at controlling herself, living life very freely and at ease.
Wen Shu frowned and brushed Li Chu’s hand away.
She discovered that she and Li Chu were almost the same height, but Li Chu always relied on their similar stature and greater strength to either grab her by the back of her collar or press down on the back of her head.
Wen Shu planned to put several shoe inserts into her shoes in the future. When she was half a head taller than Li Chu, she would see how she could still touch her head.
Li Chu didn’t know what Wen Shu was secretly planning. She only retracted her hand and told Guan Lu and Doubai to go to the street to eat and play, and to come back to pick them up around mid-afternoon (the Shen hour).
The reason the family banquet was chosen at noon was because there was a welcome banquet hosted by the Ministry of Rites for Li Chu at the palace in the evening, at which time all the ninth-rank and above court officials, as well as the imperial family, would be present.
Waiting for the carriage behind them to pull away slowly, Li Chu signaled for Wen Shu to go knock on the door.
Although Wen Shu didn’t understand why she was asked to do this, due to Li Chu’s “tyranny,” she still obediently walked up.
She knocked three times on the door panel, and a gentle, calm female voice came from inside, “Chu, Xiuxiu, go open the door.”
“Coming!”
“The Ministry of Rites is busy, Xiao Jing shouldn’t be here this early. Let me guess, that must be little Li Chu.”
A somewhat familiar voice drifted from inside the courtyard, the tone carrying a light, fortunate smile. Even without seeing the person, one could guess the smugness on their face, “You came just in time, just right to pluck the chicken.”
The door opened from within, and Wen Shu, feeling apprehensive, stared straight into the “sly” smiling face of Chancellor Chu.
Wen Shu, “?”
Wen Shu, “!”