Changning Hou was a handsome man; the Hou’s wife had power and influence, was proud and haughty, and was the Crown Prince’s maternal aunt.
As soon as the words fell, Hong Xiu came bouncing back with a bundle on her back.
The bundle was opened, revealing a stack of banknotes and a small chest full of silver.
“Young Master, that old woman was trying to cheat us! There’s still ten thousand taels of silver in the accounting office. Here, I even brought the ledgers back for you. Oh, and that thieving accountant was embezzling our family’s money too—I caught him. I found two thousand taels on him and broke both his legs.”
Shen Chu took the ledgers and flipped through them. “Well done.”
Praised, Hong Xiu lifted her chin with an air of triumph.
Shen Chu raised an eyebrow and looked at Nanny Yang. “What nerve, daring to deceive me. The household clearly had all this money, yet you dared to make me eat spoiled food.”
Nanny Yang knelt at Changning Hou’s feet, wailing, refusing to admit anything she had said earlier.
“Master Hou, please see clearly—I never said the household had no money. The Eldest Young Master is deliberately making things difficult for me.”
Madam Chen stepped forward, fanning the flames: “Chu, we’re all one family. How could you go rob the accounting office just over a bite to eat and drink?”
With a single sentence, she branded Shen Chu a robber.
The thought of her daughter being fed a pebble-laced porridge by Shen Chu made Madam Chen wish Changning Hou would beat Shen Chu black and blue.
“Unfilial son!”
Changning Hou’s face darkened as he strode toward Shen Chu.
Shen Chu looked utterly astonished. “Father, so the family actually had money all along? So the frugality in food and clothing was only to be practiced on me alone?”
Changning Hou: “Is that the point?”
“Isn’t that the point? Oh, you mean the accountant’s embezzlement? As the household’s accountant, he dared to line his own pockets. Breaking only two of his legs was letting him off easy. Father, no need to thank me.”
Changning Hou was so furious his vision went black.
Thank him?
“This wasn’t auditing the accounts—this was outright robbery! You robbed your own family’s accountant. This is sheer lawlessness.”
“Return the money to the accounting office at once, then kneel obediently in the ancestral hall to beg forgiveness, or else I’ll—”
Shen Chu smiled and raised an eyebrow. “Or else Father will personally submit a memorial to His Majesty, saying I’m rebellious and unfilial, and strip me of my scholarly rank?”
Changning Hou opened his mouth, choked and unable to speak for a moment, before finally reprimanding coldly:
“What nonsense? Why would I strip you of your rank? Return the money to the accounting office right now, and I can deal with today’s matter leniently.”
Shen Chu snorted, picked up the ledger beside him, and began reading aloud:
“February eighteenth—Caiyifang’s monthly income: two thousand taels.”
“February twentieth—Diancuige’s monthly income: four thousand taels.”
“March sixth—Master’s monthly salary recorded: three hundred taels.”
“March fifteenth—the Heir’s academy tuition paid out: one thousand six hundred taels; the Master’s banquet expenses: one thousand taels; clothing for the Madam and the Eldest Young Miss: eight hundred taels…”
Hong Xiu gasped. “Caiyifang, Diancuige, Tonghejiulou… Oh! Aren’t these all Concubine Qiao’s dowry properties? So your entire family has been living off Concubine Qiao?”
Shen Chu feigned surprise. “Good heavens, Father—so your salary actually can’t support our whole family?”
“Ah, well… Father is the Hou, after all, and his yearly salary is only a little over three thousand taels—not even as much as one month’s profits from my concubine-mother’s shops.”
Changning Hou’s face flushed crimson, his eyes blazing with fury.
“You, a scholar, with nothing but money on your lips—utterly vulgar! Have all these years of study gone straight into a dog’s belly?”
Shen Chu remained perfectly composed. “Probably. I’m your son—as long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”
“You… you!”
“Sigh. I’ve had my heart set on nothing but passing the examinations, but who knew an official’s salary would be so low? In that case, I’d better not become an official at all.”
Changning Hou raged. “If you’re not becoming an official, what will you do?”
“Why, take a beautiful, wealthy concubine, of course. Then I can live off her, and she’ll even bear me children. What a fine life! Father really is the clever one—he found life’s shortcut from the very start. Your son is simply too young and naive.”
Changning Hou was so furious his face nearly fell into a dye vat—turning every color under the sun, impossible to say which shade came first.
“You wretch! You’ve only been back a short while and you already dare meddle in this family’s affairs? You arrogant fool—you think passing the Zhuangyuan examination gives you free rein in this house? Let me tell you: as long as I draw breath, I am the master of this household.”
Shen Chu picked at her ear. “Fine, fine, fine. Yes, yes, yes. Whatever you say.”
Changning Hou choked, a breath stuck in his throat, his face contorting with suppressed rage.
Shen Chu said, “Father, your studies didn’t go to waste—so why don’t you tell me which book of the sages says a man may spend a woman’s money to support the family?”
“You… you!”
Changning Hou, beside himself, swung a slap at her.
Shen Chu dodged backward, her smile turning cold.
“Hong Xiu, what do you call this in your jianghu circles?”
Hong Xiu answered at the top of her lungs: “The common saying is ‘curse the cook after eating your fill, beat the monk after chanting the sutras.’ Put more elegantly, it’s called ingratitude—a wolf’s heart and a dog’s lungs.”
Master and servant carried on this question-and-answer routine until Madam Chen’s face twisted with fury.
“Rebel… you rebellious son, shut your mouth!” Changning Hou could hold back no longer and roared.
Shen Chu, as if waking from a dream, handed over the banknotes and the chest full of silver.
“I couldn’t help chatting with Hong Xiu about a few jianghu rules just now. I imagine the rules here in the capital are the same. Father, please take back my aunt’s money.”
She bit down hard on the words “my aunt’s money,” her smile utterly shameless.
I dare to give it—but do you have the face to take it?
A grown man living off his concubine’s dowry to support the whole family—isn’t that shameful?
Changning Hou glared viciously at Shen Chu, veins bulging at his temples, the fury in his eyes as if it would burn her alive.
Before all these witnesses, how could he possibly take the money?
What would become of his reputation?
“Get out! Take that money and get out!”
“Right away.”
Shen Chu rose with a shameless grin, swiftly pocketed the banknotes, picked up the chest, and sauntered toward the door.
At the doorway, she suddenly turned back and drawled, leaning against the doorframe:
“My studies all went to the dogs, so I do things a bit doggishly too. If word of today doesn’t spread on its own, I may just go spread it myself. At worst, I’ll simply be an unfilial rebel with a ruined career. I couldn’t care less.”
Changning Hou’s vision went black with rage. “Get out! Get out!”
Shen Chu gave a scornful laugh and turned to leave.
Madam Chen came to her senses and shrieked, “Don’t let him leave! Someone, stop him!”
The guards surged in.
Madam Chen tugged at Changning Hou’s sleeve. “Chu is so young and already so rebellious. If you let this pass lightly, my lord, everyone in the household will follow his example—and won’t just anyone then be free to rob this house?”
Most important of all, Shen Chu absolutely could not be allowed to take the money away.
Changning Hou came back to himself, a shadow of menace flashing through his eyes.
“Guards! Tie up the eldest young master and bring out the family discipline!”
The guards all lunged at Shen Chu.
But before any of them could even reach him, Hong Xiu knocked them all to the ground in a few swift moves.
One of the guards was even flung violently by Hong Xiu right at the Changning Hou’s feet, and with a splat, he spat out two bloody front teeth that landed squarely on the Changning Hou.
Changning Hou was so furious that his face could no longer form any expression.
Hong Xiu stood with her hands on her hips, sweeping a domineering glance around the room.
“A bunch of weaklings. If you want to harm my young master, you’ll have to get past me first.”
The guards: …
“This is mutiny—utter mutiny! A lowly maidservant daring to act so brazenly!”
Changning Hou roared, “Summon the archers! I refuse to believe I can’t deal with the likes of you!”