Chapter 312: Chapter 312 Good Affinity

Zhao Xu sat down, used the paperweight to smooth out the paper, dipped his brush in ink, and wrote with ease.

After Zhao Xu finished writing, Eunuch Fu took a glance.

He didn’t quite understand.

Zhao Xu explained a few words, and Eunuch Fu praised him, “Young master possesses the talents of a top scholar; selling paintings on the street is truly beneath you.”

After speaking, he took out a silver ingot and gave it to Zhao Xu.

Consider it as forming a favorable connection.

If one day Zhao Xu achieved great success, there would be a favor owed.

Just this favorable connection—

Hmm.

It ended up linked to Nanliang.

Back in the carriage, Eunuch Fu memorized the scolding words.

When the carriage stopped in front of the Duke Zhen Mansion, Eunuch Fu had already memorized it backwards.

Upon meeting Princess Nanzhang, Eunuch Fu recited that passage of scolding with emotion.

Did you think Princess Nanzhang was very angry?

No!

Princess Nanzhang looked bewildered.

“Eunuch Fu, what are you talking about? I don’t understand,” Princess Nanzhang said.

I don’t understand…

Don’t understand…

Don’t understand…

Eunuch Fu felt like he was struck by lightning.

He overestimated Princess Nanzhang’s knowledge.

Those twenty taels of silver were spent in vain.

Eunuch Fu, with a stern face, said, “It was not your mansion’s young master who saved the Right Minister’s daughter, but someone else. As the legitimate mother, Princess Nanzhang, you didn’t clarify the matter before hastily arranging the marriage, which became widely known. The Emperor sent me to ask you, how are you fulfilling your role as the legitimate mother?!”

Princess Nanzhang’s face turned ashen.

“If it’s not the young master, then who?!” Princess Nanzhang asked.

Eunuch Fu was speechless.

She still had the face to ask.

“It was the Eldest Young Madam,” Eunuch Fu informed her openly.

Princess Nanzhang, “…!!!”

The maids looked at each other, dumbfounded.

“The Eldest Young Madam, disguised as a man, did a great deed. Princess, you must not punish her,” Eunuch Fu said.

This was not said by the Emperor.

Eunuch Fu added it himself.

But others did not know it was just his opinion.

They assumed it was the Emperor protecting Su Jin.

As the close eunuch of the Emperor, this was the greatest benefit.

His intentions sometimes become the Emperor’s intentions.

Princess Nanzhang was so angry that her lips trembled.

Eunuch Fu, frustrated over wasting twenty taels of silver, lashed out at Princess Nanzhang, scolding her a few more times in his anger, no longer thinking of the Empress Dowager potentially taking issue.

“Princess, reflect properly. Should there be a next time, the Emperor will not spare you so lightly!”

Having said that, Eunuch Fu turned and left.

After he left, the Second Madam looked at the Third Madam, wanting to laugh but unable to, her cheeks aching, “Earlier, what Eunuch Fu said was scolding the elder sister-in-law.”

“Without a bit of literary talent, you wouldn’t understand even when being scolded,” the Third Madam laughed, covering her mouth.

Princess Nanzhang’s face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.

“Third sister-in-law, since you’re so talented, go ahead and explain a few lines to me,” Princess Nanzhang’s eyes were icy cold.

Third Madam’s expression froze, and she laughed, “It was just a roundabout way of saying the elder sister-in-law harbors evil intentions, wasn’t it?”

Anyway, you don’t understand.

Even if she misunderstood, it was still unknown. Why did she find it so amusing?

Princess Nanzhang clenched her fists, veins bulging on the backs of her hands.

Meanwhile, Eunuch Fu returned to the palace in the carriage.

What he did was so amusing that the little eunuch couldn’t help but share it with close colleagues.

The little eunuch then mentioned it to two more eunuchs.

And then—

The story spread.

The Emperor encountered Consort Li while strolling in the Imperial Garden.

Consort Li saw Eunuch Fu and couldn’t help but laugh.

The Emperor noticed and asked, “What is the Consort laughing about?”

“I find Eunuch Fu quite an interesting person,” Consort Li laughed.

The Emperor glanced at Eunuch Fu, “What’s so interesting?”

Eunuch Fu was also puzzled.

Consort Li explained, “I heard from a palace maid that Eunuch Fu went out to reprimand Princess Nanzhang, and to ensure the scolding was both elegant and imposing, he specifically sought someone to cite classics and memorized them, only to find out that Princess Nanzhang didn’t understand.”

“Eunuch Fu had to use his own words to scold her again,” Consort Li laughed until her cheeks hurt.

The Emperor, “….”

Eunuch Fu, “….”

The Emperor was speechless.

He looked at Eunuch Fu.

Eunuch Fu said, “I stupidly spent twenty taels of silver for such a silly task. Please, Consort Li, do not laugh at me.”

It turned out to be true.

The Emperor couldn’t help but laugh.

“What exactly did you scold her with?” the Emperor asked.

Eunuch Fu then recited the passage to the Emperor.

Consort Li stopped laughing.

Because she realized she only understood two sentences, hopefully, the Emperor wouldn’t question her.

The Emperor raised an eyebrow, “He is indeed a talented individual. In terms of literary flair, he’s not inferior to Young Master Xie.”

This was quite a high praise.

Eunuch Fu quickly said, “He’s just someone selling calligraphy and paintings on the streets; though he has some literary flair, how can he compare to the young master of the Duke Zhen Mansion.”

The Emperor chuckled, “Even though Princess Nanzhang didn’t understand, your twenty taels weren’t spent in vain.”

“If the Emperor says it wasn’t in vain, then it surely wasn’t,” Eunuch Fu laughed.

In the bustling street.

After training, Chu Shun and his group bathed and went out.

Yesterday when they were supposed to help Zhao Xu gain fame, they were delayed.

Today they couldn’t miss it.

Once the reputation spreads, Zhao Xu wouldn’t need to set up a stall to sell calligraphy and paintings, allowing him more time to investigate cases with them.

More people meant more strength.

Prince NanAn came over and saw Zhao Xu playing with a silver ingot, slightly surprised, “Brother Zhao, you’ve started business?”

“Sort of,” Zhao Xu replied.

“What do you mean by sort of?” Chu Shun asked curiously.

Zhao Xu found it a bit difficult to explain.

The guard said, “Today a eunuch from the palace asked our young master to write a piece of scolding, specifically asking for it to be elegant and roundabout.”

Chu Shun and the others exchanged looks.

“Was it Brother Zhao who helped Eunuch Fu scold Princess Nanzhang?”

The four of them said in unison.

Prince NanAn knew everything about the palace gossip.

There was no palace rumor he didn’t know about.

Zhao Xu, “….”

Chu Shun held back a laugh, “Previously, we might have needed some effort to help Brother Zhao gain fame; now it’s much easier.”

“You mean to use Princess Nanzhang as a stepping stone to help Brother Zhao become famous?” the Heir of Marquis Beining asked.

“With a ready-made stepping stone, why not use it?” Chu Shun said.

“… No reason not to.”

Princess Nanzhang was eager to spread the news about Xie Jingchen wanting to take a concubine, and now that she lost face, should they keep covering for her?

It was like giving the elder brother and sister-in-law a way to vent their frustration.

“Let’s eat first; when this news spreads, we’ll go with the flow,” Chu Shun said.

“Brother Zhao, now that you have money, you should treat us,” Prince NanAn patted Zhao Xu’s shoulder.

Zhao Xu, “…..”

Hmm.

Zhao Xu’s thirty taels of silver were not enough for the meal.

He even owed Drunken Immortal Pavilion twenty taels.

But after the meal.

Zhao Xu became famous throughout the capital city.

The Emperor praised Zhao Xu, and Eunuch Fu mentioned that the person was selling calligraphy and paintings on the streets.

From the Imperial Palace to the Duke Zhen Mansion, there was only one bustling street.

Consort Li sent a message to her maternal family, instructing them to be sure to win over this street artist; helping someone in dire straits could mean gaining support in the future when they achieved great success.

The steward of Consort Li’s maternal family at Marquis Wu Mansion brought people to invite Zhao Xu.

However, Zhao Xu wasn’t there, only the guard watching over the painting stall.

The guard said Zhao Xu was at Drunken Immortal Pavilion, so the steward found the pavilion.

At that moment, Prince NanAn and his group finished their meal and came downstairs.

When the steward from Marquis Wu Mansion arrived, Prince NanAn publicly announced to all the diners how Eunuch Fu had Zhao Xu write a critique of Princess Nanzhang, and how she didn’t understand it.

Many laughed until their stomachs hurt.

This was definitely the biggest embarrassment Princess Nanzhang had faced.

And Marquis Wu Mansion coming to forge friendly ties was the best proof.

Plus, being shoulder to shoulder and brotherly with Prince NanAn.

This was how Zhao Xu became famous.

He hadn’t even reached the painting stall yet.

The paintings were all sold out.

Zhao Xu, “….”

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