Ink Burns

Chapter 168 I'm poor too!

In particular, Yu Niang is now getting married.

Su Ge'er is not afraid. He is a fine young man. He is just like his father, even surpassing him in some ways. He is more aggressive, troublesome, and quick to anger than his father. His father always cleans up his messes while proudly saying, "My son is just like him."

Su Ge'er has someone to take care of him.

But Yu Niang was different.

Yu Niang is a girl, and she looks like someone from the Zhou family. The Chang family is not happy with such a girl, so they will definitely not give her a large dowry.

She had struggled financially for half her life, but she had to fight for her daughter's future.

Madam Zhou pondered for a moment: "You mean, without using the title of 'Jade Plate Lady,' we can still earn money at Guan'anzhai?"

Shan Yue smiled and nodded.

"What should we do?" Mrs. Zhou asked.

"Have you forgotten that before I joined the Liu family, I was a painter in Suzhou Prefecture?" Shan Yue smiled knowingly. "The Suzhou style is famous far and wide, and they are skilled at copying and imitating. There are countless genuine works by famous artists from the previous dynasty that have been lost. I paint them, and Guan'anzhai sells them. Paintings by my own hand are inherently difficult to distinguish from fakes. Furthermore, since they are sold through Guan'anzhai, how could others doubt them? Even if they are fake, they can be made to look real!"

Mrs. Zhou was stunned.

Shan Yue did the math for her: "We won't paint the Four Masters; we'll paint the Zhe School of the Northern Song Dynasty, the court paintings of the Tang Dynasty, and the freehand paintings of the Six Dynasties. Such a masterpiece by a famous artist would be worth at least five hundred taels of silver on the market! You can split the profits 70% and I'll take 30%. We can produce one painting every two months. You do the math, how much silver can we earn in a year?"

In other words, she could get 350 taels without doing anything.
Two months is 350 taels, and a year is 2,000 taels!

Madam Zhou swallowed.

Shan Yue placed her hands on the table, leaning forward, her hidden expectation revealed: "This money is easy to earn—but the key is, do you have any influence at Guan An Zhai?"

Madam Zhou was caught off guard by this sudden question: "My brother is in charge of Guanzhai, how can I not have a say!"

The inference has been confirmed: the two are indeed siblings.

Shan Yue smiled and said, "Isn't that a perfect coincidence! It's like a pillow meeting a sleepy head!"

Madam Zhou was taken aback again. The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. She didn't have to worry about anything. All she had to do was act as a go-between and get the girl's paintings sold in the shop. She would then receive a sum of money, and she wouldn't have to worry about the girl not giving her the money—the accounts of Guanzhai were originally managed by her brother!

There wasn't a single pit inside or out!
Madam Zhou looked at Shan Yue and said, "You're willing to give me seventy percent? You're the one who's supposed to be painting."

Shan Yue took the opportunity to link arms with Madam Zhou: "Without you, no matter how skilled I am, I wouldn't be able to sell for this price!" Shan Yue paused: "Besides, I will need your help in the future. I am all alone in the capital. If the Grand Princess doesn't trust or like me, and sends you to test me like today, I would really have no choice but to smash my head against the gate of the Nan Mansion."

"It's not that I distrust or dislike you." Madam Zhou, who was about to receive a large sum of money, naturally smiled and replied casually, "It's just that Yao Zaozheng also drank the same 'tethering potion' as you. Ten days have passed, and there's still no news of him. He's neither attending court nor at home, and we don't know if he's alive or dead. The Grand Princess is afraid that he'll be captured by Xue Xiao and turn against her, and then she'll be afraid that you'll be exposed."

I'm afraid she might turn against us, and even more afraid she might be misled by Xue Xiao and choose to deceive and manipulate both sides. If that happens, then this pawn should be killed or discarded without hesitation.

Why has the topic returned to Yao Zaozheng?

Before she knew it, Madam Zhou had spoken too much and belatedly stopped talking.

Shan Yue, however, seemed to be deep in thought.

"What's wrong?" Mrs. Zhou asked, peeking out of her bed.

Shan Yue frowned and hesitated, saying, "It's possible that Lord Yao is truly in grave danger."

"What do you mean by that?"

Shan Yue pursed her lips and lowered her head: "Since Xue Xiao began his mourning period, he has not spent more time at home. Every day he sneaks out of the mansion through the side gate and does not return until the morning of the third day. Each time he returns, he either carries a strong smell of blood or the smell of paper and ink, and his clothes are very damp—the weather in the capital is dry, so it is impossible for his clothes to be damp."

Shan Yue paused, lowering her voice even further: "I suspect that the Censorate has a secret room, and that this secret room is underground—only someone who lives underground for a long time would have such heavy dampness on their clothes!"

Madam Zhou knew that the Censorate had a secret prison called "Tianbao Temple": after Yao Zaozheng entered it for the first time, she reported this news to the Grand Princess Jing'an.

But after Shan Yue said it, Madam Zhou was completely relieved: Shan Yue had not betrayed them, nor had she been exposed!

Madam Zhou's attitude towards Shan Yue became even more amiable and affectionate: "You mean, after Lord Yao was captured, he was dragged into the Censorate's secret room? —Then why did you judge that he was in grave danger?" "Xue Xiao treated me as usual, which means Lord Yao hasn't been forced to talk. You said ten days have passed, and he hasn't taken the antidote as scheduled, then..."

Before Shan Yue could finish speaking, a hint of sadness appeared on her face: "If he truly meets with misfortune, I hope 'Qing Feng' will treat his family and descendants well."

There is a kind of sorrow that arises from the loss of one's own kind.

Madam Zhou frowned and looked away, feeling that Shan Yue's words made a lot of sense. She hurriedly summoned Yu Niang back, then bid farewell to Shan Yue and rushed eastward, eager to report this very likely guess to the Grand Princess Jing'an.

Shan Yue escorted him to the porch, watching as the Chang family's carriage gradually drove away.

Once the carriage was out of sight, Shan Yue's face slowly darkened.

"Is Yao Zaozheng's matter settled?"

Xue Xiao, unaware of when, slowly walked out from the depths of the gatehouse and stood beside Shan Yue, following her gaze toward the end of the alley.

"It's over."

Shan Yue's voice was very soft: "As expected, Yao Zaozheng has disappeared, and Jing'an's first suspect is me."

“Madam Zhou is a fool, but Jing’an is not,” Xue Xiao smiled.

Shan Yue raised an eyebrow and said with a half-smile, "She's not stupid, but she's done stupid things."

"What?" Xue Xiao asked.

"Have you noticed?" Shan Yue responded to the question with a question: "Madam Zhou of the Chang family has a particularly pleasant voice, clear and crisp, with intonations that sound like opera."

Xue Xiao's eyes darkened: "What do you mean?"

Shan Yue turned around, a smile playing on her lips: "There are many professions that require training in the coldest and hottest winters, but there are only a few professions where girls have to squat on stools—the martial arts profession?"

Shan Yue shook her head and answered herself, "No."

"A security escort agency?"

Shan Yue shook her head again: "No."

"Military household?"

"No."

Shan Yue turned his head back, his expression focused on the dust flying on the ground: "In theatrical troupes, the actors need to be proficient in singing, reciting, acting, and fighting. Since ancient times, the first thing female and young male actors have learned is to squat on a small stool. Only when their lower body is stable can they sing loudly and act with great energy."

The mountain moon is watching the dust motes in the sky.

Xue Xiao was looking at the mountain moon.

The young woman was beautiful, with a calm demeanor, and spoke with confidence and composure.

"Bang bang bang" "Bang bang bang" --

Xue Xiao's heart was pounding wildly.

Two very efficient chapters.

This resolved the issue of Yao Zaozheng's claim of being "Qingfeng";

Shan Yue and Madam Zhou formed an alliance;

The secret of the Zhou siblings was exposed.

small theater:
Xue Xiao: Is it my fault that I admire strength? Isn't it her fault that she's too strong?