The Marquis doesn't support his beloved wife's ambitions, so I'll take the imperial e

"Hey! You've got quite a temper!" Lin Ruyu was intrigued by her seemingly gentle yet firm attitude. He walked to the counter, reached out, and actually tried to lift Jiang Zhenxue's chin.

"Manager Jiang, forget about opening a study room." His voice was low and greasy, repulsive. "Your face is much prettier than these tattered books. Come be my lady-in-waiting, and I guarantee you'll earn more and be much more comfortable here than you are here."

These words were blatant flirting.

Jiang Zhenxue dodged to the side, causing him to miss his target, and the coldness in her eyes almost froze into ice.

Just then—

"Get your dirty hands off me!"

A furious shout, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploded in everyone's ears.

Shen Yu had rushed out at some point. He shielded Jiang Zhenxue behind him, his clear eyes burning with rage as he glared at Lin Ruyu.

The boy's frail body, at this moment, was like an insurmountable mountain, keeping all the wind and rain out.

Lin Ruyu's smile froze on his face. He looked at the boy who was blocking Jiang Zhenxue with great interest, as if he were looking at a cat with its fur standing on end.

"Where did this stray dog ​​come from, daring to bark in front of me?" He used the tip of his folding fan to disdainfully poke Shen Yu's chest.

Shen Yu remained motionless, his eyes as cold as ice in the dead of winter. He didn't speak, but simply reached out and precisely grasped the gold-flecked folding fan that was about to touch his clothes.

A clever mistake.

*Click!*

With a crisp crack, the fine fan ribs snapped.

The room was deathly silent.

No one expected that this usually gentle and humble boy would have such courage and strength.

Lin Ruyu's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red. He had spent a fortune to buy this fan, and more importantly, to have it broken in front of so many people by a servant was nothing short of a resounding slap in the face.

"You've rebelled! You're asking for death!" He roared in fury, and his henchmen immediately rushed forward.

"stop."

A clear, cool female voice rang out, silent yet overwhelming all the noise.

Jiang Zhenxue stepped out from behind Shen Yu, gently pressing his tense arm to signal him to step back. Her face showed no fear, but rather a faint smile as she looked at the enraged Lin Ruyu.

"Young Master Lin, please calm down. My assistant is young and ignorant, and he offended you. I apologize on his behalf."

As she spoke, she gave a slight curtsy, her posture impeccable.

"Apologize? Can you even afford to apologize!" Lin Ruyu was furious. "If I don't break this brat's hand today, where will I put my face?!"

Jiang Zhenxue sneered inwardly, but her smile deepened: "Young Master Lin is the son of a prefect, a man of noble status. Why bother arguing with a servant? If word gets out, wouldn't that be beneath your dignity?"

She paused, then changed the subject, her voice carrying a hint of seduction: "Furthermore, so many talented young men from Pu County are here today; they are all future pillars of the court. If Young Master Lin were to make a scene here and frighten these future colleagues, wouldn't that damage the reputation of the Prefect?"

These words, though seemingly gentle, were barbed and instantly struck at Lin Ruyu's Achilles' heel.

He could disregard these poor scholars, but he couldn't disregard his father's official reputation.

Lin Ruyu's expression shifted rapidly. His weasel-faced lackey beside him darted around, then whispered in his ear, "Young Master Lin, this woman has a point. Fighting these poor bastards would be beneath us. We should find a better way—make her offer herself up for us to trample on!"

A sinister glint flashed in Lin Ruyu's eyes. He looked Jiang Zhenxue over again and sneered, "That sounds nice. So tell me, what are we going to do about this? My fan is broken, and I've lost face. I can't just let it go like this."

"Of course not." Jiang Zhenxue's smile became even more composed. "Young Master Lin thinks that my shop is full of bookworms and finds it boring, and I wholeheartedly agree."

Everyone was taken aback, wondering what she was up to.

"So," Jiang Zhenxue's voice rose, clear and melodious, "this humble woman would like to invite Young Master Lin to play a game, as an apology to you and to relieve your boredom. If I lose, this shop, along with myself, is at your disposal."

These words caused an uproar in the room!

Kang Mingyan stamped his feet in frustration: "Xue'er! Are you crazy! How could you gamble with something like this!"

Shen Yu's face turned deathly pale, and he gripped Jiang Zhenxue's sleeve tightly: "Sister Jiang, you mustn't!"

Jiang Zhenxue simply gave him a reassuring look.

Lin Ruyu's eyes lit up, his greed undisguised. The shop and he were at his mercy? Could there really be such a good deal?

"Oh? What game?" He became interested.

"Scholars have their own way of playing games." Jiang Zhenxue pointed to a painting called "A Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" hanging on the wall of the study. The painting was exquisite, with each bird in a different posture. "For this painting, within the time limit of one incense stick, whoever can remember the types and numbers of the birds in the painting and say them without any error wins."

Lin Ruyu's follower, Wu, laughed.

"That's it? I thought it would be much harder!"

"Young Master Lin, isn't this just a contest of memory? The retainers we keep in our manor all have photographic memories!"

Lin Ruyu also felt that this bet was tailor-made for him. He waved his broken fan, looking confident of victory: "Alright! This young master will play along! But, if you lose..."

"If I lose, I mean it," Jiang Zhenxue interrupted him, then added, "But what if I win?"

"You win?" Lin Ruyu exclaimed as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world. "If you can win, I'll avoid you from now on! I'll never set foot in your shabby shop again!"

"Alright." That was exactly what Jiang Zhenxue wanted to hear. She surveyed the entire room and declared loudly, "All the students present today are witnesses. A gentleman's word is as good as his bond."

She turned her head, but not to look at Lin Ruyu, but at Shen Yu beside her.

"Xiao Yu, you take my place in this match."

Shen Yu was suddenly stunned.

All eyes were focused on the handsome young man.

Let him come? A shop assistant trying to out-memorize a master hired by the prefect's son? Isn't that just asking for humiliation?

Lin Ruyu laughed so hard she almost fell over: "Manager Jiang, are you out of your mind? Sending a servant out to die?"

He had great confidence in the guest he brought. The man, surnamed Zhao, was an old scholar who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations. He was not very learned, but he had an exceptional memory and was the source of his pride and joy at the dinner table.

"Mr. Zhao, I'm leaving it to you," Lin Ruyu said to a middle-aged man with a goatee behind her.

Mr. Zhao stepped forward, glanced arrogantly at Shen Yu, as if he had already won.

Jiang Zhenxue ignored the crowd's comments and calmly looked at Shen Yu, saying each word clearly, "Xiao Yu, have you forgotten those notes you compiled? I believe in you."