Chapter 212: Uncovered

Study room. Su Yaoguang was calculating the accounts, the abacus clattering loudly.

Zhou Wangshu placed a small booklet in front of her and said, "The task you assigned has been completed."

Su Yaoguang was overjoyed, paused her actions, picked up the booklet, and asked, "Did you find the address of that Mingye Hall?"

Upon seeing the contents of the booklet, her eyes were full of surprise as she looked up in Zhou Wangshu’s direction.

Zhou Wangshu moved the abacus from beside her, shifted the account book, and continued calculating from where she had left off, his abacus clattering faster than hers.

"I thought you found the address of Mingye Hall, but you’ve actually uncovered the details of that ungrateful husband of Sister Chun’e. This is really quick, isn’t it?"

"It’s not me who is quick; it’s Mingye Hall that acted swiftly."

"How much silver did this information cost?"

"Fifty taels," Zhou Wangshu said, "The man named Zhu Keseng is an escort master. Uncovering his dealings required checking out-of-town, which cost a bit more."

"This information is worth the price." As Su Yaoguang finished reading the contents, her eyes were filled with joy. "Ask your classmate if they can give you the contact for Mingye Hall. If we need to buy important information or clues next time, we can negotiate directly with the people from Mingye Hall."

"Don’t worry, I’ve met the people from Mingye Hall and know how to contact them, so we can negotiate directly next time."

"This Mingye Hall really has an incredible reach. In just two days, they managed to find out so much. I’ll send someone to find Sister Chun’e immediately, and let her know what that scoundrel has done all these years and how much property he has secretly amassed."

As Su Yaoguang stood up, she heard the voice of a staff member from outside the door announcing: "Owner, Boss Lady Chun’e has arrived."

Su Yaoguang looked towards Zhou Wangshu in surprise.

Zhou Wangshu finished moving the abacus and announced the final figure on the account book, saying, "I sent someone to invite her over. I figured you would want to discuss strategies with her after reading the information, so I asked the staff to bring her."

Su Yaoguang touched Zhou Wangshu’s ear: "Wang Shu, are you a worm in my stomach?"

Zhou Wangshu shivered at this.

His ears were sensitive, and her sudden touch startled him like a thunderbolt, making him breathe more heavily.

"I know you two are in love, but do you have to flaunt it in front of someone as unfortunate as me?" Chun E pushed the door open and said sourly, glancing at the charming couple before her.

"Sister Chun’e, where is that dog of a man now?" Su Yaoguang asked.

Chun E replied bitterly, "He no longer hides it. He’s being affectionate with that wench at the house I set up. My mother-in-law is overjoyed to finally have a grandson and talks about him endlessly, making me redundant."

Zhou Wangshu knew they had things to discuss and told Su Yaoguang he was returning to the academy.

After Zhou Wangshu left, Chun E came over and patted Su Yaoguang on the shoulder, saying, "Wang Shu is truly excellent; you’re a lucky girl."

"There are many bad men in the world, but there are also many good ones. As long as you keep away from that dog of a man, you too can find someone better."

"A woman nearing middle age like me doesn’t expect to find a good man. I just want to protect my silver and stay away from that scoundrel."

"Sister Chun’e, look at this information," Su Yaoguang said, handing the booklet to Chun E.

Chun E took the booklet and started reading from the first page. As she read more, her face grew grim, and by the end, she was trembling with anger.

The entire booklet had fifty pages, summarizing all the important events that man had done over the years.

This was also why Su Yaoguang said the information was worth fifty taels of silver. After all, even the person involved might not remember everything from so many years, yet Mingye Hall managed to investigate someone so thoroughly, leaving them nowhere to hide.

"I want to divorce him immediately."

"Sister Chun’e, if you just divorce him like this, you won’t get anything," Su Yaoguang said. "The properties he acquired over the years are all in that woman’s name. Even if you find out they’re his, the deeds and land titles don’t bear his name. What can you do about it?"

"But he’s done illegal things, and if I don’t divorce him quickly, once they find out what he’s done over the years, I’ll be implicated too."

"What are you afraid of? Are you more afraid than he is?" Su Yaoguang said, "With everything laid out in front of us, he’s the one who should be most afraid."

"You’re right. What do you suggest?" Chun E asked.

Su Yaoguang leaned close to Chun E, whispering a few words in her ear.

Chun E’s eyes were full of wonder after hearing those words.

"Sister, no wonder you can make a lot of money. You have quite the nerve," Chun E said. "However, he’s tall and strong, and has a few sworn brothers who’d do anything for him. I’m worried if we provoke him, he’ll turn his brothers against me, and I’m no match as a weak woman."

"My dear sister, you’ve earned so much silver; if you don’t use it now, when will you?" Su Yaoguang patted her hand. "You might not have his physical strength or his accomplices, but you have the money to hire people!"

"Alright, I’ll return to my family’s house and tell them about this, then have a formal negotiation with that Zhu fellow."

After Chun E left, Zhou Wangshu reappeared from the adjacent room.

"Didn’t you say you were going back to the academy?" Su Yaoguang asked upon seeing him.

"It’s a day off today," Zhou Wangshu replied as he sat down and asked, "What kind of lousy idea did you give her?"

"I just offered a bold yet feasible plan, not a lousy one." Su Yaoguang shoved the account books into his hands. "Since you’re off, you have nothing to do, so I’ll leave the rest of these accounts to you to sharpen your skills."

"You’re slacking off but saying it so confidently," Zhou Wangshu grumbled, though his hands were busy calculating.

He was faster and more accurate with the abacus than Su Yaoguang. With his speed, he could finish in two hours what she needed a whole day for.

Now that he was back and had spare time, it was a waste not to use such a competent hand.

Su Yaoguang left the study room, and when she returned, she carried a basket filled with freshly washed grapes.

She sat beside Zhou Wangshu and watched his swift calculations, popping a grape into his mouth.

Eating the chilled grape, Zhou Wangshu’s movements slowed slightly.

"Do you think Sister Chun’e will succeed?" Su Yaoguang asked vaguely while eating grapes.

Zhou Wangshu opened his mouth, gesturing for another grape.

Su Yaoguang obliged, feeding him more.

With a grape in his mouth, Zhou Wangshu said, "She’s not dumb. You’ve thought of a plan for her; if she can’t manage it, then you don’t need to bother with her affairs anymore."