In the few days after arriving at his new home, Liu Zhenqing basically never left the courtyard. After working hard for many years, he could finally take a break, so Liu Zhenqing naturally lay down like a salted fish.

Normally, around three o’clock in the afternoon was the time to lie on a couch in the courtyard with a blanket to bask in the sun. He could fall back asleep just by closing his eyes, and all the bones in his body practically went soft from sleeping.

But today, there was something different.

Someone knocked on the door early in the morning, and Jin Li went to open it. When he saw that it was the second steward, his expression wasn’t good.

“Today is the fifteenth day. I am here to invite the First Young Master to the central hall.”

Jin Li’s expression changed at once. If the other’s status wasn’t higher than his own, Jin Li would have spat in his face.

The children of the Liu family had been involved in business since they were young. In the Liu family, the fifteenth day of every month was when the elders tested the juniors.

Everyone in the house knew that the eldest young master was no good at this. Every fifteenth day was when the eldest young master was crushed and humiliated by his two younger brothers. It was originally thought that due to the special circumstances this month, the eldest young master would not have to go, but now the second steward had come to the door. This was simply intentional.

“The Second Steward must be joking, our young master is still recovering from his illness.”

The second steward bowed and said: “The doctor has said that the First Young Master is already well. The Second Young Master and Third Young Master have gone just now, and are waiting for the First Young Master.”

Just as Jin Li was about to say more, he heard a brisk voice come from the courtyard.

“What are they waiting for me for?”

Jin Li’s expression changed, and he sent a meaningful look at Liu Zhenqing, but the second steward squeezed in and explained his purpose with a smile.

Jin Li immediately protected his master and said: “Our young master has lost his memory, and I believe that the Old Master would not ask the First Young Master to go. Shall I go ask the Old Master now?”

The second steward smiled and said: “The young master has known these things since his early schooling, and they have long been engraved in his bones. Perhaps this can help the young master retrieve his memories.”

Liu Zhenqing raised his eyebrows and said: “Grandfather is there?”

The second steward said: “Of course.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

The second steward promptly led the way with a cheerful smile. Jin Li followed Liu Zhenqing anxiously and whispered: “Master, they clearly want to see you make a fool of yourself. Why did you still agree?”

“Oh? I just happen to have something to see Grandfather about.” Liu Zhenqing said indifferently.

But Jin Li was endlessly worried: “Master, ah, when can’t you find a good time? If you choose to go now, you won’t be able to save yourself. At this time, all the shopkeepers of the Liu family chamber of commerce will be there. You……”

Liu Zhenqing said speechlessly: “Could it be that this is the first day they will discover that this young master isn’t good at such things? I’ll just go and directly say that I can’t do it.”

Jin Li choked for a moment, feeling that the young master had lost all earthly desires. Before, he would feel more or less angry and ashamed.

Jin Li felt aggrieved: “It’s not that Master isn’t good at it at all. It’s clearly that the Second and Third Masters hired shopkeepers to give special favor to their children. Master has nobody to teach him, so he naturally loses to them in every assessment.” After several losses, his master was ridiculed and lost his confidence, naturally becoming even more unwilling to run this business.

Regarding Jin Li’s complaints, Liu Zhenqing let them go in one ear and out the other.

In any case, he wasn’t the real Liu Xiaozhu, but today was a good day. He happened to need to go out, but due to the kidnapping incident, the old man had restricted his freedom. Thus, he had to seek the old man out.

When the three of them arrived at the central hall, they saw Steward Fu coming out. His expression changed slightly when he saw them, but it was too late for him to speak. He could only give the second steward a hard look.

“Da-ge has come?”

“It seems that Da-ge still wants to take the exam with us.”

Liu Zhenqing followed the voices and saw many people standing in the hall, looking toward the door.

He was particularly moved by the looks in the eyes of his two cheap cousins. With such eager anticipation, those who didn’t know would think that there was love and respect between them.

The others were also looking at Liu Zhenqing.

They saw that today, the First Young Master was very different from before.

Devoid of his usual flashy accessories, he was dressed in green brocade and snow-colored robes, which made him look like a green bamboo shoot in the snow. It also allowed people to see his good looks behind the dazzling golden gleam, not to mention his calm and relaxed attitude.

They had initially thought that the young master would be timid and uneasy after losing his memory, and didn’t expect to be surprised.

The Old Master said: “I was about to ask Steward Fu to inform you that you don’t have to come. Your memory has not been restored yet, so you are not required to participate in this matter.”

The old man still felt sorry for his grandson, after all, and even though he wanted to teach him strictly, he didn’t want his grandson to be frustrated in front of everyone after experiencing such a catastrophe. Thus, an excuse was given.

But others may not accept this way of saving face.

The Second Master spoke first: “Father, give Eldest Nephew a chance, perhaps he can do it.”

“He has lost his memory, but his brain isn’t broken. Trying can’t hurt anything,” the Third Master pointed out.

Some shopkeepers also adapted to the changing circumstances: “Yes, ah, let the First Young Master give it a try. He made progress last time.”

“The test questions aren’t difficult this time. I believe that the First Young Master can do it.”

Sure enough, as soon as he came to the central hall, he felt that he couldn’t save himself. In fact, as soon as the second steward came to find him, Liu Zhenqing knew what their purpose was. It was simply to see if the young master who was not very good in the past was even more hopeless after losing his memory.

Naturally, the Second and Third Masters wanted to let the people of the chamber of commerce see this clearly, and the people of the chamber of commerce also wanted to consider carefully in order to avoid standing on the wrong side.

And Liu Zhenqing was the monkey under observation.

Liu Zhenqing took no notice of this, and said straightforwardly: “Everyone is so enthusiastic. I have long forgotten how to read the ledgers after losing my memory. The assessment should be based on my two younger brothers.”

No one had expected that he would come to say this, and their expressions shifted at once. The two cousins even let out unconcealed smiles of contempt, clearly thinking that Liu Zhenqing was trying to avoid being humiliated.

The Old Master’s expression was a little ugly when he spoke this nonsense. Liu Zhenqing said this in public, which was tantamount to completely eliminating the possibility of him inheriting the Liu family. How could this make him, an elder, happy? The little pity and care he had felt immediately vanished.

“I’m here to ask Grandpa if I can go out.” Liu Zhenqing looked at the old man and said: “Grandpa, I’ve stayed in the house for too long. Can I go out for a while?”

“The one who wanted to kidnap you is still unknown. What if something happens again when you go out? Stay well at home,” the Old Master said angrily. He didn’t study hard, and just wanted to go out and play all day long! He was not engaged in honest work!

Liu Zhenqing chuckled: “Even the magistrate can’t find them. Shall I stop eating for fear of choking? If Grandpa is worried, I can just bring enough people.”

When the Old Master saw that he couldn’t appreciate the gravity of things even after losing his memory, he got angry. “Unacceptable. If you have the time, you might as well study how to read the ledgers again! Your two little brothers are being tested today. You watch from the sidelines and study hard!”

Liu Zhenqing met rejection, and couldn’t help but reveal an awkward expression. If he missed going out today, it would greatly delay his subsequent escape plan.

“Then if I finish reading them, can I go out today?” Liu Zhenqing scanned the ledgers on the several desks in the hall. How many hours would it take those two people to read those account books? Was there enough time?

The Old Master was so angry that his face distorted, and the people around him gave him a “that uneducated young idiot” sort of look.

The Old Master instructed Steward Fu: “Take the First Young Master over to sit.” Then he took out his waist badge and slapped it heavily on the table, saying angrily: “If you want to go out today, fine! If you can finish reading this pile of ledgers before your two brothers, I will allow you to go out!”

Saying this was tantamount to a death sentence. The Old Master was so furious that no one dared to interrupt, but the Second and Third Masters looked at Liu Zhenqing with a hint of gloating.

Steward Fu felt awkward and whispered as he led Liu Zhenqing over: “First Young Master, you sit well and just read casually. Don’t provoke the Old Master. If you want to go out, speak softly to the Old Master after a few days, but you can’t do it today no matter what.”

It had been a long time since Liu Zhenqing had been scolded like this by his elders, and he was really not used to it now.

After being compelled to sit down, he listened to Steward Fu’s instructions and smiled helplessly. It really wasn’t him who insisted on confronting the old man, it was just a coincidence that it had happened on this day. He had initially thought that the old man had long given up on his grandson, so it didn’t matter what he did. After all, his handling of the poisoning incident was just to make the Second Aunt go to the temple and pray for him as a solitary confinement punishment. Unexpectedly, the old man still hated iron for not becoming steel.

As soon as the timer incense was lit, the two young masters began to read the account books at their desks, checking and calculating, trying to see who was faster.

Now that the eldest was no longer their opponent, they were each other’s biggest rival. The two of them were working hard when they suddenly heard the rapid turning of pages.

The two simultaneously looked up in confusion to see who was disturbing them. Unexpectedly, they saw Liu Zhenqing sitting at the third table, spinning an inkless brush with one hand and flipping through the accounts page by page with the other. He seemed to read ten lines at a time, and his sloppy appearance was truly irritating to look at. He just needed to put his feet up on the chair and have a jug of wine.

Not to mention that if there weren’t so many people, Liu Zhenqing would really want to do such a thing. When he was in the palace before, he was driven to the edge, and this was just how he was.

“There’s something wrong with him!”

“What an eyesore!”

The two brothers glanced at him and continued to work on their own, but they were still disturbed by the sound of the pages turning.

Naturally, others also noticed Liu Zhenqing’s strange behavior and couldn’t help but shake their heads and sigh, wondering if this young master was so stupid that he actually thought the Old Master meant for him to finish “reading” them. How could anyone read ledgers like this? He was indeed a waste. No, he used to be a waste before, but now they were afraid he was a fool.

Everyone showed simultaneous contempt. The First Young Master was a waste, and there was no hope for the main branch.

When the Second and Third Masters saw Liu Zhenqing like this, they couldn’t help but feel that he was more pleasing to the eye. As long as he continued to be a waste, they didn’t mind raising a freeloading nephew.

Steward Fu and Jin Li looked on anxiously and thought to themselves that it would have been better to have done nothing and just lay there sleeping. Looking at the Old Master again, his face was pale from anger.

To put it bluntly, such behavior was just making fun of the foundation of the Liu family, which was too unseemly. If it wasn’t for the First Young Master’s amnesia, it was likely that he would have already been served the family law.

The sound of  swish, swish, swish made everyone upset.

Soon, the two younger brothers finished the first ledger. The speed of the two was about the same. They glanced at each other, and just as they were about to start on the second book, they heard a lazy voice sound from the side: “Grandpa, I’ve finished reading this pile.”

Where had he finished reading them? He had only finished flipping through them. Everyone could only resist the urge to roll their eyes, feeling that the First Young Master would not be able to escape a beating.

The Old Master was so furious that he stood up, and the Second and Third Masters immediately stepped forward to placate him.

“Eldest Nephew is ignorant.”

“Father, don’t get angry. If you are unhappy, then punish him. He won’t remember it if you don’t punish him.”

The shopkeepers could only persuade him one after another. Some even came up to say a few words to Liu Zhenqing, wanting to give some advice and enlighten him that this was not the way to read account books.

At this point, the more they persuaded, the angrier the angry person became.

The Old Master could only say furiously: “You’ve finished reading! Tell me, how could you finish reading! Look at how your two brothers……”

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Zhenqing put his chin on his hand and said slowly: “The sources of the problematic accounts are Xiangyun Restaurant, Fuqi Inn, the third Liu caravan team, the Jiangnan silk shop, and the seaside shipping industry, including the second segment of the Tingjiang Water Transport. The differences were 3,350 taels, 1,260 taels, 765 taels, 278 taels, and 5,000 taels, plus or minus six or seven taels.”

When he stopped speaking, the room was completely silent. Everyone stared blankly at Liu Zhenqing.

The two cheap cousins were stunned when Xiangyun Restaurant came out first, because when they read the ledger, they had also found Xiangyun Restaurant, but the calculated amount was not as detailed as what Liu Zhenqing later reported.

And these leaders had naturally been reviewed and processed before they were taken out to assess the young masters. There were six problems hidden in the ten ledgers, four of which were easier to find, and two that were harder. It would be considered amazing if the young masters could find them all accurately, let alone calculate the amounts correctly.

Now, they heard the official answer from an impossible person. No matter who they were, their scalps would be numb and they would loudly question, are you possessed?

Everyone appeared unable to react, and the Third Master was the first to jump out: “Who revealed the answer in advance!”

When the Third Master asked this, everyone was uncomfortable. Who could reveal the answer in advance? Weren’t these just what they selected together from some problematic accounts?

The Second Master also had an ugly expression, and said suspiciously: “Is there anything incorrect? Is Eldest Nephew right?”

The Second Master looked around, but no one stood up to point out a mistake. Did that mean that the amount was exactly the same?

The most senior old man among the shopkeepers asked with an unsightly look “First Young Master, how do you know?”

“Am I wrong?” Liu Zhenqing said: “I did the mental calculations so fast, could it be that I was careless and made a mistake?”

Had his skills deteriorated? When he was in charge of the treasury of the Ministry of Household Affairs, he never missed a single thing, not to mention that this had already been sorted out and was only used for assessment.

“No…..it’s all correct.” The old man looked at the Old Master with a livid expression.

The Old Master’s eyes were like those of a bull about to charge.

“You…..you just read them like that. No…..didn’t you say you had forgotten……” The old man’s language system had been disordered by Liu Zhenqing’s stimulation.

Liu Zhenqing touched his head and said innocently: “I just picked it up and took a look at it, and then I remembered what I had forgotten. Since it’s correct, Grandpa gave his word that I can go out.”

The Old Master couldn’t speak for a long moment.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t give the old man a chance to refuse. He picked up the waist card on the table, saluted, and then left the central hall with Jin Li, leaving behind a room full of shocked people.

Jin Li didn’t react until they walked out the gate with two guards. “Master, you…..what is going on, ah! You’ve never settled the accounts so quickly before, ah! The shopkeepers were all shocked, and the eyes of the Second and Third Masters were about to pop out! The Old Master’s hands were shaking. This…..heaven help us, it must be the spirits of the First Uncle and the First Madam in the afterlife that suddenly enlightened you, Master!”

Liu Zhenqing felt that this impulse of his would cause trouble for him when he went back, but those account books had more than just these problems. He supposed that even the old man hadn’t noticed. Since he had decided to call it quits, he would naturally not meddle in other people’s affairs. As long as the results were good for him personally, he would not stay in Liu Manor for long anyway.

When he saw that Jin Li was still hopping and dancing excitedly, Liu Zhenqing was a little amused, and it suddenly occurred to him that this was a normal reaction. The two people who were by his side before used to feel helpless and roll their eyes every time he showed off, and wouldn’t give him any face.

Huo Feihan: “Zhenqing, you just said you would keep a low profile this time…..”

Li Xingruo: “Huo Feihan, when he gets beaten up later, don’t help him. Let him…..”

“Great Leader, Shimei, this old trick is called tossing a stone to find out what’s ahead.”

Huo Feihan: “……”

Li Xingruo: “Stop making excuses, I think you’re just restless and looking for trouble!”

“Life isn’t easy, I’ve repeatedly suffered disdain…..Alas, have these years of friendship been in vain after all?”

Jin Li chattered excitedly for a long time, then saw Liu Zhenqing lowering his head with a smile on his face. The smile was very beautiful, the sort that he had never seen on his master’s face.

“Master, where are we going, ah?”

Liu Zhenqing returned to his senses and said: “The largest gambling house in the capital.”

“Longxing Gambling House?”

Liu Zhenqing smiled and nodded. Sure enough, it was still there.

On the other side, the old steward of the General’s Manor hurried to Huo Fenglie’s courtyard and saw the general practicing martial arts with his eyes closed under a tree.

A long sword was placed across his knees, and the whole person sat as upright as an ancient timepiece, integrated with heaven and earth but three parts colder than the surrounding air. The chill emanating from his bones was so cold that even the birds flying by didn’t dare to stop. Even though the scenery of the creek, pavilion, and weeping willow nearby was pleasant and poetic, it all made a person feel gloomy and cold, inexplicably unwilling to approach.

The moment the old steward stepped into the courtyard, Huo Fenglie opened his eyes and looked over.

The old steward ran so hard that the pigtails in his beard swung up. He stopped on the stone path and called out: “We found them, they’re going to Longxing Gambling House!”

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Chapter Three << Table of Contents >> Chapter Five