Chapter 315: What a Beautiful and Clever Young Lady

On a sunny, breezy day, Chen Guanlou sat on the second floor of a teahouse, drinking tea and ordering a full table of pastries.

The second floor windows overlooked the street below.

A woman wearing a wide-brimmed hat entered the teahouse.

Soon after, she ascended to the second floor, knocked, and opened the door to the private room; upon seeing the man by the window, she removed her hat, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful face.

Chen Guanlou regarded her silently and invited, "Miss Zhong, please sit."

"You knew I'd come? Didn't you worry I couldn't slip out?" Zhong Susu sat down opposite Chen Guanlou.

Chen Guanlou smiled softly. "Your father, the Zhong Censor, ignores his son meant to carry on the family line, ignores his elders—yet he alone arranged an escape route for you. I assume, beyond your beauty, you possess other talents. Otherwise, it makes no sense."

This meeting today was arranged by him.

He had sent Zhong Susu a message, arranging to meet at the teahouse. He was certain she would come—and that she had the skill to evade her family and the watching yamen runners.

And so it proved: he had waited, and she arrived.

He did not believe the Zhong Censor had gone to such lengths merely because his eldest daughter was beautiful. Beauty is rare, but to a fallen family, it is not an indispensable rarity. A son, survival, continuing the lineage—even money—is more vital than beauty.

So why Zhong Susu? She must have exceptional qualities.

This small test confirmed his suspicion.

"I've met Officer Chen," Zhong Susu bowed slightly. "Through my father, I've learned the basics. What would you like to know?"

Chen Guanlou stroked his chin, studying her curiously. "I'm merely a lowly jailer. Why did the Zhong Censor, in his desperation, come to me to entrust you to me? What can a jailer possibly do?"

Zhong Susu pressed her lips together. "Forgive me—I did a little asking around before coming. Your earlier words were far too modest. You're surnamed Chen, backed by the Hou Fu—this is the very background and connections countless others dream of but can never attain. I imagine my father valued precisely this, which is why he entrusted you."

"You believe I can help you?" Chen Guanlou asked.

Zhong Susu fell silent for a moment, then said, "I trust my father."

Chen Guanlou smiled. "Let's return to the matter: why did the Zhong Censor arrange your escape alone? Isn't his own son important? Isn't the family's lineage important? Without understanding this, I cannot accept his request—not even for all the money in the world."

"Do you always demand cause and effect in your actions?" she countered.

Chen Guanlou raised an eyebrow slightly. "For caution's sake, knowing the reason benefits us both. The Zhong Censor's case is no small matter—massive embezzlement, numerous deaths, many eyes watching him."

You are a woman, but you bear the Zhong surname; removing you from the list is no simple matter. To eliminate all risk, we must understand the full story and close every loophole. I assume you don't want any hidden dangers to affect your future life.

"So you truly have a way to remove my name from the list?" Zhong Susu widened her clear, innocent eyes, appearing pure and lovely.

Chen Guanlou was unmoved by her act, yet couldn't help feeling pleased. Speaking with a beautiful young girl always lifted one's spirits.

"Assume I have that ability," he replied evasively—he must keep some cards hidden. He could not let beauty distract him from his duty.

Zhong Susu's eyelashes were long, thick, and dark. They trembled slightly, making her eyes gleam with intensity, brimming with emotion—and perhaps secrets.

She lifted her teacup, sipping with elegant poise. No doubt a true lady of the elite, raised under the strictest and most refined feminine education—every gesture radiated grace and dignity.

She seemed to be weighing her words carefully.

Chen Guanlou was not in a hurry.

As a jailer, he could leave his post whenever he pleased—no one monitored him. The Deputy Warden Lei typically met only on the first and fifteenth of each month; otherwise, he rarely showed up, usually locked in his office attending to private matters.

"My father doesn't trust outsiders."

Zhong Susu suddenly began speaking slowly, revealing the full story.

"Our Zhong family rose too late to have household-born servants. All our servants were bought midstream or hired externally. My father distrusts them all—especially hired accountants. But I, since childhood, was quick-witted, learned everything rapidly, could extrapolate from one example, and excelled at accounting. When he learned this, he was delighted—and from then on, I began managing his accounts."

At this, Zhong Susu smiled with quiet pride.

She continued: "I taught myself to maintain a public ledger while secretly keeping a private one. After the case broke, the Six Ministries seized the public ledger. But I hid the private one—only I know where it is. With my father's trial imminent, the outcome will be one of two things: either the entire family exiled, or the men exiled and the women sent to the courtesan quarters. Neither outcome is acceptable to me."

Zhong Susu lifted her head sharply. "I am sixteen, young and beautiful. If exiled, I won't survive the journey. Even if I did, I'd be violated by local officials and reduced to a plaything. If sent to the courtesan quarters, the outcome is obvious: soon, Beijing will have a new courtesan named Hua or Niao. As a woman, how could I accept such a fate?"

Speaking of her possible future, Zhong Susu was filled with fear and defiance.

"I refuse! I will not accept it! So I told my father: find a way to remove me from both the exile and courtesan lists—or I'll hand over the private ledger. Once exposed, the entire family dies. Execution of nine clans! Death is better than humiliation. Too bad the Zhong family will have no heir. Heh…"

Zhong Susu grinned like a mischievous boy, triumphant in her scheme.

"My father was terrified! I've always known—he fears death. As long as there's a sliver of hope, he won't let go. And I am that sliver. Now you know the reason—will you still help me escape?"

Chen Guanlou listened, deeply impressed. She could have relied solely on her beauty—like Pan Niangzi, who used her femininity, charm, and fragility to disarm ninety-nine percent of men and win their aid.

But Zhong Susu refused. From start to finish, she never hinted at using her beauty to achieve her ends. She relied on sincerity, talent, and wit, playing this life-or-death game to perfection—exploiting her father's fear of death, and the world's obsession with lineage, to carve a path out of utter despair.