On the day the Shen family was exonerated, the Emperor bestowed the Shen family's residence upon Shen Zhi, along with gold and silver artifacts as compensation.
With only Shen Zhi left in the Shen family, all the gold, silver, and jewels were his. How could he be held back by these trivial items in front of him?
"I smashed these things, but Princess Ningzhao, don't think you can use them to trap me. I am willing to write an IOU, and when I earn enough silver in the future, I will return it all!" Shen Zhi stood with his back straight, seemingly to demonstrate the Shen family's integrity.
Chu Ningzhao sneered, "Good. Hua Man, write down everything Shen Gongzi ate, drank, used, smashed, and squandered these past few days. Calculate a total sum and let Shen Gongzi review it."
Shen Zhi had smashed quite a few things, and if truly tallied, it would not be a small sum.
But he wasn't flustered at all; he could afford this money.
On the other hand, Chu Ningzhao was as despicable as he thought. After the Shen family was exonerated, he publicly accused Chu Ningzhao of harboring him with ill intentions, yet Chu Ningzhao still denied and argued in front of him!
Chu Ningzhao feigned a sorrowful look, claiming that for all these years, she had been helping the Shen family achieve exoneration and never had any other intentions.
Her words sounded so good back then! Look at her now, meticulously calculating every penny.
Chu Yu was right; Chu Ningzhao never intended to help him from the start! She only came forward to claim credit after seeing the Shen family successfully exonerated!
Before long, Hua Man had compiled his expenses for this period.
From his food, clothing, and daily necessities to the tables, chairs, and ornaments he broke, nothing was omitted—they even almost included the monthly wages of the maids and servants.
Chu Ningzhao first glanced at it: a total of thirty-seven thousand taels. How could he spend nearly forty thousand taels living in the Princess Manor for half a month?
Chu Ningzhao even began to suspect Hua Man had made a mistake. Upon closer inspection, just five sets of teacups were one thousand taels, two porcelain pillows three thousand taels, and the torn drapes and gauze curtains were tribute items, nearly five thousand taels per bolt…
Good heavens! Chu Ningzhao was so good to him, and he saw none of it, did he?
No wonder he was unwilling to leave the Princess Manor later on; a single teacup cost dozens of taels of silver, and the jade plates and glazed bowls he shattered were all priceless.
He couldn't stay! Get him out to wander quickly.
Shen Zhi took the bill, his first reaction being that Chu Ningzhao was extorting him. How could it be so much?
"Princess Ningzhao! This isn't right, is it?" Shen Zhi slapped the bill on the table, asking through gritted teeth.
He would become very wealthy in the future, and he could afford this amount of silver, but he couldn't be extorted for no reason.
Hua Man stepped forward and said, "Shen Gongzi, look, what's wrong? Weren't you the one who smashed five sets of teacups in three days? Weren't you the one who overturned the table this morning? Look at that glazed vase, bought for eight hundred taels, wasn't it you who smashed it?"
Chu Ningzhao asked sardonically, "Shen Gongzi wants to renege on his debt? Then I can't let you go. How about you sell yourself to me and do odd jobs in the manor? Let's see how many lifetimes it takes to pay it off."
Keeping him to do some menial tasks, like scrubbing chamber pots, would be just right.
Upon hearing that he wouldn't be allowed to leave, Shen Zhi understood. So, it was still her tactic; she just wanted to keep him.
Now she wasn't even pretending anymore, directly proposing that he sell himself! Bah!
"Alright, I'll sign this IOU!" Shen Zhi took the brush and signed his name with a flourish and defiance.
Chu Ningzhao had Hua Man keep the IOU safe; this money would definitely be recovered.
Shen Zhi, annoyed, cupped his hands and was about to leave.
Chu Ningzhao quickly had someone stop him. She hadn't finished speaking; where was he going?
"Has Princess Ningzhao gone back on her word?" Shen Zhi was greatly alarmed. He absolutely had to leave here! Chu Ningzhao couldn't be so untrustworthy!
"No, I just want you to change your clothes, and the hairpin you're wearing. That one is expensive, I didn't include it in the bill! Just return it to me." Chu Ningzhao held out her hand to him, clearly demanding it.
She wanted Shen Zhi to leave the Princess Manor penniless.
She couldn't give him any of his clothes or hairpins; these could all be sold for money! And they weren't cheap.
Shen Zhi again scoffed, took off the hairpin, and then asked Hua Man for the clothes he wore when he arrived.
Hua Man was a bit embarrassed and whispered to Chu Ningzhao, "Those clothes were too smelly, they were all thrown away."
"That smelly?" Chu Ningzhao waved her hand in disgust, as if she could already smell it.
Shen Zhi's face flushed red. He had begged his way to the capital, so his clothes naturally didn't smell good.
Chu Ningzhao said, "Then just find any random set. Consider it a gift from me, but it can't be brocade or silk, just ordinary clothes will do."
During his stay at the Princess Manor, Shen Zhi's attire had been quite luxurious; any random piece could fetch over ten taels of silver.
Now, asking Hua Man to find something ordinary was truly difficult.
Hua Man could only seek help from the manor's servants and finally got a set of ordinary clothes from a coachman, which she handed to Shen Zhi.
Chu Ningzhao pointed to the screen and said, "Go change, and listen to me finish speaking."
Changing clothes publicly, even with a screen for cover, still made Shen Zhi feel humiliated.
But to leave here, he could endure it!
Shen Zhi was busy behind the screen, and Chu Ningzhao didn't even glance at him, saying faintly, "After you arrived in the capital, you first went to see my Grandfather (maternal). My Grandfather (maternal) and your father once served as officials in the same court. He was willing to help you investigate the events of that year, but he required you not to seek him out again, is that right?"
"Yes, I will not seek out Prime Minister He, Princess Ningzhao, rest assured," Shen Zhi said.
Chu Ningzhao said, "I once told my Grandfather (maternal) that I was willing to take you in. Now that you want to leave, you must write clearly that I am not driving you away, but that you yourself do not wish to stay here! I need proof."
Chu Ningzhao and Chu Yu were twin sisters, both legitimate princesses, and their mother was the current Empress.
The Empress came from the He family, and her father, He Jingde, was the current Prime Minister. He also harbored doubts about the Shen family's rebellion, but he also worried that the rebellion was real, so he was unwilling to get involved with Shen Zhi.
Those who had been on good terms with the Shen family back then were also unwilling to take Shen Zhi in.
Finally, Chu Ningzhao stepped forward. She feared Shen Zhi would be harmed, preventing the Shen family from being exonerated, which was why she kept him.
Now that Shen Zhi wanted to leave, she needed proof to show that it was indeed Shen Zhi who didn't want to stay, and not that Chu Ningzhao was inconsistent in her words and insisted on driving him away.
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhi became even more resolute in his decision to leave.
Chu Yu had said that in front of Grandfather (maternal) back then, it was Chu Ningzhao who forcibly took him, otherwise, he would have been taken away by Chu Yu.
It wasn't that no one was willing to take him in; Chu Ningzhao was lying to him!
Now that he had been reborn, he would no longer believe Chu Ningzhao's nonsense.
Isn't it just proof she wants? He is willing to write it: today, he is leaving of his own accord, unwilling to stay here!
