The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Soon, a table full of extremely sumptuous dishes was prepared.

Most of them are meat.

Everyone enjoyed the meal immensely.

The food was so good you could see the teeth but not the eyes.

"Your cooking skills are truly amazing. I've eaten my way through the entire capital, and even in Jiangnan back then, I've never tasted such delicious mutton and fish soup."

As the old man ate, he kept praising Zhou Chu's cooking skills.

He was too lazy to say anything unrealistic like "a real man should stay away from the kitchen."

After all, Zhou Chu was originally a pageboy.

What's more, over the years, the old man has gone from being a wealthy young master adored by thousands to being destitute and impoverished.

I didn't see through anything.

"I've eaten at the big restaurants in Beijing, but they can't compare to Xiao Chu's cooking skills at all, they're far inferior."

Zhou Chu's cousin, Sun Qiang, couldn't help but praise him as well.

Mu Yunjin was even more formidable. The child was at the age where he had an amazing appetite, and he didn't even have time to speak. He simply gave up his chopsticks and grabbed the lamb bone with his hands to gnaw on it.

"Mind your manners."

Zhou Chu couldn't help but say.

Mu Yunjin is, after all, the eldest daughter of the Lu family, and Zhou Chu doesn't want her to act like a wild girl in his presence.

"Pay attention after this meal, pay attention after this meal."

Mu Yunjin said while gnawing on a bone.

Everyone burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Just as everyone was enjoying the meal, there was a knock on the door.

As waiters, Ah Fu and Ah Dong were naturally very perceptive and hurriedly ran over to open the door.

Sun Jiaojiao and several other daughters of officials were standing prominently at the entrance.

Is the weighing instrument at home?

Sun Jiaojiao asked.

"Please come in, esteemed guests. The shopkeeper is at home."

Afu and the others quickly ushered the group inside.

This was Sun Jiaojiao's first visit.

As the eldest daughter of the Sun family, it would be improper for her to suddenly visit a man.

The reason was that when she went to Shen's shop today, she found that both the shopkeeper and the waiters had been replaced.

So she called a few of her close friends to come and find Zhou Chu.

These were all regular customers of Shen's shop, and they all praised Zhou Chu's horse-face skirt design.

Sun Jiaojiao and the others were somewhat surprised when they entered the courtyard.

They hadn't expected Zhou Chu's courtyard to be so small.

But thinking about it, it makes sense; Zhou Chu is just a shopkeeper after all.

Sun Jiaojiao and the others were unaware that Zhou Chu received a commission from Shen Qing's shop.

According to their understanding, although shopkeepers generally earn much more than waiters, the difference is still limited.

"I am deeply sorry for not welcoming you properly, distinguished guests."

The courtyard itself wasn't very big, so Zhou Chu naturally heard the commotion and came out to greet the guest.

After saying this, Zhou Chu led Sun Jiaojiao and the other women into the study.

When Sun Jiaojiao and the others entered the study, their eyes lit up.

Although the study in front of me is not large, the calligraphy and paintings on the desk and the wall are extraordinary.

Sun Jiaojiao immediately recognized that most of these characters were written by Zhou Chu.

"You see, I told you long ago, the inscription on the weighing instrument is extraordinary."

Sun Jiaojiao looked at her friends and said with a hint of pride.

It was as if these words came from her own hand.

These daughters of officials had no other hobbies but enjoyed chatting about music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Their usual conversations revolved around the talented young people in the capital.

Among them were discerning individuals, such as Chu Li, the daughter of Minister Chu of the Ministry of Revenue.

Chu Li is a renowned talented woman in the capital.

He was proficient in all the arts, including playing the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

In particular, her beautiful handwriting has earned her much praise.

But when he saw Zhou Chu's words, his eyes were filled with shock.

People who don't know much about calligraphy generally won't have a strong feeling when they see Zhou Chu's characters; they'll just subconsciously think they're well-written and neat.

But Chu Li is different; she understands calligraphy.

Because I understand, I know how well these words are written.

She stared at Zhou Chu in shock.

"Did you learn your weighing instrument from a master?"

There is a big difference between ordinary people and famous people.

Those who have reached a high level and possess a distinctive personal style can generally be called masters.

However, there is still a significant gap between renowned artists and true masters.

There were very few people in the entire Ming Dynasty who could be called masters of calligraphy.

No more than the number of palms.

Zhou Chu was slightly taken aback when he heard this.

“My teacher was a playboy; he never told me his name, and I never asked him.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Li glanced at Zhou Chu's handwriting again.

A very bold conjecture suddenly came to mind.

Did that master leave behind any manuscripts or calligraphy/paintings?

When Chu Li said this, her tone was urgent, as if she were a fervent fangirl about to meet her idol, and she seemed very excited.

Sun Jiaojiao and the others were stunned when they heard this, and did not interrupt.

At this moment, all of them forgot why they had come to find Zhou Chu.

"I did write it, but he took it away."

Zhou Chu told a lie.

Zhou Chu had always known that the old man's identity was extraordinary.

There were even some vague guesses about the old man's identity.

Therefore, Zhou Chu did not want to cause trouble for the old man.

Once too many people know the old man's identity, he will probably never have a peaceful day again.

Chu Li looked disappointed upon hearing this.

However, he quickly cheered up.

I wanted to ask Zhou Chu for a piece of calligraphy he had written himself.

But then I thought about it again, and realized that it would be a bit ambiguous for a woman to ask a man for calligraphy and paintings, so I had no choice but to give up.

She made up her mind to visit this place more often whenever she had the chance. Just thinking about it made Chu Li excited if the young man in front of her was really that person's teacher.

"May I ask what brings you ladies to see me?"

Zhou Chu quickly changed the subject.

Upon hearing this, Sun Jiaojiao immediately perked up.

“We went to Shen’s shop today and found that the manager and the owner have changed. Would you like to come to my shop?”

Although there were laws in the Ming Dynasty that prohibited officials' family members from engaging in commerce.

However, this law was only truly effective during the reigns of Hongwu and Zhu Di.

During the reigns of Emperor Renzong and Emperor Xuanzong, the foundation laid by Zhu Di and Zhu Yuanzhang was completely ruined.

Emperor Renzong (Zhu Gaochi) abolished the garrison at Nurgan Regional Military Commission, causing the Ming Dynasty's territory in the Northeast to shrink continuously.

They also continuously delegated power to civil servants.

It became even more outrageous during the reign of Zhu Zhanji, the great-grandson of the emperor, who directly led the way for governors to command troops, making the court's control over local areas weaker and weaker.

As a result, the emperor eventually lost all military power.

Zhu Houzhao, who is currently in power, has realized this problem and has personally led several military campaigns in an attempt to consolidate military power.

This is something the civil officials cannot tolerate.

That's why Zhu Houzhao drowned.

In Zhou Chu's view, the so-called "Rule of Renxuan" was pure nonsense.

The Ming Dynasty lost the most territory during the reigns of this father and son.

Zhu Yuanzhang and his son Zhu Di had already made arrangements in Southeast Asia.

If the process is carried out step by step, Southeast Asia will gradually be incorporated into the territory of the Ming Dynasty.

However, after the father and son came to power, they messed up the entire Southeast Asia layout. The first thing Zhu Gaochi did after ascending the throne was to stop Zheng He's voyages to the Western Ocean.

These two rulers were not even considered wise rulers, yet they were praised by those civil officials as the reigns of Renxuan.

Together, they were in power for just over ten years.

What can be cured?

After these two officials came to power, the law prohibiting officials' family members from engaging in business became essentially meaningless.

"Thank you for your kind offer, Miss Sun. Miss Shen and I are planning to open a new shop together, which is very close to our old one. It will open in two days. When you ladies come, we will give each of you a new style of horse-face skirt."

Zhou Chu spoke tactfully, neither offending Sun Jiaojiao nor making them feel like they were bathed in a gentle breeze.

Sun Jiaojiao and the others were very happy to hear this, especially Sun Jiaojiao.

“That’s great! I thought you were no longer in this business. Don’t worry, we will definitely come on the opening day.”

Sun Jiaojiao said.

Sun Jiaojiao seemed to have seen through Chu Li's thoughts.

“We don’t need your gifts of horse-face skirts. Instead, give each of us a piece of calligraphy you’ve written. When you become a renowned calligrapher in the future, we can show it off.”

Sun Jiaojiao is also very intelligent.

He spoke with perfect tact and precision.

It would indeed be inappropriate for Chu Li to ask for it alone.

But now that Sun Jiaojiao wants it for everyone, there's naturally no problem.

"Yes, weighing equipment, remember to leave your signature."

The other girls nearby chimed in.

Few of these noble ladies possess genuine talent and learning.

Most of them are just pretentious affectations.

"In that case, I can't keep it a secret. It's just that my handwriting is really not very good. You can keep it to yourselves and don't want outsiders to see it."

After Zhou Chu finished speaking, he found a few pieces of calligraphy that he thought were quite well written and signed them.

“I am too young to have a seal.”

Zhou Chu said with a hint of helplessness.

"It doesn't matter."

Sun Jiaojiao accepted it with a smile.

Chu Li was overjoyed.