ITVCFITB CHAPTER 9

 Chapter 9 – Task Failed

To the Luo family, Shen Mingyun’s sudden appearance felt like timely rain after a drought.

Luo Shuyu was pressing hard, close to forcing off their masks at any moment. With Shen barging in to stir the waters, they could stall for breath and hunt for a strategy that favored them. Ever since Shen had moved into the Luo household, he had a habit of popping up wherever a dispute broke out. He had “helped” Luo Renshou with court affairs, “helped” Lady Liu balance the household accounts, “helped” the steward boost the shops’ revenue. They had gotten used to turning a blind eye, so used to it that in fact, that Shen’s constant, coincidental appearances no longer struck them as odd. Instead, they simply accepted them as normal.

Shen Mingyun sauntered in flicking a fan, posing at elegance, swaying like a willow teased by the breeze.

Most of the young ones in the Luo clan aped his every affectation. They thought it made them fashionable, set them ahead of other sons and daughters. In Shen’s own words, they were walking the cutting edge of style. What none of them knew was that he swanned about because, in truth, he was a man from a world with only men and women, no third gender like gers. The swaying, the loose-limbed strut, he simply had no decorum. As for being a role model? Laughable. He looked down on Luo Shuyu; the feeling, from the bottom of Luo Shuyu’s heart, was mutual indifference.

Luo Shuyao, for his part, was always first in line to team up with outsiders to put Luo Shuyu down—envy of looks and “avant-garde” manner both stoking the fire.

(He had hated Luo Shuyu even before Lady Liu was raised to principal wife. Then, he was still a concubine-born son; no matter how favored his mother was, he was still concubine-born. Luo Shuyu, by contrast, was born legitimate heir, always better provided for than even his elder brothers. He had disliked him then and, after becoming a legitimate son himself, he still disliked him, as if Luo Shuyu’s very existence were a personal affront.)

Now, of course, Luo Shuyao clung closer to Shen Mingyun. “Cousin, you’re just in time. You’re always fair, judge this for us.”

Shen smiled brilliantly, peach-blossom eyes turning silky. To Luo Shuyu, there was a whiff of the brothel about it.

In the book, Shen loved to parrot maxims “All are born equal,” “Everyone is an individual,” “Everyone has rights and duties” saintly on the surface. In his mind, however, people like them were “natives,” “ancients,” “idiots,” “morons,” “retards” vile words all. His sanctimony was only a means to clear tasks, polish himself, rise higher, and live more comfortably.

Luo Shuyu simply watched, waiting for the performance.

He knew exactly what was going on, his system had briefed him but Shen put on a puzzled face. “What’s all this? If there’s a problem, we can talk it over properly.”

He looked like an auntie mediating a neighbor’s quarrel. The longer Luo Shuyu looked, the truer it seemed. He lifted his eyelids. “What now, Cousin? You plan to stick your oar into Luo family business too? Or do you think you have the right to decide for my dead mother, profiteer even off a corpse?”

Shen started. “Profiteer off the dead? What are you talking about?”

“I’m discussing my mother’s dowry with my father,” Luo Shuyu said coolly, pinning the hat in place. “What exactly do you mean by ‘talk it over’? You planning to take a cut of my mother’s dowry too?”

Shen faltered, skimming his task panel in his head at speed. Luo Shuyu’s mother’s dowry? That wasn’t how the system text had phrased it.

[Task: Luo Renshou is being pressed to hand over his late wife’s dowry. Within one hour, the host must assist him in resolving the matter and help him reclaim said dowry. Reward: 50 mall points.]

System tasks never erred. The description seemed clear enough. But the person “seizing” the dowry was… Luo Shuyu? That couldn’t be right. The system didn’t make mistakes. It never had.

Unless Luo Shuyu wasn’t actually Luo Renshou’s son? But how would you test that? Blood-on-iron was nonsense; you couldn’t exactly run a DNA test in public.

Still, the points were high this time. A “dowry” should be easy. He’d read plenty of courtyard-drama novels; he could handle it. Lately, he’d cleared several tasks about Lady Liu and the concubines; hadn’t he done splendidly each time?

This was the first time the task touched Luo Shuyu directly. To Shen, he was merely the stand-in sent to marry into the Third Prince’s house. Bring what dowry? As for the Third Prince’s face, hard to forget but a pity to let that go. In the modern world, he’d be top-tier traffic.

Shen pressed on, forcing logic. “Since Uncle manages the dowry, why make a fuss? Let the head of house decide. What’s wrong with that?”

It was the first time Luo Shuyu had matched him point for point. His assessment of Shen’s bullying sophistry sank another level.

With men like this, there was only one cure. Luo Shuyu sipped tea to moisten his throat, unhurried. “Your surname is Shen. Mine is Luo. Luo family business is none of yours. You’ve no standing to interrupt here, and certainly not to weigh in on my mother’s dowry. Even a righteous official finds household cases hard to judge. This is not your place to speak. Cousin, without rules, nothing holds shape. Best read up on the laws of Great Xia before volunteering to mediate.”

It was the first time Shen had ever heard the “fake prude” talk so much at once. True, he didn’t actually know Great Xia’s laws but so what? Laws could be changed.

He puffed himself up. “Rules are dead things; people are living. Why make such a mess over a little dowry? And who says I don’t know Great Xia’s laws?”

“If you did,” Luo Shuyu said with a thin smile, “you’d shut your mouth instead of spouting nonsense.” He turned to Luo Renshou. “As Minister of Rites, Father naturally knows the rites and laws and how a woman’s dowry is to be handled.”

This was getting embarrassing. Luo Renshou had hoped Shen would cloud the waters a bit. Instead, the boy was putting his own foot in his mouth. If he backed Shen now, he’d be admitting publicly that a Minister of Rites didn’t know ritual law. If the servants picked that up and spread it, he’d need his sleeve to cover his face just to leave the house.

Left with no choice, he said, “Mingyun, you should study. Perhaps in the countryside you lacked proper tutors. Tomorrow your aunt will find you a good one. Start with the basics.”

Shen stared. “…Uncle, what did you say I should study?” He’d come to help, and he was the one who needed lessons? Study your—! (Profanity spiraled in his head.)

Luo Shuyu, who had been counting on Shen’s “combat power,” watched the man lose two exchanges in a row and end up tongue-tied, called ignorant to his face, no less. For the first time, he thought: perhaps Cousin Shen wasn’t all that.

It was also the first time Luo Renshou found Shen a bit stupid—no sense of a room. This was a moment to shut up.

He glanced at Luo Shuyu, poised and composed, posture flawless and couldn’t help comparing him with Shen, slouching and skewed. In the end, it was the Luo family’s own son whose conduct fit a Minister of Rites’ household.

Shen grew anxious. What is Luo Renshou doing? Without coordination, he couldn’t clear the task. Why was this one so hard? No wonder ordinary tasks paid one to ten points, and today’s paid fifty, the difficulty had spiked.

In his head: “System, can we get a difficulty rating?”

System: “Available.”

“Today’s difficulty?”

System: “On a five-star scale: three stars.”

“Three—?!” For a basic plot task? A dowry worth mid-level difficulty?

The system did not dignify his grumbling.

Shen’s words had failed; he’d even been scolded by Luo Renshou. Lady Liu began to panic. She preferred to let others stand at the front while she acted from behind. Madam Chen’s dowry… she’d used quite a lot through the years. Why was Luo Shuyu bringing it up now?

Luo Shuyu had no intention of giving Shen a chance to salvage the mission. He wanted Shen to watch it fail. Already the man’s expression was going stiff, gone the mild “master strategist.” Likely he was cursing up a storm in his head as he always did in the book when things went awry, a string of obscenities from earth to heaven.

“Father,” Luo Shuyu said to Luo Renshou, “we were in the middle of something before Cousin interrupted. Fourth Brother wanted evidence to prove who the jackals are, didn’t he? I don’t mind telling Cousin, the evidence is right here.” He turned to Madam Feng. “Feng Momo¹, please take the hairpin from Fifth Brother’s head. Let everyone see what ‘evidence’ looks like.”

Madam Feng moved like lightning. Two steps, a firm grip, and she yanked Luo Shuyao forward, plucking the white jade pin from his hair.

On Shen’s diet tip, he’d “eaten less to stay trim” and had skipped half his breakfast. Once released, he wobbled and nearly fell. Clutching his head, he flushed scarlet. “Luo Shuyu, don’t you bully me! Give back my pin!”

With a clean handkerchief as barrier, Madam Feng presented the white jade hairpin for inspection. “Young Master.”

“This was a gift from Aunt Liu, wasn’t it?” Luo Shuyu asked mildly.

“So what if it was?” snapped Luo Shuyu. “It’s just a pin. Give it back!”

Ignoring Lady Liu’s blanching face, Luo Shuyu smiled. “Everyone present is a witness. Cousin, listen closely: Aunt Liu gave Fourth Brother this white jade pin.” To Madam Feng: “Feng Momo, look closely. There should be tiny characters, do they say ‘Yuxiangji’?”

Madam Feng leaned in, peered, and nodded. “Yes, Yuxiangji: three characters.”

Still not looking at Lady Liu, Luo Shuyu let his gaze drift to Luo Renshou’s now slate-colored face. “Shall we verify it, Father?” he asked pleasantly. When no answer came, he continued, “You must know Yuxiangji’s practice. For every piece they craft and sell, they keep four identical records, one at the branch, one at the main shop, one with the owner, and one with the buyer, along with a certificate of authenticity. Is that sufficient evidence? If not, I imagine Aunt Liu’s quarters, Eldest and Second Brother’s rooms, Luo Shuyue’s and Fourth Brother’s chests and Aunt Liu’s natal family could yield quite a lot more. What do you think, Father?”

If he weren’t seated, Luo Renshou would have “staggered” and fainted, pretending absence.

Cornered, he knew he could no longer cover up his tacit approval of Lady Liu’s plundering. He slammed the table and roared, “Liu! How dare you embezzle Madam Chen’s dowry! Someone send the Madam back to her quarters! She is not to leave for half a month without my order!”

“Lord!” Lady Liu cried. He was pinning it all on her, abandoning the chariot to save the general!

Panic surged. She rolled her eyes back and fainted dead away. Luo Shuyue and Luo Shuyao rushed to catch her. “Mother!”

Luo Shuyu had no patience for the theatrics. “Father, may I have the keys to the storeroom now?”

Deflated, Luo Renshou rasped, “Of course.”

At that exact moment, a chime sounded in Shen Mingyun’s head: Task ‘Keep the Dowry’ not completed. Task failed.

“Failed?!” Shen stared, stunned.

Satisfied, Luo Shuyu took in the chaos, savoring every face. Suddenly, it struck him as funny—and he wanted to share it with someone.

—

That night, Li Mingjin received a letter from Luo Shuyu, short as ever.

“I am much pleased today. —Luo Shuyu.”

A small crease of vexation touched the Third Prince’s dark face. …That’s it?

---

Author’s Note:
Third Prince: Wife, your letters are too short. Make them longer!
Luo Shuyu: No.
Third Prince: /(ㄒoㄒ)/~~

IsitRo: Moving forward, I'll use Momo instead of Madam for Feng Momo. :')

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Little Note(s):
Momo/嬷嬷 (Mómo): An elderly woman or senior female servant who serves as a nanny, governess, etiquette teacher, or disciplinarian in a noble family or palace.