Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 336 Scheming Against Shen Jun
The young servant in blue led the man in white forward, eventually walking directly out of the mansion and arriving at a carriage with lanterns hanging on it.

There, a driver was already standing.

"Master!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, the driver immediately gave a sheepish smile and then bowed obsequiously to the man in white, saying a few words.

"Ah."

The man in white didn't react much to this, simply waving his hand casually and glancing at him indifferently.

"Alright, let's hurry up and go!"

"We absolutely cannot let Madam and the others get there before us!"

Fearing the other party might not understand the importance of the matter, the man in white stood beside the carriage and briefly explained a few words to the driver.

"Yes, Master!"

The driver was an old man from the household, so he naturally knew what the journey was like and understood that time was of the essence. Therefore, he didn't dawdle and instead, with great tact, took a stool from the carriage behind him and quickly helped the man in white into the carriage.

Although the man in white was handsome and had fair skin, he was not strong and even looked sickly. Therefore, without the help of the driver, he would have had a hard time getting on the carriage.

"Young Master, please have a seat!"

After the man in white was settled in the carriage, the driver quickly removed the stool, tidied up his belongings, glanced back at the young servant in blue standing motionless beside him, smiled at him, and finally gave him a gentle reminder.

"Young master, the carriage is about to move!"

After saying that, without waiting for the white-clad man inside the carriage to speak, the driver quickly raised his whip and swung it through the air.

"Snapped!"

A bang!
The carriage rolled along.

However, although the whip cracked loudly, it did not cause any real damage to the horse in front.

Because the driver cracks the whip in mid-air, without actually touching the horse's rump.

In fact, due to the geographical factors of this dynasty, horses can be considered an extremely precious strategic resource. Apart from some horses that were truly unusable and were released for civilian use, the vast majority of people's horses were confiscated by the army.

So, in other words, if your family doesn't have some financial resources, then you really aren't qualified to raise horses.

However, it is obvious that the white-robed young man's home is not among them.

"Gululu!"

"Gululu!"

"..."

With the sound of wheels rolling, the young servant in blue watched the carriage gradually disappear into the distance, and his tension slowly subsided.

"Is he the young master of the manor?"

The young servant stared blankly at the departing carriage, thinking to himself, "He doesn't seem like a bad person."

"Although he's a bit aloof, he's still a good person, isn't he?"

The little guy tilted his head, secretly thinking about the "bad boy image" he had heard about in storybooks, and comparing it with the man in white.

After a long while, the little guy still couldn't figure out what it was.

"Oops!"

The little guy suddenly remembered what the steward had said earlier: that after seeing off the young master, he should hurry back to the backyard, where the head steward of the manor would be giving a speech to everyone, telling them to be alert and prepare to welcome the mistress back.

At this moment, the carriage gradually moved away, and in the end, only the two lanterns hanging at the back of the carriage were left swaying in the wind.

Above it, a large "申" character stands out conspicuously.

After all, black text on a white background makes the difference stand out even more.

It was obvious that this carriage belonged to the Shen family.

And the man in white, if nothing unexpected happens, is naturally Sheng Changquan's good buddy—Shen Li.

……

In the carriage.

Shen Li sat in the last row of seats inside, casually reached out and lifted the small curtain next to him, looking out through the window.

On the streets, pedestrians hurried along, as if rushing to do something important, without a moment's rest. Meanwhile, roadside vendors called out their wares, eager to attract customers and sell their goods. And...

These scenes, full of life, immediately brightened Shen Li's mood considerably.

"Ok?"

"Chang Quan?"

Suddenly, Shen Li glanced up and saw a guy who looked somewhat like Sheng Changquan.

"Eh? No!"

"Not Changquan!"

Shen Li's eyes widened, and he immediately noticed the difference between the two.

"Changquan is much more handsome, this guy isn't!"

Thinking of this, Shen Li felt somewhat disappointed.

"Sigh, I wonder when Changquan will be back!"

Fortunately, Shen Li didn't shout out, otherwise he would have been delayed on the road for some more time.

"but!"

"I remember that Changquan is supposed to be returning to the capital in the next few days, right?"

As Shen Li looked at the scene outside, he thought to himself, "Last time, he told me in his letter that he was going back to the capital to prepare for the autumn imperial examination."

"Right now, there are only two or three months left until this year's autumn imperial examination. I suppose Changquan should be back soon!"

Recalling what his good friend Sheng Changquan had said in his letter, a hint of joy flashed across Shen Li's face.

"Hehe, that's great!"

"If Changquan could return to Beijing, he could tell me all about what he's been through these past few years!"

Upon thinking of this happy event, Shen Li couldn't help but smile.

After all, as Shen Laohu's legitimate son and only son, Shen Li could hardly travel freely outside like Sheng Changquan.

Therefore, it is only natural that he would envy Sheng Changquan.

……

Sheng Mansion, Zeyu Hall.

“…Young Master, that’s all for the matters in the manor!” Inside the room, Kikyo finally put down the account book in her hand and said this.

"Well, I see."

Across from him, Sheng Hong looked at the girl in front of him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, and surprisingly felt a rare sense of admiration for her.

Good guy!
When he left that year, he specifically instructed Kikyo, Shion, and others to pay close attention to what was happening in the manor. However, he never expected that Kikyo, who was usually somewhat careless, would handle the matter so meticulously!

Sheng Changquan never imagined that Kikyō would keep such a detailed record, including everything she had heard and learned over the past six years.

Whether it was Madam Wang's Wei Rui Xuan or Lin Qinshuang's Lin Xi Ge, everything that happened at home, big or small, was remembered clearly by Jie Geng.

It has to be said that this move was truly unexpected by Sheng Changquan.

However, this is indeed... very good!
"Young Master, there are actually some things I haven't mentioned."

Kikyo pursed her lips, seemingly still wanting more, and tentatively said, "How about you let me look at these booklets for a while longer, and then let me explain them to you again?"

Kikyo got a little carried away with her story and even offered to "fill in the gaps" and explain everything clearly!
However, Kikyo's wish was destined to remain unfulfilled, because Sheng Changquan wanted to see it for himself.

So, after Kikyo finished speaking, Sheng Changquan simply shook his head and refused. Then, he casually took the account book from Kikyo's hand, intending to open it and take a look himself.

"I wonder how Kikyo's calligraphy has improved over the years?"

Even before opening the booklet, Sheng Changquan was filled with anticipation.

After all, if Kikyo was able to record so much, she must have practiced calligraphy quite a bit in her spare time.

As for calligraphy, unless you reach a very high level, the earlier stages are just about practice makes perfect, and there's not much to it in terms of talent or opportunity.

Therefore, if Kikyo really puts her heart into it, her handwriting will definitely improve dramatically.
Unexpectedly!
"hiss!"

As soon as Sheng Changquan opened the booklet, he was immediately stunned by the handwriting on it!
"Jikyo, you..."

"...Your handwriting..."

Looking at the spirited "handwriting" in front of him, Sheng Changquan was speechless.

I can recognize these characters, but their appearance is quite bad!

Each one looks like a child who has taken some kind of super-powerful pill; the radicals of each character always seem to be jumping around in strange and bizarre ways, disrupting the original neatness of the characters and making them look inferior and extremely ugly.

"Ah? This..."

"This...Young Master...I..."

Kikyo became somewhat shy after Sheng Changquan's words, and stammered, at a loss for words.

Fortunately, they were all inside the Sawado Hall and there were no outsiders around, so Kikyo carefully looked around as if she were investigating something.

However, what she really wanted to know was whether there was anyone around. If not, she could keep the matter a secret and prevent her joke from being spread.

However, when she looked around, she sadly discovered that all her sisters from her own courtyard were standing nearby.

Even the two youngest children, Qingfeng and Mingyue, were sitting right across from Sheng Changquan, resting their chins on their hands, swinging their little legs, and watching this scene with an expectant look.

“I #￥@…”

Seeing these unkind looks, Kikyo couldn't help but curse inwardly, and a bitter face unconsciously appeared on her face.

"hehe!"

Fortunately, Sheng Changquan didn't say too much. He just flipped through the records and looked for information about Linxi Pavilion.

"I suppose they've been living quite comfortably all these years?"

Now, the time has come, and Sheng Changquan is ready to take back what they owe him!

……

"Gululu!"

"Gululu!"

"Young Master, we've arrived!"

The driver was indeed a seasoned veteran; even in this era, he still managed to deliver his young master to his destination on time thanks to his superb skills.

"call!"

Shen Li leaned out of the carriage and, with the help of the driver, carefully got off and stood on the ground.

"call!"

Shen Li took another breath, savoring the sense of "freedom" outside.

"Huh? Haven't Mother and the others arrived yet?"

Shen Li looked around for a while, but didn't see his mother's and sister's carriages: "Looks like I'm not too late!"

"I suppose my older sister won't scold me anymore!"

Shen Li realized that he wasn't late, so his older sister couldn't blame him for it anymore. With that thought, a slight smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.

Actually, Shen Li came to the East Gate this time because his mother went to pick up his sister and bring her back to the capital.

Like the girls from the Sheng family, Shen Li's older sister, Shen Jun, also did not want to marry into the palace. Therefore, she did not participate in the imperial concubine selection a few years ago.

However, unlike the Sheng family, the Shen family was favored by the emperor, so their daughter was naturally on the list of candidates. If Lord Shen hadn't personally gone to the palace to confess his crimes to the emperor, Shen Jun would probably already be in the palace by now.

Of course, given the Shen family's status, she certainly wouldn't stay in the palace as a lady-in-waiting. Either she would marry a member of the royal family and become their queen, or she would be rejected and sent home.

However, given Lord Shen's current status, it's unlikely that any prince or grandson would be willing to refuse such assistance, not to mention that Shen Jun is already a man of exceptional appearance.

To be honest, Shen Jun wasn't exactly a stunning beauty, but she was still pretty and charming.

In addition, influenced by her family background, she was well-versed in literature from a young age and possessed remarkable literary talent.

As the saying goes, "A person with a wealth of knowledge naturally exudes elegance," and thus, Shen Jun is filled with a scholarly air, a refined demeanor, and an intellectual beauty.

Moreover, the Shen family is a long-established and prestigious family, so Shen Jun adheres to the rules of this ancient family. She learns music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as cooking and needlework. Combined, she is the best virtuous wife and a good mother in the future.

In fact, Lord Shen's actions in not allowing Shen Jun to participate in the selection of imperial concubines were not only because he felt sorry for his daughter and did not want her to enter the palace, but more importantly, because he did not want his family to be associated with any princes or grandsons of the emperor.

It should be noted that the main purpose of the imperial selection of concubines was to find wives to manage the household for his sons and grandsons, and among these imperial grandsons were several sons of the Prince of Yong.

Therefore, how could Lord Shen, who was known as Old Fox Shen, be willing to let his family get involved in such trouble?

Otherwise, just because he felt sorry for the girl earlier, Lord Shen probably wouldn't have gone to the palace to defy the emperor's will.

However, on the other hand, since the Shen family had already made it clear to the emperor that they did not want their daughter to enter the palace, the emperor naturally would not forcibly conscript her. In fact, the emperor did not punish the Shen family for this.

However, the fact that the government does not punish them does not mean that the Shen family will not punish themselves.

After the old fox Shen Shouzheng left the palace, the first thing he did was send Shen Jun to the Sanqing Temple outside the capital, so that she could cultivate on behalf of the emperor and pray for his well-being for three years in front of the immortals to repay the emperor's favor.

Tomorrow is the last day of work, then it's the holiday! Have a great time and Happy National Day!
(—A humble author trying to curry favor with a powerful reader...)
First, let me explain that due to work, I often work overtime. Therefore, to ensure a daily update of 4000 words, I can only copy the content of the previous chapter and publish it before midnight. I will revise the rest in the early morning, and you can refresh the page the next day. As for whether I'm trying to inflate the word count, that's probably not true. I usually keep it under 4200 words, so you won't waste your Qidian coins. Anyway, I think this is better than those who try to get more words.

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(End of this chapter)