The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 39 Beauty Like a Pearl

Cheng Mian seemed not to notice Cheng She coming in and was concentrating on turning a page of a book.

"I behaved inappropriately today, please forgive me, third brother." Cheng She apologized to Cheng Mian.

Brothers have always been as close as brothers. Cheng Mian put down his book and looked at Cheng She with a clear and persistent gaze: "Second brother, you knew the Third Lady long before I knew she was my savior?"

"Yes."

Cheng Mian's handsome face tensed. "You knew it was a dangerous place, but you insisted on going to the outskirts of the city. You said someone was helping you. Was it also the Third Lady?"

Cheng She hesitated. With Cheng Mian's intelligence, he would have guessed that the Third Lady had not returned home that night...

After waiting for an answer for a long time, Cheng Mian understood what was going on. He subconsciously put his hand on the food box in front of him and said, "Second brother, are you happy with Third Lady?"

Cheng Mian's sudden question startled Cheng She so much that he subconsciously wanted to refute him, but Cheng Mian took the initiative and said, "Second brother, don't be so hasty to refute me. It will only make me think that you are guilty. Think carefully, think about it here."

Cheng Mian didn't know what Cheng She felt for Shang Mingshu, but he knew that Cheng She had never cared so much about a woman!
He didn't understand Cheng She's reminder at the time, but Shang Mingshu's reaction made him understand that Cheng She was reminding Shang Mingshu not to miss the good opportunity to act.

what does this mean?
It meant that there was something going on between them that he didn't know about.

It means that Cheng She knows Shang Mingshu well enough!

This means that Cheng She pays special attention to Shang Mingshu's every move!
No matter how much he wanted to deceive himself, he didn't dare say that it was because he admired Shang Mingshu.

Cheng She met his brother's stubborn and even sharp eyes. He sighed and said, "Third brother, you have always been smart. I don't want to deceive you. If you have no interest in the Third Lady, I might even consider marrying her."

Something crashed down in Chen Mian's heart. He clenched his fingers, his eyes reddened, and he turned his face away: "Because I spoke first, as my brother, do you have to give in to me?"

"I'm not letting you go." Cheng She said in a deep and powerful voice, "My appreciation for Miss San comes from the fact that you fell in love with her."

"what for?"

"I met Sanniang when..." Cheng She told Cheng Mian all about his interactions with Shang Mingshu. "When you said you wanted to marry her, I didn't really have a good impression of her. I was worried that you would become a puppet in her hands in the future. Later, when I saw the incident with Shi Dalang at Fuqiu Peak, I felt that although she was cunning and clever, she was not someone who would disregard human life. Thinking back to that day at the dock, her moves were fierce. She would never kill unless she was forced into a desperate situation.

Regarding the incident in the suburbs, she knew that there was danger and could have escaped on her own several times, but she still came back to help me again and again. Only then did I feel that Sanniang had something to hold on to in her heart, and she was not lacking in morality, which made her a perfect match for you.

My admiration for her is limited to this, and I haven't developed any romantic feelings towards her yet."

Every word and sentence of Cheng She came from the heart.

How could he be the kind of person who would easily fall in love with a woman?
His mind is more complicated than Shang Mingshu's. If you want to win his heart, you have to spend every day with him.

If his younger brother had not been fond of Shang Mingshu, given his current admiration for her, he might have been willing to propose to her. Of course, it would also depend on whether Shang Mingshu was willing to marry him. If Shang Mingshu refused, he would not have pestered her.

This little bit of goodwill and appreciation was not enough to make him put in a lot of effort.

Cheng Mian's expression eased slightly. "I'm not forcing my second brother to guarantee me. I have a crush on the Third Lady. A beautiful lady like the Third Lady wouldn't be just me. It's fine if my second brother also likes her. You and I can both express our feelings to the Third Lady. No matter who she chooses, I hope it won't hurt our brotherly relationship." The conversation was over, and there was no barrier between the brothers. Cheng She then said, "If you and I propose to the Third Lady at the same time, she will definitely choose you. Unless..."

Cheng Mian's lips, which had not yet risen, froze, and he hurriedly asked, "Unless what?"

"Unless you fail the exam." Cheng She admired Shang Mingshu, but he had to tell the truth. "Even if you fail the exam, Miss Shang San may not marry me."

Shang Mingshu looked at his two brothers with the same clear eyes, without any impure thoughts. He still admired Shang Mingshu, but Shang Mingshu probably only had admiration for him. It was only because Cheng Mian met her goal of choosing a son-in-law that she paid more attention to him.

"What woman in this world doesn't want to marry a powerful and beloved man?" Cheng Mian didn't think Shang Mingshu was cold or snobbish at all. Why would she settle for less when she could choose a better one? Isn't that asking for trouble? "Since ancient times, men from low-class families have married women, and men from high-class families have married women. If I can't bring honor to my family, I'm unworthy of being a husband if I can't bring honor to my wife!"
"Third Lady is a lady, and I haven't discussed marriage yet. She is cautious and selfless, and she is loyal and self-disciplined. She is the epitome of a lady."

When Shang Mingshu was mentioned, Cheng Mian's face was filled with smiles and his eyes sparkled. In his eyes, there was nothing wrong with Shang Mingshu.

Cheng She nodded, patted his brother's shoulder, and said earnestly: "The Autumn Examination is less than half a month away, you should study hard. If you fail the Autumn Examination, Miss Shang San will choose another good husband. Don't cry."

"Second brother, prepare the gifts and wait for me to pass the imperial examination. Then, go with eldest brother to propose marriage for me!" Cheng Mian was confident.

He had made up his mind that he would get engaged as soon as he passed the imperial examination. He would give his all in the next spring examination. If he passed, he would come back and marry Shang Mingshu immediately. If he failed, he would prepare for another three years!

He must make Sanniang a noble lady!

A beautiful woman is like a pearl, she deserves to be in a high position and be admired by the world.

****
When Shang Mingshu returned home, she took Shang Wenshu aside and talked for a while. Shang Wenshu was efficient. As soon as the court's rectification campaign reached Huizhou, the people she had arranged filed a complaint with the government office. The first case the prefect responded to regarding the rectification of merchants was the case of Wang's Rice Shop privately trading a large amount of rice.

The court's intention was not only to protect the merchants, but also to severely punish those who did not abide by the law. Due to the conclusive evidence, Prefect He added twenty strokes of the cane to the original sixty strokes of the cane, and also fined Wang Yuanwai ten thousand strings of silver. Mr. Wang was carried home.

Shi Houqiong's news spread no later than Shang Mingshu's. He acted cautiously, and his dealings with Wang Shi involved the intervention of a pawnbroker, who did not drag him into the affair. However, they were the first to come forward, and the court's rectification campaign was vigorous, which led to the widespread spread of the news of the sinking grain.

Even the head of the Huang family rice shop went to the Shi family tea shop in person with money to buy back the remaining rice that had not been given away...

This move undoubtedly put the Shi family in trouble.

Shi Houqiong had to abandon the literary gathering he was planning and go to Hangzhou in person to apologize, announcing that he did not know the source of the rice. He had purchased a batch of new grain and went door to door to apologize in exchange for the rice that had been sunk in the sea.

"It's really gratifying. The Shi family used to make so much money, but now they are losing so much!" Shang Zishu knew that the Shi family was unlucky, and she smiled every day.

"I didn't expect this matter to become such a big deal." Shang Wenshu also looked happy.

Shang Mingshu threw a handful of bait and looked at the fish scrambling for food without saying a word.

The fact that such a small matter could become so big was simply because someone was fanning the flames. They wanted the people to stop focusing on the Shanxi merchants and accuse someone of using the pretext of court officials to make money.

Shang Mingshu knew this would happen from the beginning, so she actively planned to make the matter of Wang's rice and grain be the first to be exposed.

(End of this chapter)