Spring flowers.

Chapter 9 Is this the male lead?

The beggar asked Wei Yishang with a detached look in his eyes, "Excuse me, young lady, if Miss Feng asks me what constitutes a trustworthy person, how should I answer?"

Wei Yishang thought about it and realized that without a token, people might really think it was a prank.

She took off her carved jade pendant and handed it to the beggar.

"We've never met before, aren't you afraid I'll sell you?" the beggar asked Wei Yishang with a sly glint in his eyes.

"Don't worry, I have more~ But you, aren't you afraid that going to the Feng residence is a trap?" Wei Yishang raised an eyebrow and asked him in return.

"Seeing that the young lady is well-dressed, and that the jade pendant has the character 'Wei' written on it, she must be the son of Wei, a fourth-rank official."

Upon hearing the beggar's words, Wei Yishang secretly sighed, "No wonder he's a future top scholar; even from a thousand miles away, he knows about people in the capital."

"You're right, go quickly." Wei Yishang was about to leave when the beggar grabbed her wrist.

"Won't the young lady ask my name?"

Wei Yishang thought for a moment. She knew the male lead's name was Gu Xiaocheng, so she didn't ask. Since that was the case, there was no harm in asking one more question.

"Then what's your name?"

"Zeng Chenyi".

Good grief, the name is wrong.

Wei Yishang was a little surprised. What was going on? The male lead's name was clearly Gu Xiaocheng. Had the male lead been changed?

That's impossible! According to the book's description, that's exactly how the male protagonist looks.

Can surnames be changed?

"Where are you from? What place are you from?"

Wei Yishang remembered that, according to the book, the male protagonist came from an island, and his parents were fishermen who went out to sea to fish.

"A native of Shang County."

Wei Yishang started to wonder: What the heck is all this? Shang County? Isn't that in the Central Plains? Isn't the male lead from an island?

Is this really the male lead?
Wei Yishang was a little confused.

However, at this moment, the system didn't say a word. Wei Yishang wanted to ask it, but it was completely unresponsive.

"Alright, I'll remember you. Now go." Wei Yishang didn't say anything more, patted the beggar on the shoulder, and watched him leave.

Just as she was about to rest in the carriage, her elder brother came over and asked Wei Yishang where the silver she had brought had gone.

"Seeing some disaster victims nearby, we distributed the supplies to them."

Wei Yishang knew that she should not expose herself. At this moment, her face turned red, and she lowered her head like a child waiting to be punished.

The elder brother, Wei Changlin, was naturally susceptible to this kind of treatment and couldn't bear to see the girl in a difficult position. After thinking about it, he figured it was a good thing anyway, so he might as well go with it.

"Brother, how are we going to get back without any money?" Wei Yishang asked her brother casually.

"This……"

Wei Changlin thought that food, drink and other expenses on the road also cost money, and now that he had no money, what should he do?

Just then, Scholar Zhang arrived in front of the carriage. Looking at the two "bankrupt siblings," he asked, "What are you two discussing?"

"Teacher, we've given our money to the refugees. What are we going to do on our way back?" Wei Changlin asked bluntly, which made Zhang Juren laugh heartily.

"Are you trying to get something from me for free? How can I trust you if I don't offer you any money?"

Seeing that things were not going well, Wei Yishang quickly said, "Uncle, don't worry. We'll see how things go once we get to the capital."

“Your Wei family has never been a trustworthy family.” Zhang Juren thought of what had happened to his sister back then.

"Uncle, let's not bring up the past. Right now, getting to the capital safely and having my father pay the money is the most important thing."

Wei Yishang's thinking was very clear.

"Set off."

Scholar Zhang spoke calmly and got into the carriage.

Wei Yishang knew he had connections, but Wei Changlin still had doubts, unsure if this scholar was up to the task. Wei Yishang was worried about something else: the job she had given Zeng Chenyi was to inform Feng Yueqiao and create a suitable atmosphere for their meeting.

But if Zeng Chenyi is stubborn and doesn't know to take a ride, arriving in the capital several days late, then there's no point in bringing him along.

How to maximize the use of a bag of silver depends on a person's skill.

Wei Yishang thought to herself: Let's see what he does; maybe there will be a surprise.

Along the way, it seemed that Zhang Juren's students were everywhere, including restaurant owners, dessert shop owners, and even fruit vendors.

Wei Yishang and her group of several people ate and drank for free and were treated well.

Seeing this situation, Wei Changlin felt a bit of admiration for Zhang Juren, who had students all over the world and connections everywhere.

After returning to the capital, Zhang, the scholar, used the excuse of visiting an old friend to get off the train ahead of schedule.

Wei Changlin returned alone to report, while Wei Yishang headed to the Feng residence.

As expected of a wealthy merchant, the interior of the Feng mansion is very luxurious. However, in this era, agriculture is valued and commerce is suppressed, and students all believe that those who excel in their studies should become officials.

No matter how wealthy the merchants are, they all seem to be inferior.

Wei Yishang entered the room and went straight to Feng Yueqiao's room.

Feng Yueqiao had caught a cold suddenly and then started menstruating, so her health must not be very good.

But when they met, Wei Yishang noticed that Feng Yueqiao was quite happy and full of energy.

“Sister, you asked someone to invite us here for a small gathering, and I’ve been wondering when you’ll come.”

Feng Yueqiao spoke up, and Wei Yishang thought to herself, "She must be very happy to meet the male lead."

“At that time, a scholar happened to be in the capital, so I asked him to deliver a message.” To avoid suspicion, Wei Yishang did not use the word “friend” or anything like that.

"Does my sister know who this scholar is?" Feng Yue asked with a smile.

Wei Yishang carefully recalled the contents of the book. She had brought them together ahead of time, but the male protagonist had saved Feng Yueqiao when she was a child.

“He is my benefactor.” Feng Yueqiao smiled gently.

"That's wonderful. Sister is so kind; she only encounters good things." Wei Yishang rarely saw Feng Yueqiao's gentle and sweet expression; she had always felt that Feng Yueqiao was under a lot of pressure.

"I must thank you, sister. Today, the Minister's daughter, Pei Xiaorou, happens to be putting on a performance at the Peony Pavilion. Do you have time? Would you like to come along?"

Thinking of the Peony Pavilion, Wei Yishang felt a chill in her heart. She had been away for days and wondered if her elder sister had kept her promise.

But judging from Feng Yueqiao's statement, nothing should have happened.

"I'll have time. Sister, please allow me to go home and change my clothes before I come back."

It wasn't that she wanted to dress up, but Wei Yishang felt that perhaps Feng Yueqiao was kind, and she needed to go back and find out what had happened to the Wei family recently.

After leaving the Feng residence, Wei Yishang encountered Ye Mingzhen.

"Lord Ye, are you here to visit Sister Feng too?" Wei Yishang teased Ye Mingzhen.

If it weren't for the mission, she would never want to have anything to do with this man in her life.

Ye Mingzhen's eyes were extremely cold as he glanced at Wei Yishang without responding.

A few days ago, he met his father in Shang County, but unfortunately, Grandpa Ye remembered nothing and had started a new family.

He only remembered that someone said the Zhang family had offended powerful figures in the capital.

How could wealthy merchants from Ju County connect with powerful figures in the capital?
Ye Mingzhen knew that to realize his ambitions and eradicate deep-seated problems, he had to start with these things.

Now, the only person who can help is Wei Yishang.

Ye Mingzhen felt that this woman was hypocritical; her heart was full of scheming, but her appearance was innocent and naive.

Peony Pavilion.

Due to the whims of the Princess of Anping, not many young ladies came to watch the performance.

Pei Xiaorou looked anxious, her eyes fixed on the doorway, as if she was waiting for something.

(End of this chapter)