(2 pm)
When it was almost noon, Yu Shu took Situ Qinglan to the Wangji Tower. She said that she was the host. If there was a place that didn't cost money, why should they go somewhere else?
The two of them entered through the front door. Lin Fu was behind the counter counting the taels of silver. As he watched customers enter and leave, he looked down and raised his head. When he saw Yu Shu, he was startled for a moment before he hurriedly trotted out to greet her.
Situ Qinglan had a special position in the Fang Family, so she didn't go out often. She had heard from her senior sisters and brothers in the study garden that there was a big restaurant on Yanma Street. The food there was expensive. Not only were there all kinds of delicacies, but the signature dish was Fu Lu, which was really rare.
She didn't expect that Yu Shu would take her to such a place. She estimated that a meal would cost more than a hundred taels of silver, which was equivalent to half a year's salary. She felt embarrassed and followed Yu Shu. When she was about to persuade her to go somewhere else, she saw the fat shopkeeper trotting over and greeting with a smile, "Miss, you're back."
"Yes, is there a vacant room upstairs?" Yu Shu pointed to the private room on the second floor. She and Situ Qinglan didn't know each other well, so it was not suitable to take her to the private room in the backyard.
"Yes," Lin Fu would not say no. He glanced at the young lady behind Yu Shu and didn't ask much. He reached out his hand and led them upstairs.
Situ Qinglan was secretly surprised, so she didn't say anything. She followed Yu Shu into a private room. After sitting down, she asked curiously, "Are you a regular here?"
Yu Shu took the hot towel from Lin Fu. She wiped her hands and said to him, "You only know that I offended Old Oracle Han. Why didn't you hear where I offended him? The owner of this restaurant is my sworn brother. My birthday banquet was held here. Old Oracle Han's disciple came to the Wangji Tower to pick a quarrel. "
The first time she met Fang Zijing, she was reprimanded. After that, Situ Qinglan explained to her about Fang Zijing's painstaking efforts and how she had offended Han Wenguang.
Yu Shu didn't mean anything, but Situ Qinglan was a little embarrassed. She said anxiously, "I just heard it from someone else. Actually, I was too talkative and thought I was smart. I thought everyone else was stupid and made fun of me. You are a magnanimous person, please don't bother with me. "
Yu Shu didn't take it seriously. "If I wanted to argue with you, I wouldn't be sitting here eating with you."
After that, seeing that Situ Qinglan's complexion had improved, he asked her about her preferences and ordered some dishes. After a while, Little Die and Little Qing were called upstairs by Lin Fu to serve them.
Yu Shu was talkative and Situ Qinglan was good at replying. The two of them ate together without any awkward silence. No one was dissatisfied with the meal.
After all, Yu Shu was an old fox who was soft on the outside but hard on the inside. With a few words, she roughly guessed Situ Qinglan's situation in the Fang family.
Her mother died, her father was not kind, and her grandfather was the only one who was close to her and treated her differently. But it just happened that she, an outsider, was in a difficult situation in the aristocratic family. She was a descendant of an aristocratic family in name and was excellent in both morals and studies. But in fact, she lived in a circle of jealousy. She was a promising eighth-grade Master of Changing at a young age, but few people in the Fang family would look up to her.
She was pitiful.
Yu Shu had always looked down on those who gave up on themselves. But for a girl like Situ Qinglan who struggled to survive in adversity, she admired her a little. She wanted to make friends with her. As they chatted, there were more truths in their conversation.
"Recently, there are rumors in the library that it was the Fourth Miss Ji, who was promoted to a Hideout Master of Changing not long ago, who killed Miss Cao," Situ Qinglan told Yu Shu what she was curious about when they were drinking tea after the meal. She looked at Yu Shu's expression and asked carefully, "Someone said that on the night of Prince Jing's banquet in Xuanchun Garden, Miss Ji wanted to kill the person who knew about it and was caught red-handed. You were invited to the banquet that night, right? Did you hear about it? Is it convenient for you to tell me?"
Although Situ Qinglan was a student of the Taishi Library, she was not a direct descendant of an aristocratic family and had no relationship with Liu Tan. Therefore, she was not invited to the banquet that night. What she heard later was just gossip. It was hard to tell whether it was true or false.
Yu Shu thought about it. There were many people at the banquet that night. There was no need to hide it from her. She said, "To tell you the truth, I caught that Ji. She is in prison now. I don't know if she is dead or alive."
Situ Qinglan was stunned. It took her a while to find her voice, "What is going on?"
Yu Shu sneered, "I am friends with the Sixth Miss of the Xin family. She suddenly disappeared that night at the banquet. I was worried and looked for her in the garden. I happened to see Ji Xingxuan pushing her downstairs. It was very dangerous for me and Lord Xue of the Supreme Court to save her. Later, Xin Liuer pointed out that she was the one who eavesdropped on the conversation between the young lady of the Qin family and Ji Xingxuan. She saw with her own eyes that Ji Xingxuan had placed a note forged with Daozi's handwriting into Miss Cao's book.
"What!" Situ Qinglan took a deep breath. She was scared by the truth. Her face turned pale. She said in surprise, "Is that so? I have been friends with Miss Ji for a while. I really can't tell that she is such a malicious person."
Yu Shu thought, "She knew Ji Xingxuan was not a good person the first time she saw her."
Situ Qinglan saw Yu Shu's cold face. She was smart enough not to ask anything. After drinking a cup of tea, she left.
After sending Situ Qinglan away, Yu Shu went upstairs in the backyard. She took out the seal she got today and played with it for a while. Then she took a long nap. When she woke up in the afternoon, she felt greasy. She asked someone to boil some hot soup and was ready to take a bath.
After taking a bath, Yu Shu felt refreshed. She didn't want to see those dead cases today. She changed her clothes and asked Xiao Qing to dress up as a servant. Then she went out with them.
There was not only a restaurant in Wangji Tavern on Yanma Street. There were many shops and two streets. The later it was, the more lively it was.
There was a teahouse in the middle of the street. Inside, a storyteller was telling a story. Yu Shu found a good place. She asked for a pot of tea and a plate of melon seeds. Then she sat down and listened to the story.
There were three interests in storytelling at that time. The first interest was the object in the hand, a fan, a board, or an erhu. The second interest was loud and soft. Sometimes it was loud and frightening. Sometimes it was soft and inaudible. The third interest was supportive. There were three to five people sitting below them. Even if it was interesting or not, they would shout.
Yu Shu sat down for a while. After the first story was finished, a storyteller wearing a beige shirt and a jujube jacket came. He had a square face and looked like an average person. He held a long folding fan in his hand. When he opened it, it could cover half of his body. When he waved it, the wind whistled. When he came to the table, it caused a series of laughter.
"Everyone, please come! Old Ge, I'll tell you a new story today. This time, it's not about the heavens and the earth. It's not about those shadowless things. Everyone, please listen carefully. I promise you'll enjoy it to your heart's content … "
Yu Shu was captivated by this opening speech. Hearing that the surroundings had quietened down, the square-faced storyteller tapped the large fan in his hand with a 'pa pa' sound. Straightening his face, he said in a solemn voice: "Speaking of which, in the twelfth year of the Baotai Era, in the sixth month, the triennial Dayan Examination was in full swing. From the south, a young man with the surname of Yun, we call him Mister Yun. This Mister Yun was a handsome man. He was born with a handsome face. Even Pan An of Jin would be embarrassed if he saw him. This Mister Yun came for the Da Yan Examination. He was confident and appeared in the capital for half a month. With his talent, he attracted the attention of many aristocratic families. They were willing to call him brother. There were also some who were jealous and came to pick a fight with him. All of them were taught a lesson by Mister Yun. From then on, his reputation grew and people came to visit him. "
The storyteller opened his fan and continued, "In the eighth month, Mister Yun stayed in a restaurant on Qianyuan Street. One day, a beautiful guest came. Why do you say it's a beautiful guest? Listen to me. Even though this guest was dressed like a man and had a single head, he had a beautiful figure. He was even more beautiful than a woman. Is he not a beautiful guest?"
The audience burst into laughter. Someone said, "Then which family's young lady dressed as a scholar?"
The storyteller smiled and waved his fan. He did not reply and continued, "This beautiful guest's surname is Wen 'er. Let's call him that. This Wen 'er is also an interesting person. He is proficient in the four arts. There is nothing he is not good at. He is knowledgeable and considerate. When Mister Yun saw him, he knew who he was. The two of them toured the capital. During the day, they talked about the scenery by the lake. At night, they drank wine under the moon. They were so romantic that others envied them. Just like that, a good period of time passed, and it was time for the Great Yan Examination. That Mister Yun wholeheartedly took the examination, but that Wen Er disappeared in a single night. "
The storyteller winked at the crowd mysteriously. Someone quickly handed him a bowl of good tea and begged him to continue, afraid that he would stop here. The storyteller did not hesitate. After moistening his tongue, he slowly said, "After the Da Yan Examination, Mister Yun tried to find Wen 'er. He was sad that he couldn't find him. He drank by the lake all day and ignored everyone. Just like that, he passed the first month until the Da Yan Examination results were released."
He purposely paused. Someone immediately interrupted, "Is this Mister Yun in high school?"
A group of people answered, "Isn't he in high school?"
"He must be in high school!"
.....
The storyteller waited for the commotion to die down before smiling. He pointed around with the fan in his hand and said, "Not only the high school, but also the people who beat the drums and gongs to deliver the good news. Mr. Yun's reputation grew day by day in the capital. Until one day, a golden decree descended from the heavens …"
"Pa!" He closed the fan in his hand and suddenly raised his voice, imitating the eunuch's voice, "His Majesty has decreed: Virtuous Heaven Illuminates Splendor, this year the son of Dayan Yi, Yun Mu Feng, has peerless talent, able to rule the Heavens and Earth. His Majesty has bestowed the title of 'Yun Hua' to Princess Lu Yue in marriage.
As soon as he finished, the teahouse became silent. The sound of needles rustling could be heard. Someone's hand trembled and knocked the teacup to the ground. Before anyone could sigh, the storyteller opened his paper fan again and said leisurely, "When this Mister Yun heard of the imperial edict, he was shocked instead of happy. Why do you think he refused to accept the edict?"
Everyone looked at each other. The identity of this' Mister Yun 'had been revealed. No one dared to speak carelessly. After a moment of silence, someone boldly guessed, "Could it be that he admires the cross-dressing Miss Wen?"
The storyteller shook his head and smiled. He emptied one hand and gestured in the air a few times. He mumbled, "Wen Er, Wen Er is the character 'Liu'. Don't you know who this Wen Er is?"
"Hiss … This Wen Er is Princess Lu Yue?!"
The storyteller pointed his fan at the person and said, "Yes."
Someone was surprised. "Then why did he refuse to accept the edict? Does he not know? "
"Haha, you're wrong." The storyteller suddenly sneered and slammed the fan in his hand on the table. He said sternly, "Because this Mister Yun already has a wife in his hometown!"
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