Chapter 713 The King of Qin's Sudden Visit

"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, Ms. Sui."

Shen Dongming, looking embarrassed, poured Cheng Wanwan a cup of tea.

“There’s nothing to laugh about,” Cheng Wanwan said, taking a sip of tea. “As a mother, it’s natural to worry about my son in every way. For example, I worry about San Niu’s marriage every day, imagining what kind of person his wife will be… In short, I think it’s normal. Lord Shen, there’s no need to feel embarrassed.”

Shen Dongming felt a little relieved, and then brought up the matter of the Ministry of Revenue.

In the past three or four years, the lives of the people of Dayu Dynasty have improved considerably due to the promotion of ratooning rice and cotton. In addition, the use of agricultural machinery such as waterwheels has led to a significant increase in agricultural tax revenue. With the national treasury full, the court planned to benefit the people and decided to officially construct water conservancy projects after the new year. Shen Dongming was assigned to participate in this important matter because of his experience in Ping'an County.

However, he didn't actually know much about this, so he seriously asked Cheng Wanwan for advice.

Cheng Wanwan herself was only a dabbler and needed to read books to understand the key points. She wrote down all of Shen Dongming's questions and said with a smile, "I have never thought about these things carefully. I will go back and think about them carefully before giving Lord Shen an answer."

After finishing the important business, they started talking about Shen Zheng.

Since becoming an academic official in charge of the academy in the capital, this young man has matured day by day, working during the day and studying at night, and has made great progress in his career.

Shen Dongming had examined his scholarship. In the past, he would have been certain that his son would never pass the imperial examination, but now, he was not so sure.

Uncertainty means there is hope.

"Regardless of whether there is hope or not, the marriage between Zheng'er and Miss Lin has been arranged." Shen Dongming said with a relieved expression. "The Lin family was supposed to return to the capital last year, but because of the Xiao Qin Grand Canal incident, they were delayed by a year. According to the time, they should be coming next February. The two children are not young anymore. Madam Lin's idea is that since the two children are in love with each other, let's ignore all the extraneous details and hold the wedding directly after spring."

Cheng Wanwan laughed: "Then I must drink this cup of wedding wine before returning to Dahe Town."

She and Lu Yingxue had dinner at the Shen family's house before returning home.

Winter evenings get dark very quickly. There's still sunlight when you finish dinner, but as soon as you step outside, it gets dark.

The carriage slowly drove along the streets of the capital. Because it was dark and cold, there weren't many people on the street, but the shops along the street were brightly lit and quite lively.

"Sister Wanwan, look, the Reading Pavilion." Lu Yingxue lifted the carriage curtain and pointed to the street, saying, "This should be the second Reading Pavilion that Zhao'er opened later. It seems that the Reading Pavilion has made a lot of money in the past two years to be able to open on a street in the west of the city."

Cheng Wanwan looked over and saw that this reading room occupied a large area and had three floors. It was indeed impossible to rent it without money.

In the past two years, the Yuelan Pavilion has indeed made a considerable profit. First, it has produced a large number of novels, miscellaneous notes and scripts. Second, it has compiled the past years' imperial examination questions by Master Yu. These two things alone have made the Yuelan Pavilion very wealthy.

The three organizers only took a small share of the profits, investing the majority of the revenue into the construction of the new reading room.

At this moment, a group of scholars walked out of the reading room, talking as they went.

"The 'Fifteen Years of Imperial Examination Questions' is sold out. This is my fifth time coming here, and I still haven't been able to buy one."

"Couldn't the reading room ask the booksellers to print more? It's really tough on us students."

"The three major booksellers in the capital are printing overnight, but they still can't keep up with the demand. There's nothing they can do. All the candidates from all over the country have come to the capital. There are so many people, it's simply not enough to go around."

"Buying the book is only the first step; we also need to figure out how to get tickets to the event."

What are event tickets?

"Every month, the Reading Pavilion invites a scholar to explain the topics for the imperial examinations. It is said that those who attend these lectures benefit greatly..."

"This month's lecturer is Mr. Bai, and the lesson plan was written by Dongliu Jushi..."

Cheng Wanwan smiled, surprised that her monthly lectures had been so successful.

The lecturer was a renowned scholar whom Cheng Zhao had hired from the capital at great expense, and the lecture content was written by Master Yu. The lesson plan was sent from Dahe Town, and these were all rare and priceless materials... However, the Reading Pavilion did not charge any fees and offered free lectures to students. There were fifty spots available each month, and Reading Pavilion members could draw lots for a chance to win an admission ticket.

“Now all the scholars in the capital know about the Hermit of Dongliu.” Lu Yingxue’s eyes welled up slightly. “I hope that one day they will know that the Hermit of Dongliu is Yu Qingsheng. Our old Yu is so outstanding. Far from the capital, he was able to guess the questions for the imperial examination. This is not cheating, but rather his exceptional intelligence… Old Yu is just too clever. Someone secretly tricked him, alas…”

Cheng Wanwan held her hand: "This day will come, don't worry."

The carriage slowly returned to the front door. As soon as she alighted, Yan Hong emerged from the sheltered side door, looking anxious. "Lady Shu is finally back! Prince Qin arrived at noon and is still at the manor..."

Lu Yingxue raised her eyebrows high, a look of interest appearing on her face: "What? The King of Qin has actually come? Sister Wanwan, you'd better be prepared."

Seeing her gossipy expression, Cheng Wanwan sighed and said, "You'd better stop being so gossipy, or I'll send you to drink with the King of Qin."

"Spare me," Lu Yingxue shrank back. "After all, I'm quite beautiful too. If someone takes a liking to me, my husband will be heartbroken. Sister Wanwan, I'm going to see what Xiaozhan is doing. I'm off!"

She entered through the side gate, bypassing the main road, and took a shortcut back to her and Yu Zhan's courtyard.

Cheng Wanwan shook her head and walked towards the reception area.

Before she even stepped inside, she heard the sound of weapons clashing. She quickened her pace and saw Zhao Sidan and the King of Qin sparring.

One man with a spear and the other with a sword started fighting in the courtyard.

Zhao Sidan was smaller in stature and weaker in strength. Moreover, he had been studying and learning martial arts at the same time, so his skills were not very proficient. He was quickly defeated by the King of Qin's long sword.

Zhao Sidan was not convinced at all, and he deliberately shouted, "Your Highness, there is a big worm on your shoe!"

These words greatly surprised the King of Qin, who immediately looked down. In that moment of distraction, Zhao Sidan's spear was pressed against the King of Qin's chest.

“Jing Si, you must not be presumptuous.” Cheng Wanwan walked over. “This humble woman greets the King of Qin. I was unaware of the King’s visit. I have been very impolite. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

"Sui Shuren is really too inconsiderate." King Qin snorted coldly. "I stayed in Dahe Town for a few days back then, and we had a heart-to-heart talk. We should be considered friends, right? You came to the capital without even informing me."

Cheng Wanwan: "..."

She's no match for anyone who's friends with this person!

However, one should still be mindful of formalities.

She said helplessly, "Counting it up, I've only been here for three days. The first day was for rest, the second day was to visit my son, today I'm visiting my godmother, tomorrow I have to go to the palace to see Her Majesty the Empress, and the day after that I have to go to the Court of State Ceremonial to report on the duties I've performed over the past two years. After that, I still have to go to the Ministry of Revenue..."

"Alright, alright!" The King of Qin's face darkened. "Just tell me, on which day do you plan to go to the King of Qin's residence?"

Cheng Wanwan looked at him innocently: "What are you going to the Prince of Qin's mansion for?"

King of Qin: "..."

He couldn't answer that question.