Chapter 83 Please, the female scholar is super cool! ...

Jiang Yunlin was already flustered by Shen Lingyue's words about "a woman disguised as a man to take the imperial examination," and now, facing her direct and scrutinizing gaze, he was caught off guard, and a hint of guilt and panic flashed in his eyes.

While Shen Lingyue appeared to remain silent, the inner voice of her mind was actually screaming in terror.

Oh no, I hope her melon-god constitution doesn't flare up again!

Shocking! The female lead of the new book is right next to me?!

Shen Lingyue dared not utter a sound, but her eyes shone even brighter as she looked Jiang Yunlin up and down several times.

She had never thought of it this way before, but now, after looking at it carefully again and again... Jiang Tanhua really does look like a girl!

No wonder the weather is getting warmer these days. People like Shen Ming'an and Qi Xiuyuan have changed into light spring clothes, while Jiang Yunlin is still wearing a round-necked robe with a soft scarf around her neck, trying to hide her relatively slender frame so that outsiders won't notice anything amiss.

An eerie silence fell over the room until Shen Ming'an coughed lightly, glanced at Shen Lingyue disapprovingly, and said, half-jokingly, "Little sister, you must not be rude to Jiang Tanhua."

She's already married, is it appropriate for her to praise another man's fair hands?

She then bowed to Jiang Tanhua and apologized, saying, "My younger sister has been spoiled by her family since she was a child, and she speaks without thinking. Please don't take offense, Jiang Tanhua."

Jiang Yunlin quickly suppressed the turmoil in his heart, forced a smile, and shook his head, "It's alright, Madam Shen is also... innocent and naive, haha..."

Qi Xiuyuan also came to his senses at this moment, and shifted his gaze from Jiang Yunlin's excessively fair and slender hands, explaining as if to smooth things over: "That's right, Brother Jiang once told me that he has a twin sister at home. The two grew up together and were born androgynous. Your mother even dressed them both up as girls."

Shen Lingyue glanced at him speechlessly: "I have a little ninth sister at home, right?"

Xiao Qi, I never expected that someone as handsome as you would be so slow-witted.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yunlin felt an urge to stomp on Qi Xiuyuan under the table. Wasn't this just making things worse?

"Well, how about we read the story first?"

Jiang Yunlin's gaze towards Shen Lingyue carried a hint of goodwill, and even a subtle pleading.

Shen Lingyue was shocked, but she never intended to expose Jiang Yunlin. So she took the opportunity to back down, picked up her teacup, took a big gulp, and nodded: "Jiang Tanhua, you should read the story first to see if it's good. If you really think it has merit, then it's not too late to write the preface. There's no need to force yourself."

Although she wanted to use Jiang Yunlin's celebrity status to sell books, there is a difference between doing something for money and genuinely recommending a book.

Otherwise, wouldn't it have been better for her to simply take the money and find a few more Hanlin scholars?

As the first work to be launched by Langhuan Pavilion, Shen Lingyue still hopes to achieve perfection and build a good reputation.

Jiang Yunlin breathed a sigh of relief and immediately opened the manuscript to read it carefully.

On the way here, Qi Xiuyuan had been very curious about what kind of story this was. Seeing this, he walked behind Jiang Yunlin, bent down and leaned closer to read it with her.

Shen Lingyue's eyes darted back and forth between the two, while the little voice in her heart started screaming again, "I'm shipping them! I'm shipping them!"

Jiang Yunlin noticed her mischievous, suppressed laughter out of the corner of her eye. Qi Xiuyuan's faint scent of soap was right next to her, almost touching her nose, making her feel increasingly uncomfortable. She couldn't help but speed up the page-turning process.

Qi Xiuyuan, unaware of what was going on, quickly exclaimed, "Brother Jiang, slow down, I haven't finished reading yet."

Jiang Yunlin glared at him angrily, "Madam Shen asked me to write the preface, what's your rush? Wait until I've finished reading it before you read it."

She pushed him again, saying irritably, "Go back to your seat, your breathing is disturbing me."

Qi Xiuyuan: ...?

He sat back down, still a little confused. "Brother Jiang is acting strangely today. He's in such a bad mood."

However, this wasn't the first time this had happened; there had been several days before when Brother Jiang had been ignoring him...

Qi Xiuyuan shook his head. Perhaps it was because Brother Jiang grew up with his sister since childhood that he had a much stronger temper than other men.

Soon, Jiang Yunlin finished reading the first volume of the story, looked up at Shen Lingyue and said seriously, "It's wonderful. I'm willing to write a preface for this book."

Shen Lingyue breathed a sigh of relief, her smile growing even brighter, and pushed the wooden box over: "Jiang Tanhua, please accept it quickly."

Jiang Yunlin hesitated for a moment and declined, "It's just a preface, it doesn't need to be this long."

"Hey, let's keep things separate. I'm saying that Jiang Tanhua's article is worth this price!"

After finishing their business, Shen Lingyue blinked and offered to visit Jiang Yunlin's home.

Jiang Yunlin knew she wanted to speak to him alone, so he stood up and said, "I recently acquired a new orchid. Its flowers are delicate and elegant. I planted it in the flowerbed in the backyard. Would Madam Shen like to take a look?"

"Okay, okay."

Shen Ming'an wanted to go with her, but Shen Lingyue quickly shook her head at him.

He had no choice but to sit back down, only giving Shen Lingyue a look to remind her not to cause trouble—don't forget you have a husband.

Although Jiang Tanhua is a good man... he's bad luck with wives!

...

Shen Lingyue and Jiang Yunlin went to the backyard.

This small courtyard was rented by Jiang Yunlin after she passed the imperial examination and became a third-ranked scholar. Although it was not large, she managed it very elegantly. The flower garden was planted with many flowers and plants whose names she did not know, and it looked very vibrant.

With no one around, Shen Lingyue decided to be frank, "Jiang Tanhua, you really are..."

Jiang Yunlin tugged at the corner of his lips, his tone bitter and helpless: "Didn't you already figure it out?"

"Really?"

Shen Lingyue couldn't help but circle around her several times, her eyes full of admiration: "You're really amazing!"

Jiang Yunlin was somewhat taken aback: "...What?"

Shen Lingyue said seriously, "I have to say you are really amazing! Last year, everyone was saying that if Jiang Ping hadn't been so ugly that he couldn't live up to the title of Tan Hua Lang (third-ranked scholar), the top scholar position should have been yours."

Jiang Yunlin, as a woman, was able to win first place and leave so many men who had studied hard for years behind. Isn't that amazing?

Jiang Yunlin couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart at that moment. Since deciding to embark on this path, she had almost forgotten how she used to interact with her close female friends.

In order to avoid the pursuit of his admirers, he even had to create a persona of being a jinx to his wives. When he went out, he didn't even dare to look at women twice. He lived cautiously, as if walking on thin ice.

Shen Lingyue was the first person to recognize her identity. Instead of criticizing her for doing something unorthodox, she praised her for being remarkable.

Jiang Yunlin's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, swayed in mid-air. He asked again in disbelief, "You...you're not going to report me?"

"Why would I report you?" Shen Lingyue was even more surprised than her, her eyes wide. "You're so amazing, every woman in the world should be proud of you. Who would be crazy enough to report you?"

Jiang Yunlin gave a wry smile. "But if Miss Xie's identity is exposed, it would be a capital offense of deceiving the emperor, otherwise why would she go to such lengths to hide it?"

She was referring to the female protagonist of "Yu Tang Chai," which also refers to herself.

"Oh dear, this is just for dramatic effect, an artistic embellishment."

Shen Lingyue grabbed her hand anxiously, "Don't worry, Miss Xie will solve this problem in the next volume. She will shine brightly in the court and rise to the highest ranks of the court."

Shen Lingyue looked at her with bright eyes: "If Miss Xie can do it, I believe you can too."

Jiang Yunlin met her sincere and clear eyes and knew that Shen Lingyue was not lying to her. His originally heavy mood relaxed a lot, and he even joked with her: "How to break the deadlock? Should we ask her to find a Taoist priest to say that he is a jinx to his wives?"

"No, no."

Shen Lingyue immediately denied it, saying seriously, "You're already going to write a preface for this book. If you use the same method again, what if someone with ulterior motives associates it with you?"

Anyway, my cousin hasn't started writing the next volume of the story yet, so she can take her time to oversee it.

Jiang Yunlin hadn't expected her to be so considerate in planning things for him, and he was filled with emotion. "Madam Shen, I had my reasons for taking this risky step, but I can't tell you the truth right now..."

“It’s normal, everyone has their own secrets.” Shen Lingyue waved her hand. “Don’t worry, I will protect you! If you encounter any trouble in the future, just come to the Marquis’s residence to find me, and I will do my best to help.”

Please, the female top scholar is super cool!

...

"Jiang Tanhua has agreed to write a preface for my new book?"

Dong Lanyi was also pleasantly surprised to receive this news. Who hadn't seen the grand spectacle of Jiang Tanhua riding through the streets in a red robe last year? The sachets and handkerchiefs thrown from both sides of the street almost drowned him.

Until the reputation of Jiang Tanhua being a jinx to his wives spread, the sound of unmarried girls breaking their hearts could be heard throughout the capital that night.

Dong Lanyi looked at him with admiration: "Second cousin-in-law, you are really amazing. You even managed to get Jiang Tanhua to come."

“Sigh, no matter how good I am, I can’t compare to her…” Shen Lingyue quickly swallowed her words and changed the subject, “Besides asking Jiang Tanhua to write the preface, I also thought of a good idea to promote my new book.”

Even Yan Yi became interested, "What idea?"

Shen Lingyue couldn't say that her inspiration came from Jiang Yunlin's cross-dressing, so she cleared her throat and came up with an excuse: "According to the market research we did before, women who can read and write and have the spare money to buy storybooks are still a small minority, right?"

Dong Lanyi nodded, then added in a low voice, "And they are just like I used to be, most of them are fans of Xiaoxiang Gongzi's books."

"That's right, so how can we attract this group of readers and expand our reach?"

Shen Lingyue didn't keep them in suspense and revealed the answer directly: "That is—traditional opera!"

These days, there are fewer people who love reading, but there are definitely more people who love listening to opera, after all, it is one of the few pastimes and forms of entertainment in their lives.

Dong Lanyi was quick-witted and immediately understood: "You mean, if we adapt the story of 'The Jade Hairpin' into a play and hire an opera troupe to perform it, more people will see it? But..."

She frowned, somewhat embarrassed: "But I've never written any opera lyrics."

Nowadays, the famous opera troupes in Beijing all perform classic plays that have been passed down from the past for countless years. Even if an opera troupe occasionally puts on a new play, it is in collaboration with familiar literati, who make a living from this.

"Well, it's not as complicated as you think. We can compose some catchy tunes that are easy to sing. For example—"

Shen Lingyue cleared her throat sheepishly: "To save my beloved Li Lang, I left my home—who would have thought I'd become the top scholar in the imperial examination..."

The most classic Huangmei Opera, "The Female Imperial Scholar," is a must-have song for the Spring Festival Gala every year. From ninety-nine-year-olds to toddlers, who can't hum a few lines?

"Pfft..." Yan Yi burst out laughing and secretly gave Shen Lingyue a thumbs up.

Little Moon, a marketing genius who keeps a low profile.

Shen Lingyue blushed under her gaze and stamped her foot. "I know I sang off-key, but can't you just listen to it for now?"

"No, no, it sounds great, it's catchy and easy to sing." Yan Yi praised earnestly.

Dong Lanyi urged her, "Why are there only two sentences? What about the rest?"

Shen Lingyue spread her hands helplessly: "That's all. I only know these two lines. The rest of the lyrics will have to be left to you, cousin."

Dong Lanyi recalled the tune she had just sung, raised her hand to gesture a few times, and said uncertainly, "Second cousin-in-law, it sounds like you were singing a tea-picking folk song from the Huaining area?"

She then hummed a few more verses, her voice gentle and her melody light and cheerful.

Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi exchanged a glance, and it really did taste like the Huangmei Opera they remembered.

"Cousin, have you heard of this kind of play before?"

Dong Lanyi smiled and said, "My father served as the magistrate of Jiangling Prefecture before he passed away. I remember there was a tea mountain on the outskirts of the county town. Every year during the tea picking season, the tea pickers would hum a song while they worked. It was probably this tune."

She was just young at the time, and many of her memories are now hazy.

She added, "My mother should have heard this tune before; I'll go and confirm with her later."

Shen Lingyue clapped her hands: "Cousin, you are so smart! You can even hum the little tunes you heard when you were five or six years old."

This is clearly a little artistic genius whose talents have been wasted by his family!

Dong Lanyi blushed at her straightforward praise. She had never realized before that her second cousin-in-law was so good at praising people; she was practically being flattered to the skies.

If it weren't for Shen Lingyue, she would never have realized that the things she knew, which her mother considered "useless," were actually so useful.

A few days later, Dong Lanyi came to Danyuexuan with a newly printed book of lyrics.

"Second cousin's wife, I've finished writing...cousin?"

Dong Lanyi was somewhat surprised when she looked up and saw Pei Jinghuai. "You're home today."

Pei Jinghuai looked resentful: "What, did I interrupt your conversation?"

These days, Shen Lingyue and the others are together all the time, neglecting to eat and sleep, and they even go out to look for shops all the time, completely forgetting about their husband, their legal wife.

Pei Jinghuai just couldn't understand it. While it's good for a family to get along well... do you guys really have to be like this?

Seeing Pei Jinghuai blocking the doorway with an unhappy expression, Dong Lanyi belatedly realized something and said, "Then I'll come again tomorrow..."

Before she could finish speaking, Shen Lingyue pushed the person aside and walked out with great interest, "Cousin, you finished writing so quickly? Highly productive!"

"Actually, the stories are all ready-made; all you need to do is adapt them to the meter of opera lyrics..."

Taking advantage of his height and strength, Pei Jinghuai snatched the script and flipped through it with a clatter: "What is this? Weren't you going to publish a book? Why are you turning to opera again?"

Shen Lingyue's eyes lit up. She was just worried about not having anyone to contact the opera troupe. This ready-made labor force was delivered to her door.

She pulled Pei Jinghuai aside and asked, "How many famous opera troupes in the capital do you know? Can you get in touch with them?"

Pei Jinghuai coughed and trembled. "Don't you even know what I used to do? When it comes to eating, drinking, and having fun, who knows better than me?"

"Stop arguing with me." Shen Lingyue pinched his side without any politeness. "Perfect, go find a troupe that can sing Huaining folk songs and have them rehearse this play as quickly as possible."

Pei Jinghuai hesitated, unwilling to move: "Then what's in it for me?"

Shen Lingyue tentatively asked, "How about I share half of my earnings with you?"

Pei Jinghuai turned his head arrogantly: "Do you think I need your little bit of money?"

"Oh, then all the secret stash of money you hid under the bed, in the wardrobe compartment, and on the beam of the west wing, I'll gladly accept it all."

Shen Lingyue's tone was calm, but Pei Jinghuai jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on, "...How did you find it???"

"It's simple, I just treated Weibo'er to a whole roast chicken." Shen Lingyue smiled dangerously. "Brother Xiaozhou, you've been secretly hiding so much money from me, is something on your mind?"

Who was it that confidently assured her that all the silver shops and estates would be handed over to her to manage in the future?

The sun was blazing, but Pei Jinghuai broke out in a cold sweat and quickly pointed to the sky, swearing, "Those were things I secretly hid when I was young and naive; I've long forgotten about them!"

Pei Jinghuai's heart was bleeding, but he had to pretend to be magnanimous. "Take it all if you want. Buy yourself some new clothes and jewelry. I won't feel bad at all, really..."

It's a pity that the saddle he had his eye on could have been bought if he had saved up a little more...

Shen Lingyue snorted, "Pei Jinghuai, have I ever lacked your money? You're trying to play tricks on me?"

"It was Lü Chong who said that hiding money is a kind of fun, the key is how to do things secretly under the wife's nose..."

Pei Jinghuai looked dejected. "You usually don't care how I spend my money, so I have to find some fun for myself, right?"

"...I think you should spend less time with Lü Chong in the future. He's corrupted my perfectly good husband!"

Shen Lingyue rolled her eyes, completely baffled by his self-inflicted suffering.

But since she needed his help now, she softened her voice and patted his chest a couple of times. "Okay, I know I've been neglecting you a bit lately, but I just wanted to give my cousin something to do. As her older cousin, you should do your part, right?"

Shen Lingyue assured him, "Once we're done with this busy period, and once we've built up Langhuan Pavilion's reputation and business has stabilized, we'll find some time to go out of the city and have a good time for a few days."

Pei Jinghuai looked at her as if she were a heartless person: "Just the two of us?"

Shen Lingyue looked up at the sky guiltily, "...And my older brother and sister-in-law too?"

Pei Jinghuai turned to leave.

Shen Lingyue quickly pulled him back, "Okay, okay, just the two of us, alright?"

"Keep your word; only a dog can lie."

Pei Jinghuai made a pinky promise with her, then tucked the lyrics book into his pocket, saying, "Leave it to me, I guarantee your new play will be known throughout the streets and alleys."

...

When Pei Jinghuai is serious, he is extremely efficient. Meanwhile, the Lian family father and son are working hard to finish printing the book, and "Yu Tang Chai" has already made a name for itself in several theaters in the capital.

The brand-new story and upbeat melody greatly enriched the scarce entertainment life of the people in the capital.

Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi strolled around the vicinity of the theater for a while, and when they heard the waiters humming a few lines of "Who would have thought that the imperial examination would produce the top scholar," they clapped their hands in delight.

"It's done."

With a confident wave of her hand, she said, "Tell Lian Shu and the others to speed things up. I want to see every young lady and lady of every family with a copy of 'Jade Hall Hairpin'!"

Three days later.

Shen Lingyue lavishly booked an entire floor of Fenglelou Restaurant and even hired a dragon and lion dance troupe to promote the event by banging drums and gongs all over the main street of the capital early in the morning.

The onlookers clicked their tongues in amazement and whispered among themselves: "What kind of business is this? A bookstore opening? And whose masterpiece is 'Jade Hall Hairpin'?"

"No way, no way, you haven't even seen 'The Jade Hairpin'? It's that super popular new play in theaters lately!"

The person who struck up the conversation began to sing a few lines, and the onlookers suddenly realized, "So this is the story of Miss Xie, who was disguised as a man!"

Someone was intrigued: "The opera was sung so beautifully, and the melodies were so fresh, unlike those old operas that are so stilted and make you sleepy. My wife took my daughter to hear it twice, and she sings it at home every day. I never expected that a script would be published so soon!"

"That's not all! I heard that last year's third-place scholar in the imperial examinations wrote the preface for this book! Just think, he was the third-place scholar! If he read it and said it was good, it must be a great story!"

"Let's go, let's go join the fun!"

By mid-morning, the area in front of Fengle Tower was already packed with people, including ordinary folks who had come to join the fun, as well as classmates from the Imperial Academy whom Shen Ming'an had invited to fill the crowd.

Sang Wenyuan also arrived, bringing many of her close female friends with her. At that moment, she was holding a newly published copy of "Yu Tang Chai" and enthusiastically promoting it to them.

Someone asked, "How does this book compare to Xiaoxiang Gongzi's 'The Story of Qilan'?"

Sang Wenyuan thought for a moment and said seriously, "Although both of these are novels with female protagonists, Miss Qilan runs away from her arranged marriage and ventures into the world, which is a life of detachment from worldly affairs; while Miss Xie disguises herself as a man to take the imperial examination, which is a life of engagement with worldly affairs. I think they each have their own unique flavor and are both worth reading."

A young woman took the new book from her hand, turned the pages, and suddenly exclaimed, "The illustrations here are actually in color?"

This exclamation immediately attracted the attention of others, and many heads crowded around to look.

"Is it really in color? How did they do that? Did they have someone draw it on page by page?"

"My God, how much would a book like that cost?"

"But this illustration is really beautiful, so lifelike. It's quite different from the style of those paintings of ladies outside. It must have been done by a master..."

Having received prior instructions from Shen Lingyue, Sang Wenyuan quickly explained, "Everyone, please rest assured, this ink and wash illustration is an exclusive craft of Langhuan Pavilion. The price of the storybook remains the same, and there are even discounts for the first three days—buy more, get more free gifts!"

She pointed to a long table behind her and said with a smile, "You'll also randomly get a bookmark drawn by the third-ranked scholar himself!"

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, and the next second they saw Jiang Yunlin walking out in a bright red brocade robe, his face as bright as the moon, a smile on his lips, and a folding fan in hand.

There was a moment of silence in the crowd, followed by a huge scream.

"It's the third-ranked scholar—!!!"

-----------------------

Author's Note: Jiang Tanhua: I knew this money wasn't easy to earn... Turns out it also includes appearance fees and endorsement fees [sigh]

This chapter was posted early; there will be an extra chapter tonight! [Let me see][Let me see]