Chapter 58 The disadvantages of buying snakes

After parting ways at the city gate, Lu Wensheng swaggered around the streets.

She had been struggling with how to escape unscathed from a direct confrontation, but after her frank discussion, she found inspiration in Shen Hegui: she could release a non-venomous snake to bite the prince and then personally 'suck out the poison' for him.

To bite and pounce on someone in a group of more than ten people, the safest option is to do it at the morning court session tomorrow.

With the Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and the Minister of Rites standing in front of her, she had to find a way to lure Shen Hegui to her side before releasing the snake.

The most important thing now is to buy snakes quickly.

Lu Wensheng wandered through the streets and alleys, taking a long stroll, and finally found a snake vendor at the medicinal herb market in the south of the city.

She glanced at them from afar and found that each snake was skinny, grayish, venomous, and ugly, so she had no interest in buying any of them.

Seeing Lu Wensheng looking at the snake again and again, a vendor couldn't help but ask, "Young master, you've walked back and forth several times. Are you buying the snake to make medicinal wine or to cook?"

Lu Wensheng mumbled, "I'll just take a look."

They were all venomous snakes, with their fangs still intact, and they were all quite long. Buying any of them wouldn't be suitable, and the venom of spring snakes is potent. If I accidentally got my hands on some venom, I could kill myself, which would be a huge loss. But the mission was urgent.

As the sun gradually set, Lu Wensheng stopped in front of the stall with the most variety of goods and began to hesitate.

The stall owner was a lean, middle-aged man with deep-set eyes and heavy dark circles. When he saw Lu Wensheng stop, he immediately greeted him warmly: "Young master, I have all kinds of good stuff here, including white flower snakes, bamboo vipers, and golden coin snakes!"

He lifted the lids one by one, revealing swarms of snakes inside, with many long-headed mosquito coils coiled around them.

Lu Wensheng peeked out and was somewhat disappointed; it was still full of ugly, venomous snakes.

Just as she was about to ask if there were any other snakes, the snakes in the cage, which had been languid and listless with the weariness of spring, suddenly stretched out their bodies, desperately retreated, and kept hissing.

One snake stall spread to two, then to four, and in an instant, countless sharp hissing sounds, filled with fear and warning, resounded, spreading from one snake stall to all the snake stalls along the street.

"What happened?"

"What the hell?"

"Cover it up quickly!"

The vendors' panicked shouts rose and fell, and pedestrians, seeing the snake, became agitated and hurriedly moved away.

Lu Wensheng stood still, slightly puzzled, and lowered his head to smell himself.

It has no other taste besides alcohol. Why do the snakes in the cage act like they've seen a ghost when they see her? Could it be that Shen He Gui's wine contains realgar?

That's impossible! Wine with realgar added is bitter and astringent; she couldn't possibly not be able to tell.

The lean stall owner covered the snake cage with a black cloth and said in a puzzled tone, "This is strange. I've never encountered anything so bizarre before. It just came out of its nest, so it couldn't possibly be in heat!"

He looked up at Lu Wensheng and said, "Young master, don't be afraid. If you want to take it back and cook it, I can help you process it. If you want to soak it in medicinal wine, I can also help you process it."

Lu Wensheng stopped his thoughts and took a slight step back: "Do you have any smaller snakes here, with fangs but not venomous?"

The stall owner suddenly realized: "No wonder you looked back and forth so many times, young master. It's common to see people keeping cats, dogs, and birds, but it's really rare to see people keeping snakes. Snakes are cold-blooded, sensitive, petty, vengeful, and difficult to tame. Be careful not to hurt yourself."

Lu Wensheng: "I know what I'm doing."

Knowing he couldn't persuade him otherwise, the stall owner took a small, bright green cage from his wooden cart and handed it to Lu Wensheng: "Everyone dares to catch non-venomous snakes. If you ask around, young master, you might not find any. I got this little snake by chance. Please take a look at its quality."

Lu Wensheng hesitated for a moment before lifting the lid and taking a look. He saw a small, white snake, about the thickness of his little finger, lying quietly inside, and then he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

She looked up and asked, "Are you sure this one isn't poisonous?"

What if it's just too small, and the toxicity and head shape haven't manifested yet? If the emperor bites it tomorrow and poisons Shen Hegui to death, then she'll be finished!

The stall owner, who has been catching and selling snakes for years, has an unusually thick thumb and forefinger. With a flick of his wrist, he scooped up a small snake and pressed it against his arm.

"Hey—!" It was so fast that Lu Wensheng had no time to stop it.

The stall owner smiled and displayed his arm right in front of Lu Wensheng's eyes: "Look, four holes. Venomous snakes usually have two holes, while non-venomous snakes have multiple holes. Young master, you can buy with confidence!"

Lu Wensheng was somewhat intrigued: "What kind of snake is this? How much does it cost?"

“I don’t know either, it’s the first time I’ve seen one. My daughter picked up the snake by the stream and named it ‘Toothless.’ If you like it, you can take it for twenty coins.”

Lu Wensheng raised an eyebrow slightly, "Since it's your daughter's pet, it might not be appropriate to resell it to me?"

The stall owner waved his hand repeatedly, "Oh! That's all in the past. My girl is fickle and has recently become obsessed with raising ducklings. Snakes are possessive and jealous creatures, and she actually strangled a whole brood of ducklings to death. She's heartbroken at home right now, and I'm worried that these lazy snakes won't sell."

He paused for a moment, then said, "How about this, I'll sell it to you for ten coins. Consider it a favor, a way to make a good connection. I only hope you'll treat it well, young master."

“Okay.” Lu Wensheng was surprised, but quickly counted out ten copper coins and handed them to the stall owner. “I will treat it well.”

It's not that there aren't people in Yanjing who enjoy keeping snakes. Ordinary snakes for food cost around several tens of coins, but pet snakes are incredibly expensive. This snake in the cage has bright eyes and smooth scales. Although the black spots spoil its appearance, if it happens to catch someone's eye, selling it for several taels of silver is no problem at all. It's clear that the stall owner genuinely wants to find a good home for this snake.

Leaving the herbal medicine market, the sun was already beginning to set. Carrying the newly acquired snake, Lu Wensheng wandered over to a nearby tea and snack shop and bought some candied fruit, pastries, and fried small fish to take home, planning to enjoy the snacks while taking a bath.

The setting sun bathed the ground in a warm gold light. Lu Wensheng knocked once, and the wooden door was pulled open from the inside.

Song Zhiyun, with her sharp eyes, saw Lu Wensheng when she opened the door. For a rare moment, her mind went blank. She tremblingly removed the withered peach blossom branch from Lu Wensheng's temple: "You have a lover?"

"How could someone of my status have a lover!" Lu Wensheng paused in his action of bolting the door, then resumed bolting it again, asking warily, "Has someone created me, Huang Yao?"

Recently, Shen Hegui has been getting close to her. Has she already attracted trouble so quickly? Her family's corrupt practices and illicit affair are certainly good reasons to impeach her.

“Nobody made a name for you, Huang Yao. You’ve rejected quite a few matchmakers. Tell your mother quickly, who gave you this hairpin?” Song Zhiyun held the peach blossom branch in front of her eyes, her wrist trembling.

"Is there something wrong with the flower that His Highness the Crown Prince wore?" It's good that no one is spreading rumors.

"What?!" Song Zhiyun's shout startled the birds in the tree, who immediately flapped their wings and flew away.

She grabbed Lu Wensheng's earlobe, lowered her voice, and asked anxiously close to his ear, "The Crown Prince likes you? He knows your...your gender?"

Lu Wensheng, with her head tilted back, snatched the wilted peach blossom branch, completely unconcerned: "How could that be! Mother, have you been reading too many romance novels? It's just a peach blossom! What's the big deal!"

"Oh dear!" Song Zhiyun stared at Lu Wensheng's face, which was becoming increasingly radiant due to his abundant blood and energy, and stamped her feet in frustration. She pointed at the flowering branch and said, "How can you be so slow! This branch is growing twin peach blossoms, twin blossoms! Twin blossoms!!"

"Oh," Lu Wensheng said dismissively.

She saved her ear and replied with a smile, "Mother, you're overthinking it. His Highness the Crown Prince has received the orthodox education of a heir apparent, and is upright and honorable. How could he possibly like men and go astray? If he were truly gay, word would have spread. Besides, twin flowers are rare. The fact that His Highness picked one for me most likely means that he liked it himself but felt it was inappropriate to wear as a hairpin and couldn't see it, so he put it in my hair. This is a favor from the Emperor, representing His Highness's closeness to me."

Lu Wensheng was eloquent and persuasive; after a long and eloquent speech, he convinced Song Zhiyun to waver.

Her expression softened slightly, and she muttered softly, "It seems to make some sense, but something still feels off."

Lu Wensheng saw this and felt both helpless and comforted: "Mother, only you treat me like a treasure, thinking I'm perfect in every way, loved by everyone. That's impossible, don't even think about it!"

Song Zhiyun's face hardened, and she immediately retorted, "She's good at everything and likable."

These words were spoken with such confidence that Lu Wensheng chuckled twice, turned around, and walked briskly into the kitchen. She put down what she was holding, rolled up her sleeves, and began to heat water for her bath.

As her gaze fell upon Lu Wensheng's carefree figure, a sense of melancholy crept into Song Zhiyun's eyes.

Startled birds, weary from their flight, returned to their nests, and a thought suddenly entered Song Zhiyun's mind.

Could it be that the Crown Prince has taken a liking to Sheng Sheng's beauty and developed feelings for her, while her blockhead has failed to notice anything and attributes everything to the Emperor's favor?

Without any evidence, if it's just her overthinking, pointing it out rashly would only backfire and sow discord between the ruler and his subjects. But if it's true, it would be a huge fire that's impossible to control!

Song Zhiyun walked into the kitchen, feeling conflicted and unsure how to begin her question.

She frowned and looked at the sky, then picked up on the most unrelated topic, "Didn't you say you wouldn't go home until the imperial examinations were over? Besides, it's only past mid-Shen time now, not even time to get off work yet."

Song Zhiyun's question suddenly reminded Lu Wensheng that he still had to find time to get married during the Ghost Festival in March.

Lu Wensheng: "His Highness came to see me this afternoon, and I took the opportunity to ask for leave to take a bath. Mother, although Huo Qian and Shang Lian have gone to the southwest to take up their posts, the invitations to His Highness still need to be sent."

"I've already prepared everything, don't worry." That's right, once Sheng Sheng is married, she'll be a married man. Even if His Highness the Crown Prince has a vague affection for Sheng Sheng, it will most likely fade away over time. It's easy for a woman to pursue a man, but difficult for a man to pursue a woman! In broad daylight, he can't possibly come and steal her away!

After figuring it out, Song Zhiyun felt relieved.

After throwing firewood into the lit stove, Lu Wensheng raised his hand to calculate the time.

Oh no! I still need to ask Shen Hegui for a wedding leave. If he doesn't agree, the wedding will most likely have to be postponed.

Thinking of this, Lu Wensheng instructed, "Don't inform the neighbors about the wedding date yet. The date coincides with the imperial examination and the examination hall is closed. If Your Highness agrees, I can come out to get married around the 15th of the month. If not, I will have to stay in the examination hall to supervise the grading of papers, and the wedding date will have to be postponed."

Luckily I remembered, otherwise it would have been so awkward to only see the bride and not the groom on March 16th.

"Alright! Mother understands." A hint of heartache flashed in Song Zhiyun's eyes. This official has risen so high, he can't even have the freedom to marry!

Once the firewood was fully ignited, there was little need to do anything about it. Lu Wensheng bent down and took out two packets of herbs from the pile of firewood, and then took out a wide-bellied earthenware pot to boil them.

Song Zhiyun's heart skipped a beat. "It's not even the appointed time yet, why are you already brewing the medicine? Taking too much medicine in such a short time is bad for your throat!"

"I need to be prepared. If I can't get my wedding leave approved, the medicine might be running out of effect when I leave the examination hall. I can't take that risk. It's always better to take it early." In the past, when she was busy, Shang Lian and the others would help deliver the medicine, but now she has to do it all by herself.

Lu Wensheng poured half of the small packet of medicine into the large packet, added two bowls of water, and then placed the large clay pot on the charcoal stove.

Seeing how meticulously Lu Wensheng had planned, Song Zhiyun couldn't help but calculate the date of Lu Wensheng's letter.

Song Zhiyun: "Will you be able to come home when your period comes this month?"

Lu Wensheng paused in his work of poking at the charcoal fire, then quickly took out a packet of medicine to delay menstruation and began to open it, saying with gratitude, "Thank goodness you reminded me, Mother!"

Lu Wensheng poured the contents out with a thud, making Song Zhiyun's eyelids twitch. "Won't it cause problems if we mix these together and boil them?"

"No, I've done that before!" As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Wensheng felt a chill on his neck, and the next second, all the medicine he had just brewed was poured into the swill bucket.

Song Zhiyun slammed the empty pot down, her eyebrows furrowed: "Go heat your bathwater, you're just relying on your youth to do nothing!"

*

The next day, before the chickens and dogs had even gotten up, Lu Wensheng had already left home with Xiao Yuan and the little snake he had just bought, heading to the capital to prepare for his roll call.