Chapter 536: Unparalleled in the World, Unmatched in the Ages [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Ning Yan followed Kang Shi and the other person out of the house. Following their gaze, she saw a group of people and a group of...

pig?

The boy rode a pure white mule without any blemishes.

Though called a mule… aside from its slightly dull appearance, its other attributes—such as height, build, and muscular limbs—were no less than those of an ordinary warhorse. Ning Yan's gaze shifted upwards, and she saw that the young man was dressed in a crimson, narrow-sleeved outfit, with a floral monogram hanging from his waist.

The monogram was translucent.

Without light, it would be very difficult to spot.

Immediately, she had a guess in her mind.

Meanwhile, Shen Tang kept complaining about that unscrupulous merchant. If the other party hadn't been so clueless, why would she have had to make this trip herself? If outsiders knew that she, the dignified head of a prefecture, was doing the work of buying piglets, would she have no dignity or face left?

Purchasing is fine...

That unscrupulous merchant took advantage of her because she had an easy-to-bully face, selling piglets for the price of adult pigs, did he really think she was an innocent victim?

Even the most unscrupulous merchants would yield under her unconventional threats and "voluntarily" offer an 80% discount off the market price.

Shen Tang swept away every single piglet.

They're returning home with a full load.

Those who didn't know the situation would think she had won a great victory on some battlefield, given her smug and triumphant expression.

"Xian Deng, Ji Shou!"

Shen Tang jumped off the mule.

The two men clasped their hands in greeting and said, "Greetings, my lord."

Ning Yan also gave a curtsy: "Greetings, Lord Shen."

"No need for so much formality. How was your day?" Shen Tang's gaze then shifted to the unfamiliar face. "Who are you?"

Ning Yan replied, "The widow of Yan An."

Upon hearing Ning Yan's identity, Shen Tang put away her smile and returned the greeting with a solemn expression: "So you are Madam Yan, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Seeing Shen Tang's reaction, she felt both gratified and bittersweet—because her husband hadn't misjudged her; this person was different from Zheng Qiao! His sacrifices and efforts hadn't been in vain! At the same time, she also harbored a bit of a desire to test Shen Tang.

She needed to see if Shen Tang still harbored any resentment about being transferred to Longwu County. If she did, she would have to wait and see.

She stepped aside to avoid Shen Tang's half-bow.

“How could I, a humble woman, possibly receive such a generous gift from Lord Shen?”

Shen Tang said, "Madam deserves it."

Ning Yan subtly adjusted her breathing, suppressing the slight warmth that had welled up in her eyes, and remained composed: "However, I did not come here as Xingning's widow. The other day, I sought refuge with my fellow disciple, who entrusted me with this task, solely to help Shen Jun out of his immediate predicament..."

"Fellow disciple?"

Ning Yan smiled and said, "It is indeed Xu Wenzhu from Tianhai, whom Lord Shen recommended before. Junior Brother Xu heard that Lord Shen's territory was in dire need of grain and was worried about delaying spring planting, so he hurriedly entrusted me to deliver it to alleviate the suffering of the common people of Longwu. However, there is one thing..."

She spoke beautifully.

These few words also brought Shen Tang and Xu Jie closer together.

Let Shen Tang know that Xu Jie is a grateful person.

Just as she had expected, Shen Tang did indeed show great enthusiasm and joy—heaven knows how much Shen Tang had been worried about growing grain lately! The number of people who starved to death in Longwu County last year was far more than the number of people looted, burned, and killed by the Ten Black Horse Bandits!

Every household, let alone growing grain, has devoured the weeds and bare ground! The wealthy and powerful, on the other hand, have no shortage of grain, but they are greedy and have been raising prices on the spot, selling all the stored grain from last autumn's harvest to other places at exorbitant prices...

For example, ten black crows!

Originally, there was enough grain left over, but who knew that the situation would change so drastically in just a few months, from autumn harvest to the following spring planting! When Shen Tang "took over" their family property, upon taking inventory, there were countless gold, silver, jewels, and rare books and paintings, but there was no grain!

Shen Tang was even tempted to curse their ancestors!

Unexpectedly, Xu Jie would lend a helping hand at this time, which made all the effort she put into building her goodwill towards him worthwhile.

"Just what?" Shen Tang asked with a bright smile.

Ning Yan: "Junior Brother Xu said that business is business."

We can't let Shen Tang get these grains for free.

Shen Tang was not surprised by this condition.

She's not Wu Xian.

Xu Jieneng donated several granaries to Wu Xian free of charge, supporting his rise to power and the raising of an army, all for the latter's influence in Tianhai and to help the Xu family gain status. Although he had a personal relationship with Shen Tang, it did not bring much benefit to the family at the clan level.

Most importantly—

Xu Jie's lord is Wu Xian. Even if he wanted to give Shen Tang high-quality grain for free, he would have to see if Wu Xian had any grudges against him.

Ideally, the transaction should be completed on the spot, ending the business transaction.

Otherwise, if the others in Tianhai brought this up, Xu Jie would be in an awkward position. Shen Tang could understand that.

“Of course. Wen Zhu’s willingness to help is already a godsend for me. I can’t let him do a losing business.” Shen Tang agreed readily. He glanced at the contract Ning Yan handed him, signed his name quickly, and stamped his Wenxin seal.

This batch of grain was sold at a very low price, almost half-sold and half-gifted.

Two copies of the contract are made.

One copy was left with Shen Tang.

The other copy needs to be mailed back to Xu Jie.

Shen Tang smiled at Ning Yan, preparing to warmly entertain her for a few days. Unexpectedly, Ning Yan, before she could speak, stated her purpose: "There is another matter I wish to discuss privately with Lord Shen. I wonder if Lord Shen would be so kind as to grant me this request?"

"Of course."

Shen Tang turned to Kang Shi and asked him to help settle the piglets, and to have Jiang Sheng count the grain so that it could be stored and distributed to various places as soon as possible.

"Please come with me, madam."

Ning Yan entrusted her daughter to Kang Shi for temporary care.

Seeing Kang Shi's intrigued expression, Jiang Sheng calmly reminded him, "This lady might stay."

When Peach Blossom brought her child to his door, was Kang Shi feeling guilty?

but--

Ning Yan's ex-husband is dead, and both she and Kang Shi are unmarried. These days, it's perfectly normal for widows to remarry with their ex-husbands' children. Judging from Kang Shi's reaction, the child might not even be his. If the two of them are willing, perhaps they can reconcile?

Although it would be unfair to Yan'an to say this.

"Stay? It's good to stay." Kang Shi, unaware of his colleague's thoughts, smiled kindly and teased the girl who resembled his friend, calling him "Uncle Kang." "Come on! Uncle Kang will show you the piglets. Those things are delicious when they grow up."

He then picked the girl up in his arms.

Jiang Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Tsk, something's fishy."

Unfortunately, Gu Chi was not present.

If I were there, I wouldn't have missed this great show.

at the same time.

Shen Tang and Ning Yan were alone in a room.

She cast a spell to prevent outside eavesdropping and said, "This place is very safe. Madam Yan, please feel free to speak."

Ning Yan carefully examined Shen Tang's face.

I have an urge to touch it and see if it's real or not.

"The young woman heard a rumor outside."

"What rumor?"

"This rumor is known to very few, but it is of great importance to a young woman—are you a man or a woman?"

Shen Tang raised an eyebrow. She hadn't expected Ning Yan to ask this question. The latter's expression was somewhat different from what she had shown outside, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She countered, "So what if I'm a man? So what if I'm a woman?"

“If Shen Jun were a man, he would be no different from any of those troublemakers in the world.” Ning Yan’s eyes held an expectation she herself was unaware of. “But—if he were a woman, Shen Jun would be unparalleled in the world to me!”

Shen Tang's heart trembled slightly.

His gaze shifted.

They proactively removed the prefix "Mrs. Yan" from Ning Yan's name and instead viewed this unexpected guest from a completely new perspective.

I asked her, "If I were your daughter, what would you do, Ms. Ning?"

Lady refers to a woman who possesses the conduct of a scholar.

\(￣︶￣*\))

The title "Madam" is not a foreign import.

This has existed since ancient times and can be understood as referring to female scholars.

P.S.: Double monthly tickets are now available! The monthly ticket post event in the book review section is also unlocked. Limited spots available, first come, first served.

(End of this chapter)