Chapter 20: The Beauty Painting Hopes to Provide Shen Yun with a Concubine

Pushing open the wooden door again, the furnishings inside were not much different from before.

Shen Yun restored it to its original state.

He never demolished the house, even though she never came in.

Lin Shutang walked to the table; the tools for carving wood were still new.

The bookshelf is filled with all sorts of books about wood carving, as well as some of the latest publications from Yujing Woodware Shop.

There are exquisite wooden artifacts carved by famous artists on display, carving techniques taught, and anecdotes about antiques.

The earliest publication can be traced back to the eleventh year of Yongchang, when Lin Shutang was only seven years old.

"These……"

Lin Shutang picked up the earliest copy, brushed the cover, and found it spotless.

They are all categorized and arranged by year on the bookshelf.

You can find whatever you want to see at a glance.

Lin Shutang had just instructed Lvwu to have someone tidy up the room, and a little while later, Lvwu came to tell her that it was ready.

In such a short time, it would be impossible to tidy up a room that hadn't been opened for three years so neatly.

The only possibility is...

"It's brought back by the young master every month and he puts it here himself," the servant in charge replied. "The young master comes to this room to take care of it whenever he has free time."

For some reason, Lin Shutang suddenly felt a little short of breath.

She hurriedly shoved the book back onto the shelf and turned to run out of the room as if fleeing.

The servant who remained was somewhat confused.

Lin Shutang pushed open the door, entered the west wing room, and took out the account books to organize them.

He buried himself in it.

Meanwhile, a carrier pigeon flew away from the eaves of Jingyuan Residence.

After passing through rows of lanes and alleys and the majestic city wall, we came to the foot of Xiwu Mountain.

Yingxiao caught the swooping pigeon with one hand, skillfully removed the letter from its leg, and then released it into the air.

He entered the duty room with the letter in his hand and handed it to Shen Yun.

Shen Yun opened the letter, which detailed everything. Lin Shutang got up, had Luwu wash and dress, and inquired about Qingdai's whereabouts. The lady seemed a little unhappy after learning about it.

For breakfast, I had half a bowl of bamboo shoot and shredded chicken congee, two pieces of red bean paste spring rolls, and a few bites of cold shepherd's purse salad.

After lunch, we strolled around the yard to digest our food before heading to the wooden cabin.

Upon seeing this, Shen Yun's fingers unconsciously tightened.

The next line continued, saying that the lady only stayed inside for a short while before coming out. She didn't look too well, and afterwards she stayed in the west wing to handle important matters of the household.

Shen Yun stared at the words "wooden house" for a long time, then threw the letter into the incense burner without saying anything.

Yingxiao then silently withdrew.

-

After lunch, Lin Shutang took a short nap, and then Heyuan sent someone to deliver several portraits.

She said these were all young ladies carefully selected by the old lady, and told Lin Shutang to get to know them well.

In a few days, when the weather warms up, each family will hold banquets of varying sizes, and Lin Shutang will attend to give the eldest son a good look.

If any family has a suitable person of appropriate status and appearance, they can be brought in as a concubine for Shen Yun.

Lin Shutang unfolded the portrait. The beauty stood on the rice paper, her eyes lowered gently, her eyes raised lively. Her demeanor and bearing seemed to come alive from the painting, each with her own unique characteristics.

The woman's name, family background, and talents were also marked in small seal script on the side.

It seems the old lady put a lot of thought into it.

Lin Shutang was ordered by the old lady to choose a wife for Shen Xiuyan, and he dared not neglect it.

Lin Shutang was more than happy to arrange for Shen Yun to take a concubine, and he personally took charge of the process.

After finding the genealogy records, Lin Shutang carefully learned about the interests, relatives, friends, and personalities of the young ladies from each family, and what connections they might have.

Lin Shutang recognized one of the women as the third young lady of the Zhao family.

She is Zhao Mingzhu's cousin.

Lin Shutang took a few more glances.

She only needs to pay special attention to those whose family background, appearance, and talent are all a good match for Shen Xiuyan.

As for who Shen Xiuyan ultimately chooses, that's beyond Lin Shutang's consideration.

Half a day passed, and as the sun began to set, Lin Shutang finally gained a general understanding of the relationships between these aristocratic families.

Lin Shutang put down the vermilion brush, rubbed his sore wrists, and picked up an invitation card that was placed on the table.

The old lady is right; there have been quite a few banquets being held in various households recently.

She sent the portrait today, and this afternoon someone delivered the invitation.

It turned out to be Princess Changning's banquet.

Lin Shutang didn't want to go; Princess Changning was definitely coming for her.

After all, I only saw her yesterday, and she's already holding a flower-viewing banquet today.

I don't know what kind of flowers to admire at this time of year.

But then I thought, with Princess Changning attending the banquet, the noble ladies of Yujing would naturally flock to her.

She should be able to see most of the women in the portrait at this banquet.

You can try to decline some of the subsequent banquets.

Moreover, Princess Changning was hoping to arrange a concubine for Shen Jun...

"I declined."

As Lin Shutang was thinking, Shen Yun's voice suddenly came from beside her, as if he knew what she was thinking.

Lin Shutang was startled and quickly looked up to see that Shen Yun had been standing beside her at some point, bending down to half-hug her around the desk and in front of him.

He lowered his eyes and stared at the invitation in her hand.

Lin Shutang pressed down the invitation, saying, "How can I refuse the princess's invitation? Besides, my grandmother asked me to go to the banquet to find a suitable woman for the eldest son, so I have to go."

Lin Shutang was very confident; she wasn't going out for fun, she had serious business to attend to.

Thinking about it, I couldn't help but straighten my back even more.

Shen Yun moved his hand, which was resting on the table, down, through the back of Lin Shutang's knees, and lifted her up, so that Lin Shutang fell into his arms.

With the host and guest switched places, Shen Yun sat in the spot where Lin Shutang had been sitting, spreading Lin Shutang's knees apart so that Lin Shutang sat directly opposite her on her lap.

Lin Shutang immediately separated her arms from his neck and pushed against his chest, "Chen Yun, what are you doing!"

"Let Shen Xiuyan choose whatever kind of wife he wants. You are not allowed to show her to him." Shen Yun's voice deepened, her attitude was firm, and she was childishly unreasonable.

“This is what I should do as the matriarch. Shen Yun, are you going to raise me as your caged bird?” Lin Shutang also put on a stern face.

“But I’m afraid that A-Tang might use her position to do something that would displease me.” Shen Yun casually picked up a portrait, depicting a beautiful woman with a jade-like face and flowers, with two horizontal lines drawn in red ink on the side.

I looked up and saw a scroll in the distance on the table, with a long line at the top.

Lin Shutang felt a sudden pang of panic and lowered her head to avoid Shen Yun's fixed gaze.

She was afraid she might be getting confused, wondering if the mark she made was too obvious.

"How could that be? Grandmother made me do this," Lin Shutang stammered. "I just wanted to choose a good wife for the eldest young master, so that Grandmother would be more satisfied with me."

“My family background is not good. Since my grandmother was able to accept me, I naturally want to think about the Duke’s mansion and try my best to make my grandmother happy.”

"So, Ah Tang, you know very well what you should and shouldn't do, right?" Shen Yun put one arm around Lin Shu Tang's lower back and tucked a stray hair behind her ear with the other.

The cool fingertips brushed lightly across her cheek.

The thought made Lin Shutang shudder slightly, but she forced herself to suppress it, raised her eyes, and nodded emphatically, "Of course."

Shen Yun stared at her, and finally a smile appeared on his lips. "A-Tang went to the wooden house today, why don't you stay a little longer?"

Sure enough, he knew everything.

Lin Shutang's heart, which had been pounding with anxiety, suddenly sank even further.

The feeling of being constantly watched, no matter what she did, was suffocating her.

Her emotions and thoughts were laid bare before Shen Jun, and Lin Shutang often had the illusion that she had been stripped naked, tied up, and thrown in front of Shen Jun.

It seemed to penetrate her skin and flesh; her internal organs, her throbbing veins, her scalding blood—all were visible to him.

"My skills have become rusty, I can't do it anymore." Lin Shutang turned her head away, seemingly unwilling to speak.

Fortunately, Shen Yun didn't dwell on the topic. "I have a private residence on the north side of Jiuli Mountain. In a few days, when the crabapple blossoms are in full bloom, shall we go and stay there for a while?"

"Hmm," Lin Shutang replied absentmindedly.

Shen Yun looked down at her, moved the hand that was holding her waist back, and pressed on her tailbone. Lin Shutang went limp and fell into his arms. When she came to her senses, her lips were already being kissed by him.

-

Soon it was time for Princess Changning to host a flower-viewing banquet. On his way to the banquet, Lin Shutang encountered Zhao Mingzhu's carriage.

For some reason, the wheels of her carriage wouldn't turn at this crucial moment. Hearing that Zhao Mingzhu was also going to attend Princess Changning's flower-viewing banquet, Lin Shutang invited her to get in the carriage with him.

"It's all thanks to meeting the Crown Prince's wife today; otherwise, I'm afraid she would have been blamed for being late to the princess's banquet," Zhao Mingzhu said.

"You're welcome, it was nothing at all," Lin Shutang said with a smile, indicating that it was no trouble at all.

The last time I met Zhao Mingzhu was on the night of the Lantern Festival.

At that time, Lin Shutang was in a bad mood and his enthusiasm for Zhao Mingzhu was lukewarm.

Although Lin Shutang knew that she was acting on Ji Huaiyi's orders, and that Ji Huaiyi was acting on behalf of Shen Yun.

But I still feel a little guilty, and it's good that I was able to help her today.

It can also be considered as gratitude that she did not say much to Shen Jun that night, nor did she pry into her affairs.

"Madam, what flowers did you bring to the flower viewing banquet today?"

The car fell silent. Zhao Mingzhu, trying to ease the atmosphere, asked a question.

"I only picked one crabapple blossom, and it's in a vase." Lin Shutang tilted her chin and pointed to the coffee table.

She didn't do much preparation.

The flower-appreciation banquet, though named after flowers, was not merely about admiring the flowers in the princess's residence. The female guests attending the banquet would prepare their own flower arrangements in advance and bring them to the princess's residence for everyone to appreciate.

Finally, the best floral arrangement will be chosen by a vote of the crowd, and the person who brought the arrangement will become this year's "Flower Girl".

This is a romantic tale passed down from a princess of the previous dynasty.

Princess Changning followed suit and held the event for three years.

This was Lin Shutang's first time participating.

However, Lin Shutang had no interest in the title of "Baihua Girl".

After all, her mission wasn't to eat, drink, and have fun, or to gain fame and recognition throughout Kyoto.

So I just casually picked a crabapple tree from the yard. That was enough.

Rather than wanting the title of "Lady of a Hundred Flowers," she was more interested in seeing who would receive it.

With her fame spreading throughout Kyoto, the old lady should be more satisfied with this woman.

Zhao Mingzhu followed the direction of her gaze and saw a sky-blue vase placed on a smooth, dark brown table, elegant and refined. But emerging from the narrow neck of the vase was a crabapple tree in full bloom, its beauty breathtaking.

The colors are clearly very contrasting, yet they complement each other perfectly.

"The spring chill hasn't completely dissipated yet, and this crabapple tree is blooming so beautifully. May I be so bold as to ask, did you pick this crabapple from the north side of Jiuli Mountain, Madam?" Zhao Mingzhu asked curiously.

A note from the author:

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