Chapter 30 Storytelling: He covered Shen Yan's ears and carried her out.
In the Shen family, Madam Su held Shen Yan's hand, her brows furrowing slightly as she looked at the various jeweled objects in the wooden box beside her.
"Did you bring back all these things from your trip? Were they all gifts from the Prince of Jin?"
Although the two families have verbally agreed to the marriage, it is still a sham marriage, and receiving so many gifts might not be appropriate.
Shen Yan shook her head and said, "The prince took me out to play, and these are all prizes I won during the games."
She then recounted the interesting things that happened during her shopping trip that day, especially the part about Yafeng Garden, which she described in great detail, vividly depicting to Madam Su how exquisite the pavilions and towers were, and how interesting the various entertainment options were.
Madam Su was astonished: "I've long heard that the young masters and ladies of these noble families are the most fond of having fun, but I never imagined they could actually build a brothel in a mansion."
"My daughter didn't expect it either; before going in, she thought it was someone's house."
Shen Yan smiled.
Upon hearing this, Madam Su glared at her and said, "Then you still dare to go in with Prince Jin? Aren't you afraid he'll kidnap you?"
“No,” Shen Yan said, “we’re in this together now, he wouldn’t hurt me, and besides…”
She considered her words carefully before saying, "I don't think the rumors outside are necessarily true. Although Prince Jin is indeed a bit unruly and his words are sometimes... uh... not very pleasant, he is not as bad as the rumors suggest."
For example, at lunchtime, although he was very angry that people were spreading rumors about his toilet use, he simply chased them away.
When I got back, I felt angry when I saw the gate of Old Zhang's house, but I didn't cause any trouble. I just thought that I would find another place to borrow a clean room later.
Rumors say he is a ruthless and wicked man who commits murder and arson, and is the most notorious bully and纨绔 (wan ku, a spoiled and dissolute young man) in the capital. Newcomers to the city would think he is a tyrannical prince who treats human life as worthless and would avoid him at all costs.
Shen Yan hadn't had high hopes for Qi Jingxuan from the start, and had even prepared for the worst, but now it seemed things weren't as bad as she had imagined.
Su Shi and Qi Jingxuan had never had much interaction; the only time they met face-to-face was at the spring banquet at the Cheng'an Marquis's residence.
Although Physician Zhou kept telling her to relax and not to worry, she couldn't help but be anxious about the thought of her daughter living under the same roof with such a person in the future. As a result, she hadn't been able to eat much these past few days.
Hearing Shen Yan say that Prince Jin wasn't as bad as the rumors suggested, she felt somewhat relieved.
Even if it's a fake marriage, she hopes her daughter won't marry an unreasonable scoundrel, otherwise what if he tries to deny everything during a divorce?
The mother and daughter chatted for a while. Seeing that Shen Yan's expression remained calm and gentle, and that she even had a faint smile when talking about interesting things outside, which did not seem fake, Su Shi then turned the topic back to the wooden box that was filled to the brim.
"You've won so many prizes on your first encounter with those noble sons; won't they be annoyed with you?"
Although she wasn't from a wealthy or prestigious family, she could tell at a glance that the items in the box were extremely valuable. Would those scions of noble families who had been frolicking with them at Ya Feng Garden accept defeat willingly? Would they hold a grudge?
The Prince of Jin is of noble status and has nothing to fear, but his daughter will no longer be his princess after their divorce. Will those people cause her trouble then?
“Mother is overthinking it,” Shen Yan said. “These things are rare and precious items for us, but for those scions of noble families, they are just some playthings that they can show off. Even if they feel a little pain giving them away, they won’t really make me unhappy over these things.”
"If it were truly something extremely valuable, they probably wouldn't carry it with them easily, and even if they did, they wouldn't casually use it as a prize."
"As for what happens in the future... let's take it one step at a time."
"Those who treat me with normalcy will not cause me trouble. Those who dislike me will still make things difficult for me even if I don't receive these prizes."
"If I do nothing just to avoid people who might dislike me, I can't live like this."
After thinking about it carefully, Su nodded slightly and gently patted the back of her hand.
"You've always been a person with your own ideas, so it's good that you know what you're doing."
Shen Yan nodded, picked out some things from the box that a woman her age could use and kept them, and also picked out some things that Shen Mingshan could use, before carrying the box back to her room.
After returning to the house, she put the wooden box aside, but took out the telescope and played with it in her hand.
What she told Qi Jingxuan today was true; she had indeed seen this thing once and had wanted to buy one at the time, but... that was clearly something from a "dream".
When she saw this all-seeing eye, she didn't realize it was just a "dream" until Qi Jingxuan asked her why she liked it. Only then did she suddenly realize that she had never actually seen this thing in reality.
If she had never seen it, why would she have such a deep impression of it, as if... as if she had really experienced everything in the "dream"?
Thinking of the fate of her family in the "dream," Shen Yan shook her head, dismissing the thought.
Regardless of what that "dream" was all about, this is reality now.
Their family is all doing well now and hasn't gone down the path of their "dream," which is reality.
"Don't overthink it, don't overthink it..."
Shen Yan gripped the telescope tightly in her hand and murmured softly.
………………
"It is said that the thirteenth master of the Zhou family had been staying at Fuxiang Tower for three days. Yesterday, he was sleeping soundly in the tower with a beauty in his arms. He was enjoying the beautiful women around him in his dream. Suddenly, he heard a thunderclap in the sky. He was so frightened that he jumped out of bed with his bare bottom and knelt down, shouting: 'Father, I was wrong, I was wrong, I will never go to a brothel again.'"
"The prostitute next to her was also awakened by the loud noise. She was so frightened that she screamed, but after she screamed, she found that it was not a thunderclap at all. It was a young man who had kicked open the door and was standing proudly outside the door."
"That man was none other than the famous Master Xuan Qi."
"Master Xuan kicked open the door and saw Zhou Shisan kneeling and calling him father. He immediately laughed and put his hands on his hips and replied: 'If you know you're wrong, why don't you kowtow to your father three times? If you kowtow, your father will forgive you this time.'"
"When Zhou Shisan came to his senses, he saw that it was his nemesis who had come. He had just called this man 'father,' and the man surnamed Xuan had actually responded. He was furious. He immediately got up from the ground, pointed at Master Xuan, and started cursing: 'You surnamed Xuan, what's gotten into you today? Why did you come here to cause trouble for me?'"
Master Xuan chuckled: "Does a father need to pick a place to make trouble for his son? Since you call me father, I can teach you a lesson whenever and wherever I want."
"After saying that, he waved his hand at the servants he had brought and said, 'Beat him! Today I will teach this unfilial son a good lesson. He does nothing but roam around in brothels and brothels all day long. He has the nerve to be so promiscuous with such a tiny little bird egg. Doesn't he feel ashamed?'"
On the high platform, the storyteller played two roles, speaking fluently and eloquently with great enthusiasm.
The audience cheered and applauded, listening with great interest, as if they had witnessed the scene firsthand.
Qi Jingxuan sat near the door, his face dark as he reached out to pull Chen Yan away.
"Let's go, stop listening, what utter nonsense is this!"
What kind of place is Fuxiang Pavilion? What about naked bottoms? What about bird eggs? In broad daylight, under the clear sky, with so many female customers in the shop, how can you say such things!
And how come the things he caused last night are being made into a storybook today?
Although he knew that storytellers in the capital city often used his story to make up stories, wasn't this a bit too fast?
Shen Yan avoided Qi Jingxuan's hand and smiled, "That was quite interesting. I'd like to hear more."
The storyteller was already recounting how Master Xuan dragged Zhou Shisan, naked, onto the veranda to parade his bird in public. Laughter filled the shop, and Qi Jingxuan's face grew increasingly dark. When the storyteller focused on Zhou Shisan's bird eggs, Qi Jingxuan finally couldn't hold back any longer. He covered Shen Yan's ears with both hands, grabbed her head, and dragged her out of the shop.
The movement was stiff and somewhat overly intimate; the two walked very close together, as if they were embracing.
Caught off guard by his sudden action, Shen Yan stumbled and was forced to follow him out of the store. When she tried to push him away after regaining her balance, Qi Jingxuan had already let go of her hand.
He was completely oblivious to the inappropriateness of his actions, and even after he stopped, he was still angry: "What kind of teahouse is this, where people can talk about such things in broad daylight and nobody cares!"
He took Shen Yan out shopping again today. They got tired from shopping and found a teahouse to rest.
To my surprise, after sitting inside for a short while, the storyteller began to tell his tale.
It would be fine if he talked about other things, but he had to bring up the incident last night when he went to Fuxiang Tower to beat up Zhao Shisan, and he went into such detail! Was it really necessary? And how can anyone enjoy listening to this?
Although Shen Yan had once slept in the same bed with him, she was framed at the time and woke up feeling extremely dangerous, not even caring about shame.
Now that we're suddenly so close again, it's really not used to it. I rubbed my ears and calmed myself down before saying, "We're just having fun, and we're not using our real names, so nobody cares."
She had heard even more explicit things before in Yingzhou.
Storytellers need to find ways to retain their audience in order to make money, but good stories are rare, and stories that are told many times and still make people feel good are even rarer.
To keep customers entertained, storytellers often told erotic stories, and even if the stories weren't very good, there were always people willing to stay and listen.
Shen Yan knew that such stories were not suitable for formal occasions, but she was a girl who grew up in the mundane world and was happy to enjoy worldly pleasures. She didn't think there was anything wrong with it. If she came across an interesting story, she would stay and listen to it for a while.
Seeing how easily she spoke, seemingly unconcerned, Qi Jingxuan puffed out his cheeks, quite annoyed: "Is this about using real names or not? Is this about what they're saying? How can a girl like you enjoy listening to this?"
Shen Yan chuckled: "Why can't girls listen to stories? I used to listen to them all the time when I was in Yingzhou. That storyteller was very good; his voice was so vivid and expressive that it made you feel like you were there."
Qi Jingxuan became even angrier upon hearing this, and blurted out, "What's wrong with it? Zhao Shisan's egg isn't even as big as mine, do you need to go into such detail?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the atmosphere around him freeze again. He raised his hand and slapped himself, annoyed that his mouth always reacted faster than his brain.
"That's not what I meant. I meant...you...you should listen to less of this nonsense. Zhao Shisan is no good."
Shen Yan was quite helpless, and touched her nose, saying, "I didn't do it for him to hear."
I just found the storyteller's tales interesting.
But now that she was already out, she didn't ask to go back, and simply said, "Then why don't you tell me about it, Your Highness?"
Qi Jingxuan was stunned, then shocked, clutching his chest and taking a half-step back: "You... what do you want me to say?"
Shen Yan asked, puzzled, "It's about your trip to Fuxiang Tower last night. Who is Zhao Shisan? What grudge do you have against him? Why were you the first to confront him?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Jingxuan's tense shoulders suddenly relaxed, and he murmured, "You scared me..."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yan thought for a moment before realizing what he had been nervous about. She smiled inwardly, deliberately keeping a straight face and hands behind her back, and asked him seriously, "What did Your Highness think I wanted you to say?"
Qi Jingxuan turned his head and coughed twice: "No...it's nothing, it's just Zhao Shisan. He's the grandson of the Duke of Ningguo, the thirteenth son in the clan, and he's extremely lecherous. A couple of years ago..."
As he was speaking, he suddenly noticed Shen Yan beside him suppressing a laugh, his steps faltered, and he said irritably, "You're teasing me again."
Shen Yan's tightly pursed lips relaxed, and she couldn't help but laugh out loud.
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Author's Note: Making up for yesterday's update. I'm feeling unwell with a cold and cough, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to write today's. I'll try my best, and if I can't, consider it a missed update and I'll make it up another day.
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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