In April, Shen Youying received a letter from her father.
The letter said that the border war had stopped and all the follow-up matters had been settled. By the time Shen Youying received the letter, the army should already be on its way home.
"Judging by the time, if things go quickly, we should arrive in the capital around mid-April. Even if the journey is slow, we should arrive by the end of April or the beginning of May." Shen Youying put down the letter and counted the days on her fingers: "When Father returns, he will surely be overjoyed to know that he will be holding his grandson."
Bai Luo smiled and said, "Now that we live nearby, it will be convenient for you to go back when Master returns."
Shen Youying nodded, recalling what she had asked Danzhu to keep in mind earlier: "You said yesterday that you found out that the buyer of the house in Xuanping Ward has been contacted?"
The Shen family's former residence was in Xuanpingfang. To avoid trouble, Shen Mingjiang sold the house and moved to the outskirts of the capital. Later, the Shen family was reinstated and returned to the capital, but they did not live in the original house in Xuanpingfang. Instead, they purchased a new house.
Although the new residence was no less large or in a better location than the original residence in Xuanpingfang, she had grown up in Xuanpingfang, where the Shen family had lived for two generations. There were many memories of her mother and elder brother there, so Shen Youying had always asked Danzhu to keep an eye on that residence in Xuanpingfang.
The original buyer of the house never showed up; it was a servant who bought it. After that, no one was seen moving in, and it was never put up for sale. The real buyer was only found out recently.
Danzhu said, "Yes, the buyer over there said he would only talk to the girl if she came in person."
Shen Youying frowned: "Why do I have to go in person?"
Danzhu also found it very strange and said, "I asked as well, but the man said that his master was of extraordinary status and that business deals depended on personal rapport. He insisted that you go in person before he would talk to you."
Shen Youying thought about it. Although the request was a bit strange, it made sense if the other party really had some status and wanted to meet with the buyer in person. Besides, this was Tokyo, right under the emperor's nose, so there was no need to worry about any evil spirits causing trouble.
Therefore, Shen Youying said, "Go and tell them to set a date."
She couldn't help but feel happy at the thought of her father's imminent safe return: "If we can buy back the house and tidy it up before Father returns to the capital, I think Father will be very pleasantly surprised."
Although her father didn't say it outright, Shen Youying knew that he had secretly sent people to inquire about potential buyers. However, they gave up when they couldn't find anyone suitable.
Danzhu agreed and prepared a carriage to contact them at the address they had left. Half a day later, she returned and said, "They said they want to meet you tomorrow at Yue Tong Villa in the outskirts of the capital."
"Moonwood Manor?" Shen Youying had heard of Moonwood Manor before, and that it was a good place to spend one's leisure time. Many powerful and wealthy people in the capital liked to go to Moonwood Manor for their leisure time.
Shen Youying has not had the chance to go yet.
She said, "Go and tell them that I agree."
*
Later that evening, Shen Youying brought up the matter with Xue Shen.
Xue Shen said, "I have business at the government office tomorrow and I'm afraid I won't be able to leave. Let Wang Deshun go with you, and bring a few more guards."
Shen Youying knew that he was now serving in the court and was not as leisurely as before, so she did not expect him to accompany her. Upon hearing this, she said, "The meeting is at Yue Tong Manor, so the other party must be someone of high status. They might even be an acquaintance. There shouldn't be any trouble."
Xue Shen pinched the tip of her nose and smiled, "That's right. Tomorrow, you can go there by yourself first. If you like, you can play for a while longer. I'll pick you up after I finish my duties in the evening, and then we'll come back together."
Shen Youying agreed, and the next day she took Wang Deshun to Yuetong Villa.
Yue Tong Villa is not far away; it's just a short walk to the right after you get on the official road.
After Shen Youying revealed her identity, a maid led her to the reserved courtyard.
Yue Tong Manor has many uniquely decorated courtyards. As Shen Youying walked along, she couldn't help but marvel at the manor owner's ingenuity when passing other courtyards, thinking that she could come and stay for a few days when Xue Shen had time next time.
The maid stopped in front of a courtyard planted with peonies and said softly, "This is Xihua Pavilion. Since the guests do not wish to be disturbed, there are no servants in the courtyard. After entering, please turn left along the path in the courtyard to reach the reception hall."
After thanking her, Shen Youying led the people into the courtyard.
It's only early April now, supposedly the beginning of spring, but the chill of winter hasn't completely dissipated; it's still bone-chilling. Yet, this courtyard is filled with flowers, trees, and shrubs, and the peonies are in full bloom. Walking through it, one can't help but feel a sense of springtime.
Shen Youying paused and touched the peony bud beside her, sighing, "This buyer must be a refined person."
As they spoke, they arrived at the flower hall.
Surprisingly, the master was nowhere to be seen in the flower hall; instead, an old servant was waiting. The old servant stepped forward and said, "My master is painting in the backyard. Please follow me, madam."
Shen Youying had no choice but to go with him to the backyard.
The backyard was just as lush with flowers and plants as the front yard, except for an octagonal pavilion. Gauze curtains hung and fluttered around the pavilion, and the figure of a man could be vaguely seen inside.
For some reason, Shen Youying felt that the figure looked somewhat familiar.
She stepped forward, and Wang Deshun and Bai Luodanzhu wanted to follow, but the old servant stopped them with a smile and said, "My master doesn't like to be disturbed when he is painting, please wait here."
Danzhu and Bailuo were naturally worried, but the old servant wouldn't let them pass. Wang Deshun then said, "It's alright, we'll wait here."
Upon hearing this, Danzhu and Bailuo had no choice but to give up their thoughts and watch their young lady walk towards the pavilion alone.
Shen Youying slowly approached, and the closer she got, the more familiar the figure seemed, but she still couldn't be sure.
When she entered the pavilion and saw the figure in the half of the painting, she realized the person's identity—it wasn't a coincidence that they looked alike, nor was it that she was seeing things and had mistaken someone for someone else.
What buyer? It's clearly Xue Shen!
She opened her eyes wide and said, "Weren't you supposed to be working at the government office?"
Xue Shen, who was painting, slowly turned around and smiled at her: "The Ministry of Works is a leisurely place. What could a day off possibly cause? Of course, it's more important to appease Zhao Zhao."
Shen Youying was both annoyed and amused: "Why did you have to go through all this trouble?" She couldn't help but ask curiously, "How did the house in Xuanping Ward end up in your hands?"
Xue Shen stood up and let her sit in his chair: "I went through all this trouble because I wanted to give you a surprise."
Shen Youying looked up, her eyes filled with uncontainable joy.
“However…” Xue Shen pinched the tip of her nose and drawled, “This house didn’t fall into my hands at first, and it took me a lot of effort to buy it back. What is Zhao Zhao going to offer in exchange?”
Shen Youying sat up straight and said, "I'll pay double the amount you spent to buy it. If I don't have enough money, I'll make up the difference when Father returns to the capital."
Xue Shen raised an eyebrow: "Money alone is not enough."
Shen Youying puffed out her cheeks, vaguely understanding his meaning, but not wanting to be manipulated by him, she pretended not to understand and asked, "What else does the King of Qin want?"
Xue Shen's hand slid to the back of her neck, squeezed it, and said in a low voice, "I've asked the Ministry of Works for three days' leave. We can stay here for three days."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
