Chapter 140 Second Brother: Simple-minded Yet Truly Beautiful…
Shen Lingyue has been so bored lately that she's practically growing mushrooms.
No one knows whose connections Pei Jingyi used, but he actually managed to get two months of leave approved.
To be precise, it should be considered working from home—he is currently the Director of the Military Selection Department, equivalent to a department head, with several subordinate officials responsible for the actual work. Pei Jingyi sent Di Yan and Shu Mo to the Ministry of War every day to deliver messages and bring back documents that required his review and approval to his residence for later processing.
He spent the rest of his time with Yan Yi.
Shen Lingyue visited her several times, but Yan Yi's pregnancy symptoms seemed particularly pronounced. She became extremely sleepy and had difficulty concentrating. She would often doze off while talking to her.
With Pei Jingyi watching her intently from the side, Shen Lingyue couldn't bear to trouble Yan Yi any further, so she decided to let her go back to bed and rest.
As for Pei Jinghuai, a new broom sweeps clean. Although he, as the deputy commander, didn't actually have to guard the palace gates for Emperor Qingxi, he still had to make an appearance by visiting his guard post in the palace every day to quickly become familiar with the guards under his command, lest he, as an outsider, be unpopular.
Sometimes he would even pay out of his own pocket to treat the squad leaders below him to drinks, and he would often come back drunk in the middle of the night after causing a ruckus.
"I'm so tired..." Pei Jinghuai forced himself to finish the shower, then crawled into the bed curtains and pounced on her like a big dog, hugging her and sniffling her nonstop.
Shen Lingyue felt like she was a power bank.
Ugh, going to work is so miserable, being a corporate slave is so miserable.
Seeing how hard he was working, his plans to have a baby were forced to be put on hold.
Physician Wen said that only healthy parents can give birth to a strong baby.
Shen Lingyue felt that health also included mental health. Pei Jinghuai was now too much of a workaholic. What if the baby inherited this and became autistic at a young age?
So recently the two of them have had a rare period of peace and quiet, and Qingchan no longer has to go out to boil water in the middle of the night while yawning.
But Shen Lingyue still felt bored. She was like an energetic little bird, constantly whining and chattering around the Marquis's mansion. Even Weibo was so annoyed that it didn't want to see her.
—It's not necessarily annoying, because Wei Bo'er finally became a father before the men of the Pei family!
Under its relentless pursuit, the little white fairy finally agreed to spend a night with it and successfully gave birth to a litter of four baby foxes two months later.
Two are red, one is white, and there's another one that's a mix of red, white, and yellow, like a calico kitten, instantly becoming the most handsome of the litter.
Meng Wanyin was overjoyed and used her past experience in caring for kittens to have goat milk and crucian carp soup cooked for Xiaobaixian every day, making the novice fox mother plump and healthy with plenty of milk.
Shen Lingyue went to see the little fox cubs every day. The little guys changed every day, opening their eyes, growing fur, and growing up at a speed visible to the naked eye. It was impossible not to marvel at the miracle of life.
If only a woman's pregnancy lasted two months... then Yan Yan would suffer less.
That day, she went out to run errands for Meng Wanyin. A shop under the Hou family's name had a new manager, and she had to go and do a surprise inspection to see if the shop's employees were working diligently and if the shop's business had been affected.
I took the opportunity to wander around outside again and bought a bunch of little gadgets that are not very useful but will make me feel better.
Knowing that she had been bored lately, Qingchan suggested, "Langhuan Pavilion isn't far ahead, why don't you buy a few new books to take back and read?"
"That works too. Let's go see how Lian Shu's business is doing lately."
Upon arriving at Langhuan Pavilion, Shen Lingyue asked Lian Shu for the account book. After flipping through it, she frowned and asked, "The profits over the past two months have been so-so. Is it because the new book isn't doing well?"
With two great writers, Dong Lanyi and Xiao Suzhen, now presiding over Langhuan Pavilion, and with Madam Sang sending back travelogues from time to time, it has become the undisputed top female-oriented online literature platform in the hearts of the ladies and young women of the capital.
In addition, Shen Lingyue also instructed Lian Shu to actively collect manuscripts and discover other more promising authors among the public to expand the Langhuan Pavilion's library.
But the market is constantly changing, and even Shu's personal taste cannot represent the tastes of the majority of female readers; there will always be times when she makes a mistake.
Shen Lingyue looked through the ledgers and found that the profit growth rate had slowed down, and even showed a downward trend, which led to her question.
“Madam Shen, even if you hadn’t come today, I was planning to visit you in the next couple of days.”
Lian Shu sighed and said frankly, "I'm worried that the scale of Langhuan Pavilion may have to stop here."
Shen Lingyue asked him why he said that.
"Because there are still too few women who can read and write."
Lian Shu also observed and thought for a long time before coming to this conclusion.
"A standard edition of 'Yu Tang Chai' costs two taels of silver, which is nothing to the women of wealthy families. Even for the same content, they are willing to spend more silver for illustrated or annotated editions, and they will even buy many copies at once to give as gifts."
These are all high-quality clients of Langhuan Pavilion, and also its core clients.
Shen Lingyue understood, "We're targeting the high-end market, but it's already nearing saturation."
It takes a considerable amount of time for a book to go from reviewing and finalizing the manuscript to printing and distribution. After it is published, it will face the scrutiny of readers. Not every author can write a critically acclaimed and commercially successful blockbuster. If you make a mistake, the book will only become unsold inventory in the warehouse, waiting for year-end sales and discounts.
Although Lian Shu is currently working for Shen Lingyue, he does not want his life to end at the level of the head manager of Langhuan Pavilion.
He wanted to make something of himself so that he could be worthy of the girl he loved.
Lian Shu, with an expression of humility and eagerness to learn, bowed deeply to Shen Lingyue, "Please enlighten me, Madam, how can Langhuan Pavilion escape its current predicament?"
Shen Lingyue chuckled and shook her head. "If you ask me, if all the women in Da Ye could read and write after waking up, this problem would naturally be solved."
Just like how no matter how popular "Yu Tang Chai" is, it can't outsell "The Four Books with Annotations" because the two books are not even in the same market.
Those scholars wanted to read vernacular stories, and they especially loved wish-fulfillment novels about talented scholars and beautiful women, and fox spirits repaying kindness...
Wait, a wish-fulfillment novel?
In Da Ye, is there anyone who understands the meaning of "爽文" (a genre of Chinese fantasy novels) better than her?
Shen Lingyue's eyes darted around, and anyone who knew her well knew that she had come up with another little trick.
She suddenly asked, "Manager Lian, have you ever written a book?"
"Ah?" Lian Shu scratched her head sheepishly. "I... I've written some too, but not as well as Miss Dong's..."
"It's alright, as long as you can write." Shen Lingyue cleared her throat. "Let me tell you a story—Once upon a time, there was a young master from a prominent family named Xiao Erhuo. His ancestors were once wealthy, and they arranged a marriage between him and the eldest daughter of a prestigious family. However, the Xiao family later fell on hard times, so the girl's family came to break off the engagement..."
"The woman's family only sent an arrogant and domineering steward, who humiliated Xiao Erhuo's family to the extreme, advising them not to dream of marrying a swan. At this moment, Xiao Erhuo slammed his fist on the table and shouted, 'Fine, let's back down! Fortune changes every thirty years, don't underestimate a young man's potential!'"
Lian Shu listened intently, clenching her fists nervously, and couldn't help but ask, "And then? Did Xiao Erhuo then work hard, pass the imperial examination, become a high-ranking official, and lead the Xiao family back to its former glory?"
Shen Lingyue shook her head, "There are tons of those kinds of storybooks on the market, they're so boring."
She continued, "One day, Xiao Erhuo found a ring, and unexpectedly, an old man was hidden inside the ring. He taught Xiao Erhuo how to cultivate qi, and from then on, he embarked on the path of cultivation..."
Lian Shu: ?
He felt that his mind, which had been filled with the classics for over a decade, had been greatly impacted.
What kind of old man could hide in a ring? What kind of plot twist is this?
"Never mind that. The appeal of these kinds of stories is leveling up, fighting monsters, killing and stealing treasures, the villain getting his comeuppance, the younger generation getting attacked, the older generation getting attacked, and the older generation wiping out the entire enemy clan... and then pairing the male protagonist with different types of confidantes, like a quirky little fairy doctor, a charming older sister, a mysterious queen with exotic flair, or a loyal and lovely maid..."
Hehe, it's time to let the scholars of Daye witness the pioneering work of the first generation of the annulment-of-marriage genre!
Lian Shu frowned and muttered under her breath, "Isn't that similar to those novels on the market where the protagonist marries a rich heiress one day and a princess the next? I... I can't write that kind of thing, and I don't like it either."
"Making money is nothing to be ashamed of!" Shen Lingyue patted his shoulder. "His Majesty also has three thousand beauties in his harem. What man wouldn't like to see a group of beautiful women fighting over him?"
Manager Lian is still too proud and can't bring himself to do it.
Let alone men, if you switch genders, she'd love to watch it too! ^_^
"If you really don't like it, just write this story down and find another scholar to write it."
If fantasy doesn't work, then let's try martial arts?
Shen Lingyue racked her brains and recalled several more: "There's also a story about a silly boy who grew up on the grasslands, met the world's top martial arts master, married his beloved little demoness, and eventually grew into a great hero who protected his country?"
"Or is it the story of a villain's posthumous child who suffers from scorn since childhood until he is taken in as a disciple by a fairy aunt who lives in seclusion in an ancient tomb, and they develop feelings for each other. Even though the whole world opposes it, they insist on their teacher-student relationship and finally reunite after being separated for sixteen years?"
"Madam Shen, wait a moment, I'm a little behind..."
Lian Shu picked up her pen and wrote furiously, the nib almost sparking.
His mind was suddenly flooded with a massive amount of plot ideas, all of which were types he had never seen before.
"Madam is simply a genius!" Lian Shu looked at her with eyes full of admiration. "If you were willing to write down all these stories, Xuelangzhai and Songyange would all have to take a backseat."
Shen Lingyue blushed at the praise, "No, no, no, I just have a good memory."
Being a plagiarist isn't so shameful when it comes to making money...
No, she was clearly contributing to the cultural and publishing industry of Daye and enriching the spiritual world of the people!
Shen Lingyue happily convinced herself.
She said to Lian Shu, "I'm just giving you some examples to broaden your thinking. Don't always write about those dregs of abandoning one's wife to marry a princess, or heartless men betraying courtesans. The world is so big, you can write about the carefree life of a wandering swordsman, about immortals wiping their heads, or about battles between gods and demons—those are all very exciting!"
She also reminded Lian Shu that if she wanted to publish and sell such stories, she should remember to open a separate bookstore, and make sure it was different from the Langhuan Pavilion.
“Let’s call it Shiying Pavilion.” Shen Lingyue nodded. “Langhuan Pavilion caters to the female market, while Shiying Pavilion will make money off the men.”
Hehe, Boss Shen announces: From now on, she has taken over both the male-oriented and female-oriented markets!
The two were chatting enthusiastically when a familiar figure pushed open the door and entered.
"Lian Shu, did you get the signed copy of 'The Story of Qi Lan' that I requested?"
Upon hearing this, Lian Shu looked up and said, "Brother Chen is here. Please wait a moment, I'll go get it for you right away."
"Second Brother?"
Shen Lingyue and Shen Mingda stared at each other, "Why are you buying storybooks too?"
Shen Mingda quickly waved his hand, blushing as he explained, "It wasn't that I wanted to see it, I... I bought it as a gift for someone else."
Back when Lian Shu was still studying at the Imperial Academy, Shen Mingda and he were just nodding acquaintances and not really close.
He only recently learned that the Langhuan Academy, which had become very famous among the women of the capital over the past year, was actually owned by his third sister.
With this connection, Shen Mingda dared to ask Lian Shu for help, requesting Xiao Suzhen to sign her new book.
"Give her away?" Shen Lingyue's eyes flashed with gossip, pressing closer, "Tell me honestly, which girl have you taken a fancy to? Does Father know? Didn't he go and propose marriage on your behalf?"
Speaking of which, it's time to put Shen Mingda's marriage on the agenda. He's really not cut out for studying. He took the imperial examination for two years but still failed. He's still just an ordinary, unremarkable scholar that you could find anywhere in the capital and knock down a whole bunch of them with a brick.
His path to the imperial examinations was not as smooth as his wood carving career.
Shen Mingda's expression changed slightly, and he quickly shushed her, "Don't tell anyone, I haven't dared to tell my father yet, he definitely won't agree..."
He said he looked completely dejected and sighed.
"Why not?" Shen Lingyue couldn't understand. "Could it be that the girl's family has a low-ranking official position?"
Although Shen Hang was promoted, Shen Mingda was marrying a wife, not marrying her off to climb the social ladder. As long as the woman's family wasn't too awful and the girl herself didn't have any major problems, Shen Lingyue couldn't think of any reason why Shen Hang would object.
Shen Mingda shook his head. "No, no one in her family is an official; they're in business."
“…Merchants?” Shen Lingyue hissed, then waved her hand, “That’s alright, my sister-in-law’s family are also merchants, and they live a very comfortable life in the Northwest.”
Shen Mingda is an illegitimate son and will be separated from his family in the future. Moreover, he will not inherit much of the family property. If he can find a wife from a wealthy family, how wonderful it would be to live a happy and peaceful life together.
Shen Mingda chuckled, as if he had been praised, and added, "Her family is in the timber business. Every year they transport the finest mahogany from the south to the capital. I heard they even do business with the royal family. When the palace was being renovated, the Ministry of Works ordered timber and stone from her family."
Shen Lingyue's pupils trembled.
Her second brother certainly didn't inherit Aunt Liu's good looks for nothing; he's hooked up with a rich woman!
Shen Hang shouldn't disagree, right? Unless he's still hoping Shen Mingda can use his good looks to seduce a high-society lady...
Although Shen Lingyue didn't like Shen Songyi, she had a good impression of her second brother, especially since he had helped her carve many small statues of the Goddess of Mystery, and his skills had become increasingly exquisite in the past two years.
She patted her chest and assured him, "If you don't dare to be honest with your father, then leave it to me. I will definitely help you persuade him."
Shen Mingda's eyes lit up. "Really? You can persuade Father to let me marry into Minmin's family?"
"...Cough cough cough!"
Shen Lingyue almost choked on her own saliva. It took her a while to recover from coughing, and she couldn't believe what she had just heard.
"Second brother, you're going to become a live-in son-in-law?!"
Shen Lingyue looked puzzled. What was the point? Couldn't the Shen family afford to support a son?
“Minmin is an only child. Last year, her father had an accident when he went south to transport goods. Now the Shao family’s business depends entirely on her. Only by having a child and finding a husband can she preserve the family business and prevent it from being divided up by the clan.”
Shen Mingda explained seriously, "I'm different. The Shen family doesn't need another son like me, and they don't expect me to bring glory to the family. I like Minmin and want to marry her. It's okay if we live together in the Shao family in the future."
Shen Lingyue felt that she had gotten to know Shen Mingda all over again today.
After all, not every man can readily accept labels like "son-in-law" or "gold digger."
Especially after Shen Hang was promoted, Shen Mingda was the son of a high-ranking official. Even if he was born out of wedlock, it would not be difficult for him to marry the daughter of a minor official.
“No wonder you said Father wouldn’t agree…” Shen Lingyue touched her chin, then realized, “No, even if Father agreed, Aunt Liu wouldn’t agree, would she?”
Shen Mingda rubbed his head; the spot where Aunt Liu had hit him with a teacup was still throbbing. He nodded and said, "That day, I had just brought up a topic with Aunt Liu when she kicked me out."
Shen Lingyue shrugged, as expected.
She and her daughter Shen Songyi are both typical profit-driven individuals, obsessed with power and status. How could they possibly allow Shen Mingda to become a merchant's daughter's live-in son-in-law?
"So what do you plan to do now?" she asked. "The truth will eventually come out, and I'll have to tell my father sooner or later."
Shen Mingda looked at her expectantly: "Didn't you just promise to persuade my father for me?"
Shen Lingyue: ...You didn't say you wanted to be a live-in son-in-law!
"Little sister, please." Shen Mingda tugged at her sleeve and shook it. "I really want to be with Minmin, I don't care about those empty titles."
Shen Lingyue pondered silently for a while, then suddenly raised her head. "Second brother, you should remember that we weren't born of the same mother, right? If you ask me for help, and I then ask my eldest brother, eldest sister, or mother... won't Father misunderstand and think that we, the first wife, conspired to frame you?"
At the very least, Zhao Lan would be happy to see this happen, and might even use it as an opportunity to thoroughly diminish Aunt Liu's limelight.
Shen Lingyue kindly reminded him, "No matter what, Aunt Liu is still your birth mother. If you can't get her support and understanding, wouldn't it seem a bit...unfilial?"
Shen Mingda seemed stumped by her question, his brows furrowed, lost in distress.
“You’re right.” He sighed. “This is a major life event for Minmin and me, and I have to find a way to resolve it myself.”
Just then, Lian Shu returned from the backyard and handed Shen Mingda the latest volume of "The Story of Qi Lan" signed by Xiao Suzhen.
Shen Mingda breathed a sigh of relief and then asked Shen Lingyue, "Little sister, do you want to go see Minmin first? You'll definitely like her."
“Sure.” Shen Lingyue readily agreed. She was also very curious about how this Minmin girl had taken a liking to her simple-minded and beautiful second brother.
Shen Mingda took her to one of the Shao family's residences in the capital.
On the way, she learned that her future sister-in-law's name was Shao Minqing, and that she and Shen Mingda had also become acquainted through timber.
Shen Mingda had no talent for studying and was consistently at the bottom of the class at the Imperial Academy, a notorious underachiever. He was forced to stay there by Shen Hang to just get by.
In fact, there were many sons of officials in the Imperial Academy who were similar to him, but they were even more outrageous. They would often sneak out at night to eat, drink, and have fun, and then doze off in class the next day.
In comparison, Shen Mingda, who is good-looking, honest, doesn't fight or cause trouble, and only likes to secretly carve wood, is considered a well-behaved student.
Moreover, he failed the exam for several years in a row, and the teachers were well aware of his abilities, so they stopped pressuring him and just wanted him to stay out of trouble.
So Shen Mingda happily slacked off at the Imperial College for two years, spending his days off searching for good timber to collect and play with.
"That day I heard that Zhengufang on Chang'an Avenue had acquired a piece of Dalbergia odorifera and was going to auction it off, so I wanted to go and see for myself."
Shen Mingda spoke of the wood with great enthusiasm, "This kind of wood is extremely precious; it takes hundreds of years for a single tree to grow, and it became extinct in the previous dynasty. Its natural grain resembles a ghost face, and it has a special fragrance that can calm the mind, promote concentration, and prolong life..."
Shen Lingyue was dizzy from listening and quickly stopped her: "It's so rare, it must be very expensive, right?"
Shen Mingda gestured with his hand, "A piece of wood the size of a palm can sell for several hundred taels of gold. If a famous artist were to carve it into an ornament, the price would increase several times over."
Shen Lingyue clicked her tongue in amazement. Sure enough, those who deal in antiques, calligraphy, paintings, and jade artifacts are the richest.
The world of art collecting is too murky; she should just stick to selling books...
She asked curiously, "What does that piece of wood have to do with Miss Shao? Is she the seller?"
“Not entirely. She was there to watch the excitement, just like me.” Shen Mingda smiled sweetly. “That piece of Dalbergia odorifera was originally her father’s collection. It was stolen by a relative of the Shao family during the chaos and sold. Little did they know that Minmin was prepared and that what was stolen was actually a fake.”
The piece of Dalbergia odorifera was auctioned off for a sky-high price of 380 taels of gold. The buyer was a wealthy old duke who was also an expert in wood. However, as soon as he got his hands on the item, he sensed something was wrong and suspected that the seller and Zhengufang had conspired to cheat him. He immediately summoned his servants, who beat the man half to death.
“Minmin’s family is in the timber business, and the Shao family has no shortage of skilled craftsmen. I have never seen such a realistic rosewood piece before. At least I can’t see any flaws at all…”
Shen Lingyue teased him, "Didn't Miss Shao say she would take you home to see real Dalbergia odorifera, and you went with her?"
Shen Mingda asked in surprise, "How did you know?"
Shen Lingyue sighed, thinking to herself, "How could my second brother be so foolish? He didn't inherit Aunt Liu's shrewdness at all."
No, she had to go and see who this Miss Shao was, that she was using wood to lure innocent young men!
As they spoke, the two arrived outside the Shao residence. As soon as Shen Mingda got out of the car, he found the gate wide open and a noisy commotion coming from inside.
"Oh no, it must be the Shao family causing trouble again." Shen Mingda rushed inside.
Shen Lingyue quickly followed.
After passing the screen wall, two groups of people stood in the courtyard, their expressions tense.
On one side was Shao Minqing, and behind her was a middle-aged woman supported by a maid. The woman had a pale face and a frail figure, and looked somewhat similar to Shao Minqing. She was probably her mother.
On the other side were several middle-aged men, with a woman of about thirty years old standing behind them, holding the hands of her two children who were about ten years old.
Shao Minqing looked coldly at the group of relatives who had come with ill intentions and said, "Before my father passed away, he invited the elders of the clan to witness that the Shao family business would be inherited and managed by me alone. Why didn't you have any objections at the time, but now, more than half a year later, you bring two bastards that you don't know where you found from and want to put them under my father's name?"
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