Chapter 35 Finding a Concubine for the Marquis
Shen Shu saw through Fang's mother's thoughts at a glance, and how could she let Fang's mother ruin her grand plan?
So he made up an excuse to send her back, and went to Yunyan Pavilion alone.
Shen Shu's brother, Shen Lian, has been feeling troubled lately.
Since Shen Shu returned, Wen Lanting and Shen Xiao have encountered one accident after another.
This led to the mother and daughter complaining about Shen Shu whenever they saw him.
It was absolutely mind-boggling.
So, as soon as his leg felt a little better, he thought about going out to find some fun and relax.
So he invited a few of his cronies to meet at Yunyan Pavilion.
The main reason is that Yunyan Pavilion is different from the smoky atmosphere of ordinary brothels. It has many private rooms with excellent privacy, so all kinds of high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital are willing to come here.
As soon as the servant helped Chen Lian in, the room erupted in laughter: "Young Master Chen, did you receive the fifty lashes that Lord Lin ordered?"
The story of Chen Lian attempting to kill his younger sister in the street, falling off his horse and breaking his leg due to poor riding skills, and then clashing with the Imperial Advisor and Marquis Dingyuan had already been widely circulated.
These people were only superficially friendly with Shen Lian; in reality, none of them respected him.
Especially Fan Zimu, who was in charge, would secretly mock Shen Lian almost every time they met.
Everyone else could hear it, but Chen Lian was completely oblivious.
This provided plenty of amusement for the group of young masters. Since Shen Lian never said anything, they were happy to play along with him.
After all, if a young master of considerable status is willing to act as their lackey, they would naturally be more than willing.
Chen Lian gave an awkward smile, feeling embarrassed, and tried to salvage the situation: "Lin Wei is my future brother-in-law now, how could he hit his brother-in-law? What do you mean by hitting him? Of course, that doesn't count."
Fan Zimu didn't take the bait: "You're about to kill Lord Lin's fiancée in the street, how can he still acknowledge you as his brother-in-law?"
Having said all that, Chen Lian had no choice but to stick to his guns: "What do you mean, kill his fiancée? We're siblings, how could I possibly kill her? The day His Majesty bestowed the marriage upon us, besides the Emperor's gifts, Marquis Lin also gave us a lot of tonics, saying he wanted to properly heal my injuries. Do you think the Marquis would beat me over such a trivial matter?"
After Chen Lian finished speaking, he looked at the surprised expressions of the people around him and felt very proud.
Although the story about Lin Wei sending him tonics was fabricated, Lin Wei did indeed send Shen Shu many things. As for what those things were, such minor details were naturally impossible for others to find out, which is why Shen Lian was so confident in making up such a story.
Shen Lian was born into a noble family, and now that his younger sister has married the Marquis of Dingyuan, his status will likely far surpass theirs in the future.
Fan Zimu naturally couldn't just stand by and watch this happen.
He chuckled and didn't reply, but instead gave a wink to the person next to him.
The man immediately understood and raised his wine glass to Chen Lian: "Brother Chen is right. Come, let's drink. Don't let these spoilsport words ruin the mood."
Hearing this praise, Shen Lian immediately forgot his earlier displeasure and happily toasted with everyone.
Chen Lian finally had something to be proud of, and couldn't help but boast about his future glory.
"Once my sister marries into the Marquis's mansion, I will be the Marquis's maternal uncle. If any of you ask me for help then, I will certainly not refuse."
Upon hearing this, everyone's smiles deepened, but there was now a hint of mockery in them.
Fan Zimu stepped forward and also toasted Chen Lian.
"It seems that Brother Shen's rise to prominence is just around the corner. Today, I will treat you to a good time. Why don't you call Hua Niang over and have her find a few girls to serve the Marquis of Dingyuan's brother-in-law properly?"
Several young men around laughed and egged him on, and he hurriedly told his servant to go and call for help.
Shen Lian thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention, thinking to himself that his younger sister Shen Shu wasn't entirely useless.
After a while, the servant returned looking rather grim: "Hua Niang said that we'll have to wait a bit longer to get the girls. I heard that a distinguished guest came to the brothel today and spent a thousand taels of silver to see all the girls. We have to wait until he's finished choosing before it's our turn."
Fan Zimu added fuel to the fire, saying, "What kind of distinguished guest is he? Could he be more distinguished than the future brother-in-law of the Marquis of Dingyuan?"
Chen Lian, who was already flattered by Fan Zimu, heard these words and, fueled by alcohol, felt a surge of anger rising in his head. He slammed his fist on the table and stood up.
He stuck out his neck and shouted, "Which blind fool dares to steal my thunder? You, lead the way, I want to see who's so bold!"
The servant looked troubled and hesitated, not daring to move.
Fan Zimu, however, fanned the flames from the side: "Brother Shen is right. Our young master Shen is a very popular figure now. How can we let others overshadow him? Hurry up and lead the way. If anything goes wrong, young master Shen will take responsibility."
Provoked by Fan Zimu and seeing Chen Lian's ashen face, the servant had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk out.
Before long, they arrived at the largest private room in Yunyan Pavilion.
Chen Lian wanted to kick the door open in a cool way, but his leg injury hadn't healed yet, so he could only push it with his hands.
But to his surprise, the door seemed to have stood still, and no matter how hard Ren Chenlian tried, it wouldn't budge.
Fan Zimu and a few others chuckled to themselves.
Chen Lian was somewhat embarrassed, a vein throbbing on his forehead. He turned around and glared at the servant behind him: "Useless! Hurry up and come help!"
The servant rushed forward, and the three of them worked together to push the heavy wooden door, but the door opened from the inside.
The three of them, in their haste, tripped and fell flat on their faces.
Unfortunately, the heavy chain fell onto his injured leg again, causing him to howl in pain.
Hua Niang and her group of girls were startled behind the door, but quickly realized what was happening: "Hurry up and help Young Master Shen up!"
Chen Lian finally managed to stand up and was about to teach this "distinguished guest" who had tried to steal his girl a lesson when, unexpectedly, he looked up and saw Shen Shu.
His expression was as if he had swallowed excrement: "How could you be here! You, you, you, do you have any shame? A lady from a respectable family, how could you come to a place like a brothel!"
Shen Shu was not afraid at all: "If my brother can come, why can't I?"
Fan Zimu and the others sneered from the side.
They had hoped to see how Chen Lian would embarrass himself in front of their "distinguished guests," but they never expected to witness such a spectacular show.
The future wife of the Marquis of Dingyuan was actually visiting a brothel alone? If Lin Wei found out, it was uncertain whether the marriage would even be valid, not to mention his brother-in-law, Shen Lian, who was just a bully using his position.
So everyone was just there to watch the show, and no one even bothered to drink their tea.
Shen Lian was so choked by Shen Shu's words that her face turned red and her neck bulged. Her hand pointing at Shen Shu was trembling: "You...you are an unmarried woman. It is already outrageous for you to show your face in public. How dare you come to a brothel? If Lord Lin finds out, you are finished!"
Shen Shu merely glanced at him indifferently, her gaze sweeping over the group of young masters behind him who were trying not to laugh: "Instead of lecturing me, brother, you should first take a look at the kind of people around you. I really don't know what benefits they've given you that you're so happy to be made a fool of like a monkey by others?"
These words were like a slap in the face to Shen Lian, and also froze the smiles on Fan Zimu and the others' faces.
Chen Lian was both ashamed and angry. He raised his hand to strike, but was stopped by the pimp next to Hua Niang.
Seeing that things were not going well, Hua Niang quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: "Young Master Shen, please calm down. Miss Shen has come here on important business."
Chen Lian said, "What important matter could a young girl like her have to do!"
Hua Niang glanced at Shen Shu, seemingly hesitating whether to speak.
Shen Shu nodded in agreement.
After receiving an affirmative reply, Hua Niang said, "Miss Chen is here to select a girl for the Marquis to take as a concubine."
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