Chapter 570 They all like me!
Shen Wantang frowned slightly, unwilling to speak.
Perhaps it was because she had just arrived and didn't trust her yet; perhaps it was because her brother's matter was no small thing and she dared not speak of it easily; or perhaps Qiyu felt that she, a young lady from the inner quarters who had not yet married, could not be of much help.
Gu Qianhan's original words were "she used her brother's life to exchange for her loyalty to me," so saving her brother must have been no easy task.
Shen Wantang didn't press Qiyu. Even if Qiyu didn't say anything, she could find out what she wanted to know on her own.
She waved for Qiyu to leave, then called Shuxiang in. After asking her some questions as usual, she dismissed Shuxiang.
She was already very familiar with these maids, but in order to avoid suspicion, she still had to pretend and ask for some basic information.
Outside, Huayi watched as Qinxin and the other two were called in one after another for questioning, while she waited for a long time but Shen Wantang did not call her.
She lowered her head, her fingers clenched tightly together. No matter what, she had to get back to the Prince Ning's residence; she wasn't going to waste any more time here!
What good would serving Shen Wantang do? At most, she'd be paired with a servant, and the children she bore would still be destined to be slaves.
If she could become Xiao Qingyuan's concubine, her child would immediately be a person of high status, and she could also rise in status through her son, no longer having to serve others like a slave.
One night passed.
At dawn, Dujuan came to report: "Miss, that girl named Huayi has disappeared!"
Shen Wantang was taken aback: "She couldn't take it and ran away? I still have her indenture, how could she possibly run away?"
"Miss, what should we do now? Should we send people out to look for her?"
"No need to look for her, she will come back."
"Miss, she might have gone to Prince Ning's residence to see Young Master Xiao? What if he kept her there?"
Shen Wantang said firmly, "He won't."
"How do you know he can't? That Huayisheng has almond-shaped eyes and peach-blossom cheeks, and is quite beautiful. Isn't there a rumor that the young master is very tender-hearted towards women?"
Shen Wantang nodded: "He is quite chivalrous, but he probably won't be so chivalrous to Huayi anymore."
Why?
Naturally, it's because he's already experienced the essence of the painting, so there's no novelty left, and he's lost interest.
Otherwise, Xiao Qingyuan would never have sent Huayi along. Qinxin and the others were indeed her maids, but Huayi was no longer considered her maid. She was Xiao Qingyuan's concubine, completely different from Qinxin and the others.
Shen Wantang did not answer Du Juan's question. She opened the thank-you gift that Gu Qianhan had sent. It was full of all kinds of things, and he even thoughtfully sent her gold ingots, probably knowing that she had just been reborn and did not have any money to use.
Shen Wantang smiled gently and closed the box containing the gold ingots again: "Dujuan, come with me out of the manor."
"Miss, where are you going?"
"Go find my cousin, collect the debts, and tell him that we need to get some new materials to earn more money. I suddenly have four more maids, and after giving them some money as a reward, I'm already broke. I'm really too poor."
Du Juan asked in confusion, "Miss, didn't Young Master Gu give you gold? Aren't you going to spend it?"
"Let's leave those aside for now and use them in emergencies. There's nothing urgent right now, so let's go earn some money first! You can never spend all the money others give you, only the money you earn yourself will last forever."
About half an hour later, Shen Wantang took a carriage and went to Jinxiu Pavilion.
As soon as she entered, she encountered someone she never expected—Liu Nanshi.
Liu Nanshi didn't see her; she was asking the shopkeeper for a very special material—Water Cloud Smoke.
Shen Wantang paused, her pupils contracting slightly.
Liu Nan's poetry needs water, clouds, and mist?
Right now, this kind of material isn't popular at all! Very few shops sell Shuiyunyan, and many people don't even know that Shuiyunyan exists!
In her previous life, Shen Wantang specially gifted a piece of Shuiyunyan silk to Princess Ning after marrying Xiao Qingyuan. It was only after Princess Ning wore it that it became popular in the capital!
Shen Wantang cursed inwardly, "Xiao Qingyuan is such an idiot, he doesn't even know that Liu Nanshi has been reborn!"
Didn't he go to the Liu family's house every day? He's been running around in vain!
Shen Wantang cursed Xiao Qingyuan in her heart, and with Du Juan, she walked past Liu Nanshi without looking at her, heading straight for the second floor.
"Shen Wantang?!"
Liu Nanshi said coldly, "Stop right there!"
Shen Wantang turned around, her eyes filled with doubt, her brows furrowed slightly: "Young lady, do you know me?"
Liu Nanshi realized that she had been too hasty and shouldn't have called out Shen Wantang's name so readily.
But she immediately found a suitable reason: "Now everyone in the capital knows you. After all, you are the woman favored by both the Princess Consort of Ning and the Duchess of the State. Many people outside are guessing whether you will marry into the Ning Prince's Mansion or the Duke's Mansion."
Shen Wantang's expression turned cold: "Marriage is a major event for me, and I will naturally leave it entirely to my parents to decide. Anyone who believes those baseless speculations outside is a fool."
Liu Nanshi's face turned somewhat ugly. How could she have forgotten again that Shen Wantang was the most sharp-tongued person? In her previous life, she had been scolded by her several times. She never expected that she would be scolded by Shen Wantang again on her first meeting after being reborn!
"Miss Shen is so sharp-tongued, always cursing and showing no manners whatsoever. Do Princess Ning and the Duchess know about this? If they knew your true colors, they would probably regret choosing you."
"Whether I am well-mannered or not is none of your business. It is you, an unknown person, who arrogantly came up here to give advice on my marriage and even used the Princess Consort of Ning and the Duchess of the State to intimidate me. You are the one who is truly ill-mannered!"
Liu Nanshi was furious at being called a "nameless nobody." She, Liu Nanshi, was renowned throughout the land for her talent, yet Shen Wantang didn't recognize her! How dare she?!
The old woman beside her knew her best and knew that she couldn't stand being unknown. So she immediately said proudly, "How dare you! This is Miss Liu, the eldest daughter of the Grand Secretary. Our young lady is the most talented woman in Dafeng, with outstanding talent and fame throughout the world!"
Shen Wantang looked at Liu Nanshi indifferently and uttered three words: "Don't know her."
The old woman's arrogant expression froze instantly, as if she had punched a cotton ball, feeling so suffocated she almost vomited blood!
"Impossible! You're talking nonsense. How could you not know Miss Liu Nanshi? Even if you haven't had the good fortune to see our young lady in person, you must have heard of her great name!"
Shen Wantang: "Who? What poem? I've never heard of it. Du Juan, have you heard of it?"
Du Juan: "Never heard of it, Miss."
Liu Nanshi was furious, but there were other people buying fabric in Jinxiu Pavilion, so she was mindful of her image and couldn't speak as recklessly as Shen Wantang.
She gritted her teeth and stepped forward, standing next to Shen Wantang. Then she whispered in her ear, "Shen Wantang, don't be too smug!"
"Whether it's the Prince of Ning's mansion or the Duke's mansion, you can't marry into either of them, so don't waste your time!"
"Because, whether it's Xiao Qingyuan or Gu Qianhan, the person they both love is me, only me, understand?!"
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