Chapter 1201: Keeping a Mistress in a Golden House [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Qin Li and Tan Ting got along surprisingly well.
The atmosphere was so harmonious that even the host family, Qi Shan, was "isolated."
He grabbed a passing cat, clearly annoyed—"Fine, ignore him if you want, I still have a cat for company." Ignoring the cat's meows, he placed it on his lap and began to play with it. The cat was initially displeased, gently nibbling at his fingers.
That's barely a tickle.
Under Qi Shan's skillful grooming, the cat quickly forgot its previous unpleasantness, stretched lazily on his lap, and rolled over to expose its belly. If Qi Shan's strength was not right, the cat would hug the back of his hand with its paws, curling into a fluffy ball, purring softly. Qi Shan was initially interested in listening to their conversation, but soon became bored, resting his free hand on the low table beside him, the back of his hand against his forehead. As the candlelight flickered slowly, Qi Shan gradually became drowsy.
Nodding his head repeatedly.
When she was sober, Tan Ting was the only one left in the study.
Out of the corner of her eye, Qi Shan noticed that the moon's shadow outside the window had shifted. She yawned and asked, "When did Gong Su leave?"
Tan Ting said, "They just left a short while ago."
Qi Shan frowned and said, "It's already past midnight, and the capital has a curfew. What is he going back for? If the inspectors find him, the censorate's memorial impeaching him will be delivered to the emperor's desk tomorrow..."
One cannot judge a person's character by appearances alone. Even someone like him occasionally has friends visiting his home. If they inadvertently stay too late and find it inconvenient to travel at night, they can stay overnight in the guest quarters. Qi Shan's family is not large, and the guest quarters are all empty, so there is no problem settling Tan Ting and Qin Li there.
Tan Ting said, "There's no time to clean up the guest quarters."
Qi Shan: "..."
Qin Li is a bit of a clean freak, and Qi Shan's house is overflowing with cats. Even though the guest house is off-limits to cats, some still manage to sneak in, and regular cleaning can't completely eliminate the ubiquitous cat hair. Since Qin Li is staying overnight, the guest house needs to clean the corners an hour in advance. It's too late today, so he might as well go home and sleep rather than wait for the cleaning.
His previous sleeping position had left Qi Shan with a sore back. The slightest movement startled the cat that had been sleeping on his lap, causing it to dart away. He stretched his legs, rubbing the numb area, and scoffed at Qin Li, "Well, that's true, what can we do? Our young master Qin is such a meticulous person!"
The blanket draped over her shoulders slipped off.
Qi Shan picked it up and looked at it with slight surprise.
"Not only are they particular, but they also have a compassionate heart for the poor and weak."
Qi Shan still remembers the year before last, one night when a heavy snowstorm raged. Qin Li and a few others suddenly felt like enjoying the snowy night view, so the group of idle bachelors excitedly went hiking. After hiking up the mountain, seeing the snow, and admiring the moon, they figured that the sunrise wasn't far off, so they decided to wait on the mountaintop for another two hours to watch it.
Because it was a last-minute decision, Qi Shan didn't bring any warm clothes.
Of the group of several people, Qin Li was the only one dressed warmly.
Even when I shamelessly asked to borrow a fox fur cloak, they refused.
This caused Qishan to catch a cold and sneeze in the dead of winter.
Don't ask why the literary energy couldn't protect them from the cold; the answer is that this snow scene was artificially created by the Ministry of War, who said that a timely snowfall foretells a bountiful harvest. The mountain they climbed was within the military formation's range, so the literary energy's effectiveness was diminished. Apart from Qi Shan, everyone else was perfectly fine.
I had to take a sick day.
The entire court knew that Qi Shan was not resistant to the cold.
Tan Ting said, "Young Master Qin asked the steward to put this on you."
Pray to savor the name Tan Ting.
He laughed and said, "Young Master Qin, you two seem to hit it off immediately. Young Master Qin is indeed quite capable."
Qi Shan had personally witnessed Tan Ting's extreme avoidance and deep aversion to men; there were very few men who could make him suppress his temper and converse in the same room. Even though Tan Ting had re-examined his heart under the Lord's guidance, improvement was not something that could be achieved overnight.
That being said—
Although Qin Li doesn't have a universally pleasing personality, he is definitely a friend you can trust and feel at ease with. Given his reserved, self-disciplined, and restrained nature, unless you have a deep-seated grudge or cross his bottom line, you don't even need to worry about Qin Li betraying you.
You can feel very safe making friends with this kind of person.
Praying for good is the absolute opposite example.
Tan Ting: "..."
Qi Shan got up and carefully took a step with her numb legs, it took her a while to recover: "By the way, did Gong Su say what he came here for? It can't be to welcome me off the battlefield alive..."
Tan Ting shook her head again.
"I didn't say it, but I could guess a bit. It's just that I couldn't say it because I was there and you were fast asleep."
No matter how much he disliked war, he was still a strategist, and he saw through the intrigues and schemes of human nature. Qin Li had most likely come for him, probably wanting to get some information from Qi Shan, but he hadn't expected Qi Shan to cause trouble. This explained why Qin Li left with a somewhat gloomy and displeased expression. However, this matter had nothing to do with Tan Ting; it was Qi Shan who had offended Qin Li, not him.
At this point, Tan Ting found it rather strange.
"Judging from Qin Langjun's few words, he has a deep grudge against you. And with me present, how could you possibly sleep?"
Qi Shan's legs finally regained feeling.
He tried to take a step, a rare smile reaching the depths of his eyes: "Under the emperor's nose, within the capital city, even the dignified Grand Secretary cannot rest peacefully at home. Is there any safe place in this world? If you two take advantage of my vulnerability, then there's nothing I can do."
These words were spoken with absolute confidence.
Now it was Tan Ting's turn to be speechless.
"It's getting late, Mengyuan, go and rest in the guest courtyard. Tomorrow, Junqiao will be back, so we can help with the New Year's preparations. You should see how prosperous Fengluo Capital is during the day; it's something that ordinary small countries can't even dream of!"
Most of the officials from the three provinces and six ministries have already stopped writing for the Lunar New Year.
The appointment of Tan Ting for the post will not be finalized until after the New Year.
That means there will be three people in my family celebrating the Chinese New Year this year.
Tan Ting said, "They don't look much different."
He had seen them from the carriage when he entered the city. He admitted that the streets were indeed wide and orderly, and the eaves and tiles of the houses were arranged in a pleasing manner, but with the end of the year approaching, he didn't see many people, giving off a false impression of exquisite prosperity. Little did he know that Shen Tang didn't want to disturb the common people in the city, so he deliberately concealed the news and chose a remote pass to enter the city.
It's normal for Tan Ting to see that there are few people.
Before dawn, Qi Shan went out to clock in and take care of some minor chores. He returned in less than an hour, just in time for the morning rush hour at the market. He passed by the pastry and water shop that Qi Miao frequented and picked out a variety of flavors to take home.
As soon as I got home, the steward came to greet me.
"I just saw the servants grooming Junqiao's horse."
The steward reported, "Headmaster, the eldest lady just returned and happened to meet the distinguished guests. The two exchanged a few words and then went out together. The eldest lady said she wanted to take the distinguished guests for a stroll in the city and asked you not to prepare lunch for them."
Qi Shan: "...Jun Qiao went out with Meng Yuan?"
The steward said, "Our distinguished guest said he wants to purchase some items."
Tan Ting could not stay at Qi Shan's house indefinitely.
If it were just him living alone, he could stay there, but Tan Ting has quite a few people in her family, and they can't all be crammed in. Tan Ting plans to look for available rental properties, prepare some items, and bring the people over so they can move in immediately, saving her the trouble.
Qi Miao was a kind-hearted person and readily agreed to be the guide.
Qi Shan felt something was off as she listened.
Qi Miao is kind-hearted, but she has a good grasp of the boundaries between men and women, and she would never invite a strange guest out right away.
unless--
"Tan Mengyuan is wearing women's clothing today?" Now it was the steward's turn to look puzzled. What did he mean by "wearing women's clothing today"? It was as if their honored guest, who usually wore men's clothing, should also wear men's clothing...
Qi Shan: "..."
Hehehe, no need to ask any more questions.
He took a deep breath: "Let him be..."
Aside from a slight mental lapse, Tan Ting is a reliable person and wouldn't do anything to harm Jun Qiao. Even if Qi Shan misjudged her, Jun Qiao isn't a lamb to the slaughter. Having studied medicine with Dong Dao for so many years, Qi Miao understands the vital organs of the human body better than anyone else.
I never expected this—
Tan Ting did not harm Qi Miao, but he and Qi Miao together damaged Qi Shan's wallet! Qi Shan, the elderly father left behind, ate lunch alone, ate some vegetarian food, and read some Word Spirit Insights. Then, bills were delivered to his door one after another, leaving him dumbfounded.
"These all belong to Jun Qiaohua?"
To be precise, it was Tan Ting and Qi Miao who spent the money together.
Tan Ting specifically asked Qi Shan to pay the bill.
Qi Shan: "...No, why should I?"
Tan Ting, who had been happily strolling around all day, felt her legs were a little numb. She was sweating profusely in the dead of winter, so she sat down and took a couple of sips of tea to cool down: "Why? Tsk, it's because of what you, Qi Yuanliang, did. You owe me a huge favor. If I hadn't occasionally cleaned up your messes, why would the Central Branch be suffering losses without even knowing who they were losing? You've profited quite a bit from it."
Qi Shan: "..."
Tan Ting chuckled: "Is it not worth it?"
Qi Shan gritted her teeth and said, "Worth it! It's totally worth it!"
How could he forget that Tan Mengyuan, who outwardly cultivates the Way of Non-Contention, also comes from a fiercely competitive aristocratic family? The central branch is basically controlled by a joint effort of several families. Tan Ting's position in the branch is not particularly high, but it is not low either.
Tan Ting asked, "Where did you get this daughter from?"
He also wanted to trick someone into coming back and raising her.
Qi Shan rolled her eyes: "Don't even think about it."
He reluctantly paid all of Tan Ting's bills.
However, this is just the beginning.
Tan Ting followed Shen Tang's narcissism lessons, always asking himself how he felt before doing anything. Within days, bills poured into Qi Shan's household. This commotion didn't escape the notice of the Censorate, and immediately some censors wanted to impeach him.
Shen Tang sighed, "Haven't we all stopped writing for the New Year?"
Why are there still memorials coming up from the Censorate?
Upon opening it, unsurprisingly, it was another prayer for good deeds.
Shen Tang had only glanced at it twice when he almost spat out his tea: "Cough cough, 'keeping a mistress in a golden house'? 'Extravagant and dissolute'?"
Wait a minute, is she out of date?
When did Yuanliang transition to the "keeping a mistress in a golden house" stage?
Leaving aside the Golden House, who is this "Jiao"?
Shen Tang couldn't sit still any longer.
"No, we have to go and take a look."
Accompanied by the Imperial Diarist and others, they went on an incognito visit to investigate the distinguished guest at Qi Shan's residence. Just as they stepped out of the palace gates, Shen Tang suddenly remembered Tan Ting: "Wait, could this distinguished guest be referring to Tan Mengyuan?"
I strolled along the street.
Goodness, the rumors have already spread.
As Shen Tang cracked melon seeds, she crept into the crowded teahouse and deliberately stirred up the recent gossip about the mistress being kept in a gilded cage. Immediately, commoners chimed in. In the past few days, many people had seen the pampered guest at Qi Shan's residence, and this guest was always seen coming and going with the eldest daughter-in-law of the Qi family.
Cracking sunflower seeds with a clattering sound.
Shen Tang said, "That doesn't prove anything."
The gossipmonger said, "Why can't we explain? I saw Qi Zhongshu with both of them yesterday..."
Immediately, a woman spoke up in agreement.
Her husband rarely goes out with his wife and daughters; he can find a hundred or eighty excuses even to go out to buy vinegar.
Shen Tang poured cold water on their enthusiasm: "What does this prove? Qi Zhongshu used to watch plays and appreciate music with a few colleagues..."
"That's different..."
The audience offered their own explanations.
An attempt was made to prove the difference between the two.
While the crowd argued heatedly, Shen Tang and her entourage quietly slipped away. Having failed to witness the spectacle, Shen Tang was rather bored. Having finally escaped the palace for a visit, she didn't want to be locked up again so soon. So she dismissed the others, leaving only her secret guards to follow her, and disappeared into the crowd.
The only one he couldn't shake off was the court attendant.
Shen Tang: "..."
Fine, fine, she can't afford to offend him!
Even under the emperor's nose, within the capital city, petty theft cannot be completely eradicated; in areas with weaker surveillance, street robberies may still occur. If caught, the worst that can happen is a beating. Shen Tang was squatting by the street, slurping wontons. She had just taken two sips of soup when she heard a desperate shout coming from a shop across the street: "Robbery—"
The court attendant paused, his wooden spoon twitching.
A gust of wind blew past me.
Looking up again, there was no trace of the Lord.
He hurriedly got up to chase after them, but the wonton stall owner quickly grabbed his sleeve and said fiercely, "Stop! You think you can get away with one too? You shameless old man, do you want to eat wontons for free?"
The court attendant hurriedly tossed out a copper coin: "Keep the change."
The boss yelled, "Not enough—"
When he arrived, the lord was leading the prisoner back amidst applause from the onlookers, followed by a high priest from a foreign tribe named Jimo. The prisoner tried to run away, but was kicked in the buttocks, almost stumbling forward and falling face-first into the mud.
"Run? You think you can run?"
Shen Tang was still furious.
To rob someone in front of her is to slap her in the face.
The crowd didn't recognize Shen Tang, who was slightly disguised, and thought this smartly dressed young woman was some hot-tempered, chivalrous knight-errant. Shen Tang dragged the man to the shop of the victim, a smile spreading across her face, beads of sweat on her forehead.
"My wife, I've brought the man back to you."
"Thank you, righteous man! Thank you, righteous man!"
Ji Moqiu, who happened to be nearby, had initially offered to help escort the thief, but since Shen Tang refused to release him, he could only help retrieve the stolen goods. The shop owner thanked him profusely as she took them. Taking advantage of the situation, Shen Tang kicked the thief and asked the shop owner for a drink of water. Hey, this was a fairly successful water shop.
The proprietress, overjoyed to have her money back, nodded gratefully and replied, "Of course there's water."
After saying that, he turned around and gave Shen Tang a bowl of fruit juice that he had prepared.
Shen Tang didn't answer, she just smiled.
She was using both hands to restrain the thug; what if he ran away if she let go? The proprietress was also a clever woman. She immediately smiled and held the bowl to her lips. Shen Tang's little scheme succeeded, and her eyebrows relaxed with a smile. She held the rim of the bowl slightly, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one gulp.
The onlookers immediately burst into laughter.
The proprietress was also amused and blushed.
|ω`)
If I do the math, it's chapter 1201 already. There should be a tiny bit of romance starting to blossom.
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