Chapter 129: She's getting angry! [Seeking monthly votes]
Lin Feng lowered his head nervously, twisting the hem of his clothes. His eyes were already slightly red, and he sobbed softly, as if about to cry, as he poured out his heart: "But, I'm still afraid... Waaah, I really don't know what to do... My lord, I really don't want to be burned to death..."
"Who wants to burn you alive? Who dares to burn you alive?"
Lin Feng pursed his lips and muttered to himself.
That's what the storybooks say.
Shen Tang raised an eyebrow: "Storybooks? What storybooks?"
Lin Feng blinked and stammered out a few books.
The core of the stories seems to be cut from the same mold—
The male protagonist is a poor but talented scholar, possessing a literary talent ranking of second-class upper-middle. The female protagonists are often daughters of prime ministers, emperors, or powerful officials. The relationships between the male and female leads are either mutual affection, with the woman pursuing the man, or the woman's family seeing her potential and relentlessly pursuing her in marriage. The antagonist is a "heretic" in the world, possessing both literary talent and martial prowess; her arrogance is believed to bring disaster. She remains devoted to the male protagonist, but after unrequited love, she becomes corrupted and ultimately punished/reformed/have her alchemical palace destroyed…
Shen Tang was speechless for a moment: "I thought that given your family's situation, it would be impossible for the women in the inner quarters to come into contact with those kinds of stories."
Lin Feng muttered, "But it looks really good..."
The world in the story is unfamiliar and wonderful, unlike the inner courtyard where she used to run back and forth between two points all year round.
She was occasionally allowed to go out, always surrounded by maids and servants, like a canary kept in a golden cage. While she had no worries about food and clothing, once she lost the care and protection of her exquisite and luxurious cage, she wouldn't even have the ability to make a living.
Not only her, but also her mother, sisters, and close friends were all like this.
She simply enjoyed hearing stories about women in tales who possessed both literary talent and martial prowess, who dared to love and hate... even though these women all met tragic ends.
Looking at Lin Feng, whose face was still youthful but whose brows held a stubbornness that was hard to conceal, Shen Tang sighed, "You still can't look too much. The men inside are like toads trying to eat swan meat; they specialize in deceiving naive, inexperienced, and naive young girls..."
If you've read too many stories, you might actually think this is some kind of good man. If a young woman runs off with a scumbag, the farmer will be furious.
Lin Feng: "..."
It seems that her priorities are different from those of her husband.
Shen Tang continued to coax, "Who knows if the people who write storybooks even have literary talent? They just imagine what a scholar with literary talent of the second rank would look like. How is that any different from the Crown Princess making pancakes and the West Princess rolling scallions?"
Lin Feng pondered, "There is some truth to that."
Shen Tang pressed on: "I know a second-rank scholar, a literary genius. Wu Hui was one before his accident. Can you imagine him as a protagonist in a story? Would he do the things the protagonist does?"
Lin Feng: "..."
If it were Mr. Chu...
She immediately found herself unable to look at those storybooks the same way.
For a moment, I forgot all my worries about the future.
Shen Tang suddenly asked her, "Do you want to study with Wu Hui? Actually, Yuan Liang is also an option, but I can't make that decision for you."
Chu Yao is nominally someone she bought, so entrusting him to teach a child shouldn't be a problem. But Qi Shan, as a "guiding NPC," is different; he might not have the patience to mentor a female student. Most importantly, Chu Yao can help cover it up, while Qi Shan can't.
Lin Feng looked at her in astonishment and nervousness.
"I do want to, but..."
“If you want to think about it, then you want to think about it. There’s no right or wrong.” Shen Tang interrupted her, comforting her, “Wu Hui and the others are not inflexible.”
They even have a rebellious streak deep down.
Otherwise, Chu Yao wouldn't have encouraged Shen Tang to learn how to raise pigs, and he wouldn't have even stopped her from riding them around like crazy. Qi Shan did try to stop her once, but seeing that it had no effect, she equipped the pigs with saddles and reins overnight.
Therefore, it can be seen that—
The former is unconventional, while the latter is flexible and adaptable.
Lin Feng said in a low voice, "Should we be honest with these two gentlemen?"
Shen Tang: "..."
She had originally only planned to tell Chu Yao about Lin Feng, and then let Qi Shan decide what to do next. But after Lin Feng asked, she felt it would be better to tell him everything at the same time. Qi Shan's temperament was evident from his scholarly ways—he couldn't tolerate even the slightest imperfection.
Shen Tang nodded: "Yes, let's be honest."
As for one's own gender—
Tsk, she never hid it at all.
Whether the two gentlemen can discover it or not is none of her business.
After a hearty dinner and drinks, Zhai Le invited Gong Shuwu out for a sparring match. While Gong Shuwu's talent was inferior to his, his martial arts skills and experience far surpassed his, and Zhai Le still had much to learn from him.
As soon as the two left, Qi Shan and Chu Yao tacitly put down their chopsticks.
Shen Tang, who was about to drink the soup, was speechless.
Qi Shan stared at her from the left, Chu Yao stared at her from the right, and Lin Feng, standing beside her, lowered his head and secretly gave her a meaningful look.
Shen Tang: "..."
She felt she was having a hard time.
Qi Shan spoke first: "Young Master Shen, do you have something to say?"
How did you know?
"His thoughts are practically written all over his face, how could I not know?"
Shen Tang coughed awkwardly twice, put down the ceramic bowl, and wiped his mouth: "There is indeed something, but it is somewhat unbelievable. I hope that you two gentlemen will not be too surprised, but remain calm and not get agitated..."
Qi Shan didn't even bother to lift her eyelashes, and said, "Speak."
He knew that with Young Master Shen's talkative nature, if he didn't say this, he could probably ramble on for several more sentences.
Shen Tang: "Then I'll say it."
After a while, Shen Tang said again, "I really did say it."
After another three or four breaths: "I really did say it..."
Qi Shan rubbed her temples, her head aching: "You tell me!"
Shen Tang took Lin Feng's hand and excitedly informed the two of them, "I have some great news to tell you—she's pregnant!"
Qi Shan: "..."
Chu Yao: "..."
They couldn't help but be excited and surprised!
Qi Shan nearly crushed the ceramic bowl: "When did this happen?"
Shen Tang said, "In the next few days."
Lin Feng corrected him in a low voice: "It was discovered this morning."
Chu Yao, with a headache, propped his hand on his forehead, his voice low and brimming with negative emotion: "Shen Youli, she's still in mourning!"
Shen Tang: "..."
etc--
Shen Tang realized what was happening and awkwardly explained.
“I explained, I mean—she’s breathing.”
Qi Shan laughed angrily: "If she weren't breathing, would she still be standing?"
Shen Tang: "..."
Looking at the two faces with highly similar expressions, Shen Tang felt immense pressure and nervously swallowed.
"The qi I'm referring to is the qi of heaven and earth."
Qi Shan sneered: "Even empty flattery is useless!"
Shen Tang: "..."
Chu Yao: "..."
Qi Shan: "..."
Wait, what kind of gas?
In an instant, the atmosphere in the cabin became unprecedentedly cold and terrifying. Suddenly, Chu Yao and Qi Shan got up at the same time, went to lock the wooden door of the room, and then sat back down at the same time. Qi Shan even raised her hand and cast a "secret spell" to prevent eavesdropping.
Qi Shan looked at Lin Feng and asked, "A man?"
Shen Tang whispered, "A woman."
"You're not joking?"
"No, it's absolutely true!"
Chu Yao also asked, "Is it truly the energy of heaven and earth?"
“It’s even more real than pearls, I’ve checked.”
Qi Shan remained silent, then beckoned to Lin Feng, signaling her to come over.
Encouraged by Shen Tang's gaze, Lin Feng bravely stepped forward and awkwardly raised his hand to draw out a very faint wisp of "qi".
Although very faint, it definitely exists.
Qi Shan and the other two: "..."
The issue now is not how Lin Feng was able to absorb the energy of heaven and earth into himself, but what led to this result.
False respect: farting
(End of this chapter)
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