Chapter 1753: Ingenious Thoughts

The next day, Zhulan took the newspapers she had read to attend the book club. She read too much yesterday afternoon and now her head was aching and her brows were furrowed.

Su Xuan asked, "Mom, are you feeling unwell?"

"Well, I've been too busy lately and haven't read Toffee Chen's novels for a while. I read a lot yesterday."

She didn't want to be exposed as a fake book fan, she even wanted more autographs from Toffee Chen!

Besides, she couldn't afford to lose face by being a traitor. How could she face Concubine Chen in the future?

Su Xuan exclaimed, "Don't you deliver newspapers to Prince Qi's mansion every day?"

"What I want is Toffee Chen's autograph."

Su Xuan was silent. Her mother-in-law was a fake book fan and she deceived everyone in the capital. She subscribed to many newspapers for every issue. Everyone in the capital knew that Madam Zhou was a senior book fan.

Even she, who liked Toffee Chen's story and wrote a letter to her, has to admit defeat!

Zhu Lan cleared her throat, "The Toffee's story is indeed good."

Su Xuan smiled, "Yeah."

The story of the Toffee has touched the hearts of countless men and exposed many of their dirty thoughts!

The place where Concubine Chen held the book club was a villa with a large area. Zhulan looked around after entering the yard, her eyes widened slightly, "The architecture here is very unique."

The female official smiled and explained, "Every time the concubine writes a story, she will present the classic scenes in the story in the manor."

Su Xuan recognized a lot of the scenery, "The concubine is very thoughtful."

Zhulan also admired that it would be great if the manor could be opened as a place for book lovers to check in in the future. It can be seen that the concubine has been preparing for a book club.

As the female official passed by each scene, Zhulan, a fake fan, could identify the books that corresponded to the scene. What amazed her were the paintings. There was a framed painting for each scene, and the stories in the paintings were the stories of the concubine.

Su Xuan suppressed her excitement and said, "This really broadens my horizons."

The female official smiled and said, "The Concubine said that there are four seasons in a year, and there will be a book fair in each season. There is a grand prize today."

Zhulan was thinking that she could charge fees for her activities, which would bring her considerable income every year!

When they arrived at the garden, many people had already arrived. The Dowager Concubine's books were very popular among the wives of officials. The invitations for the first book club were loose, and Zhulan met many acquaintances.

Zhulan nodded to her acquaintance and walked over to Concubine Chen. "It's very lively."

Toffee Chen gestured for her to sit down. "I put a lot of thought into this."

Zhulan is in a good position. She knows everyone not only because of her status, but more because she is the number one fan!

Su Xuan went to her younger sister, "My younger sister is here early."

Xue Han said, "This girl Lin Xi insisted on coming early."

Su Xuan looked at Yudie and the others. They had already come to Linxi's side. "The story of Concubine Chen is very popular. Several girls in the family also like it very much."

Xue Han looked at her daughter and nieces with a smile, "It's good for the little girl to see more."

Su Xuan nodded in agreement. Concubine Chen came from a prominent family and had rich life experiences. Her wisdom was reflected in her novels, and those with good understanding could learn a lot from her.

Zhulan also made some suggestions. She can't write novels, but she has a rich reading experience and she has to continue to pretend to be the number one fan!

Concubine Chen was so happy that she wanted to take notes, "I know you understand me the best. Don't subscribe to the newspaper in the future. I will sign my name and send it directly to you."

Zhulan was calm, "No, I feel a sense of accomplishment when I buy it myself."

Concubine Chen's expression softened. "Then I will save this money."

Zhulan felt relaxed and finally managed to fool the whole thing.

The book club was much friendlier than tea tasting and flower appreciating. The ladies discussed their favorite stories in groups of three or four. The manor was full of scenery, and we went to find the scenery that represented our favorite stories. The first time we came to the manor, it was like treasure hunting.

Yuwen and Linxi also stood up. Yuwen praised: "The concubine is really thoughtful. It would be better if this was not a private manor."

Able to come and see anytime.

Lin Xi knew more, "This is the manor that the concubine came with as a dowry."

So forget about opening up.

Several people stood in the gallery, and the girls were immersed in appreciating the exquisite paintings.

Soon a lot of people gathered here. Linxi and the others were about to leave when a few girls came towards them. Before Linxi got close, the girls had already moved away.

Yu Wen was very sensitive to Lin Xi's gaze, and waited until she was far away before asking, "Do you know anyone?"

Lin Xi thought of the data she had investigated, and after confirming that no one was around, she whispered, "There was a girl called An who came to Beijing last year. Her ancestral home is in Sichuan."

Yu Wen instantly thought of the purpose of her father's trip to Chuanzhou. She thought that the Qin Palace knew the news because of Chuanzhou's problems, so she turned around and looked behind her without thinking much.

Miss An heaved a sigh of relief after the others had gone far away. This reaction was noticed by Miss Jiao who was standing beside her.

Miss Jiao asked, "Are you okay?"

Miss An shook her head to indicate that it was all right. She admired her own courage. The longer she stayed in the capital, the more she knew who should not be tricked.

Miss Jiao said with envy, "The young ladies in the capital are divided into different levels. Before we came to the capital, we were the sought-after young ladies of officials in the provincial capital. It was only after we came to the capital that we realized how small we were."

Miss An pursed her lips, she was unwilling to accept it since she had already arrived in Beijing.

In Xiaoliu Village, Chang Zhi was wearing ordinary long clothes and looked like a scholar. The servant was also dressed as a book boy. Chang Zhi got off the carriage and looked at the dilapidated yard in front of him.

The house in the yard had not been repaired for a long time, and one side of the house had collapsed and was uninhabitable.

Slave, "Is anyone there?"

After waiting for a while, someone came out of the intact house. It was a pregnant woman, followed by a little girl of seven or eight years old.

The boy smiled and said, "Madam, we are passing by here and would like to ask for a glass of water."

The woman pursed her lips and said, "There is water, but it's a little inconvenient since my husband is not at home."

The servant said, "We can just wait in the yard."

The woman's movements were a little strenuous as the baby in her belly was already quite big, so the little girl ran to the kitchen to boil some water.

Changzhi said, "I saw some paper in the yard. Is there anyone in the family studying?"

The woman's hands froze for a moment. "Yes, my husband is a scholar. He went to help someone write a letter. He will be back soon."

Changzhi had been here the day before. He had specifically asked around in the county town, and then he met the man of the house, who was helping with the accounting.

When he asked around, he heard a lot of stories. The male owner of the family was 28 years old and very famous in Xiaoliujia Village. He was smart and had a good talent for studying. As a result, he took the exam with full confidence at the age of 16. He passed the first county exam but did not rank high, and failed the second provincial exam.

I took the exam twice more and failed the second time each time. Taking the provincial exam required leaving home and spending a lot of money, and taking the county exam also required money to provide a joint guarantee. After failing several times, my family was left with no money.

I saved money for two years to continue taking the exam, but I failed even the county exam. My brothers and sisters at home were very noisy, and we eventually split up the family.

When Changzhi finished his recollection, the little girl came out with the cups. The woman said, "These are some of the intact cups in the house. Please don't reject them."

Changzhi didn't mind. He had experienced more hardships when he traveled with his master before. He took out a candy from his pocket and handed it to the little girl, "Thank you for your hard work."

The little girl looked at her mother, and the woman was silent for a moment before nodding, "Thank you."

Changzhi had no intention of leaving. He came on time, just waiting for the male owner to come back. He needed to verify his guess.

(End of this chapter)