Chapter 35 Opportunity This is my opportunity, and yours too.
Because Jiang Chengyou always had trouble sleeping at night, Song Baoyuan had to go back to the Jiang residence to accompany him. Although it wasn't a long-term solution, there was no other way at the moment.
After finally coaxing the child to sleep, she tiptoed out of the room, closed the door, and turned around to see Gao Luoshu standing at the gate of the yard, as if waiting for her.
"Why is Mr. Gao here?" She trotted over.
Gao Luoshu smiled brightly at her, "I heard you had something to talk to me about, and I was afraid it was urgent, so I came over."
"It's not a big deal." Song Baoyuan glanced back at the child's room and lowered her voice. "I just remembered you said you often went to Yaofang."
Gao Luoshu's smile froze, "Did I say that?"
He waved his hand. "Not often, really."
Song Baoyuan didn't dwell on this question. "I just want to ask if you can redeem Master Qingze on my behalf."
"Redeem him?" Gao Luoshu almost couldn't hold back his words, his expression cracking slightly. "Are you serious?"
Song Baoyuan's face remained calm, not understanding why he was so agitated. "What's wrong?"
"I, I..." Gao Luoshu pursed his lips, unable to vent his confusion. "There are so many musicians in the world, why do you have to take him? First of all, redeeming him would be a huge sum of money, and secondly, he, he doesn't have any special qualities besides his looks."
"I don't absolutely need him." Song Baoyuan was still a little confused. "You were there when we went to Yaofang that day. I just wanted to give it a try, but I didn't expect it to go so smoothly. I was the one who made the first move, and they agreed, so there's no reason for me to go back on my word."
Gao Luoshu couldn't hide his depression.
"If Master Gao is embarrassed, forget it, I..."
"It's not that I don't want to help you!" Gao Luoshu said hurriedly, "I'm just, just, just afraid that you'll go astray."
Song Baoyuan looked up in surprise, "Lost astray?"
"Yes." Gao Luoshu suddenly became serious and solemn. "I can help you, but you have to be honest with me. Do you like his face too?"
Song Baoyuan then recalled the details of Young Master Qingze's face that she had accidentally seen today. It was really hard to tell whether he was male or female, and he could be described as "stunningly beautiful".
"I like it." She said honestly, "It's pleasing to the eye."
Gao Luoshu's eyes widened, and he spoke incoherently, "You, you, you like it? You like it more than Jiang Keyu's face?"
Why does everyone ask her this? Song Baoyuan feels annoyed for no reason.
Silence spread, and the person standing in the corner with his arms folded, in the shadows, slowed his breathing.
"Why don't you say anything?" Gao Luoshu said awkwardly, "Is it, is it difficult to answer?"
"It's not difficult." Song Baoyuan said in a deep voice, "Although I still feel that there is no comparison, if I have to rank them, Young Master Qingze is naturally more likable."
Gao Luoshu's heart was instantly broken. "But, but with his background... As a man, he can only use his beauty to please others. He is completely useless."
Song Baoyuan was stunned.
The more Gao Luoshu thought about it, the angrier he became. "He's not worthy of you!"
"I only asked him to be a musician. How can I talk about whether he's worthy or not?" Song Baoyuan was confused and stepped back to distance herself from him. "If everything depends on background, then my coming to see Master Gao today is an offense."
"That's not what I meant!"
Song Baoyuan turned around to leave, and Gao Luoshu hurriedly reached out and tried to hold her, but the moment their skin touched, he jumped back as if he had been electrocuted.
"Yes, yes, I'm sorry!"
The darkness of night obscured Gao Luoshu's instantly red face and ears. He was at a loss, his palms burning. "Don't be angry! I, I... I will definitely help you with your problem!"
He ran away as if he was escaping from a panic.
Song Baoyuan looked at her wrist and suddenly felt that something was wrong.
But she thought about it for a long time and still couldn't figure it out.
She was about to go back to the house when she heard the rustling of leaves and turned her head to look.
A tall and slender figure came out from the darkness around the corner. His delicate and indifferent eyebrows gradually appeared in the moonlight, and his beautiful face seemed to be able to bewitch people.
Song Baoyuan's eyes paused slightly.
Jiang Keyu walked past her without looking away and said lightly, "I came to see the child."
He didn't stop for her for a moment, nor did he even look at her. Song Baoyuan moved her gaze away from following him, turned her face away, and didn't respond at all.
I just couldn't help but wonder, when did he come over?
*
Early in the morning of a new day, Jiang Chengyou and Jiang Suisui were lying on the bed grabbing balls of paper. One ball of paper had "Mom" written on it, and the other had "Dad" written on it. They would go out with whichever they grabbed.
Jiang Chengyou picked up the paper ball, clasped his hands together, muttered something devoutly, and then carefully opened it. When he saw two different-looking words inside, he was so happy that he almost jumped for joy.
"Mom!" He ran out of the room excitedly.
Jiang Suisui was not willing to be outdone and shouted even louder than her brother, "Dad!"
At the gate of Jiang Mansion, two carriages headed to the left and right. After a short wait, they drove in opposite directions.
After driving for a distance, Liu'an, who was driving, would occasionally glance back and ask, "My dear, are you really not going to care about the Madam anymore?"
Hearing the question, Jiang Keyu covered her daughter's ears and said coldly, "She already thinks I'm meddling in her business, am I going to make myself miserable?"
Taking advantage of the fact that the people in the carriage couldn't see, Liu'an pouted but said nothing more.
After a while, another voice came from inside, "Send someone to keep a close eye on it, but don't let anyone get caught, especially Ah Qi."
"yes."
Lu'an responded quickly.
On the other side, Song Baoyuan personally opened the door of the teahouse. Jiang Chengyou immediately scurried up and down like a little mouse, not forgetting to greet the people who were already staying in the teahouse, "Good morning, everyone!"
After Song Baoyuan finished some trivial matters, she caught Jiang Chengyou, took him upstairs, and personally taught him how to read and write.
When Xu Pingsheng and Zhang Lao arrived, Qiao Yue brought a pile of purses and placed them on the table, and the sound of copper coins colliding was heard.
She clapped her hands and called everyone together. "Yesterday was the first day our teahouse opened, and it was packed with customers. Everyone performed very well! So, Miss has decided to give everyone an extra reward, everyone gets one!"
“Wow!”
Zhang Laoji stepped forward and shouted upstairs, "Thank you, Madam Song!"
"Thank you, Madam Song!" several people behind shouted one after another.
Song Baoyuan didn't show up. When everyone looked around, they saw Jiang Chengyou's little head popping out from the second floor. "Mom said you don't need to thank me!"
He shouted, "My mother said, everyone has worked hard, keep up the hard work!"
"Thank you, young master!"
Song Baoyuan spread out paper and pen, listening to the noise outside. When Jiang Chengyou ran back happily, she burst out laughing.
Such a lively atmosphere often infects people inadvertently.
At least at this moment Song Baoyuan was relaxed and comfortable.
"Chengcheng, come over and write."
If Princess Liu'an was a distinguished guest yesterday, then she was an uninvited guest today.
Her arrival was unexpected to Song Baoyuan, and she didn't even know about it until she arrived.
"Meet the princess."
"I was passing by here and wanted to tell you something interesting."
Liu An walked into the house excitedly, but the first person he saw was Jiang Chengyou, who was holding a pen and shaking his head.
Her eyes widened. "Whose child is this?"
Without Song Baoyuan's response, Liu An curiously stepped forward and cupped Jiang Chengyou's face. "He's so handsome at such a young age. What will he be like in the future? He's sure to be even more attractive than his father."
"Please take a seat, my lady."
Song Baoyuan tried to rescue her son from the "devil's clutches", but unexpectedly Liu An took him away and took him to sit opposite, coaxing him, "Auntie, here are some delicious foods, brought from the palace, others can't eat them."
She took out a few brightly wrapped candies from her sleeves. These were tribute from the Western Regions and were indeed not available to ordinary people.
Seeing that Jiang Chengyou was not struggling and was still smiling, Song Baoyuan did not intervene anymore.
"Thank you, auntie!" Jiang Chengyou said with his little face raised.
Liu An was overjoyed when he saw her. "She's so cute and well behaved. Why don't you go home with your auntie?"
"Ahem!" Song Baoyuan said helplessly, "Princess, what do you want to say today?"
Although she was dissatisfied with someone's speculation, she also knew that the princess in front of her was not a simple person and would never waste time coming here just because she was passing by.
While Liu An was teasing the child, he said, "I went to the palace this morning and happened to see the selection list with the Queen. Can you guess who's on it?"
The triennial selection is here again. The current emperor is in his prime, so this time the event will surely be quite grand.
Song Baoyuan was suspicious. The princess asked her specifically, so it must be related to her, but she couldn't find anyone who might appear on the draft list in her mind.
She thought for a long time and shook her head.
"The legitimate daughter of the Sheng family, Sheng Qiyin."
Song Baoyuan was stunned. "How could it be?"
Let's not talk about the relationship between this person and someone else. Just say that she is Mr. Sheng's favorite granddaughter. Why would she participate in the selection?
Liu An chuckled. "When I saw her, I thought I was seeing things, but that's the truth. This Miss Sheng is best known for disguising herself as a man to enter Lishang Academy, proving her free-spirited nature and unique personality. But the imperial palace, with its strict rules and hierarchy, is a place that can easily wear down one's edges. It's clearly not for her. And entering the palace means vying for favor. The Sheng family has always been known for its integrity, so why would they do something like this?"
Song Baoyuan seemed to be lost in thought.
"But then I thought about it," Liu An muttered to himself. "Old Sheng's students are everywhere, but at home, they've been mediocre. It's even fair to say that none of them can match my youngest sister's talent. Under these circumstances, once Old Sheng is gone, the Sheng family is bound to decline. But can the Sheng family, who are used to being the best, accept this?"
"So..." Song Baoyuan felt it was unreal. "They expect their daughter to enter the palace and gain glory?"
Liu An nodded. "After all, no matter what it is, once it is touched by imperial power, it will become extraordinary."
She smiled and said, "It's the same as being a concubine and doing business."
Royal merchant?
Song Baoyuan had never thought about it before, or rather, she didn't dare to think about it at all.
"After the selection, there will be a meeting of all nations. Immediately afterwards, the imperial court will send envoys to foreign countries." Liu An gradually became serious. "I have already petitioned His Majesty to take on this important task."
Song Baoyuan couldn't hide her surprise, "The princess wants to be this envoy?"
"Can't I?" Liu An shrugged. "I've lived an extremely carefree life these past few years thanks to your majesty's favor. But I'm a daughter of the royal family, just like the one from the Sheng family. No matter how favored I am, I'll definitely be pushed aside when the time comes. Whether I marry into a foreign alliance or into the family of a minister in the future is all up to your majesty's decision."
As she spoke, she looked out the window. "But I don't want this to happen. So I have to find a way out while His Majesty still has feelings for me. Our dynasty is strong and prosperous, and its foundation is solid. As an envoy, I will surely be treated with courtesy by other countries. Besides, it would be interesting to see the world outside the capital. When I return, I will have been a meritorious official, and I can continue to live a carefree life. Isn't that wonderful?"
It sounded good, but since there was no precedent, Song Baoyuan asked directly, "Does His Majesty approve?"
"No."
Song Baoyuan: "..."
Liu An sighed, "However, he's willing to give me a fair chance to compete with others. When sending envoys to foreign countries, we send not only people but also gifts. Whoever chooses a gift that best represents our dynasty will be the final envoy. And our dynasty's two most prosperous industries are the age-old silk industry and the increasingly prosperous fine wine industry."
Song Baoyuan looked up in a trance.
Liu An picked up a candy and slowly peeled off the wrapper. "In order to strengthen the latter's representativeness and influence, His Majesty intends to use this opportunity to select talented people and bring the wine industry under the supervision of the court, just like the textile industry. Therefore..."
She personally handed over the candy that revealed its true appearance and said calmly, "Song Baoyuan, this is my chance, and it's yours too."
Song Baoyuan looked at the crystal clear candy and suddenly smiled.
*
Ever since Gao Luoshu complained to Old Sheng, more people were sent to guard the Sheng Mansion, and Sheng Qinyin couldn't even leave her room.
At this moment, her boudoir was in a mess and the sound of things being smashed could be heard everywhere.
"I won't enter the palace!"
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