Chapter 049 Chapter 49

"Madam Yan, Third Miss, please get on the carriage first. We will set off now. If you have any requests, just ask directly." Shen Linfeng made a gesture of invitation.

Xie saw that he was only nineteen years old, only a year younger than her son, but now he was asked to escort her, so she naturally felt a little more tolerant. Yao Niang nodded slightly and bowed to get into the carriage.

Shen Linfeng, who had been watching her, saw her bending over to get on the carriage, revealing her slender figure. Shen Linfeng immediately turned his head, walked to a horse in two steps, jumped on the horse, and rode away.

Not far away, Ye Jingwan said to Shao Xixi in the carriage: "Let's go."

The two of them had come all the way to see her off, but unexpectedly a young, handsome and well-dressed young man came over at this time. Seeing that he was very respectful to Madam Yan and was at a loss when talking to Yao Niang, they roughly understood what was going on.

"No wonder Sister Yan doesn't worry about having someone to escort her. It turns out that someone has already been chosen. I saw that young man was surrounded by a large crowd of people, and his servants and followers were all dressed in brocade clothes. He must be a child of a noble family." Shao Xixi understood.

Ye Jingwan smiled and said, "More than that, he is extraordinary. My brother once came to ask for advice. This man is the son of Wu Xing Shen. I heard that he passed the imperial examination at the age of 18, but he still felt that it was not enough and thought that he did not pass the first place, so he took the imperial examination again. His knowledge is extraordinary."

Shao Xixi was shocked: "He has already become a Jinshi?"

Ye Jingwan patted Shao Xixi on the shoulder and said, "Let's go, let's go back."

Shao Xixi glanced at Ye Jingwan and couldn't help but speak out her inner thoughts: "Sister Ye, I heard that Shen Xunfu has six sons. It would be great if you could also marry into the Shen family."

Ye Jingwan smiled bitterly: "That might be difficult."

"You are the granddaughter of the governor after all. It's not difficult at all. Sister Ye, your grandfather only has two years left in his term. You'd better seize the opportunity." Shao Xixi said kindly, but seeing Ye Jingwan's indifferent expression, she remembered that Yao Niang was also like this when she came to her that day. She was really doing it for her own good, but her face was wooden.

Yao Niang had almost forgotten about these things that happened in Kaifeng Prefecture. That's just how she was, always looking forward.

After leaving Kaifeng Prefecture, they walked for half a day to Zhongmu, where they stayed at the Songyang Inn, the largest inn in Zhongmu. Yao Niang thought the place was crowded, but unexpectedly it was completely empty.

Qing Dai said: "Mr. Shen is really extraordinary. He has settled everything."

It is said that the first time Yao Niang felt that Shen Linfeng was rich was when they passed the imperial examination and treated everyone in Chunfeng Manyue Tower to a banquet. He was very generous. But when she recalled that the last time she saw him, he was in a temple, wearing very simple clothes and eating vegetarian food every day, it was not easy.

But now the two families have not yet been engaged, and they cannot take advantage of the Shen family, so Yao Niang talked about this matter with Jie Shi: "Mother, we can't let Mr. Shen pay us, and now the two families have not officially engaged."

Xie nodded: "I thought so too. I have already sent Butler Lian to talk to him. But Master Shen said that even if we are not here, he has brought a lot of servants with him and he wants to hire them too. He told us not to mind."

"He said so. If we keep insisting, it would seem that we are petty. We might as well see how we can pay him back next time." Yao Niang said.

Xie touched her daughter's head and said, "You are now more aware of the ways of the world."

The mother and daughter lived next door to each other. Yao Niang's house was very big. Mother Gu had already asked someone to make the bed, and the waiter brought over the meals, which were all delicious.

After a long journey, Yao Niang felt drowsy after dinner. She dozed off on the couch for a while. When she got up, she found it was still early, so she picked up a book to read.

Mother Gu said with a smile, "Girl, I heard that this Songyang Inn was built to imitate our Jiangnan Gardens. Now that it has been booked, why don't you go out for a walk and relax."

"Okay." This carriage is really uncomfortable to ride in.

She had only been sitting in the carriage for half a day, her hair was disheveled and her clothes smelled of sweat, so she changed her clothes, tied her hair into a bun again, put on some lipstick, and then went downstairs with her people.

Just as she was going downstairs, she ran into Shen Linfeng. He seemed to have just washed and combed his hair, and the ends of his hair were still slightly damp. Yao Niang bowed and said, "Mr. Shen."

Shen Linfeng saw that she was now wearing an apricot-yellow half-sleeve cross-collar skirt and a pair of apricot-yellow petal-shaped earrings. Her skin looked so white and almost transparent under the setting sun, and she looked so gentle that honey could be exuded from her.

"Ms. Yan."

Yao Niang had always thought that Shen Linfeng was a very eloquent, forthright and straightforward person, but now he seemed very awkward to meet him. She had to find a topic to talk about: "Well, I want to go for a walk in the small garden here, so I'll go there first."

Shen Linfeng thought, is she hinting that I should go with her? That's not impossible. He raised his eyes and glanced at Yao Niang. Seeing her lips curled up and smiling, he quickly said, "It just so happens that I also want to go out for a walk. Why don't I go with you?"

Yao Niang looked at Shen Linfeng in surprise, pinched her earrings, and nodded slightly.

Growing up, she had never come into contact with any other men except her brother and cousins. She even rarely saw Zhou Lingguang, who lived in their house.

Songyang Inn is well-known for what it has earned. The courtyard in the middle imitates a banquet with winding streams and a small stream running through it. Surrounded by strange rocks, bamboos and luxuriant flowers, it truly looks like a Jiangnan garden.

"I never thought that this inn would be so exquisitely built like our Jiangnan inn." Yao Niang looked around and found it very interesting.

Shen Linfeng said, "I also chose this place because I think it's a quiet place amidst the hustle and bustle. Both the accommodation and the food are first-rate. I hope you like it."

Yao Niang pointed at the stream and asked, "Do you think there are any fish in the stream?"

"Fish?" Shen Linfeng didn't know either. He said seriously, "I'll go over and take a look."

Yao Niang also went forward to take a look. The stream water was so clear that you could see the bottom and there was nothing there. She laughed and said, "They must be afraid that the fish would jump into the vegetables."

In fact, the atmosphere between the two of them is very awkward. They don't even know each other very well, so Yao Niang also wants to liven up the atmosphere, otherwise she won't know what to do.

But Shen Linfeng said, "It seems that we can't have a Qushui Liushang here. I'm afraid that this little bit of fresh water is all brought in by the store."

"Yeah, I think so too." Yao Niang looked up at the sunset. Every time she saw the sunset, she felt it was gorgeous.

Shen Linfeng put his hands behind his back and looked at the sky. He just felt sleepy and couldn't open his eyes.

But the maids and servants following them were stunned. What a perfect couple they were. Standing together, they seemed to be surrounded by a golden halo. Even without talking, one could tell they were a couple.

But they both thought that it would be bad to ignore the other person because they were alone with their own people, so they were both thinking about how to start the conversation, but they didn't expect to say it at the same time.

"Your brother..."

"Your sister..."

Yao Niang also laughed: "You speak first."

Shen Linfeng: "Ahem, what I meant is that your brother and I passed the provincial examination, the metropolitan examination, and even the palace examination together."

"My brother mentioned it, and he also said that you treated everyone to rose wine at Fanlou, so I naturally knew about it." Yao Niang joked.

Shen Linfeng felt a little embarrassed and asked again, "What did you say about my sister just now?"

"I mean, your sister and you are both very good at playing polo, which is really enviable." Yao Niang actually did not avoid talking about Yan Ningxin, but there was no need for her to become a very sensitive person just because of Yan Ningxin when talking about polo.

Shen Linfeng looked at her and asked, "Can you play polo?"

Yao Niang shook her head: "Not very good, I even learned how to ride a horse here. But my father wrote to me and said that he would teach me how to ride a horse when I go back this time."

"Does your father teach you?" Shen Linfeng always felt that Minister Yan was busy every day, so how could he have time to teach people how to play polo? Besides, the rules nowadays are different from those in their era. Would this really work?

Yao Niang nodded: "Yes, but I always feel that he doesn't have the time to teach me, so I plan to find my brother."

"Oh oh." Shen Linfeng felt a little disappointed for some reason.

Yao Niang looked at the sky and said, "It's getting late. I'll go back to my room first. You should also go to bed early. Good night."

Shen Linfeng originally had something else to say, so he was a little disappointed when he saw Yao Niang leave.

But Yao Niang and he were not a real engaged couple after all, and it was not appropriate for a girl to talk to him for a long time, which he could understand.

Starting from Zhongmou, he passed Zhengzhou and then Xingyang. This time he found an inn to stay in. Shen Linfeng was a Jinshi, although he had not yet been appointed as an official. However, his father and several uncles were also officials. His second uncle was the governor of Henan, and his third uncle was the director of the Imperial Academy.

There is no need to mention Yao Niang and the others. Her father was the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, and as soon as the invitation was delivered, the postmaster received her warmly.

The post house was not as well maintained as those big inns, but at least she could take a hot bath to get rid of the smell on her body. After bathing and changing clothes, since she had nothing to do, Yao Niang took out her guqin and started playing it.

The piece she played was "Autumn Moon over the Han Palace". The sound of the piano leaning against the moonlight was particularly moving.

At this time, Shen Linfeng had not yet gone to bed. He usually read a book before going to bed. If he really failed the system engineering exam, it would be too embarrassing. Not only would his future be in jeopardy, but he would also be embarrassed in front of his sister.

While I was reading, I heard the sound of the guqin. It was not noisy and sonorous, but rather sad and soothing.

Rong An brought over a cup of strong tea: "Master, this is the strong tea you requested."

"Well, I'm going to read by candlelight today." Shen Linfeng decided to stay up late. He couldn't rush around and neglect studying these days. At least he had the sound of the piano to keep him company.

Rong An tiptoed out. He sincerely hoped that the young master's marriage would be successful. It was not necessary to compare. It was his own daughter who introduced the young lady Yan to his wife, and that was how the marriage came about. Later, the marriage failed, and the young master even threatened not to get married again.

This time, after meeting Miss Yan San, not only did he change his mind, he also served her wholeheartedly, which was truly jaw-dropping.

You have to know that when he is at home on weekdays, he rarely even needs service from maids, and there are even other bad rumors about Long Yangzhi.

In fact, Shen Linfeng's feeling towards Yao Niang was not love at first sight as they thought. He was very disgusted with her when they first met. Although he knew that getting angry was not good, he just couldn't control it. Later, he heard that she painted portraits of prisoners for her mother, which showed that she was truly filial and smart.

After slowly appreciating it, it was time for his cousin's wedding, and Shen Linfeng still felt a little inferior.

He had been rejected by someone else once, and he had always wanted to refuse, but maybe it was because his uncle was too eloquent, he was really persuaded.

Although he and Yao Niang didn't spend much time together along the way, he felt a little happy every time he saw her. But when he thought of his parents and the Yan family, he didn't know what to say.

As he was thinking, the song had already ended and Shen Linfeng immersed himself in the book. He thought that he was like a scholar in a ruined temple who had encountered a spirit. As for appearance, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Miss Yan looked like a fairy.

But this girl usually doesn't like to owe anyone money. When they stayed at the inn that day, she just settled the bill. This is normal. How could she let a girl pay? Everyone knows that Shen Linfeng is a wealthy family and he does what he wants.

Forget it, don’t think about it anymore. If you keep thinking about it, you won’t have to study anymore.

Yao Niang was not as entangled as he was. After she finished playing the piano, Xie's people came to ask her to stop playing and be careful not to disturb others, so she had to give up. Along the way, she was still very grateful for Shen Linfeng's care. She could see that he was very considerate, which was completely different from what she thought at the first time.

However, during the night, she suddenly heard a noise. Yao Niang was a very alert person. She immediately sat up and put on her clothes. But she heard someone knocking on the door: "The Jinyiwei has been ordered to arrest the escaped criminal. Please open the door and let us search."

Yao Niang frowned and said to Gu Mama, "How did the search for criminals end up here? We don't have any official family here. If we let them in and search at will, I'm afraid it will damage my reputation. You can just say that we are the family of the Governor of the River and the Minister of Personnel, and please help us."

Although Mother Gu's legs trembled when she heard that it was the Jinyiwei who made her child cry, this was the young lady's residence after all. How could she let them search it at will?

Mother Gu walked tremblingly to the door and said, "My lords, we are the wife of Yan Yingqi, the Minister of Personnel. The one living in the house is our daughter. We are all living here, so there is no way anyone is hiding here."

"It's okay. We'll wait outside. You guys come out first. We won't go through your stuff. I'm Liu Ji, the commander of the Beizhen Fusi. Because this guy is a wanted criminal, I hope you will cooperate?"

A clear male voice came from outside, and Yao Niang suddenly remembered that Liu Ji was the husband of the well-off Mrs. Du. Mrs. Du looked nice. It was said that she tried her best to dissuade the eldest sister from getting married, and later she came to tell them.

But it would not be good to move out now and ruin her relationship with Mrs. Liu. She couldn't let others take advantage of her, so she thought she should just move out.

If it was any other Jinyiwei, they would be able to accommodate him, but this person is Liu Ji! Not only is he the emperor's childhood friend, he is also a very prestigious person.

As she was hesitating, she heard a male voice coming from outside: "General, I am Shen Linfeng, and here are Minister Yan's family. I am escorting them to Luoyang. Before they came in, I had already checked everything out. Don't worry, there are absolutely no criminals or assassins. I will guarantee it."

"Oh, really? Are you escorting Mrs. Yan and her daughter?"

…

Yao Niang heard Shen Linfeng outside making assurances, but for some reason the voice of Commander Liu outside seemed to be playful or something?

The people outside seemed to have left, and Yao Niang heard Shen Linfeng calling her.

"Third girl."

"I'm here." Yao Niang immediately walked to the door.

Shen Linfeng smiled and said, "The person has already left. Are you not surprised?"

"I'm fine, thank you very much." Seeing that there was a smile in his tone, Yao Niang unconsciously relaxed.

Shen Linfeng said outside the door: "Then I won't bother you anymore. You should go to bed early. We will set out later tomorrow."

This is reasonable. Yao Niang really didn't expect that today, with so many powerful Jinyiwei, Shen Linfeng actually helped them solve the problem without notifying anyone, and he didn't take any credit for the whole process. Such a man is much better than the one who seems to care about you every day, says nice things, but actually plays dead when encountering problems.

"Okay, you should be careful too." Yao Niang said.

Shen Linfeng said softly: "I understand."

Somehow, after what happened today, Yao Niang actually felt a little more secure and was no longer so repulsive to him.

Xie was worried about her daughter, so she asked Yao Niang to go to her room to rest. Seeing that Yao Niang seemed to be thinking about something, she asked, "What's wrong? Are you scared?"

Yao Niang shook her head: "No, it was in front of a capable person like Liu Ji, the commander of the Jinyiwei, that he rushed over to protect us, and he didn't mean to be proud of himself at all. He just knew that we would be scared without even realizing it, and my daughter was a little touched."

…

On the other side, Shen Linfeng was continuing to read after washing his face with clean water, feeling very happy. Oh, he could finally sleep in with a clear conscience tomorrow.