El viaje de un mendigo alrededor del mundo

Capítulo 9

Her eyes started twitching too. "Boss, you're so greedy! Twenty-five taels is enough for a poor family to live on for a year!"

"Young Master Shu, are you sure you want all of these? They're very expensive." Fan Qingbo gritted her teeth and asked again, almost moved by her own kindness.

To everyone's surprise, the scholar was not impressed. He nodded, then pursed his lips and smiled innocently, saying earnestly, "Literature can carry the Way, and hearing the Way is a joy. This Way is worth any price."

A hopeless idiot!

Fan Qingbo felt he had done all he could and didn't bother with him anymore. He simply accepted the list and money, selected the books, and the transaction was complete.

It's time to unleash the east wind.

"Manager Fan, I heard from Brother Shu that you two are neighbors?"

Xie Dongfeng smiled meaningfully, which puzzled Fan Qingbo, who raised an eyebrow to ask. Xie Dongfeng's eyes darted around, but he remained silent, only pushing a slip of paper over, "These are the books I wanted."

She took the note, immediately forgetting his strange behavior from a moment ago. She glanced at it only once before putting it in the drawer.

Then, he pulled out a few books from the bookshelf behind him and said with a smile, "Sir, you are a regular customer. How could Qingbo not know your preferences? Why bother making this trip in person? In fact, if you just send someone to tell me, I will personally deliver the books to your residence."

"This is inappropriate, inappropriate." The scholar, who had been tidying up books and was barely noticeable, suddenly looked up and said, "Men and women should be different. How can Miss Fan, a woman, visit Lord Xie alone?"

Fan Qingbo rolled her eyes in a rather unseemly manner, about to say something sarcastic, when she heard Xie Dongfeng reply with a smile, "It's alright, it's alright. Manager Fan and my wife are good friends, and it's not proper to visit a good friend."

Upon hearing this, gasps filled the store.

It's easy to imagine that the fact that a "first-rank imperial consort" and a "seller of erotic novels" are friends is a huge shock.

The scholar's eyes widened, and he blurted out, "So Miss Fan has friends too?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized they were too harsh and rude. But he couldn't really blame himself; he had never met such an unpopular woman. From the first time he met her, it seemed everyone disliked her, everyone gossiped about her, even the neighbors weren't kind to her, and Qiu Yi had specifically told him to stay away from her.

Instead of getting angry, Fan Qingbo laughed. She turned her body slightly and leaned towards the other customers in the shop, saying in a sweet voice, "This young master seems to have some misunderstanding about me. Why don't you tell him whether I have friends or not?"

"Yes, of course!" "That's me!" "Me too!"

The men laughed and eagerly claimed the title. She glanced triumphantly at the scholar, only to see his face flushed red, whether from anger or anxiety, she couldn't tell. He stared at her for a few moments, then, as always, he didn't even say goodbye, picked up his books, and walked out.

Fan Qingbo, who was expecting him to say "Miss Fan, please have some self-respect," was taken aback by his sudden action.

Xie Dongfeng glanced at her, then at the scholar's retreating figure, a look of interest flashing in his eyes.

She snapped out of her daze, quickly wrapped the book, and handed it to him, saying, "Take care, Lord Xie."

After Xie Dongfeng left, the tense atmosphere in Huanxitianzhong dissipated, and the usual lively atmosphere returned.

One customer, seizing the opportunity, boldly teased, "Manager Fan, since we're 'friends,' could you give me a discount on this book? There must be some benefits to being 'friends' with you, right?"

She raised an eyebrow slightly, her eyes filled with frost, and slowly curved her lips into a smile, saying, "Who said you're my friend?"

Although spoken softly and slowly, it felt as if it were dragging someone into hell, sending chills down one's spine.

Watching the men flee in disarray, Fan Qingbo subconsciously raised his hand to touch his face. Reborn eight years ago, still carrying the yin energy of the underworld—was this a good thing or a bad thing?

He opened the drawer and took out the list that Xie Dongfeng had given him.

I only glanced at it before putting it away because there was no book title on it, but rather two sentences written on it.

There will be a banquet at the palace tomorrow night; attendance is mandatory.

This scholar is no ordinary man; proceed with caution.

Author's Note: Breaking news! My novel, "A Leisurely Gentleman," has been shortlisted for the fifth issue of the "Cola Gang" series in Yue Du Ji. Ladies who have read it, please help by casting your vote.

7

7. A first-rank imperial consort, a frivolous woman...

What kind of existence is the imperial palace?

Admittedly, with its red walls and green tiles, carved railings and painted beams, it was magnificent and heavily guarded, symbolizing the supreme honor and power of an imperial dynasty. But for Xie Yiren, all the memories this palace gave her were of a dark, damp, cold, and cramped room, and a pile of endless drudgery.

Once a slave in ochre robes, now a noblewoman. Storytellers always mention this line when recounting her tale.

Eight years ago, she was the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, the most promising candidate for Empress. A rebellion at a spring banquet led to the destruction of her family and the loss of her home. She became the daughter of a traitor and a slave in the Zheyi Palace. Four years ago, Minister Xie Dongfeng petitioned the late Emperor to marry her. With a single imperial decree, she transformed into the Minister's wife, enjoying the title of a first-rank noblewoman.

As she was helped down from the carriage and looked up at the palace, a feeling of resistance almost immediately arose in her heart.

"Madam Xie, this way please."

Unfortunately, she couldn't leave, nor could she leave. Xie Yiren nodded to the eunuch who was leading the way, and followed him to where she was supposed to be, where a group of noblewomen and young ladies had already gathered.

"Madam Xie, it's been a long time. It's been more than two months since the coronation ceremony, hasn't it?"

Because she never participates in gatherings unless absolutely necessary, the ladies and young women's sense of novelty and curiosity towards her has not diminished at all over the past four years, and they surround her as soon as they see her.

A lady covered her mouth with her handkerchief and laughed, "That's because Lord Xie truly cares for his wife, keeping her hidden away from him."

Faced with such teasing, how would a typical woman react? Xie Yiren considered for a moment, then revealed a shy expression and said in a low voice, "Madam, you flatter me. Actually, I am just too clumsy. My husband was afraid of making a fool of myself, so he made me stay at home more often."

She was right; the answer indeed brought smiles of satisfaction to the ladies' faces.

Another lady said cryptically, "Madam Xie manages the whole household by herself; it must be very tiring, right?"

This was clearly a sarcastic remark mocking her husband for being stingy, unwilling to even hire a servant, while she, the mistress, had to do the work of a servant. Several quick-witted people in the crowd couldn't help but chuckle.