HLnovel Chapter 178 Shen Muxi and Fan Shan
Chapter 178 Shen Muxi and Fan Shan
Murong Jingyan has been out for three days.
During these three days, people did come to inquire about Murong Jingyan.
But they were all resolved one by one by He Hong.
Shen Muxi spent most of her time in the palace reading medical books or practicing calligraphy.
at dusk.
Shen Muxi was taking a walk to help digest his food.
"Miss, there's a letter from Danyang."
Xia Chan handed a letter sealed with wax to Shen Muxi.
Because of Gu Xiaoxiao, Shen Muxi was particularly nervous about the news from Danyang.
She opened the letter without hesitation.
After reading the contents of the letter, her brows were almost twisted into a knot.
"what happened?"
Xia Chan looked at her worriedly.
Shen Muxi pursed her lips and said nothing more.
"Please help me pass a message and stop that person. Tell her to come to Kyoto and tell her that I have something to talk to her about."
Xia Chan saw Shen Muxi's serious face and didn't dare to ask any more questions.
"Yes."
Half an hour later.
The summer cicadas are back.
"Everything is arranged. We will go to Mingju at noon tomorrow."
"it is good."
...
The next day, Shen Muxi took Xia Chan out at the end of the Si hour.
Shangmingju is the most famous teahouse for the common people in Beijing.
It is deeply loved by the people of Beijing because of its diverse decorations and prices.
The teahouse is divided into three floors. The first floor is an uncovered square table with ordinary tea and snacks, with prices ranging from two to ten cents. On weekdays, it is mostly a place for peddlers to rest.
The second floor has a screen as a partition, and the tea and snacks are slightly better than those on the first floor, with prices ranging from fifty to one hundred wen. Usually, scholars and literati gather here to recite poems and write couplets, showing off their elegance.
The third floor is a special private room made of solid wood and divided into three types: A, B and C.
The owner's ingenuity is to add cotton to the solid wood, so the sound insulation effect of the box is excellent.
The people who go there most often are businessmen who come to do business. There are private rooms of different privacy, and charges are based on the tea seats and grades A, B and C. Grade C rooms are close to the street and have average privacy, and one tea seat costs three taels of silver. Grade B rooms are more private than Grade C rooms, and one tea seat costs six taels of silver. Grade A rooms have the best privacy, and can only be found with a special guide, and one tea seat costs twenty taels of silver.
Therefore, many dignitaries like to wear casual clothes and keep a low profile on weekdays.
The place that Shen Muxi and her good friend Fan Shan from Danyang agreed to meet was the Class C box of Shangmingju, which was close to the main street.
Fan Shan was of similar age to Shen Muxi before his death, and was one of the few good friends Shen Muxi had in Danyang.
She has a hot temper and is not originally from Danyang.
When she was eighteen years old, her husband wanted to demote her to a concubine, and she was so angry that she went to the government office to make a scene.
The government had already been bribed and would not accept the case.
In the end, Fan Shan was not only beaten with twenty boards for obstructing official duties, but also gained a reputation as a jealous woman. She was eventually divorced by her husband and sent back to her parents' home. She could not get a single cent of the family fortune she had earned in the early years.
Her family was ashamed of her and refused to take her in. She was beaten with a stick but her injuries had not yet healed and she almost died of a cold.
After waking up, she decided to give up everything in the past and cut off all contact with her family.
A woman disguised herself as a man, left her hometown, and made a living by traveling around as a peddler.
Until I met Shen Muxi.
The two met on a winter day.
Fan Shan was accused of stealing, but Shen Muxi, who sold buns, stood up for her and cleared her name.
The two of them became friends after getting to know each other.
When she learned that Shen Muxi had a little girl who was only a few months old and a bunch of useless people who had everything handed to them, her first reaction was to persuade her -
"These people take your efforts for granted. If they become rich, you will definitely have a hard time."
Unexpectedly, her words came true.
At that time, Shen Muxi was still immersed in the gentle web that Gu Shi had woven for her and could not hear anything.
But under Fan Shan's scolding, she still cowardly saved up a little bit of property for herself without letting the people in Rongjun Palace find out, and gave it to Fan Shan to help manage.
Later, Gu Shi returned to the capital and found someone to pick up Shen Muxi.
Fan Shan, who had always been drifting like a rootless duckweed, gradually established himself as a man in Danyang and its surrounding areas during the few years he spent with Shen Muxi.
From then on, he changed his name to "Fan Shan".
After knowing that Shen Muxi was going back to the capital, she took the initiative to help Shen Muxi manage the little property she had saved, and told her fiercely that it was just in case she was really let down by an unfaithful man in the future and had nowhere to go.
It can be said that Fan Shan is the person Shen Muxi thinks is the one who cares about her the most, except for Gu Shi.
Therefore, after returning to Danyang from Nanyuan, Shen Muxi immediately found Fan Shan to reveal his identity.
After learning about what Shen Muxi had been through, Fan Shan cried and scolded Shen Muxi for being a coward and not writing to her when she encountered problems...
Now Xiaoxiao is in Danyang, and Fan Shan is temporarily entrusted to take care of her.
At this time, in the side room of Shangmingju.
Shen Muxi smiled and poured a cup of tea for Fan Shan, who was dressed in coarse cloth as a man's clothing.
"I'm really sorry to have you make this last-minute trip."
Seeing Fan Shan coming to see her in a dusty state, Shen Muxi felt both distressed and touched.
But when she thought about where she was about to go, Shen Muxi had to force herself to be hardened.
Fan Shan obviously didn't know what she was really thinking.
After drinking a cup of tea, Niu raised his eyebrows and looked at Shen Muxi in dissatisfaction, "What you said is not pleasant to hear. Do we still need to be polite between you and me?"
Shen Muxi choked, and the smile on his lips deepened a little.
"That's the truth."
Don't hit someone who smiles at you, even though Fan Shan has a very hot temper.
But the moment she saw Shen Muxi looking at her with a smile, all her hot temper disappeared.
The woman in front of me was wearing a plain silk long dress with butterflies and flowers woven on it. There was only a simple white jade hairpin in her hair, but it could not hide her noble aura.
She finally couldn't help but sigh sincerely, "But it should be said that you have finally come to the happiness after all the hardship."
Soon, the sigh in her eyes was covered by worry again.
She glanced around and made sure that they were the only two in the box. Then she carefully approached Shen Muxi and said in a low voice, "I heard that your current husband is a high-ranking official. If you really want to get out, will it be very difficult?"
"No, I have already discussed it with him. When the time comes, you just need to..." Shen Muxi whispered in Fan Shan's ear.
Fan Shan nodded repeatedly, "Okay, I understand. Leave Xiaoxiao to me. You don't have to worry about Danyang. If there is anything, just let Yang Wei send a message to me."
Shen Muxi nodded, "I know, and besides..."
Shen Muxi paused, as if weighing her words. "Huang Jiang found out about your natal family and your ex-husband's family in Hengjiang. Your husband demoted your wife to a concubine with your natal family's permission. The woman who stole your husband...was the daughter of a scholar your mother had admired in her youth, and another man. That's why they treated her with extreme tolerance. Not long after you left, they were a happy family."
"It's been a while, why are you still talking about that bunch of scum?" Fan Shan smiled nonchalantly, but her clenched fists betrayed her mood at the moment.
This is the bad thing about people who are sentimental.
She had clearly been badly hurt time and time again, but when she received the news that those scumbags were not doing well, she couldn't help but forgive them again and again.
Shen Muxi lowered his eyes, "I want to say that since you have cut off contact with them, then you have to be ruthless.
I heard from Huang Jiang that the woman's scholar father somehow became addicted to gambling, and now both your family and your in-laws have been ruined by that scholar. They're trying to find out about you, hoping to trick you back and squeeze some money out of you."
Fan Shan suddenly looked up at Shen Muxi, and met her determined gaze.
After a while, the expression on her face turned into a wry smile.
"I knew you knew something, so you suddenly had someone intercept me and bring me to Kyoto."
Shen Muxi reached out and held her calloused hands, gently stroking the slightly deformed joints of her thumb and index finger. He looked at her sincerely, "Fan Shan, we were all struggling in the quagmire before. Now that we've reached the shore, no matter how pitiful the hand sticking out of the quagmire may be, we can't let it pull us back in."
This is a wake-up call.
Fan Shan opened her mouth in shock at first, then firmly shook Shen Muxi's hand. Her eyes suddenly became clear, "Don't worry, being confused once is enough."
She smiled bitterly, "When I was in Danyang, I was blinded by greed. When I saw them in trouble, I still thought about how hard it was for my parents to raise me. But when I think about it carefully, both my mother's family business and my husband's family business were accumulated by me since I was a child by carrying mud and washing clothes for others. Everything was built from scratch. It was difficult during that time. They don't understand at all.
In court, they tacitly supported that unfaithful man and the vixen. One word of jealousy ruined most of my life. Such a person... Such a person..."
Her eyes were red and she wanted to say something else, but the words were stuck in her throat.
Shen Muxi patted the back of her hand and said, "Everything is over. Soon, we will be able to reap the rewards of our hardship. Those scum are not worth it."
Fan Shan sniffed, raised her head, and forced back her tears. "I won't be confused anymore. Likewise, you have to be more resolute."
She was referring to Shen Muxi's relationship with Gu Shiyu.
Shen Muxi nodded without hesitation, "Of course. This time I intercepted you and prevented you from returning to that quagmire. In addition, it was also to confirm with you what I asked you to do before."
Danyang is just a temporary place for her and Xiaoxiao to stay.
It is naturally better for other industries to stay where they are and make money.
Although Danyang is bitterly cold, there are still many foreign merchants seeking opportunities there, and Fan Shan is the best manager.
"...Some of your publicly owned properties were previously sold by your mother-in-law's people. I have bought them all back according to your wishes. You can make your own arrangements for what to do next."
Listening to Fan Shan's words, Shen Muxi nodded repeatedly, "If the money is not enough, you must tell me. As for how much money you spent when you bought the property, I will ask for it back one by one at the Rongjun Palace later."
Then, the two chatted about some details and Xiaoxiao's life after arriving in Danyang.
After knowing that Gu Xiaoxiao had become more cheerful and lively in Danyang than before, Shen Muxi's heart finally settled down.
"That's good."
It’s great to have your closest relatives and good friends around you.
"You must be tired after all the travel today. I'll make arrangements later..."
"No, I'm going back to Danyang after resting tonight."
Fan Shan interrupted Shen Muxi firmly.
"Danyang is very far from Kyoto. It takes nearly three months to go back and forth. I am worried about Xiaoxiao."
Shen Muxi seemed to have anticipated Fan Shan's plan and did not force her to stay.
"In that case, I will have someone prepare travel expenses, carriage, and food for you."
Fan Shan nodded.
Shen Muxi called Xia Chan and asked her to make arrangements immediately.
He Hong is very fast.
In less than half an hour, a new and comfortable carriage was found for Fan Shan, which was equipped with cakes, dry food and dried meat, and she was also assigned a skilled guard as the coachman.
"Okay, I'm leaving."
Outside the city gate, Shen Muxi said goodbye to Fan Shan reluctantly.
It was not until the carriage had gone a long way that she called out softly to Xia Chan.
Xia Chan immediately stepped forward and asked, "What do you want, young lady?"
"Send someone to follow her and secretly escort her back to Danyang and back. Also, send someone to Hengjiang to warn the Fan family and his in-laws. If they bother Fan Shan again, don't blame me for being rude."
When mentioning Fan Shan's family, Shen Muxi's eyes turned a little colder.
Even the whole person's aura is completely different from before.
Xia Chan didn't dare to say much, and quickly called another secret guard and asked him to find He Hong to make arrangements.
Shen Muxi looked at the carriage which had turned into a small black dot and slowly exhaled - he hoped that Fan Shan would really listen to his advice and not be soft-hearted.
If she hadn't known the news in advance and was stopped from going to Hengjiang, she would probably have been entangled with those scum in the quagmire in Hengjiang by now.
Fortunately...
From now on, she and Fan Shan must be fine.
They still have a very promising future.
"Miss, it's rare for you to come out. Should we go back to the palace or take a walk around the surrounding area?"
Shen Muxi glanced at the sky.
It is now noon.
I couldn't fall asleep even after lunch break.
"Forget it. The old mountain ginseng and salvia miltiorrhiza we brought are all used up. Let's go to the pharmacy to see if there is anything suitable."
After saying that, she took Xia Chan to the pharmacy on West Street in the south of the city.
After comparing them, I found nothing suitable.
As the sun set, Shen Muxi had to return home disappointed with Xia Chan.
Xia Chan comforted her, "Sometimes, buying ginseng also depends on fate. Maybe we can find the right one next time."
"It's okay. I still have those medicines. If that doesn't work, I can use other herbs instead."
As the master and servant were chatting, a chestnut horse came galloping towards them, carrying a strong smell of blood.
Almost knocked Shen Muxi over.
The horse was frightened and raised its hooves high.
It has long been written into the law that people are not allowed to gallop on the streets of Kyoto unless there is an emergency report.
Yet there are still people who dare to knowingly commit crimes.
One can imagine how confident this person is when he knowingly commits a crime.
"Miss, this is the second princess of the dynasty."
Xia Chan carefully reminded from the side.
This second princess...
Shen Muxi had heard of it.
Without waiting for Shen Muxi to react.
The bright red-dressed woman who had galloped past on a fast horse remounted her horse and returned, "How dare you, a lowly person, openly frighten the flames of this princess in the street?"
The horse seemed frightened.
While the woman in red was speaking, a pair of bloody hands with thin calluses and slightly deformed knuckles were swung in front of Shen Muxi as the horse twisted restlessly.