GBP Chapter 172 The Maids in the Palace Are on Strike (42)
Chapter 172 The Maids in the Palace Are on Strike (42)
Suzhou City.
At this time, several months had passed since the new emperor ascended the throne. When Shen Fanli heard the news of Prince Qi's ascension to the throne, he was not as shocked as Dai Jingsheng, as if he had expected it.
Dai Jingsheng asked: "Fanli, did you hear what that person just said?"
Shen Fanli took a sip of tea and nodded.
Seeing Shen Fanli's expression, Dai Jingsheng was a little confused, "Aren't you surprised at all?"
Shen Fanli nodded and said, "I am indeed surprised."
What was completely different from what she said was her reaction.
Dai Jingsheng sighed, "Yes, from what father said, you grew up in Prince Qi's mansion, and you and Prince Qi must be..."
Bi'er poured a cup of tea and handed it to him, "Mr. Dai, have some tea."
Shen Fanli didn't say anything, and Dai Jingsheng didn't continue speaking either. They seemed to understand something and didn't mention the matter again.
It's not like I haven't asked Shen Fanli about her time in the capital before. When it comes to Prince Qi, Shen Fanli mostly just evades the question.
Dai Jingsheng understood that something must have happened between Prince Qi and Shen Fanli.
......
*
Shen Fanli was taking a boat trip on the lake that day, and not long after he got ashore, it suddenly started raining.
The rain came somewhat unexpectedly.
The person following Shen Fanli did not bring an umbrella either. She was waiting in a pavilion for the servant to come back with an umbrella.
Suddenly two more people came jogging over to take shelter from the rain.
Shen Fanli didn't pay attention at first, but after the man spoke, she realized that he was an acquaintance.
"Miss Shen?"
Shen Fanli looked in the direction of the voice and saw someone.
She was a little surprised and said, "Master Wen."
Wen Honglang was just passing by here when it started to rain. The rain was about to get heavier, so when he saw this pavilion, he thought of taking shelter from the rain for a while and leaving after the rain stopped.
He also didn't expect to meet Shen Fanli. At the beginning, everyone said that Shen Fanli was dead. Wen Honglang was sad for a long time. He went to ask His Royal Highness Prince Qi whether Shen Fanli was no longer alive. Before he could finish his words, he was driven out by Prince Qi.
Wen Honglang came to Suzhou this time because of family matters, and was also investigating a case.
He could not hide his shock, "It's really Miss Shen, I thought I was seeing things."
"I heard before..." He paused, thinking it was not good to say that, and said, "I think it was just hearsay, and those people just said nonsense."
"fine......"
As he spoke he muttered a few more words.
His voice was so soft that it was completely drowned out by the sound of rain, so Shen Fanli didn't hear it.
But it's probably about her faking her death.
Shen Fanli just smiled.
"Why is Lord Wen coming to Suzhou City?"
Wen Honglang quickly responded, "I had some family matters and was on a case, so I came back."
Shen Fanli also knew that Wen Honglang's family was in Suzhou, but she didn't remember it specifically. She only remembered it when Wen Honglang mentioned it.
He asked again, "I wonder what Miss Shen is doing in the capital?"
Shen Fanli: "My father is here."
"So Miss Shen will settle here in the future?"
Shen Fanli nodded, "Maybe."
“But it’s hard to say.”
She didn't say it outright, after all, she was really not sure.
Shen Fanli looked at the rainy sky outside the pavilion, "But it is indeed as Lord Wen said, the scenery in Jiangnan is indeed beautiful."
Wen Honglang followed his sight and saw a small bridge and flowing water shrouded in mist and rain. Someone was passing by holding an oil-paper umbrella. He said in a gentle voice:
"That's true. I wonder where Miss Shen lives now. I grew up here. If there is a chance, I hope to take Miss Shen to see the scenery of Gusu Lin'an."
Shen Fanli shook her head, "No need to trouble Master Wen, Master Wen is busy with official duties, and there are other matters to deal with in the clan."
Wen Honglang looked up at Shen Fanli, took a step forward, then stepped back and said softly, "It's not a problem."
Shen Fanli still didn't give in.
"Ms. Shen is a woman, and it must be inconvenient for her to walk outside. I just want to know where Miss Shen lives now. If I have time in the future, I can invite her to have tea together. If there is anything inappropriate in my words, please forgive me for being abrupt."
After saying this, Wen Honglang bowed to Shen Fanli.
Shen Fanli took a step to the side, avoiding his greeting, "Master Wen, please stand up."
She said, "If you want to see the scenery of Jiangnan, I have some people around me, so it's convenient to walk outside."
The servant has bought the umbrella.
Before Shen Fanli left with an umbrella, he left a message:
"If Master Wen wants to see me, then please come to Yunlin Courtyard on Changming Street to find me."
Wen Honglang watched the person disappear from his sight, then he looked away and discovered that there was an umbrella left beside the pavilion.
He didn't even notice when Miss Shen left the umbrella.
He took the umbrella in his hand and whispered to himself, "Changming Street, Yunlin Courtyard."
*
After Wen Honglang finished his family affairs, he went to visit the Yunlin Courtyard mentioned by Shen Fanli.
Wen Honglang also glanced behind Shen Fanli.
Seeing his gaze, Shen Fanli asked, "Master Wen, who are you looking for?"
"No, please forgive me, Miss Shen." Wen Honglang retracted his gaze and smiled apologetically, "I just remembered the father that Miss Shen mentioned before, so I wanted to pay him a visit."
After saying that, he handed over the prepared gift in his hand, "Miss Shen, this is a meeting gift for Uncle Shen."
Shen Fanli waved her hand, "My father doesn't live here, and I take my mother's last name."
Wen Honglang was surprised for a moment.
It is not right to pull back the hand hanging in the air, and it is not right not to pull it back.
Shen Fanli said, "Master Wen, there is no need to be so polite. I will not accept this gift. Come, serve tea to Master Wen."
"There's no point in taking something back after you've brought it here. Miss Shen, please stop joking with Wen."
Wen Honglang gave the thing to the servant beside him.
"Please give my regards to your father, Miss Shen."
The servant held the thing and looked at Bier in panic. Only after Bier nodded did he take it.
It is indeed as Wen Honglang said, it is not easy to let people take things back.
Anyway, it's for my father, so I can just take it with me when I go to Dai's house tomorrow.
Shen Fanli raised his hand to signal for someone to take a seat, "Thank you, Master Wen. I will tell my father."
A maidservant on the side was pouring tea for people.
After pouring the tea, he went downstairs.
Wen Honglang chatted with Shen Fanli for a few daily greetings.
He took a sip of tea and finally talked about the purpose of his visit. "Miss Shen, do you have time these days?"
Shen Fanli nodded, "What's the matter, Master Wen?"
Wen Honglang's ears turned red. "I wonder if Miss Shen would be so kind as to go with me to the Xizhao Temple."
Seeing that Shen Fanli was about to shake her head to refuse, he quickly continued, "I am here to pray for my mother's safety. I have already made an appointment with Master Huineng. If Miss Shen has nothing else to do, she can also go with me."
Shen Fanli pondered for a moment and agreed.
Mr. Dai Sanye caught a cold a few days ago and it took him more than ten days to get better.
When Shen Fanli heard this, he thought that he could go to the temple to pray for his father's safety.
......
Xizhao Temple.
After meeting Master Huineng, Shen Fanli and Wen Honglang walked in the temple.
The temple is quiet and not many people come today.
Shen Fanli stopped and looked at the motionless turtle in the pond.
Wen Honglang also stopped when he saw this.
Fanli remembered the master she had just seen, who was beating a wooden fish with one hand and holding Buddhist beads with the other, and who could not hide his surprise when he saw her.
Although it was only a moment, Fanli still captured it.
Fanli recalled what Master Huineng had just said, and he said, "In all these years, you are the first person I have met who I cannot understand. But you and I have a connection, and I have something to give you."
He placed the Buddhist beads in his hand on the table and pushed them in front of Fanli.
Wen Honglang was also a little confused when he heard this, so he asked: "What does Master Huineng mean? Miss Shen..."
Master Huineng continued to beat the wooden fish, his brows giving people a feeling of being indifferent to the world, and he said lightly: "Time and cause and effect, everything has reincarnation, and there is a destiny in the end."
Before leaving, Fanli heard a few words faintly, "People from outside the world..."
She didn't know whether the monk was talking about her original body or her?
The original body was not from this era, and neither was she.
But, he does have some tricks.
At least he is not someone who has gained his reputation in vain.
Fanli thought about these words, wondering if the monk was talking about her.
So what is karma and reincarnation, and what do the people outside the world refer to?
Could it be that she was talking about traveling through small worlds?
Fanli didn't think that what the monk said was accurate. She had dealt with many Zen Buddhists in her previous life, but she had never seen anyone become a true Buddha!
This stuff about destiny is all bullshit!
Can't a person's fate really be decided by God?
Fanli doesn't care what others think. All she thinks is that she can only rewrite her own destiny.
Everyone's path is different, and she doesn't care about others.
She just needs to be herself.
Fanli fiddled with the Buddhist beads in her hand.
The voice beside him interrupted Fanli's thoughts.
"Miss Shen, what are you thinking about?"
Wen Honglang followed Shen Fanli's gaze and stared at the pond for a long time but couldn't see anything. He only saw a turtle lazily lying in the pond.
Fanli came back to his senses and shook his head, "Nothing."
"Let's go back."
On the way back.
Wen Honglang looked at the people walking forward without looking around, and when they passed a pastry shop, he asked:
"Miss Shen, the cakes here are very popular. Would you like to try some?"
This pastry shop has been open for several years. It has been open since Wen Honglang was a child. Now it is the owner's son who makes the pastries.
Shen Fanli has been in Suzhou for several months. She also owns a pastry shop where Bier and her friends can make pastries for fun. She would go to the shop if she had nothing to do on weekdays. Naturally, she knew this time-honored shop. "No need."
Then he said, "I opened a pastry shop. If Lord Wen likes pastries, I will send some to your house tomorrow."
Wen Honglang was a little surprised. He didn't ask much about Shen Fanli and indeed didn't know that she had opened a pastry shop.
However, I heard that she owns a Jinxiu cloth shop.
It is now the number one cloth shop in Suzhou City.
This was not something he inquired about, but what his family told him after he came back.
At that time, he thought it might just be the same surname. After all, he had never heard of a woman doing business, and it was really amazing. But when Wen Honglang's family mentioned this, they almost always said it was ridiculous and rarely praised it.
Most people in the world are conservative. Once someone breaks the old system, there will be louder and more voices of resistance.
After Wen Honglang found out that this person was Shen Fanli, he specifically said that she was very capable so that his family members would not look at her with prejudice. He also directly stated that Shen Fanli was his friend and the person he liked.
After he said this, his parents were so angry that they punished him to kneel in the ancestral hall.
......
Wen Honglang nodded, "Thank you very much, Miss Shen."
"I heard Miss Shen say she wanted to visit Jiangnan before, so I thought about bringing Miss Shen here, but I didn't expect that Miss Shen would come here first."
"I went to Prince Qi's mansion before. I don't know if Prince Qi had a problem with me or what, but he drove me out and said something..."
Shen Fanli frowned, "Master Wen."
Wen Honglang looked at her and saw Shen Fanli said: "What happened before is in the past. I have nothing to do with...Prince Qi now. Thank you, Lord Wen, for what happened today. I will go back first and invite Lord Wen for tea another day."
Just around the corner was Shen Fanli's residence, so Shen Fanli left first.
Wen Honglang originally wanted to send the person back, but now he had no choice but to watch him leave.
He had originally wanted to be with more people and express his feelings further later.
She was not an ordinary girl, and Wen Honglang rarely dealt with girls, so he didn't know what to do.
I hope the next time we meet is not far away.
He turned and headed towards the Wen Mansion.
*
Only a few officials along the way knew that Prince Qi was going to travel south in disguise, and very few people knew about it.
After hearing the news, Mr. Dai Sanye mentioned the matter to Shen Fanli.
Before Shen Fanli could react, Jing'er, who was carrying tea into the room, accidentally dropped the cup on the ground.
Master Dai San took a look and saw Shen Fanli said, "Jing'er, didn't I tell you that you can just go and play, you don't have to wait on me."
Jing'er still had a look of surprise on her face and was about to say something, but Shen Fanli waved his hand and left.
Then he asked, "Father, do you know why the new emperor went south?"
Dai Sanye shook his head. "It means to investigate the people's sentiments and conduct a private visit in disguise."
"But the new emperor has only been on the throne for a short time. According to common sense, he shouldn't..." He looked at Shen Fanli, "Li'er, does the new emperor's trip to the south have anything to do with you?"
Shen Fanli shook his head, "I don't know."
Master Dai San: "Talk to your father. Do you want to avoid it?"
"If you don't want to see him, then I will arrange for you to go to Jinling or Qizhou."
Mr. Dai San didn't know what happened to Shen Fanli in Shangjing. He only knew that she had been there for so long without mentioning Prince Qi at all.
The previous playboy Prince Qi and Master Dai Sanye could not be compared with him, not to mention that he is now the new emperor who has ascended the throne. Under the imperial power, they are all insignificant ants, let alone businessmen.
However, if Li'er doesn't want to see the new emperor, he will definitely make her wish come true.
"Don't worry, father. Things are not what you think. If you are worried, I will go to Jinling tomorrow. It just so happens that my eldest brother wrote to me two days ago and asked me to go there."
Mr. Dai Sanye nodded.