After roughly finalizing Li Xiangjun's affairs, Chen Shuren chatted with the other girls for a while and prepared to send them back with gifts.
All the girls also favored him and sincerely asked him for advice on some issues. The atmosphere of chatting was very harmonious.
Before leaving, Shen Shuren casually asked Bian Yujing a few questions about her relationship with Wumeicun.
Bian Yujing also told the truth, admitting that the two did not have any relationship yet, but Wu Siye was very interested in talking to her about the rise and fall of history, and felt that she was quite talented in this area and was a strange woman, that's all.
After Chen Shuren thought about it for a while, he roughly understood this mentality.
Many men who like to discuss ancient and modern times and give advice on the country also like to show off their opinions in front of others.
It's a pity that the vast majority of women in the world are not interested in historical and military topics, so most of the time men can only talk to men. Once you meet a woman who is willing to listen and can share insights, she will immediately be sought after by men as a treasure.
Just like the historical articles written by men in a certain period in later generations, if there is an insightful senior female reader, the author can be promoted to the comment section moderator in minutes.
Wu Meicun should have this kind of mentality towards Bian Yujing. And Bian Yujing towards Wu Meicun is like the admiration of a female book lover for a talented historical writer. But in history, she finally found the object of her admiration and had no intention of developing a more developed relationship with her. Many people had wives and concubines and could not bear the responsibilities, so she became a monk and became a Taoist nun.
In this case, Shen Shuren also left an introduction, saying that he would go to the Imperial College to visit Chief Wu in a few days. At that time, he would ask Miss Bian to help accompany the guest.
Bian Yujing was happy to do this, and of course he happily agreed.
…
After sending a carriage to take Li Xiangjun and Bian Yujing back to Meixiang Tower, Chen Shuren turned back to deal with Liu Rushi and Gu Mei.
He had nothing serious to do with these two women, so he didn't attach much importance to them, but he could not mix any interests with them.
Everyone was very candid and the conversation was quite pure. Afterwards, Shen Shuren just couldn't help but remind him:
"Miss Liu, Miss Gu, you have rich experience, and I have nothing to teach you. There is one sentence, although it is not suitable for me to say, but I still want to remind you - if you want to escape from the sea of suffering in the future, please put your character, talent and literary talent first. , are all imaginary.
You are all extraordinary women whose poetic talent amazes the world, and you will surely be remembered by future generations. In this autumn of national crisis, no one can guarantee that they will not suffer accidents or fall into the hands of thieves. No matter whether they are caught in the hands of rogue thieves or Tatars, integrity is the most important thing."
Shen Shuren also knew that Liu and Gu had been unkind in history, and that they married Qian Qianyi and Gong Dingzi, two of the "three great Jiangzuo families" who had become traitors. He couldn't bear it, so he reminded him of this.
At least at this moment, he himself has no selfish desires or any lust.
There is no shortage of stunning beauties around him, and since he doesn't know Liu and Gu well enough, he can't be said to be impulsive.
What's more, these two are considered seniors. Liu Rushi is twenty-four years old, three years older than him, and Gu Mei is one year older than him. He didn't think in that direction. It was just a matter of pure sympathy and appreciation, and he didn't want to think about these strange things. Women are often stigmatized.
Liu Rushi waited to hear what he said sincerely, her eyes were quite clear, not like a lustful person, and she was a little moved in her heart. Shen Shuren was able to think from these perspectives, which was unprecedented for his predecessors.
The scholar-bureaucrats of the Ming Dynasty would never have thought that the women around them would also have their names recorded in history books, let alone care whether it was a good name or a bad name.
Liu Rushi couldn't help but ask: "Mr. Shen, do you think that among the Jinling scholars, among the upright and noble people, there are also many scoundrels who have different opinions and have lost their integrity?
Many of the guests I have seen in my life have withstood the brutality of the eunuchs, and have been able to live in poverty for many years, and are still living in poverty. Sister Hengbo is also like me. We never choose guests based on their reputation, and we can see people clearly.
The young master achieves his goals at a young age, but he still persists in admonishing and not flattering. It is indeed worthy of admiration. What you just said, we will encourage you when there is nothing, and we will definitely pay attention to it. Thank you for your kind words."
Chen Shuren didn't care. He knew that Liu Rushi had his own standards for looking at people. He felt that if he could endure poverty and no official position, he would not be a flattering minister or a dishonest person.
This cannot be reversed with a few words, and it is not the right time for them to have a casual exchange of words. I will try to persuade them when I have a chance in the future, but forget it if I don’t.
…
The four girls went back to their respective homes, sighing and discussing the gossip about Chen Shuren along the way.
Liu Rushi and Gu Mei were somewhat alert in their hearts. Liu Rushi said to Gu Mei: "Sister Hengbo, I calm down and think about it carefully. Although Mr. Shen's words are not profound, they are honest words and they don't seem to be selfish.
In this difficult time, when choosing a person, you must choose character. You and I are both old, and we will have to find a way out within one or two years at most. At least Mr. Mu Zhai is still content with his poverty and is happy with his life. He has been able to stay out of office for several years without giving in. . Mr. Zhilu, whom you met recently, I heard that his official voice is slightly flawed.
If it really doesn't work, let's try to save some more money, redeem ourselves first and wait and see what happens. I don't know when the world will be... Sigh."
On the other side, after returning to Meixiang Tower, Bian Yujing surrounded Li Xiangjun asking questions and gossiping. After all, Li Xiangjun has made a decision and may be ransomed by Chen Shuren. No matter how she is placed in the future, she will definitely be able to There is stability. In this situation, the other sisters in Meixiang House must be envied by everyone, so much so that Li Xiangjun dare not speak out for the time being.
Bian Yujing chirped like a little bird: "Sister, you are really lucky. At lunch just now, you praised Sister Yuanyuan for her good fortune. In the blink of an eye, you will be like Sister Yuanyuan."
Mr. Shen just asked me to accompany him to meet Mr. Meicun in a few days. You must also go then, right? One of you and I will pour tea for Mr. Meicun, and the other will pour tea for Mr. Shen. It seems that we have different seniorities. "
Li Xiangjun rolled her eyes fondly: "You little hooves, do you still expect me to call you master's wife? You say I have a good life, but you feel sad at the same time. If you really envy me, let's go together. I think Mr. Umemura is also in the literary world. Seniors are highly respected and would not think like that.
You just didn't know Mr. Shen before, but now you know him, and you know that he has such a unique eye for studying history and his extraordinary insights, can you still get along?"
Bian Yujing's face turned red, and he changed the topic with dignity: "Although it is true, after all, there is a first come, first served, and we are all still simple people. How can we just follow our opinions when we see good things, without being looked down upon by others? Just let nature take its course. Bar.
To be honest, I heard Mr. Shen and Zhang Shilang discuss the financial gains and losses of the Song, Yuan and this dynasty today. It was really insightful. He was obviously a generalist who studied both Confucianism and Legalism. I couldn't help but want to record his words."
Li Xiangjun quickly reminded: "Don't! There are some things that will inevitably cause more trouble if you write about the government. If you are interested, just ask for advice a few times and keep it in your heart. When time passes and you want to summarize and record it, it's not too late. . Even if he forgets, the worst he can do is come to the door again and ask him to tell him again."
Bian Yujing thought it made sense, so he wisely did not create any further complications.
…
When Chen Shuren arrived in Nanjing, his residence was still in Bailuzhou, the small house with five entrances he bought a year and a half ago.
This is the first time for Chen Yuanyuan and others to live here, and the environment in Happy Street is also quite novel.
She experienced too many things today, and when she rested that night, Chen Yuanyuan also kept her thoughts in mind and tried her best to serve the young master well and make him feel comfortable.
Chen Shuren could clearly feel the change in her mentality and comforted her with gentle words several times.
"Yuanyuan, you don't have to be like this. What happened today?"
"Young master must be too tired from working on national affairs and the imperial court's financial resources every day. Just obey me for once, just lie down and don't move, and let the servants take care of you."
Chen Shuren felt a lot more relaxed physically, and sighed: "I know, you must think that Xiangjun's redemption will share your favor. I really do this for important things, and everything else is secondary. No matter who comes, The first thing I had in my heart was you, and this will never change."
Chen Yuanyuan's heart palpitated, she trembled a few times, and then she leaned down:
"If the slave family is not jealous, it is because the slave family is sincerely willing to do so. The master is doing important things, and his daily life and behavior cannot hinder him. No matter what, there should be two people to serve him, so that he can take over when the slave family is inconvenient. Sister Xiaowan is in Suzhou An It’s a good time to redeem another fetus.”
Chen Shuren tightened his arms: "Are you really not jealous? Where did you learn this trick? I never saw you know how to do it."
Chen Yuanyuan's face turned red: "When we were leaving today, I was chatting with Miss Liu. I talked about your hard work and wanted you to save some effort... I asked you so clearly what to do! Anyway, the slave family will never be sorry to the master in this life."
…
Shen Shuren was served very easily and it was inevitable that he had to ask for more food several times.
Just like when you encounter a discount event, you will always buy impulsively. At the end of the day, you will find that the total amount spent is even more.
So he slept until almost noon the next day and didn't go out all day, so he stayed in the yard to recuperate.
Until the third day, Shen Shuren was thinking whether to go to Wu Weiye first to talk about being an official for Zheng Chenggong, or to redeem Li Xiangjun first.
As a result, early in the morning, Li Xiangjun was brave and asked the maid to secretly send a message.
It is said that her adoptive mother, Li Zhenli, the owner of Meixiang House, has set a date. The day of her redemption feast will be three days later. Shen Shuren is asked not to make any noise and not to show that she is determined to win, so as not to prevent her opponents from raising more money temporarily. Sometimes, the price is actually driven up.
In the late Ming Dynasty, oiran combing the cage, or even directly redeeming one's body, did not allow sneak attacks. Usually, a banquet was held, which was similar to an auction.
Madams are all unscrupulous beings, and of course they hope to drive up prices, so once a new guest joins the banquet, she will try her best to delay it for a few more days, publicize the identity information of the new guest to other regular guests, and encourage the guests to raise money. compete.
This is similar to an auction. Once someone bids, the auctioneer has to shout "How much once/twice/three times" again, which will not give you a chance to kill instantly or make a sneak attack.
Fortunately, Shen Shuren wanted to do something big, so he didn't need these few thousand taels of silver - if he could hold a bomb that could humiliate and anger Zuo Liangyu at any time, and control the detonation time by himself, this little money would be a great deal.
Li Xiangjun couldn't go through the formalities for the time being, so Shen Shuren came up with a backup plan, called Li Xiangjun and Bian Yujing, and invited Wumeicun, the director of the Imperial College, to come out for a drink.