"Such a beauty is a gentleman's dream."
"This beauty is even more beautiful than Li Chengcheng. She's worth having!"
"Shen Wanquan is so lucky. Where did he find this beauty? If he's willing to part with her, I'm willing to pay 100,000 taels!"
For a moment, the county magistrate and the heads of the three major families all looked at Shen Wanquan with envy. They were envious of his good luck with women, but their smiles were a little wretched and unsightly.
Shen Wanquan looked straight ahead. He stood up and pressed his hands together. When the hall quieted down, he began to give a welcoming speech.
After that, the banquet began.
Everyone toasted each other and ate and drank.
After three rounds of wine and five dishes.
A storyteller walked out of the stage next to them and knocked on the gavel. The hall quieted down and everyone pricked up their ears.
In this ancient world, storytellers were like wifi with their own reward system. Listening to their stories was a favorite way of entertainment.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today's story is:
The Northern Snow Wolf broke into the thieves' den and Ghost Head Blade Guan Chao was killed.
Speaking of this Northern Snow Wolf, he is truly a man of steel, a peerless hero, a righteous man, a true man … "
The storyteller spoke tirelessly.
When it came to killing Guan Chao, the Shen Lian was replaced by Sun Yuanxiang. Also, Liu Ruyi and the others were replaced by innocent girls.
In particular, this storyteller was called Pang Cheng. He was famous in the local area. On Earth, he was equivalent to Shan Tianfang. He was very skillful. After making artistic changes to the version written by the Shen Lian, he told the story with a cadence and was very wonderful. Everyone was swayed by the story and cheered for him.
After the story was finished, everyone looked at Sun Yuanxiang with admiration. Uncle Sun was old but vigorous, and he instantly gained a wave of fans.
The county magistrate laughed and stood up. He gave Sun Yuanxiang a reward of 150,000 taels, tax-free!
In front of everyone, Sun Yuanxiang blushed with shame. He had falsely claimed the credit, so he couldn't help but feel guilty. The reward was hot in his hand. He said, "I'm ashamed to accept it." He glanced at the smiling Shen Lian beside him and felt that he had been cheated by the Eldest Young Master! You can't play like this!
Shen Lian actually had no choice. His progress was too fast, too shocking. Even with the help of the Gu, it was impossible for him to progress so fast. It was fine if ordinary people didn't know about it, but those Gu Masters who played with Gu were different. They were likely to notice his abnormality. Once they found out that he had such a powerful Gu like the Life Twister Gu, they would definitely be killed. He had no choice but to be low-key.
Liu Ruyi had a strange expression on her face when she saw this. Her eyes flickered, and she suddenly approached Shen Lian. She whispered, "When the matter is done, you leave in a huff, hiding your identity and reputation. Benefactor's poem is like the person himself, this concubine admires endlessly. "
She had seen Shen Lian's poetry collection at Er Niang's place, and it was truly amazing. She had memorized the beautiful lines in the collection. Today's situation and scene made her deeply moved, and she admired Shen Lian's character even more.
"Actually, I just want to keep a low profile before I become stronger."
Shen Lian touched the tip of his nose. Of course, he didn't say this out loud. He only smiled faintly and declined to comment.
At this time, Shen Wanquan's expression turned solemn. He turned to Liu Ruyi and said loudly, "Everyone, let me introduce you. This is Wan Sanye's wife, Liu Ruyi!"
"What, Wan Sanye?!"
"Wan Sanye, is he referring to the wealthiest person in the north, Wan Sanye?"
"So she is Liu Ruyi! No wonder she is so beautiful! "
"Eh, wasn't Liu Ruyi missing? Why did she appear in Shen family? "
The moment Shen Wanquan finished speaking, the entire hall burst into an uproar like boiling water.
The county magistrate and the three clan heads' smiles froze, and they instantly broke out in cold sweat. They hurriedly put away their vulgar expressions and sat upright. They looked straight ahead and were serious, not daring to offend in the slightest.
"F * ck, if Wan Sanye knew that we stared at Liu Ruyi so impudently, we would have to gouge our eyes out to apologize."
"Sigh, Shen Wanquan, this bastard, why didn't he inform us in advance? He made us look bad."
"Damn it, since when did the Shen family have anything to do with Wan Sanye?!"
The four of them were embarrassed and sweating profusely.
Their embarrassed looks made Shen Wanquan's mouth twitch. He pressed his hands together and said loudly, "Half a year ago, Madam Wan met an otherworldly expert by chance. She discovered that she had an extraordinary constitution, extraordinary talent, and wisdom. She was truly a rare genius, so she took her as her disciple and hid in the Misty Snow Mountain north of Snow Ridge City to focus on enlightenment and cultivation. Now that she has achieved great merit, she has broken out of seclusion."
This was also made up by Shen Wanquan.
As he spoke, a servant brought over a broadsword. Sun Yuanxiang stood up, picked up the broadsword, and slashed at Liu Ruyi's head.
"Ah!"
Everyone exclaimed.
The county magistrate was scared half to death.
If Liu Ruyi died in front of him, he could forget about staying in the north. His official career would end there.
However!
With a loud bang, the broadsword strangely shattered. Liu Ruyi did not move and was unharmed.
Everyone was astounded when they saw this scene.
"Everyone, you've seen it. Madam Wan has achieved great success and is invulnerable. No one can hurt her." Shen Wanquan was also shocked. No matter how many times he saw it, he was still amazed.
The reason for this show was Shen Wanquan's idea, and Liu Ruyi had agreed to cooperate. As for the reason, it was to help Liu Ruyi return to the Wan family.
In this era, a woman's chastity and reputation were extremely important.
If people knew that Liu Ruyi had been a bandit's wife for half a year, who would believe that she had not been raped by Guan Chao?
Ordinary people did not know what venomous insects were. It was even more difficult to believe that she and Wan Sanye had an unswerving love.
Rumors could kill, and public opinion could turn into deadly violence at any time.
Liu Ruyi's experience was tantamount to making Wan Sanye a cuckold. The consequences were unimaginable.
The moment Shen Wanquan rescued Liu Ruyi, he decided to hide the fact that she had been kidnapped by Guan Chao.
Of course, one of the reasons was to successfully obtain Wan Sanye's reward of one million yuan.
This was the real purpose of this family banquet.
In the blink of an eye, the district magistrate, the three big families, and everyone else present were moved. Their emotions were in turmoil, and their expressions were different.
They suddenly realized that the Shen family was in luck. They had established a relationship with Wan Sanye. Using the family banquet as an excuse, they were actually spreading the news and had a strong momentum.
At this moment, Liu Ruyi stood up and bowed slightly to everyone. She smiled and said, "I followed my honored master to cultivate divine skills in the arcane realm. After I succeeded, my honored master traveled far away. When I walked out of the arcane realm, I found myself in the Misty Snow Mountain, deep in the clouds.
Later on, I met Young Master Lian from the Shen family. With his help, I came to Snow Ridge City. I am very grateful to the Shen family for taking care of me for so many days. Here, I propose a toast to Master Shen and Young Master Lian! "
She downed the cup in one gulp.
At the table next to them, Fourth Mother's eyes flashed. She nudged Third Mother with her elbow and whispered, "Third Sister, Shen Wanquan suddenly spent so much money, but I have never heard of him drinking, whoring, or gambling. What do you think he spent the money on?"
Third Mother's heart skipped a beat. She could not help but stare at Liu Ruyi. Suddenly, an ominous feeling arose in her heart.
After that, the atmosphere of the family banquet was harmonious. Everyone came satisfied and left satisfied. Only Third Mother felt uneasy.
A few days later, it was the end of the month.
According to the usual practice, the accountant would give out the next month's monthly allowance on the last day of each month.
On this day, the entire Shen family was in an uproar!
"The monthly allowance is halved?! Why? "
"The Shen family's income is rising day by day. Why is the monthly allowance decreasing instead of increasing?"
"The Shen family's monthly allowance was the least among the four big families. Now it's halved again. What is the meaning of this?"
Everyone was angry!
Everyone was furious!
Third Mother's maid, Biluo, was in charge of managing Third Mother's private savings. Receiving the monthly allowance was one of her jobs.
Biluo went to the accountant's office. As expected, the monthly allowance had been halved.
She asked around and found out that the accountant had received a ban from the master of the house. Master Lian could not receive a single cent.
"Third Madam, I have received my monthly allowance." Biluo ran back happily.
Third Mother was lying on her side. Maid Biluo was gently massaging her swollen forehead. Hearing this, she opened her eyes and asked anxiously, "Did the master ban him?"
Biluo nodded. "Congratulations, Third Madam. Master Lian should be penniless now."
Third Mother let out a long sigh of relief. She could not help but smile and laugh.
She was worried that Shen Wanquan would be soft-hearted. She did not expect the master to really ban Shen Lian's authority.
"Hmph, it seems that the master still cares about me and Fang 'er. Shen Lian, that wastrel, caused his mother's death. He should have been chased out of the house long ago."
"Third Madam is right. How can Master Lian be compared to Master Fang?" The maids were all obedient.
At this moment, Shen Fang walked in with a bitter face. His expression was extremely gloomy.
"Fang 'er, this is great news!" Third Mother danced excitedly.
Shen Fang huffed and glared at her. "My monthly allowance has been halved. What is this great news?"
Third Mother was extremely proud. "Monthly allowance is nothing. Your father has finally given up on the Shen Lian. As long as you perform well, the position of the master of the house will be yours!"
Shen Dada shook his head and sighed, "Mother, stop dreaming. You've offended someone."
"Offended someone? Who did I offend?"
"Everyone! Everyone in the Shen family is scolding you behind your back! "
Third Mother blinked and scolded, "Nonsense. Do they have nothing better to do? Why are they scolding me?"
Shen Fang was speechless. "Mother, everyone is saying that it was you who insisted on promoting the great spirit of hard work and simplicity. That's why the monthly allowance was halved. You have caused everyone to suffer!"
Third Mother was stunned, completely stunned. She exclaimed, "It was the Shen Lian's idea to halve the monthly allowance. How is it my fault?"
Shen Fang said disappointedly, "That's what everyone is saying. No one is blaming the Shen Lian. It's all your fault."
Third Mother was suddenly afraid.
She felt that the Shen Lian had dug a big hole for her, and she had jumped into it … What a deep hole!
The monthly allowance came from the accountant's office. When the Shen family realized that their allowance had decreased, the first person they would ask was naturally the accountant's office.
Unfortunately, the accountant's office was managed by Second Mother, and everyone was a Shen Lian. As long as they agreed on the same story and a little guidance, everyone's anger would naturally be directed at Third Mother.
Other than that, there was also Steward Fan Li. He was a truly astute person. Perhaps he understood Shen Wanquan's thoughts better than the five mothers. If there was any movement in the family, everyone would ask him about it. His reply often represented Shen Wanquan's intentions.
Unfortunately, Fan Li was also a Shen Lian. At least he knew very well that Shen Wanquan had long designated the Shen Lian as his successor.
Thus, Third Mother incurred the wrath of the public!