Luo Renshou had a reputation of being a fair and honest official. The Luo family was originally a farming family, and as such they tended to be relatively conservative with how they spent their money. Once Luo Renshou settled down in the capital, the house he lived in was relatively simple compared to some of the other officials.
He became an official by taking the imperial examination, and it took him a long time to climb from being a minor, sixth-rank official to reach his current position. His family background is weak, and completely incomparable with the wealthy official families in the capital. Because of this, the Luo family was strict about maintaining their image. They needed to be cautious, warning the family members and servants to behave while wandering around outside.
But because of Shen Mingyun's arrival and subsequent hooking-up with various influential people, the Luo family grew more high-profile. The Luo family was inevitably noticed, and Luo Renshou's status in the court began to rise. Soon, he was called upon more frequently, and greetings came like snowflakes in a storm.
This is the first year since Shen Mingyun transmigrated into the book. The original Shen Mingyun had died on the way to the capital. It was at this point that the current Shen Mingyun took over. He was originally the son of Luo Renshou's sister from a concubine. She had been married off to a low-ranked military officer in the early years, and the family lived near the border. Because of invasion of foreign enemies, the city they lived in was under siege. The whole family was killed, and only Shen Mingyun, who had been hiding in a cellar, managed to escape. Afterwards, the original Shen Mingyun went to the capital to seek shelter from his uncle whom he hadn't met almost for ten years.
At this time, Luo Shuyu took Qing Wang and a maid to the Qingfeng courtyard to greet the Old Lady Luo.
Before they even arrived, they heard laughters echoing out from the courtyard. The old lady laughed the loudest, followed by Liu. Except for Luo Renshou, who had already left for court, and the two eldest sons that followed him, it seemed like the entire Luo family was present.
Although Shen Mingyun's mother was not born from the old lady herself, the current Shen Mingyun shared a similar temperament to the old woman. The two were always able to get along happily. If he hadn't read the novel, Luo Shuyu wouldn't have a clue as to how Shen Mingyun was able to please the old lady so well. In fact, it was just that the two had similar backgrounds and struggled to adjust to the many rules of aristocratic families in the capital. They found that once they got together, they shared a common language.
Luo Shuyu thought that it was because of this reason that he was not well-liked by the old lady. He didn't have too many opinions about it, and had already set aside any expectations. For these so-called 'relatives', his feelings died with him in his past life. He even hates them for their indifference and ungratefulness.
Whether Luo Shuyu was born to the first wife or not, today was different. From the moment he entered the old lady's courtyard, most people's eyes fell on him.
Unlike the past, he won't find an inconspicuous corner to sit down and listen to their chat.
Liu philosophy was 'harmony brings money' so she greeted him with a smile: "Shuyu, you came just in time! Your cousin came back from the Temple and brought us some interesting melons and fruits. You should try it too."
Luo Shuyu was dressed in an elegant blue clothes today, wearing a palm-sized jade pendant around his waist. The jade is clear and lustrous, and as it collided with the beads next to it, it made a pleasant twinkling sound. He displayed an image of youthful freshness, as gentle as the jade on his waist, outstanding and extraordinary.
Luo Shuyu, who was just called, looked towards the handsome young man of a similar age that sat beside the old lady. That person was Shen Mingyun, the protagonist. He and Luo Shuyu had two different styles. Shen Mingyun had a pair of charming peach blossom eyes, the corners of which were slightly turned upwards. His nose was straight, and he carried a charming and seductive air.
He remembered the descriptive in the novel had commented on Shen Mingyun's appearance when he first awoke in his new body. He described him as white as jade, with creamy skin, a beautiful oval face, and a pair of wide bright eyes. He could be considered to have a top-notch appearance.
And why shouldn't he? Cousin Shen's biological mother came from a brothel. If she didn't have a good appearance, she never would have been accepted as a concubine back then.
As a Young Master, Cousin Shen is undoubtedly outstanding in appearance. In addition, Shen Mingyun has the help of the System, so it's not difficult for him to gain the favor of others. Speaking of favor… Luo Shuyu remembered that the System had an item shop. As long as Shen Mingyun completes his assigned tasks, he can get points to spend in the shop. This shop sells various props that could be used on himself or other people. Some of these props can affect other people's favorability towards him, or even forcibly alter their behavior.
What a horrifying thought.
For example, Shen Mingyun get a task to receive a gift from the old lady on a certain festival day. As long as he uses the props from the System, Shen Mingyun can make a request to the old lady, and she will be forced to agree to him and help him achieve his goal.
Luo Shuyu was pulled to the seat next to Liu with an enthusiastic attitude, acting as if Luo Shuyu was her biological son.
"I'll try some of it." Luo Shuyu ate the fruit peeled by a maid, said: "It's very sweet."
Before Luo Shuyu arrived, Shen Mingyun had told everyone about the exciting origin of this fruit. At this moment, they were all waiting for Luo Shuyu to ask about it, but they were disappointed to see that even after finishing the third one, he did not ask.
Shen Mingyun had already grabbed the limelight, and he thought in his heart that the ancient people were ignorant and stupid. Luo Shuyŭ, who had calmed down by now, couldn't bear his attitude, and lashed out. He was jealous of Shen Mingyun, but he couldn't beat him. Instead, he could only bully Luo Shuyu, who didn't have the support of his mother.
Luo Shuyŭ gloated and asked: "Third brother, do you know where this fruit came from?"
Luo Shuyu casually wiped the juice off of his fingertips with a handkerchief, and said with a light smile: "Do you think I know or I don't?"
Based on Luo Shuyŭ's understanding of Luo Shuyu, as one who rarely steps outside, he smiled and said: "If you know, you know, if you don't, then you don't. Why is third brother playing such tricks?"
Luo Shuyu smiled back: " 'The History of Foreign Objects' states that, 'The lychee is different, juicy, sweet, and slightly sour, having its own unique flavor. You can eat your fill without getting bored. When it is ripe, it is the size of a chicken's egg, and the skin is shiny. It can be eaten dried, and also will not be as sour as when eaten fresh. It ripens in the fourth month'."
Luo Shuyŭ didn't expect for Luo Shuyu to know so much. His face contorted in anger: "How did you learn about this?" He wanted to humiliate Luo Shuyu, now it looks like he gave him face.
Luo Shuyu replied flatly: "You could learn it too if only you read more."
Luo Shuyŭ's face was red, and he was at a loss for words.
Shen Mingyun knew that this matter was caused by him, and just wanted to see a joke. He was about to say something to ease the atmosphere when he heard Luo Shuyu change the subject: "Compared to this lychee, I have heard of a more interesting skill that some farmers have. Apparently, they can grow melons and fruits into words. No matter what kind of character you want, they can grow them."
Shen Mingyun was surprised by his words, and asked Luo Shuyu the same question with a straightforward expression: "How did you learn about this?"
Luo Shuyu glanced at him indifferently: "Does my cousin think he is the only one who knows a lot?"
The old lady was naturally curious: "Shuyu, you said that this fruit can be grown into characters, is this some kind of immortal technique?"
Luo Shuyu said: "It's no immortal technique. This farmer was smart and thought of a method to sell his fruits for more money. He specially crafted a mold to put over the immature fruits. As they ripen, they grow to fill the mold and take on its shape."
Although the old lady wasn't very fond of Luo Shuyu, but having Luo Renshou, a son who successfully ascended to a high position, she strongly supports children's education. She is relieved that Luo Shuyu loves to read. He is one of her descendants, after all. It broadened her horizons and made her happy.
As for Shen Mingyun, his face flushed. He internally complained about the miscellaneous books Luo Shuyu had read while pestering the System in his head.
"System, didn't you say that the things in the shop were unique to this world? What's going on with Luo Shuyu?"
It took a while for the System to come out and reply: "Give me five minutes while I look up the information."
Luo Shuyu cleared his throat, taking a sip of the tea served in the old lady's yard. In the past, he never spoke much, and his siblings didn't know what knowledge he possessed. Now that he had spoken on a few topics so casually, it changed their opinions on him a little.
Liu interjected: "But since there are farmers that have this method, why haven't we seen such a thing in the market?"
Luo Shuyu set down the teacup and said: " I'm only reading miscellaneous books, it might not be from Daxia." He liked Shen Mingyun's ugly expression from the corner of his eye, like something went wrong.
"It's a pity that it didn't come from Daxia. I would have liked to see such a fruit." Liu suddenly asked Shen Mingyun: "Mingyun, you used to live close to the country of Liang, have you ever seen such a thing before?"
Shen Mingyun: "…I haven't." In fact, he had been growing 'blessing' and 'longevity' fruits for quite some time now, and had been planning on harvesting them soon.
Damn! He thought that no one in this world would know about it and that he'd be able to sell them for a good profit, but it's useless to bring it up now.
This Luo Shuyu is lucky. What should he do now that his plans were exposed in some random book?
Of course, Luo Shuyu did this on purpose. He knew exactly how much of a benefit this 'longevity' fruit would bring to Shen Mingyun. It even served as a starting point for him to get closer to the Fourth Prince. It won the favor of the Emperor and the Empress, and also paved the way for the Fourth Prince to become Emperor in the future. It was also an opportunity for Shen Mingyun to appear in front of the royal family, gain their favor, and win over those influential people.
He hoped that Shen Mingyun would enjoy this little 'welcoming gift'.
After sitting with Old Lady Luo for a while, everyone left.
Just as Luo Shuyu got up to leave, Shen Mingyun chased after him and called out to him. The System had mentioned just now that no one in this world had grown words fruits yet.
"Hey, wait a minute."
As soon as he heard this impolite address, he knew who it was. Luo Shuyu pretended to be deaf and ignored it.
Shen Mingyun had no choice but to run up to him and stop him: "Hey, I'm talking to you."
Luo Shuyu gave him a cold look: "My name is not 'Hey', who knows who you're talking to."
"Let me ask you, did you really learn about that fruit from miscellaneous books?" He wondered if Luo Shuyu had also transmigrated.
Luo Shuyu spoke slowly and sarcastically: "Obviously I learned it from books. Reading more books will always help." Otherwise, he would be like Shen Mingyun, who hated books unless they were useful.
Shen Mingyun: "…"
He didn't continue questioning Luo Shuyu.
In the past, he would always be sarcastic toward others, but now that it was directed at him, he felt a little uncomfortable. What's the matter with this pretend-noble ancient man?
Luo Shuyu took Qing Wang and his maid back to his courtyard, with a slight smile on his face. It was entertaining to describe Shen Mingyun with the words he usually directed toward other people 'Uneducated' what a shame.
If Shen Mingyun was literate, he would have figured it out by now.
______
Three days later, Qin Tianjian¹ had calculated the auspicious date for the wedding of the Third Prince, Li Mingjin and Luo Shuyu.
The next day, the Third Prince appeared at the Luo estate wearing a gloomy, Rakshasa²-like face while carrying his long black whip that was rumored to drink human blood.
The Luo family was in a panic.
Oh, God. The Third Prince, who is said to be able to stop children from crying with a single glance. He is here.