Chapter 56: Shen Yanliu

The three of them took their seats in turn.

Magistrate Shen Yanliu took the main seat, his wife Ma Chunmin took the seat opposite him, and Duan Rong took the seat at the side!

Once the three were seated, only then did Duan Rong dare to look straight at them and size them up.

Shen Yanliu was nearly forty, with a thin face, a tuft of goat-like beard, wearing a loose gray robe and a square cloth cap on his head.

His Qi was restrained, his eyes contained a sharp glint, and his temples were slightly bulging; sitting there, he was like a satiated tiger resting, naturally possessing an awe-inspiring air that required no anger to command respect.

Shen Yanliu was an Outer Sect Disciple of the Taiyi Sect, and his martial arts cultivation had reached the Second Layer of the True Qi Realm; in this Xiangu County, he could be called a high mountain!

Seeing Shen Yanliu today, Duan Rong felt as if he were seeing a high mountain!

At this moment, Duan Rong was naturally insignificant.

But perhaps, one day, he might be able to scale this high mountain before him?

Ma Chunmin looked younger than Shen Yanliu, only in her early thirties, born plump and beautiful, with a face like a bright moon, and a pair of eyes that were exceptionally lively, flashing with cold brilliance from time to time.

During the meal, Duan Rong only sat on half of the chair, not daring to eat much of the dishes, swallowing only in small bites; his heart was constantly on edge, and he dared not savor the food at all, swallowing it as if it were tasteless wax, for fear of losing decorum!

"This child, is the food not to your taste, that you eat so little?"

"It's tasty! It's tasty!" Duan Rong replied repeatedly.

Ma Chunmin picked up a lion's head meatball from a plate, placed it in Duan Rong's bowl, and said, "Come, this braised lion's head was made by my own hands! Try it!"

When Ma Chunmin passed the food over, Duan Rong lifted his buttocks and leaned forward slightly; only after Ma Chunmin's chopsticks had left did he sit back down.

Seeing Ma Chunmin put the lion's head into Duan Rong's bowl, Shen Yanliu wanted to signal her to stop, but it was already too late, so he hesitated for a moment before saying, "Is that lion's head a bit salty tonight?"

Upon hearing this, Ma Chunmin laughed and scolded, "Salty? Are you just being picky?"

She picked up a piece with her chopsticks and tasted it, and it was indeed a bit salty.

This was a dish she was quite skilled at making, and she was very familiar with the amounts of salt and seasoning, so how could she have added too much?

Could it be that she had added salt twice?

Ma Chunmin was suddenly somewhat embarrassed.

As soon as Duan Rong saw the look on Ma Chunmin's face, he knew the lion's head must be salty, but he still took a large bite and said, "The Magistrate and his wife are of noble character, so naturally your tastes are mild. But we Escorts travel far and wide and have to practice martial arts, so we have always preferred high oil and high salt in our food; I find the saltiness of this lion's head just right!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Chunmin smiled and said, "This child, he really knows how to talk."

What was originally a rather awkward scene was smoothed over by Duan Rong's words.

At this moment, Shen Yanliu also took a deep look at Duan Rong.

Just then, Duan Rong suddenly noticed a painting hanging on the wall of the flower hall behind Shen Yanliu.

It was exactly that Lady Painting by Fan Yunlin that he had sold to Guyue Studio for eight hundred taels.

Even the position of the wormhole and the small stain on the bottom right were exactly the same; it was absolutely the original authentic work.

Had this painting eventually flowed into Shen Yanliu's hands, or was he himself the boss behind the scenes of Guyue Studio?

It had been less than a month since Duan Rong sold the painting to Guyue Studio; if one were to say it had passed through many hands or had been gifted to Shen Yanliu, the timing seemed a bit too fast.

The latter was more likely.

It was highly probable that the boss behind Guyue Studio was none other than the Magistrate of Xiangu County, Shen Yanliu.

Duan Rong pondered this, but his face remained calm; he just slowly ate his food and drank his wine, occasionally telling a few slick, amusing jokes.

Seeing that the meal was nearly finished, Shen Yanliu said to the Personal Attendant who was adding wine and clearing plates to the side, "Go and invite the young lady out to toast Escort Duan!"

Hearing this, Duan Rong was almost choked by a mouthful of wine and quickly said, "I am a mere rustic commoner; how could I dare to trouble the young lady to toast me? That would be a great slight to me! Magistrate, you must not!"

"If not for Escort Duan's intervention, my daughter would have nearly caused a great disaster; a toast is well-deserved!" Shen Yanliu's words were firm and decisive.

The Personal Attendant had already left the room.

Duan Rong felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, his heart pounding like a little deer!

If he really met that young lady in a moment, what if some trouble arose?

Before long, the Personal Attendant returned to the hall, but Shen Mizhi did not appear; instead, it was Shen Mizhi's maid, Qiuhun, who came.

Seeing the troubled look on Qiuhun's face as she stood behind the Personal Attendant, Shen Yanliu asked sternly, "Qiuhun, where is the young lady?"

"Replying to Master... the young lady... she... she... has gone to find Xia Shuangshuang of the Yunshui Bill Exchange!"

Xia Shuangshuang was the daughter of Xia Zhongyang, the Manager of the Xiangu branch of the Yunshui Bill Exchange—the God of Wealth of Xiangu County—and had always been on good terms with Shen Mizhi.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yanliu's face immediately darkened; he turned his head to look at Ma Chunmin and said, "It's all because you've spoiled her! This girl is becoming increasingly ignorant of decorum!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Chunmin only gave a light, cold snort, her cold eyes fixed steadily on Qiuhun.

Ma Chunmin was Shen Yanliu's second wife, and Shen Mizhi was not her biological daughter, but rather the daughter Shen Yanliu had with his first wife.

When Ma Chunmin first married Shen Yanliu, Shen Mizhi was already three years old.

Not long after she entered the household, she learned that the name of Shen Yanliu's first wife contained the character "Zhi".

That Shen Yanliu named his daughter "Extinguish-the-Branch" showed his longing for his first wife.

To say that Ma Chunmin was not jealous would be a lie.

But over the years, she had treated Shen Mizhi as her own, giving her all the care a biological mother should; although the child, Shen Mizhi, had a cold temperament, she still accommodated her in every way.

It was precisely because of this that the household had been quite stable over the years, and on this point, Shen Yanliu was deeply grateful to her in his heart.

But Ma Chunmin knew Shen Mizhi very well; hearing that Shen Mizhi had actually gone out to find Xia Shuangshuang while they were hosting Duan Rong,

she immediately sensed something wrong in this matter.

"Perhaps the matter is not as simple as Qiuhun described..." A cold glint flashed in Ma Chunmin's eyes.

Regarding the incident where Shen Mizhi had fought with someone on the street and nearly caused a death, and how it was only thanks to Escort Duan's intervention that it ended without incident, she had heard the entire sequence of events from Qiuhun.

Qiuhun was also one of the witnesses to the event, so her words were naturally persuasive.

Therefore, it was only after listening to Qiuhun's words that she decided to prepare the banquet to host Duan Rong!

And only then did she have Shen Yanliu instruct Clerk Qin to send the invitation to the Yuanshun Escort Agency!

But at this moment, Ma Chunmin felt that there might be more to this matter than met the eye.

A cold light flashed in her eyes as she looked Duan Rong up and down once more.

Duan Rong sat there, and upon hearing that Shen Mizhi had gone out, his heart immediately relaxed; he did not pay much mind to Ma Chunmin's rather intrigued gaze.

A lady so beautiful, so kind, and who kept putting food in his bowl—what bad intentions could she possibly have?

Although Shen Mizhi did not come out to offer a toast, the Personal Attendant serving by the banquet table never stopped, incessantly refilling Duan Rong's wine!

This wine shimmered with a cold, amber light; he did not know what kind of fine vintage it was, but it was so fragrant and mellow that Duan Rong accidentally drank a bit too much!

By the time the banquet dispersed, Duan Rong was already slightly tipsy; he said some polite words to bid farewell to Shen Yanliu and Ma Chunmin, while Ma Chunmin kept covering her mouth and laughing as she looked at him!

Shen Yanliu had the Personal Attendant serving nearby carry a lantern to escort Duan Rong out of the Back Courtyard.

Inside the flower hall of the Back Courtyard, as soon as Duan Rong left, Ma Chunmin smiled at Shen Yanliu and said, "This child is quite clever and considerate in his speech. Find a way to get him into the Ya Men to be a Constable!"

"You are always blowing hot and cold; how did you manage to bring up this topic?" Shen Yanliu always felt that Ma Chunmin's train of thought was too erratic.

"What? Can't I have someone in the Ya Men that I can order around?"

"Isn't it fine enough for you to go to Clerk Qin when you have matters?"

"Clerk Qin is naturally reliable in handling affairs, it's just that he is a bit distant..." Ma Chunmin's eyes flickered as she said, "Yes or no, give me a straight answer!"

"He is a man from the Yuanshun Escort Agency; how could I poach Ruan Fengshan's talent for no reason at all!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Chunmin gave a cold snort and said, "No matter the matter, you always have your excuses!"

Having said this, she swayed her waist and walked out of the flower hall.

Watching Ma Chunmin sulking at him, Shen Yanliu could only shake his head helplessly.

Over here, just as Duan Rong turned to the shadow wall between the front Ya Men and the Back Courtyard, he looked back and said, "Little brother, no need to escort me further, I can walk by myself!"

"Then take care of your footing, Escort Duan, take this lantern to light your way!" The Personal Attendant said, handing over the lantern in his hand.

Duan Rong took the lantern, waved his hand, and turned past the shadow wall to leave!

(End of this chapter)