Chapter 232: Sugar Figurines
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Liao Guang’s brows furrowed instantly, “May I ask who bought it?”
The shopkeeper just shook his head, “Visitors are guests, it’s not good for me to say.”
Yuwen You glanced at the increasingly grim-faced Liao Guang, took out a silver ingot, and handed it to the shopkeeper, saying kindly, “To be honest, Mr. Bao is an ancestor of this young master Liao. This book has been a family heirloom for generations, unfortunately, due to his father’s downfall, he had to sell the book for emergency medical expenses, and since then, it’s been lost. After several inquiries, we still couldn’t find it. Could you please do us a favor and tell us who bought it, and then you can wash your hands of it.”
The shopkeeper hesitated, “I don’t know the young lady, only that she’s from a wealthy family and came to the shop with her sister. She specifically asked for this book to give to her brother, and she offered a very high price.” He glanced at Liao Guang and explained, “This young master Liao had asked about this book before. It’s not that I didn’t let him see it, but the boss ordered not to show it unless it’s bought. Such rare books are hard to come by, and if not properly handled, they could easily be damaged. Young master Liao thought it was too expensive and suspected it was fake, so… Today, when Mr. Jiu asked, I admitted it. If it were someone else, I wouldn’t have said anything.”
In other words, because Liao Guang had behaved poorly and was picky before, the shopkeeper was unwilling to show him the book, fearing he might damage it and affect its sale.
Liao Guang’s expression became even uglier, but he still asked, “Which way did the woman go? Is she from the capital? What was she wearing?”
The shopkeeper sighed, “I’m just doing business with the door open. It’s not that I favor the rich over the poor, but this young lady seemed extraordinary, and I didn’t want to provoke her.”
With a solemn face, Liao Guang bowed to Yuwen You and said, “Thank you, Master Jiu, for accompanying me here. It seems there’s no fate. I’ll take my leave now.”
Yuwen You called out to him twice but couldn’t stop him, so he could only shake his head in resignation. Suddenly, he saw a waiter standing by the window watching the commotion and loudly exclaimed, “Young Master Liao, look, the girl who just bought the book is over there! Over there, by the candy man’s stall, the one wearing a yellow skirt!”
Liao Guang suddenly looked up, disregarding any farewell to Yuwen You, and quickly rushed out.
Yuwen You walked to the window and looked out, only to see Liao Guang’s gray-green robe weaving through the crowd at a rapid pace. In no time, he had reached the stall across the street where sugar figurines were being sold. There, Princess Funing was accompanied by only one palace maid, clutching the book “Night Conversations in the Desolate Garden” in one hand and excitedly pointing at the tallest sugar figurine with the other, chatting animatedly with the vendor.
Liao Guang walked over, eagerly standing by, watching with envy and heartache as Princess Funing held the book in her hands. Unconsciously, he edged closer to her. As expected, he was scolded by the palace maid, as expected, he earnestly begged for the book, as expected, Princess Funing found it amusing and softened her stance, and as expected, the book finally ended up in Liao Guang’s hands.
With the book in his possession, Liao Guang was ecstatic, showering Princess Funing with flattery. Princess Funing, who had never interacted with a young, handsome man like him before, was excited, her eyes narrowing into slits. The palace maid, who was nervously trying to persuade Princess Funing to leave, was alarmed…
Soon, Yuwen Chu would have an unexpected brother-in-law. Yuwen You smiled contentedly and glanced at the teahouse diagonally across. In a private room on the second floor of the teahouse, Jiang Shanshan leaned against the window, watching the commotion at the sugar figurine stall with indifference. Sensing his gaze, she looked up at him, and the two locked eyes for a moment before calmly looking away.
This plan had been set in motion since the day the Great Empress Dowager decided to betroth Jiang Shanshan to Liao Guang.
Liao Guang, the newly appointed top scholar, came from a declining scholarly family. He grew up in poverty, raised by his widowed Mother. His ancestors once produced a famous scholar named Mr. Bao, who unfortunately died in chaotic times, leaving behind a book called “Night Conversations in the Desolate Garden” as the family heirloom.
When Liao Guang was young, his Father fell seriously ill, and his Mother had to pawn the cherished book to pay for medical expenses. Unfortunately, his Father did not recover and passed away after the money was spent. On his deathbed, his Father’s wish was for his wife and son to redeem the book, hoping to avoid being ashamed before their ancestors in the afterlife.
Of course, his Father’s wish had to be fulfilled, and the family’s honor had to be preserved. Liao Guang’s Mother managed to gather enough money and rushed to the pawnshop, only to be told that the book had been bought at a high price by someone else. Consumed with regret, she fell seriously ill again. After recovering, redeeming the “Night Conversations in the Desolate Garden” became the shared obsession of this Mother and son.
Liao Guang studied diligently and became the top scholar at a young age. He wasn’t in a rush to please the powerful or to marry. He was only eager to exhaust all means to inquire about the book. Unfortunately, the book happened to fall into the hands of an imperial uncle stationed on the border, and then was passed to him through various channels, leading to today’s “coincidental encounter.”
Liao Guang had known about the book’s existence from certain sources but had never been able to see it. He had to rely on his “friend who owned a bookstore” to help him first authenticate it and then negotiate the price. When Liao Guang took the bait, Jiang Shanshan brought Princess Funing out of the palace, telling her about the book and how repairing her relationship with her sixth brother would be a good idea. Of course, Princess Funing couldn’t refuse. After buying the book, they appeared again to create this “coincidental encounter.”
Next, it depended on whether Liao Guang could impress Princess Funing. If he could, that would be great. If he couldn’t, it didn’t matter. The important thing was to successfully match the two.
Yuwen You withdrew his gaze from Jiang Shanshan and silently watched the two laughing and talking at the sugar figurine stall. The young man was handsome, upright, knowledgeable, and full of poetry. Despite his humble background, he exuded determination and courage that the noble youths in the capital lacked. Coupled with his discernment and understanding of human nature honed through trials, he was like a shining gem. The girl was delicate and beautiful, with an extraordinary temperament. She was the most beloved daughter of the late emperor. When she wasn’t being annoyingly arrogant and unreasonable, she could be quite charming and endearing. They seemed like a perfect match in every way.
Shen Nan approached silently and stood behind Yuwen You, watching the scene unfold. Yuwen You wanted to express his feelings at the moment and said, “Liao Guang is indeed a talented individual. If it weren’t for the meddling old witch randomly arranging marriages, having him as a son-in-law would have been a bargain for Princess Funing.”
Shen Nan knew he never liked arrogant and domineering women, and this Princess Funing is just like Fu Mingzhu. He flattered. “Your Highness is absolutely right. This princess is as arrogant as the other one. Nowadays, even the best cabbage is fed to the pigs.”
What did that mean? It meant that he, the one who was abandoned and discarded by Fu Mingzhu, didn’t even have the qualifications to be snatched up by pigs? Was Yuwen Chu the good cabbage? Yuwen You felt very unhappy and gave Shen Nan a fierce glare before turning away from the window and coldly instructing, “Keep an eye on them as planned. Don’t let Liao Guang know who Funing is for now.”
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