A few moments later, Shen Cangfeng came back after seeing the guests off to hear Wei Changying complain about what had happened. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, saying, "When I saw that maidservant coming out, I realized that it would go wrong. The two maidservants I gave to Mr. Nian last year were very beautiful, even more beautiful than the one today. But you don't understand, although Mr. Nian is a womanizer, he is fickle in affections. He must be tired of them these days and when he saw the maidservant today, he...Didn't I say that those who you are not willing to give out should not be sent to the front courtyard today?"

Wei Changying was too embarrassed to tell him that the reason why she sent a beautiful maidservant like Luzhu over was because the three grannies had persuaded her to use pretty maidservants so that it would show their respectability. She said, "So what are we going to do now? Give him Luzhu? I don't know if Luzhu wants that?"

Shen Cangfeng saw that she was embarrassed, so he comforted her, "Mr. Nian likes Luzhu, but if you don't want to, we don't have to give her to him. I'll have someone go outside to buy two beautiful maidservants and deliver them to his door later."

"You seem to be very tolerant of this Mr. Nian?" Wei Changying couldn't help but ask tentatively.

Shen Cangfeng didn't hide, "Don't look at him as just a womanizer. He's actually talented. He is good at music, chess, calligraphy and painting, military strategy, Cuju and pitch-pot games, archery and horse riding! He masters almost everything! I saw him arguing with someone over a poem when I was out walking. The person he was arguing with was my colleague, so I approached him and asked him a few questions. Later, I kept them away from each other, but he followed me. I talked to him and saw that he was sharp and insightful, so I recruited him, and because he was ten years older than me, I called him Mr. Nian."

At this point, Shen Cangfeng broke into laughter, "You know, at the time I thought that Mr. Nian had already heard about the day I would pass by, so he deliberately started an argument with the people from the Min Family so that he would have a chance to tactfully recommend himself to me. Only later did I find out that he was interested in the two maidservants who were accompanying me at the time!"

Wei Changying unthinkingly asked, "Where are the two maidservants?" Since she got married, the best-looking maidservant she had seen among all the maidservants who served Shen Cangfeng in the Jintong Courtyard, was the daughter-in-law in charge of the back-kitchen. From the fact that today Nian Shengyao didn't allow any maidservants other than Luzhu to serve him, it could be seen that if she was not a beauty like Luzhu, he wouldn't even spare her a glance.

Luzhu was in Wei Changying's dowry. Since Shen Cangfeng had once had such beautiful maidservants by his side, why couldn't she see any of them now?

"They have already been given to him." Shen Cangfeng said uncaringly, "With his talent, it's nothing to give him a few beauties every now and then."

Seeing that he admired Nian Shengyao so much, Wei Changying became curious, "When you met him, he was having an argument with someone over a poem. I don't know what poem it was and how they were arguing about it?" Although Shen Cangfeng was generous, he was from a famous family and he was not willing to talk to just anyone who came to him. Since Nian Shengyao, who came with the intention of getting the pretty maidservants, avoided being shooed away, it was obvious that Shen Cangfeng had been impressed by him when he was trying to stop the argument earlier.

He was arguing with Shen Cangfeng's colleague, even though the colleague was not very close to Shen Cangfeng. If they were close, they would have left together when the argument stopped. However, compared to the stranger, Nian Shengyao, the colleague was always closer to Shen Cangfeng, so Shen Cangfeng could still have a good impression of him. What's more, Nian Shengyao was not a young master from any family. Other than the fact that the poem that caused the argument at the time was good, what else could it be?

Wei Changying was from the Wei Family, a prestigious literary family. Although she was not very talented, she did not want to miss reading the magnificent writing.

Shen Cangfeng smiled, "I still remember that poem. Let me recite it for you:

A beauty was in a magnificent building. She rolled up the curtain with her pretty hands.

She moved the candle in front of the mirror and put on her morning make-up.

She used black to draw on her eyebrows and put an emerald green jewel on her forehead.

She blushed her sweet dimples and painted her lips with rouge.

She tidied her black sideburns and put a golden bird hair crown atop her bun.

She put on a fancy robe, with wide sleeves floating up.

She walked lightly, and her jade pendants tinkled.

She left the room, feeling despondent. She held the railings, looking out.

Her lover was on the frontier. She had a beautiful face, but a desolate heart.

Bees and butterflies were busy on the wall and the flowers in the garden were in full bloom.

Busy streets were crowded with people, but she could only taste the sweet wine alone!

When would they be together, being together all day long like a pair of loving birds!"

Wei Changying sighed, "Surely the poem is just like him. Eh? How could this poem cause an argument? Could it be that he, and the woman in the poem...." Given her impression of Mr. Nian, Wei Changying first thought, "Does getting others' beautiful maidservants not fulfill Nian Shengyao‘s desire for beauty-hunting? This guy did not even let go of a married woman. Reading through the poem, she saw candlelight and morning make-up. The grooming steps were also very detailed, from drawing on eyebrows, putting on an emerald green jewel, blushing dimples, painting the lips red, tidying her black sideburns, and finally to inserting the golden bird hair crown. After grooming, she dressed up, with wide sleeves and ornaments. There was something tinkling when she was walking so there must be some bells on her shoes. It was obvious that he stayed in a woman's room until early morning, saw her dressing, and then left contentedly. Perhaps Nian Shengyao helped this beauty with grooming and dressing!"

The scene inside was unimaginably lascivious.

And the words "despondent" and "desolate heart" might not necessarily mean that the woman felt guilty about her husband after having an affair. It could be that the woman was so despondent and desolate at first, and then Nian Shengyao seized the opportunity to approach her, and so the two of them...In Wei Changying's view, the last few lines were simply an outright mockery to her husband, "You are away from your home and leave your wife alone. You see, your wife is lonely. Only a lascivious man like me can comfort her!"

And this one line said looking forward to meeting together as lovebirds. Since the poem was written by Nian Shengyao, who knew whether it was talking about this beauty and her husband or Nian Shengyao and this beauty?

So, this guy was caught in the act by her family or her husband's family?

Um. Was it really okay to use this kind of person, even if he was talented?

Wei Changying felt very stressed.

Shen Cangfeng reached his fingers out and pinched her cheeks. He didn't know whether to cry or laugh, "What have you been thinking? Although Mr. Nian has some hobbies, he is not a man who does not know how to behave. He likes taking advantage of maidservants, but if you show up, he will never be rude." At this point, he smiled, saying, "If he was really a man who forgot everything on seeing beauty, how could he be so multi-talented? Even if he was amazingly intelligent, with the talent he has, the time it would take him to learn these one by one would be quite a lot!"

Wei Changying believed this. Although she had never seen Nian Shengyao, she thought that if this person did not understand the seriousness of his problem, and even dared to assault a daughter of an eminent family or a noblewoman, he would not have survived until now with his background.

Shen Cangfeng smiled, saying, "His poem was made with imagination when he was out walking through one of the Min Family's courtyards in the countryside. He saw a woman upstairs in the courtyard, holding railings and looking out. It would have been fine if he just finished it, but he went to their front door and knocked, asking for a pen and paper to write it down. Leaving straight away after writing it down would have been fine. The servant of the Min Family even praised him and helped him to dry the ink before putting things away. However, he was too... He insisted on telling people that the poem was about the woman upstairs in the courtyard. The people from the Min Family were very angry and beat him out of the door! In the midst of it all, they broke his ancestral jade pendants. Then the two sides started the argument."

Wei Changying asked curiously, "Was that because of what he always does, so the people from then Min Family thought he had done something with their own woman?"

"..." Shen Cangfeng stopped talking, touching his chin, looking at her and smiling.

Wei Changying was puzzled, saying, "Hey, you keep saying!"

Shen Cangfeng smiled as he moving to her ear and whispered, "I'll only say it if you kiss me!"

Wei Changying was so ashamed that she stood up and said, "Who cares about you? I don't want to hear it then!" She stepped aside but didn't see that Shen Cangfeng was following her. She was a little disappointed. After a few more moments, Shen Cangfeng finally came over. Wei Changying was secretly pleased and asked, "What was the matter between the Min Family and Nian Shengyao?"

It was surprising that Shen Cangfeng ignored her. Wei Changying was furious and forbade him to get near her.

After a while like this, servants came to ask if they should bring up dinner.

They dined drearily, which was noticed by Mrs. Huang and the others. When it was bathing time, Mrs. Huang went into the bathroom on the pretext of delivering soap. She sent out Jiaoge and Han'ge and served her personally. She took the opportunity and whispered, "Although Luzhu is in your dowry, she is a servant after all. Young madam, it is nice of you that you protect your own people, but if it was because of her that you and the young master had a fight, it's not worth it! And I have asked Luzhu. She slammed the door in front of Zhu Shi and the others because she was ashamed. Mr. Nian is still young and handsome, and he's very important to the young master, so if he's willing to marry Luzhu as his wife, Luzhu won't be reluctant."

In Mrs. Huang and these people's eyes, the newlyweds had always been sweet and inseparable. Every time they had meals they would be affectionate to each other. So why today did Wei Changying look serious and why was Shen Cangfeng also a bit uninterested? When Wei Changying heard that Shen Cangfeng was returning from seeing the guests off, she asked her servants to leave, in order to ask Shen Cangfeng privately about Luzhu. Right now the couple didn't look right, so it must have something to do with Luzhu!

Mrs. Huang almost immediately thought that it must be that Wei Changying cared about her Luzhu and refused to give her away, but Shen Cangfeng insisted on sending her away to befriend his assistant, so the couple had had a quarrel, and they still looked unhappy at the mealtime!

Wei Changying didn't know about this speculation of Mrs. Huang. She was still thinking about the argument between Nian Shengyao and the Min Family, wondering how she was going to force Shen Cangfang to tell the whole story willingly later. She didn't pay attention so she didn't hear all of it, but only the last two sentences. She was stunned, getting up from the water, surprised, "She really said yes?" Even if Luzhu was determined to climb up, in Wei Changying's views, Nian Shengyao was not that high up.

"Would I lie to you?" Mrs. Huang promised and dried her body with a towel, but inside she thought, "Anyway, it's important that the young madam doesn't get angry with the young master over Luzhu and as for Luzhu... I have said so. Whether she agrees or not, I must make her accept, so as not to affect the love between the young madam and the young master!"

So Mrs. Huang put more effort into reassuring her, "In your opinion, Mr. Nian is indeed nothing. But young madam, you shouldn't forget, Luzhu is just a maidservant working in the kitchen. If no one looks out for her, she will just marry a manservant. Although Mr. Nian is not a young master from any family, he's admired by our young master. With the young master's appreciation, will he not have a bright future? It's true that Luzhu's position will be lower than being a wife, but if Mr. Nian loves her and she has a son or a daughter, she'll be able to stand on her own feet. Let alone the good food and pretty clothes, it's a lot better than marrying a manservant!"

That was true. Wei Changying nodded, "Since she's willing to do it, so be it. I'll also pack some things for her and talk with her. At least I am her mistress and she is my servant."

Mrs. Huang heard her say so, secretly relieved, and then implicitly said, "Young madam, you should explain it to the young master after returning to the room. Don't allow the young master to go on misunderstanding it."

Of course, she meant for Wei Changying to tell Shen Cangfeng that she promised to give Luzhu to Nian Shengyao.

But Wei Changying didn't pay any attention. After all, Shen Cangfeng had said that it didn't matter whether they gave Luzhu away or not. If not, he would buy two people from outside and give them away. It was not a big deal, so she just responded casually.