Chapter 21: What kind of person are you, Lin Beifan?
Lin Beifan laughed and scolded, “Dali, as the saying goes: eat without speaking and sleep without words! You are busy eating now, so don’t talk! Eat more, so you have the strength to work, got it?”
“Yes, young master!” Dali happily replied.
“And Xiao Cui, don’t be polite with me!” Lin Beifan said again.
“Yes, Sir!” Xiao Cui smiled.
Then, Lin Beifan said to the beautiful Li Shi Shi in front of him, “I apologize for not treating you as well as Hundred Flowers Brothel. I hope you don’t mind.”
Li Shi Shi smiled, like flowers blooming, “My Lord is joking! You’ve used the best for me, and I am very pleased. How could I mind?”
Li Shi Shi picked up her chopsticks and even helped Lin Beifan pick up a piece of chicken, saying, “My Lord, let’s eat together!”
Lin Beifan nodded and smiled, “Sure, let’s eat together!”
Both of them started to eat.
Lin Beifan ate at a normal speed, but Li Shi Shi chewed slowly.
She found that although the food was not as good as Hundred Flowers Brothel, there was a certain “human flavor” to it that made her appetite increase. She ate more than usual.
In ancient times, there was no nightlife, so after dinner, there wasn’t much to do except rest.
Li Shi Shi was the same. After eating, she returned to her room to get ready for bed.
However, thinking about everything that happened today made her feel like she was in a dream.
She used to work at Hundred Flowers Brothel as a courtesan, then suddenly someone paid to redeem her and she followed a stranger back.
She thought she had fallen into an abyss and would have to spend the rest of her life with the corrupt officials she despised.
But after coming here, she realized that things were different.
The other party lived frugally, didn’t splurge on anything, didn’t hire anyone to take care of things, and even the food and drink were very ordinary. There were no expensive items, and there was no sign of corruption.
Furthermore, after spending time with him, Lin Beifan gave her a feeling of being decent.
His smile was pure, his gaze was clear, and he didn’t have the sleazy look of the people she had seen in brothel or the arrogance of a government official. He looked at people as equals.
He respected her and didn’t look down on her because of her background.
This made it very comfortable for her to be around him, and she felt a little reluctant to leave.
Thinking about it made her unable to sleep.
“What kind of person are you, Lin Beifan?” she muttered.
Meanwhile, in the palace.
After finishing the memorials, the empress couldn’t help but look out the window and noticed that it was already dark.
“Your Majesty, here’s some tea!” An old eunuch brought over a cup of hot tea.
“Thank you!” The empress nodded and stood up to stretch before sitting back down. As she drank her tea, she asked, “What’s new in the capital recently? Tell me!”
As the empress, she was busy with official business, so she couldn’t leave the palace often. During her spare time, she liked to hear about what was happening outside to alleviate her loneliness and boredom.
It felt a bit like scrolling through news feeds in modern times.
“Your Majesty, there was a interesting thing that happened today about the newly appointed top scholar, Lin Beifan!” The old eunuch laughed.
“About Lin Beifan?” The empress was puzzled. “What did he do? Tell me in detail!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” The old eunuch recounted the situation.
After listening, the empress couldn’t help but shake her head and laugh: “You, Lin Beifan! I approved your leave, for you to rest at home, but you had the mind to visit a brothel! Not only that, you brought back the top courtesan of the capital! What a talented playboy! Even the newly appointed top scholar, whom I have high hopes for, cannot resist such temptations!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!” The old eunuch couldn’t help but snicker: “It is rumored that at the time, Lin Beifan didn’t want to accept Li Shi Shi’s offer, but Li Shi Shi was determined to follow Lin Beifan, even resorting to redeem herself with her own money, causing envy and anger among countless men, and getting drunk late at night! He also left a poem, which became popular in the whole city, causing countless women to lose sleep!”
“Oh? What did he write in the poem that caused such a commotion?” The female emperor was curious.
The well-prepared old eunuch recited the poem.
The empress listened once and remembered it, then recited it herself: “Alone in the brothel, the moon hooks like a sickle, lonely osmanthus locked in the deep autumn night! Unable to cut, only tangled, this is the feeling of parting… a feeling that lingers in my heart!”
“It is indeed a great poem, with just a few words, depicting the melancholic image of the brothel women, and is sure to be passed down for generations! It is worthy of a newly appointed top scholar!”
“Your Majesty is right!” The old eunuch bowed his head in agreement.
“However, what is the purpose of Li Shi Shi approaching Lin Beifan?” The female emperor frowned.
It should be noted that although Li Shi Shi was a courtesan, her background was mixed with fish and dragons in the brothel, and she could still become the top courtesan of the capital, which definitely made her not a simple character.
Such a woman has met with all kinds of talented men and heroes, so why would she fall in love at first sight with Lin Beifan? And why would she go to such lengths to follow him?
Obviously, there must be some hidden agenda!
And Lin Beifan was a person she valued greatly, and had high hopes for. If something happened to him due to this, it would be disastrous!
“Thoroughly investigate Li Shi Shi and her motives for approaching Lin Beifan!” the empress ordered.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
