Chapter 15: King of Song Shen Jingyu

 

The King of Song’s Residence.

 

Qian Cai, the manager of Dingfu Building, hastened to the Capital Governor’s Office to bail out his brother-in-law, Ning Er, after learning of his arrest.

 

The chief clerk at the Capital Governor’s Office simply uttered a few words, sending Qian Cai packing.

 

“This little brother-in-law of yours has offended His Excellency, the King of Chu!”

 

Qian Cai felt the world spinning around him, and his legs gave way, causing him to sit down on the ground.

 

Upon returning to the wine tavern, he informed his wife about the situation, and she cried, wailed, and threatened to hang herself, demanding that he rescue her brother.

 

With no other choice, Qian Cai had to seek help from his master.

 

“Your Excellency…” Qian Cai knelt in the courtyard, his tone extremely humble.

 

Inside the main hall, Shen Jingyu wore a pure gold nail guard and picked up a piece of meat, which was suddenly snatched away by a black bird that poked its head out of the cage.

 

“Good boy.”

 

Shen Jingyu smiled faintly and affectionately stroked the small head of the raven in the large birdcage.

 

“Gaah!!”

 

The raven spread its massive black wings and let out a deafening screech, as if responding happily.

 

The ear-piercing cry caused Qian Cai, who was kneeling outside, to tremble uncontrollably.

 

After closing the birdcage, Shen Jingyu slowly turned around: “How long has he been kneeling?”

 

“Half an hour, Your Excellency,” the maid replied, bowing her head.

 

“It’s getting late; let’s prepare for dinner.”

 

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

 

Shen Jingyu walked out of the main hall with an expressionless face, lightly flicking his sleeves as he departed.

 

The next day, the sun had just risen.

 

“Is he dead?”

 

Shen Jingyu asked in a cold voice, looking at the maid who was helping him dress.

 

“N-no, Your Excellency… it seems not yet…” the maid replied, her voice trembling.

 

“Hmm.”

 

In the courtyard, Qian Cai struggled to open his bloodshot eyes and saw Shen Jingyu approaching, his face agitated, his lips pale and thin, and his voice hoarse like a raven’s cry.

 

“Bring him in,” Shen Jingyu said, sitting in the main seat and slowly twirling a string of jade beads in his hand.

 

Two strong guards came forward and lifted Qian Cai, who was still kneeling, into the main hall.

 

“Give him water.”

 

A guard brought over a wooden bucket, filled a ladle with water, and roughly poured it into Qian Cai’s mouth.

 

“Cough… cough… cough…”

 

After a violent fit of coughing, Qian Cai weakly collapsed to the ground.

 

“Qian Cai, do you know your mistake?”

 

“I-I know my mistake! I know my mistake! Please, Your Excellency, spare my life!” Qian Cai hastily kowtowed, his head knocking against the ground repeatedly.

 

“Clang…” The sound of a golden object falling to the ground.

 

Qian Cai looked at the golden nail guard in front of him, confused about its meaning.

 

“A reward for you.”

 

“I dare not!” Qian Cai said, but his hands still obediently grasped the golden nail guard.

 

Having followed Shen Jingyu for so many years, he knew that if he didn’t accept the gift, his fate would only be worse.

 

Shen Jingyu laughed to himself, “I’ve always heard that the one behind the Drunken Immortal Pavilion is one of my three good brothers, but I never thought it was my good brother who went out for five years.”

 

“Sixth brother, you always bring me unexpected surprises, interesting, interesting.”

 

“Qian Cai, if I’m not mistaken, your Brother-In-Law is the accountant of Dingfu Building, right?”

 

Qian Cai hastily crawled forward, “Y-yes, Your Excellency…”

 

“Wen Wu, go with him to the Capital Governor’s Office.”

 

The steward of the King of Song’s Residence, who had been waiting outside, bowed and said, “Yes, Your Excellency.”

 

“Thank you, Your Excellency! Thank you, Your Excellency!” Qian Cai was overjoyed and kowtowed several times.

 

“Mr. Qian, please!” Wen Wu, with his Body Cultivation, wore a green robe and had a refined air about him, his voice warm and gentle.

 

“Ah! Ah!” Qian Cai dragged his unable-to-move legs and hastily crawled out.

 

Shen Jingyu raised his hand, and the two guards finally came forward to lift Qian Cai up and follow Wen Wu out.

 

“Prepare the sedan, I am going to King Chu’s Residence.”

 

“I’ll go prepare it right away.”

 

King of Chu’s Residence.

 

Shen Yian was not surprised to learn of Shen Jingyu’s visit.

 

“Fourth brother.”

 

“Sixth brother, congratulations, you are about to marry a beautiful woman.”

 

Shen Jingyu’s warm and magnetic tone made people feel inexplicably fond of him.

 

“A few humble gifts, I hope you won’t refuse them.”

 

The guard opened the wooden box in his hand, revealing eight pieces of pure gold jewelry, including a ring, earrings, and a bracelet, which sparkled dazzlingly.

 

“Thank you, Fourth brother!”

 

Shen Yian gestured to Mendu to take them, and the smile on his face seemed to have become more natural.

 

Among the princes, who was the richest?

 

Of course, it was the King of Song in front of him.

 

Shen Jingyu’s mother, Zhao Guifei, was the daughter of the wealthiest family in Suzhou, the Zhao family.

 

When Emperor Wu ascended to the throne and renovated Tianwu City, the Zhao family contributed both financially and physically.

 

As a result, the Zhao family not only became imperial relatives but also received a noble title, enjoying great prestige.

 

“I heard that there was an assassin who came to disturb you last night. Did you not get hurt, Sixth brother?” Shen Jingyu walked around with his hands behind his back, surveying the surroundings, which still showed signs of a fierce battle.

 

“Fourth brother, I was lucky to escape unscathed, but the people below were injured.”

 

Shen Yian’s face was bitter, looking like a survivor of a disaster.

 

“I’m familiar with some merchants from the South City, and recently, they’ve received a new batch of barbarian soldiers. If you need them, I can help you contact them.”

 

“Thank you, Fourth brother, but our residence is already quite large, and we can’t accommodate too many people.”

 

“Tianwu City has been quite unstable lately, so you should be more careful, Sixth brother.” Shen Jingyu said with some concern.

 

“Thank you, Fourth brother, for reminding me. I’ll be more cautious.”

 

As they chatted, the two of them had already taken their seats in the pavilion. Shen Yian called for someone to bring out the tea and snacks that had been prepared for Shen Tengfeng’s visit.

 

Shen Jingyu picked up his teacup and took a sip, praising, “This is really good tea.”

 

“If you like it, Fourth brother, feel free to take some back to your residence.”

 

“Haha, then I won’t be polite.”

 

“Sixth brother, I sometimes really envy you and Fifth brother.” Shen Jingyu’s eyes gazed into the distance, and he let out a sigh.

 

One was about to marry the person he loved, and the other lived a carefree life every day.

 

Shen Yian put down his teacup and smiled lightly, “Is it because Mother Zhao is pressuring you to get married again?”

 

“Sigh…”

 

Shen Jingyu sighed again, without needing to say more.

 

“Do you already have someone in mind, Fourth brother?”

 

Shen Yian raised an eyebrow, wondering if Shen Jingyu had already met Gu Ruoyi.

 

If we follow the original story, he was the first to meet Gu Ruoyi, followed by Shen Tengfeng.

 

The author wrote dozens of chapters just about the two of them. It was not until the Hundred Flowers Festival that Shen Jingyu appeared and met Gu Ruoyi for the first time.

 

Shen Jingyu shook his head and laughed lightly: “No, I just feel pretty good right now.”

 

Great!

 

Shen Yian smiled awkwardly.

 

He almost forgot that this King of Song was set up to be a woman-hater.

 

The widowed king, who believed that women would only hinder his career progress.

 

Adding to that, Zhao Guifei was always pressuring him to get married, which made Shen Jingyu somewhat disgusted with women.

 

Luckily, Gu Ruoyi appeared, or else this widowed king would have had a male lover.

 

The two of them chatted casually, and the topic gradually shifted to their careers.

 

Shen Jingyu suddenly reached out and grabbed Shen Yian’s hand.

 

This startled Shen Yian.

 

Could it be that due to the changes in the original story, Shen Jingyu already had a male lover?!

 

“Sixth brother, I came this time not only to congratulate you but also to apologize.”

 

Shen Jingyu leaned forward, smiling ambiguously, making Shen Yian’s heart skip a beat.

 

“Uh… what are you talking about, fourth brother? I don’t understand.”

 

Shen Yian forced a laugh, looking embarrassed.

 

“Of course, it’s about the Drunken Immortal Pavilion…” Shen Jingyu leaned in closer.

 

At the Capital Governor’s Office.

 

The governor knew that neither side was easy to offend, so he heavily fined them and sent the ransom to the King of Chu’s mansion. As for Ning Er and his accomplices, they were released after paying the ransom.

 

Ning Er, who had lost his teeth, stuttered when speaking and burst into tears upon seeing his brother-in-law, wailing “Wuuuuu”.

 

Qian Cai, whose legs were still numb, slapped his Brother-In-Law with a scowl, supported by the guards.

 

On the way back to Dingfu Building, Qian Cai looked at the high walls on both sides and couldn’t help but say, “Sir Wen Wu, going back to Dingfu Building… seems like we don’t need to take this route, right?”

 

Wen Wu turned around, his eyes deep and terrifying.

 

Ning Er and his accomplices, who were following closely behind, didn’t react in time, and a pair of large hands suddenly pressed down on their heads.

 

“Crack!”

 

The sound of bones shattering was deafening, and Qian Cai’s eyes widened in horror, his mouth agape but unable to make a sound.

 

His Brother-In-Law and shopkeeper’s heads were pressed into their bodies by Wen Wu, and the two headless corpses stood stiffly in front of him.

 

Wen Wu took out a handkerchief and gently wiped his hands, his eyes gloomy: “Remember, your Brother-In-Law and shopkeeper died in the Capital Governor’s Office prison…”