Chapter 10

Chapter 10

An Yongyan was the young master of the Left Censor-in-Chief's household, his father being a Third-Rank Official of the imperial court.

This ranking was two full levels higher than Shen Qinglan's father's position. Logically, their friendship shouldn't have been this close, given the significant gap in social status.

But destiny works in mysterious ways.

As children, they were both snatched by kidnappers during the Lantern Festival and endured a dangerous ordeal together. From that point on, they became sworn confidants who told each other everything, their friendship enduring unchanged for years, still as close as ever.

After their playful banter.

An Yongyan started asking about how his buddy was doing.

He spoke with concern: "Lan Ge'er, lately there have been so many rumors about you in the capital. Folks who don't know the backstory figure you've had three engagements fall apart, so there must be something wrong with you personally. Your marriage prospects are pretty grim right now. So what's your family's plan exactly? They're not gonna marry you off to some godforsaken place, right?"

Of course An Yongyan knew about all the mess with his friend's engagements.

Watching Shen Qinglan's reputation tank and his marriage go nowhere, he was freaking out too.

He was scared the Shen family would just dump him like a burden by marrying him off to the boonies, making it impossible for them to see each other again.

Actually.

The real reason Shen Qinglan visited that day wasn't just to share his book—he also wanted to show his buddy he was doing fine and not moping over his love life.

"Yan Ge'er, rest assured, do I look like some pathetic pushover who'd just let my dad boss me around? If he dares marry me off without asking, I'll raise hell and turn everything upside down!"

"Besides, my mom and second brother spoil me rotten—they'd never let me be married off to some faraway place."

Shen Qinglan patted the whip at his hip, looking all cocky.

An Yongyan let out a helpless, amused sigh.

"You and your mom are both stuck in the inner quarters, and your second brother's no scholar—who knows what'll become of him. Your dad's the head of the family. If he's dead set on dumping you, no matter how much you fight back, in the end you'll only hurt yourself worse than him."

"In any case, you better start making plans for your marriage now instead of just sitting around waiting."

Though the words were harsh, they reflected reality.

Shen Qinglan nodded. "Yan Ge'er, I get everything you're saying. That's why my mother and I have already decided—when the triennial palace selection happens in a few months, I'm going to sign up."

"Wait, you want to go into the palace?"

An Yongyan was stunned by this news.

He glanced around nervously, then dropped his voice to a whisper: "But His Majesty is like a grandpa..."

I mean, he's the emperor, but he's still an old man. Lan Ge'er is young and handsome—what a waste.

Plus the palace is full of deadly schemes. With his personality, could he even last a month?

An Yongyan was highly skeptical!

Shen Qinglan sighed too. "I don't have a choice. Given my current reputation, my only options are to be a second wife or marry some poor scholar from a nobody family. I don't want either—being a second wife is a pain, and slaving away with a poor husband half my life might not even pay off."

"So, when you weigh everything, going to the palace is still the best bet."

"Sure, His Majesty is old, but if I can have a kid before I lose his favor—prince or princess—I'll have wealth and honor for life."

Of course, even as he said this, it still stung.

"True—you're good-looking, so you can at least charm people for a while. His Majesty will surely like you..."

An Yongyan nodded, agreeing that the palace really did seem like the best option.

But he still felt awful for his friend.

Luckily, Shen Qinglan was easygoing and quickly shook off the gloom, even turning around to comfort his friend.

"Yan Ge'er, don't worry. When I was a kid, a fortune-teller said I'm meant for big riches. I'm down on my luck now, but who knows what's coming? When I become His Majesty's favorite consort, I'll shove those words right back down their throats!"

"Enough about me—how've you been? I heard your mother-in-law wants to get your hubby a concubine?"

At the mention of his own life, An Yongyan couldn't help but smile sweetly: "Mm, my mother-in-law did try to get him a concubine, but Cheng Ge turned it down. He said having me is enough..."

"Really? That's amazing!"

Shen Qinglan was genuinely happy for him, but also super jealous.

He wished he could find a husband who truly loved him too, but his luck sucked. All he could do was listen to Yan Ge'er's sweet life and read made-up stories to feel better.

Seeing his envy, An Yongyan remembered something and told a page boy to bring a box. Opening it revealed a triangular talisman, and he smiled comfortingly.

"Don't be jealous. I went to the Taoist temple with my hubby a few days ago and got a love talisman for you. Keep it on you—maybe your luck will change soon and you'll find a great husband too."

"Okay, Yan Ge'er, put it around my neck for me. I won't take it off even when I bathe!"

Shen Qinglan took the gift eagerly, beaming like a ray of sunshine.

...

The storybook "Tale of Two Souls" was specially written by Han Zhang based on Shen Qinglan's personality and preferences.

Thus, even though Shen Qinglan had rushed to share the story with his friend and they had discussed it for half a day, the itch in his heart that the story had stirred had not been relieved; instead, it had become even more unbearable.

He tried to find other storybooks to distract himself.

But after searching for days, he couldn't find anything suitable to replace it.

Every other story had various flaws; none seemed to fit his tastes as perfectly as "Tale of Two Souls"!

After tossing and turning for several sleepless nights, just as Han Zhang had predicted, Shen Qinglan's impulsive nature eventually got the better of him. He decided to personally visit the author to urge him to write more.

And so, soon enough.

A shop assistant from Lingyun Bookshop came to the academy, respectfully addressing Han Zhang.

"Master Han, our bookshop will be receiving a copy of 'New Annotations on the Book of Odes' the day after tomorrow. It contains annotations by the top scholar from the previous imperial examination. Our proprietor knows that you are preparing for next year's civil service exams, so he sent me specially to inform you. If you are interested, you may come to the shop the day after tomorrow to take a look."

The prestige of the previous top scholar, though not comparable to that of renowned masters or Confucian scholars, still made such annotated works rare treasures.

These kinds of annotated texts on the Book of Odes were always popular and would sell out quickly with the slightest hesitation. As a scholar aspiring to pass the imperial examinations, how could Han Zhang not be tempted?

Moreover, given his current shallow acquaintance with Lingyun Bookshop, their deliberate notification of such news was very likely a sign that Young Master Shen had been driven restless by his storybook.

Thinking this.

Han Zhang feigned a surprised look and cupped his hands, saying, "Thank you, young man, for coming to inform me. The day after tomorrow, I will definitely arrive at the bookshop early."

Then he waited for the man to leave.

He then went to the academy's kitchen and paid a servant 20 copper coins to boil hot water for him the next day so he could take a bath.

Why bathe tomorrow?

The reason, of course, was that ancient living conditions were rough; ordinary people simply couldn't bathe every day. Once a week was already considered plenty.

Unless you were from a wealthy family with servants to attend to you and money to waste on firewood, you couldn't dream of bathing whenever you wanted!

His first meeting with Master Shen the next day was crucial, so he had to prep thoroughly.

First off, being clean was key.

— A clean and impeccably dressed person always makes a better impression.

Then, it was about creating a special impression.

— A handsome guy versus a unique handsome guy—which one draws more attention is obvious.

Han Zhang had already been working on this.

He planned to work on his clothes and scent.

Why do modern guys and girls like to wear cologne when getting ready for a date?

Because different scents evoke different feelings and moods, which can trigger hormones.

As everyone knows, love at first sight is largely driven by hormones.

Referring to Shen Qinglan's preferences, Han Zhang had already blended a woody fragrance with mint as the top note and cedar and cypress as supporting notes.

This fragrance gave a fresh yet grounding feeling, very suitable for dates.

Unlike the sandalwood and agarwood most scholars favored—heavy, serene scents—this one made him stand out as "different."

As for why Han Zhang had such a niche skill as blending fragrances?

Naturally, it was because before the apocalypse, when he worked in sales, he learned it specifically to please clients and cater to their tastes. He wasn't particularly proficient in this skill, but knowing the basics was enough.

He finished scenting the clothes he planned to wear the day after tomorrow.

Finally, accessories!

Never underestimate accessories—when worn well, they're the perfect finishing touch.

After careful thought, Han Zhang again did not choose jade pendants, jade pendants, braided cords, or other common accessories.

He chose a string of unusual hollow copper bells.

He chose this for no other reason than that their jingling sound would easily catch attention.

Humans have only five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.

Now he...

Sight: he had a handsome face;

Hearing: the bell accessory would catch attention;

Smell: a fresh, grounding fragrance made him stand out;

Han Zhang refused to believe that with all this careful planning, plus some sweet talk at the right moment, he wouldn't leave a deep, lasting good impression on Shen Qinglan!

Everything was set.

On the day he had arranged with the shopkeeper,

Han Zhang, who looked casually dressed but was full of calculation, finally arrived at the bookshop.

"Sorry, Shopkeeper Wang, I got held up at the academy today. Do you still have any copies of that New Annotations on the Book of Songs your young assistant told me about?"

The sudden voice was deep and magnetic.

Amid the slightly hurried footsteps, the sound of hollow bells mingled, especially attention-grabbing.

This sound immediately caught the attention of Shen Qinglan, who was waiting early at the bookshop, idly drinking tea and eating snacks.

Shen Qinglan instinctively looked up.

Unsurprisingly, he immediately spotted Han Zhang running in from the bookshop entrance.

There was no way around it; he couldn't help but notice him.

Because all the pedestrians were strolling by the bookshop entrance, only he was running fast.

With such a stark contrast between static and dynamic, he was in a different league entirely. If Shen Qinglan didn't notice him at first glance, who else could he notice?!