Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 340 A Visit
Shen Li, however, did not take it to heart at all.

"Hehe, sister, don't worry, I, Changquan, will definitely be able to convince you!"

Shen Li felt completely at ease with his best and only confidant.

"Sister, let me put it this way, if Changquan can't convince you either, then I won't participate in the autumn imperial examination!"

"Furthermore, I will not participate in any of the future autumn imperial examinations!"

Shen Li chuckled and made this promise: "In fact, if there's anything in the future that you disagree with, I won't do it at all!"

"In short, from now on, I'll do whatever you say!"

"Ok?"

Upon hearing Shen Li's words, Shen Jun immediately frowned, her expression full of displeasure.

"Brother, what are you talking about?"

A deep crimson flush suddenly rose on Shen Junru's snow-white face, revealing the extraordinary anger in her heart.

She looked at Shen Li with a mixture of sadness and disappointment, and said coquettishly, "So, you live for me?"

"Brother, your life is destined to be in your own hands. As your sister, I don't want to treat you like a puppet; I just want what's best for you!"

Since things had already come to this point, Shen Jun decided to speak frankly.

She reached out and touched Shen Li, who was now half a head taller than her, and said earnestly, "Brother, I will eventually marry into another family. Your life, and the entire Shen family, will eventually be handed over to you!"

"Therefore, don't expect anyone else to take this responsibility for you!"

"This is something you're destined to be responsible for!"

Shen Jun stared intently at Shen Li, her face serious.

It's clear that Shen Jun was speaking from the heart; she truly believed it.

Shen Li felt a chill run down his spine under Shen Jun's gaze.

Actually, he wasn't unaware that what Shen Jun said was true, but subconsciously he didn't want to admit it unless someone told him directly.

Perhaps it was because Lord Shen, known as the "cunning fox," had protected his son too well that Shen Li could pretend to be confused as long as no one discussed the matter with him.

However, Shen Jun's words today made it impossible for Shen Li to pretend to be asleep any longer.

"Ah...Sister!"

“...I...I know.”

Slowly, Shen Li lowered his head, looking somewhat dazed.

They seemed bewildered, as if at a loss.

"Ugh!"

Shen Jun sighed silently in her heart.

Seeing her younger brother so lost and confused, she felt incredibly sorry for him. However, for Shen Li's sake and for him to be able to become independent, Shen Jun could not offer him any comfort. In fact, she wanted to push him even further.

“Brother, you must understand that your sister will eventually get married and marry into another family.”

At this moment, Shen Jun deliberately mentioned the worst-case scenario, intending to use it to pressure him.

“Once my sister gets married, she will be someone else’s wife. As the saying goes, ‘A married daughter is like water spilled from a cup.’ At that time, my sister will no longer be a member of the Shen family.”

"By then, let alone whether I can still take care of my family, if the other party does something bad and makes things difficult for you, then you will only be able to rely on your family and on you!"

"Brother, if you can't uphold the honor of the Shen family, then your elder sister will truly have nowhere to turn!"

Upon hearing Shen Jun's words, Shen Li immediately sobered up.

He realized that he had to become independent and strong, otherwise, if something went wrong in the future, he would only be able to watch helplessly and not be able to help at all!
This is something Shen Li absolutely cannot accept!
"Sister, no way!"

"I will not let this happen to you!"

Shen Li gritted his teeth, as if Shen Jun had truly experienced the aforementioned situation, and said fiercely, "If someone had really made things difficult for you back then, I would have definitely gone to their door to avenge you!"

"Moreover, even if it costs me my life, I'm willing to do it!"

Seeing this, Shen Jun felt a little amused and exasperated.

After all, her original intention was not to have Shen Li avenge her, but to help him to cheer up and understand the ways of the world.

"Brother, I don't want you to avenge me!"

Shen Jun pulled Shen Li's clenched fist and said softly, "Brother, you must understand that as long as you can maintain the prestige of the Shen family, no matter who my husband's family is in the future, they will not dare to look down on me."

"Our Shen family is no small or insignificant family. As long as you can inherit the position of the head of the Shen family, even if you only have the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the lowest level of the imperial examinations), no one will dare to look down on you!"

The Shen family of Shandong is a renowned family with a long history, and its patriarch is naturally an extraordinary person, which is why Shen Jun spoke in this way.

"Yes, sister, I understand!"

Although Shen Li felt there was something strange about his older sister's words, something seemed off, after listening to Shen Jun's explanation, he understood her thoughts. So he nodded and said firmly, "From today onwards, I will work hard!"

"But sister, that's precisely why I need to participate in the autumn imperial examination!"

"Only by becoming stronger can I better protect you!"

"Sister, you absolutely have to help me with this!"

Shen Li wasn't stupid either. Although he hadn't figured out what was wrong, he quickly turned the tables and directly told Shen Jun his thoughts.

Unfortunately, no matter how skilled the prey, it is no match for a good hunter.

Shen Jun smiled helplessly and then rejected the suggestion: "Brother, as long as you can successfully inherit Father's position as clan leader, that will already be powerful enough. As for the imperial examination, you shouldn't worry about it!"

"After all, your body can't support you to go that far, so I won't help you with this!"

"Don't even think about it!"

Shen Jun added a final sentence, directly stating her own attitude.

After Shen Li saw that his repeated requests had been fruitless, he finally gave up on trying to persuade Sheng Changquan and could only place his hopes on him.

"Sister, if you... if you do this, then I won't stand up for you anymore!"

Shen Li was furious, but in the end, this was all he could do to threaten her.

However, Shen Jun didn't seem to care at all. She just chuckled and looked at Shen Li, saying, "Alright, little brother!"

"Then you'll just have to watch your older sister end up homeless!"

"Anyway, there's nothing I can do."

Shen Jun squinted her eyes and smiled slightly, appearing quite indifferent.

It's obvious that she's got Shen Li figured out.

Shen Li was truly at a loss. He glared angrily at his sister, but his face was full of helplessness.

He was truly completely under his older sister's thumb.

"Alas, if I cannot participate in the autumn imperial examination, or if I fail the examination, will I still be able to protect my elder sister in the future?"

However, while Shen Li appeared angry, he was actually worried. Looking at his sister, he felt uneasy: "If my sister marries someone like Grandfather Changquan in the future, can I really protect her?"

Because Old Madam Sheng was Sheng Changquan's grandmother, Shen Li had heard about her "love story." Although he didn't know much about it, one thing was clear: the old Marquis Yongyi failed to protect his own daughter, resulting in the death of his own grandson, Old Madam Sheng's legitimate son.

In view of this, Shen Li didn't say anything on the surface, but he was actually very scared inside.

He worried that with his strength, he might not be able to protect his sister. After all, what kind of person was the old Marquis Yongyi? Even he couldn't succeed, so how could Shenli possibly do it?

Shen Li was naturally extremely worried about this.

"what?"

"If that's the case, then could my sister marry... him?"

A flash of inspiration!
Shen Li had a brilliant idea!
He felt that if his elder sister could marry a trustworthy person, there wouldn't be so many problems later on, and Shen Jun could live a happy life in her later years!
Therefore, the person you trust is...

"Master!"

Just as Shen Li was pondering a thousand thoughts, a servant from the Shen household suddenly ran up to Shen Li and his sister and bowed.

"Well?"

Shen Li's expression turned serious. He suppressed his thoughts for the moment and asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

The servant was in charge of the front courtyard of the Shen residence. He bowed his head and quickly reported, "Young master, people from the Sheng family have arrived."

Before Shen Li could ask any more questions, the servant quickly took out a letter from his pocket, respectfully presented it to Shen Li, and then continued, "The gatekeeper said that the Sheng family sent a visiting card to our residence, saying that it was ordered by their young master."

"Oh? The Sheng family?"

Before Shen Li could speak, Shen Jun became interested. She glanced at the visiting card and a strange light appeared in her eyes.

"Okay, I understand. You can go now!"

Shen Li first took the visiting card from the servant, and then waved to him.

"Yes, Master!"

The servant of the Shen family was extremely well-behaved. Seeing that Shen Li and his sister had no further instructions, he obediently withdrew without lingering.

"hehe!"

Shen Li opened the visiting card, glanced at its contents, and couldn't help but laugh, "So it's Changquan who's back!"

"Hmm? Brother, is it Sheng Changquan from the Sheng family?"

Shen Jun had only ever heard of Sheng Changquan but never met him, so she was quite curious about Shen Li's highly respected friend.

After all, having a younger brother who's a bit of a fanatic, Shen Jun couldn't help but be curious.

"Yes, sister, it is indeed Brother Changquan!"

Meeting his older sister's curious gaze, Shen Li couldn't help but smile: "Sister, this invitation was sent by Brother Changquan. He said he will come to our mansion to pay his respects to Father tomorrow."

Recalling his earlier thought, Shen Li suddenly revealed a strange smile on his face.

"Sister, haven't you always been curious about him? Well, you'll be able to meet him tomorrow!"

"Ah!"

Shen Jun rolled her eyes at Shen Li, the boss!
"Brother, what nonsense are you spouting?"

"How can I, a young lady confined to my home, casually meet with a stranger?"

"Hehe, sister, what's wrong with that?"

Shen Li, however, disregarded all etiquette. He looked at Shen Jun and said with a grin, "Chang Quan is my brother. We're all family. Why should family members be bound by such formalities?"

"I think you should come with me to see him then, sister. Otherwise, how can I expect him to persuade you?"

Shen Li shrugged and started to act shamelessly.

Shen Jun simply rolled her eyes at him again, then turned and left!
"Oh dear, sister! You..."

Shen Li quickly caught up, relentlessly pestering him...

……

The next day.

Sheng Changquan had Ziyuan and the others help him get ready early on. After everything was done, he carried the gifts he had prepared and leisurely headed to the Shen residence with Xu Changqing.

"Young master, do you think Lord Shen will be at the manor today?"

Xu Changqing looked up at the sun and asked curiously, "I've heard that Lord Shen is the Minister of Revenue, and his official duties must be quite busy. Will he be waiting for you at his residence?"

Xu Changqing knew about Sheng Changquan's plans. He knew that his young master wanted to reminisce with Shen Li and strengthen their relationship, but more importantly, he wanted to learn from Shen Shouzhen and gain some knowledge from him.

After all, besides understanding the general situation of the court, Lord Shen was also the top scholar in the imperial examination during the reign of the late emperor. His talent was extraordinary, so it goes without saying that he would be more than capable of teaching Sheng Changquan.

"hehe!"

Sheng Changquan smiled and said, "Changqing, today is a day of rest and recline as stipulated by the court, so if there are no unforeseen circumstances, Lord Shen should be at the Shen residence."

"Hmm? But, young master, Lord Shen, he..."

"Hehe, Changqing, I know what you mean."

Sheng Changquan interrupted Xu Changqing and said, "However, Changqing, you have forgotten one thing, which is that although Lord Shen is busy with official duties, he is not busy right now."

"Don't forget what time it is now!"

Sheng Changquan raised the corners of his mouth slightly and stated his deduction: "I once heard my father tell me that right now, the ministers of the Six Ministries are vying for a place in the cabinet. If I'm not mistaken, Lord Shen will probably be waiting for me at his residence!"

"Ok?"

Hearing this, Xu Changqing was stunned.

"Young Master, what do you mean by this?"

"What does Lord Shen's entry into the cabinet have to do with you? Do you think you can help Lord Shen get into the cabinet?"

"Hehe, Changqing, that's hard to say!"

Sheng Changquan chuckled, then said something that seemed both true and untrue, before quickening his pace and heading straight towards the Shen residence.

"Huh? What do you mean by that, young master?"

Xu Changqing scratched his head, looking completely bewildered.

……

Because he had been on the ship for a long time, Sheng Changquan did not choose to take a carriage this time, but walked directly to the Shen residence.

Therefore, when Sheng Changquan brought Xu Changqing to the front of the Shen residence, it was already broad daylight. At this time, Shen Li was already standing there in the distance in front of the Shen residence.

"Haha, Changquan, you're here!"

Upon seeing Sheng Changquan arrive, Shen Li immediately came out to greet him.

Many thanks to the generous donors Gao Jian, Yao Zhi Ye Shang, and A Guai for their generous donations!

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(End of this chapter)