Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 371 Preparation
"Lou Ben? Li Yancheng?"

Sheng Changquan had heard of the latter's reputation.

He is said to have some "talent," but this "talent" is mostly due to the Shen family's influence and is not worth mentioning.

As for the former, it's less familiar.

"Brother Renyuan, don't embarrass me by bringing up my cousin's matter!"

Upon hearing Liu Renyuan's words, Shen Li immediately blushed.

It's obvious that he also knows the extent of Li Yancheng's reputation.

"hey-hey!"

"Brother Shenli, this cousin of yours..."

"That's not simple at all!"

Liu Renyuan glanced at Shen Li in front of him, chuckled, and said strangely, "People outside say that he is a genius personally praised by your father, Lord Shen!"

"They are even expected to pass the next imperial examination with flying colors..."

"He's got the makings of a top-scoring student!"

Liu Renyuan deliberately dragged out his voice, clearly disapproving of Li Yancheng's pretentious behavior. Therefore, he was also indignant about the Shen family's "aiding and abetting evil."

"you!"

"Hey, Renyuan!"

"You mustn't do this!"

Just as Shen Li was becoming increasingly embarrassed, his elder brother Niu Xingwen stepped forward and stopped him.

"You and I both know what really happened, Renyuan, so why are you making things difficult for Shenli?"

“Yes, Brother Renyuan!” Not only Niu Xingwen, but even Lian Zhuo couldn’t stand it anymore. “Brother Shen Lixian has already explained the reason to us all, so why do you have to make things difficult for him?”

"This……"

Liu Renyuan was impulsive by nature, and he had lost control of himself in the heat of the moment. Now that everyone had pointed it out, he blushed a little.

"Brother Shen Lixian!"

Liu Renyuan realized his mistake and immediately apologized to Shen Li: "It was my fault, please forgive me, my brother!"

“No…no problem!”

Seeing Liu Renyuan apologize, Shen Li was at a loss: "To be honest, this was originally the fault of my Shen family. Brother Renyuan, you... you are just stating the facts."

"My brothers!"

Seeing that everyone had already started talking, Sheng Changquan finally spoke up at the end.

It's not that Sheng Changquan was deliberately trying to make a fool of everyone, but he was the youngest among them, and he was also the one who started the dispute. Therefore, it would have been inappropriate for him to take sides or say anything at that time.

Therefore, he only spoke after being persuaded by his elder brother Niu Xingwen and others.

"Brothers, let's not ruin our harmony!"

Sheng Changquan stood up, bowed to the group, and said sincerely, "I know you brothers are all worried about me, but we are all close friends, so why let these trivial matters damage our friendship?"

"If anyone harbors resentment because of this, wouldn't the blame lie with me?"

"If that's really the case, then it's better not to take the imperial examination this autumn!"

"what?"

Everyone was taken aback by Sheng Changquan's statement!
Of course, everyone's rationality told them that Sheng Changquan was just saying that, but no one could be sure if he really had such a stubborn temper.

At this point, the others quickly tried to smooth things over: "Changquan, please don't do this!"

"It was my fault, brother!"

"Yes! Yes! It's our fault, don't be impulsive!"

"..."

Seeing that the atmosphere in the room was gradually improving, Sheng Changquan couldn't help but relax his deliberately stern expression, smiled slightly, and said, "Since you brothers have given such instructions, I will naturally obey!"

Sheng Changquan's sudden change of heart made the four people in front of him realize something.

It turns out that what he said before was really just "a few words".

"Hmph! You, Sheng Changquan, are actually trying to play tricks on your brothers!"

Immediately, Liu Renyuan, whose personality was the most impulsive, complained in an annoyed tone.

After all, he was in the wrong in this matter, so he was inevitably a little embarrassed. Therefore, he changed the subject by talking about Sheng Changquan.

"Hehe! Brother Renyuan is right, it was indeed my fault!"

Sheng Changquan chuckled and began to entertain everyone: "In that case, let me treat you all to a meal!" "Speaking of which, I just bought some Osmanthus Wine from Fanlou yesterday!"

"Brothers, why don't you come and have a taste?"

As Sheng Changquan spoke, he began to pull Liu Renyuan back, preventing him from having a chance to break free.

"Haha, in that case, let's try the osmanthus wine from Fanlou!"

Niu Xingwen and Lian Zhuo naturally understood the purpose of Sheng Changquan's actions, so they immediately flanked Shen Li on either side and led him towards Sheng Changquan's direction.

"Let's go, Shenli!"

Niu Xingwen said with a smile, "Let's go and see how the osmanthus wine that Fanlou sold to the Sheng family's top scholar is different from the wine we usually drink!"

"Yes, Brother Shen Lixian, let's go together!"

Unable to refuse their hospitality, Shen Li had no choice but to go along: "To...to go together..."

……

After a lively exchange, five of them collapsed at the same time.

However, after the four drunken scholars were led back by their respective servants, Sheng Changquan, who had been lying down, suddenly rolled over and woke up.

"ah!"

Sheng Changquan's actions startled Kikyo, who had been serving him.

"Young Master, you...you...you're faking it?"

Upon seeing Sheng Changquan's appearance, Kikyo opened her small mouth, her face flushed, and she let out a soft scream.

"Shh~"

Sheng Changquan raised a finger, indicating to Kikyo, "Of course!"

"If I didn't pretend to be drunk, wouldn't it be embarrassing for me to knock out my four older brothers all by myself?"

"Alright, Kikyo, you don't need to watch over me anymore."

As he spoke, Sheng Changquan took the handkerchief from Jiegeng's hand and wiped himself: "Go out and call Changqing over first. I need to go to my cousin's place in a little while."

"Young Master, is this... alright?"

As Sheng Changquan's expression gradually returned to normal, Kikyo's voice also slowly softened.

"Hehe, alright, go on!"

Seeing Kikyo's increasingly surprised expression, Sheng Changquan waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

"Yes, Master!"

Once she was sure Sheng Changquan was alright, Kikyō hurriedly went outside.

However, as she walked, the girl was pondering to herself.

"No wonder the stories in folk tales say that the more attractive a person is, the more likely they are to lie on dates!"

"Young Master's ability to change his expression is truly remarkable!"

"..."

Inside the room, Sheng Changquan was unaware that his personal maid was making such a fuss about him. At this moment, he was using his mental power to slowly calm his blood and qi, so that his face gradually returned to calm.

Meanwhile, they also began to ponder other things.

"Just what kind of person is Yuan Shanjian of the Yuan family?"

"And Lou Ben too!"

"These two guys, are they my match?"

After thinking for a moment, Sheng Changquan shook his head.

"No, Li Yancheng is not to be underestimated either; we still need to be careful!"

In the end, Sheng Changquan still felt that Li Yancheng needed to be included.

After all, even if this guy isn't very good at studying, his background is quite impressive. With the Shen family backing him, he's really not someone to be trusted with.

"Oh, and be careful of the others too!"

"Who knows, a formidable opponent might appear at any time!"

The ever-cautious Sheng Changquan muttered to himself, "I need to have Changqing investigate thoroughly, we must know ourselves and our enemy!"

……

(End of this chapter)