Ch 154: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

Old Man Shen led his entire family in a rage, forcefully breaking into Granny Wu’s house. Shen Fu and the others were still in town selling goods, leaving only Granny Wu at home, making her seem vulnerable and alone.

Granny Wu, however, was unafraid. “What are you all doing here? Looking for trouble?”

Zhou Shi snapped, “What do you think? We’re here to settle accounts with you! It’s a fact that you cursed your whole family to death. Now you can’t even bear to hear the truth? And how dare you slander my son! Yaoyao has a bright future as a scholar’s attendant in the Li family, and you’re out here ruining his reputation! You’ve gone too far!”

Old Man Shen, hands behind his back, declared, “You even cursed Erya to get arrested. I can’t stand by and watch you bring disaster upon my third son! The previous adoption arrangement is null and void—Shen Fu is coming back.”

Shen Dong’s eyes swept greedily over the household belongings and sneered, “Father, let’s help Third Brother move his things back first. This place is cursed anyway; he shouldn’t be staying here.”

Meanwhile, at the county office, Shen Yunxuan was kneeling to receive an imperial decree. The petition submitted by Lord Lin had finally been approved. The emperor was greatly pleased, acknowledging that the formula for compressed bread came from a mere farm girl with a sincere heart, and thus, he specially commended her with many rewards.

Naturally, Lord Lin, the discerning county magistrate who had recognized her value, was also praised.

Lord Lin was delighted and said to Shen Yunxuan, “The method is simple. The emperor has already ordered its research, and it should soon be implemented in the military. If there are any updates, I will inform you.”

Shen Yunxuan smiled. “Thank you, Lord Lin. Without your help, this would have never reached the emperor’s ears. You are truly my benefactor. Please accept my humble bow.”

Lord Lin quickly gestured for her to rise. “You’re too kind, Miss Shen. Your sincerity and broad-mindedness in thinking for the soldiers are admirable. If you ever need anything in the future, just come to the county office. And if you happen to develop any other beneficial inventions, I’m sure the emperor will not overlook your contributions.”

That last statement was the key—he hoped she would continue using her intelligence and skills in food preparation. If she could create another product as useful as compressed bread, it would further bolster his achievements.

In her past life, Lord Lin had always liked mentoring intelligent and tactful individuals who could bring mutual benefits, expanding his network and accumulating merit. While she could not become his student or gain official status, she could still count as someone on his side.

Seizing the opportunity, Shen Yunxuan said, “Lord Lin, rest assured. If I come up with any new innovations, I will present them to you for review. In fact, I plan to open a shop in the county soon, introducing over ten new types of food. If you don’t mind, I would love to send some for you to taste.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t mind! With your skills, the people of this county are in for a treat,” Lord Lin replied, understanding the implication—she was informing him of her shop’s opening and subtly requesting his support.

That was only right. It was a simple favor on his part. A casual order to the constables and patrol officers to keep an eye on her shop would ensure no one dared to cause trouble.

Both parties were highly satisfied with this first collaboration. Lord Lin even felt a pang of regret—if only Shen Yunxuan had been a man, he could have mentored her directly.

Just as he was about to invite her for tea, a constable hurried in and cupped his hands in a salute. “Reporting to the magistrate, a young man named Zhang Lishan is outside. He claims to be Miss Shen’s student and has an urgent matter related to a life-threatening situation.”

Shen Yunxuan immediately stood up. “Lord Lin, Lishan is indeed one of the children I teach in my village.”

Lord Lin frowned. “Bring him in. Let’s see what kind of situation involves a life-or-death matter.”

Zhang Lishan quickly followed the constable into the hall. He relaxed slightly upon seeing that Shen Yunxuan was unharmed, but then, realizing he was in front of the county magistrate, he tensed up again.

Shen Yunxuan introduced him. “Lord Lin, this is Lishan. He chose his own name, hoping to grow into a person of integrity, as steadfast as a mountain. He is the most talented and intelligent student I have. Lishan, this is Lord Lin. Quickly, pay your respects.”

With his mentor’s reassurance, Zhang Lishan was no longer afraid. He stepped forward, knelt, and spoke boldly, “This humble citizen, Zhang Lishan, greets Lord Lin!”

“Good, rise.” Lord Lin then asked, “You claim this is a matter of life and death? What happened?”

Zhang Lishan quickly explained, “My lord, Master, the Shen family has stormed into Great-Grandmother’s house and is bullying her!”

Since Zhang Lishan was younger than Shen Yunxuan, he referred to Granny Wu as “Great-Grandmother.” He anxiously continued, “Earlier, when you were taken by the constables, the Shen family spread rumors that you had committed a crime and were arrested. The villagers were worried and went to ask Great-Grandmother what had happened. But then Old Lady Shen started saying that Great-Grandmother had cursed her whole family to death—and that she cursed you as well!

Great-Grandmother was furious and revealed that Shen Zhong had been forced to slap himself in the street and was caned by the Li family. I was also angry and asked Old Lady Shen if she dared to swear that it wasn’t true! Of course, she didn’t dare, and everyone laughed at her. She ran away in shame.

But I never expected that Old Man Shen would lead his entire family to smash Great-Grandmother’s door, accusing her of cursing you and ruining Shen Zhong’s reputation. They declared that the adoption was nullified and planned to take back all of Master Shen Fu’s belongings. Master, please return quickly! They’re about to start a fight! I already sent Shen Xing to fetch the village head, but I don’t know what’s happening now.”

“What?” Shen Yunxuan was stunned. She had only been gone for half an hour, and already the Shen family had stormed her home?

Lord Lin hadn’t anticipated such a situation either. Apologetically, he said, “This was an oversight on my part. I failed to instruct the constables to clarify the situation, which led to this trouble for you. I’ll assign two officers to escort you back and explain everything. If they have damaged property or hurt anyone, they must compensate accordingly. Miss Shen, does this arrangement suffice?”

Shen Yunxuan thought for a moment and then said to Magistrate Lin, “Would it be possible to publicize this joyous event? My family has suffered greatly in the past, struggling to survive, and now that we’ve finally found a path forward, there are always petty people causing trouble.

Moreover, my grandmother has almost no living relatives, and my husband’s fate is unknown. In the future, rumors and slander will be inevitable. I would like to use the honor bestowed by His Majesty to protect my family. Could you grant me this request?”

Magistrate Lin pondered for a moment and concluded that the benefits outweighed the drawbacks. Initially, since Shen Yunxuan was a woman, he had refrained from making a big announcement, as too much attention might not be favorable for her reputation. However, since she wished for it herself, it was all the better. Letting the people know that their county had produced someone of merit was indeed a good thing.

Thus, Magistrate Lin summoned constables and gave them instructions. Before long, a carriage was prepared to take Shen Yunxuan back to the village. As they traveled, the constables struck a gong from time to time and proclaimed loudly, “Miss Shen of our county has presented the secret formula for compressed bread to the military, earning an imperial commendation from His Majesty, bringing honor to our entire county…”

The announcement was straightforward and easy to understand, quickly drawing crowds to the streets to watch the spectacle. Shen Yunxuan’s carriage curtains were left open, and before long, people recognized her.

“Isn’t she the one who made those oil-salt flower rolls? Those were delicious! I tried making them twice myself, wasted a lot of oil and salt, and still couldn’t match hers. What a loss!”

“What has she made this time? What is compressed bread? She’s even received imperial recognition!”

“It’s for the military, which means it’s used in warfare. My goodness, this is incredible! A direct commendation from the emperor—has our county ever had such an honor before?”

“Wait, why is she wearing a married woman’s hairstyle? She’s already married? Just the other day, she still looked like an unmarried girl. If I had known, I would’ve sent a matchmaker to propose!”

“You only want her now because she got the emperor’s praise! You’re dreaming if you think you can marry her now.”

“Who wouldn’t want such a great honor in their family? I wonder which family she married into—this is truly bringing glory to her ancestors!”

The commotion naturally caught the attention of Shen Fu and the others. They hurried over to find out what was happening, and once they understood, they immediately climbed onto the carriage—women inside, men outside—both proud of their newfound honor and anxious about Granny Wu at home, wishing they could fly back instantly.

Fortunately, the county was not too far from the village, and in less than half an hour, they arrived. As they entered the village, Shen Yunxuan instructed the constables to stop announcing, and they proceeded quietly toward the west side of the village.

Most of the villagers had already gathered at the Wu household, but a few who were still at home saw the procession and were startled. They quickly followed to see what was happening. Some cautiously asked Shen Fu what was going on, and upon learning that Shen Yunxuan had returned in glory, they were thrilled—after all, this meant their village had produced a shining phoenix! Their entire village would become famous!

Upon further thought, they realized—wasn’t this the end for the Shen family?

The carriage soon reached the west side of the village, where a large crowd had gathered. Even from outside the throng, Shen Yunxuan could hear Old Man Shen’s grating voice.

“Village head, you can’t be biased just because she’s your cousin! She insisted on having my third son adopted into their family, but I refused. You and Third Uncle pressured me into agreeing! If everything had been fine, I wouldn’t have said anything, but now she has cursed Erya and ruined Jiaoyao’s future—how can I swallow this grievance?”

The village head rebuked him, “And this is why you brought people to force your way into her home? You claim to care about Shen Jiaoyao’s future, yet you don’t realize this is what’s truly damaging his reputation? The adoption papers were officially registered with the government long ago. Shen Fu’s family has no ties to you anymore. What’s this, then? You’ve come carrying off their belongings—are you robbing them?”

Shen Dong shouted, “Don’t try to scare us! We’re only doing this for Third Brother’s sake. We’re afraid she’ll curse him to death—how is that robbery? We’re just helping him move back home.”

Shen Fu’s face darkened with fury. He stormed in and landed a punch straight at Shen Dong’s face. “Bullshit! Who are you calling cursed? I was starving and freezing in your house—I’d say your entire family was cursing me!”

The Shen family was startled by the sudden arrival of the newcomers. Once they recognized him, Old Man Shen immediately erupted in anger. “Third! Have you lost your mind? You refuse to acknowledge your own father and ancestors, choosing instead to recognize outsiders! She cursed your daughter away, and you don’t even care?”

Old Lady Shen grabbed onto Shen Fu, wailing, “Third, you’ve only just returned—you don’t know! Erya was taken away by the constables! It’s all that old hag’s curse—she…”

“Who said I was arrested?” Shen Yunxuan’s crisp voice rang out from the crowd.

Everyone turned their heads to see her standing on the carriage, calm and composed, looking nothing like someone who had been taken into custody. More shockingly, there were two constables standing before the carriage. The villagers instantly grew uneasy, stepping aside to make way.

Zhang Lishan and Shen Xing helped Shen Yunxuan down from the carriage. The two constables immediately struck their gongs and announced loudly, “Miss Shen of our county…”

The villagers were stunned, beginning to doubt their own ears. What? Shen Yunxuan had been praised by the emperor? The emperor himself, high above all?

As if to confirm their disbelief, the constables continued explaining the circumstances and then presented the imperial decree. Shen Yunxuan led her family in kneeling at the forefront. Zhang Lishan and Shen Xing, considering themselves her students, quickly knelt behind her. Xiao Yue and the others hesitated for a moment before also rushing forward to kneel.

The constables were taken aback by the scene—it truly looked like Shen Yunxuan was a private school teacher with a large group of disciples. It was an impressive sight. A mere farm girl, yet she was teaching so many children to read and write—this was truly unprecedented. They would surely recount this tale to their lord upon their return.

The villagers had never seen an imperial decree before. When they saw the village head kneeling as well, their legs instantly went weak, and they all knelt down.

The constable read out a long and formal proclamation, which most people didn’t fully understand. However, they caught the main points—that Shen Yunxuan’s compressed bread was an outstanding invention, highly beneficial for military use, and that the emperor had personally praised her for being intelligent and kind-hearted.

They also clearly heard the name of their village, “Qingshan Village,” being mentioned. This sent waves of excitement through the crowd. This was an imperial decree! The emperor himself knew about Qingshan Village! Their village had produced a girl honored by the emperor, and she was even their children’s teacher! They all felt a collective sense of pride.

As Shen Yunxuan accepted the decree, before the crowd could fully react, she turned to the constables and pointed at the Shen family, declaring, “Sir, I wish to file a report. These people took advantage of my absence to harass my grandmother. They not only verbally insulted her but also forcibly entered the house and attempted to steal our belongings. I request that they be arrested and dealt with according to the law.”

The Shen family was shocked. Old Man Shen was enraged. “Shen Erya! Have you forgotten who your ancestors are? You think just because you’ve received the emperor’s praise, you can use it to oppress others?”

Shen Yunxuan smiled. “My ancestors are clearly recorded in the family genealogy, written in black and white, and they have nothing to do with your household. As for ‘oppressing others with power’… Sir, I’d also like to report him for false accusations. I have always presented facts and reason; I have no need to rely on power to bully anyone.

Everyone present has seen with their own eyes the misdeeds of the Shen family. Moreover, during the time since our separation, the Shen family has continuously slandered us. The villagers can testify to this. The constables will surely uphold justice.”

The constables immediately stepped forward to make arrests. Shen Dong, Zhou Shi, Liu Shi, and the others were so startled that they dropped everything they had been trying to carry away, further proving their intent to rob the house. Liu Shi hurriedly tried to explain, “We were just helping Third Brother move his things, not robbing! Really, we weren’t!”

Old Madam Shen wailed, “Blood ties cannot be severed! This is all a misunderstanding!”

Old Man Shen glared at Shen Fu. “Third! Are you really going to just stand there and watch your own father get taken away? Say something! If we’re thrown into prison, the Shen family is finished!”

Years of being suppressed by them caused Shen Fu to hesitate for a moment, but he quickly took a step back and hardened his expression. He understood that if they were convicted, Shen Jiaoyao would never be able to take the imperial exams, and the future glory the Shen family had dreamed of for over a decade would be completely destroyed.

But today, if they hadn’t arrived in time, Granny Wu would have surely been bullied. She was old—if something had happened to her, how could he ever repay her for saving them from misery?

Even if it meant severing blood ties and ending their future prospects, he would not waver.

Shen Fu looked at the scattered belongings on the ground, picked them up, and carried them back into the house, completely ignoring the Shen family.

Old Man Shen panicked! If they were thrown into prison, the Shen family really would be doomed. He desperately pleaded with the constables, even quietly offering them silver, but was sternly rejected.

After questioning the village head and the villagers, the constables took the Shen family members away. Before leaving, they also unloaded a large chest from the carriage.

The entire village’s attention immediately shifted from the Shen family to the chest. This was the emperor’s reward!

Shen Yunxuan didn’t open it in public. Instead, she asked Shen Xing’s father to help Shen Fu carry it inside. When the villagers eagerly asked about it, she smiled apologetically. “The emperor’s reward is an encouragement for me to continue developing new foods. It wouldn’t be appropriate to flaunt it—that would seem like boasting. Just now, my grandmother told me that if not for the village head and the villagers stopping them, the Shen family might have succeeded in their plans. I sincerely thank you all.

Since this is a joyous occasion, I’d like to host a simple feast tomorrow. I will personally cook some delicious food as a token of my appreciation. Please do come.”

“Great, great! But don’t tire yourself out. We’ll come early to help.”

“If we could get a taste of that compressed bread, that’d be even better.”

Shen Yunxuan generously agreed. “Of course! Everyone will get to try it. But it’s incredibly filling, so just a small piece will do—otherwise, you won’t have room for the good food.”

The crowd erupted in laughter, and from her words, they started to understand what compressed bread was. No wonder it was suited for military use. Since it was something even the emperor had praised, they absolutely had to try it.

As the villagers left, still buzzing with excitement over the day’s events, Shen Yunxuan helped Granny Wu into the house and immediately asked with concern, “Grandmother, are you hurt? Did they hit you?”

Granny Wu gripped her hands tightly and shook her head repeatedly. “No, no, just some pushing and shoving. Actually, I slapped them a few times myself. I’m just glad you came back safely. They kept saying I cursed you, and I was so worried….”

“Grandmother!” Shen Yunxuan interrupted, hugging her. “Don’t believe that nonsense. If anything, you bring me good fortune! Ever since I’ve been with you, I even received the emperor’s praise! You must never think that way again, and don’t listen to their rubbish.”

Granny Wu wanted to believe it, but deep down, she had always felt cursed. After all, she had lost so many family members. She hadn’t cried earlier when they had hurled accusations at her, but now, hearing Shen Yunxuan’s words of comfort, she suddenly broke down in tears. “My fate… I can’t change it… Xiao Feng is still missing, and I was so afraid I had brought bad luck to you too…”

Shen Yunxuan held her grandmother close, comforting her, “Grandmother, no news is the best news. If something had gone wrong, the military district would have informed us by now. Since there has been no message for so long, it means there’s still hope.

Brother Wu has endured so much hardship on the battlefield. You must take good care of yourself, eat well, and stay healthy so that when he returns, you’ll be able to look after him properly. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes! Yes! He must be fine. Our family will only get better and better!” Granny Wu wiped away her tears and returned to being the strong, resilient woman she always was.

Shen Yunxuan knew that she buried all her pain deep inside. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be able to keep going. For now, there was no better way to comfort her, so she decided to give her something to focus on instead.

Shen Yunxuan changed the topic with a smile, “Today, I mentioned opening a shop in the county to Lord Lin. He agreed to have the constables keep an eye on things, so we won’t have to worry about trouble from local bullies. This will help us establish a foothold in town.

Originally, we were planning to save up more silver before renting a shop, but now that the emperor has rewarded us with such a generous gift, we can buy one outright! Why don’t we go look at properties tomorrow?”

As expected, Granny Wu’s attention shifted. She lowered her voice and asked, “What exactly did he reward you with? How much silver did we receive?”

Shen Yunxuan opened the chest, and the neatly stacked silver ingots gleamed before their eyes!

They carefully stepped forward to take a closer look. Granny Wu gasped, “This is only the second time in my life I’ve seen silver ingots. The first time was when I saved a general, and he gave me five—each worth twenty taels. These are much bigger… They must be at least fifty taels each!”

Bai Xinghua stepped forward and counted, “One stack has twenty ingots, and there are three stacks in total.” She drew in a sharp breath. “T-Three thousand taels?!”

Her legs gave out, and if Shen Fu hadn’t caught her, she would have collapsed to the ground. But even Shen Fu’s voice was unsteady, “T-Three… Three thousand… Three thousand taels? We… We couldn’t earn that in a lifetime!”

Shen Yunxuan casually picked up an ingot, tossed it into the air, and caught it again. “Why not? We’re currently making two taels of pure profit per day. After covering daily expenses, we could save three thousand taels in just four years. So this money is only solving our immediate concerns—it’s not some once-in-a-lifetime fortune.”

The three of them had held their breath at her reckless handling of the ingot. But as they listened to her explanation, they realized she was right. They were earning well now, and if the shop succeeded, they would earn even more.

Previously, they had been worried about whether opening a shop would be too risky. But with this three-thousand-tael safety net, they now had the confidence to take the plunge. Worst case, if they lost money for a year and things didn’t improve, they could just close the shop. Their lives would still be a hundred—no, a thousand times better than before.

Seeing Shen Yunxuan treat money so lightly made them relax as well. When they removed the three stacks of silver ingots, they found several smaller boxes underneath. Inside were exquisite gold and silver jewelry, jade ornaments, pearls, and cosmetics—everything a young woman would love. The value of these items was no less than the silver.

At the very bottom was a neatly arranged collection of books—twenty volumes in total, all documenting culinary knowledge and regional food customs.

The emperor must have noticed Shen Yunxuan’s passion for cooking and had sent her the most complete collection of food records from the imperial archives, believing she would appreciate them.

And she did. She absolutely loved them.

These were palace treasures that even in her past life, when she had lived for decades, she had never had the chance to read. Now, she had a legitimate reason to showcase her knowledge. Even if some of the things she knew weren’t recorded in these books, she could claim they were inspired by them, allowing her to innovate freely.

It was as if fate had handed her exactly what she needed. She felt immense gratitude toward the emperor!

Granny Wu watched as Shen Yunxuan excitedly flipped through the books, completely uninterested in the gold and silver treasures. This gave her a deeper understanding of the young woman’s character—she was truly an extraordinary girl. Having such a granddaughter-in-law was a blessing beyond measure.

While their household was filled with joy, the rest of the village was also celebrating. Meanwhile, Shen Zhong felt as though the sky was falling.

He had only stepped out of the manor to buy some osmanthus cake while listening to his young master discuss demolishing a house. How had he suddenly heard that Shen Yunxuan had been honored by the emperor? As he tried to gather more information in the streets, he was suddenly struck by another shock—he saw members of the Shen family being escorted by constables back to the county office!

He was so stunned that the osmanthus cake in his hand fell to the ground.

His movement caught the attention of the Shen family. Zhou Shi immediately screamed, “Jiaoyao! Jiaoyao, save us! We’re innocent!”

Old Man Shen also shouted, “Jiaoyao, think of something! Get us out of here! We haven’t committed any crimes, but if you don’t help us, your own family members will be criminals!”

The constables frowned and pushed them forward. “Silence!” Then they turned to look at Shen Zhong.

Instinctively, Shen Zhong shrank back into the crowd, lowering his head. The constables, seeing no further resistance, proceeded with taking the Shen family away.

The Shen family was dumbfounded, unable to believe that he had just stood there and done nothing.

It wasn’t that Shen Zhong didn’t want to help—it was that, in that moment, he didn’t know how to react. By the time he snapped out of it, he immediately ran back to the village to ask the village head what had happened. When he learned that the Shen family had barged into Wu Granny’s home and tried to take Shen Fu’s belongings, he nearly fainted from sheer frustration.

How many times had he told them not to mess with Shen Yunxuan? Why wouldn’t they listen? Why did they insist on dragging him down with them?

Panic set in. If his relatives were convicted, he would lose his eligibility for the imperial exams. Whether or not he could pass was one thing—but losing the chance to even take them was another! And if they were thrown in jail, the Li family might no longer tolerate him either. No—he couldn’t let them be convicted!

His first move was to beg Shen Fu and Shen Yunxuan for help. But Shen Yunxuan only responded coldly, “If I had truly been arrested today, my grandmother might have been bullied to death. This matter cannot be dismissed so easily. Please leave.”

Seeing Shen Yunxuan’s indifferent expression, Shen Zhong said nothing more. He knew just how ruthless she had been in her past life. Pleading with her was useless.

Without another word, he turned and ran back to the Li family.

🌸˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧🩷˚⋆