Good Man Operation Guide

Shen Huyang was dumbfounded, but when the door behind her opened, she finally came out of it. It was her brother, Shen Hu’an, who opened the door.

“It’s getting dark already, I will send Sister back to the palace.”

If it was before, Shen Huyang would definitely want to go back. After all, she was a princess and not a prince. Although the status of women in this dynasty was already much higher than in the previous dynasty, she also needed a token in order to go in and out of the palace. In the end, she was still unmarried, so she shouldn’t stay outside.

But when she looked at Lin Shiheng again, who was dressed in a blue robe with a gentle smile and seemed to have a scholarly demeanor in every move, she paused and whispered, “It’s a rare opportunity to have been able to come out… Let’s stay a little longer.”

Shen Hu’an didn’t think too much about it; he only thought that his sister was bored in the palace. He then looked around, smiled, and said, “I heard that these scholars are very interesting when they get together. Maybe I would be able to hear them discuss national politics. If Sister wants to watch for a while, why don’t we find a better place, so that we can hear them clearer?”

Shen Huyang nodded and hesitantly looked down at the bottom floor where the man was pouring the tea as he then sipped his tea and listened to the other two people at the table. That handsome face showed a slight shallow smile as if he fully agreed with what those two had said.

This made her curious. One of the jurens at that table was clearly the follower of the Third Prince whom she had discussed with her younger brother earlier, then could they be discussing the Third Prince?

She pursed her lips and suggested to her younger brother, “Let’s sit closer over to there and see what Third Brother’s follower is talking about.”

Shen Hu’an nodded and had someone tell the shopkeeper to vacate the seats close to Hu Chuan and tidy them up.

***

The group of people went down the stairs and had just walked passed when they overheard an energetic male voice say something rather affectionately.

The two, brother and sister, had to sit down before they could hear what the other was saying

“Brother Hu, you and I are classmates. Why are you so polite? What’s wrong with coming to my house to recuperate? At that time, after waking up, we could look over books together in the mornings. At noon, we could go for a walk around the lake. I remember Brother Hu, you like to see the fish swimming in the water. How about this, I’ll have someone catch a few of them and keep them in your house? When you are tired of reading, you can go and watch those swimming fish, wouldn’t that be nice?”

Hu Chuan was thus dragged by Zhao He until the veins stood out on his forehead, almost jumping right out, “I think Brother Zhao is mistaken… I don’t know anything about swimming fish.”

“How could I be mistaken? When we met on the boat last time, didn’t Brother Hu just love those fish in the water?”

Zhao He smiled affectionately and leaned close to Hu Chuan very intimately and enthusiastically as if his relationship with He Chuan was very close. Then as if he was afraid that He Chuan couldn’t remember, he reminded, “On that day, many people were present. It doesn’t matter if Brother Hu has forgotten. Everyone else remembers.”

It was fine when he hadn’t mentioned it but as soon as he said it, Hu Chuan remembered how badly he had been disgraced that day, which was also fine. But the point was that, since then, his reputation had turned into one of narrow-mindedness.

From that day onward, whenever Hu Chuan saw a fish, he would remember the embarrassment of that day. So why the hell would he raise fish?!

Zhao He has been pulling him for a long while to talk about these useless things that made his liver ache. Hu Chuan really couldn’t endure it anymore. Still trying to endure this grumpiness in his heart, he slowly stood up and was barely able to squeeze out a smile, “Brother Zhao, it seems as if they are discussing something over there, why don’t you sit down first? I’ll go over and take a look.”

“Where are you going? Do you want me to go with you? Brother Hu, you’re walking so fast, we’re classmates, why are you being so polite?”

Zhao He stood up and pretended to shout a few words. Only after seeing Hu Chuan and some minions behind him leave in a hurry, did he sit down and proudly raise his eyebrows at Lin Shiheng who was sitting opposite him.

“Well, there will be a lantern festival outside later. Brother Hu has always been a lively person, so he may want to go see it. When the time comes I will follow him over, I must have a good discussion with Brother Hu.”

The people around them would only think that Zhao He had a good relationship with Hu Chuan, but Shen Huyang and Shen Hu’an, who sat not far from them, clearly saw the grievances in Hu Chuan’s eyes and the deliberate intention on Zhao He’s face.

Shen Hu’an himself isn’t very old, but he was already a teenager. Although he matured prematurely because he grew up in the palace, he could also be somewhat mischievous. At this moment, watching this scene, he couldn’t help but pick up the teacup to take a sip as he whispered to his sister, “This scholar has quite the interesting ideas…”

Although it could be viewed as Zhao He deliberately bullying Hu Chuan, he didn’t feel disgusted. On the contrary, he had a good impression on Zhao He because Hu Chuan was the Third Prince’s follower.

Shen Huyang looked at the blue-dressed scholar who looked at his friend proudly and returned the smile. He smiled warmly as if he was just happy for his friend and was completely unaware of the machinations between the two of them.

Her younger brother again sighed with emotion beside her, “It’s a pity that I’m not going to take the path of a civil servant. Otherwise, I can try to recruit this person.”

An enemy of an enemy is a friend.

Shen Huyang knew that her younger brother was talking about Zhao He and replied, “You don’t like studying. What’s the use of recruiting this scholar?”

Although their Grandfather was a great scholar, they weren’t very good at learning. Shen Huyang was fine as long as she studied since she was smart and clever from a young age. But her younger brother, Shen Hu’an, preferred warfare. It was precisely because of this that Shen Hu’an wasn’t favored by their father at this time when military officials were not needed when the era was peaceful and prosperous.

He didn’t like martial arts and also didn’t like scholars very much. He considered that most of them were pedantic, but his sister, Shen Huyang, had high affections for scholars because of their Grandfather. So she helped her younger brother a lot regarding the literary field.

They found this spot right next to a wall with no one on either side and only Zhao He and Lin Shiheng sitting in front of them. And since those two chatted openly, the two of them naturally heard everything.

Shen Hu’an’s words about recruiting Zhao He was only a casual remark, so when he saw that his sister didn’t agree, he didn’t mention it again. He just sat there sipping tea while his ears perked up, planning to listen to what these scholars, who were so avidly recruited by his Third Brother as if they were treasures, were discussing.

Then… Their ears were filled with information from a recipe book.

***

“This Scholar’s Pavilion has a great reputation. I have also mentioned before that the food sold is so expensive, so the taste must be very good. But I didn’t expect that even the steamed fish from my Wei county didn’t exist, nor is there any Squirrel Mandarin Fish or Golden Webbed Fairy Skirt.”

(TNote: both are names for fish dishes.)

“The purpose of the Scholar’s Pavilion is to allow many scholars to have a place to meet, so Brother Zhao shouldn’t regard it as a real restaurant…”

Lin Shiheng was calm as he drank a cup of tea. His voice was warm and unconcerned, “If Brother Zhao wants to eat something good, just wait until the excitement has dispersed, then we can go out to eat.”

“That won’t do!”

Zhao He looked around and saw that everyone was gathered on the left side discussing something they weren’t aware of, he smiled proudly and leaned in close to his friend, “I still have to let Hu Chuan bleed out properly.”

The young scholar with a handsome face and warm temperament showed a bit of helplessness. He shook his head and didn’t say anything more but just took another sip of tea.

Although he was only drinking tea, his body posture was straight as he sat as his blue robes hung down. His body seemed slightly weak, yet, at the same time, strangely beautiful. Every move of his was like autumn water.

After Lin Shiheng had several successive sips of tea, a Xiao Er probably felt that the air was a bit stuffy with so many people on the first floor and ran to open the closed window halfway. A gust of wind blew in. Shen Huyang had worn enough and didn’t feel anything, but she saw that the pale face of the blue-clothed scholar in front of her was slightly furrowed. He had put down his teacup, covered his lips with his slender fingers, and coughed softly as if he was suffering from the wind.

[E/N: ‘xiao er’ is a term used for the waiters in this sort of eras.]

He coughed lightly and Zhao He, who had turned and now had his back to him to see what the jurens over there were talking about, didn’t notice.

Shen Huyang saw it clearly at a glance. She turned her head and spoke to the bodyguard behind her, “Go and close the window.”

“Understood.”

Maybe her voice was a bit loud, but Lin Shiheng, who was coughing quietly, heard the sound and turned towards her direction. When he saw Shen Huyang’s eyes looking over, his pale face showed a bit embarrassed smile. He kept his sitting position and gave her a slight bow, a half salute.

“Thank you, sir.”

Shen Huyang had always felt that she would be able to stay calm no matter what happened, but when she saw the weak scholar in front of her and salute her with a smile, her heart seemed to have skipped a beat.

Her breath was caught, but she returned the salute, “You’re welcome.”

After saying thank you, Lin Shiheng smiled and nodded first, then sat back straight again. He continued to drink tea and looked over to where the discussion was. While Shen Huyang was now dazed and couldn’t quite grasp what was going on with this surge of excitement in her heart.

***

Shen Hu’an was focused on the discussion, so he also didn’t notice what his sister was doing. When he saw that several scholars were agitated as if they were going to start a fight, his spirit suddenly shook. He quickly turned his head and whispered to tell his sister to watch the fun.

“Look, they seem to be fighting!”

Shen Huyang concealed her emotions on the surface and looked up towards the two jurens on the other side, all of whom looked angry and confrontational. She carelessly lowered her eyes and whispered, “They’re all men of distinction. They won’t really fight in public, even if they were angry.”

Just after she said this, Zhao He, who was sitting in front of her, also turned around with an excited face, “Brother Lin, it looks like they’re going to fight.”

“Brother Zhao does not have to worry.”

The gentle voice was certain, “Everyone has a reputation to uphold, they wouldn’t do such an unwise thing.”

What he said just now made Shen Huyang take another glance. She subconsciously clasped her hand on the table, thinking to herself that this scholar was more insightful than his best friend, but he was just a bit poor at judging people.

How was his friend worried? His face was full of excitement and eagerness just like her own younger brother, enjoying the excitement while uncaring how big the matter might become.

As expected, the two people over there didn’t fight in the end but were pulled apart by the bystanders who had gone over. Originally, they couldn’t hear what they were arguing about, but as the two people moved apart, the four could now hear clearly.

“Where am I wrong? The Yanjiang River has been under heavy rain for a long time, and there hasn’t been any sun all day long. The Yanjiang River is located in the upper reaches of the capital. If it breaks its banks, not to mention Yancheng and Beicheng, it will inevitably flood the capital. By then, the damage to the Imperial City will shake the country’s veins.”

“Opening the dams and releasing the water to Nancheng is the best way.”

“The lives of the people in the north of Yancheng is life, but the lives of the people in Nancheng isn’t?!! Nancheng has already been hit by floods some time ago, and the plague hasn’t stopped. The government even ordered the city to be sealed. If the water is led to the people in Nancheng, what should the people do?”

The scholar who said this had bloodshot eyes and even hidden tears, combined with what he had said, he was clearly someone from Nancheng.

The Fifth Prince who had been sitting comfortably watching the fun, thinking that they were just discussing the various factions and families that the scholars often discussed, he immediately turned pale when he heard them clearly.

He frowned, clenched his fists tightly with his hands hanging down, and looked pale. He asked in a low voice, “Sister, can we leave?”