Chapter 166 3/3

Mrs. Shen comes from a scholarly family background; her mother was renowned for her talent, and Mrs. Shen excelled in her studies from a young age, following her mother’s footsteps.

Unfortunately, her mother passed away when she was fifteen. Her father, uneducated and mediocre in learning, never favored her or her mother.

Moreover, after giving birth to her, her mother didn’t produce any more offspring, causing her to fall out of favor with her grandparents.

After her mother’s death, her father remarried a young and beautiful woman, and with his previous concubines… he was completely absorbed in his affairs with them, neglecting her entirely.

After observing mourning for three years, her marriage prospects dwindled, and she was eventually married off to a merchant.

Initially discontented, she found the Shen family to be less restrictive than expected. Her husband was willing to provide her with money to indulge in her hobbies, such as purchasing calligraphy and paintings. Over time, she grew to appreciate the Shen family.

It was in this relaxed environment of the Shen family that Mrs. Shen indulged relentlessly in her passion for calligraphy and paintings.

Recently, she had purchased a piece by Li Qingzhi at a high price and enjoyed it repeatedly. But now…

The hermit’s calligraphy captivated her even more than Li Qingzhi’s! It was unique, unconstrained yet disciplined, a style she had never encountered before.

“This calligraphy is incredible… Husband, can I have this manuscript instead of giving it to Minister Lu?” Mrs. Shen blinked at the head of the Shen family.

Both Mrs. Shen and the head of the Shen family were over forty. While the head of the Shen family had grown stout and balding, Mrs. Shen, on the other hand, appeared much younger, with an aura of scholarly refinement.

Her daily activities of reading, writing, and collecting calligraphy and paintings endowed her with an exceptional demeanor.

And Mrs. Shen’s appearance happened to be exactly what the head of the Shen family adored. Whenever she looked at him like this, he would agree to anything.

After all, why shouldn’t he agree to his wife’s hobby of buying calligraphy and paintings? If she were to resell them, they could fetch an even higher price! Of course, she never did.

But today… with a start, the head of the Shen family immediately refused:

“No, absolutely not!”

It was one thing for Mrs. Shen to like Li Qingzhi’s calligraphy previously; after all, Li Qingzhi was barely twenty, practically a son to him. But this hermit, he estimated, was likely around his age. If Mrs. Shen spent her days admiring his calligraphy and writings, comparing him to the hermit…

If the hermit were to make an appearance…

The head of the Shen family imagined the hermit as a distinguished middle-aged man with a refined and elegant demeanor.

Such a person would undoubtedly attract admiration!

If his wife saw such a man, she might disdain him!

Mrs. Shen, seeing the head of the Shen family’s refusal, didn’t find it strange.

This was something Governor Zhang wanted to give to Minister Lu; they couldn’t possibly keep it.

However, the calligraphy was indeed remarkable, and she wanted to appreciate it thoroughly. She wouldn’t let go easily.

“Then shall I accompany you to the capital? On the way, I can enjoy this calligraphy to my heart’s content,” she suggested.

“Husband, the journey to the capital is long…” the head of the Shen family tried to dissuade her.

Mrs. Shen’s expression turned cold immediately. “Are you trying to stop me? Are you keeping a mistress in the capital?”

Mrs. Shen’s own biological father was addicted to women, and she didn’t want a husband like that before marriage.

After marriage, she managed the Shen family’s affairs strictly and didn’t allow her husband to stray. If there were any signs, she would surely be angry.

It was also fortunate for her that both her biological father and the head of the Shen family respected scholars and wanted to change their family’s fortunes, so they indulged her greatly. The head of the Shen family had never taken a concubine.

The head of the Shen family swore that he didn’t keep a mistress, and finally had to agree to accompany Mrs. Shen to the capital.

After he agreed… Mrs. Shen hurried to admire the hermit’s calligraphy.

The head of the Shen family felt dejected. He couldn’t read or write since childhood, only enjoying socializing. Even after all these years, his handwriting was still terrible, and even the two sons Mrs. Shen bore him resembled her…

He had no calligraphy or paintings to show, only watching helplessly as his wife admired others’ works…

Forget it, out of sight, out of mind!

As the head of the Shen family left, he didn’t know that Mrs. Shen immediately took out one hundred taels of silver and sent a trusted steward to plead with Governor Zhang, expressing the Shen family head’s admiration for the hermit and requesting a piece of his calligraphy.

Governor Zhang was a bit bewildered—why didn’t the head of the Shen family mention this when he came to see him before?

But Li Qingzhi should be willing to write.

He had already figured it out; Li Qingzhi was very fond of money.

The day Li Qingzhi received Governor Zhang’s letter, he also received a message from Wu Baichuan.

Wu Baichuan informed him that the Shen family’s caravan would set off in a few days!

Previously, there were rumors from the Shen family that the departure might be delayed, but now… it was only delayed by five days, which wasn’t a big deal.

Li Qingzhi cleared his throat at the news.

If he hadn’t written an extra copy of “Water Management Strategies,” the Shen family wouldn’t have delayed their departure.

But the head of the Shen family was indeed generous! He had given Li Qingzhi over two thousand taels of silver in total!

Now, the head of the Shen family was offering him one hundred taels of silver just to request a piece of calligraphy… Li Qingzhi thought he could do it.

This was a hundred taels of silver; when he wrote his autobiography for Zhu Qian, it took him a long time, and he only received a hundred taels of silver.

Not only did he have to write it, but he also had to write it to the satisfaction of the head of the Shen family.

Li Qingzhi even thought about writing an article specifically praising the head of the Shen family!

But the hermit’s persona was carefree and indifferent to material things… he had to ponder what to write.