APSIL -Chapter 129 Lu Sanlang Begs for a Cute Girl

Only after hearing that Zhang Shou had something to ask him did Lu Sanlang finally snap out of his gloomy resentment. He hurriedly raised his head.

“Little Teacher has something to ask me? What is it?”

“Let’s talk while eating. After teaching classes all morning, I’m hungry too. I don’t have any rule about not speaking while eating or sleeping.”

As Zhang Shou spoke, he sat down. Seeing Lu Sanlang immediately sit across from him without the slightest hesitation, roll up his sleeves, pick up his chopsticks, and start putting slices of mutton into the pot, Zhang Shou also began adding a few slices of winter melon and duck blood.

Then he asked casually: “How did you run that Sanyan Bookstore of yours before?”

Lu Sanlang clearly had not expected Zhang Shou to ask about this. He had just stuffed a freshly cooked piece of mutton into his mouth and almost burned himself. After finally swallowing it while sucking in cold air, he hurriedly poured himself a cup of tea to calm down before looking up proudly.

“Back then, I wanted to prove to my father that I had some ability, so I opened a bookstore in the capital and hired several scholars to write legendary tales.”

As he spoke, his expression became animated, and even his chopsticks began waving around.

“Didn’t Emperor Taizu write Journey to the West? Back then, only one chapter at a time slowly leaked out from the palace, and it caused the price of paper in the capital to soar. Although I don’t have the ability to write books myself, I do have some taste when it comes to reading. So I spent three years secretly investigating many scholars before hiring those people.”

“Don’t look at how famous people like Grandmaster Ge are. When it comes to books that actually sell well… hehe, aside from the Four Books and Five Classics and their commentaries, it’s my novels and storybooks that sell the best!”

“Miss Zhu probably doesn’t know this, but that Du Shiniang book she revised was also printed by my bookstore! Heh, she was quite generous. For just a thousand copies, she paid a huge amount of money.”

Zhang Shou immediately laughed.

So it turned out that Lu Sanlang was actually a well-known publisher in the novel industry of the Great Ming?

No wonder those dandies from Cuiyun Pavilion had originally helped Ge Yong print books, but in the end, the business was all taken over by Lu Sanlang.

After eating a few slices of mutton dipped in sesame sauce, Zhang Shou asked again: “Besides the bookstore, what other businesses do you have?”

If this had been someone else, Lu Sanlang would have been too lazy to brag.

Among the children of noble families, people like Zhang Chen simply relied on family wealth to live. Those like Zhang Wu and Zhang Lu, who were not favored, wandered around borrowing favors and taking advantage of connections. Trying to tell them about making a living independently and proving themselves to their families was like playing music to a cow.

But Zhang Shou was different.

He actually liked showing off a little in front of Zhang Shou.

After diligently pouring Zhang Shou another cup of tea, Lu Sanlang chuckled.

“Little Teacher, don’t look down on me. That famous place in the capital known for elegance and refinement—the Tingyu Pavilion—has forty percent of its shares belonging to me.”

Although he had deliberately wanted to boast, when he saw Zhang Shou looking somewhat confused, Lu Sanlang almost slapped his own forehead in frustration.

Zhang Shou had only just arrived in the capital a few days ago and had immediately been thrown into the Imperial Academy by the emperor. How could he possibly have visited such a place?

Thinking that although Zhang Shou surpassed him in appearance and talent, he was definitely inferior in worldly knowledge, Lu Sanlang’s spirits rose. He quickly began explaining vividly.

“Little Teacher, that place is an elegant establishment for listening to music, composing poetry, and appreciating performances. Not only do the nobles and officials of the capital consider attending Tingyu Pavilion a matter of pride, even scholars who come to the capital for the examinations often regard hearing a performance there as an honor.”

“They listen to music, play chess, appreciate paintings, discuss poetry… Those two afternoon elective classes in Ban Shan Hall today—if you hadn’t strictly ordered otherwise, I guarantee some people would have thought about inviting teachers from Tingyu Pavilion.”

Zhang Shou had only pretended not to understand earlier. In reality, he already knew.

A place with such a mysterious and refined name was most likely a venue that used “elegance” as a cover for romantic transactions.

Of course, to put it more beautifully, it was not a trade of flesh and body, but rather an exchange of spirit and soul—where people enjoyed a little “spiritual connection” before anything physical happened.

Naturally, places like this often had women who sold their talents but not their bodies.

Before Zhang Shou could say anything, Lu Sanlang had already leaned closer mysteriously.

“Little Teacher, how about I take you there sometime and let you broaden your horizons?”

“Oh, sure.”

Zhang Shou calmly nodded.

“Since it’s such an elegant place, bring Yingying along too.”

The piece of mutton Lu Sanlang had just swallowed nearly killed him.

Bring… Zhu Ying?

Did Zhang Shou actually know what kind of place that was?

Although Tingyu Pavilion was completely different from low-class brothels filled with heavily made-up women, and was indeed a place where people discussed elegance, talent, and mutual admiration…

At its core, it was still a place for pleasure.

And Miss Zhu was famous throughout the capital’s romantic circles as a nightmare guest.

Back then, when she disguised herself as a man and wandered around there, one famous courtesan who had countless admirers and was known for her elegance ended up crying and becoming a merchant’s concubine.

Another renowned hostess who had skillfully managed relationships with many noble young masters hurriedly bought her freedom and married a poor scholar.

In short, it had been absolute chaos.

Of course, that was because among the people those two famous beauties had captivated, there happened to be one Zhu Er…

Lu Sanlang finally managed to swallow his food, pressed his chest, drank some hot tea, and hurriedly smiled.

“It was my mistake. A place that merely imitates elegance and refinement is obviously unsuitable for someone like Little Teacher, a true immortal-like figure!”

“Let’s go to Cloudview Temple instead. That was a place even Emperor Taizu once visited…”

But Zhang Shou ignored his flattery.

Seeing that Lu Sanlang had clearly been frightened by his suggestion of bringing Zhu Ying along, he interrupted leisurely.

“What I’m more curious about is this—how did you obtain forty percent of the shares of a place that attracts so many nobles and scholars?”

“This…”

Lu Sanlang’s eyes immediately darted around.

He had originally thought the mutton and vegetables were delicious.

Now, suddenly, everything tasted like nothing.

Regret filled his heart.

Bragging about Sanyan Bookstore was fine.

Zhang Shou definitely wouldn’t care that he published legendary stories instead of Confucian classics.

But why had he brought up a place like Tingyu Pavilion?

If he had actually managed to convince Zhang Shou to go there, Lu Sanlang could guarantee that the moment he and Zhang Shou appeared at Tingyu Pavilion, Zhu Ying would come charging over afterward.

That would be a disaster beyond imagination.

After thinking carefully about the consequences of the words “Tingyu Pavilion” reaching Zhu Ying’s ears, he finally decided to honestly explain.

“The owner of Tingyu Pavilion… ordinary people think it is the capital’s richest man, Wan Yuanbao. But actually, that fellow has someone backing him.”

“Have you heard of Marquis Zhang Kang of Weinan?”

The surname Zhang…

Hmm.

Zhu Ying had mentioned him before.

If he remembered correctly, he was a barbarian by birth whose real name had long been forgotten. He had saved Emperor Ruizong several times and even suffered serious injuries because of it?

Zhang Shou thought about it while nodding, but did not reveal how much he actually knew.

Since Lu Sanlang knew Zhang Shou had heard of the name, he had no choice but to omit the dramatic story he had originally planned to tell.

He simply laughed awkwardly.

“In short, I happened to save Marquis Zhang Kang’s life. He originally wanted to give me Tingyu Pavilion entirely, but I refused no matter what. He thought I was loyal and righteous, so he gave me forty percent of the shares instead.”

A nobleman of barbarian origin who now ran the most elegant entertainment establishment in the entire Ming capital?

The more Zhang Shou thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed.

But afterward, he found Lu Sanlang even more impressive.

This little fatty from the Lu family was actually very smart and knew when enough was enough.

Most people would have accepted such a gift from someone powerful as a matter of course. They would have happily taken ownership of such a famous establishment in the capital.

Zhang Shou picked up a slice of tender duck blood, ate it thoughtfully, then smiled.

“So according to what you said, Tingyu Pavilion gives you dividends regularly according to your forty percent share?”

“That must be a huge amount of money.”

“You look like a reckless playboy on the surface, but in reality you’re quite clever. You’re not someone who wastes money on pleasure. So where did you spend it?”

Although Lu Sanlang had been mocked and criticized since childhood, recently he had received many compliments.

But hearing Zhang Shou call him clever was still different.

After all, Zhang Shou had been the first person to recognize his worth.

Lu Sanlang immediately smiled brightly.

“Little Teacher, you must keep this secret. I’ve never told anyone else.”

“I’m not like Zhang Chen, that arrogant wastrel. I don’t waste money at all.”

He paused, then proudly explained.

“The first year’s dividends allowed my bookstore to expand from one branch to four. At the same time, I increased the number of scholars working for me from four people to twenty.”

“Even after that, I still had money left, so I bought nearly two hundred mu of land outside the capital.”

“The second year’s dividends, combined with the bookstore profits and income from the estate, were almost fifty percent higher than the first year.”

“I originally wanted to buy more land, but then I thought about my parents being alive. If I accumulated too much private property, and my father found out later, he might favor my two older brothers and I’d lose everything.”

“So instead, I bought two shops on Qianmen Street and asked Marquis Zhang Kang to help me find a reliable money house to store the rest.”

“After all, money houses only require banknotes to withdraw funds. They don’t record names, so nobody knows the money belongs to me.”

As Lu Sanlang spoke, he grinned at Zhang Shou.

“Thank Emperor Taizu. Money houses even pay interest. That interest alone, combined with the allowance my mother secretly gives me, is enough for my annual expenses.”

“Now the third year’s dividends haven’t arrived yet. You should know that Tingyu Pavilion has become more and more prosperous every year for the past five years. I estimate the money I’ll receive this time will be…”

Seeing Lu Sanlang proudly raise five fingers, Zhang Shou couldn’t help but sigh.

This little fatty really had managed to keep his head clear even after becoming wealthy.

In an era where children were not allowed to own too much private property while their parents were alive, accumulating too many assets could easily mean making wedding clothes for one’s brothers.

Zhang Shou gave him a thumbs-up.

“Now that you’ve transformed from a wastrel into a genius, yet also moved out of your family home and completely fallen out with your father, you really need to think carefully about your future. Don’t just keep acting out of anger.”

The moment the future was mentioned, Lu Sanlang’s face immediately fell.

He wasn’t worried about money.

What worried him now was marriage!

Back then, he thought he had perfectly pretended to pursue Zhu Ying.

Who would have thought his father had played him like a fool?

Even thinking about it now made him feel humiliated.

Moreover, his reputation as a prodigal son who had turned over a new leaf had already spread for quite some time.

Yet he still hadn’t heard of any young woman showing interest in him.

So Lu Sanlang completely forgot that he had originally come here to volunteer to help investigate who was behind the sword threat against Zhang Shou.

Instead, he fell into his own misery.

“The thing I hate most is that marriage in this era cannot escape parental orders and matchmakers.”

“My mother’s side is easy. But whenever I think that my father might pull some trick again and force me to marry some girl I’ve never even met, I get annoyed to death.”

“That’s why I moved out!”

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered a rumor he had heard back when he was at Cuiyun Pavilion.

At that time, when Zhang Shou was still disguised as an old gentleman, he seemed to have promised certain people that he would help them find suitable marriages.

His eyes suddenly lit up.

He completely forgot about eating and stared intensely at Zhang Shou.

“Heaven, earth, ruler, parents, teacher…”

“My father seems to be quite afraid of you, Little Teacher.”

“So… why don’t you find me a reliable marriage partner?”

“My requirements aren’t high. The girl doesn’t need money or status. As long as she’s innocent, cute, treats me well, and is willing to live a peaceful life with me, that’s enough!”

Isn’t this just asking for a cute little girl?

Zhang Shou was instantly amused.

He had told Lu Sanlang to think about his future because he hoped this wealthy young man would use this year’s profits to invest in him—the poor man’s startup venture.

How did the conversation suddenly turn into him being responsible for arranging Lu Sanlang’s marriage?