Nine out of ten gamblers lose; I've run into a jerk!

Chapter 141 Xuan Du's Onlookers

With a sharp crack of the gavel, the storyteller began his classic narration with great emotion.

"The poor Yu sisters, descendants of loyal martyrs, fell into poverty and were bullied by villains. In the blink of an eye, just as the villains were about to succeed, a young hero descended from the sky, fought off a hundred villains, and saved the Yu sisters."

"Who goes there?" the young hero asked, raising his voice, "I am an envoy from the Xuan Kingdom!"

"it is good!"

"Well done! You've brought glory to our nation!"

The audience erupted in cheers; the hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress trope never goes out of style.

A more knowledgeable listener sensed something was amiss: "Hey, young hero, you are an envoy from our Xuan Kingdom. Wouldn't it be giving people something to talk about if you rescued the daughter of a disgraced official from another country?"

"This gentleman is wise indeed!" the storyteller praised without reservation. "That villain immediately accused the Yu family of treason!"

The guest, feeling smug but indignant, exclaimed, "That despicable person is truly hateful!"

"Ah~ So what happened next, young hero? Stop keeping me in suspense, tell me quickly!"

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting interesting, the storyteller coughed twice, "Young hero, you immediately wielded your sword and used it as a pen, carving it three-tenths of an inch into the stone!"

"A young man of chivalry, befriending heroes from five capitals. Their hearts are open, their hair stands on end. In conversation, they share life and death. A promise is worth a thousand pieces of gold!"

"The poem was so shocking that no one dared to speak. It is still on the courtyard wall to this day, attracting scholars to copy it and warriors to worship it!"

The audience fell silent for a moment before bursting into applause and cheers; the talented man and beautiful woman were also delighted to see this.

Copper coins were tossed onto the stage with a clattering sound and landed in the copper plate. The storyteller stroked his beard and tried hard to suppress the involuntary upward curve of his lips.

"What is that young hero's name, and what is his background?"

The storyteller adopted a mysterious air, saying, "To outsiders, he is said to be Shen Shaoqing's cousin, the third son in his family."

"Our Xuandu actually has such a person?"

Not only the onlookers below, but even the young noblemen who went out to enjoy themselves in the private rooms upstairs were talking about it.

"Whose child is so exceptional that they're keeping it a secret?"

"It's mostly made up."

"Ordinary people believe anything they hear."

As they were speaking, a quick-witted listener downstairs asked, "Externally? So there must be something else going on?"

"It cannot be said, it cannot be said~" the storyteller said mysteriously.

"Tch~" The crowd booed.

"Clatter!" A gold ingot landed on the copper plate. The storyteller's eyes lit up, and he quickly tucked it into his sleeve before he could even cover his ears, then coughed lightly.

"Ahem~ Her surname is Shen, she is the third in her family, and she is fourteen years old. It is said that after Minister Shen went on his mission, the Third Mistress of the Minister's Mansion fell seriously ill and went to the estate to recuperate for more than half a year. After Minister Shen returned, the Third Mistress's illness miraculously disappeared~"

"Hiss~ Old man, you mean..."

"This old man has no point; you gentlemen, judge for yourselves."

"Clatter!" A wine glass rolled off the table in the private room above.

"Jinyu, you don't actually believe the storyteller's nonsense, do you?"

"Does Shen Qingxi, with her delicate and gentle appearance, look like someone who could lift a knife?"

"That's right, Lady Shen is ranked second on the list of virtuous ladies of the contemporary aristocratic families, how could she possibly go out and show her face in public?"

"Heh~" Suhe awkwardly picked up the fallen wine glass. He hadn't forgotten Shen Qingxi's skill in catching three people during the "flying boat" accident at the palace academy that day.

The storyteller's attempt to cover up the truth only fueled the speculation, and from time to time, people claiming to be relatives of the delegation would speak up, saying that Shen Shaoqing privately called Shen Sanlang "Third Sister".

The rumors began to spread and grow more and more rampant, with even a version of Shen San Niang's story of her disguising herself as a man and eloping with her lover emerging.

Shen Mansion —

"Young lady, these rumors are rampant and are bad for your reputation!"

Shen Qing patted Hei Zi on the shoulder, "Kid, do you know what a plot twist is?"

"what?"