There is a god in the sky

Chapter 166 The Dance Competition Scandal 1

Finally, Qiu Yi took on the job of copying the book.

But the book was too old, and many words were illegible. He didn't understand medical principles and couldn't guess the meaning, so he could only ask Shen Lan.

Shen Lan answered his questions one by one.

Qiu Yi asked curiously, "Does Manager Shen know medicine?"

He had never heard of these obscure and difficult words before, but the other party not only knew the words, but also the dosage.

"I know a little bit."

She asked, seemingly casually, "Is Yishan Academy the best academy?"

"Of course, it still can't compare to the Imperial Academy, but the Imperial Academy is mostly filled with the sons of high-ranking officials and powerful families. Yishan Academy is the place for proper scholars."

Is it difficult to get in?

Qiu Yi looked longingly at the academy, saying, "Yishan Academy admits no more than a hundred students each year, all of whom are the most outstanding students in the Daxi Dynasty. In each imperial examination, the number of students who pass the exam is also the highest."

Not only was it difficult to get in, but it was also extremely difficult to get out. Unless one passed the high school entrance exam, one had to stay in the academy to study until the age of thirty.

With Qiu Yi's family background, let alone studying there until he's thirty, he couldn't afford to study there even for just one year.

"I see." Shen Lan thought to herself: Maybe the Lady of Pingyang was joking. She probably wouldn't want Fu Qingyan to go to such an academy.

"Does Manager Shen know anyone at the academy?"

"We don't really know each other, but last time a customer ordered ten new books, and I was thinking if he was at the academy, should I send the books to him there?"

Qiu Yi was also there that day, and recalled, "That young master seemed to be from the residence of Vice Minister Liu."

"You know him?"

"I've met him a few times at poetry gatherings. He's only been in the capital for a short time and is very enthusiastic about participating in various poetry gatherings. I never expected that he was from Yishan Academy."

To say that I am not envious is a lie.

Some people can easily enter places that others dream of, while others have to earn even basic necessities like writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones with their own hands.

Qiu Yi calmed down and started copying the book.

Manager Shen is generous with money, and it's much easier for him to make money now, so he shouldn't complain anymore.

Shen Lan added this new book to her reading list, waiting for someone destined to find it.

She's noticed these days that people who come to the bookstore to look at and buy books are either scholars preparing for the imperial examinations or people buying storybooks to pass the time. Professional books from other industries are left untouched on the shelves.

The second volume of "The Serial Murderer Was Her" went on sale ahead of schedule, and bookstores were immediately packed with people.

"Leave me one!"

"Don't take it! That's mine!"

Shen Lan packed ten books, then added a hardcover edition, and instructed Xiao Ding, "I'm going out for a bit. You watch over things here."

Xiao Ding was extremely busy.

Fortunately, Sui Feng sent three more workers over, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to handle it all by himself.

"Shopkeeper, I'm afraid these books won't be enough to sell."

Shen Lan smiled and said, "Those who didn't manage to buy any, please come back early tomorrow."

She carried the book to the Liu residence and knocked on the door.

The gatekeeper, seeing a beautiful young woman arrive, leered and asked, "Who are you looking for, young lady?"

"I'm from Jifeng Study, here to deliver books to the young master."

"My young master is not at home. Give me the things and I'll take them inside."

Shen Lan didn't give it to her.

"I don't know where Young Master Liu is. He said that he would send the book to him as soon as it was released."

The gatekeeper seemed to see through her little scheme and laughed, "The young master is at Yishan Academy, which isn't a place you can just go wherever you want."

"What should I do?"

Just then, Madam Liu instructed her maid to deliver something to her son at the academy. The gatekeeper explained the situation, and the maid glanced at Shen Lan and said haughtily, "Put the books on the carriage."

Shen Lan put the book away and said politely to her, "Thank you for your help, sister."

The Liu family's carriage drove out of the city gate, and Shen Lan followed behind, all the way to the foot of the mountain where Yishan Academy was located.

She watched as the maid presented a wooden plaque, and the guards let the Liu family's carriage in.

Shen Lan jumped onto a tall tree by the roadside and waited for about fifteen minutes before the carriage returned the way it came.

As darkness fell, Shen Lan felt a chill.

She landed lightly on the roof of the carriage and heard the maid complaining to the coachman.

"They all say that delivering things to the young master is a cushy job. If it's such a cushy job, why doesn't anyone else do it and instead pushes it onto me?"

"Hehe, that's because everyone knows you're the First Madam's favorite. If it were anyone else, the Young Master would definitely get angry."

Dewdrop touched the wound on her face and said self-deprecatingly, "What's the difference? It's just that someone else is getting beaten up."

"It's alright. After all, we're not here to serve the young master personally. Compared to Shen Qing and the others, we've already been told our fortunes."

The dewdrop sighed deeply and fell silent.

Shen Lan's gaze darkened. So, it turned out that Liu Xianyang had caused the injury to Shen Qing's hand.

I never imagined that this seemingly gentle and sunny young man would have a penchant for abusing his servants.

She jumped off the carriage halfway there, stood there for a while and thought about it, but ultimately didn't impulsively go to the academy to find Shen Qing.

When she returned to the city, she saw that the streets were full of lanterns and people were coming and going, all rushing in one direction.

"Hurry up, or we won't even see a single hair of the Dance Queen."

"I heard that tonight is the night of the most famous dancers' cruise ship, and tomorrow they will have a dance competition at the Bixiao Tower. I wonder who will win."

"I bet ten taels on Qingman to win the championship. We haven't seen anyone else perform, but Qingman's dance is one that even the Crown Prince praised."

"I've heard that the willow maiden from Jiangnan and the beautiful lady from Tanzhou are both exceptionally talented. It's really hard to say who will win her heart."

Shen Lan followed the flow of people and walked all the way to the Bian River.

Flower boats lined the Bian River one after another.

Each flower boat was adorned with lanterns and decorations, exuding an air of extravagance and decadence.

"Look! They're out!"

"Miss Qingman...Miss Qingman has come out..."

"Miss Qingman glanced at me!"

"It's so beautiful!"

Who's on the flower boat behind?

"The most beautiful dancer in Tanzhou, I heard that Prince Zheng is her lover."

"Wow, they're all quite impressive."

Shen Lan was pushed to the edge of the crowd; she couldn't see a single flower boat, let alone Qingman.

Before her was the shimmering river, and in its reflection, she saw the silhouette of a boat.

Shadows moved about, voices rose and fell in waves.

Shen Lan squeezed through the crowd and saw that the trees along the river were covered with people, which made her both laugh and cry.

If someone were to fall into the water at this moment, things would get quite lively.

Whether it was her bad luck or not, she had just turned around when she heard someone shout, "Why is that flower boat on fire?"

She jumped up and looked at the river, and sure enough, she saw a flower boat on fire.

The flower boats are covered with lanterns, and it's possible that one of them might accidentally catch fire.

Chaos erupted on the ship, with screams filling the air.

"Get to shore quickly! Row the boat over here!" someone on the shore directed.

Unfortunately, the fire terrified the people on the boat; they ran around in panic and eventually jumped into the river.

The river water was extremely cold in the dead of winter, and even those who were good swimmers would suffer if they swam across.