Chapter 26: Shocking the Four! Good wife Mulan

At this moment, it's truly impossible to describe Zhang Boyan's inner shock in words.

Although Shen Lang had never been seen by him before, he had heard of him many times as a completely intellectually deficient person.

The seal script he wrote wasn't recognized by anyone present, but Shen Lang recognized it. Not only did he know its meaning, but he also knew how to pronounce it.

This... is just too incredible.

The scholar Yan Xiong laughed and said, "Master, is he making it up?"

Everyone's eyes turned to Zhang Boyan.

He really wanted to directly deny Shen Lang's answer, even though it was correct, and turn the truth into a lie.

That way, no one could do anything to him, and there would be no one to stand up for Shen Lang.

However, when the monument was excavated, it wasn't just him, Zhang Boyan, who was involved, but also two other highly respected individuals. They all jointly confirmed the meaning of this character through their study of the monument.

So, if he denied Shen Lang's answer in front of everyone today, he might be embarrassed in the future, and his reputation would be thoroughly ruined.

And all of this was not worth risking so much for just Shen Lang.

Seeing the expression on his teacher's face, Yan Xiong felt that something was wrong and said in a more serious tone, "Teacher, Shen Lang is making it up, isn't he? He doesn't understand the meaning of this character at all?"

There was a strong manipulation in the voice of this disciple, wanting to turn black into white for his teacher.

Zhang Boyan gave Yan Xiong a cold stare and then smiled, "Master Shen is truly knowledgeable about characters. He can even identify such a rare seal script and knows how to pronounce it. He is truly remarkable!"

With these words, everyone in the room was shocked!

Is Shen Lang really that amazing?

No one in the room recognized the character Zhang Boyan wrote, yet Shen Lang, the legendary waste, knew it and could even read it?

Wasn't he supposed to be useless and ignorant?

Why is he so talented?

Shen Lang looked at Yan Xiong and said, "Yan, didn't you promise in front of everyone that if I won, you would slap yourself? As a respectable scholar, were your words false?"

So, everyone's gaze turned to Yan Xiong. While they all wanted to see Shen Lang humiliated, seeing the scholar slap himself in front of everyone would also be quite interesting. After all, they say human nature is inherently good.

If it were in private, Yan Xiong could still renege on his promise, but at this moment, everyone's eyes were on him, especially the Marquis Xuanwu, who had a smile on his face but a slightly cold look in his eyes.

"Shen Lang, mark my words. I will remember today!" Yan Xiong said coldly, then fiercely slapped himself on the face.

"Snap!"

This scholar Yan Xiong was truly earnest. He slapped himself so hard, as if he were imagining himself slapping Shen Lang?

Shen Lang felt quite satisfied.

"Farewell!" Yan Xiong couldn't bear to stay here any longer and left in anger.

At this point, the Marquis Xuanwu said, "Shen Lang, you should take Mulan to meet your parents."

"Let the banquet begin!"

With the command given, fine wine and dishes were brought out like flowing water, and everyone took their seats.

It's a pity that one person has not witnessed this scene today.

That person is Wang Lian, the rival in love for Shi Lang.

He was originally the one most favored, but after failing to compete for Mulan's hand, he wouldn't attend tonight's wedding.

...

Shen Lang led Jin Mulan to the backyard to pay respects to his parents.

"Hold on!" At this moment, Lord Zhu Lin suddenly shouted.

He was a truly influential figure. If he really wanted to make things difficult for Shen Lang, it would be difficult for Marquis Xuanwu to handle.

Lord Zhu Lin looked at Shen Lang and said, "Kid, you do have some interesting qualities. I'll be remembering you too."

This statement wasn't a threat, but it felt like one. If someone as influential as the Zhu family's lord focused his attention on you, it was quite uncomfortable.

Shen Lang seemed not to understand and bowed, saying, "Thank you for your attention, Lord Zhu."

"Haha..." Lord Zhu Lin laughed.

The Marquis Xuanwu said, "Go and meet your parents. Don't keep the elders waiting."

"Yes, Father-in-law." Shen Lang replied.

"Shameless!" Almost all the young people in the room said in unison.

Are you shameless enough to call Marquis Xuanwu 'father-in-law'? Shameless!

...

Shen Lang's parents felt that their family was poor and their status was low, so they were unwilling to appear below the hall no matter what. The Marquis of Xuanwu had already prepared brocade clothing for them, but they still refused to wear them. Instead, they wore their own clothes, which were purchased for the New Year several years ago and were rarely worn, still looking quite new.

Shen Jian, the younger brother, wanted to wear the silk clothing provided by the Marquis's mansion, but he was stopped by his father.

Both parents sat reserved in their seats, as if they were uncomfortable all over and just wanted to return to their own home, even if it was a simple clay and thatched house.

Shen Wan, the father, still had inflammation in his lungs but he tried hard to suppress his cough.

Shen Lang brought Jin Mulan into the backyard and immediately knelt down, saying, "Child pays respect to parents, child is unfilial!"

The mother hurried forward to help Shen Lang up, but unexpectedly, Jin Mulan also knelt down and said, "Daughter-in-law pays respect to parents-in-law."

At that moment, Shen Lang's family were astonished.

This Jin Mulan was the princess of Xuanwu City, a daughter of a noble family for centuries, yet she knelt down to the humble farmer parents of Shen Lang, without any reluctance on her face.

In an instant, Shen Lang was overwhelmed with affection for her.

"Not necessary, not necessary..." Shen Lang's mother immediately tried to help Jin Mulan up, but seeing her pure and elegant appearance, she withdrew her hand.

Because she usually did farm work, her hands were rough and dark. Even if they were cleaned and looked neat, they still seemed dirty, so she didn't dare to touch Jin Mulan.

Then, Jin Mulan gently took Shen Lang's mother's hands to stand up and softly said, "Thank you, mother-in-law."

In a flash, Shen Lang's parents looked at Jin Mulan with a softened gaze.

She was a good girl, at least she wouldn't bully Shen Lang.

"Come, let's toast to our parents." Jin Mulan said, "Father-in-law is unwell, so how about using sweet rice wine instead?"

"Okay, okay..." Shen Lang's father eagerly agreed.

Then, Jin Mulan filled the glasses for the elderly, and she and Shen Lang knelt down again to toast to the parents-in-law.

As the wine entered their mouths, Shen Lang's parents felt a bit tipsy.

Shen Jian couldn't wait and downed a glass of sweet rice wine, seeing how gentle Jin Mulan was, he couldn't help but say, "Sister-in-law, you are so beautiful."

At once, Shen Lang's father almost raised his hand to slap him.

"Thank you." Jin Mulan said gently, then she looked at Shen Lang and said, "You must have something to talk to your parents about. I'll go out and greet the guests first."

"Okay." Shen Lang replied.

After Jin Mulan left, the atmosphere seemed to relax, and his parents also eased up.

Although she was very gentle and kind to his parents, Jin Mulan was still a noblewoman from the Marquis's mansion, so Shen Lang's parents would feel inferior in front of her.

"Father, Mother, I'm sorry, I have disappointed you," Shen Lang said.

His parents had never wanted Shen Lang to marry into a wealthy family, whether it was the Xu family or the Marquis's mansion.

The status of a son-in-law was too low, just slightly higher than a servant. If he couldn't win the favor of his wife's father, he feared that his status would be even lower than a servant.

In addition, his parents had always wanted Shen Lang to continue the family line. Even if he married the widow Liu from the village, at least the children born would carry on the Shen family name. It would be better to live in a thatched cottage as long as the family continued.

Shen Wan sadly said, "My son, you don't need to say anymore. It is because of my incompetence that you're in this situation, and you are burdened because of me!"

Though Shen Wan didn't know the specific situation, the arrival of Tian Shisan and his men in the afternoon made him realize the reasons behind it.

His eyes filled with tears, and he felt a myriad of reluctance and guilt. If it wasn't for his incompetence, Shen Lang wouldn't have had to marry into another family.

Meanwhile, Shen Jian murmured, "I think it's quite good, sister-in-law is also very kind, and the key is that she's beautiful. Within several hundred miles, there's no one as beautiful as her. By the way, can I discuss something with you, brother?"

Shen Lang replied, "Go ahead!"

Shen Jian said, "Since you have such a beautiful wife, can the widow Liu from the village be for me?"

At this point, Shen's mother couldn't hold back and gave a slap to her younger son's head.

"You fool! Just in case your brother can't stay in the Marquis's mansion and wants to come back home, we need to keep the widow Liu for your brother. Besides, she has been casting her glances at our son several times. Our son is handsome, and there's no one within ten miles who's as handsome as him," Mother said, "A few days ago I hinted at it, and the widow Liu seems willing."

Shen Jian was speechless, asking the heavens, "Father, Mother, can you be any more biased? Maybe I'm not your biological son, you just picked me up, right!"

They ate dinner with their parents for a while.

"Alright, Dad, seeing you well and taking care of Mom, I can go back now," said Father.

Shen Lang said, "Mom and Dad, why not stay for the night? It's getting late."

Father replied, "We're not used to staying here."

Then Shen Lang had Jin Zhong prepare two large horse carriages to take his parents home.

The Earl and Mulan also left their banquet to see them off.

"Brother, you don't need to see us off. Go to your bridal chamber, your wife is still waiting for you," said his younger brother. "A moment of spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold!"

Shen Lang waved goodbye to his family and headed towards the bridal chamber.

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