After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

Chapter 143 Fragrant Dew

Looking up at the young man in front of him, Zheng Hao's dark eyes were deep as he explained, "His Majesty acted on a whim, but as his subjects, we should naturally accept it with respect."

Gu Lin paused in his chopsticks, lowered his eyes slightly, and looked at the food in his bowl with a peculiar and strange expression on his face.

Gu Lin raised his eyes slightly, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the calm and composed young man, and his expression became even more peculiar.

If anyone else had spoken words of loyalty to the emperor to Gu Lin, Gu Lin might have believed they were grateful for the emperor's favor, but with Zheng Hao...

The other party didn't seem grateful for the emperor's favor; rather, it seemed that Emperor Jian'an had displeased him, and he was keeping a record of it.

Thinking of Zheng Hao, who in the original story slaughtered his way through the royal family and sent Emperor Jian'an, the Crown Prince, the princes, and a group of royal bloodline members to the underworld for a reunion, Gu Lin's eyelids twitched involuntarily.

He looked up at Zheng Hao sitting beside him, carefully choosing his tone, and asked in a low voice, "Do you not like the courtesy name the Emperor gave you?"

The young man leaned slightly forward towards the youth, his head slightly raised, his gaze fixed intently on the youth.

As for the questions that Uncle Gu had sensed and raised, Zheng Hao did not answer them as quickly as before.

He paused for a moment, then lowered his eyes slightly, his dark eyes meeting the young man's bright, light brown eyes: "I originally thought that since I was still two years away from coming of age, I would ask Uncle Gu and Mr. Zhou to give me a courtesy name. I never expected that His Majesty would bestow a courtesy name upon me during the palace examination."

Gu Lin was still holding a bowl and chopsticks when he heard Zheng Hao's words, and his face showed utter surprise.

He was a little incredulous and asked to confirm, "You want me to help you choose a name?"

Zheng Hao did not deny it, and Gu Lin remained silent.

He actually thought it was a good thing that Emperor Jian'an had chosen a courtesy name for the other party in advance.

Although he received more than 20 years of education in modern times, he is not on the same level as people in ancient times, as can be seen from the name he gave Gu An.

In ancient times, for scholars, especially officials, their courtesy name was like half a facade. It was usually carefully selected and thoughtfully chosen by their elders and mentors. That's why Zheng Hao trusted him to help choose a courtesy name.

After thinking about the name Emperor Jian'an had given him, Gu Lin said, "Actually, the name Mingzhang has a very good meaning and suits you very well."

Then he said, "If you asked me to give you a name, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to find a better one."

Gu Lin didn't mince words and continued, "When the time comes, I'll search through all the books, and I might only be able to choose the two characters 'Hao' for you."

Gu Lin wasn't belittling himself; he was simply telling the truth. Choosing a name was already a headache enough, but the ancients were even more particular about choosing a courtesy name. When choosing a courtesy name, they would either choose one with a similar meaning to the given name, or one with a meaning completely opposite to the given name. On top of that, some particular families even required that their children's courtesy name have a historical allusion or saying to back it up.

Gu Lin's knowledge of ancient literature was limited, and the character "皓" was the only decent one he could find that was similar in meaning to "皓".

In response to the young man's slightly teasing tone, Zheng Hao parted his lips slightly and said in a deep voice, "I still have a number to take, and I will need Uncle Gu to take one for me in the future."

Hearing what the other person said, Gu Lin felt somewhat helpless.

He had already told the other party that he had no literary skills, so why was the other party still so stubborn as to ask him to help him get a number?

Gu Lin parted his lips slightly, but seeing the young man looking at him with focused and serious eyes, he felt helpless yet indulgent: "As long as you don't mind."

After having a late-night snack and chatting for a while to digest, Gu Lin turned around and went back to his room.

"Zhenyulou's new store is now open!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, don't miss out! Zhenyulou is having a new store opening, offering everything from scented soaps and bar soaps to shower gels. Not only that, but we also have new scented lotions and creams. Ladies and gentlemen can use them to wipe their faces to make their skin delicate and smooth, no longer suffering from the troubles of rough and dry skin."

In front of the Zhenyu Tower, which was adorned with red silk, two men shouted from the left and right. Normally, people would pass by Zhenyu Tower without paying any attention to it. After all, shops opened every day in the capital like mushrooms after rain, but very few could survive.

They all have their own things to do, so instead of wasting time here, they should hurry up and get to work.

People hurried to and fro.

However, upon hearing the shouts from the two men behind them, the women and men who were focused on walking along the street were drawn in. They couldn't help but turn their gazes in that direction. Even some fair-skinned, refined, and handsome men stopped in their tracks and looked hesitantly toward Zhenyu Tower.

Seeing everyone's gaze, the two men exchanged a glance.

Then, one of the men intensified his shouts, "The fragrant dew of Xiaolou is made by refining the essence of fresh flowers and then adding spring water from the foot of the mountain. It is natural and harmless. If you gentlemen and ladies use it for a month, it will definitely solve many of your skin problems."

The man continued, "Now that Zhenyulou is opening today, our manager is very open-minded and wants to make friends with everyone. All customers who spend ten taels of silver or more will enjoy a 20% discount."

As soon as he finished speaking, another man pressed his advantage: "The Zhenyulou discount is only valid today! Only today! Don't miss it!"

A loud and clear voice rang out, and the pedestrians gathered in front of the Zhenyu Tower gradually became excited.

The two men exchanged a glance. It seemed that what the owner said was true. The delicate skin-care lotion could attract the attention of many women and men, as well as beauty lovers. In addition, with the 20% discount, anyone with a little money in their pocket couldn't help but step into Zhenyu Tower.

The young men and women stepped over the threshold of Zhenyu Tower. As soon as they entered, they were attracted by the wooden and glass counter in the main hall, with a transparent tabletop that allowed them to see the porcelain bottles inside.

The guests couldn't help but gasp in amazement. They had thought it was just an ordinary newly opened store, but they were surprised to find that the owner of Zhenyulou had gone to great lengths to use glass as the countertop.

Moreover, the best part is that when the young women who came in to buy things found that all the waiters in the building were young women, they were even more satisfied. Here, they didn't have to be careful or worry about getting intimate with strange men. The young women became more and more at ease and rushed forward to gather in front of the counter.

The second floor.

In addition to arranging for people to shout outside to attract the attention of passersby, before opening the store, Gu Lin discussed with Madam Fang and asked if she could invite some ladies out. Madam Fang understood Gu Lin's meaning and agreed, assuring him that the opening of the new store would definitely not make Zhenyulou quiet.

However, looking at the dozen or so wives and husbands in front of him, Gu Lin did not expect that Madam Fang would invite so many people over.

He assumed that the other party shared his idea: to invite several ladies with extensive diplomatic connections and then use their influence to spread the reputation of Zhenyu Tower among the upper echelons of the capital.

A group of ladies and their husbands walked and looked around in front of the glass counter. A lady with an elegant demeanor turned her head slightly and asked Madam Fang beside her, "Li San Niang, you said that this Zhenyu Tower has good things, but I can't see what they are through the glass and porcelain vases."

You mentioned before that Zhenyu Tower sells fragrant dew. While this dew is precious and hard to obtain, none of us here lack it, so it shouldn't be worth you inviting us all out. Tell me quickly, what is it that's so special that you've called us all out?"

Madam Fang raised the corners of her lips slightly and said to Madam Yongrong, "The perfume from Zhenyu Tower is not the same perfume we use to add fragrance to our bodies."

"Oh?"

Lady Yongrong's eyes flickered, a hint of curiosity appearing on her face.

Without needing Madam Fang's prompting, Gu Lin knew his time to step in had come.

He stood diagonally behind Madam Fang and explained to Madam Yongrong, "The fragrant dew from Zhenyu Tower is used to apply to the face and moisturize the skin."

Upon hearing this, Lady Yongrong turned to look at the young man who had spoken.

This was the young man that Li San Niang introduced to them when they first arrived. Seeing how much Li San Niang valued him, Madam Yongrong also had some impression of Gu Lin.

She and Li San Niang were close friends. Li San Niang was the daughter of the Minister of Revenue, while she was the daughter of the Minister of Rites. They grew up playing together since childhood, and even after they got married, their friendship remained unbroken.

She naturally trusted Madam Fang, but she didn't trust the young man in front of her.

Lady Yongrong retorted, "How can I believe you if you only offer empty words?"

If she wasn't mistaken, the other party was the owner of Zhenyulou. She wondered what his relationship was with Li Sanniang, that Li Sanniang would go to such lengths to invite them all.

The wives and husbands who associate with Li San Niang are not ordinary officials. If you pick one of them, she is either the daughter of a minister, the daughter of a duke, or the daughter-in-law of a duke or a marquis. Moreover, they are all eldest daughters-in-law of the principal wife. Such status is not that of an ordinary junior. They are usually taken by the wives of dukes and marquises and taught important matters of the mansion and clan.

If it weren't for Li San Niang's influence, they wouldn't have come out so casually.

Gu Lin remained calm despite being questioned by the other party.

He turned to the woman behind the counter and said, "Give me one bottle of perfume and lotion from each of you."

Upon receiving the order, the woman immediately took two palm-sized porcelain bottles from the counter and handed them to the young man.

After accepting the perfume, Gu Lin turned to the group of ladies and husbands and said, "It is understandable that you ladies and husbands do not believe in the efficacy of the perfume. You may watch me demonstrate it."

After they finished speaking, they saw the young man raise his arm and wave towards a waiter. The young man jogged over and greeted them, "Greetings, ladies and gentlemen, greetings, sir."

Gu Lin asked the young man, "Did you put anything on your face this morning?"

Under the gaze of the handsome young man, the young man's fair face flushed slightly. Then, he shook his head and said, "I left in a hurry this morning and didn't apply any."

Gu Lin nodded, then turned to the group of ladies and their husbands and said, "In a moment, I will apply the perfume to the waiter's face. You can then see if the perfume is truly effective."

After speaking, Gu Lin turned his head, opened the porcelain bottle, and then, under everyone's gaze, poured a thick pink liquid from the bottle opening onto his fair palm. Then, Gu Lin said to the young man, "Close your eyes."

The young man nervously closed his eyes. Gu Lin raised his right hand and evenly applied the perfume to the young man's face. Then he raised both hands and gently pressed the young man's face to help his skin absorb the perfume.

After a moment, Gu Lin lowered his hands and asked the young man, "You can open your eyes now. How does it feel?"

The young man opened his eyes, and then, half out of curiosity and half out of surprise, he raised his hand and gently touched his cheeks, which were originally dry but were now soft and fragrant. He said to Gu Lin in surprise, "Master, my face is no longer dry, and it's even moist and fragrant."

Because he spoke quickly and was excited, the young man's voice was a bit loud. He looked at Gu Lin somewhat embarrassedly.

Seeing this, Gu Lin smiled slightly and gave him a reassuring look.

Then, he turned to look at Lady Yongrong and her entourage, only to see that they looked skeptical after hearing the young man's explanation.

Why is it "half-believing, half-doubting" rather than "completely disbelieving"?

When Gu Lin poured out the perfume, the ladies and husbands in the group, who were used to seeing fine things, knew that the perfume in the young man's hand was no ordinary product. Its rich and fragrant scent, which was not overpowering, was something that even if they had such a treasured perfume, they would keep it on a high shelf and would not be willing to use it easily.

But a pleasant fragrance doesn't mean it has the other effects the other party mentioned. It's just a bottle of water, how could it possibly make your skin smooth?

Undeterred by their doubts, Gu Lin said frankly, "If you ladies still have any doubts, you may come forward and examine the skin on Xiao Er's face."

Seeing the young man's confident expression, Lady Yongrong turned her head and gestured to the maid beside her: "Go and take a look."

The servant obeyed and walked towards the young master. It was the first time the young master had faced a servant from a high-ranking family, and he was a little nervous and scared. Gu Lin looked at him with a reassuring look in his eyes, and the young master slowly calmed down.

Immediately afterwards, Lady Yongrong's maid came to the young boy's side. She raised her hand, and the young boy subconsciously closed his eyes. After a moment, he felt a slender and delicate hand stroking and moving on his face, and then touching his neck.

A moment later, the young man felt the other person's hand move away from his face.

The maid turned around and went to Lady Yongrong to report: "Madam, the young man's neck skin is rough and dry, but his face is much smoother. I wonder if it's because he applied perfume."

Upon hearing this, Lady Yongrong turned her gaze, and the expressions of the ladies and husbands around her also showed surprise.

One of the husbands, speaking his mind, exclaimed, "This fragrant dew has such miraculous effects?!"

Immediately afterwards, he turned to Gu Lin and said, "Boss Gu, quickly give me the perfume to try."

Gu Lin stepped forward and handed the fragrant dew to the other person.

After receiving the perfume, the husband eagerly opened the porcelain bottle and poured out the light pink liquid.

Because he was wearing makeup, he didn't apply the perfume to his face, but instead applied it to his neck.

Everyone stared at his actions. After a while, when he felt the fragrance on his neck being absorbed by his skin, he immediately raised his hand to touch it.

Then, a look of surprise and delight appeared on his face, because when he placed his hand on his neck, he felt a smooth and delicate touch that was different from the dryness he usually experienced.

Moreover, the warm scent of his body, combined with the rich and sweet fragrance of the perfume, wafted into his nose, making him linger.