Cheng Shi's birthday fell on the sixth day after New Year's Day, though this wasn't a milestone year. The reason the entire Cheng family from all corners could gather was because Cheng Yang's wedding ceremony would take place five days later.
Five years ago, Madam Xiao had suffered a severe illness that took three years to gradually recover from. Though she was now in good health, her vitality wasn't as robust as before—evident in the fact that neither Cheng Shao Gong nor the young Zhu Ou had been beaten once in those five years.
She had once worried about Shao Shang's marriage prospects, but after Yuan Shen's forceful annulment of his engagement with the Cai Family became public, she realized her daughter never had an issue of being unmarriageable—only a question of whom she would marry.
Thus, she used this reasoning to strongly persuade Cheng Yang to marry—unlike Shao Shang, once her niece missed her prime marrying age, it would be difficult to find a first marriage that met all expectations. So when Madam Xiao discovered that Xiao Hou Ban frequently visited their home not to see Cheng Shao Gong, she was quite surprised.
Old Man Cheng concluded, "It must be that Niao Niao's peach blossom luck is so strong, some of its pollen drifted onto Yang Yang."
Initially, Old Marquis Ban was dissatisfied with Cheng Yang. After all, the Ban family's main lineage was weak and needed strong in-law support, and the Cheng family wasn't quite formidable enough (Cheng Cheng, in particular, held no official rank).
Xiao Hou Ban couldn't resist his great-grandfather's domineering pressure and was forced into tearful engagements twice. Yet his fate of bringing misfortune to parents proved too potent—within three years, both fiancées died, and counting the one arranged before birth who also passed early, he had achieved a hat trick.
Old Marquis Ban had no choice but to settle for second best and sent someone to propose to Old Man Cheng. This time, it was Cheng Xiao and his wife who hesitated. No matter how prestigious the Ban family was, they couldn't risk Cheng Yang's life.
Madam Xiao believed it was better to marry into a lesser family than the Bans if it meant her child would live a long life, so she told Cheng Yang, "Let's drop this matter." Cheng Yang, ever obedient, nodded without hesitation but spent several nights crying silently under her blankets.
At the time, Madam Qing Cong had just returned to the city with Cheng Cheng from White Deer Mountain for New Year's Day and was making the most of her time caring for her stepchildren. She quickly noticed Cheng Yang's unusual behavior and relayed it to her sworn sister.
For some reason, Madam Xiao's heart softened. She sat alone in her daughter's empty inner chamber for an entire day before emerging and telling her husband to scour the land for renowned shamans to divine Cheng Yang and Ban Jia's birth charts and fates. The conclusion was unanimous: "A match made in heaven."
Only then did Madam Xiao agree—Cheng Shao Gong even added, "Cousin and A Jia will have descendants who leave their mark in history—more than one!"
Even so, Madam Xiao observed for a full year after the engagement, ensuring Cheng Yang remained healthy and illness-free, before daring to prepare for the wedding.
On the day of Cheng Yang's wedding, Shao Shang sat watching Madam Qing Cong and her attendants apply makeup and style Cheng Yang's hair, teasing, "People outside say our Cheng family is a nest of old maids—one after another refusing to marry. Thankfully, Cousin, you're setting an example, or Mother would be frantic."
Cheng Yang lowered her head. "At first, when I saw Xiao Hou Ban always lingering nearby, I thought he was lost, so I told him Shaogong's quarters weren't here. The next day, I saw him again and gave him directions once more. But then he blushed for ages and stammered out The Green Collar for me..."
Shao Shang deliberately gasped loudly and teased, "And then Cousin immediately agreed?"Cheng Yang said shyly, "At first, I ignored him. But he came to visit day after day, sometimes bringing me a book, sometimes some brocade. Once, he even brought me a handful of wild fruits he picked from somewhere, saying they were the sweetest he'd ever tasted—yet I still ignored him because..."
Shao Shang finished for her, "Because you had to take care of the Cheng family. Second Uncle told Aunt Qing. Once Aunt Qing knew, the whole family knew."
Madam Qing Cong, who was helping Cheng Yang with her hairpin, took a moment to lightly flick Shao Shang on the forehead.
Only then did Madam Xiao learn the real reason her niece refused to marry, and for the first time ever, she gave Cheng Yang a spanking.
"Mother always says I'm stubborn, but you're no different. No matter how she scolded or threatened you, you wouldn't budge!" Shao Shang shook her head.
"Back then, I had made up my mind—if you didn’t marry, neither would I. So when I later heard A Jia was engaged, I didn’t feel much about it," Cheng Yang said. "Until a year ago, when he ran over excitedly to say his great-grandfather was coming to propose—when I handed him the clotted milk, my sleeve slipped, and I saw the old whip marks on his arm..."
At that moment, tears suddenly fell from her eyes.
Cheng Shao Gong had told her how severely Ban Jia had been punished by Old Marquis Ban for insisting on the marriage. As the family's only heir, Ban Jia had never been so much as touched since birth.
Only then did Cheng Yang realize how truly heartbroken and pained this gentle, timid young man had been when he came crying to her window before being forced into the engagement—and how hard he had fought to marry her.
So when Madam Xiao planned to reject the proposal, Cheng Yang told herself it was for the best, sparing her the difficulty of refusing Ban Jia face-to-face. Yet she couldn’t help hiding away to cry—she felt wretched, thinking of her cousin still trapped in the palace while she entertained thoughts of marriage.
"Niao Niao, can you really leave the palace and marry?" Cheng Yang asked, still uneasy.
Shao Shang assured her, "Don’t worry. If I wanted to marry, I’d just have to shout, and suitors would line up from the Upper West Gate to Pingcheng Gate! You just focus on your wedding, and the whole family will be at ease."
Madam Sang, who had been sitting nearby snacking, let out a loud, deliberate chuckle, giving Shao Shang a knowing look. Shao Shang, recalling what she was hinting at, flushed slightly in embarrassment.
Though her words were exaggerated, there was some truth to them. If Shao Shang had once been merely conventionally pretty, her years in the most exalted place in the land had refined her into someone with an ethereal, flawless grace.
Cheng Yang turned to look at her cousin—her jade-like, unblemished face as delicate as dew on a flower petal, her large, bright eyes shimmering with emotion, paired with an innate fragility that lent her a uniquely delicate beauty, like the fragile wings of a butterfly.
Among the many suitors was the twelfth son of Yuhou, who became something of a joke.
It was said that initially, he hadn’t been pleased with his father’s plans, feeling he was worthy of being a prince consort and shouldn’t stoop to marrying the daughter of a newly risen family—let alone one who had once been entangled with Huo Bu Yi.Who would have thought that one day he would encounter the girl leaning against a light carriage at the palace gates. From afar, he saw her frowning with a gloomy expression, like a soft sigh falling upon his heart. Yu Twelve instantly felt as if a sharp sword had pierced his chest, his emotions in turmoil. He immediately decided that his father was indeed wise and discerning, and eagerly went to the Cheng family to pay respects to the elders (the old steward continued to be startled).
He was satisfied, but Yuan Shen was not.
Yuan Shen had been visiting the Palace of Eternal Peace daily, not to watch his beloved get engaged to someone else. Once this thought crossed his mind, mischief immediately bubbled up—500CC worth—and soon, letters between Yu Twelve and the widowed sister of the Grand Princess Consort** were exposed, causing a city-wide scandal. Yuhou had no choice but to propose marriage to the Grand Princess Consort’s family.
Yuhou was rather philosophical about it. Though the Grand Princess Consort’s sister was older and had a somewhat scandalous reputation, her family’s status far surpassed that of the Cheng family—after all, he had marriage connections everywhere. If one door closed, another would open.
Meanwhile, the Grand Princess Consort cast grateful glances at Yuan Shen more than once, though Yuan Shen pretended not to notice.
In truth, Cheng Shaoshang’s temper was as notorious as her beauty.
Over the past five years, she had driven away Consort Xu twice for making snide remarks, scolded off the Fifth Princess three times when she tried to enlist Empress Dowager Xuan’s support, investigated five illegal incidents at the Palace of Eternal Peace, and even accidentally uncovered a group of assassins sent by the pretender king of Shu… According to unverified rumors, someone once witnessed Lady Cheng beating and intimidating the Fifth Prince.
Shaoshang strongly suspected these rumors were spread by Yuan Shen to scare off her admirers. P.S., plural.
A few days after the wedding ceremony came the Lantern Festival. Shaoshang and Yuan Shen had agreed to spend the entire day together, so she rose early to dress up. Xiao Sang and the others were so excited they wanted to deck her out in jewels, but Shaoshang quickly declined—their first stop for the day was a tomb.
Yuan Shen sat in the carriage, looking at the girl in surprise. “You actually woke up this early? I thought you’d sleep another hour. Last time you took leave to go home, you slept until noon for four days straight. When I came to see you after finishing work, you were just having your first meal.”
“You think I wanted to get up this early?!” Shaoshang yawned repeatedly. “The house has been in chaos these past few days! Xu E has a son and a daughter, and Qiqi brought her three little rascals with Second Brother. That pack of troublemakers keeps causing havoc nonstop!”
One moment, Xu E’s youngest son was buried in a snowdrift; the next, Qiqi’s second son was tricked into climbing a tree and couldn’t get down. Then they teamed up to uproot the seedlings Cheng Mu had planted in the greenhouse, or they turned Cheng Shi’s armory upside down… In short, it was like the havoc wreaked by the Monkey King—utterly dizzying. Even Madam Xiao’s stern face couldn’t keep them in line.
“The afternoon before last, I kept feeling heavier and heavier in my sleep, trapped in endless nightmares. I thought a ghost was pressing on me! When I opened my eyes, two little rascals were napping on top of me, nearly suffocating me!” Shaoshang complained bitterly. “Mother’s only tough on us—she’s completely helpless with the grandchildren!”
Yuan Shen laughed heartily. “Your family is certainly thriving now.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself—Qiqi’s three are surnamed Wan,” Shaoshang said. “But it’s fine. There’s still Shaogong and A Zhu. Once they marry and have children, Father won’t have to worry about all those empty houses anymore.”Wan Song and Qiqi, who had already changed their surname, finally broke the Wan family's century-old curse, achieving the feat of having two children in three years and three in five. Last year, Wan Songbai made a special trip to the Capital City, weeping profusely as he thanked Cheng Shi, his words full of ambiguous gratitude like, "Thank you, sworn brother, for bearing me three grandchildren. You've worked hard."
Yuan Shen cast a meaningful glance at the girl. "Actually, my family is also lacking in descendants..."
Shao Shang ignored him, pulling the blanket over herself. "Keep an eye on the carriage and don’t take a wrong turn. I’m going to nap for a bit. Wake me when we arrive."
Yuan Shen: "..."
An hour to leave the city, another hour on the Imperial Highway, and by the time they reached the Winter Cypress Mausoleum, the sun was high in the sky.
The Second Prince, now titled Prince of Huai'an, had arrived early. He stood in the vast, lofty memorial hall, staring blankly at a spirit tablet. Hearing footsteps behind him, he turned, and Shao Shang noticed tear stains still on his face.
"Your Highness, you’re crying again. Didn’t you promise Her Ladyship last time not to grieve so deeply?" Shao Shang said.
The Second Prince wiped his tears and smiled. "As long as you don’t tell her, Mother won’t know."
Shao Shang sighed. "Of course I won’t tell Her Ladyship, but Your Highness must take care of yourself. Don’t overindulge in sorrow—the Second Imperial Concubine’s children still depend on you."
The Second Prince nodded repeatedly, then clasped his hands toward Yuan Shen. "Shanjian, you’ve come too."
Yuan Shen returned the gesture. "Your Highness has grown thinner again. Unlike Shao Shang, I won’t hide this from His Majesty."
"You two!" The Second Prince chuckled, then turned back to Shao Shang. "I heard your family has been busy with birthday banquets and weddings lately. You really didn’t need to come see her this year."
Shao Shang sighed. "Given my friendship with the Second Imperial Concubine, unless I were away from the Capital City, I couldn’t not come."
The Second Prince said gratefully, "After all these years, you still remember her. I thank you both." With that, he turned back to gaze at his wife’s spirit tablet. The coffin was only temporarily placed here; once he left for his fief, he would take her with him.
Shao Shang tugged Yuan Shen forward, and they bowed deeply before offering incense and prayers. When she turned back, she saw the Second Prince still standing motionless, staring at the tablet, and couldn’t help sighing again—no one who hadn’t witnessed it firsthand could connect this gaunt, subdued, slightly stooped middle-aged man with the haughty Second Prince of five years ago.
The turning point had been that night filled with blood and agonized moans—no one had expected the cheerful, capable, and shrewd Second Imperial Concubine to pass so soon. Shao Shang especially couldn’t understand how, after three successful births, the Second Imperial Concubine could still die in childbirth.
The Second Prince murmured to the tablet, "That time, her pregnancy was already difficult, yet she busied herself running around, cleaning up my messes. After Mother was deposed, I was so wretched... It was me who killed her."
Everyone in the Capital City agreed on one thing: while the Second Prince was unreliable, the Second Imperial Concubine had been one of the most dependable figures in the imperial family.
When she heard the news of the Deposed Empress at home, she immediately recognized the irreversible shift in power. Without hesitation, she disbanded the Death Squad and advisors to safe locations, destroyed all incriminating documents, and consulted with the Grand Princess on the best timing and method to "reconcile" with the Emperor—neither appearing callous toward Empress Xuan nor delaying their own safety.At that time, the Second Prince was both despondent and furious, his heart filled with unspoken resentment. He could only vent his dissatisfaction by drinking and hunting every day. Two days before the Second Imperial Concubine went into labor, she was still sending people to search for her husband, who was drunk and missing somewhere.
That night, heavy rain poured from the sky as the palace gates were frantically pounded by the Second Prince's messenger, who only said the Second Imperial Concubine was dying. Empress Dowager Xuan had not yet fully recovered her health, so Shao Shang dared not disturb her. Instead, she mustered the courage to go to the Everlasting Autumn Palace to wake the Emperor and obtained a special decree to leave the palace. She then took the Imperial Physician most skilled in obstetrics to the Second Prince's residence.
The Imperial Physician's judgment was seasoned and blunt: "Excessive worry and caution have drained her vitality—her spirit is already exhausted." The Second Prince immediately drew his sword to kill the physician, but fortunately, Shao Shang had wisely brought a team of guards, who quickly restrained him.
In the end, the child was born—a frail boy—but the Second Imperial Concubine had burned through her last reserves, bleeding uncontrollably.
On her deathbed, she begged her husband for three things. First, no matter whom he remarried in the future, he must treat her children well. Second, no matter who succeeded to the throne, he must take care of himself and not wallow in self-pity. Third, he was not to offer incense on her death anniversary for ten years—as if she hadn't died, as if she had merely gone away in anger.
The Second Prince wept, unable to speak, and could only nod in agreement to each request.
Throughout the entire ordeal, the Second Imperial Concubine remained composed. She endured the pain and weakness, instructing her trusted aides on essential matters, selecting Mother Fu in advance, and arranging her own funeral affairs meticulously. Only in her final moments, during a brief resurgence of clarity, did she finally break down in tears. Clutching her husband in panic, she cried out blindly and sorrowfully, "...What will you do when I'm gone? You're so reckless and impulsive—what if others scheme against you? I won't be there to protect you anymore! If someone bullies you, what will you do without me?!"
The Second Prince was thunderstruck. Holding his wife as her body grew cold, he finally understood what he had lost.
The Second Imperial Concubine was not just the mother of his children or his princess consort—she was his soulmate, his confidante who knew his heart and mind. His parents had other children, and his children would have their own lives. In this world, no one would ever love him, worry for him, or cherish him as his wife had...
When the news spread, everyone assumed the Second Prince would collapse into despair, drowning himself in alcohol for days or storming the Palace of Eternal Peace in rage. Yet to their surprise, he only shut himself away for a day and a night. When he emerged, it was as if he had become a different person.
When all the adult princes were enfeoffed with royal titles, even the low-key Fourth Prince took in a few retainers. But the Second Prince dismissed all his guests and gave generous gifts to any childless concubines in his household who wished to leave.
He recalled how his wife had handled daily affairs and strove to curb his own carelessness. He carefully managed the household's income and expenses, selected trustworthy aides, disciplined the servants, and devoted himself to raising his children.
Moreover, he visited the Palace of Eternal Peace every fortnight. Never mentioning his own grief or loneliness, he instead comforted Empress Dowager Xuan, urging her to take care of her health. He even began to care for his elder brother. Whether before or after the Prince of the East Sea resigned as crown prince, the Second Prince stood by his side, speaking up for him before their father the Emperor and refuting court gossip on his behalf.
The Second Prince had finally become a good son, a good brother, and a good father—just as all parents and wives in the world would hope. Only the price had been far too great.In the first year after the passing of the Second Imperial Concubine, the Second Prince visibly lost weight, his temperament mellowed like an old man's. He remembered his wife's wish for him not to visit on the anniversary of her death, so he chose her birthday instead to reminisce about the cheerful woman born on the Lantern Festival.
The Emperor sighed, "The second prince has grown up, but... fate has been too cruel to him."
After a simple and bland lunch, before leaving the Winter Cypress Mausoleum, Shao Shang couldn't help nagging, "Your Highness, please don't stay in the mausoleum for ten days like last time. You ended up catching a cold and scared the little imperial grandchildren into tears. You should eat more fish and meat, don't act like you've renounced the world to become a monk..."
Yuan Shen interjected, "Actually, monks do eat fish and meat. My mother does." He was also dissatisfied with the lunch.
Shao Shang gave him an annoyed punch.
The Second Prince chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I've already promised His Majesty to remarry. I must take good care of myself."
"Really? Have you chosen someone?" Shao Shang's eyes lit up.
The Second Prince replied, "Yes, Shan Jian knows about this. Actually, it was he who persuaded me."
Yuan Shen smiled and cupped his hands, "His Majesty has been deeply concerned about Your Highness. As a subject, it's my duty to share the monarch's worries. Your Highness can rest assured, I've investigated thoroughly. Among the late Second Imperial Concubine's cousins, this lady is the most kind-hearted, compassionate towards the young and weak, and... since she suffered a miscarriage after being beaten by her former husband, she can no longer bear children."
Shao Shang punched him again, "You sound like a gossipy old woman!" Then she turned to the Second Prince, "But you can trust his judgment. Back when he was looking for a wife, he practically met every eligible maiden in the Capital City. He knows best which ladies are virtuous and kind!"
The Second Prince covered his mouth with his fist, suppressing laughter—it was quite amusing to see this doll-like, delicate-looking girl hitting someone.
Yuan Shen rubbed his arm with a wry smile.
As the carriage procession was about to depart, the Second Prince suddenly approached Shao Shang's carriage. Glancing at Yuan Shen, he said earnestly, "Shao Shang, human life is actually very short. Don't miss the person right in front of you and regret it later."
Shao Shang's eyelashes fluttered slightly downward before she looked up. She shot Yuan Shen a playful, reproachful glance and joked, "It seems Young Master Yuan has done such a good matchmaking job for Your Highness that you're speaking up for him now. Very well, this humble woman understands. It's cold outside, please return."
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