"Mother, your daughter has something to say." Shao Shang rarely adopted such a solemn expression. Cheng Shao Gong felt an inexplicable pang in his chest—his intuition told him that letting his twin sister speak would lead to major trouble.
Madam Xiao said, "Speak."
Shao Shang smiled inwardly and slightly turned her body. "Lian Fang, come here. Do you know where you went wrong?"
Lian Fang scrambled over on her knees, weeping. "Yes... it was this servant acting on her own initiative..."
"Actually, I quite like people who take initiative," Shao Shang said with a laugh, leaving everyone in the hall dumbfounded. Madam Xiao felt a surge of distaste—she had always despised this kind of glib talk.
"Taking initiative depends on what kind of initiative it is. Those who only do exactly as they're told might as well be blocks of wood," Shao Shang continued leisurely. In the terms of her era, this was called "subjective initiative." But Lian Fang was already stunned.
"For example, if I told you to buy fermented bean sauce at the East Market—"
Cheng Shao Gong couldn't resist interjecting, "The East Market doesn't sell fermented bean sauce."
"Shaogong!"
"Shaogong, shut up!"
—Madam Xiao and Cheng Yong both scolded him simultaneously. Sang Shi tried not to laugh, biting back her amusement.
Ignoring them, Shao Shang chuckled and went on, "For example, if I told you to buy fermented bean sauce, here are the things you could decide for yourself: which route to take, which shop to go to, which batch of sauce looks the best. Or, as Third Brother pointed out, if you found the East Market doesn't sell it, you shouldn't just come back to me with an empty jar. That won't do—you should find another place to buy it. These are all things you can decide on your own. But what you can't decide for yourself? If you can't find the sauce, you can't substitute it with vinegar. You can't pour half the jar for someone else, and you certainly can't decide whether I need to buy fermented bean sauce or not. Do you understand?" In the terms of her era, this was called "exercising subjective initiative."
It took Lian Fang a long moment to process this. Tears welling in her eyes, she cried out, "This servant will definitely buy fermented bean sauce properly from now on... no, I mean, serve Young Lady well, serve Young Lady properly...!"
Sang Shi covered her face with her sleeves, muffling her laughter. Madam Xiao twitched at the corners of her mouth, suppressing her displeasure. Madam Qing Cong, kneeling behind Madam Xiao to soothe her, struggled to keep her own expression neutral.
Cheng Yang was also stunned, her mind spinning with thoughts of "fermented bean sauce," still not fully grasping Shao Shang's meaning. Changpu kept her head bowed, pretending ignorance, while Mother Fu's expression had already darkened. Across the room, Cheng Yong and his brothers couldn't help but smile faintly.
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Lian Fang kowtowed so hard her forehead thudded against the floor. Shao Shang quickly stopped her, patting her shoulder with a laugh. "I like clever people. But you need to learn when to be clever and when not to be. Later, go to Qing Yimu and accept your punishment. I've never punished anyone before, so I don't know what's appropriate."
A junior high school dropout still lacking experience. Shao Shang waved for her to leave. Lian Fang, still sniffling, knelt by the corridor and kowtowed once more before retreating. Shao Shang then turned and beckoned toward someone behind Cheng Yang. "Changpu, come here. I have something to ask you."
Changpu seemed thoroughly startled, trembling as she shuffled forward, the picture of timidity.The three brothers were displeased. Though young, they had been trained by their parents from childhood, having encountered cruel villains and interrogated cunning spies, even assisting their father from the sidelines in military preparations. A maid who could stir up such trouble was no simpleton—why put on an act? And with Mother Fu—one bold and sharp-tongued, the other feigning ignorance—the Ge family had indeed sent a pair of useful helpers.
If they couldn’t even see through such pretense, they’d have wasted Madam Xiao’s years of upbringing!
“Changpu, let me ask you,” Shao Shang said with a smile. “When Lian Fang saw that my cousin wasn’t present and tried to move the desk back, you stopped her. But Lian Fang had several strong maids with her—you alone couldn’t have held them back. So you called over a dozen of your little sisters to surround them. At that time, what exactly did you say to them? Was it ‘Don’t let them take the desk the Eldest Young Master gave to the Fourth Young Lady,’ or ‘They’re trying to steal our Young Lady’s desk—stop them!’?”
Mother Fu’s heart sank. ‘How sharp,’ she thought—this question struck right at the heart of the matter.
“I, I…” This time, Changpu wasn’t pretending to be slow—she genuinely didn’t know how to answer.
Shao Shang’s smile vanished. Coldly, she said, “Such a trivial matter has now disturbed the entire household. At its core, isn’t it because Mother thought I had stolen my cousin’s desk? Had someone just called out ‘It’s a misunderstanding,’ none of this would have happened. Changpu, you fainted and couldn’t explain, but those dozen or so sisters of yours who surrounded and beat Lian Fang didn’t faint. Were they deceived by you, or did they know the truth and let the misunderstanding stand?”
Madam Xiao closed her eyes and sighed inwardly.
With her sharpness, how could she not see that the Mother Fu and maids around Cheng Yang were deeply problematic? But now wasn’t the time to act. Ge Shi had just been expelled, leaving her children humiliated. Cheng Yang had only recently begun learning household management and had just started to establish authority. For now, Madam Xiao intended to preserve Cheng Yang’s dignity—she could deal with these troublesome servants later.
“Using a mere desk to drive a wedge between blood relatives—this crime must be borne either by you or by those dozen maids. Choose.” Shao Shang stared at her calmly.
Changpu broke into a cold sweat, unable to utter a word. She knew this accusation couldn’t be brushed off with something as light as ‘acting on her own initiative.’
Cheng Yang turned deathly pale. “No, that’s not… it can’t be… how could this…?” She was utterly distraught, her mind in chaos, not even knowing what she was saying.
Sang Shi lowered her head with a faint smile. Madam Qing Cong was stunned, unconsciously stopping her efforts to soothe Madam Xiao. The three Cheng brothers watched their youngest sister’s composure and compared it to Cheng Yang’s panic, feeling an inexplicable surge of pride.
Madam Xiao sighed inwardly. In terms of wit and quick thinking, Cheng Yang couldn’t hold a candle to Niao Niao. Today’s incident had erupted suddenly—Shao Shang likely hadn’t known beforehand. Yet in just these short moments, she had grasped the crux of the matter and turned the situation around.
“Enough pressure,” Madam Xiao said sternly. “You dealt with Lian Fang yourself. Let Cheng Yang handle her own servants.”
“Fine, as Mother wishes.” Shao Shang shrugged with an indifferent smile.Madam Xiao couldn't stand her casual attitude and said displeasedly, "The servants' mistakes end here. The desk is just a small matter, it can go to anyone. You sisters must maintain harmony from now on, don't let any discord arise."
Shao Shang nodded with a grin, not taking it seriously at all. However, Cheng Yong and Cheng Shao Gong felt quite uncomfortable, and even the usually carefree Cheng Song felt a vague tightness in his chest.
The matter could have ended there, but upon hearing Madam Xiao's words, Mother Fu seemed to have found support and suddenly wailed, "Thank you, Female Lord, for speaking up for our Young Lady. Our Young Lady isn't as clever as Fourth Miss, nor as quick-tongued—she's an honest soul, as you well know. The words Fourth Miss just said—oh my! Not only could our Young Lady never think of them herself, she couldn't even recite them if they were written down for her! Fourth Miss has three full brothers to back her up, while our poor Young Lady is weak, with only one little brother who can't even speak properly yet! We servants can't help but worry, fearing every day that someone might bully our Young Lady, always striving to get her fair share of everything Fourth Miss has—that's why we made this mistake...!"
Shao Shang narrowed her eyes, realizing she had overestimated this old woman. She'd thought her clever, but it turned out she didn't know when to stop. Fine, if you won't let it go, then neither will I.
Sang Shi suddenly straightened and said coldly, "You old crone, what vulgar nonsense are you spouting? Who said Yangyang is being bullied? What are you implying? The Cheng brothers are flesh and blood, as close as one for decades, never divided. Are you trying to sow discord among the Cheng family? Who taught you this—the Ge family? I'll have to ask them properly!"
Mother Fu abruptly stopped crying, immediately realizing she'd made a grave mistake. She could say Cheng Yang was simple and easily wronged, but she should never have dragged the young masters into it. Quick to react, she began kowtowing frantically, admitting her error.
Madam Xiao also frowned, thinking this nursemaid absolutely couldn't stay. Having managed household affairs since age six, she knew everything. These days while taking Yangyang around, servants had only been more attentive to her—how could they slight her? Clearly, this nursemaid was stirring trouble.
Cheng Yong straightened and angrily rebuked, "Impudent hag! How dare you comment on your masters' affairs! Guards—"
"Enough!" Madam Xiao cut him off. "This ends here!"
Shao Shang waited, expecting Madam Xiao to punish the nursemaid, only to hear this. She smiled wryly to herself—seems she could only rely on herself after all.
"Mother. Do you think what this old woman just said was right?" she asked calmly.
Madam Xiao, eager to end this chaotic situation, snapped, "Will you all never stop!"
"Right is right, wrong is wrong. If this old woman's words were right, then my brothers and I would truly be guilty of bullying our cousin. If they were wrong, please punish her immediately to set the record straight!" Shao Shang gazed steadily at Madam Xiao.
Madam Xiao, already at the peak of anger after repeated frustrations today, said grimly, "How dare you defy me!"
At these words, Madam Qing Cong was startled, and Sang Shi also looked at her sister-in-law in surprise.
"Mother!" Cheng Yong exclaimed loudly. The charge of defiance and unfiliality was extremely serious—once confirmed, his younger sister would be beyond redemption.Cheng Song looked at Madam Xiao in disbelief, while Cheng Shao Gong was also filled with disappointment, his voice trembling as he said, "Mother, isn’t Shao Shang your daughter? That old woman just spouted such rebellious words, yet you didn’t punish her. Instead, you’re speaking so harshly to Shao Shang?"
Madam Xiao realized she had misspoken in her anger and turned her head away, sitting in silence.
Shao Shang sneered inwardly.
The hall was vast and high-ceilinged, with martial maids standing solemnly outside the door, swords hanging at their waists. Earlier, while she was writing, Madam Xiao had sent such cold, intimidating martial maids to drag her here without explanation, not even allowing her to bring A Zhu. Then, she had immediately launched into a fierce interrogation. This courtroom-like setup would have terrified an ordinary young girl, but having once been half a troublemaker herself—back when her gang leader’s boyfriend had three pool cues broken over him in a pool hall without her batting an eye—she wasn’t fazed in the least today!
Though she was the legitimate daughter of the Cheng family head, her position in the household was far from secure. If she didn’t go all out today, she would be suppressed for life, forever cowering and unable to turn things around. She was not one to endure humiliation quietly!
Her mind made up, Shao Shang turned to Mother Fu with a cold laugh and said sharply, "If Father heard what you just said, he could have you flayed alive piece by piece. Do you believe that?" At the mention of Cheng Shi, Mother Fu trembled like a sieve.
"Mother refuses to reprimand you, and you know why. It’s not for the sake of a foolish old woman like you who thinks she’s clever—it’s to save face for my cousin," Shao Shang said, enunciating each word. "If you think my brothers favor me unfairly, don’t be upset. After all, Mother favors my cousin, doesn’t she?"
"Niao Niao!" Madam Qing Cong exclaimed, her eyes filled with alarm.
Madam Xiao’s face darkened like still water. "Let her speak."
Cheng Yong sensed trouble and tried to intervene, but it was too late.
Shao Shang continued, "Mother just said that a servant’s mistakes shouldn’t be blamed on their Young Lady. Well said. So, when Lian Fang, who has only been by my side for a few dozen days, made a mistake, Mother didn’t even bother to clarify the facts before dragging me here to scold me, certain it must be my fault. But when Changpu, who has served my cousin for over ten years, makes a mistake, my cousin remains completely blameless. Tell me, why is that?"
Mother Fu’s mouth gaped open, but no sound came out. She had only dragged the three young masters into this to muddy the waters and escape blame, but this Fourth Young Lady was even fiercer—she had directly implicated her own mother.
"It’s because Mother loves my cousin," Shao Shang clapped her left hand against her right, her smile icy. "My mother is both cultured and martial, wise and capable. Even if my three brothers were multiplied tenfold, they still wouldn’t compare to her. So, don’t worry about your Young Lady. With my mother protecting her, no one in the Cheng Residence would dare challenge her!"
"Outrageous!" Madam Xiao suppressed her anger. "Are you blaming me now?"
Shao Shang turned back, smiling faintly. "Mother, after ten years apart, the first time you spoke to me seriously, you told me, ‘Speak plainly. What’s the point of lies and empty words?’ I remembered that clearly and haven’t forgotten a word. Now that you find the truth unpleasant, do you want me to start lying?"
Madam Xiao’s fury surged, and she stood up sternly, pointing and shouting, "You wretched— Someone, come—"
Knowing his mother was about to explode, Cheng Yong rushed forward and clung to her legs, pleading, "Mother, it’s all my fault! I was careless and caused this mess, making you so angry. It’s entirely my wrongdoing! Niao Niao is still young and was never properly taught. Please don’t blame her!"Madam Xiao grew even more furious hearing her son repeatedly speak up for Shao Shang. Venting her anger, she said, "You know very well! If you had just sent out two writing desks back then, wouldn't everything have been—"
"Three," Cheng Shao Gong suddenly interjected coldly. "We needed three writing desks. Weiwei was also practicing her writing. Mother only has eyes for our cousin, even forgetting about Weiwei."
Madam Xiao froze, her struggling legs stilling as she pointed at Cheng Shao Gong. "You..." Meeting her third son's dissatisfied gaze, her heart chilled. For the first time in her life, all her sons were united against her, and she suddenly felt besieged on all sides.
Sang Shi quickly stepped in to mediate, smiling as she said, "Weiwei has only just started writing a few characters—why would she need a writing desk? It's just a trivial household matter, no need for such tension."
Cheng Yong knelt at Madam Xiao's feet, kowtowing repeatedly. "This is all my fault. Punish me, Mother."
Madam Xiao trembled with rage. "Fine, fine! Then I will punish you, I will—"
"—Why should Eldest Brother be punished?" Shao Shang suddenly spoke up.
Cheng Yong broke into a sweat, turning to shout, "Enough out of you!"
"No, I must speak."
Shao Shang knelt ramrod straight, her slender shoulders as fragile as butterfly wings, as if the slightest touch would shatter her. The pale sunlight streaming through the doorway seemed to dissolve her into the light itself. Her snow-white, childish face was devoid of color, her expression icy, her voice like frozen shards.
"Mother may punish me, but not Eldest Brother, because he has done nothing wrong."
"Why did Eldest Brother give only me a writing desk? It's because I'm uncouth and unlearned. Eldest Brother took pity on me and gave me his beloved desk, hoping I wouldn't lose heart and would study hard. It's not as if he deliberately had only one new desk made, leaving out our cousin. What fault is Eldest Brother guilty of?"
The hall fell into silence, save for Cheng Yang's soft sobbing.
"Mother, the characters I can write now number fewer than a hundred, the books I've read fewer than ten volumes—and all of them children's primers. As for our cousin, she's already learned all she ought to, and what she hasn't, you're teaching her now. Mother, do you even remember how old I am this year? I'll be of age next year."
Madam Qing Cong didn't realize her own eyes had grown moist. Yet the girl kneeling at the center shed not a single tear, so stubborn and proud, her slender back unbending. Qing Cong had always stood by Madam Xiao's side in all matters, but this time, she found herself wanting to stand with the girl.
"If there's one piece of flatbread that can't be divided, and two people before you—one starving to death, the other already seven-tenths full—Mother, who would you give the bread to? Or would you tell the starving one, 'For fairness' sake, endure a little longer. When I have two pieces, I'll give one to each of you. How about that?'"
Cheng Yong turned his head to wipe his tears, looking back at his frail younger sister silhouetted against the light, his heart wrenched with pain.
Sang Shi stared fixedly at Shao Shang. Suddenly, she recalled a minor battle she had witnessed years ago. The opposing lord had already fallen, leaving only a handful of soldiers, yet they stubbornly refused to surrender, struggling to raise their tattered old banner high. In the end, they were annihilated, every last one fighting to the death. As the setting sun's glow lingered, only the broken flagpole remained, slanting on the earthen slope.
She felt Shao Shang was like those last soldiers—possessing a solitary courage, a kind of heartbreaking brilliance.
"Mother, will you still punish Eldest Brother? He has done no wrong."Shao Shang tilted her face slightly, quickly blinking away the moisture in her eyes before turning back with the same radiant smile.
Images of the damp bluestone paths from her hometown surfaced in her mind. Winters in the south were actually harsher than in the north—damp and cold, much like her childhood. She'd long stopped caring, yet the pain still lingered.
Author's Note: I once heard that childhood wounds are eternal. No matter how successful or brilliant you become later in life, whether you believe you've been hurt or not, this feeling stays with you forever.
It cannot be cured, but it can be overcome. So learn to be strong.
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