Deep in the quiet alley, Yuan Shen stood for a while longer, only boarding the carriage slowly when urged by the pageboy and coachman. After another bumpy journey, they arrived at Jinyang Lane, where the noble clans resided, just as the evening cooking smoke began to rise.
The Yuan residence was an ancient mansion built over several generations. Over a dozen towering trees, planted according to astrological positions, had long grown into ancient giants. Their robust branches, laden with thick snow, stretched across the sky, enveloping the entire estate in vast and profound silence.
As a child, Yuan Shen often felt afraid walking here, even with an old servant leading the way with a lantern. But his mother told him: The things in this world won’t stop happening just because you’re afraid. The moon is rarely full, and people are rarely perfect—you must learn to accept the way of the world.
Now, he was no longer afraid.
Returning to his quarters, a kind-faced elderly woman greeted him with a smile. “Young master, you’ve finally returned. Going out so early in the morning, you must be freezing.” She then directed the maids to help Yuan Shen change and serve him hot soup.
“What is Mother doing?” Yuan Shen warmed his hands with a steaming towel before asking.
The old woman seemed slightly surprised. “The mistress is still burning incense and praying. Does the young master need her for something?” The mother and son usually only saw each other once every few days.
Yuan Shen paused briefly. “Tell Mother not to overexert herself. She should rest early.”
There was nothing urgent. He just wanted to tell his mother that he had recently met a young girl. They had only met three times, yet twice she had fled in a panic.
He also wanted to tell her that from their first meeting, he felt they were alike. Even amidst brilliant lights and joyous reunions, they still preferred to linger at the edges of the crowd, walking alone in solitude. At the slightest disturbance, their first instinct was self-preservation, questioning others’ intentions—never venturing into danger without certainty of retreat.
Leaning back against the hidden cushion, Yuan Shen placed another scalding towel over his face and smiled faintly. This time, she should obediently deliver the message, shouldn’t she?
…
This time, he wasn’t mistaken. Shao Shang didn’t dare delay any longer.
If this had happened to someone like the model student who grew up as class president and top achiever, they might have indignantly protested, “Who are you to order me around and threaten me?” But Shao Shang, the aspiring troublemaker, thought nothing of it. Since when did bullies need a reason? If even socialist towns were like this, what more of a feudal society?
She had thrived in gray areas for so long without ever leaving a critical weakness exposed, all by knowing when to stand firm and when to yield—and fleeing at the first sign of trouble. Distinguishing who could be provoked and who couldn’t was how she had managed to turn her life around so cleanly. Unlike the naive girl who, in a moment of recklessness, was tricked into acting as a lookout for thieves—had her parents not scraped together enough from washing dishes abroad to open a small restaurant and bring her over, who knows how long she’d have been entangled in that mess?
The moment she returned to the Cheng residence, Shao Shang didn’t even pause for a sip of water before rushing to Sang Shi’s chambers. There, she found Sang Shi carefully shaving Cheng Zhi’s beard with a small silver knife, a basin of hot water and soap paste beside them, along with a jar of moisturizing cream. As the blade glided, the old married couple exchanged sweet nothings, their affectionate banter both tender and amusing.
One said: “Madam, your fingertips against my face are as soft as spring buds.”
The other teased: “Keep laughing, and I’ll nick your cheek. Then your husband’s mother would weep enough to topple the city walls!”One was saying, "Every part of me belongs to my lady. Not just shaving my face—if my lady wishes to embroider flowers, I’d gladly comply. This humble one is entirely at your disposal..."
Shao Shang felt so disgusted she wanted to turn and leave immediately. But remembering Yuan Shen, that persistent creditor, she feared that if she didn’t deliver the message soon, he might come up with some new scheme. Gritting her teeth, she turned back, this time deliberately stomping her feet loudly to startle the middle-aged lovebirds inside.
"I have something to discuss with Aunt. Please excuse us, Uncle," she said with a solemn expression.
Cheng Zhi grabbed a hot towel to cover his face and snapped, "Excuse what? Can’t you see your elders are busy? Whatever it is, can’t it wait?" This tactless brat!
Sang Shi chuckled and poked her husband’s forehead before warmly pulling Shao Shang closer. "Ignore him. What is it, Niao Niao? Go ahead."
Shao Shang kept shaking her head, insisting Cheng Zhi leave. Though he initially resisted, Cheng Zhi was about to step out when Sang Shi stopped him. "Just say it, Niao Niao. There’s nothing about me your Uncle doesn’t know," she said, already guessing the gist of the matter.
"You really want me to say it? Fine, I will!" Seeing Sang Shi so composed, Shao Shang figured it was better not to hide it from her uncle. "Lately, a man named Yuan Shen has been pestering me to pass a message to you. He spouted some nonsensical rhapsody I didn’t even catch. The gist was that an old friend misses you and begs for a word or two."
She blurted it all out in one breath, then watched Sang Shi’s reaction closely. To her surprise, Sang Shi looked utterly bewildered. "Yuan Shen? Yuan Shanjian? The eldest son of the Jiaodong Yuan Clan? Aside from that banquet, I’ve never met him before." She assumed it was someone else.
But Cheng Zhi suddenly smacked his fist into his palm. "Ah, I remember now! Isn’t Yuan Shanjian that young disciple he took in years ago? Didn’t he even brag to your elder brother about it, calling him a 'jade of rare talent' or something?"
Sang Shi let out an "Oh," her expression clearing. "So it’s him." She turned back to Shao Shang. "And then? What does he want?"
Shao Shang nearly spat blood. "Didn’t I just say it? An old friend misses you and wants a word or two... Fine, honestly, I don’t even know what he’s after. That Yuan guy just told me to pass this message and nothing else..." How annoying these ancients were—why couldn’t they just speak plainly?
Sang Shi frowned in confusion. "A word or two? What word? I haven’t seen him in over a decade... Ah... Now I remember." She turned to her husband. "Didn’t we run into him on our way back to the Capital City?... Oh, I see what he means."
With that, she pulled out a wooden slip from the desk and wrote six delicate characters on it: "Cough cured. Don’t worry." She handed it casually to Cheng Zhi. "Have someone deliver this."
Cheng Zhi took it, glanced at it, and laughed. "So that’s what this is about. Your memory... Back then, he kept nagging, and you said you’d let him know once you recovered." Without further comment, he left to arrange the delivery.
Shao Shang tugged at Sang Shi’s sleeve, stunned. "That’s it?!" Six characters solved the problem? And here she’d been tangled up with that Yuan Shen for so long, nearly causing a bloodbath! "You didn’t even write a salutation or signature!" If she had, Shao Shang could’ve peeked at who it was addressed to.
Sang Shi smiled sweetly. "He recognizes my handwriting. No need for names."
Shao Shang slumped weakly onto a cushion, knees drawn up, looking like a dazed little frog.She cast a resentful glance at Sang Shi: "Third Aunt, don't you want to tell me the story behind this?" Such as what that person's name was, how their romantic entanglement unfolded, and so on...
Sang Shi picked up the small silver knife, testing its edge with her fingertip: "It's a long story."
Shao Shang wasn't about to give up: "We can take our time telling it."
Sang Shi glared: "When people say 'it's a long story,' what they really mean is they don't want to talk about it."
"Fine, I won't ask then," Shao Shang conceded helplessly. She knew that despite Sang Shi's seemingly easygoing nature, she was quite firm in her decisions. She had to settle for second best: "But Aunt, you could at least tell me why that Yuan fellow didn't come to see you directly and instead went to such lengths to get a message to you."
Hearing this, Sang Shi paused with the small silver knife in her hand. After a long silence, she smiled bitterly: "...Because I once told someone, 'From now on, neither you nor your friends, relatives, disciples, or anyone else should come to see me or send me letters or gifts.' It was just a childish outburst, but that person took it to heart and kept his promise."
Shao Shang fell silent, thinking to herself that her suspicions were correct—it was indeed a messy romantic entanglement.
Noticing her prolonged silence, Sang Shi asked with a smile: "What's wrong? We're talking about my affairs, yet you're the one looking so gloomy."
Shao Shang shook her head: "I think Aunt's words were quite thorough—they practically sealed off every possible way that person could have reached out to you."
At first glance, it might have seemed like an ordinary fit of pique, but upon closer consideration, it truly cut off all direct means of contacting Sang Shi.
Moreover, since it involved an old romance, those who knew about it back then might not be willing to pass on messages—such as Sang Shi's brother. As for the rest of the Cheng family, Yuan Shen clearly didn't want his mentor's private affairs to become common knowledge. The messenger needed to be close to Sang Shi but not so close to the Cheng family that they would spill everything—which was why she had been chosen.
Truthfully, she wasn't the most suitable candidate. If Cheng Wei were older, mother-daughter communication would have been more appropriate. Unfortunately, Cheng Wei was still too young, and any misstep could backfire.
Sang Shi hadn't expected Shao Shang to say this and was momentarily wistful, thinking to herself that a woman's greatest fortune in life was never having the need to say such words. After a brief silence between aunt and niece, Sang Shi suddenly remembered something and perked up: "By the way, how did you run into that Yuan Shanjian? Where and when did you meet him?"
Shao Shang wasn't surprised by the barrage of questions and sighed: "That, too, is 'a long story.'"
Sang Shi glared at her, and Shao Shang returned an innocent look. After a moment of staring at each other, both burst into laughter.
Sang Shi shook her head: "It's fine if you don't tell me, but you'd better come up with a good excuse when your mother asks. She may seem like she's stopped keeping tabs on you, but there's no place you go or person you meet that she doesn't know about."
Shao Shang adopted a mysterious tone: "Not necessarily, not necessarily. As long as Aunt doesn't say anything, no one should know that Yuan asked me to pass on a message."
Sang Shi, being sharp, immediately pressed further: "Did the two of you meet in secret?" A look of suspicion crept onto her face.
This was exactly what Shao Shang had feared. She quickly clasped her hands in supplication: "Don't jump to conclusions, don't overthink it—there's nothing going on. If Aunt doesn't believe me, I can swear an oath—look, heaven above, earth below, if I have any private dealings with that Yuan Shen, may I...""Stop, stop!" Sang Shi quickly intervened, lightly patting Shao Shang's mouth with her hand. "You little troublemaker! Can vows be made so carelessly? Even if there was something, what's the harm? Mutual admiration between men and women is natural human sentiment, as long as proper decorum is maintained..." Seeing Shao Shang getting worked up again, she hastily added, "Alright, alright, I believe you, I believe you, okay?!"
Shao Shang glared threateningly at Sang Shi for a long moment before huffing angrily, "Uncle isn't allowed to know either, or I'll never speak to you again! Actually, it's all because of you that I got dragged into this mess!"
Unexpectedly, Sang Shi had a unique perspective: "Disaster strikes even when sitting quietly at home. In this life, unless one has no family or friends and lives completely alone, no one can avoid being implicated by others. What matters is how you handle the situation after being implicated..." She raised an eyebrow with a knowing smile, "From what I see now, you didn't handle it very well, did you? Did someone find your weak spot?"
Shao Shang's face turned green with embarrassment as she admitted dejectedly, "Exactly. I made a careless mistake. Originally, it was entirely that Yuan fellow's fault, but because I broke my promise, it became my fault too. So I decided to cut the Gordian knot and settle it quickly." In the end, it was because she still thought of herself as Yu Cailing.
Sang Shi smiled faintly. Shao Shang probably didn't realize she naturally had a look that made people want to tease her.
Seeing Sang Shi silent, Shao Shang hurriedly added, "Aunt, you absolutely mustn't tell anyone, including Uncle."
Sang Shi promised wholeheartedly, "Fine, fine, I won't say a word. If your uncle dares to speak of it, I'll kick him out of the house!" Knowing Shao Shang wasn't one for pretenses and hearing such a firm promise, Sang Shi truly believed nothing improper had occurred between them.
Over the next few days, Shao Shang remained on high alert, expecting Madam Xiao to interrogate her at any moment. To her surprise, no one came to question her?! She wondered—had the tigress dozed off? However, not everything was completely normal:
During these days, Madam Xiao would occasionally examine Shao Shang's face and figure with a worried gaze, making her skin crawl;
Cheng Shi looked at her with increasing pride, as if his grandmother's radishes had won first prize at the town vegetable fair;
Most bizarre was Cheng Yong—normally such a proper and upright person—who recently seemed somewhat evasive when meeting Shao Shang. She had wanted to ask about Yuan Shen's teacher but never got the chance.
What she didn't know was that Madam Xiao had learned about the charcoal gift that very night. She was also unaware that although no one knew about her alleyway meeting with Yuan Shen, and though both had restrained their words and actions, the sharp eyes of experienced servants were more perceptive than they imagined—
That evening after dinner, Cheng Shi was slowly explaining two volumes of court debates recorded by Wan Songbai's retainers to his eldest son, while Madam Xiao sat in the adjacent room questioning two senior managers from the warehouse about Cheng Yang's conduct. Unexpectedly, the conversation turned to Yuan Shen, immediately drawing Cheng Shi and his son over.
"...So they only exchanged these few words?" Madam Xiao frowned.
The deputy manager replied, "This old servant never left for a moment. The Young Lady and Young Master Yuan only spoke these few words—nothing more."
Madam Xiao turned her gaze to her son. Cheng Yong quickly said, "That's exactly right. I did discuss poetry with Yuan Shanjian and mentioned it to Niao Niao." Though in truth, it had only been a passing remark or two.
"What about Yang Yang?" Madam Xiao asked hesitantly. "Has she never met Young Master Yuan?"The deputy steward shook his head and said, 'I haven't seen her.' The chief steward beside him quickly added with a smile, "At that time, wasn't Third Young Lady busy with this old servant checking the goods in the back warehouse?"
Madam Xiao listened, feeling slightly disappointed.
Cheng Yong's heart skipped a beat, silently cursing himself for being a jinx—what he feared most had come to pass.
He hurriedly said, "Niao Niao behaved with proper manners, which is excellent. If there's nothing else, you two elders should go rest now." Both servants were old retainers who had followed his parents for many years, steady and reliable, only managing the warehouses now due to battlefield injuries.
Just as the two servants were about to take their leave, Madam Xiao noticed the deputy steward's hesitant smile and thoughtful expression. After a moment's consideration, she dismissed the chief steward but kept the deputy steward behind.
"Speak plainly if you have something to say," Madam Xiao said. "Was there anything improper?"
The deputy steward shook his head. "The Young Lady was perfectly proper and spoke appropriately. However, Young Master Yuan..." He couldn't help but smile. "He glanced at our Young Lady several times."
Having seen much of the world, he knew that for a reserved and proper young nobleman like Yuan Shen, the usual etiquette when meeting a young lady for the first time without formal introductions was to keep his gaze fixed a few feet ahead after the initial greeting.
Yuan Shen was amiable, nodding and smiling at the servants, but the old steward noticed his eyes kept returning to their Young Lady (actually observing Shao Shang's reactions). When the Young Lady said, "It's a fu , not a poem," his smile bloomed like a spring breeze—his genuine delight clearly went beyond mere politeness.
Cheng Shi, his son, and Madam Xiao listened, their expressions varying.
"Our Young Lady is quite charming," the deputy steward said cheerfully, like a proud grandfather delighted that his lovely granddaughter had caught someone's eye.
Madam Xiao forced a smile. "It's good that you know of this, but don't speak of it to others."
The deputy steward immediately straightened up, clasped his fists in a military salute, and replied solemnly, "This old servant understands the importance of the Young Lady's reputation. I won't breathe a word." A family's daughter might attract many suitors, but with their Young Lady's future marriage still undecided, loose talk could be damaging.
With that, he bowed and withdrew.
Cheng Shi stroked his beard with feigned composure, about to boast, but noticing his wife's furrowed brow, he said, "Why that look? Don't blame Niao Niao again. Cheng Yang was checking the goods—it's not as if Niao Niao stopped her from meeting Yuan Shanjian!"
Madam Xiao sighed weakly, realizing the lingering effects of the desk incident. Any hint of displeasure toward their daughter now made her husband and sons suspect her of favoritism. She chided him lightly, "What nonsense! How could I think such a thing?" If she felt any regret for Cheng Yang, it wasn't misplaced—but sometimes, fate simply played its hand.
Cheng Shi said smugly, "Young people, admiring beauty and all that... Ah, Yong Er, how does that saying go again?"
Cheng Yong said glumly, "To know beauty is to admire youth."
"Yes, that's the one." Cheng Shi slapped his thigh. "Alright, you may go now. Don't mention today's events to Niao Niao—no need to give the child wild ideas."
Cheng Yong acknowledged, bowed to his parents, and withdrew.Cheng Shi waited until his son had left before turning to his wife. "There's nothing to worry about. If Yuan Shen truly takes a liking to Niao Niao and comes to propose, we'll just agree. Weren't you the one who asked me to inquire about his character recently? He doesn't indulge in lust or alcohol, isn't rash or arrogant, conducts himself with integrity, and even enjoys Your Majesty's favor. In the future... he might even rise to become one of the Three Dukes... I think it's excellent. Ah, if anything, it's our family that isn't worthy of the Jiaodong Yuan Clan's noble prestige."
At this point, he sighed. "Most likely, he just noticed how beautiful Niao Niao is and took a second glance. Don't overthink it."
Having navigated official circles for years, he knew well that marriages among these aristocratic families were rarely about genuine affection—unless, like Old Madam Wan and the late Grand Duke Wan, the couple had been truly inseparable. Otherwise, matches were made based on equal social standing. To put it bluntly, if not for the chaos of these troubled times, which gave heroes from humble backgrounds like them a chance, the difference between the Yuan and Cheng families would have been as vast as the heavens and the earth.
Madam Xiao suddenly said, "I won't let Niao Niao become someone's concubine." No matter how noble the family, she wouldn't allow it.
Cheng Shi was startled. "So that's what you were thinking! We settled this long ago—we'd rather have her marry into a lesser household and live a peaceful, comfortable life." No matter what, he could still protect his daughter.
Only then did Madam Xiao smile, then raise her voice. "Husband, don't belittle yourself! What nonsense about being 'worthy' or not! The path we've walked—never oppressing the people, never killing innocents for merit, protecting the elders of our land, serving Your Majesty loyally to quell the rebellion—we've fought our way up by our own efforts, with a clear conscience before heaven and earth. What is there to pity ourselves for? Are aristocratic families eternal? Those who followed Emperor Li in his tyranny, those who backed the wrong Usurper—even if their clans weren't wiped out, they're barely clinging to life. And those who tried to stay neutral but fell victim to the wars... In just a few years, if their families don't produce offspring capable of turning things around, how will they remain standing?!"
"Well said!" Cheng Shi exclaimed loudly, his large hands gripping his wife's shoulders as he pulled her into an embrace, filled with gratitude and pride. "To have you as my wife—what more could I ask for?"
Tears glistened in Madam Xiao's eyes. In her heart, she thought: I am the truly fortunate one.
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