In the hall, some whispered among themselves, while others curiously stole glances at the expressions of the Shen family. After an awkward silence, Shen Han slowly walked to the center of the hall, bowed deeply to the assembled guests, and said, "I am ashamed. I failed to discern properly in choosing a son-in-law, leading to today's events and troubling all you distinguished guests to take time from your busy schedules, only to witness such a scene. The wedding is hereby canceled. I have no face to continue imposing on you all and will visit another day to offer my apologies."
With that, he turned and hurriedly retreated to the rear courtyard. Seeing that Shen Han had clearly abandoned any defense of him, Fu Junyi felt utterly despaired. Unable to bear the mocking stares of the onlookers, he hung his head in disgrace and shuffled toward the door, hoping to push through the crowd and leave. Unexpectedly, the person blocking his path was Zhenzhen. Without looking up properly, he muttered a low "excuse me" and reached out to move her aside. Zhenzhen sneered, "Trying to slip away just like that?" Then, with a swift elbow strike to his chest, she caught Fu Junyi off guard, sending him stumbling backward several steps.
This retreat caused him to bump into Fengxian, who was standing to the side. A flicker of anger flashed in Fengxian's eyes, and before Fu Junyi could turn to look at her, she lifted her foot and kicked him, sending the unprepared Fu Junyi sprawling face-down in the middle of the hall.
Before Fu Junyi could even regain his senses, he had suffered two consecutive blows. Lying on the ground, dizzy and gasping for breath, he saw a cloud-like swirl of crimson satin skirt drift before his eyes.
Yingge leaned over him and said softly, "You brought me to this point, and without even a word of apology or admission of wrongdoing, you think you can just run away?"
Fu Junyi raised his head to look at her, intending to call her name tenderly and try to coax her again. However, as soon as the syllable "Ying" left his lips, a sharp, bright slap landed squarely on his face, the sound ringing out with exceptional clarity. After a moment of silence, the people in the hall burst into applause, cheering and calling out praise to Yingge for delivering the slap.
For a moment, Fu Junyi was at a loss, simply covering the stinging side of his face and staring blankly at Yingge. Yingge raised her hand to strike the other side, but then heard a woman's gentle voice behind her advising, "Don't hit his face anymore... be careful, your hand might hurt."
Yingge looked back and saw that the speaker was Feng Jing. Originally in the kitchen leading the palace attendants in preparing the banquet, Feng Jing had come to the hall with several attendants to investigate after hearing the commotion and receiving word from Madam Shen that the wedding feast was suspended. They had witnessed the scene of Fu Junyi's exposure.
Feng Jing calmly looked back at a palace attendant behind her who was still holding a rolling pin, having been making noodles earlier. The young woman understood, called out to Yingge, and tossed the rolling pin to her.
Yingge caught it, raised the wooden rod, and struck Fu Junyi heavily on the back, knocking the would-be top scholar, who was trying to get up, flat on the ground again. Fu Junyi let out a howl of pain. Seeing Yingge raise the rod once more, he didn't even have time to stand up, but instead curled up and rolled to one side, covering his head. Yingge struck again toward where he had dodged. Remembering past grievances and his earlier unrepentant attempt to shift blame, Yingge was overcome with grief and fury. With reddened eyes, she raised the wooden rod and struck the faithless man again and again in full view of everyone.
As Fu Junyi cried out in pain and appeared utterly disheveled, the onlookers' cheers rose and fell. Only Pei Shangshi frowned and shook her head, saying, "What a farce!"
Hearing what seemed like a tone of reproach, Feng Jing couldn't help but feel uneasy, reflecting on whether she and the palace attendants had acted improperly and whether punishing the top scholar like this might implicate the Director of Palace Food and lead to punishment from the Emperor. But then she heard Pei Shangshi sigh leisurely and say, "What a pity, what a pity. This rolling pin was made from wood I carefully selected. Now that you've recklessly used it to beat someone's clothes, can it still be used in the future?"Although the wedding banquet was canceled, Pei Shangshi still methodically arranged for the palace attendants to clean up the ingredients and kitchenware, thoroughly tidying the Shen residence’s kitchen before respectfully going to bid farewell to Shen Han and his wife.
Having witnessed the incident involving Fu Junyi, Lady Shen was so enraged that she felt a sharp pain in her chest and retired to her room early to rest. Thus, before Pei Shangshi returned to the palace, only Shen Han was present to see her off.
Shen Han still refused to believe that Pei Shangshi had merely coincidentally brought Yun Yinge’s property deed. As their eyes met, he could not help but speak bluntly: "If you had any dissatisfaction with me, you could have voiced your criticisms when we met earlier. Today was originally my daughter’s joyous occasion, with guests filling the hall. Yet you arrived with your attendants fully prepared, causing such a scene. How am I to face the Emperor and my colleagues in the future?"
Pei Shangshi replied calmly, "The Councilor truly values his official career. Instead of being grateful that your daughter narrowly escaped disaster and avoided falling into a tiger’s den, you worry about your own reputation in the official circles."
Shen Han retorted angrily, "How could I not care about my own daughter? If you had known about Fu Junyi’s actions beforehand, you could have informed me. I would have handled it appropriately. But by exposing his deeds publicly at the wedding, this matter will surely spread throughout the capital, turning Rou Ran into a subject of gossip and ridicule."
"The one who chose to make it public was your daughter," Pei Shangshi stated coolly, stating the fact. "She learned the truth beforehand but did not inform you. Instead, she meticulously arranged for Yun Yinge to impersonate the bride. On one hand, she wanted to startle Fu Junyi into revealing his flaws, with all the guests as witnesses. On the other hand, she knew all too well that if she had told you first, you, eager to secure a top graduate of the imperial examination as a son-in-law, might have suppressed the matter, treated it as if it never happened, and still married her off to that wolf-hearted man."
Shen Han shook his head repeatedly, saying, "This is merely your speculation." Yet he offered no detailed rebuttal.
"Before Yingge revealed Fu Junyi’s plot to harm her, you even tried to persuade your daughter to complete the wedding, likely believing that a man’s fickleness or betrayal was insignificant—nothing more than youthful frivolity, harmless in the grand scheme. A smooth official career and bright prospects were what truly mattered." Pei Shangshi sighed. "The dynasty esteems scholars. Once the examination results are announced, the people vie for the ‘green-robed gentlemen,’ and even you, Councilor, are not immune to this trend. But these classics of sages—even if one can recite them, it does not mean they are truly taken to heart. How many demons and monsters, cloaked in green robes, disguise themselves as talented scholars and loyal ministers, rising swiftly through the ranks. If someone like Fu Junyi is allowed to conceal his crimes and roam free, at best he will ruin the lives of virtuous young women, and at worst, he will exploit his status as a top graduate to harm the state and bring calamity upon the people. The world often says to marry a virtuous wife, but when selecting capable ministers for the state through the imperial examination, aside from testing the candidates’ knowledge, is there any good method to also assess their character?"
Shen Han fell silent. Finally, he forced an awkward smile. "You truly live up to being a distinguished figure in the palace. Having served by the side of two generations of rulers, your insight far surpasses that of ordinary people. No wonder you now hold such a high position and are particularly favored by the Emperor."
"You flatter me, Councilor. In the end, I am merely a maidservant who cooks. Though I have trained in the palace for many years, whether in insight, status, or the special regard of the ruler, I cannot hope to match you. Thinking about it now, the only thing I might compare with you is..."Upon returning to the Bureau of Palace Provisions, the palace attendants continued to surround Yingge, asking endless questions, and recounting the matter of Fu Junyi to those attendants and junior eunuchs who had not attended the Shen residence, chattering and laughing incessantly. Only Fengxian did not join the discussions; even while performing kitchen duties, she seemed lost in thought, sometimes requiring Zhenzhen to call her name twice before she would respond.
Zhenzhen shared a room with her. When Zhenzhen returned at night, she saw Fengxian facing away, examining something by the dim lamplight in the room. Silently, Zhenzhen crept up behind her and discovered that Fengxian was looking at a letter. Seized by a childish impulse, Zhenzhen suddenly snatched the letter from Fengxian’s hand and teased, “Who sent this letter to you, sister?”
Fengxian was greatly flustered, leaping up to snatch it back. Zhenzhen did not resist seriously, allowing her to reclaim the letter. Seeing Fengxian blush as she carefully folded the letter, Zhenzhen leaned closer and asked, “It doesn’t seem like this letter is from your family. Could it be from some junior eunuch with improper intentions…”
“Don’t talk nonsense,” Fengxian immediately denied. Seeing Zhenzhen persist with her questioning, Fengxian hesitated for a moment before whispering, “The person who wrote this letter is Zhao Huaiyu.”
Zhenzhen was taken aback, only then recalling that she had seen Zhao Huaiyu from afar among the wedding guests that day. As the second-place presented scholar of the same year, he had also been invited. However, at the time, she had been focused entirely on Yingge and Fu Junyi’s actions and had not paid him much attention.
“Did you speak with him today?” Zhenzhen asked Fengxian.
Fengxian shook her head slightly. “With so many people watching, how could we…? It was only when the guests were dispersing and I was about to return to the kitchen that he hurried past me, seemingly bumping into my arm by accident. Then, pretending to bow in apology, he discreetly handed me the letter.”
Zhenzhen’s curiosity burned fiercely, and she repeatedly asked Fengxian what he had written. Fengxian replied lightly, “Nothing much. He only said he was about to leave the capital to take up his post in Xinzhou.”
“Most newly appointed presented scholars are sent to serve in various prefectures for a few years. With his talent, it’s likely that The Emperor will summon him back to the capital for an official position before long,” Zhenzhen mused, then smiled. “He’s telling you to take care and wait for his return.”
Fengxian remained silent, recalling the final words Zhao Huaiyu had whispered to her before parting, which she had kept to herself: “Though Pengshan is far, I will journey upstream to reach it.”
“Zhao Huaiyu is a very fine man,” Zhenzhen analyzed with a smile. “He comes from a noble family, is exceptionally learned, has a promising future, and even knows how to cook. He’s worthy of entrusting your life to.”
“Yes, he is a very fine man,” Fengxian affirmed. After speaking, she suddenly picked up the letter and held it to the lamp, allowing the flame to lick the page. Once it had burned to ashes, she released her fingers, letting the last fragment of white paper, still encircled by fire, drift to the ground and transform into a black butterfly.
Zhenzhen watched in astonishment and asked, puzzled, “He went to such trouble to get this letter to you. Why not keep it as a memento?”
Fengxian shook her head resolutely. “Our statuses are different now. As palace attendants, we cannot have any contact with men outside the palace. If this letter were seen by others in the future, it could easily become a calamity, providing concrete evidence of illicit communication.”The matter of Fu Junyi indeed spread throughout the capital, and soon censorial officials came forward to impeach him, enumerating his various misdeeds and crimes. The Emperor promptly issued an edict, stripping Fu Junyi of his scholarly honors and sending him back to Mingzhou. Meanwhile, Yun Yinge's father also filed a lawsuit in Mingzhou, formally accusing Fu Junyi of attempting to murder his daughter. The eunuch sent to Mingzhou to report on Fu Junyi's case did not forget to remind the prefect that this was a matter that had alarmed The Emperor. The prefect of Mingzhou understood perfectly and promised to uphold the law impartially. Clearly, Fu Junyi was about to face imprisonment.
The Emperor expressed no displeasure at the actions of the women from the Bureau of Palace Provisions that day and even instructed Pei Shangshi to comfort Yingge. Despite this, the Palace Discipline Officer conveyed to Pei Shangshi the Empress Dowager's slight dissatisfaction: although Fu Junyi was guilty, he still held scholarly honors at the time and was in the residence of a high-ranking official. The palace attendants beating Fu Junyi could be considered a violation of palace regulations. Those attendants, coming from common backgrounds, retained a bit of untamed wildness, so their actions were not entirely surprising. However, Pei Shangshi not only failed to restrain them but also allowed them to beat him, which was truly inappropriate.
Pei Shangshi bowed in acknowledgment of the reprimand and requested punishment from the Palace Discipline Officer. Yet the officer smiled and said, "The Director is a palace attendant of two reigns and naturally understands all the principles she should. The Empress Dowager has no intention of holding you accountable; she merely offers a gentle reminder, hoping the Director will think twice before acting in the future."
The Emperor usually did not interfere with personnel matters in Cifu Palace, and the Empress Dowager similarly rarely involved herself in affairs of the inner palace, always treating those around the Emperor with courtesy and respect. This time, however, she had asked the Palace Discipline Officer to convey a message, indicating that the Empress Dowager was truly displeased but refrained from imposing punishment out of consideration for The Emperor's face.
Pei Shangshi responded deferentially to the Palace Discipline Officer, reverting to her usual demeanor of lowered brows, subdued speech, and hidden sharpness.
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