On the third day of the eleventh month, the weather was splendid with a rare winter sun shining brightly—a perfect day coinciding with Old Madam Shen's seventieth birthday banquet.
The entire Shen Mansion had been thoroughly cleaned, and funds from the family treasury were allocated to purchase new decorations. The banquet was naturally held in the East Courtyard, which boasted an elegant and serene environment with meticulously trimmed flower beds. The maids, dressed in neat and simple ruqun skirts, carried themselves with refined manners, each appearing delicate and well-behaved. Anyone stepping into the courtyard couldn't help but admire the dignified air of an aristocratic household.
Old Madam Shen sat in the main hall of the Hall of Glory and Scenery, receiving a steady stream of visiting noblewomen and young ladies. After all, the Shen family was a first-class military aristocratic family in Ming Qi, and officials and dignitaries naturally came to pay their respects out of courtesy. Ren Wanyun was also busy entertaining the guests.
Although Chen Ruoqiu was temporarily managing household affairs these days, Old Madam Shen's birthday celebrations had always been entirely entrusted to Ren Wanyun in previous years. Moreover, Ren Wanyun was far more adept at socializing with noblewomen than Chen Ruoqiu. While Chen Ruoqiu maintained the reserved demeanor of a scholarly family, Ren Wanyun was different—she handled interactions with grace, filling the Hall of Glory and Scenery with laughter and lively conversation.
Shen Yuanbai nestled beside Old Madam Shen, happily eating honey milk candies, while the noblewomen below took turns praising his intelligence at such a young age, predicting a bright future for him. Old Madam Shen beamed with joy, and even Ren Wanyun, whose heart had been clouded by Shen Qing's recent troubles, felt her gloom dissipate under the flattery.
Chen Ruoqiu, however, grew increasingly uncomfortable as everyone lavished praise on Shen Yuanbai and Shen Yuan, who was currently away on official duties. Among the three branches of the family, nothing stung more than discussions about sons. Everyone knew that despite being married to Shen Wan for many years, Chen Ruoqiu had only borne Shen Yue and had never produced a son. To make matters worse, Shen Wan showed no interest in other women, and Old Madam Shen's attempts to arrange concubines for him to continue the family line were all rejected. This led Old Madam Shen to resent Chen Ruoqiu, favoring Ren Wanyun instead.
"But why haven’t we seen the eldest and fifth young ladies of the Shen family today?" Madam Yi asked with a smile.
While Ren Wanyun entertained the noblewomen, Shen Yue naturally took charge of mingling with the young noble ladies, hosting them in the garden for tea and pastries. Yet, Shen Miao and Shen Qing were conspicuously absent.
At the mention of them, Ren Wanyun and Old Madam Shen's expressions darkened simultaneously, while Chen Ruoqiu curled her lips in disdain.
Shen Qing had not yet fully recovered from her ordeal. Though she could now appear in public with some composure, she repeatedly swore to tear Shen Miao to pieces. Of course, such words could not be overheard by outsiders. Ren Wanyun had spent the past days comforting Shen Qing, ensuring she didn’t entertain thoughts of suicide. As for how she comforted her, Chen Ruoqiu could easily guess—promising Shen Miao a miserable fate.
As for Shen Miao, she had somehow learned that Old Madam Shen had secretly accepted the marriage certificate from the Wei family on her behalf. From that day onward, she abandoned her previous silence and fiercely resisted, even vowing to defy the marriage or flee. Such words were outrageous to Old Madam Shen. Ren Wanyun and Old Madam Shen feared that Shen Miao’s rebellious nature was emerging, and her threats of resistance or escape were entirely plausible. However, Shen Miao absolutely could not cause trouble now—if anything happened to her, the plan to switch brides between her and Shen Qing would fail.
Thus, from the moment Shen Miao declared her defiance, Old Madam Shen and Ren Wanyun decided to lock her in the ancestral hall without hesitation. The ancestral hall was located in the southwesternmost courtyard of the Shen Mansion, where no one usually ventured. The number of guards stationed outside was doubled, and the maids from the West Courtyard—including Shen Miao’s four personal attendants—had their indentures seized by Old Madam Shen, held tightly in her grasp.
The unspoken message was clear: if Shen Miao made even the slightest move, these maids would be the first to suffer.
So, for days, Shen Miao had been confined to the Shen family’s ancestral hall, forced to recite scriptures and pray. Ren Wanyun hoped this would temper her rebellious spirit and prevent any mishaps. Today, on Old Madam Shen’s birthday, they feared Shen Miao might say something shocking in public. After consulting with Old Madam Shen, they decided not to let her appear before the guests.
Thinking of Shen Miao gave Ren Wanyun a headache. Despite her years of experience in managing the household, she couldn’t fathom what was going on in the girl’s mind. If Shen Miao was truly an incompetent, how had she outmaneuvered everyone in the incident with Shen Qing? If she was calm and composed, why was she now openly flaunting her intention to escape marriage? The only solution was to lock her up.
After enjoying Ren Wanyun’s troubled expression, Chen Ruoqiu smiled and said, "Qing-jie’s health hasn’t fully recovered yet, so she won’t be joining us now. She’ll appear later during the birthday ceremony. As for Miao-jie, she’s fallen ill—her face has broken out in rashes, and she must avoid the wind. With so many young ladies here today, we wouldn’t want anyone else to catch it, so she’s resting in her room."
If they simply said Shen Miao was ill, people might grow curious and insist on seeing her. But by claiming her illness was contagious, no one would dare approach her—especially since young ladies prized their beauty and wouldn’t risk disfigurement.
Madam Jiang, Jiang Xiaoxuan’s mother, chuckled, her words laced with subtle probing: "Is that so? I thought the two young ladies were busy embroidering their dowries and didn’t want to see us. Wanyun, you must take good care of them so nothing delays their weddings." Her words immediately drew murmurs of agreement from the surrounding noblewomen.
The rumors about the Wei and Huang families’ marriage arrangements had spread like wildfire in Fixed Capital, yet the Shen family had never publicly confirmed them. This naturally aroused suspicion, and many were eager to probe further. No one was sure which young lady was to marry whom, so today, Madam Jiang took the opportunity to test the waters and see if the widely discussed marriage would indeed take place.
Ren Wanyun’s eyes flickered as she grasped Madam Jiang’s intent. She smiled and replied, "What nonsense! Even if they were busy embroidering wedding gowns, they would still come out to show filial piety on Old Madam’s birthday. It’s truly unfortunate that both girls fell ill—otherwise, they would never miss the chance to greet all of you."
Her words, both deflecting and confirming, subtly acknowledged the existence of the marriage arrangements.
The noblewomen present were all seasoned in household politics and immediately understood Ren Wanyun’s implication. Congratulations soon poured in, and Old Madam Shen stroked Shen Yuanbai’s head with a doting smile, creating a scene of perfect harmony between host and guests.
Meanwhile, in the garden of Autumn Water Court, a group of young noblewomen gathered around a stone table, playing chess and leaf cards while chatting and laughing over pastries.
"Speaking of which, Yue-er," Jiang Xiaoxuan said, "we haven’t seen your elder and younger sisters at all today. Are they really ill?"
"They truly are," Shen Yue replied, her eyes feigning concern. "Elder Sister’s condition has been improving, but Fifth Sister’s rash is quite severe—even her maids have caught it. That’s why," she lowered her voice, "you haven’t seen any of their attendants around today."
"No wonder," Bai Wei said, suddenly understanding. "There are so many guards outside the West Courtyard, and no one’s allowed in or out. The servants must be afraid of spreading the illness. Didn’t Teacher Pei at the academy say that in plague-stricken areas, the sick are isolated to prevent the disease from spreading?"
"Exactly," Shen Yue agreed.
Yi Peilan shuddered and rubbed her shoulders. "How terrifying. I hope we don’t catch it."
"Don’t worry," Shen Yue reassured her with a smile. "As long as we stay away from the West Courtyard, we’ll be fine. Look, I haven’t caught it either."
"You’re so tolerant, living with a sister like that," Yi Peilan scoffed. "This Shen Miao is like a walking disaster—always causing trouble."
Nearby, Feng Anning’s eyes flashed with anger, but she suppressed it, muttering under her breath, "I wonder if this is meant to make people hate Shen Miao or hate her even more. Such hypocrisy."
She was, of course, referring to Shen Yue.
Beside Feng Anning, Qin Qing snorted coldly, her expression haughty but her gaze equally disdainful toward Shen Yue.
The two of them—Feng Anning, who had recently formed a friendship with Shen Miao, and Qin Qing, whose beauty and pride made her Shen Yue’s rival at the Hall of Extensive Learning—had been sidelined by Shen Yue’s hosting duties. By sheer coincidence, they ended up sitting together.
"Who knows if she’s really sick," Qin Qing said bluntly, never one to hide her contempt for Shen Yue. Hearing this, Feng Anning immediately perked up. "So you think so too? Should we go see Shen Miao?"
"I have no ties with her. Go by yourself if you want," Qin Qing refused without hesitation, then added, "But the West Courtyard is off-limits now to prevent the rash from spreading. You probably won’t get in anyway."
"How unfair!" Feng Anning fumed. "She’s also Old Madam Shen’s granddaughter. Why can’t she attend the birthday banquet? Locking her up in the West Courtyard is no different from imprisoning her!"
"Best not to meddle in others’ affairs," Qin Qing said, glancing at Feng Anning. "It has nothing to do with us."
Feng Anning bit her lip in frustration but couldn’t argue further. She could only glare resentfully at Shen Yue, who was surrounded by admirers, laughing and chatting.
Meanwhile, unnoticed in the shadows, a figure darted through the bushes and vanished.
The northwestern corner of the Shen Mansion was a desolate courtyard, overgrown with weeds and abandoned due to its poor location. Aside from the occasional bird or stray cat, no one ever visited.
Today, however, a few figures stood beneath the wall.
The leader stood with his back to the garden, arms crossed, deep in thought. One of his subordinates spoke up: "Master, when I passed the East Courtyard, I heard the West Courtyard is heavily guarded."
Another added, "I’ve scouted the area. The West Courtyard only has guards at the entrance—none inside. But the ancestral hall is surrounded by experts. Could it be…"
"A feint," the leader said, turning to reveal a handsome face. "The target is the ancestral hall."
Author's Note:
My goodness, we had a power outage from yesterday until now, so this update is a bit short. I’ll make it up with a longer one tomorrow! (:3」∠)
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