Shen Shaoguang rubbed her throbbing temples, staring blankly at the lakeside landscape painted on the bedside screen. She had drunk too much with Princess Fuhui yesterday, then elegantly paired plums with more wine—and then Lord Lin arrived. What happened after that?
This was Shen Shaoguang's first experience with alcohol-induced memory loss. She racked her brains trying to recall what she'd said or done during that time. The memories seemed just within reach yet frustratingly elusive—like when a novel website's server crashes. The latest chapter shows as updated, but no matter how many times you refresh, all you get is a spinning loading icon. When words finally appear, it's just "The server has gone chasing after novels"—enough to make you want to throw your phone!
Judging by the plot's progression, this might have been a romantic scene—or perhaps something unsuitable for minors. Alcohol lowers inhibitions—had she taken liberties with Lord Lin? What exactly had she done? Had she hugged him? Kissed his cheek? Or... And how had he reacted?
While drinking with the princess yesterday, she'd briefly considered letting go. Don't songs say you let go because you love someone? Love or not... Shen Shaoguang stared at the canopy above her bed, smiling bitterly as a dull ache spread through her chest.
If she'd done something inappropriate to him now, it would only entangle them further—or perhaps make her seem even more like a scoundrel?
With a deep sigh, Shen Shaoguang buried her head under the pillow. Enough—overthinking wouldn't help...
"Young Mistress, you're awake?"
A Yuan drew back the bed curtains and moved the screen aside, startled by Shen Shaoguang's appearance. "Young Mistress, is your headache very bad?"
Shen Shaoguang set the pillow aside and gave an awkward laugh. After a moment's thought, she asked, "A Yuan, I drank too much yesterday. Did Lord Lin come?"
"Yes."
"What did I say to him?"
"You said you had something to discuss with Lord Lin, so we went to the side room."
Shen Shaoguang: "..."
Seeing her expression, A Yuan asked, "Young Mistress doesn't remember?"
Shen Shaoguang shook her head.
"You probably didn't say much—it only took the time to brew two bowls of sobering soup."
Feeling both regretful and relieved, Shen Shaoguang thought it seemed she hadn't done anything inappropriate. This was for the best—truly for the best.
"When I came in, Young Mistress was already asleep."
Shen Shaoguang felt her good drinking manners had saved her character—at least she hadn't completely disgraced herself, maintaining some basic decency. As for falling asleep... she didn't mind losing face like this in front of Lin Yan.
"Young Mistress fell asleep in the lord's arms, your hair all undone and face tear-stained. I noticed the lord's clothes were smeared with your snot and tears."
Shen Shaoguang: "..." A Yuan's storytelling really took dramatic turns!
But A Yuan thought nothing of it: "I've seen people drunk enough to bang their heads against trees or relieve themselves in the streets. Young Mistress's behavior was nothing, especially since the lord isn't an outsider." Just like her partiality towards the beautiful cat Ming Nu, the appearance-conscious A Yuan already regarded Lord Lin as their family's young master—completely unlike her previous attitude toward Lord Liu.
"It was the lord who carried Young Mistress back to bed." Of course A Yuan could have done the carrying herself, but seeing how carefully the lord held the young mistress—as if cradling some precious treasure—she decided it was more appropriate for him to do it.
Shen Shaoguang pressed her lips together. "Anything else?"
"Lord Lin also instructed us to watch that you didn't kick off your blankets at night and catch cold, and to be careful of drunken vomiting, before he left."
Shen Shaoguang nodded.
"Is your headache bad, Young Mistress?"
Shen Shaoguang shook her head."I'll go get the young lady some honey water."
Shen Shaoguang weakly waved her hand.
A Yuan frowned at Shen Shaoguang. Could it be that the young lady was crying yesterday because of a fight? But Young Master Lin didn’t seem like the type...
Shen Shaoguang slowly dressed, washed up, and sat in front of the mirror, staring at her puffy-eyed, hungover face. She pulled a silk cord around her hair, tying it into a simple topknot and wrapping it a couple extra times to keep it from coming loose again.
Knowing she had drunk too much, the kitchen had specially prepared a sweet porridge of kudzu root and japonica rice, with added red dates and goji berries—it wasn’t bad at all. Shen Shaoguang could easily imagine Princess Yu San scowling while ordering, "Grind the kudzu root finer." Though her own romantic path wasn’t exactly smooth, the people around her were truly good.
After finishing the porridge, she was still mulling over the matter with Lin Yan when the gatekeeper announced that Young Master Shao had arrived.
Shen Shaoguang was surprised. It was the Winter Solstice, the snow made travel difficult—shouldn’t he be entertaining business associates or lounging at home? Why come here? Unless something was wrong?
And indeed, something was wrong.
"That Qiu Sanlang still had scratches on his face. He claimed his cat did it, but what cat has paws that big? Still, he was in the wrong to begin with. I heard that when he married into the family, he agreed he could have maids but no concubines, and certainly no outside households. Now he’s set up a mistress and even had a child with her—how could his wife not make a scene?" Shao Jie took a sip of tea.
"That Madam Zhao is quite formidable too. She’s decided to sell off the wine shop Qiu Sanlang managed in the East Market and focus solely on her family’s grain business. The entire rice trade is staffed with the Zhao family’s old retainers—Qiu Sanlang is effectively locked out now."
Pulling the rug out from under him... Shen Shaoguang nodded. Truly, the women of this dynasty were impressive. "So?"
"So, let’s take over that wine shop in the East Market?" Shao Jie’s eyes gleamed.
Shen Shaoguang glanced at her barely settled-in house. All her money was tied up here—where would she get the funds to invest? Of course, this wasn’t Shao Jie’s fault. The shop must be truly good and cheap.
Sure enough: "The wine shop isn’t far from where we set up our stall last time. Business is decent, it’s a two-story building with a spacious hall—about four times the size of our current shop. It was freshly painted at the start of the year, and since it was already a wine shop, the kitchen is large. We wouldn’t need to change much. Since Madam Zhao is eager to sell, she’s dropped the price by twenty percent. If we haggle, we might even get it lower..."
Shen Shaoguang mused, "Madam Zhao is in a hurry to sell—is she short on money?"
Shao Jie shook his head. "Madam Zhao has a fiery temper—she’s just making a statement. The Zhao family has been an established grain merchant in Chang’an for generations. Money isn’t an issue, but heirs are scarce, which is why they took in Qiu Sanlang as a son-in-law."
Shen Shaoguang nodded.
Seeing her hesitate, Shao Jie said, "Don’t worry about the money. I know buying this house must have drained your funds. We can pool the profits from our other shops, and I’ll ask my grandfather for the rest."
Shen Shaoguang waved her hand. She couldn’t keep treating the Shao family like a cash cow. Business was business—they had agreed on investment shares before. Last time, they had generously added more, but that was their kindness. She couldn’t mistake their kindness for foolishness and push her luck.
"Since Madam Zhao isn’t short on money, how about this: we propose a mortgage installment plan. We’ll use our two shops as collateral, pay her a down payment, transfer the deed, and then pay the balance monthly or quarterly with interest."Shao Jie once again had his eyes opened to new methods of purchasing property and land. Upon hearing that some lenders allowed monthly repayments with collateral, he never imagined buying houses and shops could also be done this way...
Shen Shaoguang took out paper to calculate the profits of several branch stores, tallying the down payment, remaining balance, repayment period, and interest. Watching her swift calculations, Shao Jie laughed, "Even if you couldn't cook, you could still be an accountant."
"That's too much effort. Haven't I told you before? If I weren't a chef running a tavern, I'd become a Female Taoist Priest or a Buddhist nun—reciting scriptures daily and helping people interpret divination slips would suit me just fine," Shen Shaoguang replied. "If we repay two hundred thousand each month, excluding the new store's profits, each of the four older branches would contribute fifty thousand. Based on current earnings, each store still has working capital of..."
After crunching the numbers and discussing their pitch, they skipped the usual future projections and mutual flattery. Shao Jie hurried off in excitement, "Such a good opportunity—we mustn't let others snatch it first."
Shen Shaoguang chuckled as she saw him out, "Gain is my fortune, loss is my fate. Still, be careful—don't break your horse's leg in haste."
"What do you mean 'loss is my fate'? Heaven should help those who strive so hard," Shao Jie retorted with a grin.
Shen Shaoguang laughed—Young Master Shao actually embodied some Confucian proactive spirit. Before she could return to the rear courtyard, another Confucian disciple arrived.
She turned back to greet him, and they walked toward the residence together.
"Headache?" Lin Yan asked.
Shen Shaoguang smiled weakly, "A little."
"Did you eat breakfast?"
"Yes, I had kudzu root porridge."
Lin Yan nodded, studying her complexion before reiterating, "You must never drink so recklessly again."
With guilty conscience, Shen Shaoguang nodded, "I must have said some nonsense while drunk yesterday—please don't take it to heart."
Lin Yan paused to look at her before continuing forward, "Why? Having regrets?"
Shen Shaoguang: "...R-regrets about what?"
"Your father and Prefect Shen of Dengzhou were close cousins. When Prefect Shen completes his term next year and returns to the capital for debriefing, we'll have him represent the Six Rites for us. Though I'm not familiar with him, I heard your father shared good rapport with him—he should be willing. I'll write to inquire. We should also inform your ancestral home in Luoyang, and Minister Chu as well."
Shen Shaoguang's eyes widened—how did they suddenly jump to the "Six Rites" stage?
Lin Yan said impassively, "You already agreed yesterday."
Despairing at her drunken behavior, Shen Shaoguang forced an apologetic smile, "How can you trust the words of a drunkard?" A blackout drinker practically lacks civil capacity!
As maids lifted the door curtain, Lin Yan glanced at her and entered first, with Shen Shaoguang following.
Lin Yan unceremoniously seated himself on her daybed, forcing her to sit across from him at the small tea table. A maid served tea.
Meeting Lin Yan's gaze, Shen Shaoguang offered another contrite smile. She truly felt like the worst scoundrel right now—even her usual eloquence failed her.
Rarely seeing her like this, Lin Yan maintained his stern expression briefly before finally smiling.
Shen Shaoguang grew suspicious, "Were you just fooling me?"
But Lin Yan turned serious again, "A Qi, what worries you? Your status as a disgraced official's descendant? My political future?"Shen Shaoguang hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"The case of Prince Wu has many questionable points. It's not impossible for your father to be exonerated."
"You're investigating my father's old case?"
Lin Yan nodded.
Touched by his thoughtfulness, Shen Shaoguang whispered, "Thank you."
But she also knew that reopening the case of Prince Wu would be extremely difficult. In the late years of the previous emperor, he became obsessed with Alchemical Pills, pursuing the Elixir of Immortality, and his temperament grew increasingly violent. Had he not died early, chaos might have ensued. The current emperor governs with "benevolence and filial piety," abolishing some of the previous harsh policies after ascending the throne. However, past wrongful cases remain untouched—partly due to the filial principle of "a son not speaking of his father's faults," but likely more because he was a beneficiary. Several of his brothers were exiled, banished, or even poisoned in the late years of the previous emperor's reign. Otherwise, the current emperor, who isn't particularly outstanding, might not have inherited the throne.
"Some things—just do your best. There's no need to drag more people into it. As for my father's case, justice exists in people's hearts," Shen Shaoguang said.
Lin Yan nodded. "A Qi, even if your father's injustice isn't rectified, your identity won't change, and it won't affect my career."
Shen Shaoguang smiled faintly. How could it not matter?
"The officialdom is full of undercurrents and pitfalls—opinions, political views, policies, factions... any of them could trip someone up. Compared to those, a wife's background truly isn't significant."
"For a man, career and livelihood are important, but family and wife are no less so," Lin Yan said earnestly, gazing at Shen Shaoguang. "A Qi, you are the one I adore. If I miss you because of this, I fear I'll never be happy for the rest of my life."
Shen Shaoguang pressed her lips tightly together, afraid she might lose control if she spoke.
"A Qi, you overthink things, always seeking perfection. But how much perfection is there in life? Life is like sailing a boat—we never know what we'll encounter. The only choice we have is who shares the boat with us."
"A Qi, last night I dreamed you married someone else. We met on the street, you curtsied and smiled at me, then walked away hand in hand with that man. When he asked, 'Who was that?' you simply said, 'Just a regular customer from the restaurant.' Even in the dream, I felt heartbroken, as if I were the only person left in the world. When I woke and saw the bed curtains, I was so relieved it was just a dream—that there was still time."
"A Qi, let's marry in your family's old home. If your parents' spirits are watching, I think they'd be happy, wouldn't they? Our children will climb the trees you climbed as a child, count the carvings you once counted, and maybe even share the frights you had—have you ever encountered snakes in the bamboo grove in the front yard? There aren't many venomous snakes here, but I'll catch them just in case."
"In spring, we'll go to the Wei River. In summer, we'll visit Zhongnan Mountain. Where should we go in autumn? You decide. My salary isn't lavish, but if we save up, we can afford another villa or two. Besides, my A Qi has the talent of a Taozhu herself."
...
Listening to his rambling, Shen Shaoguang found herself in tears again.
Lin Yan wiped them away, his own eyes slightly reddened, yet he smiled tenderly. "Will you marry me? A Qi—"
Shen Shaoguang wiped her tears. Fine—she'd take this gamble on life with him. As for whether it would bring more greed, resentment, or hardship... who cared?"My name is Shen Shaoguang, born when shepherd's purse covered the mountains and fields," Shen Shaoguang said slowly. It had been this way in both lifetimes, with birthdays falling within the same week—perhaps that was why both fathers had given her the same name? Only in this life did she have an additional, more specific courtesy name.
Lin Yan smiled, as if a bright spring scene had unfolded before his eyes.
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