58. Kneeling as Punishment

Shen Biwei actually knew, but everyone acted as if she didn't. Especially Ye Lingbo, as soon as Zhao Yanze arrived, the Shen family's crisis was effortlessly resolved. Yet Shen Biwei pulled up the drawbridge immediately after crossing the river, grabbing Shen Biwei inside the warm pavilion to lecture her right on the spot: "I'm warning you, don't fall for his tricks. With his constitution, he might survive the winter, but he won't make it through the spring. Don't go rushing to become a widow. Besides, you'd most likely only be a secondary consort, not even the legitimate wife, and you'd still have to scrape by under the primary princess consort's thumb."

Shen Biwei teased her: "Who is 'he'? Who are you talking about?"

Of course, Ye Lingbo wouldn't dare utter his name. To even say the Prince of Rui would be an offense; the sovereign is the sovereign, and the minister is the minister. Thunder and rain, wind and frost, are all bestowed by imperial grace. Even if the Emperor were to issue a decree today carrying Shen Biwei right into the Prince of Rui's estate, it would still be the Shen family's supreme honor, and Lord Shen and Lady Shen would have to kowtow in gratitude for the imperial grace.

Yet being the pragmatic person she was, even if she couldn't say his name, she had still thought through the pros and cons with absolute clarity: "Don't trade witty retorts with me, you know very well who I mean. Anyway, I've got my eyes on you, so don't you dare play the fool. Your priority is to properly select a good match at the Blossom Banquet. Isn't Huo Yingzhen still around? If you settle on a good marriage, Lady Shen can also breathe a little easier, saving that other courtyard in your household from acting up every single day."

No matter how she tried to persuade her, Shen Biwei had only one response: "How dull."

That stubborn, deadpan attitude was carved from the exact same mold as a certain someone. Lingbo couldn't be bothered with her anymore. The Emperor didn't want her anyway. Although the noble young ladies of the capital did not attend court, they heard enough from the scattered remarks of their fathers and brothers to have a clear grasp of the Emperor's temperament in the palace.

They said he was far more merciful than the late Emperor, doting dearly on the Prince of Rui while feeling deeply apologetic toward the Eldest Princess. But an emperor was an emperor after all; his mercy was reserved only for his own kin.

In the Emperor's heart, a free-spirited and lazy-natured girl like Shen Biwei was probably far from worthy of his nephew.

Because of the Prince of Rui, the Shen family's evening banquet was exceptionally grand, prestigious, and a true vindication of their pride. Han Yueqi had regained her high spirits, moving among the guests with effortless grace. She orchestrated the banquet to be as resplendent as a brocade of fresh flowers. Not only was the feast the absolute finest in the capital, but the seating arrangements, the fireworks display, the appreciation of lanterns, the theatrical performances and musical numbers, and even the matrons' card games in the evening were executed with flawless perfection. She even managed to keep Mama Song behind. Having no idea where she found a table of elderly matrons all skilled at playing the palace's ancient leaf-cards, Mama Song was overjoyed beyond measure, staying right at the table until the third watch before taking her leave.

This was how she treated outsiders; as for her own people whom she wished to cultivate ties with, she invested heavily. Although Lady Wei had been persuaded to stay by Qinglan, she had not walked away at the crucial moment and had even broken ties with Lu Wenyin over it, which spoke volumes of her loyalty. At the banquet, Han Yueqi gave Lady Wei an immense amount of face. Since Mama Song and Official Woman Su represented the Eldest Princess, they had deferred to each other and refused to take the seat of honor. Han Yueqi therefore earnestly urged Lady Wei to take the primary seat, personally poured wine for her, arranged for the Heir's Young Madam to keep her company, made a full round of attending to the other tables, and then returned to exchange seamless banter with the Heir's Young Madam, asking Lady Wei about her experiences in the northern frontier, what the Northern Rong people looked like, and how they fought battles.

Lady Wei was entirely devoid of pretense; whenever they asked, she answered. She spoke of the bitter cold of the northern frontier, where heavy snow fell continuously for three months and even water vats froze and cracked. Clothes didn't need to be washed; one only had to roll around in a snowdrift to become clean. She spoke of adopting the orphans of the defending Northern Army who, having no mothers to look after them, could only be made to sleep in the stables, surviving the freezing nights on the warmth radiating from the horses. She spoke of the crushing defeat at Dragon-Breaking Pass, when the Northern Rong swept straight through on plundering raids and Yanglin City was on the verge of falling. She had led the female dependents to retreat into the mountains, traveling all through the night with torches, only to be tracked down by a pack of wolves. She had placed the martial-arts-trained female dependents at the front, rear, and flanks of the procession, sandwiching the frail women and children safely in the middle. She and Lady Luo held the front and back; she had Lady Luo outfit the female archers in armor, counting the headcount every single mile and shooting dead a wolf. Even after killing a dozen or so wolves in this manner, the pack finally scattered...

Every matron in the hall had grown up in the capital's noble households; where had they ever heard such tales? At first, they only chimed in to be polite and entertaining, but gradually, every single one of them was drawn in, hanging onto her every word. They finally understood what that so-called "friendship of Yanglin City" truly meant. Imagining them trudging with torches through pitch-black, dense forests surrounded by howling wolves, it was indeed a bond forged through life and death.

Yet there were always petty people. After Lu Wenyin and Lady Wei had a falling out, Yang Qiaozhen immediately stepped up to play the vanguard, sneering blandly: "Was it really that soul-stirring? It sounds just like something out of an opera..."

Wei Shanhu, known as Lady Luo, had a straightforward temperament. She immediately stood up to corroborate the story: "Of course it's true! Look, I even had the wolf fangs from back then made into a necklace that I wear to this day."

Thus, the necklace was passed around for everyone to inspect. Lady Luo was immensely proud: "I shot down three by myself, and her ladyship killed one too. Her ladyship's health isn't good now, but back when she was well, she could draw a three-stone heavy bow!"

Praises rang out throughout the hall, and the gazes directed at Lady Wei were filled with genuine admiration. It had always been this way: no matter how powerful the men were, if the female dependents themselves were weak, any borrowed prestige was never truly their own. Lady Wei had always commanded respect merely because she was a marquis's lady. Everyone treated her with superficial politeness while whispering privately about her various shortcomings—how crude her banquets were, how lacking in strategy she was, and how she was manipulated in the palm of Lu Wenyin's hand, being stepped on to elevate Lu's own status without even realizing it...

Who could have ever guessed that she had once single-handedly turned the tide in Yanglin City, saving the lives of an entire city's populace?

Even Wei Shanhu sensed the shift in the atmosphere and could not help glancing toward Qinglan on the side. Qinglan, however, seemed entirely oblivious, quietly serving bird's nest porridge to Han Yueqi.

At this very moment, Han Yueqi's earlier words rang true: some people help you in a way that makes the whole world know, ensuring everyone is aware that you owe them a debt. Other people help you in a way that highlights your own brilliance, quietly retiring after success to let your own light shine.

In this time and place, even Wei Shanhu felt a wave of complex emotions within her.

When the banquet dispersed, she involuntarily looked toward Ye Qinglan, seeing the Ye sisters standing under the veranda talking with Han Yueqi. Ye Lingbo was currently helping A Cuo put on a snow cap. Catching Wei Shanhu's gaze, Lingbo immediately shot her a cold, hard look right back.

-

Han Yueqi had her reasons for sending the Ye sisters away early. Now that the Shen family had weathered the storm, the matters that followed belonged strictly to the inner courtyard. Since they were unmarried young ladies, involving themselves in someone else's household affairs would bring them no benefit whatsoever. As a friend, she needed to proactively keep them out of it to prevent them from being hurt.

Yet Ye Lingbo ultimately could not hold her tongue. As she stepped up into the carriage, she lowered her voice and urged, "Sister Han, don't let him off easily."

Han Yueqi could not help laughing aloud.

"Alright, I won't let him off."

Although she smiled, anyone with discerning eyes could see the profound listlessness in that smile—so what if she didn't let him off? As the legitimate daughter of the Junior Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, could she possibly remarry? Besides, the Shen family members were such good people; would she truly throw a fit and leave in anger, handing the fine estate she had built over to someone else?

Furthermore, if she remarried, who would she marry? Most likely someone even worse than Shen Yunze. When parents were alive, the maternal home was naturally one's own home; when parents were no longer around, no matter how good one's brothers were, there was still a sister-in-law to contend with.

Just as Shen Biwei had cursed: the rules of this world are the most abominable, forcing women to become homeless wanderers where everywhere they go makes them feel like outsiders!

Yet Han Yueqi had her own methods. As she boarded the carriage, Qinglan squeezed her hand and gave her a deep, meaningful look.

Han Yueqi understood her meaning.

People always said they were poised and dignified, that they were the textbook models of noble young ladies from the capital's elite families. They were born and raised here, and everything they learned since childhood was rooted in this world. If even they could not handle these situations, then no one else in the capital could.

People said she, Han Yueqi, was the ultimate exemplar of a capital noblewoman; then she would let them witness the means of this noblewoman.

Having concluded the Spring-Welcoming Banquet, Han Yueqi was naturally busy until late into the night before the guests dispersed. She retired to the Chenxiang Pavilion to sleep, and by morning, Mama Shen—attendant to Lady Shen—arrived, her face wreathed in smiles as she spoke right off the bat: "My lady sent me to ask how the young madam slept last night? The Spring-Welcoming Banquet was exhausting, so you needn't come pay your morning respects these next few days."

Han Yueqi naturally understood her meaning. As she ate her morning meal, she asked, "I heard the young master was made to kneel in the study as punishment. How is he doing today? Although master is angry, his health is what matters most; he shouldn't let his anger ruin his constitution."

"I heard he was made to kneel until the third watch before getting up, and wasn't allowed to return to the Chenxiang Pavilion, forced to sleep haphazardly in the small study instead. With the weather so bitterly cold, I'm afraid it might leave behind a lingering illness," Mama Shen said.

Han Yueqi understood completely. This was as far as the punishment would go; they couldn't possibly beat their own son to death over "such a small fault," especially when he was a top-ranking imperial scholar with a boundless future. Thus, she went along with the current and said, "Mama is right. I was just thinking of pleading with master on his behalf. Fortunately, master wasn't being entirely serious with the punishment, otherwise our young lord really would have suffered terribly."

Her words brought a look of awkward embarrassment to Mama Shen's face. Lady Shen was reasonably fair-minded, but Mama Shen was an old stewardship matron who had watched Shen Yunze grow up, and her own younger sister had served as Shen Yunze's wet nurse, so her maternal affection was quite extraordinary. First thing in the morning, she had urged Lady Shen, finally securing her consent before personally coming out to find Han Yueqi, hoping to put in a few good words for Shen Yunze.

Han Yueqi's words were mild enough, but Mother Han's words were far harsher. She chimed in: "Mama Shen, there's something I don't know whether I should say or not. You weren't at the banquet yesterday and didn't see the state of things—let alone our young lady, even Lady Shen was frightened to tears. As for our own family's mistress, needless to say, she was weeping and demanding to go demand an explanation from Lady Shen. To put it bluntly, our young lady is also of noble and precious status; since when has she ever suffered such an indignity in her life? As the saying goes, 'Harmony brings wealth to a household'; only when family members support one another can things get better and better. Where in the capital do you find a husband like this who actively undermines his own wife?"

In theatrical plays, the young lady was always supremely gentle, shy, kind-natured, and soft-hearted, while the personal maid was invariably sharp-tongued and overbearing, barking orders at people day in and day out.

Mother Han did not possess a sharp tongue, nor could Han Yueqi maintain her stately composure. Every single word she uttered pierced straight into Mama Shen's heart. She referred to the elder mistress as "Lady Shen," called Han Yueqi "Young Lady," and referred to Lady Han as "our mistress," drawing a completely clear line of separation between the two households. She even threw Mama Shen's own patronizing proverb of "harmony brings wealth" right back at her, systematically condemning Shen Yunze sentence by sentence.

Mama Shen hadn't been onto a battlefield in a long time and was inevitably out of practice, leaving her utterly speechless and unable to refute a word. She could only smile awkwardly and say, "That may be so, but the master and mistress always value the young madam."

"It's precisely because the master and mistress value our young lady that she chose to stay behind. Otherwise, she would have returned home with our mistress last night. If our young lady had left after your young master pulled such a stunt, the Censorate would have impeached him to no end, and he would have lost his post in the Hanlin Academy altogether." Mother Han knew Mama Shen was elderly and timid, so every word she spoke was designed to terrify her: "If I may say something unpleasant, I'm only saying it for the young master's own good. A spoiling mother always ruins her son; the young master has grown far too arrogant and wild lately. He has a long life ahead of him, and if he doesn't correct his temperament now, as the days go on, he will find plenty of opportunities to suffer heavy losses and be deceived. Mama Shen, think carefully—isn't that the truth?"

Mother Han's words struck right at Mama Shen's deepest anxieties, leaving her unable to argue. Her face turning red, she stammered, "Since the young madam has forgiven the young master, this old servant won't disturb you any longer and will go report back to the mistress."

Since even Mama Shen had taken a tongue-lashing and retreated in defeat, the rest of the household went without saying. Although Lord Shen pitied his son and didn't think taking a concubine was any great matter, inner courtyard affairs were to be handled by the inner courtyard, and it wasn't his place to interfere. Thus, no one went to fetch Shen Yunze; Mama Shen had to arrange for two serving women to support Shen Yunze back, his legs swollen and stiff from kneeling.

Shen Yunze was well aware that he was in the wrong—and even if he hadn't known, Shen Biwei made sure he did. Knowing full well that Han Yueqi was bound to discipline Shen Yunze today, Shen Biwei had rushed over early to lend momentum. Blocking the entrance to the Chenxiang Pavilion with a frosty expression, she snapped: "Shen Yunze, do you still have the face to come back? Why didn't you just sleep at Lu Wenyin's place? To think you're a man who reads the sages' books, yet you've learned how to act like a common whoremonger! You've dirtied the sages' books with your filth!"

Shen Yunze's face flushed beet red under the scolding, and he retorted: "What business of yours is this? Is this any way for a young lady of a noble house to speak?"

"Oh, spare me the nausea! Look at you—you have no right to lecture anyone about being a noble young lady. My sister-in-law is a proper noble lady, gentle, poised, and quiet. How has she ever wronged you, that you chose to humiliate her so publicly in front of everyone? If it weren't for my sister-in-law's capability in cleaning up your mess, our entire family would have become a laughingstock. Unloyal and unfilial wretch that you are, how dare you lecture me on being a noble lady?"

Shen Biwei rarely cursed people, but she had heard plenty of it from Ye Lingbo. Using merely twenty percent of Lingbo's proficiency, she managed to leave Shen Yunze reeling, knocking the wind completely out of his sails.

Mother Han was deeply grateful to Shen Biwei. In how many households in the capital were sisters-in-law vicious and petty, while parents were muddle-headed and biased toward their sons, joining forces to bully the wife? A sister-in-law like this was already the best one could hope for.

Yet matters between a husband and wife were ultimately things outsiders could not truly assist with. Just like today, although Shen Biwei's scolding left Shen Yunze utterly disgraced, it also trapped him in a corner where he could not back down gracefully. If it were just the two of them, Shen Yunze might have swallowed his pride and spoken some soft words, but now that was entirely impossible.

Consequently, Shen Yunze flared up in anger: "Stop slapping labels on me! Taking a concubine is human nature; which family in the capital doesn't do it? How am I unloyal or unfilial?!"

The moment those words left his mouth, Han Yueqi's gaze turned icy cold, and Shen Yunze instantly caught it. Shen Biwei, meanwhile, flew into an absolute rage.

"I think you've lost your mind!" She immediately rolled up her sleeves. "If Lord Shen can't bear to beat you, I can! How Mother's days were spent, how we watched her live through it all since childhood—do you now have the nerve to say taking concubines is a good thing? Have you forgotten how you were beaten by Lord Shen until you couldn't get out of bed when that other courtyard used to step all over us?"

When Shen Biwei talked about beating someone, she meant it, and it wasn't the first time she had done so. Between the siblings, she was the one truly carved from the exact same mold as the Duke of Yongguo. Shen Yunze, by contrast, was scholarly and weak, taking after Lord Shen, which was why she had given him plenty of beatings growing up. She only reined it in as she grew older and tried to put on the appearance of a noble lady, which was why she rarely threw punches anymore.

Had Mother Han and the maids Green-Calyx and White-Stamen not rushed forward to pull her back, Shen Yunze would certainly not have escaped a thorough thrashing.

Since Han Yueqi refused to let the Ye sisters intervene, she naturally wouldn't let Shen Biwei fight her battles either. Although the Shen family currently doted on Shen Biwei, ultimately they favored their son. Having once been daughters themselves, she knew all too well the distinction noble families made between sons and daughters. Just like how her mother's heartache for her to the point of tears was real, the fact that her mother had never once mentioned taking her back home was real as well.

Of course, she didn't need it anyway.

Yesterday at the banquet, though she was merely trying to elevate Lady Wei, as she listened on, she had found herself lost in thought. If she had been the one in Yanglin City, how would she have handled it?

Fortunately, she had her own battles to fight.