The day after Song Shiwei made her promise, she faced her first real test after the wedding: the Shen family.
According to Great Xia wedding customs, three days after the marriage, the newlyweds had to offer sacrifices to the ancestors and have the wife’s name entered into the clan registry.
Only then would they truly be considered a family.
Logically speaking, she should have moved into the Shen mansion with Shen Lan and served tea to her father-in-law and mother-in-law on the second day.
However, due to her special status, Shen Lan had been staying with her in the Prince Consort’s mansion all along.
Cough, cough.
If she didn’t go this time, she was afraid she would be drowned in the spit of the entire world.
Song Shiwei’s delicate face was lightly powdered, but it still could not hide her pale complexion.
Her brows were tightly knitted.
Shen Yu wasn’t unwilling to do something, but considering that they were now men and women separate, anything she did seemed improper.
Although she had made bold declarations last night, chasing someone was a step-by-step process. She might not have eaten pork, but surely she had seen a pig run?
The hand she had extended could only be withdrawn, turning instead to lift the carriage curtain and tell the driver to go slower.
Song Shiwei took a sip of water from the tea table and, upon hearing this, said somewhat uneasily, “The Prince Consort needn’t make a fuss over this. Let’s have them go faster. Ancestral sacrifice is a major event; we cannot.”
Before she could finish, Shen Yu handed her another cup of water.
“Then let the Shen family wait! Your Highness is of noble birth, what does it matter if you make them wait?”
“Nothing is more important than your health.”
Song Shiwei’s face turned slightly red, but she still spoke in a low voice.
“They are, after all, your parents and your ancestors. How can you utter such rebellious words?”
“Since they are parents, shouldn’t they be even more considerate of their daughter-in-law?”
“And the ancestors? If they are unsatisfied, they can crawl right out!”
Shen Yu’s mouth was covered. It was Song Shiwei.
Looking at this woman so close to her, her eyes still filled with visible terror and shock.
“Slap.”
Her mouth was lightly patted, not hard, like a cat’s tail brushing gently past.
“What kind of nonsense are you talking?!”
Looking at Shen Lan’s intensifying, righteous indignation, anyone watching would have thought the Shen family were his mortal enemies!
How could anyone speak so profanely about their own ancestors?
Seeing that Shen Lan remained silent for a long time.
As her anxiety gradually faded, Song Shiwei finally felt that her hand was still on Shen Yu’s lips. Her warm, soft lips were pressed closely against her palm, and she could feel the hot breath from her nose.
Feeling as though her hand had been scalded, she pulled it back abruptly.
“Don’t ever say such things again.”
Shen Yu’s expression remained calm from beginning to end, and only after a long moment did a single word emerge in the air.
“Mn.”
The driver, sensing the movement inside the carriage, smiled knowingly.
Truly newlywed honeymooners, as close as glue.
The atmosphere in the carriage suddenly cooled, filled with a trace of awkwardness.
Song Shiwei simply closed her eyes and remained silent.
Because of this, she missed seeing Shen Yu bite her lip, her tongue lightly sweeping across her petal-like lips.
A trace of confusion flashed in her cold gaze.
She seemed unable to understand why she had done that.
Yet if she hadn’t done it, that cool, soft sensation would have lingered there indefinitely, unable to dissipate.
Unable to figure it out, she simply stopped thinking about it. Looking at Song Shiwei, who was feigning sleep, she simply did the same and gently closed her eyes.
Crossing her arms, she leaned back comfortably against the soft cushion behind her.
Their breathing was steady, and everything grew quiet once more.
The carriage trotted along steadily, neither too fast nor too slow.
In about the time it takes to burn half an incense stick.
Shen Yu opened her eyes and looked at Song Shiwei, who was sitting motionless.
“Your Highness, we have arrived.”
Upon hearing this, Song Shiwei’s eyelashes fluttered like a butterfly’s wings, and her beautiful eyes opened.
The Shen mansion naturally could not compare to the Prince Consort’s mansion.
Song Shiwei’s expression remained as usual, while Shen Yu put on an eager, attentive air.
She stood respectfully beside the carriage and helped her down.
Seeing the hand Shen Lan extended, Song Shiwei hesitated briefly, but quickly placed her hand in his with a gentle smile.
They cut the picture of a loving, devoted couple.
Meanwhile, Shen Shen and his wife, who had been waiting at the Shen mansion for a long time, felt their breath catch in their throats, suspended midway.
Their back teeth gnashed together in secret, making a grinding sound.
On the surface, however, they forced out expressions of wild joy, embodying the epitome of filial piety and maternal love.
Shen Yu held Song Shiwei’s hand, and Song Shiwei said nothing, assuming he simply didn’t want his parents to worry excessively.
Since that was the case, she was more than happy to play along with him.
After all, all the world’s a stage!
The two of them walked over looking deeply in love, almost causing the expressions on Shen Shen and his wife’s faces to crack. They could only keep their gazes fixed intently on the couple’s tightly clasped hands.
“Father, Mother.”
A shallow smile hung on Shen Yu’s face, looking entirely radiant and triumphant.
And they could only smile and accept the greeting.
“Your son has brought his wife back to see you!”
Whether intentional or not, Shen Shen found those two words, your son, grating to his ears, as if they were being deliberately emphasized.
“Good! Good! Good!”
Three goods in a row, no one could tell whether it was out of excitement or anger.
Shen Yu no longer paid much attention to Shen Shen, her gaze sweeping over Luo Rong, who stood beside him. This person was also her mother.
If Shen Shen merely ignored her, Luo Rong wished she could tear her apart with her bare hands.
Even she herself could not understand what she had ever done to wrong them to make them hate her down to their very bones.
Yet she clearly remembered that Luo Rong had once cared for her as well.
Perhaps no one would ever know how cold the lake water was in the dead of winter.
Song Shiwei felt the tightening of Shen Lan’s grip and frowned in slight discomfort.
Her subtle hints seemed to have no effect whatsoever.
She could only gently shake Shen Lan’s arm.
Shen Yu snapped back to reality instantly, her gaze falling once more into Song Shiwei’s worried eyes.
Almost instinctively, she raised Song Shiwei’s hand to her lips and gently blew on it.
A wave of heartache and guilt filled her gaze.
It was subtle, but Song Shiwei could feel it.
Briefly suppressing the surge of shyness in her heart, she pulled her hand back defensively.
“What are you doing? In broad daylight, with our parents still here?”
Song Shiwei muttered, and Shen Yu finally came to her senses.
Looking at the gloomy, ink-dark expressions of Shen Shen and Luo Rong, as well as the group of servants with lowered heads casting covert glances,
she gripped Song Shiwei’s newly withdrawn slender hand even tighter, as if only by doing so could she draw the strength to stay and continue here.
“Your son is newly married, please excuse us if we made Father and Mother laugh.”
“No matter, Father understands. Only Her Highness the Grand Princess could be so patient with you.”
Shen Shen stiffly twitched the corners of his mouth and ushered Shen Yu and her party inside.
Shen Yu smiled and accepted those seemingly weightless words.
Shen Shen, you really know how to deal a ruthless blow!
The Shen mansion was unexpectedly simple and austere, there were no celebrated celadon antiques, master paintings, fine silks, or even rare flowers. The only thing that could be considered somewhat luxurious was the eight-immortals table and chairs in the main hall, crafted from top-quality yellow pear wood.
Looking at the modest furnishings of the Shen mansion, Song Shiwei somehow found herself recalling Shen Lan’s appearance from the previous night, looking as pure and transcendent as the bright moon.
“I used to wonder what kind of environment a refined and ethereal person like the Prince Consort should live in. Seeing it now, I realize how vulgar I was. I never expected the Shen mansion to be so full of hidden depths.”
Song Shiwei spoke up abruptly, leaving Shen Shen hanging and completely unable to fathom what the Grand Princess truly meant by her words.
Meanwhile, Shen Yu looked at Song Shiwei with novelty. She knew Song Shiwei had no ulterior motives in what she said, it came entirely from her heart.
Pity that she and the Shen mansion had no real connection at all.
Little did Song Shiwei know that her exclamation of wonder sent the thoughts of the Shen family spinning in a hundred different directions.
The ancestral sacrifice was set for a specific time. Shen Shen instructed Luo Rong to take care of the Grand Princess, then escorted Shen Yu toward the ancestral hall.
The moment Shen Yu’s final backup vanished from sight, Song Shiwei felt as though something had tugged at her heart, giving rise to an inexplicable panic.
Yet shortly afterward, as if remembering something, she turned to converse with Luo Rong beside her.
“I remember the Shen family used to have a daughter.”
A ghostly glint surfaced in Luo Rong’s eyes.
Meanwhile, on Shen Yu’s side.
“You certainly have some skill, managing to latch onto the Grand Princess’s coattails.”
Shen Shen said coldly, disdain dripping from his tone.
“Ha! Not as good as you, turning your coat with the wind.”
Shen Yu retorted with an unyielding sneer.
Shen Shen surely didn’t think she was still the weak, bullied Shen Yu of the past, did he?
Just as Shen Yu expected, Shen Shen truly hadn’t expected Shen Yu to dare talk back to him.
“You think that by clinging to the Grand Princess, you can transform from a sparrow into a phoenix?”
With that, a heavy palm wind came hurtling toward her.
Shen Yu’s expression turned icy, hostility surging in her eyes.
She had no intention of coddling this old fossil.
“Crack.”
Shen Shen watched in sheer terror as Shen Yu effortlessly clamped down on his right arm, a look of utter disbelief on his face.
How was it possible?
Shen Yu had never learned any of this!
Shen Yu’s upbringing had always been right under his nose, how could he possibly not know what she could or couldn’t do?
Furthermore, he knew all too well how much of his internal energy he had put into that palm strike.
“Who are you?”
Facing the completely unmoving Shen Yu, he felt utterly estranged at that moment.
“Shen Yu.”
Shen Yu replied calmly, enjoying the expression currently on Shen Shen’s face.
“Speaking of which, has Shen Lan truly gone missing?”
She made no effort to hide her strangeness, displaying herself openly, which only made her appear all the more unfathomable in Shen Shen’s eyes.
“Missing.”
Shen Shen said with difficulty, enduring excruciating pain. Only he knew that Shen Yu’s seemingly effortless grip had nearly pulverized his bones.
Shen Yu wore a knowing look.
Then, like tossing away trash, she flung Shen Shen aside.
She walked up to him and whispered like a ghost:
“Do not write Song Shiwei’s name in the Shen clan registry. It’s filthy!”
Who filthy referred to went without saying.
“If you dare, I’ll make sure it goes up in smoke tomorrow!”
A wicked smile hung on Shen Yu’s lips.
There was even a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
Yet the coercion in her words lost not an ounce of its bite.
Shen Shen’s face turned alternately blue and white, his eyes bulging wide as if unable to accept the reality that he was being threatened by this insignificant daughter. But the dull, throbbing pain in his arm forced him to nod stiffly.
Shen Yu smiled contemptuously.
She patted Shen Shen’s face, then wiped her hand on his robe with a look of extreme disgust.
Without paying any further heed to Shen Shen’s venomous, back-stabbing glare, she simply walked away.
She didn’t want to stay in a place like this for even a second longer; with this time, she’d rather go tease the Grand Princess.
Shen Yu thought happily to herself, skipping along as she returned.
As for how Shen Shen would explain things to the other elders, she guessed Shen Shen hadn’t dared to write Song Shiwei’s name down anyway; he looked down on the Grand Princess far too much!
Ha!
The Shen family’s ambitions had always been higher than the heavens!
Her, Shen Yu’s, wife, how could she ever allow anyone to look down on her?
She entered Luo Rong’s courtyard without hindrance. After all, in everyone’s eyes, she was Shen Lan, the son held in the palm of Luo Rong’s hand!
Who would dare stop her?
“Bang.”
Just as Shen Yu entered, she happened to catch sight of Song Shiwei lowering her head and wiping away tears.
Calling it wiping tears was probably an exaggeration; her eyes were just red, and she didn’t look happy at all.
Her initially cheerful expression instantly chilled.
Her cold gaze swept over Luo Rong.
Both of them were startled for a moment.
Song Shiwei’s motion of wiping her tears froze right there. She stared blankly at him, seemingly unable to understand why Shen Lan, who should have been at the ancestral sacrifice, had suddenly appeared here.
Luo Rong, who knew the inside story, froze for a moment, then looked on coldly with a hint of dissatisfaction.
Shen Yu had no mind to act alongside Luo Rong right now. She strode quickly over to Song Shiwei, her brain feeling as rusty as if it hadn’t turned in days.
“What’s wrong with you? Why are you crying?”
She took the handkerchief from Song Shiwei’s hand and gently wiped away the tear teetering on the edge of her eye with a look of deep heartache.
She leaned in very close, and the scent of green bamboo on her body quickly enveloped and shielded Song Shiwei.
“Mother, what on earth did you talk about with Her Highness?”
Shen Yu smiled on the surface, but her eyes flashed with dangerous light.
She had never planned to hide anything since returning, especially after tearing through the window paper in front of Shen Shen.
Toward the Shen family, she didn’t have the slightest inclination to put on a show.
Luo Rong was startled by her intensity and momentarily forgot how to reply.
The atmosphere lapsed into silence.
“We didn’t talk about much, just reminiscing about some things from the past.”
Fortunately, Song Shiwei spoke up in time.
True to form, Shen Yu’s attention immediately shifted back to Song Shiwei.
“The past? I didn’t even know Her Highness had dealings with the Shen family in the past.”
Shen Yu smiled slightly, tinged with a hint of confusion, ignoring the fact that Song Shiwei had kept things from her.
She didn’t continue asking; after all, they hadn’t reached the point of sharing every secret.
Besides, she would find out the truth herself.
“Don’t talk about me! What about you? Why did you suddenly come back? Aren’t you supposed to be at the ancestral sacrifice?”
Song Shiwei acted completely out of character, chattering away with questions as if consumed by curiosity.
Shen Yu saw right through it but didn’t expose her.
She smiled warmly. “I missed Your Highness too much, so I snuck back.”
“Besides, all the important business was already finished.”
The tips of Song Shiwei’s ears turned red, and she shrank her head back imperceptibly.
“Your Highness, did you miss me at all?”
She leaned close to Song Shiwei’s ear, deliberately teasing her. Her ears, already exceptionally red, now burned even hotter. Mindful that they were still in front of an elder, she could only push Shen Lan away, signaling him to rein it in.
The two of them carried on with their intimate whispering as if no one else were there, making Luo Rong’s temples throb, her face turning alternately blue and purple, and her eyelids twitching violently.
Sensing Song Shiwei’s hint, Shen Yu tempered her smile.
She straightened her posture, becoming modest and gentle.
“Your Highness, would you be so kind as to step outside for a moment? I have important matters to discuss with my mother.”
Song Shiwei nodded without asking further questions.