For two days in a row, Shen Wan had failed to see her father and was practically speechless about it. Still, remembering that trouble had erupted at the border a few months later in her previous life, she knew it was only natural for her father, the Great General, to be busy.
Among all the people she most wanted to see, aside from her father, there was only her eldest sister.
The moment she thought of her elder sister’s fate, a shadow fell over Shen Wan’s mood.
After breakfast, Shen Wan brought Shanhu to Shou’an Hall. As they passed Mingyue Courtyard, Ye Caiwei happened to come out and called from afar, “Cousin…”
Usually, Ye Caiwei never waited for her and would go straight to pay respects to the Old Madam. Yet today, she was actually waiting for her.
As Shen Wan thought this over, Shanhu whispered, “I heard from the little maids in the courtyard that Third Miss went to see Miss Ye yesterday evening. For some reason, the two of them started arguing, and Third Miss left looking furious…”
It had been Shen Wan’s plan for Ye Caiwei and Shen Wu to fall out, but she had never expected that after the quarrel, Ye Caiwei would start clinging to her instead.
Not only did Ye Caiwei stick close to Shen Wan, she even tried to use Shen Wan in her conflict with Shen Wu. How could Shen Wan possibly let herself be used?
The two of them went together to Shou’an Hall to greet the Old Madam. It was obvious that Shen Wu, along with the women from the Third and Fourth branches of the family, were deliberately isolating Ye Caiwei. Whenever Ye Caiwei spoke, they ignored her and changed the subject.
After this happened twice, Ye Caiwei bit her lip in anger and turned to Shen Wan. “Cousin, let’s go shopping later.”
Whenever they went shopping together, Shen Wan usually paid for most things. Madam Yun was wealthy, and the Yun family even more so. Shen Wan had never lacked spending money and had always been especially generous toward them.
Oh, so they were ignoring her, Ye Caiwei, now?
Then they’d better have the guts not to follow along when they went shopping either.
Shen Yin and Shen Yao immediately sided with her. “Sure!”
Ye Caiwei deliberately asked Shen Wu, “Third Cousin, aren’t you coming?”
Shen Wu twisted her handkerchief angrily, unwilling to speak, as though opening her mouth would mean losing this round of conflict. Shen Yao said, “Third Sister is definitely coming with me.”
Shen Wan smiled faintly. “I won’t be joining you today. I’m going to the Marquis of Yongqing manor to visit Eldest Sister.”
Ye Caiwei said, “You can go shopping after visiting Eldest Cousin.”
What a perfectly arranged plan.
But Shen Wan refused. “I’ve been embroidering the Hundred Longevity Chart these past few days, and the double-sided embroidery technique I finally mastered has already become rusty again. I plan to have Eldest Sister teach me some more, so I probably won’t have time for shopping.”
Ye Caiwei had never had the patience to learn needlework. Not just her, even Shen Wu and Shen Yao disliked it too.
Under normal circumstances, Ye Caiwei would have given up immediately. But now that Shen Wu was isolating her, she would rather follow Shen Wan to the Marquis of Yongqing Manor than stay at the Duke’s Manor and suffer to Shen Wu and the others bullying her.
Shen Wan felt utterly disgusted inside, though none of it showed on her face. “Yesterday, when I wanted to go to Huguo Temple, Cousin was too busy practicing dance to accompany me. Seeing how diligent you are, I was even planning to ask Mother to invite the Deputy Director of the Imperial Music Bureau to the manor to personally guide your dancing. But if you leave the manor with me, the whole day’s practice will go to waste.”
Not only had Shen Wan given the only bolt of Floating Light Brocade in the Yun family to Ye Caiwei, now she was even planning to invite the Deputy Director of the Imperial Music Bureau to personally tutor her in dance. Second Miss treated Cousin Ye far too well.
Ye Caiwei was deeply touched. “Thank you, Cousin.”
“It’s only right.”
Shen Wan’s smile deepened.
Didn’t everyone think she ought to treat Ye Caiwei well?
Then she would do exactly that, for them all to see, for the entire capital to see.
She would raise Ye Caiwei high into the clouds. Only those standing high could suffer a devastating fall.
When Madam Yun arrived, Shen Wan brought up the matter to her. The Old Madam said, “Since you’re already inviting someone, invite another instructor skilled in the qin as well to guide Wu’er and the others.”
How convenient for her to make arrangements when it wasn’t her own money being spent.
In her previous life, when Second Madam suggested inviting the Deputy Director of the Imperial Music Bureau for Ye Caiwei, the Old Madam had also requested teachers for Shen Wu and the others. Her mother spent the money, yet no one even thanked her for it.
Madam Yun was about to agree when Shen Wan spoke first. “It’s not easy to invite the Deputy Director of the Imperial Music Bureau into the manor. Aren’t Third Sister and the others also improving alongside Cousin? As for learning the qin, another teacher can be invited later, and then Cousin can learn together with them too.”
Everything was considered from Cousin’s perspective, with Cousin placed first in all things.
The eldest branch owed Ye Caiwei something, but they owed the second branch nothing at all.
The Old Madam nodded. “That works too.”
Madam Yun ordered someone to send an invitation card to the Imperial Music Bureau, while Shen Wan brought Shanhu to the Marquis of Yongqing Manor.
Inside the carriage, Shen Wan lifted the curtain and first saw the stone lions standing at the entrance of the Marquis of Yongqing Manor. Looking up at the gilded plaque above the gates, her eyes seemed to frost over with icy coldness.
She hoped today would be the last time she stepped into the Marquis of Yongqing Manor.
She would bring her elder sister away from this pit of fire and den of wolves as soon as possible.
By the time she stepped down from the carriage, all traces of emotion had already vanished from Shen Wan’s face. Following the maid’s lead, she went to see her elder sister.
The maid guided her inside. Through the beaded curtain, Shen Wan saw Shen Yu wiping away tears before forcing out a smile. “Wan’er, what brings you here?”
Seeing the redness around her eyes, Shen Wan asked, “Eldest Sister, were you crying?”
“N-No…”
Shen Yu denied it immediately.
Shen Wan turned toward Shen Yu’s maid, Tubai. “What happened?”
Tubai had long been unable to hold back. The moment Shen Wan asked, she spilled everything. “The Heir’s cousin came by just now and ‘accidentally’ tore the brocade robe Madam made for the Heir. Madam hadn’t even said anything, but the cousin started acting wronged first. The Heir then assumed Madam had scolded her and reprimanded Madam several times…”
Tubai felt deeply wronged on Shen Yu’s behalf. The robe had taken more than half a month to finish, yet not only did the Heir fail to praise it, he even blamed her instead.
Shen Wan’s anger flared as well, but she forced it down with all her might. They hadn’t even valued her elder sister’s life, much less a robe she had sewn.
Because the Yun family was so wealthy, they never cared much for anything money could buy. The clothes Shen Ji usually wore were all personally embroidered stitch by stitch by Madam Yun, which had greatly influenced both Shen Wan and Shen Yu.
Shen Wan said, “Mother makes robes for Father because Father treasures them. Even the slightest damage pains him. Making things for people who don’t care is simply asking for suffering. In their eyes, the robe Eldest Sister personally made is no different from one sewn by the manor’s embroiderers. Why waste so much effort and thought?”
Those words struck directly at the heart, so much so that Shanhu and Tubai feared Shen Yu would be hurt even more.
Shen Yu’s nose stung with emotion. “I know…”
Shen Wan only said that much, there was no need to say more. “There’s no point being upset over something like this. Eldest Sister, you should come shopping with me instead.”
Shen Yu did not want to go, but Shen Wan directly pulled her to her feet.