The path was damp, with raindrops clinging to the treetops, poised to fall but reluctant to let go.
Shen Qingluo, dressed in a light gown, blended harmoniously with the lush greenery of the garden, her presence fresh and refined. When she arrived, the noisy room fell silent. The members of the Third Branch were all present.
Showing no sign of guilt for being late, Shen Qingluo greeted them calmly, without bowing to Madam Wei.
“So many people waiting on you alone—quite the airs you put on,” Madam Wei remarked with biting sarcasm.
“You were the ones who summoned me,” Shen Qingluo replied. Her meaning was clear: if they disliked waiting, they needn’t have called her.
Madam Wei, unable to win a verbal sparring match, shifted the topic. “I hear your mother said the summer clothes for the young ladies of the household are to be arranged by you this year?”
Shen Qingluo nodded.
Just then, a maid’s voice came from outside: “The Marquis.”
Shen Zheng lifted his robe and entered, bowing to Madam Wei. “Mother.”
“Zheng’er, you’re here,” Madam Wei said, using his childhood name as she always had. “You’re busy with affairs; no need to come pay respects every day.”
“A few steps hardly delay me,” Shen Zheng replied, taking the seat of honor.
Tea was served.
The Marchioness smiled and said, “The Marquis shows true filial devotion. To see his mother’s health daily is his greatest wish.” As she spoke, she glanced at Shen Zheng with gentle eyes. His expression softened as he was reminded of his wife’s virtues.
“Chang’an mentioned you’ve had headaches these past few days?” Shen Zheng asked.
“That child… I told him not to trouble the Marquis with it. It’s only a minor ailment,” the Marchioness replied.
Shen Zheng looked at her directly, his tone tinged with concern. “Even minor ailments shouldn’t be neglected. If a physician is needed, then summon one.”
“I will remember,” she said, realizing his temper had eased. Her smile relaxed.
Turning to Shen Qingluo, the Marchioness deliberately brought up the earlier topic, hinting at teaching her how to manage household affairs.
Shen Zheng immediately praised her: “Ah Luo is the legitimate eldest daughter. She ought to shoulder the duties of an elder sister and help ease your burdens.”
“That is exactly my thought,” the Marchioness agreed. “As it happens, the household must prepare summer clothes. I’ve asked Ah Luo to begin with this task, so she may also become familiar with the people of the estate.”
Shen Zheng nodded. “Summer clothes follow established custom, and the shops are already prepared. It should not be difficult.” He turned to Shen Qingluo. “How has it gone?”
Before she could answer, Madam Wei interjected sharply: “It nearly came to blows between Ah Ting and Ah Yuan.”
“And why was that?” Shen Zheng asked.
Madam Wei explained: “Ah Ting has always favored green, while Ah Yuan prefers pink. Yet look at the clothes Ah Luo had delivered to them.”
Indeed, the green gown lay before Fourth Miss Shen Qingyuan, while the pink one was placed before Third Miss Shen Qingting.
The two young ladies had quarreled like fighting cocks, and the garments were left torn and ragged.
“If it was a mistake, then simply exchange them,” Shen Zheng said. But as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized the problem.
Shen Qingting was stubborn by nature and prided herself on being the legitimate daughter. Even if she disliked pink, she would never yield it to Shen Qingyuan.
Shen Qingyuan, on the other hand, was domineering. The more Shen Qingting refused, the more determined she was to snatch it. If she couldn’t win, she would cry. Though born of a concubine, she was quick-tongued and clever, earning Madam Wei’s favor.
With Madam Wei siding with Shen Qingyuan, Second Madam Chen grew displeased. “The gown was sent by Sister-in-law. Since it was given to Ah Ting, it belongs to her. There’s no reason to hand it over.”
Shen Tai scolded Madam Chen: “It’s just a dress. Ah Ting is older—what harm in letting Ah Yuan have it?”
And so the quarrel erupted.
Shen Zheng frowned and turned to the Marchioness. “What is going on here?”
Feigning innocence, the Marchioness replied: “I had already instructed Ah Luo carefully, telling her each younger sister’s preferences one by one. I never imagined she would make such a mistake.”
Her words made it seem as though Shen Qingluo had been careless, perfunctory, and unworthy of the Marchioness’s trust. And now, having only just returned to the household, Shen Qingluo had already offended the Second Branch—leaving her without a foothold.
The Marchioness seized the chance to claim Shen Qingluo lacked the ability to manage household affairs. If she succeeded, all the fine goods in that room would be moved into the Marquisate’s storerooms.
Outwardly, she was the mother—taking charge of her daughter’s private treasury seemed perfectly natural.
But Shen Qingluo saw her mother’s intentions clearly. Facing Shen Zheng’s questioning gaze, she asked the Marchioness, “Mother, whom did you instruct to tell me my sisters’ preferences?”
The Marchioness frowned. “Ah Luo, a mistake is a mistake. What use is feigning ignorance?”
Shen Qingluo held her gaze.
With ill humor, the Marchioness replied, “It was Feicui. She is my chief maid, steady in her work.”
From behind her, Feicui stepped forward and said she had indeed gone to Banyue Pavilion: “When I delivered the message, Nanny Bai and Xiao Ya were both present.”
The Marchioness pressed on: “Ah Luo, surely you’re not going to claim your mother has wronged you? Those two are your people—they follow your orders.”
With that, she cut off any chance of witnesses speaking in Shen Qingluo’s defense.
The Marchioness sat calm and composed, waiting for Shen Qingluo to admit fault and yield. Then she would step in to reconcile matters, appearing magnanimous and virtuous.
Everyone in the room turned their eyes on Shen Qingluo. Even those uninvolved were eager to see her stumble.
In this household, Shen Qingluo was an outsider.
“Though both are your daughters, Ah Luo is no match for Ah Yi. In my view, it would be better to teach Ah Yi these matters instead,” Madam Wei remarked.
She did not truly favor Shen Qingyi—she merely wished to see the Marchioness’s two daughters set against each other.
Unfortunately, Shen Zheng could not discern the subtle ties of kinship and rivalry. He still believed Madam Wei treated him as her own son.
“Ah Luo cannot even manage this small task. Household affairs are far more complex. There’s no need to teach her further,” Shen Zheng said, disappointed.
The Marchioness rejoiced inwardly, though outwardly she feigned difficulty. “Ah Luo has returned from Shanyang County, and the Li family’s estates and shops are in her hands. If she mismanages them, it would be a pity.”
Her words were tactful, but Shen Zheng understood them clearly.
The reason he had never spoken of Shen Qingluo’s holdings was twofold. First, when Lady Li had voluntarily left the Marquisate years ago, she declared that the Li family’s property would have nothing to do with the Marquis household. At that time, the old Marquis was alive, the family was at its height, and he himself had agreed—there was even a written deed to prove it. To seize those assets now would be no different from robbery.
Second, Shen Zheng did not wish to face the matter. He avoided speaking of his birth mother, and naturally did not want to see the things she had left behind. He remembered once telling her: “I hate the sound of the abacus most of all.”
Now, to ask Shen Qingluo for those assets himself—his pride could not bear it. And yet such a vast fortune—who would not be tempted?
The Marchioness’s idea of managing matters on Shen Qingluo’s behalf was perfect—two birds with one stone, so long as Ah Luo did not resist.
“Ah Luo…” Shen Zheng had just opened his mouth when he saw her draw a plain sheet of paper from her sleeve.
She unfolded it and handed it to him. “Father, your daughter is dull-witted, so I wrote down every word Feicui conveyed.”
On the white paper, the handwriting was neat, listing each young lady’s preferences clearly:
– Third Sister favored pink.
– Fourth Sister favored green.
“Eldest Sister, perhaps you wrote it wrong?” Shen Qingyi interjected.
Her words immediately planted doubt in Shen Zheng’s mind. He nodded in agreement: “Your mother is cautious in all things, and her maidservants are the same. It must be you who wrote it incorrectly.”
Shen Qingluo glanced at Shen Qingyi. She was smiling—a faint smile that might pass unnoticed, but Shen Qingluo knew her too well. She was laughing at her.
Greedy for affection, Shen Qingyi longed to win the love of her parents, her brother, and everyone around her.