“This is bad, this is terrible! The second son-in-law has eloped with the third young miss!”
“The third son-in-law’s bridal procession will be here any moment. The manor is in a complete uproar!”
“Old Madame requests the second young miss to come to the front hall immediately—”
Three messengers arrived at the front hall in succession to deliver the news. From the young maid to the middle-aged female manager, and finally to Nanny Li, the trusted servant by Old Madame Mu’s side, their voices grew increasingly frantic. Each one looked as if their hair were on fire, as if the heavens were about to collapse.
Dressed in a crimson wedding gown, Shen Ruojin sat before her dressing table, tracing her eyebrows in the bronze mirror. She asked unhurriedly, “What is the panic about?”
She possessed a pair of soul-stirring phoenix eyes with slightly upturned corners, lending her a look that was both heroic and charming. This only enhanced her already exquisite features, making her beauty even more brilliant. As she finished drawing her eyebrows and cast a casual glance toward them, the frantic maids and nannies were instantly awed into silence.
While the entire Linyang Houfu was in utter chaos, the servants in the second young miss’s courtyard continued their duties in an orderly fashion, as if everything were normal.
Standing beside her, the maid Shijian had been about to jump up and start cursing upon hearing that the groom-to-be had eloped. But seeing her mistress so calm and composed, she forced down her anger and changed her tune, saying, “So the brother-in-law eloped with his sister-in-law? It’s not like the sky is falling!”
Nanny Li said anxiously, “My dear second young miss, you know that the third son-in-law, the young prince of Zhenbei Wangfu, is Dijing’s most notorious Demon King. He’s coming in person to receive the bride today. If he finds out that the third young miss and the second son-in-law… are not in the manor, won’t he tear our Linyang Houfu apart? How is that any different from the sky falling?”
Although Shen Ruojin was the legitimate daughter of the Houfu, she took her mother’s surname, Shen.
Two daughters of the Houfu were to be married on the same day. Shen Ruojin, the legitimate daughter of the second branch, was to marry Pei Jing, a Jieyuan who had placed first in two consecutive examinations this year. Mu Yunwei, the concubine-born third young miss of the first branch, was to marry Dijing’s number-one troublemaker—Young Prince Qin Lang.
In terms of status, Young Prince Qin Lang of Zhenbei Wangfu was naturally of noble birth, belonging to the highest tier of aristocracy.
Pei Jing, on the other hand, was a student from a humble background. His merit lay in his extraordinary talent. After placing first in last year’s Xiangshi and this year’s Huishi, he became the hottest candidate for the title of Zhuangyuan. He had come to the Houfu to propose using a keepsake from Shen Ruojin’s late mother. Even though the marriage was arranged by their elders, it was considered a significant step up for him.
Following her mother’s dying wish, Shen Ruojin had accepted the match.
It just so happened that the Young Prince of Zhenbei Wangfu also came to propose. Faced with such a high-status son-in-law offering himself, the Marquis of Linyang naturally agreed immediately. By sheer coincidence, the wedding dates were set for the same day, intended to be a double celebration. Who could have known that a joyous event would turn into a disaster?
Now, everyone in the Houfu was like ants on a hot griddle, pacing in circles with anxiety.
Nanny Li couldn’t wait any longer and urged, “Second Young Miss, Old Madame and the Master are all waiting for you in the front hall…”
“Let’s go.” Shen Ruojin placed the eyebrow carbon back into the makeup box. She raised her hand for her maids to support her as she stood up and walked out slowly, her magnificent wedding train sweeping across the red carpet as she passed through the corridor.
Nanny Li hurriedly led the others to follow.
…
Half a cup of tea’s time later, in the front hall.
Old Madame Mu had been waiting so long that her anger was simmering. She frequently dabbed her sweat with a handkerchief. As soon as she saw Shen Ruojin enter, she put on the airs of an elder and said displeasurably, “What took you so long?”
“If I had come too quickly, Old Madame wouldn’t have had enough time to prepare her excuses. Wouldn’t that be awkward?”
Shen Ruojin curtsied to the seated elders and then naturally took a seat to the side.
She maintained her etiquette, but she also hadn’t forgotten the principle she had followed since childhood: “No matter where you go, never mistreat yourself.”
Old Madame Mu choked for a moment. “What kind of talk is that? Besides, did I give you permission to sit?”
Among the four young ladies of the Houfu’s younger generation, she doted on Mu Yunwei the most and disliked Shen Ruojin the most.
There was no particular reason other than the fact that Shen Ruojin’s mother had died young, and a fortune-teller had claimed Shen Ruojin had a “hard fate” that would bring misfortune to her elders, while Mu Yunwei was a “lucky star” who would bring prosperity to the family. Since several events had aligned with these predictions, the Old Madame believed them implicitly, even disregarding the distinction between legitimate and concubine-born status she had once valued so much.
Last night, Mu Yunwei had suddenly made a scene, refusing to marry Young Prince Qin and insisting on marrying Pei Jing. Old Madame Mu thought her beloved granddaughter had been possessed and immediately sent for a master to perform an exorcism.
The exorcism yielded nothing, but Mu Yunwei uttered something shocking. She claimed she had been reborn. She said that although Pei Jing was currently just a poor scholar, he was actually a lost prince. In the future, he would inherit the throne and rule the world…
As for Qin Lang, despite the current overwhelming power and prestige of Zhenbei Wangfu, the manor would soon collapse, and the entire family would be exiled. Without his status as a young prince, he was destined to be a short-lived ghost.
Mu Yunwei also said, “Shen Ruojin doesn’t have the fate of an Empress. Marrying Pei Jing will only lead to the Houfu’s ruin. I am different. Pei Jing and I are a match made in heaven. If I marry him, I will one day mother the world, and the Houfu will surely become the greatest family in the land!”
Old Madame Mu was skeptical, but somehow, Mu Yunwei had managed to elope with Pei Jing—a man who had previously seemed to only have eyes for Shen Ruojin.
Now that this mess was laid out before them, they had to cover it up first.
Seeing the Old Madame’s expression, Shen Ruojin had guessed seventy to eighty percent of the truth. The Old Madame likely knew about the elopement long ago.
When things are this unusual, there must be a hidden motive.
She would remain calm and see exactly what play they were trying to stage.
Meeting Shen Ruojin’s gaze, a flash of guilt crossed the Old Madame’s eyes, though it was quickly masked. “Forget it. There is a more pressing matter at hand.”
The grandmother continued with an air of “I won’t hold this against you,” saying, “Yunwei and Pei Jing have suddenly fallen ill. They are so sick they cannot leave their beds, let alone perform the wedding ceremony. But dozens of banquet tables have been set, and the guests are already gathering at the gates. It’s impossible to postpone the wedding. As things stand, there is only one solution—though it is a desperate one.”
Shen Ruojin took the tea cup handed to her by a maid and lightly lifted the lid to brush away the floating leaves. “Since it’s not a good solution, Old Madame might as well save your breath.”
“You…” Old Madame Mu was choked by her words.
“Ruojin, how dare you speak to your grandmother like that? Is this how the Shen family taught you?”
Mu Gaoyuan frowned, interrupting the clash between his daughter and mother.
When Shen Ruojin was seven, her mother passed away. As the Old Madame grew to dislike her more, her maternal grandfather’s family took her in.
A girl raised by General Shen himself—that family of warriors had raised her into someone quite unconventional. She was only sent back when she reached marriageable age. After a year of learning rules in Dijing, her words and actions appeared to follow the standards of a great lady, but the arrogance in her bones was still at odds with the entire Linyang Houfu.
Shen Ruojin raised her eyes and said, “The Shen family taught me that family members should protect each other with their lives, not exploit and plot against one another.”
“The Shen family taught me not to do unto others what I would not have done to myself.”
“The Shen family also taught me that one can eat anything in this world, except for a loss.”
Mu Gaoyuan was instantly rendered speechless.
Hearing this, Old Madame Mu’s anger flared. “The Shen family, the Shen family! Since your surname is Shen and your heart only holds the Shen family, why did you even come back? Oh, I’m old and almost forgot. Three years ago at the battle of Beiyang Guan, all the Shens died out…”
A string snapped violently in Shen Ruojin’s heart. She casually placed the tea cup on the side table, and the table instantly shattered under the force of her internal energy, bursting into fragments.
The tea bowl hit the floor with a loud “clatter,” breaking into tiny shards as boiling hot tea splashed everywhere.
Old Madame Mu’s words came to an abrupt halt.
The entire main hall fell into instant silence.
In the battle of Luoyue Guan three years ago, the current Emperor had led a personal expedition but suffered a crushing defeat. Her four maternal uncles and nine older brothers had all died on that battlefield to defend their land and protect their sovereign. Shen Ruojin, who grew up at the border, was sent back to Dijing afterward and forbidden from setting foot on a battlefield again.
The Shen family was full of loyal martyrs. Now, only her maternal grandfather, the nearly seventy-year-old General Shen, remained to guard that border line.
Everyone knew that the phrase “the Shens died out” was Shen Ruojin’s reverse scale.
Mu Gaoyuan knew this full well. He didn’t even dare to mention the table Shen Ruojin had smashed and immediately changed the subject. “Enough! Why is Mother saying such things on a wedding day? And you, Ruojin—your uncles and cousins are watching you from the heavens. You must marry well so they can be at peace.”
Before his voice finished echoing, a gatekeeper rushed in to report: “Master! The bridal procession from Zhenbei Wangfu has reached the gates!”
Mu Gaoyuan was startled and immediately ordered, “Shut the gates tight! Get more men to hold them shut! Delay them as long as possible!”
“We can’t hold it, we can’t hold it at all, Master!” The gatekeeper’s voice trembled. “Young Prince Qin… he’s already blasted the gates open!”