The marquis's estate was indeed quite large. Back when Shen Jiangyun had passed the age of childhood, he had been moved by his father, Shen Rui, into the "Pine Forest Thatched Cottage," which had been built specifically for him.
The "Pine Forest Thatched Cottage" was located in the southwest corner of the marquis's estate—neither close to the front courtyard's main gate, nor facing the street, and even somewhat distant from the main madam's principal courtyard. Inside, the vegetation was lush, and rockeries with pines and stones rose in layered peaks, making it an especially serene and secluded place ideal for studying.
It was precisely because of this distance that Shen Jianglin, by calculating the walking time involved, was able to clarify the contradictions therein and smoothly identify the "true culprit."
Shen Jianglin now had the body of a ten-year-old child and had just recovered from a serious illness, so naturally he could not walk quickly. By the time he reached Concubine Xu's small courtyard, the sun was already high in the sky.
Shen Jianglin's back and forehead were damp with sweat—yet it was a layer of cold sweat from weakness. His delicate, fair little face looked as though it had been stained with a layer of rouge, but his lips were pale, clearly showing he was running out of strength.
The moment he stepped into the small courtyard, Concubine Xu was already waiting at the door. She hurriedly helped Shen Jianglin inside; had she not been somewhat petite and lacking in strength, she would have wished to carry Shen Jianglin in herself.
"My young master, ah! You've only just gotten a bit better—how dare you go wandering and walking about everywhere? I sent your wet nurse and maids out to look for you—how is it that you came back all by yourself?"
Early that morning, after Shen Jianglin had eaten breakfast, he had said he wanted to get out of bed and walk a bit. The next thing anyone knew, he had vanished. Concubine Xu had hurriedly sent people out to search, while she herself kept watch in the small courtyard waiting for her son to return, fearful that some mishap might occur again.
Shen Jianglin knew well that gossip was a fearful thing. Now that he had recovered slightly, he had to clean up the mess left by the original body. Otherwise, once a bad reputation had been carried for long enough, even if he had not done those things, once the traces were wiped away, they would still become things he had done. That was why today he had dragged his still-unwell body to make things clear with his elder brother.
Although they had spent only a few short days together, Concubine Xu was a person easy to see through—unlettered and not particularly capable. All she could see was the little plot of ground right before her eyes. She had a sharp tongue, but if she were actually asked to do something, she was not very likely to do it well.
Moreover, Concubine Xu considered herself lowly in status. Now that reason had returned to her, if she were asked to go before the main madam, Madam Wei, to argue the matter, whether she dared was one question, and whether she could argue it well was another. As for asking her to go find Shen Jiangyun—that was even more improper given the rules of propriety.
He could only act himself.
Concubine Xu chattered on for quite a while. She helped Shen Jianglin remove his outer clothes, then steered him back to bed to lean against the headboard and rest. After that, she personally brought over the medicine bowl and watched as Shen Jianglin drank it down.
"Lin'er, as for the matter of returning to the main courtyard, you need not worry. Your concubine mother is useless, but at least you still have two elder sisters! These days they stand in attendance before the madam every day, carefully serving her and speaking well of you on your behalf. The madam is soft-hearted. Once you are fully recovered, your concubine mother will lead you to kowtow before the madam, and I expect this matter will be smoothed over."
Seeing Shen Jianglin's black-and-white clear eyes looking at her coldly and lucidly, Concubine Xu's heart skipped a beat. Feeling somewhat guilty, she said awkwardly, "It was your concubine mother who did wrong at the time. It was just that I was also terribly frightened then…"
The original body had never been close to Concubine Xu, and often resented why he was not Madam Wei's biological son. He was ashamed of having a concubine as his birth mother, so every time he encountered Concubine Xu, he deliberately avoided her. When there was truly no way to avoid her, he would only look coldly at Concubine Xu as she tried to ingratiate herself and ask after him, while he himself would pay her no heed.
So Concubine Xu, toward this biological son of hers, both loved and feared him, treading on thin ice, afraid of saying the wrong thing.
Shen Jianglin had never imagined that one day he would need three weak women to tremblingly help him scheme in every possible way. Even if he really were ten years old, there was truly no need for this.
Though he did not wish to inherit the original body's grudges and entanglements, wanting only to keep to himself, Shen Jianglin ultimately sighed in his heart and said: "Concubine Mother, there's no need to make my sisters go stand on ceremony every day, nor to go kowtow. I expect in a few days, Mother will come to see me herself."
After Shen Jianglin finished explaining the whole situation, Concubine Xu's delicate eyebrows shot up in anger, and she gnashed her teeth in hatred: "That wretch Biyue! I've always said she was no good—she really deserves to have her skin peeled off! That heartless, rotten bastard—I'll go to the Madam right now and tell her, have her hung up by the feet and sold off before I'll be satisfied!"
Seeing Concubine Xu about to storm out in a rage, Shen Jianglin hurriedly pulled her back.
Shen Jianglin did not know that Concubine Xu's earlier somewhat timid behavior was because in her heart she felt her own son had really stolen something and then threatened the mistress with death, so she was the one in the wrong. Now that she had justice on her side, why wouldn't she go on the offensive and just wait around?
Though Concubine Xu had the face of a delicate Jiangnan woman, deep down she actually had quite a bit of a bandit's spirit.
"Concubine Mother, I've already explained everything clearly to Eldest Brother. Eldest Brother has also had the old maid escort Biyue to Mother's side. Our not showing ourselves is giving Eldest Brother and Mother face, letting them figure out how to handle it themselves. This matter can't be concealed. Didn't you say Father also came to see me the day I was unconscious? Since Father was alerted, it probably won't be covered up so easily. The blame can only fall on Biyue alone. To warn others by making an example, and to compensate me, Mother absolutely will not let this go so easily."
After Shen Jianglin finished his persuading words, Concubine Xu lowered her head and wiped her tears with her sleeve, then said with tearful, smiling eyes: "Brother Lin has studied and improved—you talk just like a grown-up. Concubine Mother will listen to you!"
Brother Lin spoke in such an organized, methodical way, exactly like his father carved from the same mold. This made Concubine Xu both convinced and naturally somewhat restrained with awe. She had already made mistakes before, and now she dared not make decisions on her own again.
After Concubine Xu finished speaking, she took away the medicine bowl placed by the bedside. As soon as she turned around, tears could not help but flow out again.
"This is the first time Brother Lin has said 'we' to me, as if Brother Lin and I were the closer ones." Concubine Xu's heart was filled with mixed emotions, but she did not know how to express it in front of her son, so she could only pretend to be busy and take the medicine bowl out to wash it.
There was no one else in the room for the moment. After taking his medicine and resting for a while, Shen Jianglin felt much better. He began to seriously calculate in his mind.
Shen Jianglin did not care about the entanglement between the original body and Biyue. Moreover, in the original body's memories, there had been no entanglement between the two. Biyue's portrayal in the book was merely a few brief strokes. Shen Jianglin only knew that she would later become Shen Jiangyun's concubine, but like him, she was a background figure.
However, reality and fiction are bound to differ enormously. Scenes that never appeared in the novel had truly occurred in reality, and Shen Jianglin was certain that his mother, Madam Wei, would not tolerate such a woman appearing by her son's side.
It was not that she could not tolerate Biyue's sinister and vicious nature, but that she could not tolerate her deceiving those above and below and acting on her own.
This was the greatest taboo that no person of authority could endure.
Therefore, Biyue's ending could only be one.
And had this ending been changed because of his arrival?
Shen Jianglin pondered for a long while, but still believed that what he needed to do first was to establish a firm footing for himself before considering anything else.
Shen Jianglin already knew that this was a dynasty he was unfamiliar with. After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, the Zhou family had taken power and established the Great Zhou. The throne had passed through three generations of rulers, and their rule had lasted nearly a hundred years. It was currently enjoying a resurgence, and this year was the eighth year of Xing Tai.
Although the dynasty was different, the general historical trajectory was similar to that of the Ming Dynasty. Under the "scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants" hierarchy, "scholars" still occupied the top tier, and selection through the Keju had become the mainstream channel for recruiting talent.
If he wanted to establish a firm footing in this era, given his status as a son born of a concubine who could not inherit the title, he would inevitably have to split off from the family once he married. In that case, if he could cloak himself in official rank, that would surely be a guarantee for living well in this world.
Furthermore, according to the original book's plot, his eldest brother and the entire marquis estate, under the machinations of the female lead Zhao Anning, were exiled as a family, and ultimately, on the road to exile, some died and some were crippled.
To have the marquis estate protect itself? That was impossible.
It was just that the novel had focused mainly on love and hatred. When read as casual entertainment, one did not need to think too hard, but now that he recalled it, he felt there were quite a few loopholes in it.
In the book, the female lead Zhao Anning came from the Zhao family of Suzhou. Her father, Zhao Bingde, currently served as a Director in the Hubu. The Zhao family had always been a scholarly family, with many of its sons and nephews serving as officials, and its family background was extraordinary.
The Rong'an Marquis Estate, however, was a household of nobility and meritorious officials. His current convenient father, Shen Rui, had inherited the title and also held the sinecure of Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, rank four proper. It appeared that they were gradually drifting away from the center of power and beginning to decline. But according to the original body's memories, the Rong'an Marquis Estate had many relatives and old acquaintances in the capital, and its influence was deeply intertwined. In addition, the Shen family's ancestors had the honor of saving the emperor's life on the battlefield. With this distinction, even if the Shen family did not live up to expectations, they should not have fallen to the point of exile.
Unless the Shen family had committed a grave error, otherwise the new ruler who issued the order would inevitably be criticized by later generations as "harsh and ungrateful."
Judging by the current peaceful state of the realm, the present emperor did not seem like a muddled one either. Then there must certainly be hidden circumstances involved.
Could an unmarried young woman truly obtain all the Zhao family's support to overthrow the Shen family? The male lead, Lu Tingfeng, who was destined to sweep through the Keju and become the Zhuangyuan, would he really stand firmly on Zhao Anning's side because of some dubious past-life entanglements?
When Shen Jianglin read this novel, the memories of the female lead's previous life were barely touched upon in just a few lines. He remembered the original text mentioning that Zhao Anning married into the Shen family and lived an unhappy life. Her husband, Shen Jiangyun, was fickle and frequently frequented brothels and red-light districts. The concubines he brought home tormented and pressured her, causing her to miscarry and eventually die of depression—hence her rebirth and return for revenge.
However, the entanglements of interest in this world were too numerous. When suddenly facing a force, unless one had an absolute advantage or a blood feud, most people would not act rashly.
Even if Zhao Anning was determined to fight the Shen family to the end for the grudges of her previous life, would the forces behind her truly make a move over matters of love and affection?
For some, love and romance were matters of life and death; for others, they were merely trivial pastimes.
Shen Jianglin pondered this and felt that there were countless threads yet to be untangled, with obvious flaws everywhere.
Shen Jianglin was a man who disliked worldly affairs. His greatest loves in life were "qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, flowers, wine, and tea." Having experienced separation by life and death at a very young age, he had delved deeply into philosophical questions. He entered the highest institution of learning as the Zhuangyuan of the capital and studied philosophy. To the general public anxious about employment, this might have seemed like a waste of extraordinary talent, but to Shen Jianglin, he only did what he enjoyed.
The young Shen Jianglin sat on billions in family assets. No matter how others fought and scrambled, they could not take away his 20% stake in the conglomerate. When he came of age at eighteen, he liquidated some of his shares and invested in startup projects he favored. Thanks to his sharp vision, within a few years, some of these companies even became unicorn enterprises valued at over one billion US dollars. Shen Jianglin, holding substantial shares in them, saw his personal wealth skyrocket, leaving people astounded.
His aunt's husband had once said privately during a late-night conversation between husband and wife that Shen Jianglin, despite his youth, possessed a resilient mind and extraordinary talent far surpassing many adults. However, he carried too much on his mind, and they feared that extreme brilliance might lead to harm.
Little did they expect that Shen Jianglin's health would be fine, but misfortune would strike without warning. People online joked that a family should stay together in every way. Shen Jianglin, thinking of how his family members had died—some in car accidents, some in plane crashes—couldn't help but find a trace of absurd irony in it.
Now that he had been drawn into this web of right and wrong, extricating himself unscathed would not be easy. In this era, the clan was also a formidable force, unlike modern times when one could easily break away from family and stand independently.
That being so, Shen Jianglin had no choice but to sort out the affairs of the Shen family, then find the right opportunity to withdraw from it and live his leisurely life.
There were still ten years before the exile mentioned in the book. During this time, he would enter officialdom through the Keju and reach the core of power—only then would he have the chance to see the full board and find a way to break the deadlock.
With his mind made up, Shen Jianglin felt his thoughts grow weary and drowsiness overtake him. Meanwhile, Nanny Wang, weighed down with worries, walked to the rear of the main courtyard hall. Just as she was about to wave over a familiar maid to ask if Shen Jianglin had come here, she suddenly heard the sound of porcelain shattering inside the main hall, startling Nanny Wang.