Although Shen Tinglan was the respected head of the Shen clan, he was also the highest-ranking civil official in the State of Wu, a pillar of the state who assisted in governing the country and overseeing the affairs of the court.
Shen Tinglan worked tirelessly from dawn until late at night. He was responsible for helping the young emperor handle countless matters of state, from criminal laws and regulations to the transportation of grain and water conservancy projects. How could he possibly have the time to attend a banquet?
The only reason Shen Tinglan had left Tingyu Tower tonight and come to the banquet hall was because of the love poison tormenting him. A bone-deep pain had spread through his chest and lungs, making even his long fingers tremble as he held his brush.
Shen Tinglan knew exactly why.
Yun Ni was not in Qiulian Courtyard. She had gone somewhere else.
Although Shen Tinglan disliked the fact that she kept wandering around and disturbing his state of mind, she was a living, breathing person. Unless he shackled her hands and feet and locked her up, there was no way she would obediently remain inside the residence.
Irritated and restless, Shen Tinglan swallowed a painkilling pill and forcibly suppressed the excruciating pain. Using the banquet invitation from the young nobles as an excuse, he went to the dining hall.
When he remembered how Yun Ni had deliberately kept her distance from him that day, even nervously covering her ankle with her sleeve, the murderous rage in his chest began to boil again. It twisted around his heart like vines, spreading from the hollow emptiness within him like a growing killing intent…
Tormented by the love poison, Shen Tinglan had inexplicably begun to dislike seeing Yun Ni’s guarded expression whenever she faced him, as though he were some terrifying beast she desperately needed to avoid.
Shen Tinglan pressed his thin lips into a tight line.
He had never been in such a helpless, controlled position before, nor did he want Yun Ni to discover the slightest hint of his weakness.
Therefore, after arriving at the dining hall, Shen Tinglan allowed Wang Ruodan to act familiar with him and lead the way until they gradually approached Yun Ni’s table.
The moment he drew near her, the agonizing pain that had been gnawing at his heart vanished without a trace.
At the same time, the faint scent of soapberry soap lingering on Yun Ni’s clothes drifted toward him, involuntarily filling his senses and slipping down into his throat and lungs.
Yun Ni seemed startled. Her fingertips trembled slightly beneath her sleeves as she tightly clutched the hem of her clothes.
She did not even dare to raise her head. Instead, she stammered awkwardly, “Miss Wang, I’m going back to my courtyard to rest…”
Shen Tinglan could not tell whether Yun Ni was afraid of Wang Ruodan or of him.
She seemed desperate to get away from them. Turning around, she left without even sparing Shen Tinglan a glance.
Shen Tinglan frowned slightly, thoughtfully watching her small, slender figure as she walked farther and farther away.
Yun Ni tried her best to steady herself so that her gait would not appear so obviously uneven.
She could not even walk like a normal person.
“Brother Shen, shall we go to the river and release the lanterns? I made a lotus lantern especially for you. I used mica sheets for the lantern shade and added osmanthus-scented dew to the candle oil. I want to release it with you and show you…”
As an esteemed young lady from a prestigious family, Wang Ruodan possessed an innate elegance and restraint. Only when she was with Shen Tinglan did she reveal such a charming, girlish side.
She looked up at him expectantly, shyly waiting for his answer.
Shen Tinglan glanced at her and inexplicably felt displeased.
Wang Ruodan was dressed like Guanyin, yet instead of giving off the dignified, sacred aura of the Bodhisattva, she somehow looked vulgar and overly adorned.
Shen Tinglan withdrew his cold, almost harsh gaze and said indifferently, “No. Miss Wang, please enjoy yourself. State affairs are keeping me busy, and I still have documents to review. I won’t keep you company. Everyone, enjoy yourselves and don’t be too formal. I’ll take my leave first.”
Shen Tinglan knew that Yun Ni had nowhere else to go. She could only return to Qiulian Courtyard.
And once he returned to Tingyu Tower, they would be separated by only one wall.
That distance was close enough to temporarily ease the pain in his heart without allowing Yun Ni to notice anything unusual.
After all, Shen Tinglan regarded Yun Ni as nothing more than a speck of dirt on his sleeve. He had no intention of letting her believe that she was indispensable to him.
Shen Tinglan’s attitude had been distant and cold. Yun Ni had barely left before he followed suit.
The two left the banquet one after another. The young men and women from the prestigious families were all shrewd enough to notice something unusual at a glance.
They gathered together and whispered among themselves.
“Who is that woman? Is she close to the Shen family head?”
Those who knew the truth were secretly delighted by the gossip.
“You don’t know? My father said that the Shen family head was attacked while traveling and was rescued by a village girl. He even stayed among the common people for an entire year… That Miss Yun just now is the woman who saved his life.”
“Could it be that he spent that entire year with Miss Yun, living under the same roof?”
“A man and a woman alone together for so long… Surely something must have happened between them.”
“Shh! Stop talking nonsense! Miss Wang is still here!”
…
Wang Ruodan had been cherished by her family since childhood. When had she ever endured such humiliation?
Her eyes grew hot and her nose stung. But after thinking about it, she found the whole thing absurd.
It was nothing more than a coincidence.
Hadn’t everyone seen that Shen Tinglan had barely looked at Yun Ni since entering the courtyard? He had not even spoken a single word to her.
If Shen Tinglan truly had feelings for Yun Ni, why would he not give her a status and bring her into the Shen household?
Besides, anyone with eyes could see the enormous gulf between their social statuses.
Shen Tinglan was as lofty and untouchable as a magnificent jade mountain. How could a man of such extraordinary standing ever lower his eyes to look at a humble village girl?
After comforting herself, Wang Ruodan finally calmed her tense breathing.
She secretly gritted her teeth.
Shen Tinglan needed a wife from a family of equal standing.
And she was the perfect candidate.
There was no way she would lose to a country girl.
At the beginning of March, a foreign delegation from the Western Regions arrived in the capital.
Camel caravans had escorted carts loaded with spices, ancient texts, rare birds, exotic beasts, and other tribute for the imperial family and nobles of the Celestial Empire.
The young emperor, Li Yi, held a welcoming hunting banquet at Wuwang Mountain near the capital. In addition to entertaining the foreign envoys who had traveled such a long distance, he also invited unmarried young men and women from the great aristocratic families to come hunting in the mountains.
The civil and military officials understood perfectly well what Shen Tinglan was planning.
He was using the hunting banquet as an opportunity to help the emperor select an empress.
Now that the matter of choosing an empress had been made public and had received the approval of Regent Chancellor Shen Tinglan, everyone wondered whether, once the young emperor married and came of age, Shen Tinglan would loosen his grip on power and return some authority to the imperial Li family.
The spring hunting banquet invited not only the young ladies of the Shen clan, but Yun Ni as well.
However, Yun Ni had no illusions about receiving the invitation. She certainly did not believe that a commoner like herself had somehow been given a chance to mingle with members of the imperial family.
The only reason she had received an invitation was because Shen Tinglan could not stay away from her for too long. He needed to keep her nearby to suppress the effects of the love poison.
Over the past month, the Shen matriarch had treated Yun Ni with great care, almost to the point of being excessively attentive.
Even the most foolish person would have realized that the old madam must know about the love poison. That explained why she could tolerate a village woman like Yun Ni being so “close” to Shen Tinglan, the prodigy who carried the Shen family’s reputation on his shoulders.
In the eyes of these powerful people, Yun Ni was nothing more than an insignificant antidote.
Once the love poison disappeared six months later, they would discard her like a worn-out shoe and forget all about her.
Yun Ni obediently drank the thick, bitter bowl of medicine meant to neutralize the poison.
She did not even put a single piece of candied fruit into her mouth afterward.
There were only three days left before Yun Ni would have to travel to Wuwang Mountain for the hunting banquet.
Before then, the third young master of the Shen family, Shen Jichuan, returned from his travels.
The Shen family had three branches.
The legitimate first branch had only one direct heir, Shen Tinglan, the eldest grandson.
The second and third branches were both made up of sons born to concubines.
The second branch’s mistress, Madam Ye, had given birth to Shen Erlang, Shen Jiming, and Shen Silang, Shen Baolu.
Shen Jiming was one year younger than Shen Tinglan. He was already married and was currently observing government affairs in the Six Ministries, waiting for the court to appoint him to an official position six months later.
Shen Baolu had only come of age last year. Her family was in no hurry to marry her off and was still looking for a suitable husband.
The third branch’s mistress, Madam Xia, had given birth to Shen Sanlang, Shen Jichuan, and Shen Wuniang, Shen Baozhang.
Shen Jichuan had been traveling and studying away from home for years and rarely returned.
Recently, Madam Xia had approached Shen Tinglan, hoping to use the privilege of hereditary appointment to secure her son’s entry into government service.
She wanted Shen Tinglan to recommend her nephew for a position within the imperial guard, where he could obtain a minor official post and later benefit from further support.
Shen Tinglan happened to need to place someone near Li Yi, so he neither strongly agreed nor objected.
His ambiguous attitude was essentially silent approval for his second aunt to call their useless third cousin back home and have him wait for his elder cousin’s arrangements.
When Shen Jichuan finally returned, the Shen matriarch was overjoyed to see the grandson she had not seen for so long.
She hurriedly pulled him into her arms and laughed.
“You’ve been living like a wild monkey out there. Look how much you’ve tanned! You refused to come home when I called you back during the New Year, but the moment your eldest brother summoned you, you came running back. Clearly, your eldest brother still has the most influence over you!”
The old madam pretended to be angry and turned her back on him.
Shen Jichuan quickly bent his knees and lowered himself, putting on an exaggeratedly filial smile.
“Grandmother, how could you say that? I may not have come home, but I certainly sent you gifts! As soon as the autumn pears from the north came into season, I had people buy baskets and baskets of those frozen Qiubai pears just so you could taste something fresh. These days, even the fruit sellers call me ‘Pear Boy’ whenever they see me!”
Shen Jichuan was twenty years old that year, having only recently reached adulthood. He was a handsome young man in the prime of his youth.
He had been raised by the Shen matriarch from childhood and was especially close to her. He was cheerful and charming, always leaving a trail of affection wherever he went, which had caused quite a few of the Shen family’s female cousins to fall hopelessly in love with him.
Shen Jichuan had an excellent memory. Even though he had been away from home for a long time, he still remembered the faces of his female cousins.
When he suddenly noticed the unfamiliar Yun Ni sitting in a corner, he was momentarily stunned.
Yun Ni wore a simple, understated dress. Her eyes were lowered casually, and her black hair was adorned only with a roughly polished jade branch of a magnolia-like spring flower.
She was not particularly eye-catching, yet there was a quiet, delicate beauty about her that naturally drew the eye.
Thinking she was some distant relative from a branch of the family, Shen Jichuan smiled and asked,
“I haven’t seen this young lady before. Which family is she from?”
The Shen matriarch knew her grandson’s flirtatious nature all too well.
He appeared affectionate, but in truth, he never gave his heart to anyone. He had left countless young ladies from the extended family lovesick, yet he never accepted their scented sachets or beautiful jade gifts. Then, without so much as a goodbye, he would take his books and attendant and disappear to the northern regions to study.
As long as Shen Jichuan did not cross the boundaries of propriety, the old madam generally let him do as he pleased.
But Yun Ni was different.
She was Shen Tinglan’s person.
Regardless of what Shen Tinglan himself thought of her, now that he had accepted her into his household, no member of the family could casually bully her.
The Shen matriarch put on a stern expression.
“Don’t bully Miss Yun. She’s the woman who saved your eldest brother’s life!”
Shen Jichuan had heard about what had happened to Shen Tinglan while he was away.
He respected his eldest cousin deeply. Although Yun Ni’s pleasant appearance had initially tempted him to make a joke, he had no intention of actually flirting with her.
Upon hearing this, Shen Jichuan immediately became serious.
“My apologies. I spoke without thinking and offended Miss Yun.”
Yun Ni smiled and shook her head.
“It’s all right. Third Young Master Shen, you’re being too serious. It was only a joke. I won’t take it to heart.”
With Shen Jichuan’s return, the Shen matriarch was naturally delighted.
She had ordered the communal kitchen to start preparing a feast early that morning. Several lambs were slaughtered, and people were sent to the docks to purchase baskets of fresh sea fish and crabs to steam for the various branches of the family.
Thanks to Shen Jichuan’s return, Yun Ni enjoyed an especially fragrant fish-and-rice dish that evening.
The fish was steamed whole, without gutting or scaling it first, in a large steamer.
Once cooked and peeled, the fish had firm, tender flesh. Dipped in thick savory sauce and eaten alongside a bowl of plain rice porridge, it had a unique and delicious flavor.
Sea fish was expensive, and catching it was difficult for the fishermen. This was the first time Yun Ni had ever tasted fish this fresh.
She gave one fish to Wenchun and covered another portion with a bowl and plate, instinctively intending to save half of it to share with someone.
But almost immediately, Yun Ni stopped.
She suddenly remembered.
She had long since broken things off with Shen Tinglan.
There was no longer any reason for her to hide delicious food away just to share it with him.