Longzhou, the Shen Residence
The news that Shen Tinglan had returned safely had already reached the capital of Wu through carrier hawks half a month ago.
Everyone in the Shen household knew that their family head was coming home. The entire residence was filled with joy, and everyone seemed to stand a little straighter, as though they finally had their backbone back.
Today was the day Shen Tinglan returned home. The Dowager Madam Shen had arranged a family banquet early that morning and ordered the household kitchens to begin preparing the feast.
Rare delicacies from the mountains and seas, fine wines, and exquisite dishes were sent into the residence in an endless stream.
It was merely a small celebration within the Shen family, so the Dowager Madam had not sent invitations to the other families. However, the powerful clans and aristocratic families of Longzhou regarded Shen Tinglan as their leader. Upon hearing that the Chancellor had returned to the city, none of them dared neglect the occasion. One after another, they eagerly sent all kinds of rare treasures in hopes of winning Shen Tinglan’s favor and demonstrating their loyalty.
Even Emperor Li Yi ordered officials from the Imperial Household Department to send gifts such as coral screens, large pearls, white jade, and luxurious silk brocades to welcome his xiangfu back to the capital.
The servants of the Shen residence were busy hanging lanterns, laying carpets, and making preparations. The entire household was bustling with activity.
Inside the main residence, Nanny Chen helped the Dowager Madam Shen back to her red sandalwood armchair after she finished burning a scroll of scriptures. She quietly asked, “The family head is in poor health. Not only has he been afflicted with the Love Gu, but he is also being controlled by a woman. What are we to do?”
Only the Dowager Madam and Nanny Chen, who had served the family for many years, knew that Shen Tinglan had been infected with the Love Gu. Such a matter concerned his very life and could not be revealed to outsiders. Even the members of the extended Shen family had to keep their mouths shut.
The Dowager Madam knew the situation well. She rolled two prayer beads between her fingers and sighed.
“You know what Da Lang is like. Normally, he’s as tight-lipped as a sealed gourd and keeps everything bottled up inside. He rarely discusses matters with me so openly. Since he brought someone home this time, I suspect he wants me to help cover things up.”
Nanny Chen couldn’t quite understand Shen Tinglan’s intentions.
“Did the family head say what status he intends to give that woman?”
Nanny Chen wasn’t foolish. A man stranded far from home for a year, rescued and sheltered by a woman living alone, must have developed a rather unusual relationship with her.
If that was the case, why didn’t Shen Tinglan simply take her as a concubine and bring her into the household? Why go out of his way to inform the Dowager Madam and ask her to make arrangements?
The Dowager Madam gave a short laugh.
“If it were that simple, he wouldn’t have come specifically to discuss it with me. Clearly, he doesn’t want to keep her in the residence. Unfortunately, the Love Gu in his body requires the girl’s help to remove it, so he has no choice but to bring her home.”
Hearing this, Nanny Chen couldn’t help curling her lips.
“Could it be that the girl is terribly plain-looking, and the family head simply doesn’t fancy her?”
Nanny Chen didn’t dare openly criticize Shen Tinglan, but even she felt that the way he was handling the matter was rather unfair. If a young woman had followed him and cared for him, shouldn’t he at least give her some proper status? How could he simply cast her aside?
Wouldn’t that make him a heartless and unfaithful man?
Even the Dowager Madam couldn’t help sighing.
“Who knows what that boy is thinking? Perhaps he’s still keeping himself for the Third Miss of the Wang family. It’s a pity for that poor girl who helped remove his Love Gu. She followed him all this way and will probably leave with nothing in the end.”
Although she had never met Yun Ni, the Dowager Madam couldn’t help feeling sympathy for her.
But Shen Tinglan was the most promising young man in the entire clan. The prosperity of the Shen family rested heavily on his shoulders. Now that he held such a powerful position as Imperial Tutor and Chancellor, how could the Dowager Madam possibly criticize him?
Since she felt indebted to Yun Ni, all she could do was take extra care of the girl.
And so, when Yun Ni followed Shen Tinglan into the banquet hall, the Dowager Madam smiled warmly and beckoned her over.
“Good girl, come closer and let Grandmother have a look at you.”
It was Yun Ni’s first time entering such a magnificent and luxurious household. Feeling intimidated, she didn’t dare look around carelessly.
Hearing the warm voice, she froze for a moment before instinctively looking toward the person she was most familiar with—Shen Tinglan.
Perhaps the girl’s anxious, pleading gaze was too obvious. Shen Tinglan slightly furrowed his brows, then nodded at her.
“Go on. Grandmother is kind. She won’t make things difficult for you.”
With Shen Tinglan’s reassurance, Yun Ni gathered her courage and stepped forward to bow.
“Yun Ni greets Madam.”
The Dowager Madam affectionately took Yun Ni’s hand and examined her from head to toe with her wrinkled eyes.
Yun Ni was a beautiful girl. She had almond-shaped eyes, willow-like brows, a delicate nose, and cherry-red lips. Her figure was slender and graceful, as supple and elegant as a spring willow. One couldn’t help liking her at first sight.
However, despite Yun Ni trying her best to hide it, the Dowager Madam noticed that she walked with difficulty and had a slight limp. She must have a disability.
No wonder Shen Tinglan was unwilling to take her as a concubine.
She was a low-born country girl with a crippled leg. Given Shen Tinglan’s lofty and proud nature, how could he possibly be willing to keep her in the residence? Wouldn’t it only invite ridicule?
The Dowager Madam lovingly stroked Yun Ni’s cheek, then slipped a fine white-jade bracelet onto her wrist.
“Thanks to your courageous rescue, my grandson escaped death and returned home safely. You are a great benefactor to the entire Shen family. From now on, stay here with us and treat this place as your own home. Don’t be shy or overly formal.”
She then beckoned Nanny Chen over.
“I’ve ordered the servants to prepare Autumn Lotus Courtyard for you. Though the courtyard is small, it has everything you could need. There are several flower beds and even a lotus pond. When summer comes and the withered lotuses bloom again, the cool breeze will make it wonderfully peaceful.”
Yun Ni was given a gift and even an entire courtyard. She became so flustered that she hardly knew what to do.
But she had never learned any refined, polite way of speaking. The first thing that came out of her mouth was:
“Madam, I really can’t accept this. It’s far too valuable. I don’t need such a nice courtyard…”
Yun Ni knew her place. If something didn’t belong to her, she would never covet it.
Nanny Chen quickly added, “The Dowager Madam is treating you kindly because she likes you. If you keep refusing, I’m afraid you’ll hurt her feelings.”
Seeing the Dowager Madam pick up her handkerchief and pretend to wipe away tears, Yun Ni’s heart softened. She couldn’t bear to see an elderly woman cry, so she could only agree hesitantly, thanking her repeatedly.
The Dowager Madam immediately smiled again and pulled the young girl affectionately closer.
“What a good child.”
Yun Ni and the Dowager Madam chatted happily. She received jewelry and even her own courtyard, making the young ladies of the extended Shen family extremely envious.
The others didn’t know that Yun Ni had come to help remove Shen Tinglan’s Love Gu. They simply assumed she was trying to cash in on the favor she had done him and shamelessly remain in the Shen family to secure herself a comfortable future.
What an annoying little country girl—getting a favor and then demanding even more!
The fourth young lady of the Shen family’s second branch, Shen Baolu, watched her grandmother speaking so affectionately with an outsider. Jealousy churned in her chest. When she saw Yun Ni receive the exquisite jade bracelet and her own private courtyard, she felt even more resentful.
So she deliberately picked at her.
“Miss Yun, I noticed you limping when you came in just now. What happened to your leg?”
Although the Shen family didn’t know about the Love Gu, everyone knew that Yun Ni was Shen Tinglan’s lifesaver. They knew her name, age, and background.
Yun Ni would turn nineteen after the New Year, making her a year or two older than Shen Baolu. So calling her “Sister Yun” was perfectly appropriate.
By publicly pointing out Yun Ni’s disability, Shen Baolu immediately drew everyone’s attention.
The young masters, young ladies, wives, and heads of the various branches all glanced toward Yun Ni.
It was only a casual glance, yet suddenly Yun Ni had become the center of attention, as though everyone were examining and judging her.
An ordinary young woman would have been humiliated and embarrassed enough to cover her face and run away.
But Yun Ni was rather slow to notice such things and possessed a thick skin. She glanced at her lame leg and calmly explained:
“When I was young, I was hungry and stole some offerings from in front of someone’s ancestral monument. The family caught me and beat me badly. I was left with this problem afterward…”
Yun Ni didn’t think it was anything shameful. She explained it openly, which only made Shen Baolu’s habit of exposing other people’s wounds seem petty and mean-spirited.
Sure enough, Shen Tinglan had just exchanged a few words about court affairs with his second and third uncles when he suddenly heard Yun Ni’s self-deprecating remark.
He casually glanced toward his second aunt, Madam Ye.
It was merely a cold look from the head of the main branch, yet it felt as sharp and chilling as a blade, striking fear into the heart.
Madam Ye broke out in a cold sweat.
She immediately understood.
No matter how humble Yun Ni’s background was, she was a woman whom Shen Tinglan himself had brought home. If she was the family head’s woman, how could anyone else openly criticize or humiliate her?
Madam Ye thought of her own son, Shen Jiming, who was currently observing affairs in the Six Ministries and desperately needed Shen Tinglan’s support and recommendation for an official position.
She hurriedly glared at her daughter and scolded her.
“Miss Yun is our guest. How can you speak so rudely? Hurry up and apologize!”
Shen Baolu had merely asked a casual question. Yun Ni herself had been foolish enough to expose her own weakness. Why was she at fault?
Yet her mother was forcing her to publicly apologize to some poor country girl.
Tears immediately welled up in Shen Baolu’s eyes. Reluctantly, she said, “I’m sorry, Sister Yun.”
Yun Ni shook her head.
“It’s all right. It’s nothing serious.”
The Dowager Madam also felt that Shen Baolu had been spoiled by the family and had no sense of propriety. But since it was a family banquet, she didn’t want to make things too unpleasant.
She ignored her granddaughter and patted Yun Ni’s hand.
“There is an excellent physician in the residence, Doctor Hua. I’ll have him examine your leg later. You’re still young. With proper treatment, perhaps your leg can recover completely.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Madam.”
Yun Ni knew that all of this was the Shen family’s way of repaying her kindness. If she wanted to sever all ties with Shen Tinglan eventually, she couldn’t refuse these gestures, lest the Shen family misunderstand her intentions.
After all the social pleasantries, Yun Ni was already exhausted.
After dinner, she followed a maid named Wenchun to Autumn Lotus Courtyard.
Servants were still carrying in white silk sheets, embroidered brocade quilts, floral-and-bird porcelain lamps, copper basins, bathing tubs, and various other bedroom furnishings.
There was barely anywhere for Yun Ni to stand, so she and Wenchun could only chat casually in the courtyard.
Yun Ni looked around.
Several juniper trees, roses, and camellias had been planted in the flower beds. There was also a flourishing camphor tree in the courtyard.
Yun Ni glanced at it.
“It would be better to plant an elm tree.”
Elm seeds appeared in spring. Mixed with flour and steamed, then drizzled with a little sesame oil, they were delicious.
Wenchun didn’t understand that Yun Ni meant the elm tree was useful. She assumed Yun Ni simply thought its leaves were pretty.
“Then I’ll mention it to Nanny Chen and have an elm tree transplanted here for you?”
“No need. It’s too late.”
Spring had already arrived. Even if they transplanted an elm tree now, she wouldn’t be able to harvest its seeds until the following spring—and Yun Ni would only be staying for half a year.
Yun Ni was prone to changing her mind from one moment to the next. Like the other young ladies of the household, Wenchun didn’t question her.
She simply smiled.
“All right. Miss Yun, if you need anything, just call for me. The Dowager Madam instructed me to take good care of you and not neglect you for even a moment.”
“Then I’ll be troubling you.”
“Not at all! It’s my good fortune to serve you!”
Wenchun was a maid from the Dowager Madam’s courtyard. She was young, but clever and quick-witted, with an excellent ability to read people’s expressions.
Wenchun knew that Shen Tinglan never allowed maids to serve him closely. Years ago, even when the Dowager Madam had sent several beautiful maids to the young family head after he came of age, hoping they could teach him about such matters, Shen Tinglan had sent them all back with the harsh excuse:
“A maid’s skin is too delicate. If she makes a mistake, it would be difficult to punish her with a beating.”
That alone showed how high the family head’s standards were!
Wenchun glanced toward Listening-to-Rain Tower next door, which was Shen Tinglan’s residence.
Yun Ni had been given Autumn Lotus Courtyard, living this close to Shen Tinglan. Clearly, she was someone who occupied a special place in the family head’s heart.
As long as Wenchun served Yun Ni well, wouldn’t she have a bright future ahead of her?
Wenchun’s heart raced at the thought of eventually rising in status and receiving a much higher monthly allowance.
If Yun Ni could hear her thoughts, she would probably sigh helplessly.
“Silly girl, you’ve got it all wrong! Young Master Shen only lives nearby because of the Love Gu. He can’t stay too far away from me! As for our relationship, who knows? He might even care more about some stray cat or dog by the roadside than he does about me!”
In the murky night, the bright moon was hidden behind layers of dark clouds. Only a hazy glow illuminated the earth, barely enough to reveal the palace paths of the Wu Kingdom’s imperial palace.
During the day, Shen Tinglan had exchanged a few words with his family. But once night fell, he put on a dark black robe, a cicada-patterned official cap, and around his waist wore the green silk sash and golden seal reserved for the Chancellor—the highest-ranking civil official. He also carried an exquisitely crafted jade-hilted sword.
Escorted by his guards, he traveled by carriage toward the imperial city.
Emperor Li Yi had already changed into formal robes for meeting his ministers. He sat upright before a desk piled high with memorials, waiting for Shen Tinglan’s arrival.
Li Yi had never been favored as a child. He was merely the son born after the former emperor drunkenly spent the night with a palace maid.
After giving birth to Li Yi, his mother lost her mind. She insisted on hiding him, claiming that one of the palace consorts was plotting to kill them both.
Only after his mother died was Li Yi brought out by the palace servants and raised under the Empress’s care.
As a child, Li Yi had been thin and wiry, almost monkey-like, making it difficult to guess his age. The former emperor had completely forgotten that brief affair and even listed Li Yi as a year younger than he actually was when he was entered into the imperial genealogy.
Even after learning the truth, Li Yi never corrected it.
He was publicly known to be sixteen, but in reality, the young emperor was already seventeen.
Li Yi lowered his thick lashes. His peach-blossom eyes shimmered with a beautiful yet chilling light, revealing the coldness hidden beneath them. No one knew what he was thinking.
The Chief Eunuch, Feng Qiusheng, stepped forward and announced:
“Your Majesty, the Chancellor has arrived.”
Li Yi’s thoughts came to a halt. In an instant, a childlike smile appeared on his face. He hurriedly rose from his seat.
“Quick, invite him in! Quickly!”
The ruler and minister had been separated for an entire year. When they finally met again, their reunion was extraordinarily affectionate, as though they were trying to make up for all the time they had lost.
Tears filled Li Yi’s eyes as he gazed up at Shen Tinglan with deep dependence and affection.
“Father Chancellor!”
Shen Tinglan stood tall and graceful at the entrance of the hall. Even the moonlight seemed to favor him, illuminating his black robes until they gleamed.
He was just as he had always been—broad-shouldered and upright, refined and aloof, resembling an evergreen pine standing proudly among snow-covered peaks.
Seeing the handsome young man before him, now almost reaching his ears, Shen Tinglan couldn’t help smiling.
“Your Majesty, I have returned safely.”
“Good, good!”
Just as he had when he was a child, Li Yi grabbed the edge of Shen Tinglan’s robe and led him to his seat.
“During the year you were away from the capital, I thought of you every day, Father Chancellor. The ministers at court refuse to submit to my authority. The Fan and Wu families are both ambitious, and wolves surround me on every side. Every one of them wishes to tear me apart and devour me so that the Li imperial family will lose its power and the throne will change hands. Father Chancellor, you are the only person I truly trust.”
Shen Tinglan swallowed a mouthful of tea and replied calmly,
“I understand, Your Majesty. I am completely loyal to the House of Li, and I was entrusted with your care by the late emperor. I will devote myself completely to assisting Your Majesty in securing the imperial authority and governing the land and people of Wu.”
“With those words from you, I can finally rest easy.”
Li Yi relaxed and then smiled as he brought up another matter.
“I heard that when Father Chancellor was stranded in the countryside, you were rescued by a woman. Since she saved Father Chancellor, she also saved me. Why don’t I summon her to the palace another day and have the imperial court reward her?”
At this, a faint movement passed through Shen Tinglan’s dark eyes.
He smiled slightly.
“She is merely a country woman. There is no need for her to enter the palace and appear before Your Majesty. Just send some rewards to the Shen residence and that will suffice.”
The ruler and minister talked late into the night by candlelight.
Li Yi eventually returned all matters of state to Shen Tinglan, rather than allowing Wu Zhen, the second son of the Wu family, to continue handling state affairs.
By the time Shen Tinglan left the palace, it was already deep into the night.
He lifted his robe and stepped into the carriage. The gentle smile he had worn earlier vanished the moment he sat down.
The coachman urged the horses forward, heading toward the Shen residence.
Just then, a black shadow flashed past like lightning.
The carriage shook, and the figure instantly slipped inside.
Wei Lingfeng removed the half-faced fanged mask covering his face and knelt before Shen Tinglan.
“Family Head, last night, when Wu Zhen left the city to offer incense, his carriage encountered a snow-related landslide. The entire carriage was reportedly crushed beneath the rocks, and he was seriously injured and died.”
Shen Tinglan curled his lips into a cold smile.
“The Wu family is certainly clever. Knowing that I have returned safely, they realize I will make an example of someone to warn the others. So they came up with this ‘cutting off one’s own tail to survive’ tactic—sacrificing one of their legitimate sons to prove their loyalty, hoping to preserve the entire clan and appease me.”
How could Shen Tinglan not know?
Those aristocratic clans had all desperately hoped he would die somewhere far from home. Now that he had returned safely, they were terrified and had all tucked their tails between their legs, afraid that the vengeful Shen Tinglan would settle old scores.
But the Wu family had been bold enough to lay hands on something that belonged to him.
If they dared to do so, they had better have a backup plan.
Otherwise, if a dog failed to serve him faithfully and displeased him, why would he spare its life?
They could either endure without betraying him—or, once they chose betrayal, they had to be prepared for their entire clan to be destroyed.
Shen Tinglan lightly tapped the window twice and said calmly,
“Go cut off Wu Zhen’s head and bring it to me.”
Shen Tinglan possessed a compassionate and gentle appearance, but his heart was utterly black and cold, without even the slightest trace of human warmth.
“Wu Zhen is the Wu family’s most promising young man. There is no guarantee they aren’t using some trick to fool me. If they intend to sacrifice their own son, then there must be real blood and flesh.”
Those little tricks of deceiving those above and concealing the truth would never work against Shen Tinglan.
Wei Lingfeng understood.
“Yes. I’ll take care of it immediately.”
“Mm.”
Shen Tinglan closed his eyes and rested, saying nothing more.