At first, the gossip was that Shen Jinghong had been confined to the Shen residence by Shen Dingjiang and forced to train in martial arts for half a month. Every day before dawn, he was dragged out of bed to practice horse stance, archery, and saber drills. He complained bitterly the entire time, howling so loudly that half of the eastern district could hear him.
Then came news that he had sneaked out drinking, only to be chased down by Shen Dingjiang on horseback and hauled back home after three streets. As punishment, he was made to kneel in the ancestral hall for an entire night.
Later, people said he had gone horse racing outside the city with Zhao Zheng and a few others, fallen from his horse, and returned home bruised and battered, spending days recovering.
Every story was more ridiculous than the last.
Whenever Xiaodie angrily retold these tales, Fu Yunyang would merely smile faintly, turn another page in her book, and comment,
“Young Master Shen certainly has abundant energy.”
Then she would say nothing more.
This morning, Xiaodie had gone out early to collect newly tailored summer clothes from the embroidery bureau.
Fu Yunyang spent the day alone in Hengwu Pavilion, quietly reading.
The sun moved from the eastern sky to directly overhead and gradually drifted westward. She finished more than half the book, drank two cups of tea, and ate a few pieces of candied fruit.
Then she heard footsteps.
Not ordinary footsteps.
Someone was stomping their way in, each step carrying obvious anger, striking the stone pavement with loud thuds.
Setting down her book, Fu Yunyang turned slightly toward the doorway.
The curtain was suddenly flung aside with such force that it slammed against the doorframe with a dull bang.
Xiaodie stormed in.
Her round face was flushed bright red, her lips pressed tightly together. She still carried a bundle in one hand.
Fu Yunyang glanced at her, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.
“What happened?”
Her voice was calm and gentle, touched with lazy amusement.
She slipped a bookmark between the pages, closed the book, and set it aside.
“Who upset our Xiaodie? Tell me, and I’ll avenge you.”
Xiaodie opened her mouth, took a deep breath, then another, unable to decide where to begin.
Stamping her foot, she dropped the bundle onto a nearby table and finally burst out:
“Who else could it be? That person!”
Fu Yunyang didn’t need to ask who “that person” was.
During the past month, only one individual had the ability to anger Xiaodie this much.
“What did Young Master Shen do this time?”
“What did he do?” Xiaodie’s voice rose half an octave. Her eyes widened as she gestured animatedly, wishing she could reenact the entire scene herself.
“Miss, you have no idea! This time he’s gone too far! Ten thousand times worse than what he said in the teahouse!”
“Oh?”
Fu Yunyang raised an eyebrow slightly.
Taking a deep breath, Xiaodie declared word by word:
“He went to a brothel!”
Fu Yunyang’s fingers paused ever so slightly.
“That place next to Drunken Immortal Pavilion… what’s it called…” Xiaodie’s face reddened even more, clearly embarrassed by the topic. “Yicui Pavilion! That’s it! That kind of place! He went there drinking with courtesans and caused a huge scene!”
Fu Yunyang did not respond immediately.
She simply looked at Xiaodie quietly.
“How do you know?”
“How do I know?” Xiaodie exclaimed. “The entire capital knows! On my way to the embroidery bureau, everyone was talking about it!
“In the teahouses, in the shops even the old man selling candied hawthorns was talking about it!
“They say General Shen charged into Yicui Pavilion carrying a stick and dragged his son out in front of everyone!”
Growing more agitated with every word, she waved her hands dramatically.
“Apparently Shen Jinghong was drinking inside with several young masters and had called over several… several… anyway, those kinds of women!
“General Shen somehow got wind of it and rode straight there. He didn’t even knock he just stormed in!”
“And then?” Fu Yunyang asked.
“And then?” Xiaodie stared. “Then General Shen grabbed Shen Jinghong by the ear and hauled him up from the wine table right in front of everyone!
“Shen Jinghong was completely drunk. He could barely stand, but he kept shouting, ‘I’m not drunk!’ and ‘I want another drink!’
“General Shen was so furious his face turned purple, and he immediately hit him with the stick!”
She hesitated before continuing.
“And they also said… they also said Shen Jinghong started talking nonsense while drunk.”
A flicker crossed Fu Yunyang’s eyes.
“What did he say?”
Xiaodie bit her lip and hesitated.
Sneaking a glance at her mistress, she saw that Fu Yunyang remained calm and composed.
Finally, she forced herself to speak.
“Someone heard him say… say things like, ‘I’d rather marry a courtesan than a sickly woman,’ and ‘At least a courtesan can drink with me.’”
The moment she finished, her eyes reddened.
Her lips trembled, and her voice thickened with tears.
“Miss, how could he say something like that? How could he?!
“Weren’t the things he said in the teahouse hurtful enough? And now this… this…”
Fu Yunyang remained silent for a long time.
Sunlight streamed through the window and fell across her.
Lowering her gaze, she looked at the hands resting on her lap.
Her fingers curled slightly.
Their tips felt cold.
“Miss?”
Xiaodie called softly.
Seeing no response, she grew even more anxious.
“Miss, please don’t be upset. Don’t believe a single word that scoundrel says ”
“I’m not upset.”
Fu Yunyang looked up.
There truly was no sign of sorrow on her face.
In fact, she even smiled faintly.
“He isn’t entirely wrong. A courtesan can at least drink with him. I can’t even hold a cup of wine steadily. In that regard, I really am inferior.”
“Miss!”
Xiaodie’s voice rose sharply as tears streamed down her face.
“How can you say that? You…”
“Xiaodie.”
Fu Yunyang interrupted gently.
“Please close the window. The wind is picking up.”
Xiaodie opened her mouth, wanting to say more.
In the end, she said nothing.
She walked to the window and closed it.
Her shoulders trembled slightly as she stood with her back to Fu Yunyang, secretly wiping her face with her sleeve.
The room became quiet once more.
Fu Yunyang picked up her book again and opened it to the bookmarked page.
She lowered her head and continued reading.
Her eyes rested upon the lines of text, yet for a very, very long time, she did not turn a single page.
Standing by the window, Xiaodie secretly glanced back.
Sunlight filtered through the gauze curtains.
Her mistress sat reading exactly as she always did calm, composed, serene, and seemingly untouched by the disturbance.
But somehow, that only made the sight more heartbreaking.