The next day, as soon as Shen Jingzhi finished work, he hurried to the bookstore. After wandering around the shop several times, he finally gritted his teeth and bought two bundles of the cheapest xuan paper.
The clerk at Wenmo Studio impatiently tied the bundles with straw rope. The tight knot bit into Shen Jingzhi’s fingers.
If Wan’er hadn’t said that both bookkeeping and Mingxuan’s calligraphy practice required paper, he would never have been willing to spend money on even this cheapest kind.
“Fifth Brother has become quite the thrifty man.”
A teasing voice came from the doorway.
Shen Jingzhi stiffened and turned around abruptly, only to see Shen Jingyan strolling in while lazily fanning himself.
He wore a moon-white brocade robe and a jade belt around his waist. Compared with Shen Jingzhi’s faded blue official robe, he looked all the more refined and prosperous.
Shen Jingyan was the son of one of Madam Xu’s senior maids. Though he too was an illegitimate son, his mother had once caught the old marquis’s favor, and he had been raised at Madam Xu’s side since childhood, learning how to manage household affairs. His status within the residence was far beyond Shen Jingzhi’s.
When the old marquis was still alive, he had often been regarded as one of Madam Xu’s “claws,” handling all the dirty business that Shen Jingshan—the current Marquis of Yongning—could not deal with openly.
At that moment, Shen Jingyan’s gaze fell upon the paper bundles in Shen Jingzhi’s arms, and a mocking smile curled his lips.
“Two bundles of rough Snow Xuan paper? Fifth Brother must have poured all his salary into that barren land at Han Manor. Then again, I hear there’s not even pen and ink to be found there. It’s hard on you, still thinking about letting your children study and practice their writing.”
The words pierced Shen Jingzhi’s heart like needles.
He tightened his grip on the paper until his knuckles turned white.
“Third Brother, do you need something?”
“Nothing at all.” Shen Jingyan strolled over to the brush rack and leisurely picked up a wolf-hair brush to inspect it. “I was just passing by. Seeing you buying paper reminded me that the old madam was talking about you the other day. She said you’re too stubborn, refusing to enjoy the good life at the marquis’s residence and insisting on going to freeze in the northern outskirts.”
The surrounding customers gradually gathered around, their whispers washing over him like a rising tide.
“So that’s the Fifth Master who was driven out of the Marquis of Yongning’s estate?”
“I heard he even signed a document severing family ties. The old madam is ruthless.”
“How much salary can a seventh-rank editor earn? And that land at Han Manor can’t even support crops. He must really have fallen on hard times.”
Each comment was like a tiny pebble striking Shen Jingzhi’s face, burning him with shame until he could barely lift his head.
Ever since childhood, he had been cautious and submissive within the marquis’s residence and had never quarreled with anyone.
Now, humiliated publicly by Shen Jingyan, he felt his blood surge in anger, yet he couldn’t find a single word of rebuttal.
Shen Jingyan seemed very pleased with the effect. He chuckled lightly.
“Don’t be upset, Fifth Brother. If you truly can’t make ends meet, come back and beg the old madam. For the sake of our brotherly bond, I can still find you a job as a manor caretaker. It’s better than having your children dig in the mud for food alongside you.”
“No need.”
At last, Shen Jingzhi found his voice.
Though it trembled slightly, it was remarkably firm.
“I, Shen Jingzhi, may not be talented, but I can still support my wife and children with my own hands.”
Clutching the bundles of paper, he turned and pushed through the crowd.
The whispers behind him and Shen Jingyan’s mocking laughter lashed at his back like whips.
Yet he didn’t dare turn around and simply lowered his head, quickening his pace.
The stone-paved road hurt the soles of his feet, but he hugged the xuan paper even tighter.
This was the paper Wan’er needed for keeping accounts.
This was the paper Mingxuan needed to practice his writing.
It was also the last shred of dignity his family possessed in these difficult days.
By the time he returned to Han Manor, the sun had already begun to set.
Shen Weiwan was squatting in the vegetable patch, pulling weeds. Seeing her father’s ashen face, she hurried over.
“Father, what’s wrong?”
Shen Jingzhi handed her the paper. His throat bobbed several times before he finally spoke in a hoarse voice.
“It’s nothing. The wind was strong on the way back.”
Shen Weiwan looked at the two bundles of paper, then at her father’s reddened eyes and tightly pressed lips.
She understood most of what had happened at once.
Without asking further questions, she carried the paper inside and brought him a basin of warm water.
“Father, wash your face and rest for a while. Mother made buckwheat porridge tonight and even added the pickled vegetables you like.”
Shen Jingzhi took the towel.
As he wiped his face, the droplets of water slipping through his fingers reflected the fresh green of the vegetable patch outside the window.
In the study of the Marquis of Yongning’s residence, sandalwood incense curled around the rafters.
Shen Jingshan sat behind a pearwood desk, his fingertips rubbing the rim of his teacup. The steam from the Biluochun tea blurred the emotions in his eyes.
“You should have seen him, Elder Brother.” Shen Jingyan stood opposite him, his tone still carrying traces of mockery. “Today at Wenmo Studio, Fifth Brother bought only two bundles of the cheapest rough xuan paper and held them like treasures. Even his official robe has faded gray from washing. He no longer looks like a son of the marquis’s house.”
Shen Jingshan lifted his eyes and glanced at him indifferently.
“Is an illegitimate son who has already severed ties with the family really worth making a special trip back to talk about?”
The words weren’t harsh, but they carried unquestionable authority.
The smile on Shen Jingyan’s face stiffened.
“I spoke out of turn,” he said hurriedly, bowing. “It’s just that seeing him in such a miserable state made me think… that the old madam’s decision back then was the right one.”
Shen Jingshan did not answer.
He lowered his head and took a sip of tea.
The tea was bitter, much like the turmoil that had gripped the estate after the old marquis’s death.
His successful inheritance of the title had depended not only on Madam Xu’s methods but also on the removal of those collateral branches of the family.
Shen Jingzhi was merely one of the least significant among them.
In his eyes, Shen Jingzhi was like a weed in the courtyard.
Once uprooted, there was no need to think about him again.
That barren land at Han Manor would be enough to wear away what little blood connection remained.
In a few years, perhaps they would not even bother mentioning the surname Shen.
“Let’s discuss the important matter.”
Shen Jingshan set down his teacup, his voice turning colder.
Shen Jingyan immediately lost his carefree expression. Stepping forward half a pace, he lowered his voice.
“Rest assured, Elder Brother. The matter from the other day has been handled cleanly. Steward Liu’s entire family left the capital overnight and headed south. I’ve arranged people to look after them along the way. Nothing will go wrong.”
Shen Jingshan’s fingertips tapped the desk twice, slowly but with force.
“What about the account books?”
“They’ve been burned. Even the ashes were scattered into the moat,” Shen Jingyan replied confidently. “The servants who handled the matter have also been sent to the estate. They won’t be allowed back to the capital for three years.”
The study fell silent.
Only the scent of sandalwood drifted through the air.
Shen Jingshan looked out at the pomegranate tree beneath the corridor.
The old marquis had planted it with his own hands. It was now lush and flourishing, yet its dense branches could not conceal the shadows hidden beneath.
He had inherited the title less than a month ago.
The estate seemed calm on the surface, but dangerous undercurrents ran beneath it.
There were always inexplicable losses whenever the old marquis’s properties were audited, and Steward Liu had been the key to it all.
To cut the grass, one must remove the roots.
No one understood that better than he did.
“Well done.”
At last, Shen Jingshan nodded, his tone unreadable.
“In the future, you don’t need to report every little matter. Use your own judgment.”
“Yes, Elder Brother, I understand.”
Shen Jingyan let out a sigh of relief, a fawning smile returning to his face.
“Then… are we really just going to ignore Fifth Brother?”
He couldn’t shake the feeling that, although Shen Jingzhi had been driven out, he was still of the marquis’s blood.
What if, someday, something unexpected happened…?