Before dawn broke the next day, no one in Wanqing Courtyard had any desire to sleep.
Sitting by the bed, Liu Shi wiped away her tears as she folded and refolded the few old clothes their family owned. Her fingers trembled so badly that she could not even smooth the corners of the fabric.
Shen Weiwan quietly packed her own belongings.
There was not much—only a few books, an old inkstone worn smooth with use, and several patched garments.
She took no valuables with her. Instead, she carefully wrapped the bits of silver and copper coins she had hidden in various places in layers of oiled cloth and tucked them into the lining of her clothes.
They were the entirety of the fortune she had accumulated through ten years of patience and endurance.
Eighty-seven taels and eight mace of silver.
It was not much, but it was the only lifeline her family had in this desperate situation.
For a legitimate young lady of the Marquis’s Manor, it was no more than the price of a piece of jewelry.
Everything in the manor—its gold and silver, precious ornaments, fine silks, fertile lands, and prosperous shops—had nothing to do with them.
Old Madam Xu had made it perfectly clear:
Not a single item belonging to the Marquis’s Manor could be taken away.
The only things they could take with them were the clothes on their backs and whatever they had saved themselves.
After hiding the money on her person, Shen Weiwan silently reviewed everything she had committed to memory over the years—farmland, crop varieties, planting seasons, market prices, and personal connections.
Those invisible assets were her true source of confidence.
When everything had been packed, a voice came from outside the courtyard gate.
It was one of the second-rank maids from the Old Madam’s courtyard. Her tone was sharp and merciless.
“Master Shen, the time has come. The Old Madam has ordered that you move out of the Marquis’s Manor today. Don’t delay the affairs of the household.”
Liu Shi’s body trembled, and her eyes reddened once more.
Shen Jingzhi quickly replied,
“We know, we know. We’re leaving right away.”
Stepping forward, Shen Weiwan gently supported her mother’s arm.
“Mother, let’s go.”
She walked at the front of the group, her back straight and her bearing completely free of timidity or servility.
Carrying their simple trunks and bundles, the family walked out of the little courtyard they had lived in for ten years.
They passed through the manor’s gardens, covered corridors, and finally the main courtyard.
The entire residence was still draped in white mourning decorations. Servants and maids hurried about with lowered heads.
When they saw Shen Jingzhi’s family, their eyes were filled with contempt, disdain, and schadenfreude.
Yet not a single person stepped forward to speak to them.
Not one person came to see them off.
Yesterday’s relatives had become today’s strangers.
As soon as they entered the main hall, they saw Madam Xu seated in the place of honor. Dressed in plain mourning clothes, her expression was cold and severe.
Standing beside her was the eldest uncle, Shen Jingshan, who had already changed into a nearly new set of everyday clothes. The pride of soon inheriting the marquisate was impossible to conceal in his expression.
When he looked at their family, his gaze was one of lofty indifference.
Several clan elders also stood to the sides, all wearing expressions that clearly said the matter had nothing to do with them.
The family of four immediately knelt on the cold blue-brick floor.
“Your daughter-in-law greets Mother,” Liu Shi said in a trembling voice.
Shen Jingzhi lowered his head, scarcely daring to breathe.
“Your son… your son will move out today.”
Madam Xu did not even look at him.
Holding her teacup, she leisurely brushed aside the floating tea leaves. Her tone was calm as water, yet every word stabbed at their hearts.
“Since you know you are leaving, then I will speak plainly today and let the clan elders bear witness.”
She set down the teacup and swept her cold gaze over the four kneeling figures.
“You are the son of a concubine. You were raised in the Marquis’s Manor from childhood. Everything you have eaten and worn came from this family.”
“Now that your father is gone, the manor must maintain its dignity and preserve the title. It has no extra money or grain to support collateral branches.”
“I’ve left you a shred of dignity by not driving you out in disgrace. I have given you the old estate in the northern outskirts—over a dozen mu of poor land and six rooms. It may be remote, but it can keep out the wind and rain and is enough to feed your family.”
Shen Jingzhi’s lips moved.
“Your son understands… Thank you, Mother, for your arrangements.”
“Arrangements?” Madam Xu let out a cold laugh, her voice suddenly rising.
“I’m not arranging a comfortable life for you. I’m telling you that from this day forward, your branch of the Shen family and the Yongning Marquis’s Manor are completely severed!”
“In the future, you are not to mention that you belong to the Yongning Marquis’s Manor. You are not to use the manor’s name to deceive others or stir up trouble that would damage its reputation.”
“The title, the family property, the lands, and the shops of the Marquis’s Manor have nothing whatsoever to do with you. Whether you live or die, whether you are poor or destitute, is your own affair. The manor will not concern itself with you in the slightest!”
Each sentence pushed them farther away, trampling them deeper into the mud.
Liu Shi covered her face, her shoulders trembling with sobs.
Shen Mingxuan shook with anger, wishing desperately to argue.
But he was merely a powerless youth.
In front of the mistress of the manor and the clan elders, he did not even possess the right to speak.
All he could do was grit his teeth and swallow the humiliation.
Shen Weiwan kept her eyes lowered, kneeling quietly.
She heard every word clearly.
And she remembered every single one.
Madam Xu’s heartless speech today and the Marquis’s Manor’s merciless treatment of them—she engraved them all in her memory.
Not because she wished for revenge.
But because she wanted to remember this coldness and these hardships, so that one day, step by step, she could build a better life and stand with her back straight.
Seeing that the atmosphere had grown too tense, one of the clan elders reluctantly tried to smooth things over.
“The Old Madam is merely acting according to the rules… Jingzhi, since you’ve been separated from the family, live your life properly. Take care of your wife and children and keep to yourselves. Don’t bring trouble upon the Marquis’s Manor.”
It sounded like mediation, but in truth it was simply another way of severing ties.
Shen Jingzhi nodded repeatedly.
“Your son understands. Your son will certainly behave himself.”
Madam Xu impatiently waved her hand, as though driving away flies.
“Enough. Since you’ve packed your things, then leave. A carriage is waiting at the back gate. It will only take you to the city gate. The rest of the journey, you can walk yourselves.”
She was unwilling to even send them all the way to the estate.
Shen Jingzhi’s face turned deathly pale, yet he dared not protest.
He kowtowed and said hoarsely,
“Your son will remember Mother’s teachings… Your son takes his leave.”
He rose to his feet and helped Liu Shi up as they slowly walked out.
Shen Mingxuan followed behind, his steps heavy.
Shen Weiwan walked last.
Before leaving, she slightly raised her eyes and calmly glanced at the lofty Madam Xu and the indifferent Shen Jingshan.
There was no hatred.
No resentment.
Only a detached calm.
The legitimate young masters and young ladies of the manor also stood at a distance, watching coldly as though observing a farce.
There was no reluctance.
No words of advice.
Not the slightest trace of warmth.
Only condescending gazes and the coldness of discarding something worthless.
Liu Shi bit her lip tightly to keep her tears from falling.
Shen Weiwan gently patted her mother’s hand and said softly,
“Mother, don’t look back. Let’s go.”
With her head held high, she walked step by step toward the back gate of the Yongning Marquis’s Manor.
From this day on, the glory and splendor of that manor had nothing to do with them.
After leaving the main courtyard, they headed toward the back gate.
As she walked, Liu Shi wept, choking on her words.
“Wan’er, your mother is suffering… We were still members of the Marquis’s Manor. How did we end up like this…?”
Shen Weiwan gently held her mother’s icy hand and replied in a soft yet firm voice,
“Mother, from now on, we are no longer people of the Marquis’s Manor. We are our own family now. Living by our own efforts is nothing to be ashamed of.”