Chapter 3

Chapter Three

A torrential downpour struck in the dead of night. As the rain began, large droplets pounded against the inner screen wall of the doorway with a sharp pattering sound. Mist swirled chaotically, extinguishing the lantern in her hand and making it impossible to keep her eyes open.

If she were soaked through, everyone in the manor would be alarmed. Liansheng and Wanyue stepped forward, about to forcibly pull her away, but they saw Shen Mingsu rise on her own.

Liansheng hurriedly led her down the corridor.

Back in the courtyard, all three were drenched. Shen Mingsu took the cloth from Liansheng’s hand. “Aunties, your clothes are wet too. Go change. I’ll manage myself.”

Her expression was calm, revealing no hint of emotion.

She never liked others around when bathing and changing. Liansheng and Wanyue were used to this and quietly left to prepare before returning. When they came back, they found her already dressed, sitting upright in the armchair, staring at the rain cascading outside, as if determined to wait longer.

Though unclear about what had occurred today, the two could guess: she had been abandoned halfway through her birthday celebration by the Provincial Governor.

In recent years, the governor had thrown himself entirely into court affairs to secure his position. Such neglect was nothing unusual.

If she were more sensible and content, she would be grateful that the governor had found time in his busy schedule to accompany her once. He would have returned today beaming with smiles.

Though Liansheng and Wanyue had spent a year with her, their relationship was distant. Partly because of the Feng family’s attitude towards her, and partly because of the wild spirit she possessed—so different from the other ladies they had served.

By now, it was past midnight. The two hadn’t yet figured out how to comfort her when Shen Mingsu spoke first: “It’s late. Aunties, you should rest early.”

She insisted on waiting, and the two fell silent. They initially stayed with her for a while but soon grew too exhausted to keep vigil and returned to their rooms.

In the latter half of the night, the rain intensified, but Shen Mingsu could not resist the weariness.

She drifted into a dream.

In it, snow was falling. Wearing thin clothes, she knocked on the door where she remembered Feng Zhongyan was staying at the Shen residence. The door opened quickly, and he pulled her inside to the warmth of the hearth. Then, he draped his large cloak over her shoulders, his expression tender and gentle. “It’s so cold; why did you come out?”

She tightened the collar of the cloak, curled into a ball, and looked up with a smiling face. “I missed you, Feng-ge.”

Feng Zhongyan smiled softly, his clear grin as bright as the warm sun. Covering her cold hands with his own, he gently rubbed them. “Next time you miss me, just send someone to tell me. I’ll come find you.”

“All right.”

He kept adding silver coals to the fire, but no matter how fiercely it burned, she could not warm herself.

A shiver ran through her, and when she awoke, the intermittent dripping of water from the eaves filled her ears. The cold room held no Feng Zhongyan, no fire, and she no longer wore the cloak.

The oil lamp was spent, and the rain had ceased.

The rainy night was indeed chilly; her limbs were numb and stiff, but the jade pendant in her hand burned hot from her grip.

She rose and fetched a cloak from the inner room, draping it over herself. The chill gradually receded. Sitting back down, she watched as the sky slowly lightened with the first pale hues of dawn.

When the sky turned pale blue, she went to the quiet courtyard.

Due to the rain, the household was slower to rise than usual. She waited some time before a footman opened the door.

Perhaps it had been long since he last saw her, for he hesitated. “The Provincial Governor did not return last night; he rested at the Ministry of Personnel. Madam Shen, if you have matters, once the governor returns, I will relay them.”

Not returning last night meant he was surely at court this morning, and she would have to wait until he was finished.

Shen Mingsu did not step outside. “I will wait here.”

The footman immediately grew wary.

She did not find this strange. Over the past year, she had caused trouble many times and did not wish to argue. To avoid making things difficult, she stepped back a few paces and waited under the adjacent corridor.

On a gloomy rainy day, time was hard to judge. She did not know how long she had waited before her legs began to tingle and weaken. Considering asking the footman for a wooden stool, footsteps suddenly echoed from the opposite corridor.

Feng Zhongyan returned, followed by a graceful and radiant young lady.

His steps, usually brisk, seemed slower today, but the lady’s delicate footsteps faltered as she lifted her skirt to keep pace, speaking in a soft, coquettish tone: “Lord Feng, no one but you can persuade Father. Everyone knows his nature. He hasn’t even ridden a horse in years, let alone fought in battles. I don’t know who has bewitched him, wanting to send him to Qingzhou…”

Among the few noble daughters Shen Mingsu knew, this one was familiar.

Princess Rongxiu of the Kang Prince’s Mansion.

Her mother, the Kang Princess Consort, was a close friend of the National Duchess, who favored her greatly.

Shen Mingsu stood blocking their path and was soon noticed. Feng Zhongyan stopped first, and Rongxiu fell silent behind him.

The footman stepped forward promptly. “Governor, Madam Shen says she has urgent matters and has been waiting here for two hours.”

Feng Zhongyan glanced at her pale face. After a sleepless night, he looked fatigued. His brows furrowed as he approached. “What is it?”

“Yueyao—” Before she could finish, he turned his head sharply to interrupt. “I will come to you later.”

She had waited all night and half a day. Even if she could endure, Yueyao could not. She hurriedly spoke, trying not to disturb them, and pressed the jade pendant into his hand. “This jade pendant has been with Yueyao since childhood. Yesterday, when you left…”

“Lord Feng.” Rongxiu suddenly spoke from behind. “I heard that Master Zhou secretly infiltrated the eunuchs and was caught by the Ministry of Personnel’s attendants yesterday. The cause was to inquire about something. Coincidentally, I know what it is.”

Feng Zhongyan looked back.

Shen Mingsu’s heart tightened. With this delay, she did not know how much longer she would have to wait. She quickly focused on what mattered most: “Yueyao is likely still in the capital. You only need to say a word. It won’t—”

“Go back first.” Feng Zhongyan did not listen to her further.

“Governor—”

“Don’t you understand?” His voice suddenly grew heavier. A faint smile played on his lips as he stared into her pleading eyes, his expression utterly unmoved.

Shen Mingsu had never understood before. He treated people with kindness and courtesy, and to her knowledge, had never lost his temper. Why was everyone afraid of him?

Now, seeing this side of him, she understood: beneath that gentle exterior lay a heart as cold as ice and snow.

The sharpness and unfamiliarity in that smile made her voice tremble. Swallowing hard, she looked at him calmly. “I have never demanded anything from the Shen family’s kindness,” including his so-called revenge for Shen or fulfilling their engagement, none of which she sought.

“But the Shen family has been good to you.” She only wanted him to help rescue Yueyao this once.

Just this once. Afterwards, she promised never to trouble him again.

Her eyes reddened, pleading. Feng Zhongyan stared silently for a moment, then indifferently passed by her.

Rongxiu followed closely behind, her silk sleeves brushing past her side.

...

“Sister, will he come to save us?”

“He will.”

Even when numb, pain still lingers.

Like a slow blade cutting flesh, the ache in her heart spread insidiously into her organs. By the time Shen Mingsu realized, the quiet courtyard gates had closed again.

The footman bowed politely, gesturing for her to leave. “Madam Shen, please go back.”

She wished to be the beloved lady everyone admired and did not want to cause trouble. But she could not abandon Yueyao. She had promised their mother...

Back to a year ago, ignoring the footman’s restraint, she turned and struck the door fiercely. “Lord Feng, Feng Zhongyan, come out...”

The footman dared not intervene, but someone in the mansion could restrain her.

The National Duchess hurried over. Seeing the scene, she pinched her forehead in frustration and ordered the two aunties waiting outside, “What are you standing there for? Drag her away quickly.”

The two aunties pulled her away from the door and into the passageway.

The National Duchess looked at her with a mixture of anger and disappointment. “A whole year has passed. I thought you had truly made progress, but look at you now. How do you resemble the wife of a prime minister?”

If she did not resemble one, then she would not be one.

Shen Mingsu turned her head and knelt before the National Duchess with a thud, begging, “Madam, I want nothing else. Please, I beg you, help me save Yueyao.”

The National Duchess was taken aback by the kneel, then anger flared again when Yueyao’s name was mentioned. “It’s always Yueyao with you. I already told you, she has—”

Shen Mingsu handed over the jade pendant, her voice slightly incoherent. “She is still alive. Yesterday, someone gave me this pendant. She’s alive, but must have been...”

The servants in the courtyard all watched her. The National Duchess wore a face full of disappointment. “Do you think that as soon as your sister has news, the Feng family will deploy everything to find her for you?”

Yesterday it was clothes; today, a jade pendant. What next? A strand of hair?

Shen Mingsu was stunned into silence.

“Jinsu.” The National Duchess’s tone softened suddenly, even kneeling to support her arm. She spoke slowly and clearly. “The Feng family is not ungrateful. Your father saved Boying, a debt we could never repay but have tried our best to. Feng has avenged your family, sought your sister, and acknowledged your engagement. You will be the young mistress of the Feng family and the most honored among their wives. Rongxiu is no threat to you. Even if she enters the household, she will never hold a higher position than you.”

Seeing the misunderstanding, Shen Mingsu hurried to shake her head. “Madam, I am not—”

“Go back. Boying will not see you today. Don’t make a fool of yourself.”

A fool... she had indeed been a laughingstock for a year.

Seeing her silent, the National Duchess slowly stood and ordered the two aunties, “Escort Madam Shen back.”

The Shen family had suffered tragedy; the Feng family had avenged them and taken her in for a year. They had done more than enough. She regretted wasting this day and should not have come to Feng Zhongyan.

“Move aside.”

Accustomed to being the perfect lady, she had not spoken so sharply and forcefully in a long time. Breaking free from the two aunties’ grip with surprising strength, they and the National Duchess were stunned.

Shen Mingsu said nothing, stood up, and looked at the National Duchess without a trace of pleading, only calm resolve. “My surname is Shen.”

She was not yet married to Feng Zhongyan, not part of the Feng family. Where she went, they had no authority to stop her.

Whether the National Duchess was frightened by her resolute expression or convinced by her words, she no longer tried to block her.

She tossed the oil-paper umbrella into Feng Zhongyan’s courtyard, forgetting to retrieve it. Drenched and disheveled, she reached the spot where a young girl had once handed her a lantern.

She would wait here; those who sought her would surely appear again.

Expecting to wait several days, when the rain started anew, a child’s voice suddenly called from behind. “Sister.”

Shen Mingsu turned and saw the little girl struggling to hold an umbrella over her head. Her throat seemed tightly gripped; she bent down and clasped the girl’s arm, repeatedly asking, “Who are you? Who gave you the pendant? Where is Yueyao?”

The girl answered none of her questions, softly saying, “Sister, come with me.”

The girl handed her the umbrella and led her into an alley. Inside stood a couple dressed simply in blue coarse cloth, both in their thirties, faces kind and gentle.

Shen Mingsu recognized something familiar in their faces but could not recall where she had seen them before.

Under the umbrella, the little girl suddenly broke free and threw herself into the woman’s arms. “Mother, I brought Sister Ajin here.”

Shen Mingsu was stunned.

The man opposite smiled at her. “Ajin, I am your second uncle.”

—

“I heard your elder brother suffered misfortune, so I hurried to Youzhou. By the time I arrived, it was too late. Seeing no trace of you or Yueyao, I knew you both were likely still alive. I took your aunt and Ayin to search along the way, quietly inquiring. Learning you came to the Feng family in the capital and sought Yueyao, I returned to Youzhou and searched neighboring provinces. Only a month ago did I get news of her.”

“Where is she?”

The Shen family’s second uncle avoided her gaze, sorrow in his eyes. “After Yueyao was separated from you, she boarded a ship to Qingzhou…”

Shen Mingsu’s heart turned cold.

Qingzhou was a land of constant war. How could a lone girl survive?

—

The second uncle produced a bundle and handed it to her, offering no hope. “A month ago, I bought this pendant from a corpse retriever, along with this.”

Inside was a pair of dirt-stained embroidered shoes, yet the craftsmanship and pattern were still discernible.

Shen Mingsu recognized them as her mother’s handiwork—one pair for her, one for Yueyao.

Blood rapidly drained from her limbs; the tension in her mind tightened unbearably.

...

“Yueyao, hide well. Don’t come out.”

“Sister, where are you going?”

“With those people outside, neither of us can leave. I’ll go first to distract them. Remember, only come out when no one is around. Once outside, run east. I will come after you.”

She remembered clearly hiding Yueyao in a pile of straw, then running to the riverbank, pushing a straw-and-stone figure made to resemble Yueyao into the river, and plunging in herself before those people’s eyes.

The river was swift. When she awoke, it was a day later. Returning to the dilapidated house, it was empty.

She chased east to the capital. As days passed, many misfortunes crossed her mind. Yet, as long as she had not seen Yueyao’s body, she believed she was alive.

“Is she dead?” Somehow, the words slipped out. Her limbs were already icy cold.

The second uncle lowered his head in silence before speaking after a long pause, “I have buried her. Within the Shen family’s main branch... only you remain.”

Still clinging to hope, she asked, “Did you see her face?”

The uncle was silent. “Once pulled from the water, there was no longer a human shape.”

“Dead people cannot come back to life. Ajin, live well,” he said softly, looking at her pale face and unwilling to say more. “Are you doing well?”

Shen Mingsu bowed her head blankly. Given her disheveled state, no answer was needed.

—

On this gloomy rainy day, darkness fell quickly. Seeing the lights on inside, the National Duchess rubbed her temples and asked the maid, “Has she returned?”

The maid shook her head.

A flash of anger flared. “Why haven’t you sent people to look?”

The maid turned to leave but before she could, Wanyue hurried in and reported, “Madam, Madam Shen has returned.”

After Shen Mingsu’s resolute departure today, the Feng family had thought she would not return if no one searched for her. Seeing her in the evening surprised both Liansheng and Wanyue.

She was soaked in mud from the rain.

Before entering, she took off her shoes and socks herself. Her silence and withdrawn demeanor stirred a hint of sympathy. Wanyue quickly informed the National Duchess, while Liansheng stayed in the courtyard to prepare water.

Her clean clothes were left in the bathhouse. Liansheng stepped outside to stand guard. “Madam, if you need anything, just call.”

“All right.”

Liansheng was not one to speak much, especially not to Shen Mingsu. Today, however, after standing a while, he suddenly said, “Princess Rongxiu only stayed half an hour today before leaving.”

She never spoke a word and might not have heard.

After changing, Shen Mingsu rested on the bed and had Liansheng extinguish the lamp early.

Just as she closed the door, Liansheng turned and saw Feng Zhongyan. He paused, bowed, and was about to enter and inform her when Feng Zhongyan stopped him. “She’s back?”

Liansheng nodded. “Just resting.”

“No need to call. Let her rest well.”

The rainy night was quiet. Outside, sounds were clear. Shen Mingsu stared at the night sky beyond the canopy. The pain long bottled up inside burst forth like water stains spreading across silk, and tears streamed down uncontrollably.

Her father once said that “Ten Brocade” meant gathering the finest talents from all walks of life, able to adapt wherever they went.

Yet she had lost everything.

Her parents, her sister, and him—Feng Zhongyan.

—

Upon leaving Shen Mingsu’s courtyard, Feng Zhongyan saw Master Yan, the household strategist, waiting in the hall.

“Still not asleep, sir?”

“Old age brings little sleep.”

They walked together toward the quiet courtyard. After some distance, Yan said, “Master Zhou has confessed. His excuse matches the princess’s: he was seeking information about His Majesty’s leg injury and learned that a year ago the emperor was already unable to walk.”

He glanced meaningfully at Feng Zhongyan. “A year ago, the emperor sent someone to Youzhou to seek medicine.”

Feng Zhongyan said nothing.

“Does the Shen marriage still stand? Does the governor truly intend to wed?”

“Since there is a marriage contract, why not?” The glow from his lantern blurred his expression. His voice remained steady and deep. “Sometimes, situations that seem disadvantageous are not dead ends. No matter the benefits or grudges, loyalty outweighs all. Money cannot buy a single sincere heart. Tell me, sir, if you were in power, how would you discern the machinations?”

This time, Master Yan had no answer.

Feng Zhongyan smiled. “It is etched into a family’s very bones: loyalty and honor.”

By the Feng family’s ancestral teachings, no one could stop his marriage to Shen Mingsu.

“Do not worry, sir. After court this morning, I reported the marriage to His Majesty. The engagement will be arranged tomorrow.”