Chapter 9: 008 Reunion

On this side, Madam Shen ordered the punishment of Shen Ming and Shen Xin. After returning to her room to have a bowl of tea, Qiu Xi lifted the curtain to inform her that the Second Master had arrived.

Madam Shen turned her head to look out the carved window, which featured a magpie perched on a branch. The setting sun was casting a slanted glow on an apricot tree in the corner of the courtyard. Shen Mi, accompanied by a young servant, walked through the golden light beneath the flowering tree. His expression, as calm as idle clouds and pale moonlight, held a hint of stubbornness amidst his deference; he vaguely resembled that child who used to cling to her side, never having grown up.

"Mother." Shen Mi entered the room with a smile and performed a deep bow.

Madam Ren set down her propped-up elbow, sat upright on the daybed, and smiled with graceful composure. "You’ve returned early today."

Shen Mi walked forward, taking a seat on the left while accepting the tea Qiu Xi handed him. He replied, "There wasn't much official business at the yamen, so I came back a bit earlier."

Madam Ren smiled without a word, signaling with her eyes for Qiu Xi to bring the snacks from the shelf.

Shen Mi sat for a moment. Seeing she had no intention of speaking, he rubbed his hands together, cleared his throat, and said, "Is everything well at home today?"

Madam Shen took a sip of tea, rested her elbow on the armrest, and looked at him with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "You are a man; why do you concern yourself with the affairs of the inner chambers? Even if there were matters, they wouldn't affect you."

Shen Mi was her son, raised by her own hands. How could she, as his mother, not know what he was thinking? She was certain that someone had whispered the day's events into his ears while he was at the yamen, and his arrival now was merely to plead for leniency on behalf of the Hua woman.

For some reason, seeing him rush to curry favor with her before he had even managed to remove his official robes made her angry. Shen Mi was her son, not the Hua woman's! Ever since the Hua woman entered the household, Shen Mi had shifted all the warmth and concern he once showed those around him entirely onto her, treating her, his own mother, as if she were a person of no consequence.

The son she had raised for eighteen years had, in the end, been given away to the Hua woman for nothing.

She lowered her head slightly to look at the porcelain cup in her hand, her expression serene and indifferent, though her fingernails were scratching at the cast characters on the bottom of the cup.

Shen Mi had indeed learned of the afternoon's events from his attendant, Ge Zhou. Fearing that his daughter might have offended his mother and would later suffer for it, he had hurried over to make amends. Now, choked by Madam Shen’s words, he quickly wiped his sweat and said, "Mother’s instruction is correct. I was just asking in passing."

Yet, his heart grew increasingly uneasy. His mother was born into the Xinyang Qiu clan, a prominent family of the North, and was not a woman to be trifled with. The more this was the case, the more his attitude became involuntarily deferential. He scanned the room and, searching for something to say, asked, "Has Father not returned yet?"

Madam Shen gave a hum of acknowledgment. Looking past the threshold, she said, "Grand Secretary Cheng has suddenly fallen ill. He sent someone back to inform us just now that he has gone into the palace; he will surely return quite late."

Grand Secretary Cheng, who also served as the Minister of Rites, was originally a strategist for the founding Emperor Gaozu of Zhou during his southern campaigns. He was considered a trusted confidant of the Zhou court. From last year to this year, the aging Grand Secretary Cheng had begun to fall ill more frequently, and the workload on Shen Guanyu’s hands had increased accordingly.

Shen Mi spoke of court matters while at court; he was not adept at household affairs, but he was very sensitive to the shifting winds of the imperial court. After a moment of thought, he said, "Grand Secretary Cheng is now seventy years old. At this rate, I fear the day he retires will not be far off. Father has been frequently summoned by the Emperor recently; when the time comes, he may have a chance to be appointed to the Grand Secretariat."

Madam Shen withdrew her gaze, looking at the half-cup of tea beneath her fingernails, and said, "It is not only your father who has a chance. Liu Yaze, the Vice Minister of Personnel who led the investigation into the Prince Chen estate back then, also has a very good chance."

Although it was not the custom for noble families to discuss politics with their female kin, Madam Shen had weathered political storms alongside her husband, and the Qiu family was also one of the gentry clans of the Central Plains. Thus, Shen Guanyu rarely hid his court affairs from his wife.

Shen Mi’s brow furrowed at the mention of "Liu Yaze."

Twenty-seven years ago, Emperor Gaozu of Zhou and Prince Chen had simultaneously raised armies in the south and north to revolt against the dynasty. After fourteen years of war, the world was finally settled. Prince Chen, who had led his troops to conquer three-quarters of the empire, had rendered great service, but in the end, he ceded power to Emperor Gaozu on the grounds of "having courage but no strategy." The following year, Emperor Gaozu established the Great Zhou Dynasty; Prince Chen was enfeoffed as a vassal king and voluntarily surrendered his military power that same year.

At the end of that same year, Prince Chen, having not received an imperial decree, broke into the capital, ignored the law, and caused chaos in the Qianqing Palace, for which he was executed on the spot. Two days later, all seven hundred members of the Prince Chen estate were captured, and the Princess Consort and the rest of the household committed suicide at the Jiangyue Terrace.

The destruction of the Prince Chen estate overnight still sent shivers down the spines of those who had lived through the transition of the two dynasties. Liu Yaze, who had led the impeachment of Prince Chen, was promoted to Vice Minister of Personnel as a result. The annihilation of the Prince Chen estate marked the beginning of the purging of meritorious officials. Over the next eight years, at least five more meritorious officials were executed, only settling down in the last few years.

There were many different opinions on the reasons behind this, but Liu Yaze’s subsequent meteoric rise was a clear indication of the Zhou court’s intentions.

"If it is this Liu Yaze, then for the current plan, it is better not to compete than to compete," Shen Mi said after some thought.

Liu Yaze enjoyed the Emperor’s deep favor; why should the delicately positioned Shen family bother to compete with him? On the contrary, maintaining a peaceful state with him would be beneficial.

"That is a matter for later," Madam Shen said, looking at her son, her lips still curved in a natural arc. "However, there is one thing I must remind you of today. The Emperor issued a decree to the Ministry of Personnel the day before yesterday, stating that several purchasing agents from the Imperial Household Department in both capitals are to be removed, and the person leading this matter is none other than Liu Yaze."

Shen Mi was stunned upon hearing this. His brother-in-law, Hua Juncheng, was currently serving as a silk warehouse purchasing agent in the Imperial Household Department. Could the Hua family be in trouble?

"Mother means..."

Madam Shen’s lips curled even more coldly. "Liu Yaze’s niece married the Second Master of the Rongguo Duke’s estate the year before last. The Hua woman is lax in teaching her daughter, and while it doesn't matter to our Shen family that Yan-jie offended the Rongguo Duke’s estate, the Hua family’s position is bound to be in trouble. The Hua family’s fortunes have been declining year by year, and the silk they submit has repeatedly failed to satisfy the Emperor. If you add Liu Yaze’s meddling to that, does the Hua family have any path to survival in the Imperial Household Department?"

Madam Shen spoke in a slow, measured tone, but Shen Mi could not help but break into a cold sweat.

In the evening, as Shen Yan was talking with Fu Niang, Qing Dai entered and said, "The Second Master has returned. He just went to the Mistress's place and is now at the Grandmother's side asking about you, Miss."

Hearing that her father had returned, Shen Yan couldn't help but jump off the edge of the kang, her sleeve brushing an account book off the kang table.

Fu Niang and Qing Dai exchanged a look, but before they could speak, Shen Yan had already lifted the curtain and stepped out.

Shen Mi was among the first batch of *jinshi* of the current dynasty. His rankings in both the provincial and metropolitan examinations were in the top five, and he had placed ninth in the first tier of the palace examination. It was a pity that at the beginning of the founding of the dynasty, the gentry clans led by the Shen family were still in a state of silent observation of the imperial court, which delayed him for two years.

Later, when Shen Guanyu entered public life, Shen Mi and his eldest brother, Shen Xian, also entered the bureaucracy. A few years ago, he served as a supervising secretary in the Six Ministries in Nanzhili. When his term ended at the beginning of the year, he was transferred back to the capital of Beizhili to serve as a vice director in the Ministry of Revenue.

This was a sign of great imperial grace; after all, they were officials of the previous dynasty. If it were anyone else, they would not have had such good fortune. Therefore, even though his brother-in-law, Hua Juncheng, was very reluctant to see his sister and her family leave Jinling, he had no choice. The Emperor did not grant the Shen family extraordinary favor, but small favors like this were frequent, which became an important reason why the Shen family could converse on equal terms with the meritorious nobility.

Shen Mi was still wearing his dark green, round-collared, narrow-sleeved official robe, though he had removed his black gauze cap. His face, beneath a neatly kept hair bun, was refined and handsome. There was a hint of reproach in his large, thick-browed eyes, but his expression remained gentle.

Fu Niang had heard that he went straight to Youri Hall after returning to the manor.

Even for the sake of filial piety, there was no reason to go before the hall wearing official robes. There was only one explanation for his appearance: he must have already known about today's events and had gone to Madam Shen’s place to mediate for her and the Hua woman.

In his previous life, he often did such things.

Shen Yan remembered that even after her mother died in her previous life, she had been outwardly respectful to him while privately treating him like a stranger. Yet, whenever there was any disturbance at Youri Hall, he would always go to Madam Shen’s place to pay his respects the moment he returned to the manor. She only learned later that he didn't go to Youri Hall just to pay respects, but to personally apologize after Shen Yan had displeased Madam Shen.

At this moment, he was sitting on the daybed talking to the Hua woman. Looking at her healthy, living parents, Shen Yan’s eyes began to sting again.

"...Did Liao Zhongling really say Yan-jie is fine? Did you ask clearly?" He asked while looking up at the Hua woman, who was handing him tea, and reaching out to take it.

"I asked, I asked!" the Hua woman said impatiently. "How many times have I told you? Liao Zhongling said she is fine. It’s fortunate she has thick hair; she only fainted from the bump. After two doses of medicine, she’ll be able to go around causing trouble again! If you’re still worried, why don't you call Liao Zhongling over and ask him yourself?"

Shen Mi looked at his wife’s stern face, and his resolve instantly melted. He leaned toward her. "Don't be like this; I’m just worried about the child..." Before he could finish, he looked up and saw Shen Yan at the threshold. He quickly straightened his back, waved his hand, and said, "Oh, speak of the devil! Good daughter, come quickly to Father!"

Shen Yan looked at her father, bit her lower lip, and hesitated, not moving.

Before seeing him, her mood had been calm. Now, seeing him suddenly, the impressions of two lifetimes overlapped like double images before her eyes. She suddenly cast all her worries to the winds. At this moment, she could not distinguish what was real and what was false; she even had a surreal feeling that her experiences and feelings throughout the day were both true and illusory.

She wondered what virtue she had to deserve such compassion from Heaven, allowing her the chance to choose her life once more. Every word Shen Mi spoke now felt like a glowing pearl in those dark, sunless days of her past.

She couldn't get enough of his every call. She had possessed the purest and most genuine love in the world, yet in her previous life, she had treated it like a venomous snake or a fierce beast. What had she done in her previous life to move Heaven, granting her such an opportunity to reunite with her parents?

Looking at the incredibly real Shen Mi, her tears suddenly could no longer be held back; they fell, wetting her collar.

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