Chapter 7

The banks of the Qinhuai River were worth their weight in gold, and the Wuyi Lane area was even more so, being a gathering place for prestigious clans; the land prices were outrageously expensive. However, the Shaohe Courtyard where the Old Matriarch resided was still quite spacious and bright. The courtyard followed a three-entry layout, with the main house consisting of seven rooms and side rooms, and a rear wing built for the residence of maidservants and elderly nannies.

Because the Old Matriarch was the second wife of Shen Yuanyu's grandfather, her social standing was one grade lower, hailing from the Gu clan of Wujun. The Gu clan belonged to the "Four Surnames of Wu," which was slightly lower in status than the "Four Emigrated Surnames" of Wang, Shen, Xie, and Huan. Fortunately, the Old Matriarch had successively given birth to the legitimate sons, the Second Master Shen Hui and the Fourth Master Shen Shi, which allowed her to hold her head high in the Shen family.

Even so, the Second Madam, Princess Huyang, still looked down upon her as a clan matriarch and mother-in-law. It was only thanks to the Second Master being relatively filial that life was even bearable. At this moment, the Old Matriarch was in the flower hall listening to the manager's wife from the East Mansion report on major household affairs, when an attending maidservant entered to report: "Old Matriarch, the Third Young Lady has returned. She wishes to enter and kowtow to offer her greetings!"

The Old Matriarch's face darkened instantly, and she slammed her porcelain teacup heavily onto the sandalwood tea table: "How dare that brat come back? When did she return? How come I didn't know about it?"

Yuanyu's return had naturally gone through Princess Huyang. However, the Princess was already deeply dissatisfied with the Old Matriarch's refusal to step back from power despite being in the second line of command, and she felt that Yuanyu's return was no major event, so she hadn't mentioned it to the Old Matriarch at all.

The Old Matriarch felt a surge of resentment, and said to her confidante, Nanny Li: "I told her to report any major matter to me, her mother-in-law, and look at her—how is she treating me!" If the Second Old Matriarch of the West Mansion hadn't handed over the management of the household to the Third Madam long ago, how could she have been forced to relinquish power under the pressure of her daughter-in-law!

Nanny Li advised in a gentle voice: "Look at what you're saying. The Princess manages such a large household; how many matters does she have to deal with in a day? If she had to report every single thing to you, she would be bothered, and you would be bothered too! Besides, both the Second Master and the Princess are filial. You are older now; wouldn't it be better to just live comfortably and enjoy the blessings of your children and grandchildren?"

Speaking of her second son, the Old Matriarch finally felt a bit more at ease. "Hui'er is naturally a good boy!" She did not mention Princess Huyang.

As the two of them went back and forth, the topic drifted miles away. The maidservant who had come to announce the arrival was secretly growing anxious: *Whether you let her in or not, please just give a word! The Young Lady is still standing out in the wind and snow!*

The rules in the Old Matriarch's quarters were extremely strict; the young maid dared not interrupt and could only look at Nanny Li with pleading eyes. Nanny Li found an opening to speak: "The Third Young Lady's first thought upon returning was to come here to pay her respects. It seems that after staying at the manor for over a year, she has finally developed a heart of repentance." She tested the waters: "How about we let her in?"

"That brat! Last time she could put senna in my food, next time she might put arsenic in it! She nearly took my life back then! She recognizes me as her grandmother, but I do not recognize her as my granddaughter!" The Old Matriarch was furious, her voice becoming somewhat shrill: "Tell her I want to see the ledgers now. Tell her to kneel outside and wait for me! She can come in only when I have finished reading the ledgers!"

Nanny Li had originally wanted to plead for the Third Young Lady, but seeing the situation, she had to shut her mouth. She was no fool; the truth of what happened back then was hard to say. Furthermore, even if the Third Young Lady had done it intentionally and committed such a transgressive act, was it not because the Old Matriarch had failed to be impartial, favoring the Fourth and Fifth Young Ladies too much and suppressing the First Branch too obviously and deliberately, thereby provoking a strong backlash from the younger generation of the First Branch?

When the young maid went out and relayed the Old Matriarch's words, she thought the Third Young Lady would surely be furious. To her surprise, without a word, Yuanyu knelt straight down onto the bluestone tiles in the courtyard.

The original owner of this body was brainless, having done something that gave others leverage over her, and now she had to return to clean up the mess.

Nanny Zhang had followed her unwillingly and, seeing her like this, felt a hint of schadenfreude, but Luan Niang was both heartbroken and anxious. "Third Young Lady, the ground is as cold as ice. Please get up, please get up!"

During the previous attack, Luan Niang had protected her without regard for her own safety. Yuanyu had already recognized her loyalty and had long since regarded her as a confidante. Hearing her words, Yuanyu couldn't help but feel a warmth in her heart. "There is no need for more words. Just stand aside properly. Grandmother is an elder; how can I disobey her words!"

She was kneeling here not just for the Old Matriarch to see, but for the entire Shen household to see. Because of the incident involving the senna, Yuanyu understood that no matter how much she tried to make amends, it was unlikely that Lady Gu would forgive her. She also had no intention of being a "filial and virtuous granddaughter" to this grandmother with whom she shared no blood relation; she was doing this merely to salvage her reputation.

The wind outside grew stronger, and the snow fell even harder. The wind-blown snowflakes lashed against Yuanyu's face, stinging like needles. After kneeling for only a short while, she was already swaying.

Luan Niang was shivering just from standing there, let alone her mistress who was kneeling. She hurriedly borrowed an umbrella from a maidservant of the Shaohe Courtyard. Yuanyu said stubbornly, "I don't want you to hold an umbrella. Stand to the side."

Luan Niang grabbed a maidservant from the Shaohe Courtyard and said, "Sister, I beg you, please go in and report to the Old Matriarch again. The Third Young Lady can't hold on much longer! If this continues, she will surely fall seriously ill!"

The maidservants standing under the corridor, seeing the Third Young Lady's miserable state, couldn't help but feel a sense of pity. The maidservant Luan Niang had pleaded with hurried inside to report.

Nanny Li, seeing Yuanyu's performance clearly through the south window, couldn't help but urge Lady Gu again: "The weather is so cold, and the Third Young Lady is kneeling in the wind and snow. If something happens to her, wouldn't it tarnish your reputation? Please show some mercy and let her into the room. If you truly do not wish to see her, you could just send her back..."

The resentment in Lady Gu's heart had not yet been vented. She was narrow-minded and would not let Shen Yuanyu off so easily. "She's only been kneeling for fifteen minutes; she won't die! If anything happens, I, this old woman, will take the blame! None of you are allowed to persuade me again!"

Before setting out, she had anticipated such a scene and had tied thick knee pads under her clothes. However, even though she was prepared, she still felt as if her calves were no longer her own. She discreetly observed her surroundings and, seeing young maidservants constantly peeking through the moon gate, knew that today's performance would not be in vain.

This Lady Gu was truly brainless. It wouldn't take until tomorrow for the whole Shen household to know that the Old Matriarch, Lady Gu, was narrow-minded, harsh, and lacked any kindness toward her juniors—especially since she wasn't her biological granddaughter. This would only give people more to gossip about.

If conflicts arose with her in the future, regardless of whether she was right or wrong, people would instinctively side with the Old Matriarch.

***

The outer study of the front courtyard.

"What did you say? Yu'er has been kneeling in the courtyard of Shaohe Courtyard for half an hour!" The Eldest Master, Shen Yun, stood up abruptly, his expression tightening.

"Yes! I saw it with my own eyes! The Old Matriarch is truly too much! The Third Young Lady is still so young; if something goes wrong from kneeling, what will be done?" The speaker was a beautiful, silver-tongued girl in her twenties named Ruixin, who managed the Eldest Master's outer study and was also his concubine-in-waiting.

In the social climate of that era, top-tier aristocratic families often took many concubines to ensure the prosperity and continuation of their lineage. Even a powerful imperial clan woman like the Second Madam, Princess Huyang, had three concubines and several concubines-in-waiting by the Second Master's side. The Eldest Master was naturally no exception.

The Eldest Master glared at her and scolded her: "Is the Old Matriarch someone you can gossip about?" He couldn't help but pace around the room. At this time, the literati placed extreme importance on their poise and cultivation, emphasizing "remaining unmoved even if Mount Tai collapses before them." The Eldest Master came from a scholarly family and was well-versed in the *I Ching* and *Zhuangzi*, practicing both Confucianism and Taoism; he was one of the most prominent scholars in Jiankang. Ruixin had never seen him lose his composure like this.

Feeling a pang of bitterness, she couldn't help but think: *Truly, a father and daughter share a heart! If I were to bear him a son or daughter, would he treat me better and look at me more?* At this thought, her heart warmed, but she immediately dismissed the idea: *If I could bear him a child, given the Eldest Master's temperament, he would surely elevate me to the status of an Auntie (concubine), and I wouldn't be able to stay in the study like this, accompanying him every day.*

While she was lost in her wandering thoughts, the Eldest Master had already made up his mind: "To Shouhe Hall!"

Ruixin was startled: "The Old Matriarch is elderly; she has likely retired for the night by now!"

The Eldest Master frowned: "Lead the way. I have my own plans!" Ruixin stuck out her tongue, not daring to say more, and assisted the Eldest Master in putting on a heavy fur cloak and holding an umbrella as she escorted him out the door.

The snow fell harder, and the weather grew colder. Shen Yuanyu felt her knees stinging like needles; she didn't even know how she was enduring it. Inside the room, Nanny Li was already restless, glancing out the window at the kneeling Yuanyu from time to time, but Lady Gu only felt a sense of gratification, completely indifferent to Yuanyu's life or death.

As Yuanyu was thinking about whether the time was right to pretend to faint, a sudden commotion of footsteps came from outside. A young maidservant hurriedly announced: "The Old Matriarch is here!"

Lady Gu was greatly shocked and hurriedly led Nanny Li and the group of maidservants to welcome her.

Yuanyu was also startled. The Old Matriarch was the highest-ranking elder of both the East and West branches of the Shen family, the mother of the First and Second Old Masters, and her own great-grandmother. The elderly lady's eightieth birthday was only a few days away. She had stopped managing household affairs decades ago and had stayed in her Shouhe Hall all these years. Why had she suddenly come to Shaohe Courtyard?

Just as she was thinking, she saw a top-tier handsome man, elegant as a jade tree, supporting an energetic elderly lady. The lady held a dragon-headed cane, wore a crimson-colored, fur-trimmed, wide-sleeved jacket, and a sable fur hat, looking every bit the part of a grand matriarch.

This was the Ancestress of the Shen family, the Old Matriarch from the Qinghe Wang clan, the number one prestigious family of the North.

Sweat appeared on Lady Gu's forehead as she led all the nannies and maidservants in the courtyard to bow to the Old Matriarch. "Greetings, Old Matriarch!"

Looking at Shen Yun, who was supporting the Old Matriarch, Lady Gu understood a few things. She spoke up: "The wind and snow are heavy tonight. Why did you come out like this? If you are caught in the wind, it would be terrible! If there is anything, you need only send word to me, and I will naturally handle everything perfectly for you!"

The Old Matriarch struck her cane hard against the ground: "Hmph, how sweet you talk! If I hadn't come personally, my great-granddaughter would have been mistreated to death by you!"

The person backing her up had arrived; if she didn't faint now, when would she? As if in response to the Old Matriarch's words, Yuanyu, who was kneeling not far away, fell to the ground with a "thud."