Chapter 17

This single sentence left Princess Huyang stunned. How could she not hear the hidden sting within Shen Yuanyu's words? Having presided over the Eastern Estate for years with the prestige of a royal princess, her word was law; no one dared to contradict her. She was on the verge of a fit of rage, yet Shen Yuanyu’s demeanor was respectful and her tone gentle, leaving no flaw in her words to pick at. Even if she wanted to lash out, she found herself unable to.

She could only clench her fists, her face flushing crimson with frustration.

Then came a sneer. Shen Yuanzhen remarked with sharp-tongued sarcasm, "Look at your branch of the family—one uses aconite to harm her grandmother, and the other can't even string a coherent sentence together. Eldest Uncle truly raised fine daughters!" She wore a bright red, long-sleeved jacket, and beneath it, her twelve-paneled Xiang skirt was embroidered with trailing begonia patterns in various colored silks. As she moved, she trailed a brilliant and magnificent splendor that, paired with her peerless beauty, made her a true incomparable beauty. Shen Yuanzhen had always been the most striking among the Shen sisters and was famous throughout Jiankang; in terms of pure looks, Shen Yuanyu and Shen Yuanyi of the Fourth Branch were indeed a step behind her.

It was just a pity her speech was so acerbic that it left a bitter taste in one's mouth.

Shen Yuanyu was not angry; she merely offered a slight smile. "Sister, I cannot bear such praise. Second Uncle is a profound scholar, hailed as the foremost celebrity of Jiankang's elegant discourse. A tiger father does not sire a dog daughter; Fourth Sister has been raised under strict family discipline, so she must surely be well-versed in the classics and histories!"

Shen Yuanzhen froze momentarily, unsure of what she meant by bringing up studies, but "showing weakness" was not a phrase in her vocabulary. She immediately replied proudly, "Of course!"

Shen Yuanyu smiled. "In that case, may I ask Fourth Sister: the *Biographies of Exemplary Women* states, 'Choose your words carefully, do not speak evil, speak only when the time is right, and do not weary others; this is called the speech of a woman.' How should these words be interpreted?" In her past life, she had been a lawyer; she made her living with her mouth, and a heated debate in court was merely a daily occurrence. To Shen Yuanyu, comparing her eloquence to a green, inexperienced girl like Shen Yuanzhen was practically asking for trouble.

No matter how dim-witted, Shen Yuanzhen could sense the sarcasm. She flew into a rage. "Shen Yuanyu, you unmothered brat! You dare insult me in such a roundabout way!"

A clear, resonant voice rang out: "Who are you calling unmothered?" As the voice spoke, a dashing and elegant figure walked into the side hall with a face as dark as still water. He wore a long robe of green bamboo embroidered with ink-wash lotus patterns in gold thread, draped with a silver fox fur cloak. Combined with his transcendent, immortal-like elegance, he immediately made the group of handsome men in the side hall look like mere tiny stars beside a bright moon.

Shen Yuanyu watched her father's attire with great interest. Her father was truly reaching new heights of handsomeness today! It seemed every time she saw him... his outfit was different.

If such a father were placed in the modern era, he would surely grace the front covers of every major fashion magazine as "Man of the Year"!

Shen Yuanyu felt that in the future, she could discuss the principles of fashion with him; she wouldn't have to worry about running out of topics!

Shen Yun walked over and shielded Shen Yuanyu and Shen Yuanshu behind him, adopting a protective stance. A warmth rose in Shen Yuanyu's heart. Shen Yuanshu had a soft temperament and had been frightened by the aggressive Second Aunt and Fourth Sister; she couldn't help but reach out and grab the hem of Shen Yun's robe.

Shen Yun's face darkened further. Although he did not often inquire about his youngest daughter, that did not mean he would allow anyone to bully Shen Yuanshu.

Shen Yuanzhen, however, turned somewhat pale. Although she looked down on Lady Zhou and her two daughters, she did not dare to be disrespectful to her Eldest Uncle, Shen Yun. Crucially, Shen Yun's temperament and grace were so commanding that one could not ignore him, even if one ignored everyone else. Moreover, to be caught red-handed speaking behind Eldest Uncle's back, accusing him of only birthing children but not raising them? Shen Yuanyu was, after all, the elder sister; no matter how wrong a sister might be, it was not for a younger sister to discipline her!

Second Master Shen Hui also felt a degree of embarrassment. Just now, when Princess Huyang and her daughter were bullying Shen Yuanyu, he had been a bystander, enjoying the spectacle. Now that he had been caught in the act by his elder brother, even his thick skin could not shield him from the awkwardness.

"Eldest Brother!"

"Eldest Uncle!" The group stepped forward one after another to salute Shen Yun. Shen Yun waved his hand dismissively. "Stop with the formalities." Disdainful of bickering with women, Shen Yun went straight to Shen Hui: "Second Brother, as the eldest, I shouldn't interfere in the affairs of your household, nor could I. However, today I cannot help but say a few words. For a girl of such young age to shout at her cousin in front of so many elders and siblings is truly improper! Within the Shen Estate, everything can be smoothed over with the indulgence of elders, but if we were outside and others saw the daughters of the Shen family being so coarse, rude, and uneducated, would they not ruin the centuries of clean reputation our family holds?"

Shen Yuanyu almost wanted to applaud her father. He didn't care who was right or wrong between her and Shen Yuanzhen; he simply seized Shen Yuanzhen's mistake, pressed her step by step, and delivered a killing blow, leaving the people of the Second Branch with grievances they couldn't even voice.

Even though Shen Hui was known as the greatest master of elegant discourse in Jiankang with unmatched debating skills, he could only bow his head in submission for the moment: "Eldest Brother is right. It is all due to my lack of discipline. I shall punish her by making her copy the *Biographies of Exemplary Women* ten times when we return. She is not allowed to step out of her courtyard until she is finished!" His daughter had indeed been spoiled by Princess Huyang, knowing only how to use her status to bully others. Could she not be like Third Sister and learn how to hide a needle in cotton?

Hearing this, Shen Yuanzhen's eyes reddened with grievance. It was clearly that little wench Shen Yuanyu who had insulted her first, so why was she the one being punished? She stamped her foot. "Father, I won't copy the *Biographies of Exemplary Women*!"

Princess Huyang pulled her daughter's arm. "Have you lost your senses? You dare disobey your father?"

Seeing that even her mother, who had always stood firmly by her side, was no longer taking her part, Shen Yuanzhen burst into tears. "You're all bullying me! You're all ganging up on me!" She didn't dare glare at her Eldest Uncle Shen Yun, but she glared fiercely at Shen Yuanyu.

Shen Yun acted as if he hadn't heard, letting out a cold snort. "Since everyone is here, hurry inside to pay respects to the Old Lady! Do not keep her waiting!" As the eldest legitimate son, he naturally had the authority to speak this way.

Having said that, he led the way toward the main hall. Seeing the eldest master's ethereal, immortal-like grace from behind, a sharp glint flashed in Princess Huyang's eyes. She whispered to Shen Yuanzhen, "Stop crying. Mother will eventually settle this score for you!"

The doors to the main hall were already open. Since the Old Patriarch resided year-round at the Dongshan Villa in Kuaiji Commandery, only Lady Gu was present to receive greetings at the Eastern Estate. The Old Matriarch, Lady Wang, was elderly and could not handle commotion; thus, only once every half month would Lady Gu lead the descendants to pay their respects.

Lady Gu had finished her toilette and sat on a northern-facing couch. Led by the Eldest Master, the group entered the hall in two rows—men and women—and knelt together to pay respects to the Old Lady.

Lady Gu maintained strict rules; the descendants had to perform the full kowtow every time they paid respects. However, there were two exceptions: Princess Huyang and Shen Yun. As a daughter of the imperial clan, Princess Huyang was of noble birth and naturally did not need to perform such a formal rite for the Old Lady; usually, she didn't even come to pay respects, only coming today because she wanted to see the girl, Shen Yuanyu.

As for the Eldest Master, because Lady Gu was not his biological mother, and as a second wife, Lady Gu was required to observe the etiquette of a concubine before the spirit tablet of the Eldest Master's biological mother. Furthermore, the Eldest Master had been raised by his uncle, Wang Yue, the head of the Langya Wang clan; Lady Gu had no debt of upbringing to him, so it was perfectly acceptable for him not to kowtow to her.

Speaking of which, although the Eldest, Second, and Fourth Masters were all legitimate sons, the Eldest Master was from the original marriage and his maternal family was the Langya Wang clan—the head of the four great clans. His status was naturally more prestigious than that of the Second and Fourth Masters.

Thus, the Eldest Master merely bowed to Lady Gu. He came to pay respects every day, but never performed the full kowtow, yet Lady Gu could find no fault in it. Instead, it left her feeling a constant sense of stifled resentment.

"Everyone, rise!"

"Thank you, Mother!"

"Thank you, Grandmother!"

The crowd rose from the floor. While the Eldest Master could rely on his status to avoid kowtowing to Lady Gu, Shen Yuanyu and Shen Yuanshu did not have such leverage; they all respectfully followed the Fourth Madam in kowtowing to the Old Lady. When Shen Yuanyu rose, her body swayed, and she nearly fell.

Fortunately, the Fifth Miss, Shen Yuanyi, caught her. "Third Sister, what is wrong? Is your cold not yet fully recovered?"

At her words, everyone looked toward Shen Yuanyu. Seeing her pale face and bloodless lips, it was obvious her illness had not yet cleared. Shen Yun was momentarily stunned; his daughter had looked perfectly healthy when she went to see him in the study yesterday...

Lady Gu felt a surge of displeasure. This frail, weak appearance made it seem as though she were forcing the girl to come and pay respects. "If your health is not fully restored, stay in your room for a few more days. Do you think I am so lacking that I cannot spare you one greeting?"

Shen Yuanyu said in a low voice, "Reporting to Grandmother, it was already improper for your granddaughter to stay at the manor for a year without fulfilling her filial duties. Now that my illness has mostly recovered, how could I stay in Changle Hall to be idle? Even if others say nothing, I would feel guilty myself! It was your granddaughter who offended you; please, Grandmother, forgive me!"

Lady Gu gave a cold snort. Before she could speak, Shen Yun interjected, "Since your body is weak, listen to your grandmother and rest in your room for a few more days. Your poor health is a small matter, but what if you pass your illness to the Old Lady?" His tone was stern, laced with implicit reproach.

Princess Huyang, however, had a slight curl to her lips. This father and daughter were performing so well together! Since the father had spoken such words, what more could Lady Gu say?

Shen Yuanyu understood this implication and couldn't help but cast a grateful glance toward her father.

Lady Gu was furious but helpless. This stepson was exceptionally brilliant and had the support of the Langya Wang clan behind him; she could not gain the slightest advantage over him. With a listless wave of her hand, she commanded, "Let it be so! The Second and Fourth Masters have duties to attend to. The Fourth Madam shall stay to serve the meal, and the Fourth and Fifth Misses will accompany me for dinner. The rest of you may withdraw!"

The crowd responded in unison, "Yes," and was about to leave when the Fourth Miss, Shen Yuanzhen, and the Fifth Miss, Shen Yuanyi, stepped forward to support Lady Gu. Only then did Lady Gu notice that Shen Yuanzhen's eyes were red, clearly from crying.

Lady Gu had always doted on this granddaughter, treating her like the apple of her eye. She frowned and asked, "What happened? Who bullied our Zhen'er? Speak up, and Grandmother will get justice for you!"