Chapter 7

Page (1/3)

Today, a new batch of fabrics arrived at the Splendid Workshop in the capital, and the shopkeeper was directing the unloading. Xia He weaved through the crowd unloading the goods and stepped inside, handing a small parcel to the shop assistant. The assistant opened it and poured out the silver fragments and copper coins onto the counter, counting and weighing them.

“Perfect, not a penny more or less—exactly fourteen taels and eighty hundred strings. Madam, please follow me.”

The assistant led Xia He to the back room, took down a stack of indigo silk from the shelf, and said, “This fabric was offered a high price just two days ago, but the shopkeeper remembered his promise to you, Madam, and held it back.”

Xia He hurriedly smiled and thanked him, fumbling with her purse. Seeing this, the assistant waved his hand dismissively.

“Forget it, forget it. I can tell it wasn’t easy for you to gather this money, and you’re probably not wealthy folk. Don’t try to imitate the wealthy’s ways.”

A bit embarrassed, Xia He put away her purse and thanked him again before clutching the fabric and leaving.

Not far from the shop, she folded the fabric again, tied it with a string, and wrapped it in a piece of worn gray-brown cloth, mixing it with her other purchases before returning to the mansion.

Shortly after she left, a stout man entered the Splendid Workshop. Seeing the assistant about to pack the remaining fabric, his eyes lit up arrogantly.

“This fabric looks good. How much is left? I’ll buy it all!”

The assistant, recognizing him as a notorious playboy in the capital, quickly replied nervously, flattering him.

“This fabric is rare. Just now, one bolt was sold. There’s barely one bolt left.”

The stout man waved his hand and tossed a silver ingot to the assistant.

“Done! Pack it all up for me!”

...

At Begonia Garden.

“Madam! It’s been bought!”

Chun Dai helped Shen Zhiyi out of the room and took the fabric from Xia He’s hands.

“Is this the bolt you had your eye on?”

“Yes,” Xia He replied, a bit embarrassed as she scratched her nose. “The heir forbade us from selling embroidered handkerchiefs anymore. We’re still short of two hundred strings after saving up for months... The shopkeeper gave us a discount.”

Shen Zhiyi’s lips pressed together, her gaze dimming. “Sorry to trouble you.”

Xia He smiled, “Madam wants to use her own earnings to sew a pair of knee guards for the heir, without spending a single coin from the Pei family. That kind of devotion is something others only dream of.”

Chun Dai chimed in, and only then did a smile finally appear on Shen Zhiyi’s face.

Two days remained until her birthday.

Looking at the sky, Shen Zhiyi returned inside and began cutting the fabric. She wouldn’t let Chun Dai or Xia He help, but fortunately, the household hadn’t been strict with Begonia Garden’s expenses lately, so the lamps were well lit.

Even so, on the eve of her birthday, Shen Zhiyi pricked her finger from eye strain. As fresh blood welled up, she swiftly lifted her hand.

Chun Dai, seeing that Shen Zhiyi wasn’t paying attention to her bleeding finger but instead checking if the knee guards were stained, angrily grabbed her hand with a voice choked with tears, pouring out her grievances.

“Madam, why do you torment yourself like this? Let me be blunt! The heir has seen every treasure in the world! And so many women are eager to send him handkerchiefs and sachets. There’s even someone in the household destined to be the main wife to manage his affairs. Why put yourself through this...”

Before she could finish, Shen Zhiyi placed a finger to her lips, signaling for silence.

Chun Dai, seeing her smiling like a sly fox, grew even more frustrated, smacking her thigh and turning away.

“You can still smile!”

Perhaps from two sleepless nights sewing the knee guards, a sharp pain twisted in Shen Zhiyi’s chest. She frowned, pressed her palm against her chest, and after a moment’s relief, hooked Chun Dai’s little finger with a coquettish smile.

“What now? Should I just cut it off with scissors...?”

“No!”

Chun Dai turned back in a panic. Seeing Shen Zhiyi’s fox-like grin, she knew she’d fallen for her trick again. Pouting in annoyance, she huffed and left the room.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Watching Chun Dai’s retreating back disappear through the door, the smile on Shen Zhiyi’s lips slowly faded. Upon closer look, her lips had turned pale.

She glanced back at the knee guards in the basket and sniffled painfully.

Three years ago at her birthday, she had sewn a pair of knee guards for Pei Huaijin, intending to gift them at the plum grove where they first met.

A pampered young lady from a prominent family, she had endured countless hardships to sew them by hand, hiding the effort from her parents and brothers.

Page (2/3)

Only her second brother, who knew the truth, had tended to her needle-pierced hands and sighed, lamenting that she was doomed to fall for Pei Huaijin that lifetime.

At the time, Shen Zhiyi hadn’t felt sorrow but instead a delicate sweetness blossomed in her heart.

It was as if those needle marks and pains were proof of her courage in chasing love.

She truly wished to spend a lifetime with Pei Huaijin.

Loving someone means even the sacrifices become sweet.

Unfortunately, those knee guards were never delivered.

On the night she was taken in by Xie Changyu, she had casually tossed them by the roadside.

So this time, perhaps only to make up for her past regret, she wanted to make another pair for Pei Huaijin.

Whether he would wear them or who would eventually care for him, she no longer cared.

Shen Zhiyi sat in a daze for a while. When the bleeding stopped, she picked up the needle and thread and finished the last stitches.

She placed the knee guards on the convenient desk, massaged her neck, and looked out at the sky.

The dark horizon was heavy with low, gloomy clouds. Wind battered the window frames. Tomorrow promised to be another snowy day.

In a private chamber at Qingfeng Tower, Feng Dan rose and closed the window tightly. Then he knelt before the man in black brocade robes reclining on the couch.

“Please, Third Prince, save my brother Feng Pin!”

The Third Prince lazily propped his head, swallowed the wine fed by a dancing maiden, and snorted coldly.

“I warned you two brothers long ago not to provoke anyone, especially the Pei family heir. Otherwise, I cannot save you.”

Feng Dan choked. “But who could have known the Second Madam of the Qin family was working for him?”

Though far in Pingjiang, they had vaguely heard that Pei Huaijin had been pursuing the Shen family lady. After the Shen household fell, Pei Huaijin took her into his mansion.

No one imagined Qin Yin had become involved with Pei Huaijin.

Moreover, she was the chosen lawful wife by Pei Huaijin.

Feng Dan was silent for a moment before realization dawned.

“No wonder Qin Yin deliberately seduced my brother back then...”

Others might not know, but he could see clearly that Qin Yin’s first encounter with Feng Pin was no accident but orchestrated.

Her schemes sent chills down his spine even now.

Qin Yin must have sensed someone intended to harm Feng Pin, a figure of considerable status, likely the Crown Prince himself.

Knowing the relationship between the Crown Prince and Pei Huaijin, she deliberately made Feng Pin fall for her.

Thus, the Crown Prince could send Pei Huaijin to investigate under the pretense of escorting Minister Qin’s daughter to the capital.

Qin Yin got what she wanted—residence in the Pei mansion.

So Qin Yin’s moves had been in play for a long time.

Everyone, even the Crown Prince, had become pawns in her game.

People thought Feng Pin bullied Qin Yin under the favor of the Consort, but in her eyes, Feng Pin wasn’t even worth a speck of dust.

No, Feng Pin wasn’t even on Qin Yin’s radar.

The thought sent chills down Feng Pin’s spine. He looked up at the Third Prince.

“Your Highness! Qin Yin is too scheming. She must not be allowed to stay!”

Pei Huaijin was no ally of theirs; having Qin Yin by his side would be disastrous for them.

The Third Prince, seeing Feng Dan finally realize the truth, dismissed the dancing maiden, sat upright, and beckoned Feng Dan closer.

“You think this way...”

Before dawn the next day, heavy snow began to fall.

Chun Dai repeatedly inspected Shen Zhiyi’s heavy cloak, muttering, “Such cold weather, we could just stay inside, roast chestnuts around the fire, and celebrate the birthday. Why does Madam insist on going to that plum grove...”

Shen Zhiyi ignored her nagging, gazing out at the swirling snow with growing delight.

If the plum grove were blanketed in snow, it would resemble the day they first met even more.

She began to wonder if she could find the very plum tree where she first met Brother Huaijin.

It was her obsession, her last hope and solace as her days ran short.

Just then, a stranger maid knocked and entered, bowing to Shen Zhiyi.

“The heir requests your presence in the main hall.”

The main hall?

Shen Zhiyi paused as she tied her cloak, exchanging a puzzled look with Chun Dai. Wasn’t he supposed to come to Begonia Garden to fetch her directly?

Chun Dai cleared her throat and asked seriously, “Why the main hall? Did the heir say why?”

The maid glanced at Chun Dai, her tone routine and dismissive.

“A servant cannot pry into the master’s affairs. You will know once you go.”

Seeing she could learn nothing more, Shen Zhiyi guessed Pei Huaijin might be occupied in the main hall and wanted to meet her there before leaving together.

She patted Chun Dai’s hand reassuringly and smiled.

“Alright, I’m off. Brother Huaijin is waiting for me in the main hall. Don’t want to keep him waiting. You and Xia He stay put at the mansion.”

Chun Dai wanted to say more, but Shen Zhiyi had already followed the maid out.

The snow was thick and difficult to walk through. By the time Shen Zhiyi arrived at the main hall, the wind and snow seemed even fiercer.

“You go in yourself.”

Shen Zhiyi brushed her wind-tousled hair aside, lifted the heavy hem of her cloak, and climbed the steps.

As she approached, the main hall doors were flung open from inside. The sudden darkness made her squint, and when she saw the interior, a chill ran down her spine.

Without a word, she turned to leave.

“Stop right there!”

The voice of the Princess Consort rang with authority, and two older women standing outside immediately blocked Shen Zhiyi’s path.

“Guests at the house do not just leave like this! How rude! Is this the etiquette the heir taught you?”

Shen Zhiyi stood frozen, staring at the swirling snow outside, her hands trembling uncontrollably.

She clenched her palms tightly, her mind a chaotic mess. The joy and hope she’d felt moments ago now cut like a knife.

Is this the birthday gift Pei Huaijin gave her?

Was this the excuse he used to lure her to the main hall?

Her eyes brimmed with tears, her nose burning painfully.

He could have been straightforward. Why deceive her? Why give her false hope only to face such humiliation?

“Can’t you hear me? Come in now!”

The Princess Consort’s voice grew impatient.

Shen Zhiyi took a deep breath, the cold seeping deep into her lungs, and barely suppressed the burning tears.

She squeezed the knee guards in her hand, a wry smile flickering at her lips, then turned and stepped into the hall.

The heavy vermilion doors slammed shut behind her, cutting off the cold wind and daylight. The room was dim.

Her gaze swept across the people inside. She lowered her eyes and bowed to the Princess Consort.

“Madam.”

The Princess Consort never allowed her to call her mother.

Perhaps this respectful address softened her mood. She hummed softly and looked across the room.

Following her gaze, Shen Zhiyi turned her head slowly.

At the farthest seat sat Qin Yin, dressed in a pink satin gown, her hair pinned with a white jade begonia hairpin. She exuded an air of noble elegance. Catching Shen Zhiyi’s glance, Qin Yin raised a proud eyebrow, then looked down to fiddle with her teacup.

Beside her sat a man in his forties, with gentle, kind features. Seeing Shen Zhiyi look over, he smiled faintly, but covering his mouth suddenly coughed, appearing ill.

This was Qin Yin’s father, Qin An.

Next to Qin An, another man in his forties filled his cup with tea and showed concern.

“Brother Qin An, now that you’re back in the capital, you must have Imperial Physician Zhang thoroughly examine your lung illness.”

Noticing Shen Zhiyi’s gaze, he glanced at her disdainfully, snorted coldly, and turned his head, his expression full of righteous fury, muttering:

“Remnant of the Shen family!”

That man was the Marquis of Xuanyang, who had led the raid on the Shen mansion a year ago, also the second uncle of the Pei family—Pei Huaijin’s paternal uncle.

That night among the flames, he sat atop his horse, watching coldly as the Shen household was slaughtered.

Hearing “remnant of the Shen family,” Shen Zhiyi’s eyelashes trembled. Her emotions surged anew, barely suppressed moments ago.

The Princess Consort seemed oblivious to her distress, delicately lifted her teacup, sipped, and leisurely said:

“Since you’re here, Shen family, offer the guests a cup of tea.”