Chapter 4 — Wedding Hall, No Groom

Ever since the imperial confrontation that afternoon, the severed engagement between the Grand Tutor’s estate and the General’s manor had transformed into a forbidden topic across the entire capital. Everyone knew the Grand Tutor had truly flown into a rage, refusing to spare even the Emperor’s face. Fully aware that they were in the wrong, the General’s manor had bolted its doors and retreated from society, with not a single soul daring to venture over to plead for leniency. As for Xiao Huai, he had vanished completely from the public eye since that fateful day—rumored to have been locked away by the aging general, forced to spend every waking hour at home in deep self-reflection. The bluestone courtyard before the manor finally restored its original tranquility, and my daily life seemed gradually to settle back into its proper orbit.

Every morning, I shared breakfast with my father before accompanying him to the study, where I would grind ink and neatly arrange the towering stacks of memorials and official dispatches. I read with swift comprehension and absorbed knowledge at an astonishing pace. Father never once avoided my presence when handling affairs of state, occasionally even offering deliberate guidance on a point or two. He truly seemed to regard me as an heir worthy of passing down his mantle, rather than merely a maiden reared within the seclusion of the inner chambers. Such days were serene yet profoundly fulfilling, causing me to nearly forget the very name of Xiao Huai, let alone the nightmare of a wedding ceremony.

Yet beneath tranquil waters, undercurrents invariably churn. That very afternoon, I was reviewing the inventory of the betrothal gifts returned from before. Those items, once laden with all my brightest hopes and expectations, were now reduced to cold, heartless figures in my eyes. Little Peach entered, her expression carrying a hint of strange hesitation.

"My lady, outside... there are rumors circulating regarding you."

"Oh?" I did not raise my head, my cinnabar brush continuing to tick off the ledger. "What are they saying? That I am narrow-minded? Or that I rely on my father’s power to show utter contempt for the General’s manor?"

Little Peach stared at me with wide eyes. "My lady... how did you know?"

I laid down my brush and offered a faint smile. Within that smile, there was not a shred of warmth.

"Of course I knew. The General’s manor suffered such a massive loss, and Xiao Huai’s mother is notoriously partial and viciously sharp-tongued. It would be a miracle if they weren't scheming behind our backs."

For half a month, I had quietly dispatched Little Peach to gather intelligence concerning the General’s manor. I knew that Xiao Huai was under strict confinement. However, Liu Yunwei—that fragile, pitiful white lotus—had been welcomed by his mother directly into her private quarters and tended to with meticulous personal care. To the outside world, they proclaimed it an act of "deep pity for her plight, officially taking her in as an adopted daughter."

It was utterly laughable to the extreme. A woman who had caused her own son’s marriage to be annulled and dragged the family’s honor through the mud had overnight transformed into a treasured foster daughter, cherished and doted upon. This was no mere adoption; it was a blatant display of arrogance directed at me and the Grand Tutor’s estate! It was their way of declaring to the entire realm that the General’s manor would rather choose an orphan of unknown background than a prestigious noble lady like myself.

Little Peach flushed with indignant fury. "They are also claiming that before the wedding, the young lady could not tolerate Miss Liu and repeatedly made things difficult for her! They even say that on the wedding day, it was precisely the young lady’s harsh words that provoked Miss Liu into accidentally falling into the pond! This is a blatant distortion of the truth! My lady, we cannot simply allow them to trample upon your reputation like this!"

I gently patted her hand to soothe her. "Do not be hasty. Let them talk. The more venomous their tongues, the harder they will fall when the truth slaps them back."

My gaze settled upon a specific page of the ledger. Recorded there was a set of porcelain tea wares known as the "Twelve Floral Goddesses," crafted by a renowned master of the previous dynasty, exquisitely peerless and of inestimable value. This was an heirloom left behind by my mother—the most precious treasure within my dowry chests. I distinctly remembered a time when Xiao Huai had inadvertently mentioned it, remarking that Liu Yunwei possessed an absolute adoration for white porcelain.

The corners of my lips curved upward into a chilling smile.

"Little Peach, go to the storehouse and fetch the ‘Twelve Floral Goddesses’ tea set."

Little Peach gasped in astonishment. "What does the young lady intend to do with it?"

"I am going to sell it."

"Sell... sell it?" Little Peach asked, horror-struck. "My lady, that is the treasured heirloom left to you by the mistress! How could you possibly sell it?"

"It is merely a dead object. No matter how precious, it is not worth more than a living person's reputation." I rose to my feet, walked over to the window, and gazed at the newly sprouting phoenix tree in the courtyard. "Besides, I am not selling it casually. I intend to host an appreciation banquet, inviting every noble matron and young lady in the capital to attend. I want them to see—to see that Shen Shuyan has been driven to such dire financial straits that she must sell her own mother's relics."

Little Peach was sharp-witted and instantly comprehended.

"The young lady wants... everyone to know that our estate returned all the betrothal gifts, losing face with our former in-laws, and as a result, we are struggling to make ends meet?"

"Not just that." A sharp glint flashed in my eyes. "I want everyone to perceive my 'destitution.' The world is naturally inclined to sympathize with the vulnerable. A person who has endured immense grievance and is now forced to sell her deceased mother's heirlooms merely to preserve her dignity—tell me, whose words will people be more inclined to believe?"

What I desired was not merely pity. I wanted to use this opportunity to hurl Liu Yunwei and the General’s manor straight onto the burning pyre. You claim I could not tolerate her? Then I shall use my actions to show the world that even the very item she cherishes most, I care not enough to keep. You paint her as gentle and virtuous? Then... I should love to see whether she can resist her desires when the very tea set she dreams of day and night appears at my banquet, and whether she will beg Xiao Huai to purchase it for her.

If she feels no temptation—all the better, for it proves all her so-called passions were mere pretense. If she is tempted and induces Xiao Huai to buy it—that would be even better. A man who has only just cast aside his fiancee would squander silver to buy back her mother's relics for another woman. This theatrical performance would surpass a thousand fabricated rumors.