Chapter 9 — Wedding Hall, No Groom

She took the wealth you used to buy gifts for me, turned it into a grand spectacle to bolster her own reputation, and made me the laughingstock of the entire capital! Brother Huai, how could you possibly allow her to do such a thing? You should have stepped forward and put a stop to it at once! Xiao Huai froze, staring at her in sheer disbelief. He had expected comfort, even if it were only a single gentle word. Instead, what he received was a reproach that lashed across his face like a whip.

Stop it?

Xiao Huai’s voice was as harsh as a blade grating against a whetstone.

By what right should I have stopped her? Those were her belongings. She chose to sell them, and how she wished to use the silver was entirely her own prerogative! Do you think I did not suffer enough humiliation today? Before all the nobles of the capital, I was reduced to a mere jester—toyed with in the palm of her hand! And you, you care only about a tea set, only about your own pride?! This was the first time he had ever spoken harshly to Liu Yunwei. Liu Yunwei was utterly stunned—she had never imagined that the once-gentle Xiao Huai would ever address her with such a tone. Grievance and resentment surged within her like rising waves, and she burst into bitter tears.

I… I did not mean it that way… I only… I simply could not accept this… Weeping, she pounded her fists against Xiao Huai’s chest. I have endured countless indignities and malicious gossip for your sake. I only wanted a single token to prove that I hold a place in your heart… Is that so wrong? It is Shen Shuyan who is vicious! She simply refuses to let us live in peace!

Listening to these inverted, whitewashed justifications, the very last embers of affection within Xiao Huai’s heart were thoroughly extinguished. A profound weariness washed over him—a fatigue that sank into his very bones, unlike anything he had ever known. Before his eyes stood a young woman weeping like falling rain, yet his mind kept flashing back to Shen Shuyan’s gaze at the flower pavilion that day—cold as frost and snow, resolute as carved stone. One woman had dragged him down into the mire, plunging him into utter ignominy. Another woman had used his own wealth to pave her path to acclaim, earning endless praise. Why, by all that was sacred, had he allowed himself to come to this pass?

At that exact moment, the door to the chamber was flung open with a resounding crash. The senior steward who served the aged general, Xiao Fu, stood rigidly on the threshold with an expression as cold as iron.

Young Master.

Xiao Fu’s voice held not a shred of warmth. The aged general summons you to the ancestral hall immediately. He has matters to discuss with you.

In stark contrast to the gloom shrouding the general’s estate, the night at the Grand Tutor’s residence was quiet and serene. Bright candles burned steadily within the study. My father and I sat opposite one another, engrossed in a game of Go. Across the board, the black and white stones locked in a fierce struggle. Clutching a white stone, I appeared surrounded on all sides by the black pieces, perched perilously on the brink of ruin, yet subtly carving out a path of survival that concealed a fatal counterstroke.

Father, Shen Jing, lightly pinched a black stone between his fingers, hesitating for a long moment before placing it down. Though his gaze remained fixed on the board, it seemed to pierce right through the game and fall upon me.

You handled the matter at the Charity Assembly admirably.

He finally spoke, a trace of satisfaction underlying his tone: Taking one step back to advance three, leveraging force against force, and using Xiao Huai’s own money to purchase a reputation for benevolence for yourself. It was a masterstroke of pulling the firewood from beneath the cauldron—not only stripping him of all dignity, but leaving the general’s household utterly incapable of holding their heads high on moral grounds.

I released the white stone I had been holding, gently placing it upon the vital opening. The cluster of white stones that had seemed hopelessly encircled was instantly revitalized, severing the dragon formation of the black pieces.

This daughter has merely learned the barest fraction from my father.

I murmured softly: Rather than passively accepting the pity of the world, it is far better to seize the initiative, transforming that pity into genuine prestige. Since Xiao Huai wished to stage the drama of renouncing our betrothal in a fit of rage for his beloved, this daughter simply went along with the current, setting the stage for him and allowing him to play his part to the very end.

Observing the shattered layout of the game, Father burst into laughter rather than anger, stroking his beard as he said: This little girl of mine possesses a mind far more profound than I ever imagined. Yet, donating that sum of money to the Hall of Benevolence to comfort the families of fallen soldiers was certainly a brilliant move, but it also amounts to pushing the father and son of the Xiao family onto a burning pyre. Xiao Zhen commands considerable influence within the military; how will your actions cause his soldiers to view the two of them?

That is no longer a matter this daughter needs to concern herself with.

My voice remained as calm as unrippled water: Since Xiao Huai was willing to cast aside greater national righteousness for the sake of personal infatuation, he must bear the consequences. The hearts of the army and the populace have never been things that could be preserved forever on past merits alone. Did Father not teach me that the very waters that bear the boat can also capsize it?

Hearing this, Father fell into a long, profound silence. Within his gaze, alongside deep approbation, flickered a complex thread of emotion. He had likely never anticipated that the daughter who once lost herself in romantic daydreams would, after enduring the marrow-deep betrayal, mature so swiftly—and even grow so resolute.

You have truly grown up.

He tossed his remaining black pieces back into the bowl, bringing the game to a close: From now on, whatever you wish to do, pursue it boldly. Should the heavens fall, your father will hold them up for you.

That night, the conversation between my father and me felt like the forging of a new covenant. We were no longer merely father and child, but comrades standing shoulder to shoulder upon the same battle line.

Early the following morning, the most striking testament to this alliance manifested itself—surpassing all expectations.

No sooner had the morning court session concluded than the palace dispatched messengers to the Grand Tutor’s estate to deliver an imperial edict. The person who arrived was not some ordinary junior eunuch, but the Chief Eunuch of the Inner Court, accompanied by a troop of attendants bearing golden trays draped in brilliant yellow silk, radiating an aura of solemn majesty. The entire Grand Tutor’s residence was shaken to its core, servants dropping to their knees across the courtyards. Father and I stepped forward to receive them, kneeling to welcome the imperial decree.

Opening the embroidered scroll, the Chief Eunuch raised his voice in the distinctive, piercing intonation of the palace:

By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:

Now there is the daughter of Grand Tutor Shen Jing, of the Shen clan, styled Shuyan, whose disposition is gentle and whose demeanor is dignified and observant of propriety. Facing domestic upheaval, her resolve remained unbroken; she bestowed her entire fortune to comfort the loyal martyrs, her loyal heart shining like a mirror, and her moral conduct exemplary. We are deeply moved. To commend such virtue, she is hereby specially conferred the title of Lady of Anhe, along with a stipend of three hundred households. Respect this!

As the decree fell silent, the great hall remained as still as death.