Chapter 8

Wenyuanhou Mansion.

In the main courtyard, Luo Xin saw that Shen Yu’s face was full of surprise, and he came back alone, so she guessed the general situation.

Even though Shen Yu was unhappy at the moment, he still had no way to deal with Tao Sheng, his daughter who had been living away from home since childhood.

As far as the laws of this dynasty are concerned, the clan is more important than blood relatives, and an adopted son can only take his adoptive parents as the standard, while his original parents have to stand aside. Everything is based on the names on the family tree.

Besides, Tao Sheng is unwilling to come back now. Even if his family bribed Qin County’s uncle and aunt to force her to come back, it would be useless. The wealthy families in Beijing all have some delicate concerns. If Tao Sheng is forced to come back like this, others may say bad things or reveal Ruojin’s background, which would cause trouble.

Judging from Tao Sheng’s personality, she would not care about her family’s reputation for the sake of the overall situation. This is also the most direct reason why Shen Yu does not want to force her to return to the family.

Shen Yu knew that Luo Xin did not agree with him or most of the family on this matter.

Unable to get the answer he wanted from Luo Xin, Shen Yu spoke a few words to his wife and went to Madam Shen’s De Shou Hall.

Old Madam Shen had never expected Tao Sheng to be so unreasonable. Naturally, she was annoyed when she mentioned her granddaughter: “What? Hasn’t she caused enough trouble? It’s already this late, and she’s still not planning to come back?”

Shen Yu sighed, “After all, she wasn’t raised by your side since she was young, so naturally she can’t be as sensible and polite as Ruojin. I thought that after the Chinese New Year, I would let Madam and Ruojin go to her house to persuade her. Living outside like this out of spite is not a long-term solution.”

When the old lady thought of Tao Sheng, who was so “ungrateful” as to give up the Marquis’ Mansion and stay at Su’s residence in Tongguang Lane, she felt uncomfortable and aggrieved that a smaller family outshone them.

But thinking about it further, it didn’t seem to be a bad thing.

Madam Shen advised her son, “What did I say before? It’s best not to force her to come back. This way, she will have nothing to do with our Wenyuan Marquis Mansion. Since she’s not our child to outsiders, even if she does something wrong, it won’t affect our mansion.”

“A child like this, who doesn’t bring blessings, can she do anything for the family except cause worry? Just pretend that Mother Sang never said anything about losing her daughter. Raise Ruojin as your own daughter.”

Shen Yu had other concerns: “I can say that, but Madam is very attached to the child. If she becomes upset over this and falls sick again, I’m afraid our family will struggle this year.”

Luo Xin was from the influential Lanling Luo family, and her uncle had been the emperor’s tutor. Shen Yu, now an idle marquis, had to rely on the Luo family for support. He didn’t want a major conflict with Luo Xin over this.

Madam Shen said, “I’ve thought it through. The child’s adoptive father’s surname is Luo. He may be from the same clan as your wife. If she likes her, just treat her as a relative and visit her often.”

That way, they could smooth things over and make up for the family’s previous trip to Qin County. It really was the best solution.

Shen Yu’s expression finally relaxed. “That sounds good.”

Old Madam Shen nodded. “Who else is in her aunt’s family?”

Shen Yu replied, “Besides her aunt, there’s also a cousin who is currently studying for the exam. As an orphan with a widowed mother, they have no other relatives in Beijing. It’s already difficult for them to afford his tuition, let alone their daily expenses. I imagine their family is struggling.”

Old Madam Shen scoffed, “What future can such a small family offer her? She’ll regret it later.”

If she refuses to return now, it’ll be too late when she regrets it and begs to come back.

_

Because of today’s incident, where he went to pick up Tao Sheng but was turned away, Shen Yu’s mood worsened even more after returning from Tongguang Lane.

After leaving De Shou Hall, Shen Yu passed by the study in the front yard and heard the sound of reading. His mood brightened a little.

It was the end of the year, and the official school had given students a holiday. The three brothers of the Shen family were studying at home.

Shen Yu pushed the door open and asked his sons about their homework. All of them answered fluently and insightfully, which lifted his spirits.

At least his own children were turning out well. They were much better than the other noble boys who spent their time on cockfighting or errands.

Shen Yu believed the main reason Tao Sheng turned out this way was that she hadn’t grown up under his care. If she had, like the others, she wouldn’t have become like this.

After checking their homework, Shen Yu gave his eldest son, Shen Yue, advice. Though already a prince, he had no official job yet, so Shen Yu told him to study hard. If he made a good impression on the emperor and secured a respectable position, it would help with his future marriage.

He concluded: “You’re still young and at your peak. Don’t waste time. If you can become a capable official and inherit the title, you’ll be even more respected and successful.”

After instructing Shen Yue, Shen Yu reminded Shen Huan that the easiest way to achieve success now was to take the imperial examination. Since he was going to take the exam next autumn, he needed to study hard and ask his teacher for advice if he had any questions.

He especially mentioned that Tao Sheng’s cousin from the Ji family would also take the exam next year. They are sons of a marquisate, and they won’t be outdone by a kid from a small family.

After their conversation, Shen Yu’s next focus was his youngest son, Shen Ci: “Although you are still young, your second brother was already a student at your age. Next year, you should also try your skills.”

Shen Ci nodded in agreement and suddenly remembered that he had heard from the servant next to Shen Yu this morning that his father had gone to Tongguang Lane today, but he hadn’t heard of Tao Sheng’s return.

Shen Ci couldn’t help but ask, “That third sister hasn’t come yet?”

Shen Yu’s face darkened: “What do you mean by that third sister?”

Shen Ci replied matter-of-factly, “It’s the sister from Tongguang Lane.”

Shen Yu said, “Why are you asking these questions? Since she is not coming back, we can just treat each other as relatives from now on.”

Shen Ci said disdainfully, “How long will she keep pretending?”

“These are not your business,” Shen Yu said coldly. “Study hard. I will test you tomorrow. If you still can’t understand the essence of this book, copy it ten times and reflect on it carefully.”

After Shen Yu left, Shen Ci couldn’t help but ask Shen Yue, “What exactly does father mean? Why is he so angry?”

Shen Yue shook her head at Shen Ci: “Don’t ask anymore. Father has been in a bad mood these days. It’s inevitable that he will be even angrier when my third sister is mentioned.”

“She still doesn’t want to come back? How long will she be angry?” Shen Ci frowned and said, “In this case, father and mother treat her much more seriously than before. Father even went to Tongguang Lane to pick her up.”

This was also why Ruojin had been in a bad mood these past few days. Although she had always been sensible and did not show anything on her face, Shen Ci was closest to Ruojin and could sense her inner fragility and anxiety.

Thinking of this, Shen Ci couldn’t help but dislike Tao Sheng even more.

The whole family could have spent a happy New Year together, but instead, they had to celebrate with the whole family uneasy about her.

Even if his parents were merciful enough to recognize his third sister in the future, he would not acknowledge her!

_  

Ji Yanming’s return from school was a big event for the Su family, which originally had few members, so lunch had to be more sumptuous.

However, Ji Yanming came unexpectedly, and the family didn’t prepare any rare dishes. Mrs. Liu in the kitchen had to make the dishes as exquisite as possible while still being delicious.

After Tao Sheng finished cutting the paper-cuts, it was time for dinner. In the main courtyard, her aunt was no longer the only one present; there was also a young man in white.

Su Jia saw Tao Sheng, smiled, and invited her to sit down, telling the servants to serve the food.

Mrs. Liu also put a lot of effort into today’s lunch. The first dish served was her signature crab stuffed with orange.

The kitchen only bought five crabs that day. Mrs. Liu calculated well; according to the family’s past practice, she paid attention to health preservation and did not eat crabs very often. She usually gave two to her cousin, ate one herself, and used the remaining two to make soups and dishes in the evening.

But now that the young master was back, it was not easy to distribute the crabs according to the original plan.

Mother Tang was standing by, serving the dishes, feeling a bit awkward facing the five orange cups on the plate.

She first placed one on each of the three masters’ plates, then stopped using her chopsticks, unsure how to divide the rest.

It was only after Ji Yanming returned home this time that he noticed how much better his mother’s condition had been in the past six months compared to the previous years since his father’s death. There was a light in her eyes that he had never seen before, thanks to his cousin’s company.

To express his gratitude, Ji Yanming signaled to Mother Tang to add another one for Tao Sheng.

After Mother Tang finished serving the food as he instructed, Ji Yanming remembered his mother’s health condition and that she shouldn’t eat too much river food. He also recalled how Tao Sheng had praised him outside the door just now, admiringly and confidently.

Ji Yanming signaled to Mother Tang again to add another one for Tao Sheng.

Su Jia smiled at Ji Yanming with satisfaction: “Xiaobai has grown up a lot in the past six months. His temperament is more stable than before. He really acts like an older brother.”

Tao Sheng looked at the lonely round orange on her aunt and cousin’s plates, while there were three oranges lined up on the plate in front of her. She looked at her cheap cousin in surprise.

What is this? Kong Rong giving away his pears? ^[1]is a historical reference to a story about a young boy who showed humility by giving away the biggest pears to his brothers, symbolizing selflessness.

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