Chapter 5: The Exchange

Shen Tang wasn’t surprised by Consort Ye’s summons for Second Madam.

With no mistress in the Pingyuan Marquis Manor, Second Madam was responsible for all social interactions and related matters. It was at this very time, in her previous life, that Consort Ye had sent for Second Madam.

Consort Ye was not only Prince Jingyang’s son, Xie Guimo’s, aunt by marriage but also the mother of the Second Prince, whom Xie Guimo had been injured saving. Xie Guimo’s critical condition and need for a marriage to ward off misfortune (auspicious ceremony) was a matter close to Consort Ye’s heart. She was so concerned that even amidst the chaos in the Pingyuan Marquis Manor, she had summoned Second Madam for a discussion.

Upon learning of Second Madam’s worries about the effectiveness of the auspicious ceremony, her fear that Prince Jingyang’s son might not recover and that her Eldest niece would become a widow, and of the fact that Shen Tang had poisoned her own sister, Consort Ye was furious. Without consulting Prince Jingyang’s family, she had directly replaced Shen Tang with her Eldest Sister for the auspicious ceremony.

While Shen Tang and Shen Juan didn’t resemble each other at all, they were both daughters of Shen Sui, the Marquis of Pingyuan, and even shared the same birth time. Replacing Shen Tang with Shen Juan for the marriage would allay any concerns about incompatibility between their horoscopes.

In her previous life, Shen Tang had believed Doukou’s lies, and when Consort Ye demanded that she take her sister’s place, Shen Tang had been speechless. This time, before Second Madam entered the palace, Shen Tang had already cleared her name, and Shen Juan was not in a coma. There was no reason to replace her with another for the marriage.

Although Shen Tang was determined to ensure that Prince Jingyang’s palanquin would arrive empty and depart empty, the thought of Shen Juan’s fear of becoming a widow and Second Madam’s rage at her failed scheme made her heart swell with joy.

Behind her, a faint sniffling sound reached her ears. Shen Tang turned to see Ginkgo  wiping away tears. “What are you crying about? Do you miss Doukou?”

Ginkgo  retorted angrily, “That Doukou, she was always siding with the Eldest Miss, trying to push you into the fire pit. I would never miss her.”

Shen Tang chuckled, “Then why are you crying?”

Ginkgo  sobbed, “I’m heartbroken for the Miss. You’re so kind to the Eldest Miss, giving her all the good things. Yet, she, for her own sake, tried to push you into the fire pit…”

She was upset for her.

Shen Tang’s nose twitched. Shen Juan had poisoned her and framed her, but even after being caught red-handed, the Old Madam hadn’t reprimanded her. Yet, Ginkgo , a mere maid, was shedding tears for the injustice she had suffered. How could Shen Tang not be moved?

Shen Tang wiped away Ginkgo ‘s tears, “From now on, I will no longer be kind to her. I will take back all the things I gave her.”

This was Shen Tang’s true feeling, but Ginkgo  didn’t believe her at all. “You’re not like that, Miss.”

She would be grateful if the Miss could prevent the Eldest Miss from taking advantage of her even a little bit.

Ginkgo ‘s disbelief was etched on her face, but Shen Tang said nothing. She would soon prove to Ginkgo  that she meant every word.

The two returned to Qingyi Garden.

Shen Tang had been woken up before she could get a good night’s sleep, and after a long day, her head felt even worse. She had lunch and went back to sleep.

Seeing Shen Tang’s weary expression, Ginkgo  felt filled with self-reproach. The Miss had told her not to wake her up, but when she heard that the Eldest Miss had fainted and was vomiting blood, she was so worried that she had hurriedly awakened the Miss. In the end, the Eldest Miss had tricked the Miss.

Tucking Shen Tang back into bed, Ginkgo  said, “Miss, please rest easy. This time, even if the sky falls, I won’t wake you up.”

Ginkgo  made her promise with conviction, but the sky didn’t fall, and she ended up waking Shen Tang up anyway.

Poor Shen Tang was sleeping soundly when Ginkgo , frantic and close to tears, shook her awake. “Miss, wake up! Something terrible has happened!”

Shen Tang’s head ached so badly that she wished for death. “What happened again?”

Ginkgo  said, “Consort Ye wants you to marry Prince Jingyang’s son!”

A jolt of shock ran through Shen Tang, and she sat up abruptly, her head spinning so violently that she saw black spots. She suppressed her anger and said, “Why am I being forced to take her place?”

In her anger, she didn’t even notice the “again” in her sentence. But neither the speaker nor the listener paid attention. Ginkgo  replied, “I don’t know either. That’s what the maids were saying.”

Such a major event, the maids wouldn’t dare to spread rumors.

Shen Tang was furious.

She had been forced to take her sister’s place in her previous life, but in this life, what reason did Consort Ye have to make her marry?

Her intuition told her that this was Second Madam’s doing.

Shen Tang suppressed her anger, threw off the covers, and got out of bed. She didn’t even bother to fix her messy hair and rushed to Pine Crane Hall, where the Old Madam resided.

Shen Tang hurried along, and from a distance, she saw a familiar, steady figure.

It was her father, Shen Sui.

Although Shen Juan and Shen Tang were both Shen Sui’s daughters, it was unusual for a father not to be involved when his daughter was to be replaced on her wedding day.

As Shen Tang entered the room, she heard her father’s voice, laced with displeasure, “The person betrothed to Prince Jingyang’s son is Juan’er, so why is Tang’er suddenly being replaced for the auspicious ceremony?”

He was asking Second Madam.

Second Madam fidgeted in her chair, “Consort Ye sent someone to summon me to the palace. At that time, something happened in Qinglan Garden, and the news spread to the outer courtyard, where it was overheard by the person sent to deliver the message. Consort Ye heard that Second Miss was afraid that the Eldest Miss would become a widow and had poisoned her to prevent her from marrying. She was furious and asked me if it was true. I didn’t know how to answer. Considering that the Eldest Miss was fine and wouldn’t affect the auspicious ceremony tomorrow, and that Second Miss was worried about her sister and had done this out of love, it was better than the Eldest Miss poisoning herself.”

“For the sake of the manor and the Eldest Miss’s reputation, I didn’t defend Second Miss. But I didn’t expect Consort Ye to be so angry. She immediately changed her mind, claiming that the Eldest Miss had drawn an inauspicious lot at the Dazhao Temple and insisted that Second Miss marry for the auspicious ceremony…”

She knew it was Second Madam’s doing!

She had gone to great lengths for her own daughter.

The events in Qinglan Garden had reached Consort Ye’s ears, and naturally also Shen Sui’s. He hadn’t expected his eldest daughter to behave so cruelly, trying to push her own sister into the fire pit. Shen Juan had already framed Shen Tang, and now she wanted her to bear the false accusation and take her place for the auspicious ceremony. If her father stood by and watched, he wouldn’t deserve to be a father.

Shen Sui said coldly, “I disagree with replacing Tang’er for the auspicious ceremony. Juan’er will still be the one to marry tomorrow.”

The Old Madam’s brow furrowed, but she didn’t speak.

Although she favored Shen Juan more, she couldn’t be too partial in this situation, as Shen Juan was clearly in the wrong.

Second Madam couldn’t sit still any longer. “I’ve already agreed to Consort Ye…”

Shen Sui’s face darkened. “The decision of which daughter of the Pingyuan Marquis Manor will marry is not up to Consort Ye!”

Second Madam said, “When Consort Ye asked to change the marriage, the Emperor was there. He also knows about this. If the person getting into the palanquin tomorrow isn’t Second Miss, then we, the Pingyuan Marquis Manor, will be accused of deceiving the Emperor.”

Consort Ye’s pressure wasn’t enough, so she even brought the Emperor into it.

Shen Sui said, “I will personally apologize to the Emperor.”

“Father!”

Two voices echoed almost simultaneously.

Shen Tang’s voice held a hint of choked sobs. She knew her father wasn’t just saying it. He truly didn’t want her to marry.

Shen Tang walked over, and Shen Sui said, “Don’t worry, your father won’t let you suffer any injustice.”

Shen Tang shook her head slightly, her eyes filled with tears. “This afternoon, while I was taking a nap, I dreamt of Mother. She said you went to see her this morning and brought her favorite sea Is it true?”

Shen Sui was taken aback.

Only he knew about his visit to Jiang’s tomb earlier today.

The corners of Shen Sui’s eyes turned red. “What else did your mother say?”

Shen Tang said, “Mother asked me to help you with your worries.”

“Father, regarding this matter of the auspicious ceremony with Prince Jingyang’s son, please let me decide for myself.”