Chapter 104: Kicking Someone When They’re Down, Demoting Wife to Concubine

The Old Madam was incredulous upon hearing that Han Rou had actually won the lawsuit. "That vicious woman! Did she bribe the Jingzhao Prefecture? Those dowries were given voluntarily, so by what right does she get to take them all back?"

Shen Zhifeng stared vacantly into space, lost in thought. After a long silence, he replied, "Our Duke’s manor is in decline, while the General’s manor remains at its zenith. The Governor of Jingzhao... hah, one can assume he would naturally lean toward the General’s side."

"Then what are we to do? We cannot possibly produce that much money!" The Old Madam turned the prayer beads in her hand, cursing the Han woman a thousand times over in her heart. "If I had known she was so calculating and petty, I never would have allowed you to marry her."

Shen Zhifeng sneered, "Money? We have no money! Do not forget that her daughter, Shen Qing'er, is still in the Duke’s manor."

The Old Madam nodded. "That girl is approaching her coming-of-age ceremony. Since her marriage is entirely in our hands, if we plan this carefully, it could be our chance to turn things around. If that Han woman dares to come demanding money, then she shouldn't blame us for being merciless."

The next day, instead of waiting for the Han woman, Shen Zhifeng received an official notice of suspension from his post.

News of yesterday’s events had already spread throughout the capital. Censorate memorials against Shen Zhifeng piled up like snowflakes on the Emperor’s desk.

The Emperor sighed. The late Duke had performed meritorious service, yet he had gracefully retreated from the peak of his power, voluntarily surrendering his military command and arranging a relaxed, stable position for Shen Zhifeng solely to ensure that his only son—who lacked any real talent—would live a life of peace. He had even arranged for him to marry Han Rou, the daughter of a general. Yet, Shen Zhifeng did not know how to cherish any of it.

If it were not for the promise made to the late Duke, Shen Zhifeng’s punishment would have been far more severe than a mere suspension. With a stroke of his brush, the Emperor ordered the Minister of Revenue to allocate a sum of silver to subsidize military expenses, a gesture of appeasement toward the old General Han.

Shen Zhifeng, however, failed to grasp the deeper implications. At home, he cursed Han Rou as a harbinger of misfortune, smashing several vases in his rage.

The steward watched anxiously from the side, fearing to intervene or remind the master that there were very few valuable vases left in the house.

Compared to Shen Zhifeng, there was someone else in the Shen household who was even more distraught: Shen Sisi.

Now that her true origins had been exposed, she was, at best, still considered Shen Zhifeng’s daughter, though she had plummeted from the status of the legitimate eldest daughter to a mere concubine’s child. In harsher terms, she wasn't even a legitimate concubine’s child; she was the daughter of a mistress—a child born of illicit relations. It was a miracle she was allowed to remain in the Duke’s manor at all, yet her position remained precarious and embarrassing.

Her courtyard became deathly quiet. After all, when the servants encountered her, how were they to address her?

But what worried her more was the attitude of the Marquis of Jiang’s manor. Even if Jiang Lin was still willing to marry her, what about the Marchioness? If she lost the marriage alliance with the Marquis’s manor, she truly would have nowhere left to go.

Hongyu, her head maid, was naturally caught up in the misfortune. She sighed all day long, terrified of being implicated by Shen Sisi. Her own prospects were no better; as a maid who had already lost her chastity to Jiang Lin, if she could not enter the Marquis’s manor, her life would be effectively ruined.

As expected, a quarrel erupted within the Marquis of Jiang’s manor.

The Marchioness pleaded earnestly, "Lin'er, what is so good about Shen Sisi? With her status, she is simply not worthy of you. Come with me to the Duke’s manor to call off the engagement. There are so many other women in the capital; surely any of them would be better than her."

Jiang Miaodan chimed in, "My dear brother, you are the heir of the Marquis’s manor, and you have such a handsome appearance. You really don't need to hang yourself from the tree that is Shen Sisi."

Jiang Lin frowned, visibly troubled. "Miaodan, didn't you have a good relationship with Sisi? You were always hoping she would become your sister-in-law. Why are you saying such things now?"

"Brother!" Jiang Miaodan pouted and stamped her foot. "Times have changed, can't you see that?"

Previously, Shen Sisi was the legitimate eldest daughter of the Duke’s manor and the daughter of Han Rou. She possessed a modest reputation for talent and was gentle and kind to her, so their relationship was naturally warm. But now, Shen Sisi was merely an illegitimate child. To have such a sister-in-law would be far too shameful.

"Lin'er, look at you. You aren't even as clear-headed as your younger sister." The Marchioness was frustrated by his stubbornness. She despised Shen Sisi even more for bewitching her son to such a degree. If she were allowed to marry in, it would be a disaster.

"Mother, setting other things aside, the betrothal has been settled and the engagement papers exchanged. So many people are watching, and the Duke’s manor is already at the center of a storm. Do you want people to say that I am just like the Duke—a hypocrite who breaks his promises and lacks heart?" Jiang Lin flicked his sleeves and sat down angrily in a nearby chair.

Jiang Miaodan and the Marchioness exchanged glances. Jiang Miaodan couldn't help but mutter, "But how is that the same?"

The Marchioness sighed and proposed a compromise. "How about this? Everyone knows our two families have an engagement, but given these sudden events, let us take Shen Sisi in as a concubine. That way, we preserve a degree of face."

Jiang Lin hesitated, but the Marchioness solidified the decision. "Son, this is my final bottom line. The future wife of our heir need not be from a family of great wealth or status, but she must at least have a clean reputation. She cannot stain the honor of the Marquis’s manor, or else how will others view us?"

After much persuasion, Jiang Lin agreed. Although it wronged Sisi, her status was indeed awkward now. Even if she were a concubine, her status might be lower, but his feelings for her would not diminish. Sisi was so gentle; she would surely understand his position, as she had to consider the bigger picture.

Fearing that Jiang Lin might change his mind, the Marchioness went straight to the Duke’s manor that afternoon to see the Old Madam.

Shen Sisi’s worst fears had come to pass. She hurriedly sent Hongyu to keep watch near Yansong Hall and report any news. Meanwhile, she changed into a plain dress and dabbed some powder on her face, making her already haggard features appear even paler, as she waited in her courtyard for news.

Hongyu crept to Yansong Hall, arriving just as the Marchioness and the Old Madam were speaking.

The Marchioness dabbed at the corner of her eyes with a silk handkerchief. "Alas, no one wished to see such things happen. But Old Madam, you must understand—our Marquis’s manor has its own difficulties. I, too, feel for the child Sisi, but she truly cannot be the wife of the Marquis’s heir."

The Old Madam’s heart tightened, her eyes filled with cold fury and sorrow. She had never expected that in her lifetime, a declining Marchioness would dare to put on airs before her.

She closed her eyes, turning the prayer beads in her hand. After a long silence, she spoke. "If you have something to say, Madam, please speak plainly."

The Marchioness gave a sheepish smile, twisted her handkerchief, and sighed again. "My son has deep feelings for Sisi. Even after such events, he has not asked to break the engagement. Let Sisi come to Lin'er as a concubine. Rest assured, Old Madam, I will still look after her as if she were my own daughter-in-law."