Everyone in the room was shocked. Change clothes? Why would they need to change clothes? The Prime Minister’s residence had properly betrothed and married the Third Miss with all due ceremony—why would they need to switch with the Fifth Miss?
Shen Guiyan hadn’t yet recovered from the matter concerning Concubine Qin when her body was already being pulled up by others. Baoshan was pushed to the side, and several maids came forward to strip off her wedding garments, casually draping a cloak over her instead.
The bridal crown and霞 cape were taken away. On the other side, Shen Guiya was helped in, her face exquisitely made up, her hair already arranged in an elaborate coiffure. She changed into the wedding dress with complete composure.
Madam Shen followed behind and entered, frowning at the chaos in the room. She waved her hand and said, “Move the Third Miss to the side. Restrain her along with her maid. Prepare the Fifth Miss and help her onto the sedan chair shortly.”
The wedding attendant was somewhat frightened and didn’t know how to react for a long while. Madam Shen then placed silver in her hand to calm her nerves and gestured meaningfully, “I am in charge of everything.”
“Yes…” The wedding attendant accepted the silver, glancing at Shen Guiyan with some unease.
“What is Madam’s meaning in this?” Shen Guiyan came to her senses and looked at her questioningly.
Having Shen Guiya marry in her place?
“Ya’er was just discovered to be carrying Young Master Gu’s child,” Madam Shen said with an unpleasant expression. “The matter is urgent, so we’ll have her marry over first. Concubine Qin seems unlikely to survive, and your marriage has been touched by ill fortune, so we’ll postpone it for now.”
Absurd! Shen Guiyan’s body trembled slightly. “In making this decision, has Madam consulted Father?”
“Even if the Master knew, he would understand,” Madam Shen said. “The auspicious hour is nearly upon us. Even if you wanted to marry over, there’s no time to redo your makeup. Wedding attendant, help Ya’er out.”
“Ah…” The wedding attendant responded softly and moved to help Shen Guiya cover her head with the veil.
“Elder Sister, don’t be sad,” Shen Guiya looked at her and sighed helplessly. “Who told this younger sister to have a child first? If I marry over, no one can say a word against it. Blame only fate’s cruel tricks.”
With that, she laughed lightly, lowered her veil, and was helped outside.
If Shen Guiya had shamelessly forced intimacy with Gu Chaodong, it wouldn’t matter—Gu Chaodong didn’t like her, so she couldn’t marry into the Gu family. But now she claimed to be carrying Gu Chaodong’s child?
Counting the days, it was probably true. Two months ago, during the betrothal ceremony, they had been intimate. If she had secretly conceived, it wasn’t impossible.
Shen Guiyan sat dazed as maids restrained her, unable even to cry. Baoshan struggled desperately with urgency: “Miss, how can you just watch them steal your marriage? You should be the one getting on the sedan chair!”
A maid beside them kicked Baoshan in the stomach. Baoshan’s face went pale, too pained to speak.
“If you lay hands on my maid again, don’t blame me for being impolite,” Shen Guiyan said, watching Shen Guiya being sent out and hearing the lively trumpets and suona outside, her voice remarkably steady.
The maid restraining Baoshan was startled, but she served in Madam’s courtyard. What could a mere Third Miss do to her, now that she’d even lost her marriage to the Prime Minister’s residence? With this thought, she sneered coldly, “Third Miss puts on such airs. This servant acts on Madam’s orders today. If this maid dares make trouble again, this servant will kick her just the same.”
“A dog relying on its master’s power!” Baoshan said angrily without thinking. “The Prime Minister’s residence won’t allow you to act so recklessly. A fish eye is a fish eye—can it truly pass for a pearl?”
Madam Shen and the group with Shen Guiya had already left the chamber, leaving only three maids guarding this master and servant. Hearing Baoshan’s words, and with three against two, if they couldn’t touch the mistress, couldn’t they touch the servant?
“Hold her down!”
Taking advantage of the small numbers, the insulted maid wasn’t satisfied and had to slap Baoshan twice before she’d stop. The other two maids complied and held Baoshan down. The Third Miss had always been weak and compliant, so naturally there was no need to worry about her.
But when she swung her hand down, Shen Guiyan suddenly lunged forward, extending her face to take the slap directly.
“Smack!”
The maid who struck was stunned, hurriedly withdrawing her hand, but a red handprint had already appeared on Shen Guiyan’s face.
“Miss!” Baoshan was startled, quickly breaking free from the two maids to support her and anxiously examine her face. “You…”
Shen Guiyan shook her head, picked up the plum blossom hairpin that had fallen to the ground, placed it back in her hair, and said calmly, “Once the ceremonies and farewells are completed out front, we’ll go find Father to make a decision.”
The maid who had struck fell to the ground with a thud, kneeling: “Third Miss! This servant knows her error, this servant knows her error!”
After all, servants could never strike their masters! This was inexcusable no matter where it was reported. If the Master found out, he’d beat her half to death!
Who could have known that the usually silent and unassuming Third Miss would suddenly rush forward to take such a blow?
Shen Guiyan sat leaning against the bed, saying nothing. The maid kneeling on the ground didn’t dare rise.
The sounds outside gradually quieted. Some guests remained for the meal, but Master Shen should be free now.
“Baoshan, help me change,” Shen Guiyan said softly.
In her own bridal chamber, on her wedding day, her wedding dress taken by another, she was blocked in this room, completely powerless.
Concubine Qin’s life hung in the balance—she didn’t know what had happened. Gu Chaodong probably thought the person in the sedan chair was her and had already joyfully welcomed her back. Beside her, apart from Baoshan, she didn’t even have anyone she could rely on.
Baoshan, eyes red, dressed her in a pale blue gown, rearranged her hair, and they went out to see people.
In the main hall, Madam Shen was wiping tears with her handkerchief, grieving deeply: “Just like that, married off…”
Master Shen looked at her strangely: “Usually you dislike Yan’er the most—why are you crying like this today?”
Madam Shen froze, about to speak when someone entered: “Daughter greets Father and Mother.”
Shen Guiyan bowed respectfully, but this time quickly raised her head to look at Master Shen.
“Yan’er?!” Master Shen was shocked, extending his hand to point toward the door. “Weren’t you…”
“In reply to Father, daughter wished to inquire about this very matter,” Shen Guiyan said without beating around the bush, looking at Madam Shen and enunciating each word. “Today is Yan’er’s wedding day, yet for some unknown reason, Madam forced her way into Yan’er’s chamber with Fifth Sister, seized Yan’er’s wedding garments, restrained Yan’er in her chamber unable to move, and instead sent Fifth Sister on the sedan chair.”
Master Shen’s face darkened, turning to Madam Shen with some disbelief: “What are you doing?!”
Madam Shen dabbed her mouth with her handkerchief, glanced at Shen Guiyan, and said quietly, “The matter was urgent. This concubine hasn’t had time to inform the Master. Concubine Qin is dead—she died today in Yan’er’s chamber.”
The sky darkened somewhat. Though it should have been the fine time of dusk, rain suddenly began falling outside.
Shen Guiyan looked up at Madam Shen in shock. The latter said with a composed expression, “The physician came to examine her and said it was arsenic poisoning—who knows what Qin Shi ate throughout the day. They tried to save her but couldn’t bring her back, and so she passed. With a birth mother’s death, marrying would naturally be inauspicious, so this concubine stopped Yan’er’s wedding and had Ya’er go instead.”
Pressing her lips together, Madam Shen added, “Moreover, Ya’er is carrying Young Master Gu’s child, so we need not fear gossip from the Prime Minister’s side about the Shen family. What his son did, naturally they should take responsibility for.”
Shen Guiyan didn’t hear the rest. She only heard that Concubine Qin was dead.
Stumbling to her feet, Shen Guiyan ran outside without even blinking, eyes wide open.
The residence was hung with red silk and happiness characters, but there were few people in the rear courtyard. In Concubine Qin’s courtyard, the sound of maids weeping could be heard. Light rain had already begun falling. Xiujuan knelt beside Concubine Qin’s bed, crying until her throat was hoarse.
“This morning when the mistress rose she was perfectly fine. She even said she would arrange a beautiful hairstyle for Miss. How could she be gone in the blink of an eye? Someone must have tampered with things. Arsenic poisoning—how could the mistress have eaten it by mistake!”
Shen Guiyan knelt by the bedside, Xiujuan’s cries filling her ears though she couldn’t take them in. She only saw that the person who had arranged her hair in the mirror this morning now lay here quietly, face pale and bluish-white, without breath.
Qin Shi was only a maid. She was fortunate enough to become a concubine after bearing the Second Young Master. Her hands were warm, and all the clothes from childhood were made by her. Whenever Shen Guiyan was bullied by others and remained silent, she would always be angry—angry that she wouldn’t protect herself.
Concubine Qin would smile and say, “I also have someone I want to protect, so some things require endurance.”
Endurance was what she had taught her, but now, she was dead.
Shen Guiyan wanted to laugh. As soon as she opened her mouth, tears fell completely.