Jiang Taohua believed she could live a peaceful, carefree life hidden in Taohua Mountain forever. Unfortunately, this place was soon discovered. And not just by one person.
Early one morning, as she opened the gate of her residence, she found a group of serious-faced, richly dressed people standing outside. Leading them was an old man who looked somewhat familiar. Behind him stood a cluster of men and women, some of the women holding children’s hands.
Frowning, Taohua calculated quickly, feeling a bit nervous. Could these be people from Shen Zaiye’s past romantic entanglements, now bringing their entire families to confront him?
Just as she was about to send Qingtai to inform Shen Zaiye, the elderly man outside spoke, his voice extremely fierce: “Who are you?”
Taohua was taken aback. Something in her mind shifted, and she replied with a smile, “I’m a little fairy from the heavens.”
Everyone: “…”
Pinching herself, Jiang Taohua regained her composure. She curtsied slightly and said, “This residence belongs to my husband and me. May I ask why you’ve come?”
The old man snorted and waved his sleeve. “Private residence? No matter how private, it still bears the Shen family name! As long as he’s part of the Shen family, I can go anywhere that’s his!”
Shen family? Something flashed in Taohua’s mind, and she suddenly realized. These people before her were likely all Shen Zaiye’s relatives!
How should she handle this? She felt at a loss. Although she knew Shen Zaiye was from the State of Wu, she didn’t know the specifics. Meeting her in-laws without any preparation – wouldn’t this cause trouble?
“Qingtai?” She called urgently towards the interior. Taohua watched as Qingtai ran out alone: “Mistress, the master said he’s getting something and will be out shortly.”
What could he possibly need to get at a time like this? Taohua glared but could do nothing except smile awkwardly at the group outside the door.
Shen’s father furrowed his brow. “You, young lady, you’re quite pretty, but why do you seem so silly?”
Jiang Taohua thought to herself: You’re the silly one! Your whole family except Shen Zaiye is silly!
Looking at her impatiently, Shen’s father said, “What? Are you going to make this large group wait at the door? Won’t you invite us in to sit?”
Logically, she should have invited them in, but Taohua felt inexplicably uncomfortable. If she remembered correctly, Shen Zaiye had never mentioned his family to her. Since he hadn’t brought them up, he probably didn’t want to see them. If he didn’t want to see them, how could she possibly let these people in?
So she remained rooted at the doorway, smiling without moving.
Shen’s father grew agitated. “Young lady, how can you be so ignorant of proper conduct? The Shen family would never have a daughter-in-law like you!”
“She was never meant to be your Shen family’s daughter-in-law.” Shen Zaiye’s voice rang out from behind. Taohua finally breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to look and saw him carrying a large plaque!
“My lord?”
Taohua was surprised and was about to ask what he was doing when Shen Zaiye leaped up and hung the plaque above the main gate of the residence.
The characters “Jiang Mansion” gleamed in the sunlight, stunning the group outside.
Dusting off his hands, Shen Zaiye took Taohua’s hand and walked into the compound, instructing Qingtai and Zhanlu: “Close the gates.”
“You unfilial creature!” Shen’s father, who had only just recovered from his shock, flew into a rage. He pushed open the door and rushed in, shouting from behind them: “Not content with abandoning your given name, you even want to change your surname?”
“Lord Shen, you’re trespassing,” Shen Zaiye turned his head, looking at him expressionlessly. “
‘Jiang’ is my wife’s surname, and this is her residence. Did you obtain her permission to barge in? Aren’t Wu State’s laws quite strict? Many actions can instantly brand one a criminal. Aren’t you worried about tarnishing your reputation in your twilight years?”
Shen’s father was so angry his beard quivered. “Must you speak to your father this way?”
“Lord Shen,” Shen Zaiye smiled coldly, “Your memory seems to be failing. Many years ago, didn’t you point at the main gate and tell me to get out of the Shen family, removing my name from the family records and disowning me as your son? Have you forgotten?”
Taohua was stunned. She looked up at him.
She had never seen Shen Zaiye like this before, with all his defenses up, mockery in every glance and gesture, and a hint of childlike hurt beneath it all.
Shen’s father stood awkwardly, at a loss for words. Shen Zaiye scoffed and was about to leave when Taohua released his hand.
“What is it?” Shen Zaiye paused.
Taohua smiled at him. “Even if you don’t care about the elders, there are still children outside. It’s cold in the mountains, and I can’t bear to see children suffer. This residence is large; why don’t I arrange for them to stay in the west wing, out of your sight? How does that sound?”
Shen Zaiye pressed his lips together and turned his head away. “It’s your residence. Arrange it however you like.”
With that, he walked through the corridor and disappeared.
Shen’s father frowned deeply. “After all these years, how is his temper still so bad?”
Glancing at him, Taohua smiled. “Uncle seems to have quite a deep-seated prejudice against my lord. His temperament has always been good; he’s just sharp-tongued.”
“What do you know?” Shen’s father said. “I watched him grow up. How could you understand him better than I do?”
On the topic of understanding, Taohua wouldn’t back down. She rolled up her sleeves and asked with a charming smile, “Uncle, do you know what foods Shen Zaiye likes?”
“…” Shen’s father replied unhappily, “How would I know such trivial matters?”
“Then let’s talk about something bigger. Uncle, do you know what Shen Zaiye’s lifelong wish is?”
“Hmph,” Shen’s father said. “It’s nothing more than achieving merit and fame to shame me!”
Taohua shook her head. “His greatest wish is to live out the rest of his life in peace. Moreover, in all the time I’ve been with him, I’ve never heard him mention you once.”
In other words, you think too highly of yourself. Shen Zaiye isn’t striving to get revenge on anyone; he’s a man who cares about the world.
Shen’s father fell silent, his face showing discomfort. He coughed several times. Taohua looked at the group of people standing behind him and still had Qingtai lead them to the west wing.
“If you have time, could you tell me why you originally drove Shen Zaiye out of the Shen family?” Taohua asked.
Shen’s father didn’t respond, but a woman holding a child pulled Taohua aside and said in a low voice, “Father made a mistake, but he’s also stubborn. If you ask him like this, he definitely won’t say anything. You seem sensible, so I’ll tell you.”
“When Shen Zaiye was in the Shen family, he was called Shen Huaijin. Father hoped he would serve the Wu royal family and bring glory to our ancestors. But… that child was born rebellious. He felt that none of the Wu princes in power were worthy of being emperor and refused to serve them. Father was loyal to the Fifth Prince, who had killed someone at the time. Father wanted to help cover it up, but Shen Zaiye directly leaked this information to the Second Prince, causing the princes to turn on each other. The Fifth Prince eventually died on the execution platform.”
“Father was furious and demanded to know why he did it. Shen Zaiye said that with such foolish rulers and ministers, Wu would come to no good end. This enraged Father, who immediately drove him out of the Shen mansion and disowned him… It was done in a moment of anger, but Shen Zaiye actually changed his name and started anew elsewhere, forcing Father to remove him from the family records.”
Taohua raised an eyebrow as she listened. “Didn’t my husband do the right thing? Wasn’t your father in the wrong?”
The woman smiled bitterly. “Given the circumstances at the time, who could have thought he was right? How could a country’s royal family be so easily overthrown? The entire court of officials couldn’t be replaced just like that, so everyone thought he was a fool talking nonsense and making trouble.”
“So, now that he’s achieved his goals, you’ve finally come to seek his forgiveness?”
“That’s right,” the woman sighed. “He was alone out there, without family or friends, which is pitiful. Father knows he was wrong, so he brought the whole family to welcome him back. Who knew…”
Taohua laughed and shook her head, looking at her. “You still think this is a favor to him? When he was alone out there before, why didn’t you think he was pitiful without family or friends? Now that he has a family and a good life, you rush here to sympathize with him?”
“If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have invited you in earlier!”
Feeling somewhat angry, Taohua turned to look at Shen’s father. “If you came to apologize, why put on such airs? Even as an elder, a mistake is a mistake. If you care about face, why bother coming all this way?”
“I may have made mistakes, but hasn’t he?” Shen’s father frowned. “His methods are vicious, and he’s full of schemes. How is that like a true man of the Shen family?”
“Then don’t come to acknowledge him,” Taohua smiled lightly. “He used vicious methods and intricate schemes, harming many innocent people to achieve this peaceful world! He doesn’t intend to go down in history as a hero, and your upright Shen family doesn’t need to be infamous alongside him. While it’s still daylight, why not set off on your journey home?”
Looking at her with some surprise, Shen’s father frowned. “You know Shen Zaiye isn’t a good person, so why do you stay here?”
“I am his wife,” Taohua stood up straight. “You may abandon him, but I won’t. Besides, the vicious schemer you speak of is a world-saving hero in my eyes!”
Everyone in the room was shocked. Outside the door, Shen Zaiye, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, smiled.
His little wife, how could she be so adorable?
“…The journey is too long,” Shen’s father lowered his eyes and said after coming to his senses. “We’ll rest here for a few days before leaving.”
Looking at him, Taohua asked, “You don’t happen to have lost your Shen mansion, have you?”
Wu had been conquered by the Great Wei and was now fully incorporated. Many former Wu officials had become commoners, and this family seemed to be in a similar situation.
Shen’s father remained silent, lowering his head and fidgeting with his hands. Taohua raised an eyebrow, thinking she must have guessed correctly.
She didn’t know what status the Shen family had held in Wu before, but judging by how Mu Wuxia protected Shen Zaiye, this family indeed wouldn’t have good days ahead.
Strangely, why did she feel so satisfied by this?
“Taohua,” Shen Zaiye called from the doorway. “Come, it’s time for lunch.”
(End of Chapter)