Chapter 29: It Is Not As If I Am Marrying Madam Pei, Am I?

Shen Lang stomped his foot hard on the ground, gritting his teeth as he left Autumn Water Garden, storming off to Brocade Garden to find Shen Wanning.

"Look at her, it's absolutely disgraceful! I was trying to look out for her, wasn't I? Not only did I not get a word of thanks, but she actually ignored me!"

Shen Wanning poured a cup of hot tea and ordered someone to stoke the furnace in the room, comforting him in a gentle voice: "Second Brother, don't be angry. You know what Sister is like, don't you? They say it's better to tear down a temple than to ruin a marriage. Since she wants to marry Elder Brother Lu, why not grant her wish?"

"But Lu Chengyuan, he..." Shen Lang sighed.

"Although Elder Brother Lu is a cripple, Sister may not be untainted either... Second Brother, don't blame me for speaking bluntly, but it is not a bad thing for Sister to marry Elder Brother Lu." Having said this, she lowered her eyes, her tone filled with worry: "You are my own brother, which is why I am speaking from the heart. If Sister doesn't marry, I worry every day that she will snatch Commander Pei away from me..."

Shen Wanning wiped away her tears.

Shen Lang thought about it carefully, but he did not feel the situation was that dire. Although, considering the previous coincidences, Pei Ji had indeed been somewhat close to Shen Yuan, he had a prior marriage contract with Wanning. Could he really disregard propriety and forcibly marry Shen Yuan?

"Rest assured, the marriage is a done deal. Unless you refuse to marry him, Pei Ji cannot change it even if he dies."

Shen Wanning nodded through her tears, biting her lip as she looked at Shen Lang: "Second Brother is the one who cares for me the most."

Shen Lang patted her head, looking at her as if he were seeing Shen Yuan through her eyes, and said with a touch of helplessness: "If only Shen Yuan were as sensible as you!"

A trace of resentment flashed in Shen Wanning's eyes, but she still said sweetly: "Sister will surely come to understand Second Brother's good intentions."

"I pray she does."

The courtyard where the late Old Madam Luo used to live was called Meditation Garden.

Since her passing, the personal maid, Nanny Su, was found to have been stealing and was driven out of the manor by Shen Yong during the funeral. The remaining nannies and servants all left the Shen manor after receiving a generous severance package, and there has been no word of them since.

Shen Yuan secretly sent a message through Liu Yan to invite her Aunt Jiang to the manor for a visit. Greedy for wealth, Aunt Jiang did not dare to delay and soon appeared in Autumn Water Garden, dressed in flashy and extravagant clothing.

"Aunt, have you not visited Mother yet?"

Shen Yuan was reading in the courtyard. Seeing her arrive with a beaming smile, she guessed that she had temporarily escaped her financial straits.

Aunt Jiang scoffed and waved her hand: "She won't see me, what can I do?"

That shrewd woman, Madam Chen, likely feared she had come to ask for money again. Fortunately, now that she had the support of Shen Yuan, a veritable gold mine, she didn't care for the scraps of property belonging to Madam Chen or Shen Yong.

"Why did you call me here today?" she asked, lowering her voice.

Exchanging information for cold, hard cash was just too easy!

Shen Yuan closed her book and gave Liu Yan a look. The maid stood by the courtyard gate with a broom, pretending to sweep while actually keeping watch to ensure no one intruded on their conversation. Seeing her serious demeanor, Aunt Jiang guessed the reason: "Is it about Old Madam Luo again?"

"Yes."

"A-Yuan, listen to your aunt; don't investigate any further. Old Madam Luo lived to be seventy or eighty; you could say she lived a full life. Even if there were something suspicious about her death, what can a small person like you do?"

For the sake of money, Aunt Jiang was willing to speak from the heart. Since the Old Madam died within the Shen manor, it certainly had something to do with the Shen family. If Shen Yuan ruined her relationship with them and were cast out, wouldn't that mean she would lose her own source of benefits?

"Aunt, don't worry. Since I have chosen to do this, there is someone supporting me from behind. Otherwise, why do you think the Empress Dowager would bestow jewels upon me alone, while Wanning received nothing?"

"You mean... could it be the Empress Dowager?"

Aunt Jiang was suddenly enlightened. She knew that Old Madam Luo and the Empress Dowager were once close friends, but she hadn't expected the Empress Dowager to be so concerned about her death. That's right, Shen Yuan was just the bastard daughter of a nanny in the Shen manor; why would the Empress Dowager reward her for no reason? Thinking of this, Aunt Jiang felt she had figured it out.

She beckoned for Shen Yuan to lean in: "Actually, something else happened during Old Madam Luo's funeral. A Nanny Su was shouting in front of everyone, demanding to identify the murderer..."

"I heard Aunt was speaking with Sister here? Why can't I see her?"

Shen Wanning's voice chimed in at an inopportune moment. Aunt Jiang quickly cut off her sentence, pretending nothing had happened. Liu Yan could not stop her and had to let her walk in.

"Aunt is really here? What private matters could you possibly have to discuss with Sister in Autumn Water Garden? Why not come to Brocade Garden to talk to me?"

Shen Wanning wore a benevolent smile. She sat down beside Aunt Jiang, took a white jade bracelet from her wrist, and handed it to her, saying softly: "Sister gave a gift to my little niece last time, and I didn't have anything decent to give in return. If Aunt doesn't mind, why not take this bracelet back for my niece?"

The translucent white jade was clear and beautiful.

"I like it too much to mind!"

Aunt Jiang was overjoyed and took it carefully, fearing that Shen Wanning might change her mind.

"Sister, I would like to apologize to you regarding the incident at Taiqing Lake."

Shen Wanning put on that pitiful expression again, her furrowed brow seeming to hold endless grievances. Aunt Jiang asked casually: "Taiqing Lake? What happened?"

"Sister was meeting privately with Elder Brother Lu, and we happened to run into them with Sister Zhang."

Shen Yuan watched quietly as Shen Wanning stirred up trouble. She was always like this, calculating against others with careful precision. She was clearly trying to use Aunt Jiang's mouth to spread rumors about Shen Yuan's affairs.

"You have so much free time, why don't you properly organize your dowry? I heard the Lady of Pei is quite difficult; if your dowry is lacking, I fear it will displease her." Shen Yuan did not want them to slander Lu Chengyuan, so she changed the subject.

Shen Wanning laughed as if she had heard a joke: "Why worry about the Lady of Pei? I am marrying the Commander, not her. Once we are married, I will have the Commander build a separate residence so we won't have to live with her!"

Her mother had said that serving a mother-in-law was an age-old difficulty. She had no desire to be subservient, and there was no need to live together. Surely, the Commander would agree.

"I heard this year's Spring Hunt has been moved up? Have you heard the news?" Aunt Jiang suddenly interjected.

The annual spring hunt had never been missed. This year, because the Emperor was going south for a private visit in the second month, the Imperial Observatory had calculated the date, and the hunt was moved forward.

Shen Wanning's eyes lit up.

"At last year's hunting grounds, the Commander caught the most game, even outperforming the princes. I wonder if we will see such a magnificent sight again this year?"