When Bai Kaiji saw Shen Weimu off, he greeted some colleagues along the way and fell a few steps behind.
Then he hurried after Shen Weimu, but after passing through a gate and turning a corner, Shen Weimu’s figure was nowhere to be seen.
Bai Kaiji quickened his pace to the outside of the Dali Temple’s main gate, yet found no trace of anyone or any carriage on the road.
How strange—where could the person have gone in such a short time?
Scratching his head, Bai Kaiji immediately ordered the clerks to investigate a handsome young man in the capital named Shen Ersan.
“Shen Ersan?”
Luyang strolled over from behind Bai Kaiji with a lazy smile.
“Brother Bai, don’t you think that name sounds fake?”
“Why would it be fake? I have a friend named Tang—, and his name isn’t fake at all.”
Bai Kaiji didn’t believe Shen Ersan would deceive him; the boy was so kind-hearted that even when seriously ill, he still worried about others’ feelings.
Luyang sighed helplessly:
“Hopeless.”
“Enough with the nonsense. Zheng Gong needs to visit Jingzhao Prefecture; you’re going with him to make a proper show.”
Luyang sighed even more resignedly:
“Old Zheng doesn’t know much except how to spar with his sworn enemy and cause us trouble. Originally, they only needed to reexamine problematic cases from the provinces—one or two cases out of a hundred at most. Now, any case in the capital region has to be handled by them. He and Bai Kaiji also oversee the Jianghu Bureau of the Dali Temple. If a major case breaks out in Jianghu, they have to take action. The Jianghu is full of experts, thugs, and scoundrels, making investigations a hundred times more difficult than ordinary cases. Let’s just hope there aren’t any Jianghu cases soon; otherwise, they’ll be running themselves ragged.”
Song Qiyun was writing the closing documents when Bai Kaiji and Luyang returned.
He asked,
“Where does Shen Ersan live? Does he have any official status?”
Bai Kaiji’s face reddened.
Luyang laughed and teased him:
“Our famous Jianghu hero Bai didn’t keep an eye on the boy and let the coughing youth vanish within five steps.”
Song Qiyun’s pen paused, the neat small regular script filling the page ruined.
Without much expression, he switched to a new sheet and rewrote the documents.
“He looks rather distinguished and eye-catching; it should be easy to find him,”
Bai Kaiji tried to salvage the situation.
Luyang frowned, puzzled.
“If the boy only has a few days to live, what difference does it make whether we find him or not? Song Shaoqing seems quite concerned.”
“There’s something off about him.”
Song Qiyun couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was wrong with the youth, only that something felt very wrong.
At the end of Yulin Alley, no one else was around.
Wu Qi handed a pouch of money to Mrs. Liu.
“This is a compensation gift from my master to Lady Liu.”
Feeling the weight of the money pouch, Mrs. Liu declined, saying she shouldn’t accept it.
“Master Shen merely spoke the truth as he knew it. I was too emotional at the time and lost control.”
Wu Qi didn’t press further but confirmed once more,
“Are you sure you don’t want it, Lady Liu?”
After a moment of hesitation, tears in her eyes, Mrs. Liu accepted the pouch and bowed deeply toward the direction of the carriage.
“Thank you, Master Shen. If fate allows in the future, I will repay this kindness.”
“Will there be a future?”
Shen Weimu lifted the curtain, revealing a stunning face.
Mrs. Liu nodded and lowered her eyes.
“You may be innocent, but the world’s tongues are merciless. If you stay in the Pang family, how can you live?”
Those few words unleashed a flood of tears from Mrs. Liu.
Though innocent, her husband and mother-in-law died due to accusations of her infidelity, and her brother was imprisoned because of the case.
Relatives in the Pang family would ultimately blame her—for being unable to bear children, for failing to please her mother-in-law, for bringing bad luck that killed her husband and mother-in-law, and for dragging her brother into trouble.
As time passes, the dead’s faults are more easily forgotten, leaving the living person to bear unforgivable guilt.
Her natal family was poor, her sisters-in-law scheming and powerful, surely resenting her, so she couldn’t return.
She couldn’t stay long in the Pang household; relatives would push her to death.
“Yes, will there be a future?”
Mrs. Liu laughed bitterly through her tears.
Shen Weimu looked at her coldly and expressionlessly:
“From now on, you will work for me. Are you willing?”
Mrs. Liu hesitated, then quickly wiped her tears with her sleeve and knelt down:
“I am willing!”
Though she didn’t know what kind of person this handsome young master was, his fine clothes and manner, plus his willingness to give money to support her, proved he wasn’t cruel or difficult.
She had long endured daily humiliation and silent suffering.
If the rest of her life could be better than that—no wicked mother-in-law oppressing her, no foolish men forcing her to bear children—that would be enough.
Even if such days lasted only a few days or months, she would gladly accept them.
“From now on, you will be called Wu You. Get in the carriage; Wu Qi will handle the rest. No need to worry.”
“Thank you for the name, Young Master.”
Liu Wu You—that name was truly beautiful.
She had never had a proper name before.
At home, girls were worthless and simply called Big Ya, Second Ya, Third Ya—she was the Third Ya.
Now she had her own name.
She was so happy.
Tears welled in Liu Wu You’s eyes.
Shen Weimu cleared his throat twice and leaned back on the soft cushion to rest with his eyes closed.
During the carriage ride, Liu Wu You sat stiffly, glancing nervously at Shen Weimu across from her several times.
Soon, cold sweat broke out on her forehead.
Shen Weimu’s eyes barely opened, only asking,
“Do you have something to say?”
“I—”
Liu Wu You knelt down with a thud.
“I don’t want to lie to you. Actually, last night I heard noises in the backyard. When the mother-in-law screamed, I recognized it, but I didn’t go out.”
Shen Weimu said nothing, as if he had fallen asleep.
Wu Qi helped Liu Wu You up and shook his head at her.
Liu Wu You wasn’t sure what Wu Qi meant but knew it was not the time to disturb Master Shen.
Arriving at the Shen residence, Liu Wu You’s eyes widened in surprise at the luxurious mansion; she was at a loss for words.
Shen Weimu, surrounded by many servants, went straight to the main hall.
“Today the master came back early and wants to see the young master. Follow me.”
Wu Qi led Liu Wu You to Junlan Garden, showing her the room that once belonged to the eldest maid Qingqiu.
The room was spacious, with a sitting hall outside and a bedroom inside, equipped with a Xiang Bamboo Couch and Purple Gauze Canopy—things she had never even seen in her life.
Liu Wu You had never lived in such a wealthy room before, and a deep guilt clouded her heart:
“I—”
“It’s precisely because you acted as you did that the young master considered using you.”
Wu Qi told Liu Wu You that if she ultimately refused the money pouch, the young master would not have taken her in.
“People can be weak, but they must not live pitifully. You need to know your limits and understand the times. Work hard from now on.”
Shen Yuzhang had just finished his third bowl of tea when he finally saw his youngest son arrive late.
The boy lazily leaned back in his chair, snorting in obvious displeasure.
“Greetings, Father.”
Shen Weimu bowed and then coughed up blood.
Shen Yuzhang jumped up in alarm, hurriedly pulling Shen Weimu down and anxiously asking how he felt.
Before Shen Weimu could answer, Shen Yuzhang waved his arms, shouting for the Tai Hospital to be summoned at once.
“Why are you coughing blood? Wasn’t the poison you contracted half a month ago almost cured?”
“Five days ago, I was poisoned again. Qingqiu is from the Shadow Pavilion.”
“Your chief maid is an assassin from the Shadow Pavilion!”
Shen Yuzhang, furious, paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.
“Who dares scheme against me when they know I fear nothing but my little darling’s illness? They deliberately attack my soft spot! I’ll kill them—skin them alive, flay them, torture them!”
Little darling?
Half-choking on blood, Shen Weimu interrupted,
“Don’t call me that anymore.”
“What’s wrong? You don’t want to be Father’s little darling? If your mother in the afterlife knew you were breaking Father’s heart like this, how sad she’d be. How can you be so heartless to neglect Father?”
Shen Yuzhang grasped Shen Weimu’s hand, eyes reddened with sorrow.
If outsiders knew that the stern and decisive Shen Yuzhang, the prestigious Prefect of Jingzhao, was such a doting father at home, they would be rolling on the floor laughing.
Shen Weimu quickly pulled back his hand and began coughing violently.
“Alright, alright, stop coughing. I’ll do whatever you want—no more calling you that.”
Shen Yuzhang feared his youngest son would cough out his heart and lungs.
Seeing his father’s pure love for him, Shen Weimu spoke up:
“No need to see the Tai Hospital doctors. A Divine Doctor is already treating me. Father need not worry. If the Tai Hospital doctors detect scattered pulses and get frightened, that’s secondary. The real trouble would be if I’m treated like a critical patient and forbidden to go out.”
“I don’t think that Divine Doctor is of much use; otherwise, you wouldn’t still be coughing up blood.”
“The blood is part of the detoxification process.”
“Oh, that’s better then.”
“Then can you still go out with this body?”
Shen Yuzhang asked again.
“Fat.”
Such a quick, straightforward answer proved there was truly nothing serious.
Shen Yuzhang chose to trust his son and didn’t dwell on the matter.
Dinner was then served, and father and son ate together.
Though the Shen family was wealthy, mealtimes were always simple.
They could eat whatever they wished, but only as much as needed—waste was forbidden.
The braised pork was cut into one-inch squares, with skin, and a lean-to-fat ratio of seven to three.
It was stewed to a shiny, reddish-brown color, and when touched, it was bouncy and soft, melting instantly in the mouth.
A piece of braised pork soaked with sauce, eaten with a large mouthful of rice, was indescribably delicious—enough to enchant the soul.
The braised pork also included dried cowpea pods, which absorbed the pork’s oily fragrance, plump and chewy—a perfect match for the rice.
Shen Weimu ate five bowls of rice in total, leaving Shen Yuzhang stunned.
Of course, he was pleased to see his son eat so heartily.
Now he was fully convinced his son’s health was fine.
“I called you here today because of something.”
Shen Yuzhang took out a stack of letters and laid them out on the table.
When he ran out of space, he simply tossed a few onto the floor.
“Your eldest brother, second brother, third, fourth, fifth, sixth… in short, many brothers all want you to visit them. Choose one to go to. Ah, having so many bothersome older brothers is my fault as a father.”
The Shen family’s patriarch, Old Master Shen Jinghua, was a top scholar and served as Grand Master of Remonstrance, holding a position equivalent to Vice Prime Minister before he passed away.
He had three legitimate sons.
The eldest, Shen Yuwen, was the top scholar of the Yichou examination and currently Minister of Works.
The second, Shen Yuqiong, was a jinshi degree holder, skilled in water management, serving as magistrate of Weizhou.
The third, Shen Yuzhang, the top scholar of the Gengzi examination, was the current Prefect of Jingzhao.
All four men were jinshi, with three being top scholars. In the court, people jokingly called the Shen family the “Zhuangyuan Den”—a family of scholars who all reached the highest levels of learning.
What stirred even more envy was that they weren’t only learned but also had numerous descendants.
Shen Yuwen had eight sons, Shen Yuqiong ten, and Shen Yuzhang, comparatively few, only five.
The brothers from the three branches ranked themselves together, with Shen Weimu being the youngest, ranked twenty-third.
In terms of looks, Shen Weimu was the most handsome, and his temperament was gentle. The doted-on young master was greatly favored by his elders and brothers.
Shen Weimu declined all invitations.
“Well done! Your father thinks just as you do!”
Shen Yuzhang praised, then sighed.
“But before this, your father has been refusing on your behalf for half a year. If you refuse all again this time, it won’t look good.”
“Then this one.”
Shen Weimu casually picked up a letter.