Chapter 14: Jiang Wan

Two people—one big, one small—were arguing face-to-face. Shen Sheng was so embarrassed she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.

Zhou Yi, for all his refinement, had his face flushed bright red. He stared at Jiang Buyan, his hands clenched tightly inside his sleeves. Jiang Buyan refused to show any weakness. “Did I say anything wrong? If you have any decency, get out of here now. If my mother comes back, she’ll break your legs.”

“Zhou Yi, causing a noisy scene in broad daylight is bad for both the Zhou Manor and the Shen family. Leave, quickly.” Shen Sheng was mindful of the Shen family’s reputation. The Shen family was already teetering precariously without her father and brothers to support her; she was struggling on a difficult path.

She wanted no further entanglements with the Zhou family either. The slightest loss of decorum in public could push her right onto the cusp of a storm.

Zhou Yi clenched his fists. “Nothing ever happened between us. Why are you saying I fathered a child with you, slandering my good name?!”

Shen Sheng was once again completely lost. Jiang Buyan blinked her little eyes, opened her small mouth, but then immediately buried her head in Shen Sheng’s arms—she was done scolding.

“You are talking about this child here?” Shen Sheng pointed at the child in her arms. “She… she is the State Preceptor’s daughter, not my daughter.”

The child in her arms refused to accept this. She raised her head to look at her. “You’re wrong…”

Before she could finish, Shen Sheng covered her mouth, scooped her up, and tossed her onto the saddle.

Then, she herself vaulted onto the horse. Holding the reins, she looked over at Zhou Yi. “This General and Prince Consort Zhou are completely innocent. I, Shen Sheng, stand clean and pure between heaven and earth. Your Zhou family’s private affairs have nothing to do with my Shen family. The next time we meet, I hope Prince Consort Zhou will take a detour of at least thirty feet.”

With that, she cracked the whip fiercely. The horse galloped off, hooves striking the air as she sped away.

Zhou Yi stood rooted to the spot, his expression terrifyingly dark. He had seen clearly—that child bore a striking resemblance to Shen Sheng. If she wasn’t of the Shen family bloodline, he would never believe it.

Back at the Shen residence, Shen Sheng was seething with pent-up anger. Jiang Buyan, draped over her shoulder, cautiously suggested, “Let’s secretly beat him up.”

“No. We can’t do that.” Shen Sheng sternly refused. “That would be wrong. We should reason with people.”

Jiang Buyan spoke as if it were the most righteous thing in the world, “When reasoning fails, fighting works perfectly well. That’s what A-Niang does.”

“The falling rafter leads to a crooked roof beam. Keep quiet.” Shen Sheng retorted. If she wasn’t angered to death by Zhou Yi, she was going to be angered to death by this child’s bizarre logic.

If she suddenly attacked him, Zhou Yi would definitely know it was her. There’d be no escaping the consequences—she’d just be handing him an excuse.

Back in her own courtyard, a maid led the way and brought Jiang Buyan to the warm pavilion. Shen Sheng hurried off to find her mother.

What exactly did Zhou Yi mean by his words? Buyan and Buyu were the State Preceptor’s children—how had they become hers and Zhou Yi’s?

She burst into the Main Room in a fury. Madam Shen was slouched on a soft daybed, her long hair falling over her shoulders. Her very first sentence was: “Your reputation was ruined by your own sweetheart. It has nothing to do with me.”

Shen Sheng: “…”

Madam Shen recounted the morning’s events from beginning to end, looking at her youngest daughter with profound pity. “You figure it out yourself.”

Shen Sheng didn’t believe a word of it. “You didn’t even explain yourself. What would Anle think? Do you want to get me killed?!”

“I didn’t expect the State Preceptor to say something like that. But you have to think—the children are in the State Preceptor Manor, raised by the State Preceptor herself. It means you have a backer now. You won’t have to struggle so hard in the future. It’s good to find a big tree for shade!” Madam Shen earnestly advised. In truth, she just wanted to speed up the storyline’s progression.

Get home sooner. She continued, “The State Preceptor is peerlessly beautiful, positioned as high as the Chancellor, subordinate only to His Majesty. She’s a very good tree to lean on.”

“A backer…” With that reminder, the affection she had been suppressing in her heart leaped into her mind. But the sinister look in Zhou Yi’s eyes could not be wiped from her memory, and her heart felt blocked. “What exactly does the State Preceptor want?”

“Probably to drive a wedge between the Princess and the Prince Consort, and conveniently ruin your reputation so you can’t marry anyone else.” Madam Shen guessed. Two birds with one stone. How wonderful.

Jiang Wan’s nature had long since changed. She was no longer the person from a thousand years ago who considered the bigger picture.

“A-Niang, actually… it’s not just one child. There’s a pair. I brought them to the Shen Manor to stay for the night and will send them back tomorrow.” Shen Sheng was so worried she didn’t know what to do. She didn’t care about her reputation, nor did she want to marry some man. What she truly dreaded was being entangled with Zhou Yi.

Madam Shen nodded. “As you wish. Little Five, remember to stay far away from Zhou Yi.”

In the book, Zhou Yi was refined, elegant, and self-disciplined, a man who respected propriety. He could indeed be considered a gentleman. But he couldn’t withstand Anle’s constant suspicion, which gradually eroded their bond, and he eventually turned dark.

She tilted her head and warned again: “Judge this for yourself. Zhou Yi is no longer the young gentleman of the Zhou family he once was. He is now the Imperial son-in-law. What he wants is far more complicated than you imagine.”

“I understand,” Shen Sheng nodded. But her expression still held a trace of shallow bewilderment.

The Shen Sheng before her was still a hot-blooded, patriotic young general, a girl with an upright heart.

Shen Sheng asked nothing more and left her mother’s Main Room. Back in her own courtyard, she couldn’t help thinking that her mother seemed to have become much more perceptive.

Before, her mother would have urged her to curry favor with Zhou Yi and become a good wife and mother. Now, she was actively telling her to be wary of him and keep her distance.

Shen Sheng was heavy with worry. Her future was a dense fog. Anu’s identity was a riddle. And Buyan and Buyu’s origins were an even thicker tangle of mysteries.

Back in the courtyard, the two big ones and one small one were sitting on the doorstep eating steaming hot buns. Zhu Fan was sitting inside doing needlework, occasionally looking up to watch the three of them.

“Little Five is back. I should go back now,” Zhu Fan said as if she’d just spotted her savior. “They’re giving me a headache. Where did you find such a pair of children? They look quite a bit like you. If it weren’t for the fact your fourth brother died so long ago, I’d have thought they were his.”

The maid stepped forward to pack away the needlework, putting it into a bamboo basket and preparing to carry it away.

On the steps, Zhuzhu wasn’t having it. She shook her head with all her might. “Not going… not going… not going…”

Shen Sheng took a deep breath and rubbed her brow. “I also think they’re my brothers’ children. But A-Niang says I’m not a child of the Shen family.”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Fan let out a laugh. “Ask your three sisters-in-law later. Maybe they belong to one of your three older brothers.”

“If you say that, the Shen family will be turned upside down,” Shen Sheng said, terrified.

To her surprise, Zhu Fan gave a bitter smile. “Not necessarily. They might not even fight. They might actually be happy about it. Your brothers died too soon—all gone, just like that. Would they really care about a past romantic affair of their husbands? What they remember are the good things.”

Shen Sheng’s nose stung with emotion. She forced a smile. “I know. They’ll be back the day after tomorrow. I’ll go meet them. Fourth Sister-in-law, Zhuzhu still wants to play. I’ll bring her back to you later.”

“Alright.” Zhu Fan didn’t insist. Her eyes were rimmed red, as if unwilling to let anyone see, and she lowered her head and left quickly.

Looking at the three children by the door, Shen Sheng sat down. Her own life was a tangled mess. It had been easier fighting bloody battles on the front lines.

At sunset, Zhuzhu was sent back. Buyan and Buyu had forcibly taken over Shen Sheng’s bed.

Shen Sheng, with no other choice, made a bed on the floor. The two on the bed were whispering to each other like buzzing mosquitoes. Unable to endure it, she cried out, “Time to sleep!”

At her words, the sounds from the bed immediately ceased.

Shen Sheng turned her head to look. Wow, both had closed their eyes and fallen asleep—obedient to a rather excessive degree.

Early the next morning, before Shen Sheng was even up, Shen Zhuzhu arrived. She climbed straight onto the bed, and the three little ducklings began quacking noisily again.

Driven out of her home, Shen Sheng went to the palace to find Anu, and also to take a trip to the Library Pavilion to investigate the matter of the South River.

Upon entering the palace, she found Anu at Cinnabar Peak Palace.

The Emperor was also there. Many ministers were gathered around Anu, consulting her on state affairs. Shen Sheng could only wait off to the side.

She waited half the day before she saw Anu emerge. She immediately went up to her. “Going to the Library Pavilion?”

Anu’s face was pale, her energy and blood clearly deficient. She glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. “You are rather eager.”

“It’s not that I’m eager, it’s just…” Shen Sheng was too embarrassed to say it was because there were three noisy ducklings at home. They were loud yesterday and loud today. She didn’t even know why they were so happy.

Anu lifted her feet and walked. Her Daoist robe swayed slightly, the ink-wash landscape painting embroidered along the hem seeming to float along with her—effortless and graceful.

Shen Sheng fell into step beside her. “Do you want to come pick them up and take them home tonight?”

“You think they’re too noisy?”

“No. Even if you don’t want to pick them up, that’s fine. Just send their clothes to the Shen Manor.” Shen Sheng swallowed her pride. Honestly, they were exceptionally skilled at being noisy.

Tomorrow, her eldest sister-in-law and the others would also be back. The Shen Manor would be full of children, inside and out.

The Shen family originally had four children, Zhuzhu being the youngest. Now with two more added, wherever they went, there would be “joyful laughter and cheerful voices.” Just thinking about it felt particularly “joyful.”

The two walked side by side. In Anu’s eyes was the reflection of the white snow; her expression was soft and gentle. Shen Sheng opened her mouth to speak several times but swallowed her words back each time.

They arrived at the Library Pavilion. In front of the pavilion were numerous heavily armed guards, their blades gleaming.

Shen Sheng found it strange. “Why are there so many troops here?”

“His Majesty enjoys researching ancient texts and has locked down the Library Pavilion. No one is allowed near it lightly,” Anu explained as she walked forward, directly ascending the steps.

The guards on either side didn’t dare even breathe too loudly, let alone block her way.

Entering the Library Pavilion, rows of bookshelves rose like trees sprouting from the flat ground. The fragrance of ancient scrolls wafted through the air.

Anu found a spot and sat down, slightly closing her eyes. Her face was alarmingly pale.

Shen Sheng did not disturb her. Instead, she took off her own cloak and draped it over Anu. The pale face gave her a look of soft fragility, so delicate that Shen Sheng felt an impulse to reach out and pinch it.

She restrained herself and lightened her steps to search for books.

The Emperor indeed liked studying ancient texts. The bookshelves closest to the front were filled with them, especially volumes concerning the history of the South River. One could almost spot them at a single glance.

She opened a yellowed book. It contained strange script, but someone had added translations below in the current dynasty’s language.

The River of the South, a place cultivated by the multitude of gods. In those times, countless immortals who ascended to godhood used the South River Water to forge their immortal bones.

Reading up to this point, Shen Sheng looked over at the resting Anu. Was she a god?

But right now, her face was so pale and wan. She hardly seemed like a powerful god.

She continued reading: Hundreds of zhang beneath the South River lies a palace where an evil devil resides.

The gods exhausted all means to kill the evil devil. They gave all their strength, and finally vanished together with the devil.

Therefore, the South River Water dried up. There are no more gods, no more Immortal Venerables.

Shen Sheng picked up another book. This one seemed to oppose the South River. It stated that the South River Water was derived from an evil devil, and that drinking it to conceive children defied the natural order.

The gods devised a plan to destroy the South River. The evil devil consequently returned to the primal chaos.

Shen Sheng rested her chin on her hand. To put it simply: the South River Water could nurture offspring. As long as this evil devil lived, the South River existed.

Once the evil devil died, the South River ceased to be.

Reading it was as good as reading nothing. The South River had long been gone—so where did Buyan and Buyu come from?

She looked through book after book. Finally, she saw a familiar name: Jiang Wan.