Chapter 45

Summoning Rong Shu and Rong Hui, she instructed them to dress attractively while also reminding Rong Shu to express her gratitude to Concubine Pei.

"Madam Elder only invited you because of Ah Yun. Remember to be cautious with your words and actions at the Spring Banquet. Don't make any missteps that would disgrace the Cheng'an Marquis Estate."

Rong Shu had been back from Yang State Prefecture for two years and had witnessed her mother's position in the marquis estate firsthand. In truth, she had no desire to attend the Spring Banquet.

She knew that if she went, even the servants in Qiuyun Hall might look down on her.

But Shen was delighted. She personally went to the storeroom to select an exquisite Songjiang Wu silk fabric and a set of red jade hair accessories, which she then sent to Qiuyun Hall.

Fifteen-year-old Rong Shu was at the age when marriage proposals were expected. To Shen, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Ever since Rong Shu returned from Yang State Prefecture, Shen had been inquiring about eligible young men in the capital, hoping to secure a good match for Rong Shu as soon as possible.

Despite being the legitimate daughter of the Cheng'an Marquis, Rong Shu's marital prospects were not smooth. There were two main reasons for this. First, she was born under an ominous star, with a fortuneteller claiming that her astrological chart indicated excessive yin energy, suggesting she was not destined for a fortunate life. Second, Shen's status within the Cheng'an Marquis Estate was rather awkward. As a wife who neither won her mother-in-law's affection nor her husband's respect, how excellent could the daughter she raised be?

Thus, despite spending two years trying, Rong Shu's marriage prospects remained elusive. In Shen's view, the Spring Banquet was like a pillow delivered right when one was drowsy – a perfect opportunity.

"Since we've received an invitation, we should attend with grace and confidence."

Rong Shu couldn't persuade Madam Shen otherwise and had no choice but to go.

That year, at the Duke Ying's Spring Banquet, she carried herself with the dignity befitting the eldest legitimate daughter of a marquis household. Since childhood, she had learned manners and etiquette from her elder nurse, conducting herself with poise and propriety. Though not an expert in music, calligraphy, painting, or chess, she had dabbled in all of them. Her conversations were insightful and composed, and her beauty was like a blossoming spring flower or a serene autumn moon, capturing the attention of many high-ranking ladies.

Unfortunately, halfway through the banquet, news of her business ventures somehow spread, extinguishing the interest of those ladies who had been considering her. This infuriated Lady Elder, who felt that Rong Shu had brought shame upon the marquis household. Upon returning home, she summoned Rong Shu to Ho'an Hall for a veiled yet scathing lecture that lasted for half an hour.

Madam Shen blamed herself relentlessly, but Rong Shu saw nothing shameful in her actions and promptly reassured her mother, stating that she wouldn't willingly marry into such families anyway.

From that point on, Rong Shu's marriage prospects were utterly delayed.

suitors did come, but those brave enough to send matchmakers were often impoverished, small clans with men of loose conduct and without any scholarly achievements. How could Madam Shen bear to let Rong Shu marry into such households?

After the Spring Banquet incident, she had gained a broader perspective.

While the grand aristocratic families may sound appealing, life within their walls might not be as delightful as it seems.

Wasn't she just like that? She had not been happy at all in this marquis manor. Why would she want her Zhaozhao to tread the same path she once did?

After all, if her Zhaozhao doesn't marry, she can still support her for a lifetime.

Rong Shu herself was unwilling to marry, for the principle held true: it's better to be without than to settle for less. A woman's path in life wasn't limited to marriage alone.

At the age of seventeen, she had made a pact with Mu Nijing that once she turned twenty, she would go to Datong Prefecture to learn horseback riding and archery from Nijing.

Datong was a strategic border region frequently harassed by the Tatar. The women there were skilled in both equestrianism and archery, which Rong Shu admired deeply.

Now that she had been resurrected, the desire to break free from her married life rekindled within her.

During a heartfelt conversation with her mother one evening, Rong Shu couldn't resist asking the question that had lingered in her heart for years.

"Mother, have you ever thought about separating from Father?"

Madam Shen was taken aback. "Why do you ask this suddenly? Has someone been gossiping in front of you?"

Rong Shu smiled faintly.

During her last visit to her natal home, Gu Changjin's discourse on propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame had sent a chill down the spines of everyone in the household. Even the servants in Qiuyun Hall dared not utter nonsense in front of her anymore.

"Who would dare to gossip in front of me? I merely think that Father is unworthy of Mother's grace. He never enters Qingheng Courtyard, and when Mother is mistreated by Grandmother, he doesn't stand up for her. If so, why should Mother continue to spend the rest of her life in vain here?"

These words were rather rebellious.

Madam Shen prodded Rong Shu's forehead and said, "Is that something you should say?"

Yet my daughter, with her tender heart, could not but be aware of this truth. She sighed deeply before continuing, "Your father... cannot truly be deemed a suitable match for your mother. Yet know that I entered this Marquisate never for the sake of romantic dalliance. Such is my destiny."

She had tried to love Rong Xun. In the first year of their marriage, amidst all the bickering, they did share moments of harmonious companionship, as if their lives were in tune with each other's.

It wasn't until she became aware of Pei Yun's existence that she abandoned her intention of testing Rong Xun's affections.

Back then, when she consented to his taking Pei Yun as a concubine, she had but one condition: that he never lay a hand on her again in the future.

In a marriage involving three individuals, it was indeed unbearable. She would rather step out and avoid the congestion.

Rong Xun looked at her coldly and said, "Shen Yizhen, haven't you never truly liked me in your heart? What a joke. If not for Father insisting on our marriage, do you think I would have willingly married you? Rest assured, I will never set foot in this Qingheng Courtyard again!"

Indeed, he didn't come to the Qingheng Courtyard after that, until earlier this year when there was talk of Zhaozhao's marriage. She had a disagreement with the elder madam at the Ho'an Hall, which prompted him to return to the Qingheng Courtyard.

Like the elder madam, he also opposed Rong Shu's marriage to Gu Changjin. Their meeting that day ended on a sour note.

But after leaving the Qingheng Courtyard, for some reason, he went to the Ho'an Hall and personally convinced the elder madam, thus sealing Rong Shu's marriage to Yunzhi.

After that, two months ago, he entered her room while drunk late at night.

Madam Shen instinctively touched her abdomen, shook her head, and said, "Don't worry about your father and my affairs, child. Just focus on living your own life." It was clear she didn't want to discuss further with Rong Shu.