The Abused Female Protagonist In The Angst Novel Is Actually A White Lotus - Chapter 14

After speaking, Madam Ling waited for Madam Shen’s response, but the latter didn’t even spare her a glance. She simply took Shen Sijing’s arm and walked away. Ling Qingyi, a barely perceptible smile playing on her lips, brushed past Madam Ling.

The entourage swept out of the dilapidated courtyard and arrived at the gates of the Ling Residence just as Ling Quan returned from court. He had been weary from the day’s affairs, but when he looked up, he saw Madam Shen, adorned in gold and silver yet radiating an air of refined elegance, supporting her renowned daughter. Trailing behind them was Ling Qingyi, whom he had always considered a troublemaker.

The scene made Ling Quan uneasy.

“Isn’t that Madam Shen?” Despite his unease, Ling Quan knew he had to maintain proper decorum. He stepped back three paces and bowed respectfully to Madam Shen, a woman of imperial rank whose status far surpassed that of a minor official like himself, newly arrived in the Capital.

Madam Shen’s face softened slightly at Ling Quan’s arrival. She returned his bow perfunctorily before launching into her complaint: “The mistress of the Ling Residence truly lives up to her reputation for cunning. How dare she house Third Young Miss Ling in such a dilapidated hovel? My poor daughter dressed so beautifully for the occasion, only to be forced to rest in a courtyard worse than a mud pit. I trust you’ll forgive this intrusion, Your Honor, but I must take my daughter home immediately.”

Ling Quan was taken aback by this barrage of accusations. Yet his rise from a minor official to a position in the Capital had made him a seasoned veteran of bureaucratic maneuvering. His mind raced, and he immediately suspected Madam Ling, his own witless wife. He never imagined that after arriving in the Capital without incident, her first act would be such a monumental blunder: provoking the Shen family.

Ling Quan hastily cleared a path for Madam Shen and her party. Only after they had passed did he notice Madam Ling cowering behind the door, her face pale with fear.

Ling Quan smiled as he watched the group board their carriages, then closed the gates of the Ling Residence. A thunderous roar split the sky, and lightning snaked across the heavens like a colossal dragon. Ling Quan pointed at Madam Ling in exasperation, speechless for a long moment.

Meanwhile, Shen Sijing sat beside Madam Shen in one carriage, while Ling Qingyi and Yun Nian occupied the carriage behind them.
Even as Shen Sijing worried about the propriety of this arrangement, Madam Shen spoke, “Sijing, what exactly is going on? Why have you suddenly grown so close to Third Young Miss Ling? And why would you risk sitting in such a place for her sake?”

Shen Sijing froze at the question, stammering incoherently. Just then, as if heaven itself were intervening, the rain began to fall harder. Madam Shen, having anticipated this, had brought extra paper umbrellas. The carriages halted while the umbrellas were distributed, and only then did they resume their journey.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Sijing had her explanation ready. “Yesterday was my birthday. Feeling the atmosphere in the front hall was too tense, I went for a walk in the back garden. The vibrant red wedding gown caught my eye.”

The rain outside grew heavier. Inside the carriage, Shen Sijing’s voice sounded particularly lovely, and Madam Shen’s expression gradually softened, the lingering resentment toward her daughter dissipating like smoke.

“So you approached Ling Qingyi and struck up a conversation. Became friends?” Madam Shen asked, her tone lacking any real reproach. When Shen Sijing nodded, Madam Shen couldn’t help but worry that her daughter might be too quick to consider someone a friend after just a few words, and that she was being overly protective of this new acquaintance. She feared Shen Sijing might be easily deceived in the future.

Shen Sijing nodded again, looking remarkably obedient. Madam Shen sighed. In the Capital, young ladies from other noble families had been attending banquets, poetry gatherings, and the Spring Court Festival with their parents since childhood. These events were meant to broaden their horizons and help them forge meaningful friendships.

Shen Sijing had been frail since childhood, a condition the Imperial Physician attributed to her mother’s pregnancy. This was a time of great instability, with the New Emperor’s recent ascension to the throne. The Shen family, having produced the Empress Dowager, was sworn to unwavering loyalty to the Emperor they had personally supported. Those days were filled with constant anxiety.

As the Prime Minister’s wife, Madam Shen naturally lived in constant fear. She couldn’t rest properly during her pregnancy, barely able to eat, which weakened Shen Sijing from the womb. The moment the child was born, a draft caused her to develop a persistent cough.

The Imperial Physician could diagnose nothing else, insisting that if it worsened, it would become tuberculosis. A dark cloud hung over the entire Prime Minister’s Residence.

Fortunately, both the Empress Dowager and the Emperor cared deeply for the child, regularly sending nourishing medicinal meals. Shen Sijing had been raised this way for years, and they dared not let her venture outside.
The only times she left the residence were for imperial summons or palace banquets, where she made rare public appearances with her mother. This isolation meant the other young ladies of her age rarely spoke to her.

In the past, every time Shen Sijing went out, she would return home deeply saddened.

This was the source of Madam Shen’s lifelong guilt. She clasped Shen Sijing’s delicate hand, stroking it gently. “Mother is so happy to see you have friends,” she said, “but… the world outside our estate is different, far more dangerous. I can protect you for now, but not forever. You must learn to judge people’s true nature. Tell me, since you met Ling Qingyi, hasn’t it always been her words or tears that tug at your heartstrings, making you rush to her defense?”

Shen Sijing hesitated, thinking back. It does seem that way, she realized. Madam Shen, reading her expression, smiled knowingly. “Don’t worry, there’s no need to feel uneasy. Ling Qingyi likely doesn’t harbor malicious intentions; she simply wants a better life for herself. As long as you maintain proper boundaries, there’s no harm in associating with her.”

Madam Shen’s words sounded remarkably generous, yet Shen Sijing felt a flicker of suspicion. How could someone from such an elite family so readily allow their daughter to befriend an illegitimate daughter with a questionable reputation?

Shen Sijing kept glancing at Madam Shen, her questioning gaze almost piercing through her mother. Madam Shen smiled and gently pinched her daughter’s nose. “What’s on your mind?”

The heavy rain outside made the carriage feel especially quiet. They could speak freely without fear of being overheard. The streets, usually bustling, were unusually deserted. Shen Sijing tilted her head, letting her pearl earrings dangle playfully, and voiced her doubts, her expression both mischievous and refined.

Hearing her daughter’s question, Madam Shen’s smile deepened with hidden meaning. She picked up the prepared tea, took a small sip to moisten her throat, and explained, “My dear daughter, no one dares question who you choose to associate with. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.”

Though the reason sounded undeniably authoritative, Shen Sijing sensed a deeper meaning. Besides, the questions Madam Shen had asked earlier, while they had indeed made her heart ache whenever she helped Ling Qingyi, wasn’t that simply because she knew the plot and felt sympathy for her?

Shen Sijing felt like she understood and yet didn’t, completely unaware of Madam Shen’s deeper meaning.

The rain outside the carriage grew heavier, forcing them to slow their pace as they crept toward the Prime Minister’s Residence.

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