The Lady General’s Absolute Indulgence - Chapter 1

Year 30 of the Yong’an Era. Late Autumn. The Shen Residence in Liyang Town.

“Father, I beg of you! If Mother doesn’t see a doctor soon, she… she really won’t make it!”

A girl of fifteen or sixteen years old stood with her brows tightly furrowed, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears. Her face was a mask of anxiety and grief as she clutched her father’s sleeve, pleading bitterly. “Father, you know how much Mother has sacrificed for the Shen family all these years. she drew patterns and embroidered day and night until her health broke. You cannot just leave her to die!”

Having said her piece, she began to kowtow repeatedly, hoping Shen Wanjin would remember even a shred of her mother’s devotion.

Shen Wanjin looked down at the pitiable and lovely Wan Ning, and his heart stirred with a brief flash of hesitation and pity.

Years ago, the Shen family had been quite prosperous. Wan Ning’s mother, Yun-niang, had been an embroiderer in the manor. Because of her peerless beauty, Shen Wanjin had forced himself upon her; after one night of folly, she was coerced into the manor as a lowly concubine. Over the years, the Shen family’s fortunes had declined, and the primary wife, Lady Yang, was a perverse and difficult woman. Life for Wan Ning and Yun-niang had been an uphill battle.

Since the start of autumn this year, Yun-niang’s health had withered by the day. Lady Yang refused to call for a doctor. Driven to desperation, Wan Ning had rushed to the front courtyard to beg Shen Wanjin for help.

Lady Yang had long since heard the commotion. She stormed into the courtyard and delivered a harsh slap to Wan Ning’s head. “You wretched girl! What nonsense are you spouting? Has the Shen family survived all these years on the back of a single embroiderer? Is your mother’s trivial illness worth all this caterwauling?”

The force of the blow sent Wan Ning tumbling to the ground. Her arm slammed against a jagged stone, and a piercing pain shot through her, nearly forcing a scream from her lips.

Enduring the agony in her arm, her small face deathly pale, Wan Ning crawled to Lady Yang’s feet. “Mistress, it’s not like that… Mother is truly dying. I beg of you, please call a doctor! I will work myself to the bone embroidering, and I will pay back every cent for the doctor. I beg of you!”

Lady Yang kicked Wan Ning away in disgust. She spared a glance at Shen Wanjin and said indifferently, “Stop crying here. If outsiders see this, they’ll think we mistreat you. I have a few words for your father. Go back and wait.”

Lady Yang then gestured to the stout, heavy-set Nanny Zhang beside her. “Nanny Zhang, take the Second Miss back. Don’t let her wander off.”

“Yes, Madam.” The sturdy Nanny Zhang, her mouth full of yellowed teeth, grabbed Wan Ning without a hint of mercy and began dragging her toward the back courtyard.

Though Wan Ning held the title of “Second Miss,” the Shen family was no longer wealthy. Nanny Zhang, a long-time confidante of Lady Yang, naturally had no kind words or looks for Wan Ning or her mother.

Shen Wanjin watched all this with his head bowed. Ever since his business failed, he had lived at the mercy of Lady Yang’s whims. He never dared to speak up, and at this moment, he was even more afraid of being implicated himself.

Lady Yang approached Shen Wanjin, speaking with rare congeniality. “Master, a family in the neighboring town has taken an interest in our Wan Ning. I heard they just moved here and are incredibly wealthy. They are willing to pay a hundred taels of silver. With that money, our household can finally breathe again.”

Shen Wanjin was startled. Wan Ning had long been betrothed to the young master of the Fang family, Fang Yanshu. He had gone to the capital for the imperial examinations and was expected back within months. If they married Wan Ning off now, they would have no way to account for it to the Fangs.

He feared that if Fang Yanshu passed the exams and achieved high office, there would be hell to pay. Yet, he couldn’t bear to let a hundred taels slip through his fingers. He hesitated. “But Wan Ning’s marriage to the Young Master Fang…”

Lady Yang chuckled, knowing exactly what was on his mind. “Master, don’t we still have our Qingqing? I will explain everything to the Fang family. Just set your mind at ease.”

Shen Wanjin nodded. He had never felt much affection for Wan Ning. Furthermore, his hands had been “itching” lately; with no income at home, he hadn’t been to the gambling dens in ages. Thinking of the hundred taels soon to be in his possession, he broke into a sly grin alongside Lady Yang.

Shen Qingqing, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines, felt a surge of triumph. Shen Wan Ning was just like her mother blessed with a face like a seductress. In the past, Brother Fang only had eyes for that soft, delicate Shen Wan Ning. Why?! Jealousy had driven Qingqing mad. Why was Wan Ning born so beautiful? To see her sold off to suffer for the rest of her life, tormented by some vulgar man… only that would bring Qingqing peace.

Tears falling like rain, Wan Ning was dragged back to the rear courtyard by Nanny Zhang. Seeing the older woman about to lock the door, Wan Ning felt a surge of unease. Steeling her heart, she pulled a jade hairpin from her hair and pressed it into Nanny Zhang’s hand.

“Nanny Zhang, why are you locking the door? My mother… she is still sick.”

Nanny Zhang glanced at the jade hairpin and sneered internally. She thinks this measly bribe can buy me? How petty. She snorted. “Second Miss, the Madam said you are to wait for news. That is all!”

With a loud clack, she locked the door and walked away, her thick waist swaying as she disappeared without a backward glance.

Wan Ning’s face went white. She slumped against the door, tears flowing uncontrollably. For as long as she could remember, the servants in the Shen manor had whispered behind her back, calling her a “little bastard,” cursing her, and hitting her. She had tried to resist once, pleading with the Mistress and her father, but it only brought more bullying and even led to her mother being punished.

In her fifteen years, Wan Ning had never known any kindness except from her mother. She thought in despair: Is even Mother going to leave me now?

“Cough, cough… A-Ning.” Hearing the noise outside, Yun-niang struggled to get up. She simply couldn’t stop worrying about her daughter.

Wan Ning wiped her tears and adjusted her sleeves to ensure the injury on her arm was hidden. She rubbed her cheeks and forced a smile before calling out, “Mother, I’m coming!”

Yun-niang was leaning halfway off the bed. She was deathly pale; every cough racked her entire body as if she were about to cough up her very soul.

Wan Ning rushed over to pat her mother’s back. “Mother, Mother… Father said a doctor will be here very soon. Just wait a little longer.”

It took a while for Yun-niang to catch her breath. She looked at her daughter, whose features were nearly identical to her own though Wan Ning was perhaps even more enchanting. She feared that such beauty would only lead the girl down the same dark path she had walked.

“A-Ning, I will hold on. I won’t leave until I see you married into a good family. When your Brother Fang returns, you two must hold the wedding immediately. We must settle this before things change; only then can I rest easy.”

Looking at her frail mother, Wan Ning felt as if a stone were lodged in her chest, making it hard to breathe. In truth, she didn’t have any special feelings for Fang Yanshu, but if it made her mother happy, she was willing to do anything.

She helped Yun-niang lie back down. “Mother, don’t worry. I will do as you say.”

Yun-niang sighed. “A-Ning, back then, I hoped to save enough money in this manor to leave and marry an honest craftsman. I never imagined I’d be trapped in this back courtyard by your father. I truly don’t want you to follow in my footsteps. I only want you to be a proper, legal wife, so that no one may ever look down on you again. Yanshu is a good boy. If you follow him, I can be at peace.”

Wan Ning gently stroked her mother’s face. “Mother, rest now. I’ll be good.”

Wan Ning had no idea what her father and Lady Yang were planning. She could only comfort herself with the thought that they wouldn’t just let her mother die after all, they still relied on her mother’s embroidery to make money.

The following afternoon, the door was finally pushed open. Nanny Zhang’s coarse, cold voice rang out: “Second Miss, the Madam requests your presence for a talk!”