The Whole Family is Reborn, But I Transmigrated into a Book - Chapter 54

After Shen Xizhi departed, Gu Qingzhao dealt with the six assassins. Now that they had heard the young lady’s voice and seen her face, he could not simply let them go. He intended to personally escort them to the prison.

While Gu Qingzhao’s thoughts were thorough, Jiang Yucheng’s mind was occupied only by petty calculations.

“Cousin, who was that gentleman just now? Why haven’t I seen him before?” Jiang Yucheng asked as they walked. He couldn’t discern the man’s identity, but from his bearing and speech, he knew he was no ordinary person. Although Jiang Yucheng had little renown in the capital, he knew enough to recognize those whom commoners could not afford to provoke.

“Only a chance encounter, a passing acquaintance. You needn’t dwell on it,” Shen Xizhi replied coolly. She understood Jiang Yucheng’s sycophantic nature; if he knew Gu Qingzhao was the Fourth Prince, he would likely grovel at his feet.

“Let us return. It is late, and Mother will be worried,” she added. This was true; Madam Shen had allowed them out specifically to “nurture their feelings.” If they stayed out any longer, the gossip would start.

Despite his lingering suspicions, Jiang Yucheng feared the influence of the Shen family and dared not act against her. “Very well, I shall see you back.”

The servants following them at a distance breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the pair returning. If anything had happened to Shen Xizhi, they would have paid with their lives.

Back at the manor, Shen Xizhi reflected on her meeting with Gu Qingzhao. It wasn’t love at first sight, but she found the coincidence of their meeting striking. She sighed to her maid, Xiao Mei.

“Xiao Mei, how can I get my cousin to abandon his intentions?”

Xiao Mei, who lacked any skill in intrigue, looked at her blankly. “Miss, can’t you just tell Madam? She loves you so much; she wouldn’t force you.”

Shen Xizhi shook her head. Her mother’s love was real, but so were the family’s interests. An alliance with the Jiang family was beneficial. Though the Shens were not an ancient clan, her father was a Vice Minister. In the capital, power was the only currency, and marriage was the primary way to acquire it.

“I don’t want to make things difficult for Mother. As a daughter, many things are better left unsaid, lest I be viewed as unfilial.” She understood that while her parents loved her, that love was conditional. If she were a son, she would carry the glory of the house; as a daughter, her duty was to secure interests through marriage.

“I sometimes wonder,” she mused, “if we lived in a small provincial town instead of the capital, would Father be more relaxed? Would Mother worry less about my marriage?”

The next day, snow fell over the capital. Claiming poor health, Shen Xizhi closed her doors to guests, finally finding some peace.

Jiang Yucheng, bored and restless, soon found himself visited by the second daughter, Shen Xixue. Shen Xixue brought pastries and a calculated charm. As a concubine-born daughter, she had always been envious of her elder sister. She didn’t care if Shen Xizhi was a “sickly beauty”—she wanted whatever Xizhi had.

Shen Xixue didn’t believe in long-term pleasure; she wanted to secure Jiang Yucheng for herself and ensure he never returned to her sister’s side.

“Cousin, when will you propose to Father? I don’t want to meet you in secret like this anymore,” Shen Xixue whispered coquettishly during one of their trysts.

“Xixue, not yet,” Jiang Yucheng replied, his words grand but hollow. “My parents have their hearts set on that sickly Shen Xizhi. If I defy them now, your life after marriage would be difficult. I can handle some grievance, but I cannot bear to see you suffer.”

He was merely using her for entertainment. He had no intention of marrying a concubine-born daughter as his primary wife.

“But we can’t go on like this,” Shen Xixue sighed, her voice soft but her mind sharp. “If my sister finds out, she will have my life. She never liked me, and she doesn’t tolerate betrayal.”

Jiang Yucheng laughed. “With her constitution, she won’t be leaving her room in this snow. You needn’t worry.”

“Do you only love Sister? Why do you look like that when you mention her?” Shen Xixue pouted, her tone sour with jealousy. “I know she is beautiful, like a willow in the wind. I am not as pretty or as pleasing.”

“Nonsense,” Jiang Yucheng said, lifting her chin. “Haven’t I been ‘pleasing’ you these past few days?”

Shen Xixue was not a fool. She knew Jiang Yucheng’s sweet talk was likely a script he had used on countless women. She planned to marry him first and discipline him later.

However, her plan to “accidentally” be discovered worked better than expected.

“Fine! Just fine! My good daughter, performing such a shameful act!”

Shen Yanming, the Vice Minister, burst into the room. He could never have imagined that the man he chose for his eldest daughter was currently entangled with his second daughter. They were so caught up in their passion that they hadn’t even noticed his entry.

“Are you two going to separate, or am I to stay and watch a performance?” Shen Yanming roared, feeling as though his eyes might go blind from the sight.

Shen Xixue hid behind Jiang Yucheng, weeping silently. Jiang Yucheng was speechless, caught red-handed with no way to deny the evidence.

“Put your clothes on! Have you no sense of status? Do you think this is glorious?” Shen Yanming flicked his sleeve and walked out, waiting for them to dress before having the servants drag them away. He had brought only a few trusted men, knowing that such a scandal must be contained.

“Cousin,” Shen Xixue whispered to Jiang Yucheng, “if Father blames anyone, let it be me. It is my fault for loving you so much.”

Jiang Yucheng, who had briefly suspected her of setting him up, felt his resolve waver at her tears. “It has nothing to do with you. Perhaps someone leaked the word.”

But now, they had to face the consequences. Shen Yanming was a traditional, rigid man. For his future son-in-law to be caught in bed with his other daughter was a slap to his face that no amount of kinship could easily smooth over.