CFB Chapter 110

Translator – Xiao He Lian

This is a translation hosted on KnoxT, copies found elsewhere are either stolen or plagiarized. Please support the translator by reading it at KnoxT.

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Chapter 110

 

The next day, the Lu and Shen families reached the stage of “asking for a date”. Shen Wenqi asked for the sixth month, but the Duke of Zhenguo’s Mansion obviously didn’t want to wait, so the two sides compromised and set it as the third month.

Seventeenth of the third month will be a good day for getting married.

After this, five of the six rituals have been completed, and all that remains was to wait for the day to bring the bride home.

As soon as the news came out, countless families in the capital wanted to have another daughter. Even Emperor Chengyuan couldn’t help but pat Meng Suxi’s belly and said, “Giving birth to a princess for me is also good.”

For a time, the Shen family was as popular as the Yunyang Marquisate during its heyday. Most of the social interactions in the capital were either hypocritical or sincere. As long as you have the imperial favor, even if you had a cold face, people would come to you eagerly.

Not to mention Shen Zhen, even Shen Shu, who had long faded out of the circle of Chang’an ladies, received piles of invitations, including all kinds of gatherings, flower viewing, incense appreciating, music and dance, and all kinds of things.

“These people are simply…” Qingli looked at the invitation in her hand, took a long breath and said, “I will put these away for you.”

“Just leave it there.” Shen Shu chuckled, “Father has returned to the court, Zhen’er is going to marry into the Lu family, there are some visitors that I need to welcome and see off that cannot be refused no matter what.”

Qingli bowed her head and replied, “You are really thoughtful, young lady.”

Shen Shu packed the herbs in her hand and asked in a low voice, “Is the carriage ready?”

Qingli said: “It’s waiting outside.”

The wheels rumbled, the curtains swayed, and Shen Shu’s carriage stopped in front of the huge mansion. On the tall plaque were written in big characters – Changping Marquis Mansion.

Shen Shu got off the carriage, walked slowly to the door of the mansion, and said, “I am the wife of Li Di, the Assistant Minister of Works. I want to meet your Lord. Please inform him.”

The servant at the door nodded and said, “Madam, please wait a moment.”

After a while, Su Heng came towards them with a smile on his face. Even though the lines on his face were getting rougher and rougher, in Shen Shu’s opinion, he was still the young man who protected Shen Zhen all day long.

“Why are you here?”

Shen Shu raised the yellow pear wood box in her hand and said softly, “I came to give you some medicinal herbs. Some are for treating bone injuries, and some are for removing scars.”

In one sentence, she stated her purpose.

She had come to visit the patient.

The accident in East Henan left Su Heng’s entire back covered in blood. If it weren’t for him, Shen Wenqi wouldn’t have gotten away with just an injured arm.

Shen Zhen was not in a position to do such a favor, but Shen Shu cannot play dumb.

Hearing this, Su Heng’s expression turned cold, and he said directly: “So, Madam Li came here to specially thank me today?”

Madam Li….he was really angry.

Shen Shu smiled at him, “Thank you? Who wants to be polite to you? General Su has been a soldier for half his life, but he was just hit by a few stones. How big of a deal is that?”

Su Heng heard the teasing in her words and couldn’t help but curl his lips, “Come in and talk.”

Shen Shu followed him slowly and said quietly, “Marquis really has a big temper nowadays. If what I just said didn’t meet your expectations, are you still going to turn me away?”

Su Heng immediately begged for mercy: “Even if you lend me ten courages, I will dare.”

The two sat down in the pavilion in the main courtyard. Su Heng poured a cup of hot tea for Shen Shu, “Drink it while it’s hot.”

Shen Shu took it with a smile.

After a while, she looked at the cats in the yard and sighed, “Zhen’er told me that the cat you raised for her has given birth to five generations of offspring?”

When mentioning Shen Zhen, Su Heng’s eyes suddenly froze.

For a long time, he could not say anything.

There were many things that he would never be able to say in his entire life.

The girl he had liked since he was young was now going to get married. The emotions he had suppressed for several days seemed to break down when Shen Shu mentioned this.

With his right hand shaking, he took a sip of tea, cleared his throat and said, “I heard that her wedding with Lu Yan is scheduled for this spring. She will be eighteen, just in time.”

Seeing him like this, how could Shen Shu remain unmoved? Or, in other words, she knew exactly what kind of person Su Heng was.

In the year when Shen Zhen came of age, the emperor ordered the Su family to guard the border. In fact, given the relationship between the Shen and Su families, he could have gone to the family to arrange the marriage and get married as soon as possible.

But what did Su Heng say at that time?

She was still young and the frontier was not suitable for her.

And that she should stay in Chang’an.

Shen Shu could not forget Su Heng’s cautious look for many years. She always thought that Su Heng would be her third brother-in-law.

In fact, Su Heng fell into a daze and wondered if he had gone to the Shen family to propose marriage and taken Shen Zhen away from Chang’an, would her life be better than it was now?

But that’s how life is. Once you utter the word “if”, you’ve already missed it.

Su Heng said softly, “Do you think the Duke of Zhenguo’s Mansion will make her suffer injustice in the future?”

“Even if she feels wronged, she has to bear it herself!”

Su Heng was stunned.

“She chose her own path. No one forced her. Even if she made the wrong choice, it’s still wrong.” Shen Shu looked at Su Heng, “Don’t wait for her like the men in those storybooks.”

Su Heng’s eyes flashed with helplessness, and he smiled and said, “Who wants to wait for her?”

Shen Shu nodded, “It should be so.”

Su Heng looked at her and said, “Shen Shu.”

Shen Shu replied: “What?”

Su Heng said seriously, “You don’t want to divorce, is it because you have any difficulties? If so, tell me, I will not let Li Di have an easy life.”

Shen Shu’s hands, hidden under the table, clenched instantly, but she only curled her eyes and said, “What difficulties?”

Su Heng asked: “Did he threaten you? I…”

Shen Shu interrupted him directly: “Su Heng, this is the capital. Chang’an is not like the frontier. If I want to divorce, I will only follow the rules of Chang’an.”

The implication in her words was that none of you were allowed to interfere.

 

　　——

In the evening, the autumn wind rustled the bare branches.

Shen Shu got off the carriage, and happened to meet Li Di who was returning from work.

Li Di was a little drunk. When he saw his beautiful wife, he immediately stepped forward and held her hand. “What a coincidence.”

Shen Shu shook him off, her expression changed as she said, “Lord Li, you haven’t entered the mansion yet.”

Li Di curled his lips and took her through the gate. Then he deliberately picked her up by the waist and walked into the inner courtyard. During this time, Shen Shu said nothing and did not even try to struggle.

After entering the room, Li Di put her on the couch and looked into her eyes: “Are you happy lately?”

Shen Shu lowered her eyes and asked, “Lord Li, what do you mean by this?”

Li Di kissed her cheek and Shen Shu stood up immediately.

“Shen Shu, you have rejected me time and time again. I know what you are planning. Have you never let go of your thoughts of divorce?”

Shen Shu secretly pinched her palms and kept saying to herself: Shen Shu, there are only a few days left, only a few days left until the day Zhou Shu’an mentioned.

Li Di smiled and said, “My father-in-law has returned to the court, and I am being bullied by my colleagues. Do you also think I deserve it?”

Shen Shu looked at him and said, “Husband, I told you a long time ago that you have more than one path.”

When he heard the word “husband”, Li Di couldn’t help but fall into a daze again.

He reached out and held Shen Shu’s chin and asked seriously, “Are all the girls in the Shen family the reincarnation of vixens?”

Shen Shu suppressed her anger and looked at him, “Husband, what you said is a compliment or disparagement?”

Shen Shu secretly touched the sachet around her waist.

Li Di put his arm around her waist and said, “Shu Shu, I still say the same thing. Give me a legitimate son, and everything will be the same as before.”

The reluctance that could not be concealed in Shen Shu’s eyes hurt Li Di’s heart.

Li Di suddenly sneered, “Shu Shu, don’t force me. If you really force me into a dead end, the Shen family will suffer. If I can’t make a living, then everything the Shen family went through in the 16th year of Yuanqing will happen again.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Shu’s heart began beating so loudly that it seemed as if both of them could hear it.

“Dismissed from their posts, their property confiscated, the Shen family is not allowed to take the imperial examination for three generations.” Li Di whispered in her ear, “Can your sister, Shen Zhen, still marry into the Duke’s Mansion? The Duke’s Mansion has been clean for generations. Will Princess Jing’an let her, the daughter of a criminal, become the Lu family’s main wife?”

Every word and sentence was hurtful.

These are undoubtedly what she feared the most.

To Shen Shu, Li Di was like a sword hanging over her head every night, which might fall at any time, making her feel anxious all day long.

Shen Shu leaned on his shoulder.

Li Di patted her back and said, “Shu Shu, I didn’t want to say that to you. I swear, I really didn’t want to, but you were too stubborn.”

“I only want a legitimate son. If you give it to me, I will never mention what happened ever again.”

Legitimate son, legitimate son.

Every time Shen Shu heard him talk about children, her heart couldn’t help but tremble. It was really trembling, as if she was suffocating.

Shen Shu raised her head and used the fingertips that had just touched the sachet to touch Li Di’s face, his brow bone and his nose bridge.

“Okay.” Shen Yu looked at him and said softly, “You must keep your word.”

Li Di nodded, “Shu Shu, I’ve even picked a name for the child. Li Rong, what do you think?”

Shen Yu smiled, “What if it’s a girl?”

“You name her.”

After saying that, Li Di decided to turn off the lights.

Shen Shu held his hand and whispered, “I’m afraid it won’t work today. I’m on my period.”

Li Di frowned, “Really?”

Shen Shu nodded and said softly, “Four more days.”

Four days.

There’s nothing that can’t wait.

Li Di agreed, just four days.

Soon he fell into a deep sleep.

 

　　——

On the other side, Dali Temple Minister Zhou Shu’an met with Ministry of Justice, Minister Yao Bin at night.

Yao Bin poured Zhou Shu’an a glass of wine and said, “Lord Zhou, you have done me a great favor this time. I will remember this.”

Zhou Shu’an said, “Lord Yao and I have served in the same court for many years. We should help each other. There is really no need to be so polite.”

Help each other, this is the mystery in the conversation.

Yao Bin naturally understood the implication of this statement.

“I treat Lord Zhou as my confidant. If Lord Zhou has something to say, just tell me directly.”

Zhou Shu’an’s deep and bottomless pupils suddenly showed a smile, and he said directly: “There is a case.”

Yao Bin raised his eyebrows slightly, “Oh? I wonder which case is worthy of Lord Zhou’s concern?”

“It’s a case that will happen three days from now.”

Yao Bin sat up and asked doubtfully, “Three days later?”

“Yes.” Zhou Shu’an said word by word, “The divorce case of Li Di, the Assistant Minister of Works.”

According to the law, when an official of the seventh rank or above in the Jin Dynasty divorced, the divorce agreement had to be submitted to the Ministry of Justice for record. If there were any other disputes, they would also be handled by the Ministry of Justice.

Yao Bin stared in astonishment and frowned, “Is this true?”

Zhou Shu’an said: ““Naturally, it is true.”

Yao Bin asked, “What does Lord Zhou want me to do?”

Zhou Shu’an picked up the wine glass and took a sip. “I hope Lord Yao can judge the divorce in court.”

Yao Bin was the Crown Prince Prince’s person, Li Di is the sixth prince’s man, and the Shen family was obviously on the Crown Prince’s side. If a divorce can be granted, Yao Bin would naturally be willing to do this favor, but Yao Bin also knows in his heart that this matter will never be that easy.

To be honest, given the current situation, how could Li Di not have a backup plan?

Yao Bin asked seriously, “If the divorce is sentenced, has Lord Zhou ever thought about the other things that will be involved?”

Zhou Shu’an said: “The rest, Lord Yao, can hand it over to the Dali Temple.”

 

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T/N – 17 more chapters to go!!🥳