Translator – Xiao He Lian
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Chapter 145: Zhou Shu’an x Shen Shu 8
In the blink of an eye, another year had passed.
The summer heat lingered. Birds chirped in the clear weather, plums ripened and dropped from the windowsill, and bamboo shoots sprouted from the ground by the wall.
Shen Shu, dressed in a light silk summer robe and holding a gauze fan, sat in the courtyard sipping tea.
Qingli approached with an invitation in hand. “A flower appreciation banquet hosted by Princess Qi. Will you be attending?” Princess Qi was none other than the sixth young lady Wang, Wang Rui.
Shen Shu tossed a handful of fish food into the pond and said slowly, “I already gave her enough face by attending her spring banquet a few days ago. Decline all invitations from her going forward.”
Qingli nodded. “What she did last time was truly hateful.”
Shen Shu replied calmly, “Before she married Prince Qi, she was once humiliated because of Zhen’er at the Jinzhao Prefecture. Now that she’s in a position of power, of course she wants to make up for it.”
Thinking of the previous incident, Qingli’s face flushed with anger. “Even so… that behavior was really petty.”
Shen Shu smiled faintly. “Let her be. Acting that way won’t win hearts. If even we can see how petty she is, so can others. Even if word reaches Prince Qi, it won’t do her any good.”
Qingli said, “I’ll send a reply to the Qi Prince’s residence.”
Shen Shu smiled and said gently, “Be polite.”
Qingli replied, “Of course.”
As for what Wang Rui had done last time—
Years ago, during the reign of the late emperor, the Wang family had been a prominent clan in Chang’an, even producing a prime minister. But after his passing, the family declined. The younger generation failed in the civil exams and became notorious troublemakers.
To regain their former glory, the Wang family chose to ally with other powerful families, namely the Xu and Sun families.
Before the Xu family’s fall, the Wangs managed to gain many benefits. Even their infamous playboys landed county official posts.
Thus, Wang family daughters still had some social standing in the capital.
But after the Xu family collapsed, society turned cold. Wang daughters were excluded from gatherings and banquets.
Then came a surprising turn—Wang Rui married the long-ill Prince Qi.
Though Prince Qi was politically uninvolved, he was still royalty. With her new status, people’s attitudes toward Wang Rui shifted once again.
The spring banquet, hosted by Empress Xu[mfn](Concubine Duan not Prince Wei’s mother who was deposed)[/mfn], gathered all noble ladies above sixth rank in Chang’an. Initially, it was a cheerful event with poetry, music, and tea. But the mood changed when Empress Xu invited Shen Shu and Shen Zhen to join the main table—Wang Rui’s expression darkened.
It wasn’t that she hated the Shen sisters deeply, but there are always those who love drama and stirring up trouble.
When a breeze picked up, Princess Kangning hinted at Wang Rui’s back injury by asking her maid to fetch a coat.
Everyone knew: that injury had been inflicted by order of Lu Yan.
Someone who just gained power after years of silence can’t bear provocation. Now a princess, Wang Rui felt she was equal to anyone.
When she couldn’t get at Shen Zhen, she turned her sights on Shen Shu.
Anyone would do, as long as it made a statement.
That evening, Wang Rui summoned an opera troupe from who-knows-where.
As the actors began performing, noble ladies fanned themselves. But soon, their expressions changed.
The play was about a woman who married three times.
The heroine, Lingling, first married a low-ranking official. They lived happily until he fell for his cousin and divorced her.
Her second husband was a high official who treated her well, but he died of tuberculosis within two years.
Her third husband was a butcher. They moved to the countryside and lived out their days childless.
Though just a play, the themes—cousins, divorce, remarriage, infertility—bore uncanny resemblance to Shen Shu’s life. The atmosphere grew incredibly awkward.
In the end, Empress Xu had to step in to smooth things over.
The sobbing actress was replaced with graceful dancers. The music resumed as if nothing had happened.
Some were secretly pleased, others indifferent. A few whispered comforting words to Shen Shu.
On the way back from Qujiang, the wife of Song Ze, an official from the Dali Temple, got into Shen Shu’s carriage.
Madam Song said, “I want to speak frankly. If you don’t want to hear it, tap my hand, and I’ll stop.”
Shen Shu looked at her. “Go ahead.”
Madam Song continued, “Your husband has a bright future. There will be many trying to push women into his household. You’re still young and beautiful. Lord Zhou may not be concerned about children now, but men… their minds change. What’s worse is, both now and later, they’re being honest.”
“My husband was the same. When he married me, he vowed to love only me. But after twenty years, he took two concubines.” She smiled bitterly. “Once, after an argument, he drunkenly said, ‘How can anyone know what they’ll want in twenty years?’ I didn’t understand at first. But later, I realized he had a point. I’m not the same person I was twenty years ago either.”
“It doesn’t matter what outsiders think. What matters is how you live inside this house.”
Shen Shu was taken aback.
Madam Song added, “I know a physician—her family has specialized in women’s health for generations. She lives in Xinyang, so it’ll take some time to bring her here. If you trust me, I’ll arrange it.”
Then she hesitated awkwardly. “I’m not saying you can’t conceive… but it never hurts to check.”
Shen Shu said gently, “I know you mean well.”
Madam Song asked, “So you agree?”
Shen Shu nodded. “I’ll trouble you, then.”
Madam Song smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell a soul.”
…
Qingli sent away the Qi Prince’s servant. A few days later, the physician Madam Song had mentioned arrived at the Zhou residence.
Doctor Ying was a woman in her forties.
After checking Shen Shu’s pulse, she said, “There’s no major issue with your body.”
Shen Shu nodded. “I see.”
Doctor Ying asked, “Have you taken medicine before?”
Shen Shu handed her a prescription from Fu Man. After reviewing it, the doctor said, “It’s a good prescription, just missing two herbs. I’ll write a new one. Drink a bowl morning and night for three months and see.”
Before leaving, Doctor Ying glanced at Shen Shu’s neckline and advised, “Marital intimacy shouldn’t be too frequent.”
Shen Shu replied without a change in expression, “I understand. Thank you.”
After dinner, Qingli brewed the medicine and brought it over. Shen Shu drank it in one go and said, “Take it away. Don’t let him see.”
That night, Zhou Shu’an returned from washing and undressed, telling Shen Shu something amusing.
She rested her chin on his shoulder as she listened.
His voice was deep and pleasant. Often, he hadn’t finished the story before they tumbled into each other’s arms.
After lights out, he habitually wrapped his arm around her waist. Their lips met, breath mingling.
His hand slipped under her robe, gently caressing her back.
It had to be said, their many nights of passion had turned Zhou Shu’an into a master of the craft.
At first, he’d fumble and ask, “Zhan’er, is it here? Or here?”
She would either melt from his touch or blush at his questions.
Now, he knew every sensitive spot on her body.
They had been married for over a year, always like this.
Their passion hadn’t waned in the slightest.
But tonight…
Shen Shu remembered the doctor’s warning and gently stopped his hand, saying softly, “I’m a bit tired.”
Zhou Shu’an paused, then chuckled. “Is it real this time?”
She glared at him. “It is.”
He withdrew his hand. “What did you do today?”
Resting on his arm, she said, “Not much. Just… my period might be coming. My back hurts.”
Hearing this, he placed his warm hand on her back and gently rubbed it.
She closed her eyes in his arms.
When she married him, she had thought, “Might as well. I can’t outplay him in mind games anyway, and I’m tired of fighting.”
Could life really be worse than it once was?
So she asked him only a few questions before agreeing to marry him. She hadn’t held high hopes for this marriage.
She had told him early on about her difficulty conceiving, preparing for both outcomes—if he accepted it, great. If not, she wouldn’t drink any more bitter medicine. She was done with that.
But time… time wears people down.
It can harden a heart, or soften one.
What she hadn’t expected—
Was that Zhou Shu’an gave her not only his love and desire.
But also his weakness—he faced her with his back, his trust.
How could she ever repay that?
As the night breeze stirred, he whispered in her ear, “I know you’re not asleep. Something on your mind?”
Shen Shu replied without guilt, “It’s normal for a woman to have thoughts now and then. Don’t try to guess.”
Zhou Shu’an chuckled.
