As Shen Feiwan had anticipated, Madam She waved her hand, too exhausted to say more.
After Xiao Ling dragged Shen Lianxin away, Shen Feiwan ordered people to escort Hongliu back. Back at the Shen Residence, it would surely be a night of endless turmoil.
The room finally grew quiet, and the concubines dispersed to their own quarters. Although today’s events had not reached a final conclusion, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that it was the Third Young Master’s camp that had resorted to underhanded tactics.
Fortunately, Xiao Ling was ultimately unharmed. He had regained consciousness in the afternoon and received an imperial decree: "General Xiao Ling has labored for the nation and fought on the battlefield; We are deeply heartened. We hereby grant leave for half a year of recovery before his return to the military, and bestow upon him..."
This was, in effect, approval for Xiao Ling to return home to recuperate. Shen Feiwan let out a sigh of relief.
"I thank His Majesty for his grace."
Xiao Ling remained very weak. The medicine had not been fatal, but it had certainly put him through his paces. The eunuch who delivered the decree had observed his pale complexion and condition, exchanged a few polite words, and then departed.
Inside the West Courtyard, Shen Feiwan looked at her husband and frowned. "You are truly as elusive as a dragon, Heir."
There was a flicker of unease in her eyes; she didn't know where he had gone to get so badly injured. She had nearly become a widow for the second time!
"Were you frightened?" Xiao Ling asked, sounding somewhat apologetic.
Shen Feiwan shook her head. "No." At worst, she would simply have been a widow.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling watched the strands of her hair. "Thank you, my lady, for covering for me and handling the household affairs."
"It is good that you know, Heir." Shen Feiwan glanced at him sideways and turned to walk into the room.
Leng Feng followed behind, watching them, while Zhuying walked quickly. As the mistress and maid entered, Shen Feiwan instructed Zhuying to close the door. As Zhuying shut it, she shot a fierce glare toward the men.
Leng Feng was stunned for a long moment. "My Lord, I told you we should have informed the Lady in advance last night. Now look, she is clearly angry."
Xiao Ling simply kept his eyes on the tightly shut door. "She isn't."
Leng Fei muttered, "Are you sure?"
That night, Shen Feiwan did not eat dinner, and she slept soundly until the next day. Shen Lianxin, however, likely found no such rest. Zhuying heard from the maids in the backyard that Shen Lianxin had wept the entire night until her voice was hoarse. In the dead of night, she had been dragged by Xiao Nian'an to kneel in the ancestral hall, where she had to copy the *Classic for Women* in her own blood for Madam She. Xiao Nian'an had declared that he would spare no effort in finding a master physician to treat Xiao Ling, and if Xiao Ling were left with any permanent infirmity, he would never forgive himself.
With the matter escalated to this point, it was mostly considered settled.
Shen Feiwan was truly exhausted. When she woke up, it was already past noon. As she opened her eyes, she heard the soft scratching of a brush against rice paper—a sound with a strangely hypnotic effect. She sat up slowly to find warm food waiting on the table. Through the bead curtain, Xiao Ling sat at the desk.
He was not a conventionally handsome man. Having spent his life on the battlefield, the cold, ruthless air he carried never truly dissipated. A heavy, somber intensity clung to him, and even his features seemed carved from ice. Yet, with him sitting right there, Shen Feiwan felt a sense of peace. It was a feeling difficult to put into words, unrelated to romance; it was simply...
"Awake?" He rose, checking the temperature of the dishes with his hand. "Zhuying, help the Lady reheat these."
*So he had kept the food warm the entire time she slept?*
Shen Feiwan felt a little flustered. "I slept too long. Did Mother send anyone to ask after me?"
Xiao Ling looked at her quietly. "She did."
He said nothing more. The implication was that he had handled the replies and she would not be blamed. After she dressed, she ate quietly. Xiao Ling picked up his chopsticks and took a few bites, watching her from time to time without speaking.
Zhuying, however, was clearly bursting with something to say.
"Zhuying, if you have something to say, just say it. I cannot eat in peace otherwise." As soon as Shen Feiwan set down her chopsticks, Xiao Ling handed her a handkerchief. He was remarkably attentive.
Shen Feiwan took it and heard Zhuying blurt out, "The Third Young Master insists on taking Miss Lianxin back to the Shen Residence! He says he wants to apologize to the Master and Madam for trusting the wrong doctor and giving the wrong medicine to the Son-in-law."
*A simple apology to sweep this whole matter under the rug?* That sounded exactly like Xiao Nian'an.
"If you are worried, we can go along and see for ourselves," Xiao Ling said suddenly.
Shen Feiwan was surprised for a moment. She had assumed he disliked domestic matters. Seeing her silence, Xiao Ling added, "There is much happening at the Marquis Manor lately; it is only right to visit your father and mother to explain things and put their minds at ease."
With her younger sister returning home with her husband to stage a scene of crying and wailing, her parents—who were cautious people—would not dare rush to the Marquis Manor to cause trouble, but they would certainly be harboring worries. His consideration was evident, and it brought Shen Feiwan a great sense of relief.
"Then I must trouble you, Heir. But you are currently recuperating; is it wise for you to go out?" Shen Feiwan still prioritized his well-being.
"It is no matter. I am neither dead nor crippled; surely I can still leave the house."
*Xiao Ling could make jokes like this?*
Shen Feiwan smiled faintly and rose to dress. When she emerged, she saw Xiao Ling in a jade-colored robe, standing by the door with his hands behind his back, bathed in a soft glow. Hearing her footsteps, he turned, appearing grand and imposing.
Shen Feiwan walked toward him with steady steps, and the two sat together in the carriage back to the Shen Residence. As the wheels rumbled, her thoughts were pulled back to her previous life.
In that life, Shen Lianxin had wept like a fountain at the Shen Residence. She hadn't only demanded two of the Shen family's cloth shops from their grandmother; she had also seized many of the family's hidden treasures from her mother, claiming she needed them to raise her two daughters. Those treasures had been intended for the dowries of her younger half-sisters, Shen Huan'er and Shen Yuruan. Later, when the two sisters were to be married, the Shen Residence had been hollowed out by Shen Lianxin. The girls had possessed not a single piece of respectable jade for their dowries and had suffered endless mistreatment at their mothers-in-law's homes.
What would Shen Lianxin do upon returning today?
The carriage slowed to a stop. The gates of the Shen Residence were shut tight. Only after Zhuying knocked for a long while did a gatekeeper open a crack. Upon seeing Zhuying, she hurried to say, "Has the Eldest Miss returned? Please, go quickly to the Old Madam's courtyard! The new son-in-law insists that our Second Miss colluded with Concubine Li to plot against his own brother, and he is threatening to divorce her!"
"Truly?" Shen Feiwan lifted the curtain, stepped off the carriage, and ascended the steps. "Where is my mother?"
"Today is the day Lang'erge submits his entry to the academy; the First Madam has not yet returned."
Her father likely had not returned from court either. This meant that only the Old Madam and the concubines were in the house. The Old Madam had been practicing Buddhism for years and had long since stopped managing household affairs. Shen Lianxin certainly knew how to pick her moment.
"Heir, could you please cooperate with me once more in a moment?" Shen Feiwan asked.
"To apologize for yesterday's affair—I shall do whatever you say, my lady." Xiao Ling’s tone was flat, his gaze deep and inscrutable.
"Thank you, Heir."
That single word "thank you" caused Xiao Ling's eyes to darken slightly. "My lady, there is no need to—" Before he could finish, Shen Feiwan had already led Zhuying inside.
Leng Feng dismounted from the other side and chased after them. "My Lord, I think the Lady really is angry."
Xiao Ling’s expression sank, and he hurriedly quickened his pace to follow.
Leng Feng whispered a reminder from the side, "My Lord, you are still an invalid."