Shen Lianxin’s target was clear as she pointed at nine-year-old Xiao Huanyu and seven-year-old Xiao Aoshi.
"Let's take them. At a glance, they're fine lads capable of going to the battlefield and slaying the enemy. They will surely revitalize the Marquis Manor in the future!"
Choosing sons—nothing wrong with that. For the sake of the Marquis Manor's future, she was taking on the heavy responsibility of raising heirs to carry on the lineage. But what she said next was like carving flesh straight off Madam She's bones!
The men of the Yongan Marquis Manor had gone to the battlefield since childhood. Over the years, countless had been killed or wounded, and Heir Xiao Ling's coffin was still resting in the back. Today, the Yongan Marquis Manor's branches were withering, leaving them with no choice but to adopt heirs. Yet she actually wanted her sons to go to the battlefield—if that wasn't madness, what was?
Shen Lianxin did not realize the problem at all. She believed that the imperial court honored martial might, and that raising two sons who abandoned martial arts for scholarly pursuits, like Shen Feiwan had done, was a failure. If those two sons of hers had stuck with martial arts from the start, the Marquis Manor's future would be even brighter! Eager for quick success and instant benefits, she failed to notice the complex emotions in Xiao Nian'an's eyes. That was a battlefield—did Shen Lianxin think it was a game of house?
"Are you willing to go to the battlefield and slay the enemy for the Marquis Manor?"
Xiao Huanyu, being older, nodded repeatedly. "I'm willing! I'm willing!" Then he hurriedly nudged the person beside him with his elbow. "Speak up."
Although Xiao Aoshi was short, he was sharp-witted. He kept glancing toward Shen Feiwan, hoping she would adopt him as the legitimate son of the Marquis Manor, only to be chosen by Shen Lianxin. And that clueless Shen Lianxin, thinking Xiao Aoshi was timid and scared, took the initiative to walk over and pull his hand. "Don't be afraid. I'll take good care of you."
Xiao Aoshi had no choice but to conceal the hatred in his heart and nod reluctantly.
Sitting in the back, Shen Feiwan saw the two children's expressions and reactions clearly. Shen Lianxin had no idea how much effort she had once spent to persuade them to give up martial arts, nor how painstakingly she had educated them in literacy and letters.
Over there, expecting to be praised, Shen Lianxin coquettishly nudged Xiao Nian'an. "Brother An, don't you think this is wonderful? Our sons in the future..."
"Stop talking!"
Furious, Xiao Nian'an flung her hand away.
Shen Lianxin staggered, her waist hitting the wooden table. A sharp pain stung the corners of her eyes, and tears welled up—why had things turned out so differently from what she had imagined?
Xiao Nian'an immediately dropped to his knees. "Mother, when I adopted them, it was by no means to send them back to the battlefield to win military merit, but to preserve the bloodline of the Yongan Marquis Manor. I will certainly teach the children well, have them abandon martial arts for scholarly pursuits, and serve by Mother's knees."
At that moment, Xiao Nian'an's eyes were red. Everyone present, upon hearing these words, felt their hearts ache with emotion.
The heart of Madam She, which had been agitated almost to breaking point by Shen Lianxin, finally settled back into place. Struggling to hold back her tears, she helped Xiao Nian'an to his feet. "Good, good. I can rest easy knowing you think this way."
Nearby, Xiao Huanyu frowned and tilted his head to ask, "What does that mean?"
Xiao Aoshi sighed. This older brother of theirs was truly a fool; it meant they wouldn't be allowed to join the army! Frowning, he ignored Xiao Huanyu.
"Eldest Young Mistress, it's your turn."
Shen Feiwan stood up. She was likely the only person in the entire room who had not been moved by Xiao Nian'an. He was merely driven by cowardice, too afraid to campaign ever again, yet he spoke with such... melodrama.
She glanced around the room, deliberately avoiding the two adopted sons chosen by Shen Lianxin. To be honest, she despised her own poor judgment in her past life; even if they achieved extraordinary success in the future, she could never approve of their character.
On the contrary, the two daughters once raised by Shen Lianxin stirred some special feelings within her. In her previous life, when she was coughing up blood in anger over her two adopted sons, it was Xiao Zhizhi who helped her manage household affairs for a while. That child was meticulous and willing to work hard at her studies—she had a bright future ahead. As for Xiao Yanran, she had been a beauty seed since childhood, delicate and charming enough to win people's hearts. With proper cultivation and strict guidance on daily conduct and social graces, she might not turn out inferior to anyone else.
It was Shen Lianxin's eagerness for quick success that had utterly ruined a winning hand. Since Shen Lianxin had forced her hand first, Shen Feiwan was not afraid of trouble. She would simply swap the children and start over!
Shen Feiwan asked the two sisters, "Would the two of you be willing to be adopted under my name, learn propriety and reason, and keep Madam company by her knees?"
Xiao Zhizhi was wearing a kingfisher-blue robe today, with fair skin and bright, spirited eyes. Having passed her eighth year, she had been very well brought up. She immediately curtsied. "Replying to Eldest Young Mistress, Zhizhi is willing."
Shen Feiwan nodded, then looked toward the other little girl beside her, who was wearing a plain short tunic and possessed a breathtakingly pretty face.
Xiao Yanran was a bit younger and hadn't reacted yet. She stared at Shen Feiwan for a good while before stretching out her small hands to pounce into her embrace, rubbing against Shen Feiwan's chest. "Mother, Yanran likes the smell of you."
Shen Feiwan paused slightly, gave the little girl a brief hug, and then handed her over to Zhizhi. Whether in her past life or the present, she was never quite accustomed to being close to children.
Turning her head, Shen Feiwan was unsurprised to catch the look of shock in Shen Lianxin's eyes, along with a trace of panic she failed to conceal. It seemed her earlier act had fooled her, making her believe she hadn't been reborn. At this moment, Shen Lianxin must be feeling as though she were being roasted over a fire!
Just as she expected, Shen Lianxin had first been shoved by Xiao Nian'an and hurt her waist, and now she had been outmaneuvered by Shen Feiwan. Unable to swallow her anger, Shen Lianxin sneered derisively, "As the eldest daughter-in-law of the Marquis Manor, Eldest Sister has chosen two girls. Where does that leave the future of the Marquis Manor? Won't it leave Mother and the concubines deeply worried?"
That accusation was heavy enough to crush anyone. Even Xiao Nian'an frowned. In his eyes, Shen Lianxin had been a demure and gentle maiden last night, yet the moment she saw Shen Feiwan, she seemed like a completely different person, making him somewhat displeased.
Hearing Shen Lianxin's words, Madam She also wore a complex expression. "Enough, Feiwan now..."
Before she could finish, Shen Feiwan dropped to her knees in front of Madam She first. "With Mother here, this daughter-in-law is guilty!"
"What guilt do you have?"
Shen Feiwan bit her red lower lip. "This daughter-in-law feels unworthy of such a great responsibility and dares not follow my sister's example in adopting young lads. I worry I lack the talent to raise sons and would only ruin their lives."
These words were planted like a seed of resentment deep in the hearts of Xiao Huanyu and Xiao Aoshi.
In the corner, Shen Lianxin's face turned pale as she hurriedly tugged at Xiao Nian'an. "Sister simply doesn't trust me! Husband, did I do something wrong?"
"You did nothing wrong."
Dazed for a moment, Xiao Nian'an offered a perfunctory comfort, though his gaze kept involuntarily following Shen Feiwan.
Madam She looked at Shen Feiwan and sighed. "Get up first. These matters can only be discussed in the long term. Since these two children share a bond with you, girls are fine too. As long as you raise them well, you will have lived up to Ling'er's spirit in heaven."
At the mention of her eldest son, Madam She's eyes filled with tears.
Yet Shen Feiwan could not sense any genuine warmth in it. She said calmly, "There is one more matter I hope Mother will grant. While keeping vigil for my husband last night, I dreamed of him. My husband said he wishes to be buried seven days from now."
"You dreamed of Ling'er?"
"What!"
Recalling that past night and her loss of composure in the main hall, Shen Lianxin blurted out, "It's Xiao Ling's ghost! He has turned into a ghost and come back! Covered in blood..."
"Babbling nonsense!"
Xiao Nian'an tried desperately to stop her.
Crying anxiously, Shen Lianxin could offer no solid proof. "Shen Feiwan, hurry up and keep talking! Didn't you see Xiao Ling's ghost last night..."
*Slap.*
Overcome with fury, Madam She rushed forward and struck Shen Lianxin across the face. Still unsatisfied, she backhanded her with another blow. The two slaps carried enough force to leave Shen Lianxin dizzy and disoriented.
"Will you shut your mouth! Ling'er sacrificed his life for his country; how could he ever transform into a malevolent ghost?"
"Stop spouting nonsense here! Drag her away!" Furious to the extreme, Madam She wished she could tear Shen Lianxin's mouth apart on the spot. What kind of daughter had the Shen family raised!
"Mother-in-law! Lianxin is not spreading rumors! What Lianxin said is true! Shen Feiwan is tricking you!"
Though her voice grew hoarse from screaming, Madam She didn't even glance her way, letting her be dragged out.
The main hall returned to peace once more.
Only then did Madam She look toward Shen Feiwan with stern authority. "You are the eldest daughter-in-law of my Marquis Manor. Your words and actions must be cautious and proper, yet you dare to speak such ethereal nonsense. I sentence you to the ancestral hall to copy the family precepts one hundred times."
That fierce gaze was one Shen Feiwan knew all too well. Unfazed and resolute, she said, "Mother, this daughter-in-law is not lying. I truly dreamed of the Heir. He was wearing a grayish-black military uniform, with a jade Tally token tucked at his waist. Moreover, there is a scar of many years on his temple, and on his left arm..."
"These are indeed details only someone who has seen the Heir could possibly know," Steward Tian chimed in from the side. "Could it truly be... the Heir appearing in a dream?"