Chapter 186
Chapter 186
The private room was exquisitely furnished. The Empress sat at ease on a broad chaise longue and invited Ji Hanyi to sit beside her.
Only after Ji Hanyi had taken her seat did the Empress slowly look her over.
Ji Hanyi sat with impeccable posture. There was a natural grace about her, an elegant bearing that put others at ease. Her slender brows curved like crescent moons, and her fair, flawless features seemed to glow like polished jade.
She was respectful without appearing nervous, her composure tempered by quiet restraint.
In truth, the Empress had been quite satisfied with Ji Hanyi’s performance today. She had remained calm and collected throughout. Even when faced with deliberate slights, exclusion, and ridicule, she had handled everything with ease, never once losing her poise or shrinking into herself.
But the reason the Empress had summoned Ji Hanyi here was to make her understand one thing for herself.
She did not belong in this circle.
The noblewomen around her younger brother were all connected to the imperial family in one way or another. Proud and exceptionally talented, not one of them thought Ji Hanyi worthy of their notice.
The Empress lowered her eyes and took a sip of tea before speaking slowly. “The poem you composed earlier was excellent. Everyone knew perfectly well that yours was the best, yet when the winner was chosen, it wasn’t you.”
“Do you know why?”
Ji Hanyi paused briefly, then nodded. “I do.”
Because to everyone present today, she was an outsider.
An outsider with neither power nor influence, and no one behind her to rely on.
For one thing, they could not allow an outsider to take first place and steal the limelight. For another, they all knew which of those young ladies had the brightest future ahead of her.
The Empress admired Ji Hanyi’s perceptiveness. She saw the situation clearly and needed no explanation.
All the more reason she should understand that if Shen Si married her, he too would become the subject of criticism within this circle.
The Empress continued slowly, “Commandery Princess Fengning has been rejecting you. Do you know why?”
As her words fell, the room became utterly silent.
Ji Hanyi did not need long to think. After the slightest pause, she answered, “Because of my status.”
The Empress lowered her gaze to Ji Hanyi. “You’re right. It is because of your status.”
“She knows that you’re the adopted daughter acknowledged by the Grand Princess. She also knows that you’re the woman betrothed to Ah Si. But when you obtain something you were never supposed to have, others will believe you unworthy of it.”
“And as long as they believe you unworthy, you will never be accepted among them.”
“Yet Ah Si’s wife will inevitably have to associate with them in the future. She will meet even more noblewomen and must be able to navigate their circles with ease.”
“But if he marries you, he will also have to endure the criticism surrounding you – criticism for marrying a divorced woman entering her second marriage.”
Ji Hanyi lowered her eyes. She understood every word the Empress said.
She was the one marrying Shen Si, but theirs was not a match everyone supported or celebrated. Nor was she the woman everyone had hoped he would choose.
But she still remembered what Shen Si had told her last night. No matter what they encountered, he had chosen her. They were now walking the same path and would advance or retreat together. She must always trust him.
After a brief silence, Ji Hanyi said softly, “I cannot decide what others say about me. All I can do is try my utmost to conduct myself well, become someone worthy of Lord Shen, and do my best not to disappoint Her Majesty the Empress.”
The Empress gave a faint, dismissive scoff.
She wanted Ji Hanyi to recognize the difficulties and withdraw of her own accord. That was the very reason she had summoned her today.
If one tried to force one’s way into a circle that would never accept them, the only person who would end up humiliated was oneself.
But Ji Hanyi clearly had yet to understand that.
Ah Si had chosen her, but she could be replaced at any time.
The outside world did not yet know that Ji Hanyi was the Grand Princess’s adopted daughter. It would not be impossible to persuade the Grand Princess to replace her with someone else to marry Ah Si.
Her status could be humble. Once she married into the Shen Family, no one would dare point fingers at her. But she absolutely could not be a divorced woman.
The Empress hoped Ji Hanyi would know her place and leave of her own accord.
Her tone grew slightly heavier. “Try your utmost to do better?”
“Wasn’t the poem you composed just now good enough? And yet you still received no praise.”
“Don’t imagine that just because your husband is powerful, you can spend the rest of your life sheltering beneath his wings and enjoying wealth and luxury. Ah Si will one day head the Shen Family, and the future fortunes of the entire family will rest on his shoulders. His wife must naturally be an asset to him – someone who can share his burdens and manage the inner household well.”
“Don’t think the women of the inner household do nothing but compose poetry and trade verses. Officialdom and the inner household have always been closely intertwined. Do you truly believe socializing among those noble ladies is only about flowers and moonlight? Helping one’s husband build connections is an art in itself.”
“Being the mistress in charge of the Shen Family is no easy task.”
With that, the Empress gave Ji Hanyi no further chance to speak. She ordered someone to bring over a box and place it in Ji Hanyi’s hands, telling her to open it herself.
The box was heavy. When Ji Hanyi opened it, she found it filled with more silver notes than she could count.
The Empress’s haughty voice rang out. “There are fifty thousand taels in there. That is enough for you and your mother to live comfortably for the rest of your lives. No matter where you go, whether you buy a residence, maids, or guards, I don’t care.”
“All I want is for you to leave the capital and go as far away as possible.”
The Empress lifted her gaze to Ji Hanyi. “When I asked you before, didn’t you say that you didn’t like Ah Si?”
“This works out perfectly. I have no wish to make things difficult for you either.”
Ji Hanyi’s grip tightened around the box.
She had known this was coming, but hearing the words aloud still sent a sharp pang through her heart.
Indeed, in everyone’s eyes, she was unworthy of Shen Si. But she had never entertained such thoughts herself – not once, from beginning to end.
She parted her lips and was about to respond when a tall, slender figure suddenly strode in from outside.
Ji Hanyi stared at Shen Si in surprise. She watched as he walked steadily to her side, then rested a hand on her shoulder.
The warmth of his palm seeped into her. His fingertips pressed lightly against her shoulder as if reassuring her that everything would be fine.
Then Shen Si’s deep voice rang out. “Are you finished?”
The Empress silently watched Shen Si. He made no attempt to conceal his protectiveness. As he looked at her, his gaze held a darkness that had never been there before, as though he blamed her for bullying Ji Hanyi.
Meeting Shen Si’s eyes, the Empress found herself utterly helpless against this younger brother of hers. Her expression chilled. “What do you think?”
Shen Si pressed his lips together and sat in the chair beside Ji Hanyi. “As it happens, I have nothing else to do. I may as well stay with Hanyi and listen to the guidance of Her Majesty the Empress.”
The Empress’s expression darkened further. She gave Shen Si a cold smile. “You say that now, but have you ever listened to my guidance before?”
A trace of cool detachment lingered in Shen Si’s expression. From the corner of his eye, he looked at Ji Hanyi. Her head was slightly bowed, and her fingers rested on the box in her lap. A faint sadness seemed to cling to her.
He withdrew his gaze, pressed his lips together, and said softly, “It’s not too late to listen now.”
The Empress was rendered speechless with anger. In the past, getting him to stay and exchange a few more words with her had been harder than climbing to heaven. Yet now he was actually volunteering to sit and listen.
She had already said everything that needed saying when he entered the palace that day. He had stubbornly caused such a commotion over his determination to marry Ji Hanyi, so she had intended to start with Ji Hanyi instead. Who could have expected Shen Si to rush over and protect her like this? The Empress promptly lost all desire to continue the conversation.
Ignoring Shen Si, she looked only at Ji Hanyi and said evenly, “Think carefully about what I told you today.”
Shen Si did not give Ji Hanyi a chance to reply. He took the box from her hands, opened it for a look, then set it on the small table beside them. Raising a brow at the Empress, he said, “There is no need for Her Majesty the Empress to trouble herself. Once Hanyi and I are married, I will give her far more than this.”
With that, Shen Si took Ji Hanyi’s hand and rose to his feet. His unfathomable eyes settled on the Empress, his gaze heavy and solemn.
“I only ask that you give my marriage your blessing, Elder Sister.”