Chapter 218

Chapter 218

Ji Hanyi was a small boat upon the water, rising and sinking with the restless tide.

Her voice, which had quieted, escaped hoarsely again. She could neither withstand nor resist him; reason had long drowned.

Outside, daylight faded. No palace servant came to light the lamps, leaving the room dim.

Shen Si sat up and drew her onto his lap. Holding her back, he gazed at the alluring face still lost in afterglow and kissed her again and again with tenderness.

At last Ji Hanyi recovered enough to stare at him blankly.

Her wet eyes shone as though washed by rain, and the blush still colored her cheeks. Knowing her shyness, Shen Si did not mention what had happened. He straightened her loosened collar and rested his forehead against hers. “Are you tired?”

She was too exhausted to speak, move, or think about what had just occurred.

Looking at the robes she had crumpled across his chest, she gave a slow murmur.

Shen Si laughed softly. “Sleep for a while. Later I will have Rongchun help you bathe. Eat in your room tonight. Do not worry about anything else. I will arrange it.”

Ji Hanyi remained nestled languidly against him, murmured assent, and closed her eyes as though already falling asleep.

When she awoke the next morning, her body was still weak and dazed.

She had no idea when Shen Si had left.

She longed to remain in bed, but the Empress’s female official appeared outside at the appointed hour to observe every detail of her morning routine. Ji Hanyi forced herself up.

That morning, while she attended the Empress, Sun Baoqiong arrived smiling with a plate of pastries.

Seeing Ji Hanyi beside the Empress, she greeted her warmly.

The Empress said, “The Empress Dowager has had a chill. I hear you have attended her constantly. There is no need to come here.”

Sun Baoqiong smiled. “Her Majesty is better. I worried Aunt might be bored without anyone to talk to, so I came when I had time. I only hope Aunt does not find me tiresome.”

The Empress sighed. Sun Baoqiong was meticulous and beyond reproach in dealing with others. Though her marriage to Shen Si had failed, she had never mentioned it and still visited often.

The Empress had been displeased with her after the flower banquet, but such feelings were human and the matter had passed. There was no need to raise it again.

Realizing she had not visited the Empress Dowager yesterday, the Empress asked after her health and decided to go now.

Ji Hanyi followed. Walking beside her, Sun Baoqiong said, “I always wanted to befriend Elder Sister. Now that you have married Marquis Shen, whenever you enter the palace, come and talk with me.”

Ji Hanyi looked at her. At the flower banquet, she had already sensed Sun Baoqiong disliked her. Sun Baoqiong was close to Commandery Princess Fengning and had said nothing when Fengning first targeted Ji Hanyi.

Yet faced with such friendliness now, Ji Hanyi naturally smiled and agreed.

At Cining Palace, the Empress Dowager summoned Ji Hanyi before her and studied her for a long while. Finally she nodded. “A fortunate woman.”

They exchanged a few lukewarm words and returned near noon.

That afternoon, Ji Hanyi sat in Ninghui Hall with her chin propped on one hand, considering her next brushstroke.
She had hoped to ask the Crown Prince whether he wanted any changes, but only the Second Prince had come to pay respects that morning.

Her thoughts returned to what the Empress had said after the imperial consorts departed.

A man’s inner household, the Empress said, must never be bound too tightly.

Even the most devoted man remained devoted for perhaps ten years. A woman’s beauty faded, and younger, prettier women would always appear.

Too tight a grip brought only loss, especially in a house like the Shen Family.

The greater the clan, the more ordinary such things became.

The Empress had looked meaningfully at Ji Hanyi and mentioned Fourth Master.

Fourth Master, Shen Changling’s father, was the most rigid and severe of men, strict with himself at court and harsher still with his children. Yet even he had taken four concubines.

Great families valued numerous descendants. The more children, the greater the chance that capable heirs would emerge and the clan would prosper.

Ji Hanyi understood. She had never imagined Shen Si would have only her throughout his life.

She also understood why the Empress raised the subject. Outsiders believed Ji Hanyi had divorced Xie Yuheng over a concubine. The Empress naturally knew and probably considered Ji Hanyi narrow-minded and prone to making a fuss.

Ji Hanyi had tried to explain, but the Empress had replied coolly, “Believing you will be a man’s only woman is the most foolish thought a woman can have.”

Then Ji Hanyi knew no explanation would make her understand.

Even as a woman, the Empress could not understand.

Pain one had never endured could not be conveyed through endless defense.

Yet the Empress’s view was ordinary, and her advice sincere. Every woman in the world was expected to possess such awareness.

Ji Hanyi had never assumed Shen Si’s inner household would remain empty. He was nobly born and heir to the Shen clan, bearing responsibility for descendants. Like Fourth Master, he might need many children to strengthen the family.

Shen Si often spoke of children. He seemed to care deeply about heirs.

Ji Hanyi remembered her parents. Her mother had nearly died giving birth to her. Her father loved her too much to let her suffer again. Though Ji Hanyi was only a daughter, he never asked for another child.

Perhaps because she had witnessed such a good man, she still dreamed that true husband and wife should support and cherish one another like her parents, caring without regard for advantage, clan, or reputation.

They should sincerely love each other.

She had no such fantasies about Shen Si. She expected nothing.

Perhaps those dreams were unrealistic, the greed the Empress described.

For a man of Shen Si’s birth, they were impossible, and she had no right to bind him.

Even the Former Chief Grand Secretary had taken two concubines in his youth. They had borne only daughters and were later sold away by Old Madam Shen after committing some offense.

As for Shen Si’s half sister, Ji Hanyi had never heard anyone mention her.

She had quickly agreed with the Empress. Satisfying Her Majesty was enough.

Outside the window, Jiang Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, watching Ji Hanyi lean over the painting table in thought. Warm spring sunlight softened her pale skin and simple clothes into a halo. Jewelry and silk gleamed together, making it difficult to look away.

He watched for a long while before entering.