Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Shen Si said nothing after hearing what the Empress had to say.
He sat down on the other side of the small table. His handsome, aristocratic face remained impassive, as though forever untouched by worldly dust and indifferent to all before him.
Empress Shen had long since grown accustomed to her younger brother’s taciturn nature. In truth, the two of them had never had much to talk about. She had already been twenty when Shen Si was born and had been married to the Reigning Emperor for three years. As a married woman, she could not return to her maiden home often, so the siblings naturally had few opportunities to speak with each other.
But however little time they had spent together, he was still her own flesh and blood. She worried over every aspect of his life.
Besides, the continuation of the Shen Family line depended on him.
Empress Shen did not beat around the bush. Taking the painting in hand, she studied it and continued, “This truly is a superb painting. The brushwork is assured, capturing both form and spirit. The composition is meticulous, and though the texturing strokes are sparse, they lend tremendous depth to the crags and ravines. Who would have thought Master Shilan was actually a woman?”
Empress Shen quietly watched Shen Si as she asked, “Ah Si, do you know who that woman is?”
Light from the window fell across Shen Si’s profile, leaving half his noble features illuminated and the other half in shadow. Without looking at Empress Shen, he replied in an almost indifferent voice, “I don’t care who painted it.”
Empress Shen raised an eyebrow, rolled up the painting, and set it aside. Her voice grew slightly more solemn. “Ah Si, given the Shen Family’s current standing and your present status, I don’t care whom you marry in the future.”
“You may love whomever you wish, but you must not fall for a woman who is already married.”
Shen Si raised an eyebrow and rose unhurriedly from his chair. He looked coolly at Empress Shen. “Did Her Majesty the Empress summon me solely to say this?”
“Then Her Majesty the Empress has underestimated me.”
“I may love whomever I wish, but coveting another man’s wife is beneath me.”
Empress Shen looked up at Shen Si. Not the slightest change could be seen in his expression. He remained as cold and aloof as ever, as if the matter had never stirred his heart in the least.
But she was his elder sister. She knew him better than anyone else.
He had never shown any interest in Master Shilan’s paintings before, yet several years later, he had suddenly begun paying attention to them.
No matter how good Master Shilan’s paintings were, they were not worth a personal trip to Baoshan Tower, much less collecting every last scroll.
His study contained countless ancient masterpieces, each worth a fortune. Shen Si never did anything without purpose. The only explanation was that those paintings held a significance unlike any other.
He had long known that Master Shilan was Ji Hanyi’s father. He had also long known that there would never be any more paintings by Master Shilan. A man as intelligent as Shen Si could not possibly have failed to realize who was painting them now.
And Empress Shen knew that if Shen Si refused to admit something, no one could force an admission from him.
She looked at him. “I heard you rejected the case file Court Director Xie submitted two days ago?”
Shen Si frowned at Empress Shen. He did not like anyone keeping such close watch over his official affairs.
Empress Shen understood the meaning in his eyes and said, “There’s no need to look at me like that. I only learned of it because I happened to overhear you when you went to submit a memorial on the matter to His Majesty the Emperor. Otherwise, I would not have summoned you today.”
Empress Shen frowned, her gaze turning uncharacteristically stern. “Ah Si, I called you here today to remind you that the Ji Family’s Young Lady is already married. She is another man’s wife.”
“I know that if you truly set your mind to it, you would certainly be capable of taking her for yourself. But I hope you will never do such a thing.”
“As for the investigation into the Shilin County case, regardless of whether this was Court Director Xie’s mistake, I hope you will continue to handle the matter impartially and not use it as a pretext to ruin him.”
“Ah Si, the Shen Family cannot do such a thing.”
Something shifted silently in Shen Si’s eyes.
Their depths turned dark and unreadable as he pressed his lips tightly together.
If he wanted to ruin Xie Yuheng, he had countless ways to do so.
If he had wanted to claim Ji Hanyi for himself, he would likewise have had countless ways to prevent Ji Hanyi from marrying so smoothly.
Even if Ji Hanyi did not love him, even if she resisted, he still had many ways to make her do as he wished.
Ji Hanyi had plenty of vulnerabilities he could exploit. She was soft-hearted by nature, and with the right methods, he could have brought her entirely under his control.
But he had always considered such methods beneath him.
She had made her choice that year, and he would not force her.
Nor would he seek any further involvement with her.
Shen Si looked at Empress Shen. Only after a long silence did he speak. “There were problems with the Shilin County case to begin with. It has nothing to do with anything else.”
“I have always handled official matters impartially.”
Empress Shen finally felt relieved upon hearing his answer.
Given Shen Si’s temperament, the fact that he was willing to offer even one further explanation meant that this was indeed the truth.
The Shen Family might be immensely powerful, but their father had taught them from childhood never to use their strength to bully the weak and always to retain a compassionate heart. She had held fast to those principles, which was why she had been able to remain of one heart and mind with His Majesty the Emperor within the imperial harem.
Once reassured, a faint smile returned to Empress Shen’s face. “I plan to hold a Snow-Viewing Banquet in a few days. Come if you have the time.”
Shen Si refused without hesitation. “Official duties are demanding at year’s end. I’m afraid I won’t be free.”
Empress Shen had known that would be his answer. She looked at Shen Si with a sigh. “Ah Si, Father and Mother are growing old.”
“You must think of them as well.”
“Even if you insist on delaying your marriage, how much longer do you intend to put it off?”
As she spoke, she produced another painted scroll and had someone bring it to Shen Si. “At least take a look at this young lady.”
Shen Si had no desire to accept it, but after a brief pause, he took the scroll. If he refused to look at it now, it would almost certainly find its way to his study later.
The scroll slowly unfurled. Shen Si’s gaze paused when he saw the woman in the portrait, then shifted, dark and unfathomable, to Empress Shen.
Empress Shen smiled. “What do you think?”
“She’s a daughter of the Gu Family. She’s strikingly beautiful and has a good temperament. Why not meet her?”
Shen Si coldly set the portrait back down. After tersely declaring that he would not meet her, he turned and left.
Empress Shen watched his retreating figure with a smile.
Those few moments of hesitation had been enough for her to see that her younger brother had not forgotten after all.
But the Ji Family had only one daughter. Fortunately, the Gu Family had a young lady who bore a slight resemblance to her. Even that faint resemblance had been enough to make her brother, aloof since childhood, look a few moments longer.
Though the Gu Family had long since fallen from prominence in the capital, the match was actually quite suitable. Shen Si enjoyed His Majesty the Emperor’s trust and favor, so marrying a woman from a powerful family might make His Majesty the Emperor suspect him of forming a faction through marriage. A daughter of the Gu Family would not raise such concerns.
Besides, the Shen Family had no need for a political marriage or a match between families of equal standing. The Shen Family had many sons, most of whom held important positions. Their father intended for Shen Si to enter the Grand Secretariat in the future. More than anything, it was important for him to marry an ordinary woman he liked and live a peaceful, stable life.
She sighed. There was no chance Shen Si would cooperate by attending the Snow-Viewing Banquet. After pondering for a moment, she smiled again.
Outside the hall, light snow drifted through the air. This year’s snowfall had been exceptionally heavy, heralding a bountiful year for Great Rui.
Shen Si clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the falling snow, but his thoughts refused to obey him.
In truth, there had been many times when he had wanted to make a move against Xie Yuheng.
When he last heard that she had been left alone in the snow, the urge had become almost impossible to suppress.
Wen’an stood beside Shen Si, studying the icy expression on his face. Shen Si always seemed lofty and proud, as if forever beyond reach. Aside from official business, there was only more official business. It was rare to see him lost in thought.
Could his master have troubles of his own as well?
Wen’an suddenly seemed to remember something. He took a letter from inside his robe. “This arrived from Yanqiu Gate this morning. You had gone to see His Majesty the Emperor, my lord, so I didn’t take it out earlier.”
Shen Si looked at the letter in Wen’an’s hand. He knew what was inside — and whom it concerned.
He stared at it for a long while, then raised his head to gaze at the red walls and green-tiled roofs beneath the drifting snow. His fingers twitched. In the end, he looked away and continued walking.
As he left, he told Wen’an to burn the letter.
Wen’an stared blankly at the letter in his hand, then looked up at the lonely figure of his master walking away through the snow. He understood less and less what Shen Si was thinking.
But Wen’an did not dare dwell on it. Shen Si had been cold and distant from the very first day Wen’an began serving him. If Wen’an ever managed to see through his thoughts, his master would no longer be the master he knew.
When Xie Yuheng emerged from Old Madam Xie’s quarters that night, his steps were slightly unsteady.
Only when the frigid wind howled into his face did the numb ache in his heart spread back through his body.
For one fleeting moment, he even blamed his grandmother.
Why had she set a one-month deadline?
He and Ji Hanyi had always been fine. For three years, she had been gentle and obedient. All he had done was neglect her a little. It had never been anything so serious.
How could it possibly come to divorce? She was only throwing a tantrum.
Even if she had truly resolved to divorce him, she could not leave unless he agreed.
Everything would be fine once Mingrou was betrothed. No matter how deeply aggrieved Ji Hanyi felt, surely her hurt would eventually be soothed.
Most of all, he hated his grandmother’s words that some things could not be had by force.
He had forced nothing. Ji Hanyi was his wife to begin with.
Xie Yuheng’s eyes reddened. He had been burdened by official duties for days, and the case in Shilin County still hung over his head. Even if there truly was a problem with that case, the Censorate would only hold him accountable for negligence and dereliction of duty. The punishment likely would not be severe.
But the incident would still blemish his record. Officials were assessed once every three years, and this had happened in the very first year. Promotion over the next three years was now impossible. If he received the lowest rating, he might even be demoted.
After so many days of anxiety, Xie Yuheng’s shoulders finally sagged. His attendant hurriedly caught hold of him and asked, “Master, what’s wrong?”
Xie Yuheng lowered his head and waved him off, then pushed the attendant aside and stumbled toward his courtyard.
He walked quickly, his steps hurried.
He desperately wanted to see Ji Hanyi.
Gusts swept past him as the scenery along the bluestone path blurred by, yet all he could see were the countless gestures Ji Hanyi had made in reaching toward him.
She had poured his tea, simmered soup for him, and perfumed his clothes. Her presence lingered in every insignificant little thing.
He felt hollow inside.
A wave of cold struck him head-on, and only one thought remained: it was all gone.
What exactly was gone, he did not know.
He only knew that there was nothing left.
When he reached the courtyard, there was no longer any warm candlelight glowing inside. No gentle silhouette graced the window, and the captivating woman who had always stood by the door waiting for him was nowhere to be seen.
He stood rooted to the spot. What his grandmother had told him earlier surged repeatedly through his mind, leaving him barely able to remain on his feet.
A matron stationed outside saw Xie Yuheng standing stiffly in the courtyard instead of entering the room and hurried over. “Eldest Master?”
Only then did Xie Yuheng turn to her. “Where is she?”
The matron froze for a moment before quickly answering, “Young Madam is still in the study.”
Xie Yuheng closed his eyes briefly, then asked, “Has she been back?”
The matron hesitated. “Young Madam hasn’t returned to the main room in two or three days.”
Xie Yuheng looked at the dim lanterns beneath the covered walkway. “When she came back in from the snow that day, was she terribly ill? Did she say anything?”