Chapter 22
**Chapter 22: Zhang Yue Serves the Night**
Shen Xiuming's face flushed with anger. "You old scheming woman, I'll tear your mouth apart!"
Shen Wei quickly grabbed her brother's hand, pleading desperately, "Brother, please, don’t offend Mama Rong."
Shen Xiuming was seething with rage, struggling to control his impulses. He knew that if he laid a hand on Mama Rong today, his third sister's life in the Wang residence would only become more unbearable.
Mama Rong's eyes glinted with disdain as she sneered, "Just in time, the Wang residence is in need of a night servant. You, young brother, are quite suitable for that role."
Shen Xiuming's face burned with humiliation. How could he, a scholar, stoop to serving as a night servant? These arrogant servants of the Wang residence!
The seemingly timid Shen Wei, seeing her brother being bullied, clenched her fists and retorted, "Mama, my brother could read at three, recite texts at four, and entered a private school at five. He will surely achieve great things in the future!"
Mama Rong scoffed, "Him?"
Shaking her head mockingly, Mama Rong said with a venomous tone, "Shen family, let’s go. If you don’t return to the Wang residence soon, you’ll be in for a beating."
Shen Wei trembled in fear, returning the silver to their mother. She grasped Shen Mu's hand tightly, saying, "Mother, the ten taels you gathered should be saved for my brother to marry. Your daughter is unfilial; I will serve you in the next life."
Tears streamed down Shen Mu's face.
Mama Rong grew impatient, stepping forward to roughly tug at Shen Wei's sleeve, dragging her away without mercy.
"Brother, take good care of Mother..." Shen Wei reached out in agony, as if she wanted to embrace her family one last time.
But she could not resist, only being dragged away like refuse.
Shen Mu and Shen Xiuming chased after them, following into a secluded alley. They saw Mama Rong brutally grabbing Shen Wei by the hair and shoving her into a dilapidated carriage.
"Third girl! Third girl! Let her go!" Shen Mu stumbled forward.
Two young eunuchs by the carriage frowned, threateningly saying, "How dare you obstruct the Wang residence's carriage! You’re asking for trouble!"
Seeing their mother about to be beaten, Shen Xiuming rushed forward to block them. "I’m a scholar; do you dare touch my mother?"
The eunuch Jixiang let out a derisive laugh, saying viciously, "You? Ha! What are you? If you were the top scholar, I might look at you differently. A mere scholar like you has the nerve to show off in front of me—Deshun, teach him a lesson!"
Jixiang and Deshun had some skills. They seized Shen Xiuming's arms and pinned him against the wall, delivering a brutal beating.
Shen Wei lifted the carriage curtain, crying out loudly, "Stop hitting him! Brother, take Mother away!"
In her heart, she thought: Beat him hard.
A man who gambled away their mother’s life savings and forced his sister into servitude was unworthy of mercy.
Jixiang and Deshun continued to rain blows on Shen Xiuming. He ended up with a bruised face, but they didn’t strike him to the point of death.
Jixiang spat on Shen Xiuming, the sticky saliva landing on his face.
Jixiang and Deshun laughed mockingly, taunting, "Your sister is just the lowest-ranking concubine in the Wang residence; everyone can bully her. What are you? Not even worthy to carry my shoes!"
After finishing his insults, Jixiang jumped into the carriage and left.
Shen Xiuming lay on the ground for a long time before finally staggering to his feet. His eyes were bloodshot, and his fists were tightly clenched.
Today, he had suffered a great humiliation, and his pride was shattered.
Shen Mu collapsed to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
She angrily struck Shen Xiuming, her voice filled with pain, "It’s you, it’s you who caused your sister to go to that devouring Wang residence... If it weren’t for you stealing my medical money, would your third sister have to sell herself as a servant? What kind of concubine would she become? Heaven, why did you give birth to such a fool!"
"What have I done to you? What have your second and third sisters done to you? Yet you’ve scattered our entire family!"
Shen Mu cried out in despair.
Shen Xiuming lowered his head, feeling guilt, self-blame, anger, and unwillingness.
He bit down hard on his lip, drawing blood.
With a deceased father, an older brother who died in battle, a second sister suffering in Shu, and a third sister living a hellish life in the Wang residence, their aging mother had no one to shield him from the storm. This family could only rely on him to hold it together.
Thinking of his past misdeeds, Shen Xiuming felt like smashing his head against a wall.
With a swollen face, he knelt before Shen Mu, raising his hand and swearing, "Mother, I will study hard. I will pass the spring examination next year and save my third sister from her plight!"
Shen Wei was trapped in the Wang residence for life, with no one to rely on, and her family was just a common farming household.
Shen Xiuming decided to study diligently, aiming to enter the officialdom through the spring examination.
He would bear the heavy burden of reviving the family. He would be Shen Wei's support; with him around, those arrogant servants in the Wang residence would never dare to bully her again.
Shen Xiuming helped Shen Mu to her feet and headed to a Confucian temple on the outskirts of Yanjing, renting two small rooms.
"All things are inferior; only studying is supreme."
Shen Xiuming resolved to study hard here until the next spring examination.
...
In the Fangfei Courtyard.
Mama Rong, Jixiang, and Deshun finished their act and knelt on the ground to apologize. They had played the villains, offending Shen Wei.
Shen Wei smiled as she helped them up, her tone gentle, "No need to apologize; you did well—just don’t spread the word."
The more viciously Mama Rong and the others acted, the more motivated Shen Xiuming would become. Shen Wei rewarded each of them with a tael of silver.
Jixiang and Deshun accepted the silver, happily bowing in thanks.
Shen Wei kept Mama Rong behind, whispering, "Mama, my brother is truly hopeless. You must go to the Confucian temple in the suburbs every month and send a small amount of silver to my mother and brother. Make sure to act fierce."
"My lady, this chapter has more to offer, please click the next page to continue reading; it gets even more exciting!"
Shen Xiuming seemed to be turning over a new leaf, but who knew if he would give up halfway?
Shen Wei needed to keep pushing him.
If her brother worked hard, she would have a bright future.
Mama Rong, being astute, understood immediately: "Rest assured, my lady, I will handle this matter well for you."
Today, Shen Wei had staged a play to inspire Shen Xiuming's ambition.
Shen Xiuming was already a natural scholar; with a little effort, he might not become the top scholar, but he could at least make it onto the spring examination list.
Shen Wei needed Shen Xiuming to enter the officialdom to elevate the entire Shen family's status.
Coming from a humble background, even if she had children in the future, she could at most rise to the status of a secondary concubine.
The position of a secondary concubine was quite awkward, neither here nor there, with no qualification to enter the royal genealogy. Children born to secondary concubines would only be listed under the primary consort's name.
Shen Wei's goal was to become a side consort, whose status was second only to the primary consort, allowing her to raise her children independently and have their names entered into the royal genealogy.
However, side consorts valued family background even more. The three current side consorts in the Yan Wang residence—Liu Ruyan, Zhang Miaoyu, and Liu Qiao'er—all had fathers serving in the court.
If Shen Xiuming could enter the officialdom, even as a minor official, Shen Wei would have the qualifications to become a side consort. At that time, she could maneuver things behind the scenes to have Shen Xiuming serve under the Yan Wang, ensuring a bright future.
Shen Wei took a sip of hot tea, gazing out at the dim night sky. "Caiping, where is the prince staying tonight?"
Caiping replied indignantly, "My lady, the prince has gone to the neighboring Rose Courtyard tonight."
Today, the Yan Wang had originally planned to visit Fangfei Courtyard, but the primary consort said Shen Wei had been injured at the Spring Banquet and needed to rest.
Thus, the Yan Wang changed his mind and went to the newly brought-in concubine, Zhang Yue.
Shen Wei sipped her tea slowly, not particularly concerned about Zhang Yue.
She wasn’t pursuing a "one life, one love" scenario; she viewed the Yan Wang merely as her cash cow, a stepping stone to her retirement.
If the prince could visit her for ten days a month, that was already considered favored.
As for the remaining twenty days, the Yan Wang could sleep with whomever he pleased. If he were to spend every night in her room, that would be a disaster. Even a strong woman like Shen Wei couldn’t handle that.
"Caiping, go fetch the Four Treasures of the Study; I need to practice writing for half an hour before bed tonight." Shen Wei set down her teacup, her mood as calm as still water.
Never engage in internal strife; persist in the competition.
...
In the Rose Courtyard next to Fangfei Courtyard.
The Yan Wang had not yet arrived, but Zhang Yue was already eagerly bathing, attended by two maidservants as she groomed herself.
"My lady, you look truly beautiful," one maidservant, Fang'er, flattered.
Zhang Yue smiled slightly.
In the small silver mirror, her delicate face was reflected. With a fair oval face, sparkling big eyes, and a slender figure, Zhang Yue was very pleased with her appearance.
When the Yan Wang arrived, she would surely do everything in her power to capture his heart.
If a lowly farmer's daughter like Shen Wei could enjoy the Yan Wang's favor for two months, then Zhang Yue was confident she could do the same.
"The prince has arrived." A eunuch's voice came from outside.
Zhang Yue joyfully stood up, leading her two maidservants out to greet him. The sky had darkened, and the moonlight cast a hazy glow as lanterns lit up under the eaves. The tall and imposing figure of the Yan Wang slowly appeared.
Zhang Yue's heart raced as she gracefully bowed, sweetly saying, "This humble servant, Zhang Yue, greets the prince."
The Yan Wang was distracted.
Having just passed by Fangfei Courtyard, he noticed two mandarin duck lanterns hanging from its eaves, exquisitely crafted. As he walked past the courtyard wall, he could still faintly smell the elegant fragrance of gardenias.
He wanted to see Shen Wei in Fangfei Courtyard and also take a look at the nearly ripe purple eggplants there.
Upon entering Zhang Yue's Rose Courtyard, he saw the dilapidated courtyard walls and the uneven trees, and the stark contrast left him quite dissatisfied.
As the Yan Wang stepped into the bedroom of the Rose Courtyard, Zhang Yue eagerly approached, saying, "Your Highness, allow me to assist you in changing your clothes."
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