Chapter 64: The Shen Family Daughters
This indirect criticism was not lost on Shen Shi.
In front of her two younger sisters, she dared not speak.
Madam Shen intended to use Shen Shi as an example to teach her second and third daughters the principles of being a wife.
She deliberately asked the third daughter in her arms, “How can a woman be considered virtuous?”
Third Miss Shen quickly rose and straightened her sleeves, reciting from Admonitions for Women with a swaying head.
“…The way of husband and wife, blending yin and yang, connects with the divine, upholding the great principles of heaven and earth and the essential virtues of human relations. If a wife is not virtuous, she cannot serve her husband…”
Daughters of the Shen family had memorized Admonitions for Women since learning to speak, and Shen Shi naturally knew it by heart.
Now, having her younger sister recite it in front of her was akin to slapping her, the eldest daughter, in the face.
Unable to bear hearing more than a few lines, Shen Shi lowered her head, covered her mouth, knelt before her mother, and tears streamed down her face.
Earlier in Brocade Prosperity Hall, Madam Ning had subtly hinted that Shen Shi was frail and intended to arrange a concubine for Ning Yuanjun.
Because the Shen family was also a lineage of scholars, she felt it necessary to inform her daughter’s mother-in-law.
Shen Shi had not expected this and was so shocked she could not utter a single word.
Among noble families, taking concubines came in various forms—taking a chamber maid or purchasing a singing girl as a concubine was naturally not a significant concern.
Like Yu Zhu from the Tranquil Study earlier, she was merely a chamber maid, whose life or sale was entirely at the discretion of the principal wife.
But Madam Ning had spoken so solemnly, indicating this was no trivial matter of sending someone to serve in the bedchamber.
Before her mother-in-law, Shen Shi could not refuse and had no choice but to remain silent without agreeing.
Instead, Madam Shen smiled and agreed, even saying such arrangements should have been made earlier, as the continuation of the family line was of utmost importance.
After leaving Brocade Prosperity Hall, Shen Shi felt her spirit crushed, walking unsteadily as if stumbling with every step.
“Mother knows you are competitive and unwilling to endure the idle provocations of a concubine. But you must also consider the Ning family. You married into the family and brought misfortune upon your father-in-law, and you and your husband have been separated for three years with little affection. Since your husband returned home several months ago, you have often been ill and have not conceived. The Ning family’s direct lineage must not end with you.”
Madam Shen’s wrinkles were deep, and seeing her eldest daughter’s aggrieved expression, her eyes were filled with dissatisfaction.
“Daughters of the Shen family are renowned for their virtue. The fact that you are not respected by your husband already brings shame to the family. You must not add the grave sin of jealousy. If outsiders learn that you forbid your husband from taking a concubine, what reputation will the Shen family daughters have? Your second sister’s betrothed is the newly appointed Tanhua, and his father is a great scholar of Neo-Confucianism who values women’s virtue above all. With an unvirtuous elder sister like you, would a Tanhua’s household still be willing to marry her?”
The words struck a painful chord, and Shen Shi could not help but sob, yet she could find no words to refute them.
Second Miss Shen blushed deeply at the mention of her betrothed and hurriedly covered her face.
Madam Shen frowned and continued, “Third Sister is fifteen this year. Your father has exhausted his efforts to arrange a marriage for her, hoping she will marry into a higher status. Now that the marriage is finally taking shape, must you cause trouble at this time? For the sake of your willfulness, you would ruin not only your two sisters’ futures but also the reputation of Shen family daughters for virtue and gentleness. Do you understand?”
Third Miss Shen, unashamed, stared directly at Shen Shi with her dark, glass-bead-like eyes.
Shen Shi, filled with shame and remorse, buried her face in her mother’s lap and wept bitterly.
“My husband does not care for me, and I dare not speak much. If he were to take a chamber maid or purchase a concubine, so be it. But the Ning family intends to establish a secondary wife. Mother does not know—my husband and I have yet to consummate our marriage. If he were to set me aside and marry another, would that not overturn the order of principal and secondary wives, leaving me cast aside?”
Madam Shen had not known that Shen Shi’s marriage remained unconsummated. She quickly glanced at Granny Zhao and Zhi Qing by the door.
Seeing the maids and servants bow their heads in silence, she knew it was true and nearly raised her hand to slap Shen Shi.
With her two younger sisters present, she restrained herself from striking, yet her hands trembled with rage.
Filled with fury and nowhere to vent it, she glanced at the two girls still covering their faces and couldn’t help but raise her voice to scold, “If you marry into a husband’s family and are not favored, and he wishes to take concubines or marry a noble secondary wife, what should you do?”
Upon hearing these words, Second Miss Shen was so ashamed she wished she could vanish into the ground—how could she possibly know what to do?
She merely buried her chin against her chest, tightly covering her flushed face, unwilling to utter another sound.
Madam Shen, her anger boiling over, turned to question her third daughter.
Third Miss Shen was bolder and whispered with a reddened face, “The Admonitions for Women says that reverence and obedience are the great rites of womanhood. If my husband wishes to do something, as his wife, I can only comply. How could I forbid him from taking concubines? I would simply care for the concubines and raise the children, and naturally, my husband would be pleased.”
Hearing these words, Madam Shen’s furious expression softened slightly.
Pointing at Shen Shi and the second daughter, she spat, “You two, as elder sisters—one married for years, the other about to be wed—are inferior to your unwed younger sister, who understands what propriety and shame mean!”
Shen Shi knelt on the floor weeping, while Second Miss Shen, too ashamed to hide, also knelt down in tears.
The commotion lasted over half an hour, and the noon meal was growing cold.
Granny Zhao and Zhi Qing could bear it no longer and knelt with the dowry maids, pleading.
“This is the Ning household. We beg Madam Ning to preserve Eldest Young Madam’s dignity. If the maids and servants in the courtyard hear this, won’t they look down on the Shen family’s young ladies? We implore Madam Ning to show mercy and let the young ladies eat first.”
Pear Moon had been waiting in the corridor for a long time, her toes curling uncomfortably.
The dishes had been sent in over half an hour ago, yet there was no sign of anyone eating.
One after another, they wept and took turns reciting the Admonitions for Women and Rules for Women.
Madam Shen scolded one, then the other, endlessly finding fault.
Heaven doesn’t strike down those who eat, yet she insisted on lecturing her daughters at the dining table—was she showing off how many daughters she had?
The crispy Lamb Head Rolls and Spice-Stuffed Lung were no longer crisp.
The porridge had cooled, and the noodles had turned sticky—how could such a meal be eaten?
Pear Moon watched the fine dishes grow cold, gritting her teeth in frustration!
Finally persuading them to sit at the table, Madam Shen still frowned and picked at the dishes, disdainful of the entire spread.
“Such extravagance and waste of effort are no different from upstart merchant families, utterly lacking the refinement of a scholarly household!”
Shen Shi and Second Miss Shen, having just wept, ate with reddened eyes, unable to swallow.
Third Miss Shen noticed the Lotus Pod Fish Dumplings—exquisite in appearance and delicious in taste—and after eating one, reached for a second.
But she was stopped by Madam Shen’s rebuke: “Indulging in gluttony will surely lead to hell in the future.”
Until the table was cleared, Pear Moon held back her anger.
Now she finally understood from whom Shen Shi had learned her peculiar and ill-tempered disposition.
Who in the capital was so idle as to praise the daughters raised by the Shen family?
The dishes on the table had only been touched once or twice, so Pear Moon took them all back to the kitchen.
Granny Fan reheated the Lamb Head Rolls, planning to enjoy them later with wine.
Pear Moon stir-fried the Stir-Fried Raw Meat and Spice-Stuffed Lung again, serving them to everyone as a side dish.
While eating in the kitchen, she saw Xiafu sneaking in with her bowl.
“What sins did I commit in my past life to serve such a family in this one!”
Pear Moon ate two pieces of the richly flavored Spice-Stuffed Lung, feeling that these words truly spoke her mind.
After the noon meal and tea, Madam Shen left with her second and third daughters.
Shen Shi remained kneeling on the floor, weeping, unable to stand despite repeated attempts to help her up.
Fearing something might happen to her, Zhi Qing and Granny Zhao carried her back to the Warm Pavilion to lie down, patting her chest and pinching her philtrum.
Shen Shi lay rigidly on the bed, staring blankly at the mandarin duck canopy above, as if she had lost her senses.
Zhi Qing threw herself at the bedside, weeping uncontrollably in distress:
“The Madam’s harsh words were spoken in anger—please don’t take them to heart, Mistress. Though she mentioned it, she never made it definite. How could the Duke truly intend to take a concubine? Mistress, you must not fall ill now. In a few days, our mansion will host a flower-viewing party, and the young ladies will be playing polo. We simply cannot afford to be absent!”
Granny Zhao, tears streaming down her aged face, patted the edge of the bed and wailed:
“Mistress, listen to this old servant—go and apologize to the Duke, reconcile with him! Once you left the Shen family, you became a member of the Ning household. The Madam only cares for Second Miss and Third Miss Ning—she won’t look after your life or death! If you don’t think of yourself, who will protect you? Mistress, please don’t be foolish any longer!”