Chapter 50: The Cheat Code of Marriage

Back at the Shen residence, Shen Ti and Yin Zhi needed to first go to the main hall to report the outcome of delivering the returning gifts to the elders.

On the way, Shen Ti asked, “What did Cousin Cheng say to you?”

“What else can family say?” Yin Zhi replied. “He told me to tolerate your concubine and hurry up and give birth to your eldest son.”

Indeed, all topics of concern from the natal family. Shen Ti was curious, “And what did you say in return?”

After the conversation, he noticed that his brother-in-law's expression had been oddly twisted, like someone who’d swallowed something unpleasant and couldn’t spit it out.

Yin Zhi repeated to Shen Ti exactly what she'd told her brother.

Shen Ti turned his head and covered his mouth with his fist.

“Don’t laugh,” Yin Zhi said earnestly. “Tell me, which part did I get wrong? Aren’t we women supposed to follow the ‘three obediences and four virtues’? Aren’t we supposed to take our husband’s family as our heaven? If all this is wrong, then why were we taught so from childhood? Go on, you explain.”

Shen Ti stifled his laughter, lowered his hand, and said, “Everything you said is right. As long as one keeps doing the right thing, one will remain invincible.”

He paused. “At the very least, in an argument.”

“Exactly,” Yin Zhi said. “This is what you call holding the moral high ground.”

Her face remained serious, but her eyes sparkled with mischief.

The afternoon sun tilted slightly west, casting a pale golden light. It fell on her face, making her look particularly vivid.

As she walked, it was as if life itself leapt with her every step.

Shen Ti couldn't help but glance at her again.

Lord and Lady Shen had already calculated the time and were waiting for them.

Shen Ti reported on their meeting with his wife's family: “My cousins said they will definitely come tomorrow.”

With the returning ceremony completed, the wedding could be considered officially over. From tomorrow onward, they could begin visiting relatives as usual.

Lord Shen said, “It’s rare for them to come to the capital. Let them stay a few more days. You’re still on leave, so take your cousins around the city.”

“Yes,” Shen Ti responded.

As the time drew near, Yin Zhi rose and excused herself to the kitchen.

Lord and Lady Shen both smiled kindly and said, “Go on, then.”

Once she left, only the family of three remained. The couple dropped all pretense.

Lady Shen looked Shen Ti up and down. “How have these past few days been? Getting along well with Zhi?”

“Very well,” Shen Ti replied.

He thought of Yin Zhi’s cunning, lively eyes earlier, and a smile crept onto his lips. “Cousin is very easy to get along with.”

The Shen couple exchanged knowing glances.

Lady Shen even covered her mouth and laughed in satisfaction.

After dinner, Lady Shen said, “No need to come here tomorrow. From now on, the two of you can dine in your own rooms.”

After three days of formal etiquette, the symbolic rituals were complete, and there was no need to trouble the daughter-in-law any further.

Yin Zhi had known from the start that her dear aunt wasn't the type to torment others. She’d realized that in the two days after arriving. Both mother and son were kind and soft-hearted.

She smiled sweetly and gave her thanks.

Once they left, Lord Shen chuckled. “That Zhi girl is truly charming.”

She was always smiling.

Being around someone like that was surely comforting. No wonder their son had been smiling unconsciously while talking about her.

“I knew it,” Yin Zhi boasted on the way back, “She's my real aunt after all.”

Seeing how pleased she was, Shen Ti couldn’t help but tease, “Yes, Sister has finally gotten her wish.”

Yin Zhi said, “I have. Now it’s your turn. When are you handling Miss Feng’s matter?”

Shen Ti thought for a moment. “My cousins will be here tomorrow. The day after, then—she can serve you tea.”

In other words, he would consummate the union with his concubine before she formally served the main wife tea.

So that meant… tomorrow night, Shen Ti would sleep there.

He was really going to be a groom.

Yin Zhi sincerely wanted to congratulate him, but there were still maids around, so she held back and simply said, “Have you informed her? Better send someone over early to let her know, so she can prepare.”

“It’s all been arranged,” Shen Ti replied.

Feng Luoyi no longer lived in that remote little courtyard. A proper residence had been prepared for her before Yin Zhi’s wedding so as not to interfere with it.

Yin Zhi felt exasperated with his typical straight-man logic.

“I meant psychological preparation,” she corrected, pausing in her steps to teach him like an older sister. “You’ve been staying on this side since the wedding. She’s bound to feel anxious.”

“Don’t say things like ‘she already knew’—knowing doesn’t mean she won’t feel uneasy. In her position, anxiety is natural.”

“Send someone over early. It’ll help settle her nerves.”

This whole arrangement had always been vaguely framed as "after the wedding," but never with a clear date.

Yin Zhi just wanted to make sure the Shen family didn’t act like some messy melodrama—taking a wife and a concubine on the same day and leaving the bridal chamber empty.

Especially considering the young woman had probably waited at least a year for this day.

And she wasn’t just waiting out of love. She truly needed the identity and security that came with being a concubine.

Yin Zhi herself had married into the Shen family to secure a livelihood. Compared to her, a girl from a humble, lowborn background like Feng Luoyi had even more pressing need for security.

Pitiful, really.

Yin Zhi could empathize.

Shen Ti looked at her face for a moment.

“Alright,” he said. “I’ll send someone to inform her tomorrow morning.”

And sure enough, early the next day, he sent Changchuan to notify Feng Luoyi: “Tell her I’ll come by tonight. Tomorrow, she’ll serve tea to the young madam.”

Changchuan ran off.

Feng Luoyi had been waiting for this moment since the day she was rescued by the Shen family.

She held back her emotions long enough to reward Changchuan. Only when he left did she cover her mouth with a handkerchief and sob.

Zhaoxiang tried to comfort her, “Don’t cry, don’t cry—your eyes will swell, and you want to look good tonight when the Hanlin arrives.”

At that, Feng Luoyi tried her best to stop crying.

Though she had lived in the Shen household for two years, her spirit had always been adrift.

She’d long known she could never become Shen Lang’s official wife. The only thing she could hope for was the title of concubine. Only with that could she truly settle down in the Shen household.

Given her history with the Shen family, even if the future main wife was domineering, the family wouldn’t allow her to be arbitrarily cast out.

This was the best outcome she could have hoped for after two years of bitter waiting.

But now that it had finally come—was she happy?

Not really.

She only felt overwhelming sorrow, as if grief were pouring out of her.

Zhaoxiang cooled a towel and had her lie down, but the tears kept seeping through.

On the fourth day of the wedding, the event was officially over. The guests who should leave had left.

Yin Zhi’s three brothers came to visit.

Originally, this had been their aunt’s in-laws. Now, it was their younger sister’s in-laws too. Truly a family union—no need for formalities.

But with the difference between men and women, after seeing their aunt, it was mainly their uncle and brother-in-law who hosted them.

Uncle Shen gave Shen Ti a new task: “Take your cousins around the city.”

Among the three, only Yin Zhi’s real brother had lived in the capital before. The two cousins from the main and second branches were visiting for the first time.

They discussed where to go and what to see.

Meanwhile, Yin Zhi stayed with her aunt. She told her, “Jiyun will visit Miss Feng tonight, and tomorrow she’ll serve me tea. Once that’s done, everything will be in order, and everyone can be at ease.”

Lady Shen had long awaited this day. Father and son had clashed bitterly over this matter, and it had given her quite a headache.

She observed Yin Zhi’s calm and relaxed expression, without any forced pretense. She felt relief and sighed. “That girl is pitiful too. She’s of low birth now—no matter how much Jiyun cherishes her, she won’t be able to surpass you. Jiyun is stubborn; you’ll have to be more forgiving.”

Everyone had their own priorities.

Shen Jiyun wanted to protect the woman he loved. Lord and Lady Shen wanted household harmony.

Yin Zhi felt like the fisherman benefiting from a fight between the clam and the snipe—she’d gained the most out of all this.

Oh, she’d forgotten one more party: the Yin family, who were eager to strengthen ties with the Shens through marriage. So among all these competing interests, Yin Zhi came out on top.

She felt incredibly lucky and couldn’t help smiling. “Don’t be so hard on Jiyun. He’s young, yes, but he’s loyal and has his own views. As his sister, I’ll be more understanding. Don’t worry about this.”

Then she leaned in close and whispered, “Miss Feng doesn’t have any older women around her, right? Should we send a madam to… explain things to her?”

Her grace and generosity moved Lady Shen deeply. She truly felt they hadn’t married the wrong woman into the family.

This was technically the main wife’s responsibility, but Yin Zhi didn’t have any older women on her side. Yunjian was technically a maid, but she was only a teenager and hardly suitable. So Yin Zhi sought Lady Shen’s help.

Understanding her situation, Lady Shen agreed, “Alright. I’ll send Mama Qin.”

Shen Ti did indeed take his cousins around all day and only returned in the evening.

Her brothers were all married and considerate. Not wanting to disturb the young couple’s honeymoon, they urged him to head back early.

When Shen Ti returned, Yin Zhi greeted him. “You must be tired.”

“We’re family,” Shen Ti said.

Starting today, they no longer had to attend formal etiquette before Lady Shen. For the first time, Shen Ti and Yin Zhi dined alone in their room.

Yin Zhi asked, “Are you bathing here or over there?”

Shen Ti felt a bit uneasy but after thinking it over, replied, “Here.”

After staying here a few nights, all his clothes and essentials were here. It was beginning to feel like home.

Yin Zhi helped prepare his bath and watched him go in, sensing something off. He seemed tense.

Was it because he was about to be with the girl he truly loved?

Shouldn’t he be happy? Why so tense?

Suddenly, she remembered something and called in Lüyian quietly. “Does Jiyun have a bedroom maid?”

“No,” Lüyian replied.

Yin Zhi asked, “Has he ever had one?”

“No,” Lüyian said. “Maybe people outside think so, but in the household, never. When he was younger and studying away from home, he was still a boy.”

Yin Zhi was quite surprised.

She had never asked because she’d just assumed—boys in rich families usually had maidservants before they married. It was considered cleaner and safer than seeking prostitutes.

As backward as it was, it had its own twisted logic.

But she hadn't expected Shen Ti to be the exception.

“Why?” she asked, deeply curious.

Lüyian didn’t really know either but hazarded a guess—accurately: “He came home early because of the Feng family’s matter. As soon as he was back, he started clashing with the Lord and Lady over Miss Feng. The Lord said to postpone everything until after his exams. He then focused fully on studying. Even senior maids like Qiutong and Xiayin didn’t dare disturb him. After winning third place in the exams, he went with Madam to Huaixi. By the time he returned, the engagement with you was already arranged.”

Ah, so that’s how it was.

Yin Zhi’s expression became strange.

Having grown up in the Yin family, where her brothers were already sleeping with maids at fourteen or fifteen, she never imagined Shen Ti might still be a… virgin at eighteen.

What the heck—suddenly, that’s kind of adorable.