Chapter 52: Bitter Wine, Sweet Tears

Shen Ti still hadn’t returned. It wasn't just Yin Zhi’s maidservants who were getting anxious—even Lüyun and Hexin were starting to worry.

They had all been transferred to Yin Zhi’s courtyard and were now considered her people. Her rise would be their rise; her fall, their fall.

Since Shen Ti wasn’t back yet, Yin Zhi, with nothing better to do, chatted with Lüyun and Hexin.

“So Miss Feng has been living in the estate these past two years?”

“Yes. She was brought here right after being purchased and placed in a side courtyard in the southeast. It was only about ten days ago that she was moved to the wing in the eastern quarters.”

Lüyun and Hexin, eager to show their loyalty, began talking without even needing Yin Zhi to ask.

“She has a former maid from the Feng family with her.”

“The Hanlin Scholar rarely visits her. Each time he does, it’s for a specific reason.”

“Ever since returning from Huaixi, the Hanlin moved to the study in the outer courtyard. Changchuan says they haven’t seen each other since.”

Yin Zhi was a bit surprised.

By her logic, if two people were living in the same estate, wouldn’t that make it easier for them to meet?

She quickly discarded that modern logic from her past life and tried to make sense of it in the context of this world. “Is he purposely avoiding suspicion with Miss Feng?”

Lüyun and Hexin exchanged a look. “Is he?”
“Doesn’t seem necessary,” they said uncertainly. “She’s just an official servant now. What’s there to avoid?”

Even if she were given status, she’d be no more than a concubine. Whether slave or concubine, there was no need to maintain appearances. Only formally engaged couples had to worry about impropriety.

Yin Zhi smiled but said nothing.

It was clear: he still loved her.

Even though her status had fallen, he still respected her, still saw her as the noble daughter she once was—hence, he kept his distance.

Thinking this, Yin Zhi felt her young cousin was truly a good boy.

Finally, there was noise from the courtyard. A maid entered and reported, “The Hanlin Scholar has returned.”
She paused, then added, “He brought Miss Feng with him.”

“Finally,” Yin Zhi said happily. She got up from the couch, straightened her clothes and hair. “Let’s go.”

As she entered the main room, she saw Shen Ti seated above, sipping tea.

Unlike the formal reception hall of a main residence, a hostess’s private chambers had only two seats of honor.

At the moment, a small stool had been set below, where a slender girl sat gracefully.

Seeing Yin Zhi enter, Shen Ti put down his tea and stood up. “Sister.”

If they were husband and wife, there’d be no need for him to rise when she entered. But in Shen Ti’s heart, they were still siblings. And when the older sister appears, the younger brother should stand.

Feng Luoyi stood up as well.

Yin Zhi walked in with a warm smile. “You’re back.”

As she greeted them, her eyes were already on Shen Ti.

The young man looked energetic and radiant, not tired in the least. In fact, his brows carried a joyful lightness.

Ah, to be young.

Shen Ti motioned to the seats. The two of them sat down.

“Feng is here to offer you tea,” Shen Ti said.

Yin Zhi took her seat and examined the young woman standing in the hall—a truly beautiful young girl.

A genuine maiden, full of freshness and life. Unlike herself, who only had the shell of youth. Her inner self was too old to convincingly pretend.

Feng Luoyi fit the fragile and delicate type perfectly. With downcast lashes and a slim waist, she stood there gracefully, evoking sympathy at first glance.

And she really was pitiful.

To be engaged to someone like Shen Ti, only for her family to fall from grace, reducing her from a future wife to a concubine—how tragic.

Fortunately, these two unfortunate young lovers had crossed paths with her.

From what she knew, last night had been both of their first time. Yin Zhi almost wanted to kindly ask, Was everything smooth last night?

She held it in.

With a gentle voice, she said, “Feng, come forward.”

Yin Zhi always felt that Feng Luoyi brought her good fortune.

It was because of Feng that she got the chance to marry into the Shen family—her mother-in-law was her aunt, and her husband was a good younger cousin. It was almost like just moving houses. All she had to do was get along with her aunt and cousin.

If she had married into another family, she'd have had to be on constant guard.

That would’ve been exhausting. But now? Everything was easy.

So she felt both sympathy and gratitude toward Feng Luoyi.

She planned to offer a few encouraging words later—to tell her the worst was over, that she'd help Shen Ti look after her, and that from now on, they would live as companions in the Shen household.

Peacefully, harmoniously.

A maid placed a kneeling cushion on the floor.

Feng Luoyi lifted her skirts and knelt.

Yin Zhi found it hard to watch.

She’d knelt before too, during her ten years in this world. But always before elders—grandparents, parents, masters, in-laws. Even in her previous life, many places still had customs of kneeling to elders. It never weighed on her.

But this girl was only a year younger than her. What she was kneeling to now was status.

This kneel marked the divide between honor and humility.

And she had fallen from a wealthy lady to this—it was heartbreaking.

The maid handed her the tea cup. Feng Luoyi lowered her gaze and raised the cup with both hands, above her brows. “Sister, please have tea.”

Her voice was soft and weak, like she lacked breath.

Hearing that “sister,” Shen Ti’s brows furrowed slightly, and he looked toward Yin Zhi.

But she seemed completely unbothered. Without hesitation, she took the cup and sipped.

So Shen Ti stayed silent.

Yin Zhi set the lid back on the cup, handed it to a maid, and looked at Feng Luoyi.

At the same moment, Feng Luoyi raised her eyes and looked at Yin Zhi.

It was their first time meeting each other's gaze.

Feng was indeed youthful and beautiful—but her eyes were deep and haunting.

Yin Zhi paused.

All the words of comfort and encouragement that had risen to her lips swirled and faded away.

“We’re all one family now,” she said simply. “You may rise.”

She called out, “Kui’er.”

Kui’er brought over a tray. The maid who had helped Feng Luoyi up took the gift.

Feng Luoyi bowed. “Thank you, sister.”

“No need,” Yin Zhi said. “I know you’ve had an education, so you understand everything. There’s no need for me to say more. Just live well.”

She lifted her tea. “That’s all from me. You may go. I need to visit Madam Shen now.”

“I won’t disturb you further,” said Feng, bowing again, then glancing at Shen Ti.

He nodded. “Go on.”

It was a simple phrase, but the tone—

Yin Zhi had been with him for five days and had always heard his voice clear and resonant. This was the first time it sounded so soft.

Tsk.

Before leaving, Feng Luoyi shared a lingering glance with him.

Yup. Definitely in love.

There’s no hiding it once people have been intimate.

Even in her past life, she’d heard of cases where a man brought his wife to meet an ex-lover, and the wife instantly knew: You two have slept together.

Once men and women had shared a bed, no matter how much they pretended, there would always be a subtle intimacy in their interactions.

And Shen Ti and Feng Luoyi weren’t even trying to pretend. With the main wife accepting the tea and giving a gift, she was now officially his concubine.

Yin Zhi rose to visit Madam Shen.

Shen Ti said, “I have an appointment with my cousins. It’s getting late. Please tell Mother I won’t be coming.”

“Thank you for the effort,” Yin Zhi said.

“We’re family—it’s only right,” he replied.

Though it was late, Madam Shen knew they had things to handle today, so Yin Zhi wasn’t in a hurry and walked at her usual pace.

But when she glanced around, she noticed Kui’er and Pu’er both had sour expressions like they’d just swallowed a lemon.

“What now?” Yin Zhi asked. “We’re going to see Auntie and you’re pulling faces?”

Kui’er snapped, “Why does she get to call you ‘sister’?”

Pu’er chimed in, “Exactly!”

Regardless of her past, Feng Luoyi was now a government bond servant. She couldn’t buy her freedom, nor be released. Technically, she ranked below even the maids.

According to proper rules, only a concubine brought in from a respectable family could address the main wife as “sister.” A servant-raised concubine should call her “madam.”

Yet Feng had called her “sister,” and both Yin Zhi and Shen Ti had allowed it. Kui’er and Pu’er had no say and were simply fuming.

But Yin Zhi had no desire to be called “madam.”

Besides, she and Shen Ti weren’t truly husband and wife. If anything, the poor lovebirds had just truly become a couple.

“There’s no point arguing about titles,” she said. “She used to be a noble’s daughter. Now she’s a servant. That’s tragic. If it were me, I wouldn’t forget my past either. I’d still think of myself as the same pampered girl reading in her boudoir. People need dreams to keep going. Why crush them unnecessarily?”

No matter how far she’d fallen, she’d still become a concubine.

In Yin Zhi’s past world, concubines were despised. Women would rather marry into poverty than be someone’s second wife.

But for maids like Kui’er and Pu’er, born as servants with average looks, being a concubine was an unattainable dream—the very peak of class mobility.

A concubine’s child would no longer be a slave.

Otherwise, when they reached marriageable age, their master would pair them off, and their children would be born into servitude again.

So while Yin Zhi could sympathize with Feng Luoyi, Kui’er and Pu’er could not.

And Yin Zhi didn’t have the power to force empathy. She could only say:

“We’re almost at Madam Shen’s. Wipe those looks off your faces. If she notices, it won’t be good. She passed up so many noble girls in the capital to bring me here from Huaixi. Do you think it was so I could tear at Feng’s hair in catfights?”

“This matter is settled. No more talk. If you keep bringing it up, it’ll eventually reach Jiyun’s ears. You know he married me for her. What good would it do but sow discord?”

Kui’er and Pu’er fell silent and followed her obediently into Madam Shen’s courtyard.

Today, they didn’t see Lord Shen. Shen Ti had ten days of wedding leave, but Lord Shen didn’t. He had already returned to his post at the Ministry of Rites.

Just as Yin Zhi had waited all morning for Shen Ti and Feng Luoyi, Madam Shen had also been eagerly awaiting Yin Zhi.

When she saw her enter with a smile, Madam Shen was finally at ease. She called her over to sit beside her and asked, “Did Feng offer you tea?”

“She did. It went very smoothly,” Yin Zhi replied. “Auntie, Feng is exactly how I imagined her.”

Madam Shen smiled. “And what did you imagine?”

“I thought, as the daughter of a scholar, well-educated and known for her talents, she’d be delicate and refined, with a scholarly air. Her voice would be soft and gentle. And sure enough, she’s exactly that. She even looks young still. When I think about what happened to her family, it’s truly sad.”

As she spoke, Madam Shen studied her. Seeing no trace of displeasure, she felt deeply comforted.

“Yes, it’s sad just thinking about it,” she said. “When I helped pin her hair that year, her cheeks were still round, so sweet and lovable. Her mother... sigh, let’s not talk about her.”

They were once supposed to be in-laws. They had exchanged seasonal gifts, made plans to burn incense at temples together, and always showed warmth at social gatherings.

Now that person, with her smile and voice still vivid in memory, had died in prison.

Madam Shen couldn’t help but cry.

Yin Zhi leaned forward and covered her hand. “It’ll be fine from now on. Feng will live here with us, under your watchful eye. She won’t suffer anymore.”

“She completes the fate between the Shen and Feng families.”

“You and Jiyun can both rest easy. From now on, our household will flourish.”

In the courtyard, Kui’er followed Yin Zhi into the room while Pu’er stayed on the bench in the corridor, sunning herself.

Nanny Qin came out from a side room and saw Pu’er’s sulking face across the courtyard.

She had been the one to give Feng her early lessons yesterday, so she knew Feng would be offering tea this morning. Seeing Pu’er looking so sour, she didn’t head to the main room right away.

Instead, she waved, “Pu’er, come here.”