Chapter 58: The Box Beneath the Desk" – Symbolizin

Kui’er slipped stealthily into the side room.

Back when Yin Zhi got married, she had told the three of them not to hang around Shen Ti. If Shen Ti needed anything, let his maids serve him.

And after the marriage, Yin Zhi had changed quite a bit too — whenever she was with Shen Ti, she wouldn’t allow anyone else in the room. If they were in the inner chamber, the maids were sent to the side room. If they were in the side room, the maids had to go to the outer hall.

She and Shen Ti didn’t like others overhearing their conversations.

Kui’er actually thought this was good — it gave them uninterrupted time together and brought them closer.

Now, with Shen Ti out in the courtyard and only Yin Zhi in the side room, Kui’er seized the chance to sneak in.

Yin Zhi looked up at her. “What is it? Why the sour face?”

Kui’er did indeed look grim. She quickly stepped closer, bent down, cupped her mouth, and whispered, “The Hanlin has excused Concubine Feng from her daily greetings.”

Yin Zhi was pleased with Kui’er’s loyalty and told her, “I know. We just discussed it. He even wanted me to go and show kindness to Madam Feng so she’d feel grateful to me. I said I didn’t need to, so he went on his own.”

Kui’er went silent, her eyes widening into round saucers.

She shut her eyes and took a deep breath.

Yin Zhi chuckled, barely holding back her laughter. “I’ve told you all many times, Concubine Feng is a special case.”

Hearing movement in the courtyard, she added in a low voice, “Go on, get out of here. If he sees you in here, he’ll know you came to tattle.”

Kui’er stomped her feet twice, but still left.

Sure enough, Shen Ti came in soon after. He looked very pleased.

“I told her she no longer needs to come greet you every day,” he said. “But Luoniang said that propriety must be maintained. She insisted on coming. Luoniang has been educated since childhood — she understands propriety and courtesy. So I said, let her come on the fifth and tenth days. She agreed.”

So that was why he looked so happy.

A wife who is generous, gracious, and tolerant.

A concubine who is educated, respectful, and well-behaved.

This was the dream of any man managing an inner household.

Dream fulfilled, wasn’t it?

Yin Zhi smiled gently. “Alright, then let it be that way. This way, I’ll still see her regularly, and we won’t grow distant.”

Shen Ti sensed something behind Yin Zhi’s smile, but couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Was she teasing him? To him, it seemed like a reasonable compromise between the three of them. Not a win-win exactly, but no one lost.

Wasn’t this essentially what they’d agreed upon at the start?

So what was she smiling at?

Yin Zhi noticed the suspicion in his eyes and quickly reined herself in. She called the maid in to clear the dishes and got up from the couch, casually changing the subject. “I’m going to visit Aunt. Are you coming?”

Since men had official duties — especially Shen Ti, who was already serving — they weren’t expected to greet their mothers daily.

Shen Ti took the mouthwash tea, rinsed his mouth, and said, “I won’t go. I have plans with my cousins today. Time’s tight — I need to take care of this first.”

Yin Zhi also rinsed her mouth and dabbed her lips with a handkerchief. “This?”

Shen Ti picked up a box beside him and gave it a shake.

When had that box gotten there? It had been hidden behind the tea table. Yin Zhi hadn’t noticed it before.

She looked at the box, about to ask what it was. Then she met Shen Ti’s gaze — deep, unreadable — and suddenly understood.

“That one?”

“Mhm.”

A maid, leaving with the tea tray, overheard their vague exchange and thought: What’s “that one”? Which one? The Hanlin and Young Madam had only been married a few days and were already this in sync? Like playing charades — outsiders couldn’t make sense of it at all.

She retreated with the tray.

The side room was empty again.

Some things are spoken only in the dark. Some things are done only in the dark. It's not the same as being under the open sky.

Yin Zhi and Shen Ti sat across from each other, eyes locked over the tea table.

Men and women are sometimes like hunter and prey.

In moments like this, you can’t show weakness. Whoever breaks first becomes the hunted.

You could hear a pin drop.

Yin Zhi didn’t avert her gaze in the slightest.

Usually, men have the upper hand in situations like this. But from the start of their marriage, Yin Zhi had firmly assumed the role of “elder sister,” claiming the moral and social high ground. Day by day, she had been subtly shaping Shen Ti’s behavior.

She had made him accept that it was natural for an elder sister to be a bit bossy, a bit assertive, in front of her younger brother.

At last, Shen Ti looked away first.

He got off the couch and brushed off his robes. “I’ll be going, then.”

“Go on,” said Yin Zhi. “Dispose of it thoroughly.”

Items like that were best burned — no reason to keep them. It wasn’t convenient to do it here. If she had someone bring in a brazier, it’d attract too much attention. A piece of clothing that size would flare up quickly. The maids would start screaming.

It was far easier for a man to take care of such things.

Yin Zhi was resigned to the utter lack of privacy in a grand household like this.

She now fully understood why senior maids and trusted matrons were so valued and rewarded.

They must hold countless secrets of their masters — swallowing them all without a word.

Shen Ti was already at the threshold when Yin Zhi called him back. “Ji Yun.”

In front of others, she called him “Ji Yun.” So why had she dared call him “Shen Ti” last night?

Shen Ti turned back.

Yin Zhi said gently, “You don’t need to come back tonight. Just stay over there.”

He could no longer be seen as a boy — she realized that last night. Shen Ti was now a man.

Once you cross that line, there’s no going back.

How long they could continue like this in the future was another matter, but for now — absolutely not. She hadn’t secured her footing yet. If they became physically involved too soon, all her hard-won progress would go to waste. She’d instantly lose her upper hand.

Unacceptable.

That’s why last night she’d deliberately slept at the very edge of the bed. It was probably the worst night of sleep since she got married.

Food, clothing, and sleep — those were her basic demands in this world. She had never aimed for love, status, or power. Just the basics. She had to at least have those.

So she was sending Shen Ti over to Feng Luoyi’s place. She wanted the big bed to herself.

“Does Concubine Feng have any of your clothes over there? If not, have the maids send some. It'll be more convenient in the future.” She spoke like a truly gracious, generous wife.

For her own comfort, even her voice softened.

Shen Ti stared at her smiling face.

“You don’t need to worry,” he said. “I’ll have them arrange it.” Then he glanced at her again.

Keep pretending, he thought. He saw it clearly now — she’d tricked her entire family with this act, and even managed to fool his mother, her own aunt. No wonder she earned her favor.

But all her sharpness, rebellion, and audacity — she kept those hidden in their private chambers. Only he knew.

And… it was kind of amusing.

Shen Ti turned and left with the box, a faint smile on his lips — one he didn’t even notice himself.

He left Jingrong Court and headed to his private study.

The outer study was for guests. The inner study was his personal domain within the residence.

For couples with poor relationships, if the husband didn’t want to sleep in either the wife’s or the concubine’s quarters, he’d sleep in his inner study.

Changchuan, from the inner residence, followed him.

The boy was still young. Though he’d shot up recently, with his hair knot just reaching Shen Ti’s chest, he could now walk around the inner compound.

His legs were short. Even though Shen Ti walked at a steady pace, Changchuan had to trot to keep up.

“Master Hanlin, let me carry that,” he offered sensibly.

Hanlin was carrying a box. Normally, he’d only be holding a fan or a riding crop.

But today, Shen Ti didn’t hand it over — even refused. “No need. I’ll carry it myself.”

So Shen Ti carried the box all the way to his inner study.

He dismissed the maids and Changchuan, then sat alone at his desk, staring at the box.

Before last night, if someone mentioned his future with Yin Zhi, the first thought in his mind would have been care.

He wanted to care for Yin Zhi for life.

But last night, when he received that blood-stained undergarment, he suddenly realized something — he could put it differently:

Yin Zhi now belonged to him.

That sense of possession had always been overshadowed by their “sibling” roles.

He had overlooked it.

His hand rested on the box.

What to do? Burn it?

He hesitated.

The feel of it against his fingertips seemed to burn, almost scalding.

In the end, Shen Ti made his decision.

He resisted the urge to open it, opened a hidden compartment beneath the desk, found the mechanism, triggered it — and placed the box inside.

Then he stood and called out, “Let’s go. Time to meet the cousins.”

He still had ten days of wedding leave — plenty of time to explore the capital with his cousins.

“Oh right, summon Pingmo too.”

—

Yin Zhi went to pay respects to Madam Shen.

You couldn’t go too early — had to avoid running into the father-in-law. Perfect. No impact on her sleep schedule.

“Don’t gossip about Concubine Feng’s greetings,” she told Puer along the way. “I’ll handle it myself. If you say something once, Nanny Qin will think you’re naive. If you’re always the one speaking on behalf of this courtyard, the head matron will smile to your face but never trust you again.”

Puer hadn’t thought of that. She turned pale.

“I’ll say it again — this isn’t our own home,” said Yin Zhi.

Kui’er and Puer both bowed their heads. “Yes.”

At Madam Shen’s, she was boiling tea.

“Come quick. Your uncle brought back some fine tea.” She smiled. “Take some with you later.”

Yin Zhi joined her with a smile.

She noted that Madam Shen’s brewing method differed from Huai Xi’s and asked earnestly about it.

Madam Shen saw her own younger self in Yin Zhi, and her spirits lifted as she explained in detail.

They were not just mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, but also aunt and niece.

But in ancient times, even relatives marrying within the clan didn’t guarantee kindness from an aunt.

Yin Zhi knew she was lucky. She also knew this relationship had to be cultivated.

“Aunt, Concubine Feng came to greet me today,” Yin Zhi volunteered.

“Oh?” As expected, Madam Shen’s focus shifted from the tea.

“She’s very well-mannered,” Yin Zhi praised Feng Luoyi first, then said, “But Ji Yun and I both feel that our family is one that values kindness. There’s really no need. So we agreed to excuse her from greetings.”

Madam Shen never imagined it had been Yin Zhi’s idea. She just assumed that though Yin Zhi said “we,” it had to be Shen Ti who wanted to exempt Feng Luoyi.

Her son felt sorry for Feng Luoyi — wasn’t that obvious?

Madam Shen felt a little guilty.

But after all her years in the inner court, she kept her face composed. “So it’s settled?”

“That was our plan,” said Yin Zhi. “But Concubine Feng is educated — she refused. In the end, Ji Yun said she could greet me on the fifth and tenth. Only then did she agree. She’s young, but very sensible.”

Yin Zhi was even defending Feng Luoyi — even though her own rights as wife were being infringed.

Madam Shen said, “That was Ji Yun’s fault. I’ll speak to him. Sorry to put you through this.”

Yin Zhi chuckled. “Aunt, I knew all this before I got married. I said then, I was marrying into your household. I’ve never lacked food or clothing. If Ji Yun has a concubine serving him, that just saves me trouble.”

Madam Shen was moved, pleased, and amused. “You…”

She poured the tea and sighed. “Feng is a pitiful girl — no wonder Ji Yun pities her. But don’t worry. You are Ji Yun’s wife in this household. She can’t overstep you.”

Her calling Feng “pitiful” told Yin Zhi that Madam Shen’s feelings toward Feng were not like a typical mother-in-law’s toward a concubine.

According to Shen Ti, engagements in the capital came early — they’d been betrothed around thirteen.

What did a thirteen-year-old boy know? He wasn’t still playing in the mud, sure — but how much could he understand about love?

And Shen Daren wouldn’t have gone to inspect the girl himself.

Feng Luoyi must have been personally chosen by Madam Shen from among many girls.

She must have been one she liked.

Blood ties didn’t make an aunt automatically trustworthy.

Would Madam Shen travel all the way to Huai Xi just to promote a merchant family far off in the provinces? Or out of pity for some distant nieces she barely knew?

No — she did it for her son, the imperial scholar.

Of course, Madam Shen was a kind and gentle woman. She wasn’t malicious. So as long as Yin Zhi understood her priorities, everything would be fine.

What did Madam Shen want?

She wanted her son to be respected and cherished by his wife, and satisfied and fulfilled by his concubine.

She wanted harmony among his women, so he could enjoy the blessings of having both.

Anything beyond that — like keeping this “benefit” within the family — was just a bonus.

Helping her once-favored daughter-in-law candidate a little was no big deal. Yin Zhi didn’t know how long this pity would last — or how deep it ran.

But if she wanted real favor, real support — that would take effort. That relationship had to be earned.

In ancient marriages, it was often the mother-in-law who mattered most — more than the husband.