Chapter 4: The Jade of the Qin Character

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Shen He lifted her skirt and strode directly into the main hall.

The floor was covered with a plush carpet embroidered with five bats symbolizing longevity. The main chamber was separated by a sandalwood screen adorned with jade and white jade carvings of myriad birds facing the wind.

Beyond the screen, Grandmother Shan sat at the head of the room, fingers twirling a string of prayer beads, tenderly patting the back of Shen Jiao’s hand with a loving expression.

Shen Jiao lowered her head, her shoulders trembling slightly, looking as if she had suffered a grave injustice.

To her right sat Shen Jiao’s mother, Shan Zhuanyu, the general’s second wife.

Seeing Shen He enter, she covered a smile at the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.

On the left sat Lin, the father’s concubine.

Lin was weak and inept; originally a maid in Shan’s household, by a stroke of luck she became a concubine after bearing a daughter.

Behind Lin stood a timid young girl—Lin Yan, Lin’s daughter.

“Ah He, kneel!” Before Shen He could even come to a stop, Grandmother scolded in a stern voice.

Shen He coldly surveyed everyone in the room and bowed to Grandmother. “Linglong doesn’t know what she did wrong.”

Linglong was the childhood nickname her mother had given her before she passed away, but Grandmother never called her by it.

Once, to curry favor with Grandmother, she herself refrained from using that name; only Mr. Yan Qiu Xiu ever addressed her that way.

Now... Ha, she was going to be herself again.

Grandmother seemed surprised that Shen He referred to herself as Linglong but had no time to argue.

“What wrong did you do? Jiao Jiao is frail, yet you pushed her into the water at the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet just to keep her from stealing the spotlight. Such behavior is hardly befitting a noble lady!” Grandmother scolded in a deep voice.

Shen He sneered, “She fell into the water? I advise Grandmother to choose her words carefully. Has anyone seen me push her? I cannot bear such a charge.”

Indeed, the same thing was happening again.

In the previous life, after Shen He left, Shen Jiao had deliberately fallen into the water, claiming that Shen He pushed her to prevent her stepsister from stealing her thunder.

Afterwards, the incident was deliberately exaggerated and spread throughout the capital, tarnishing Shen He’s reputation and even branding her as the wicked daughter of the Shen family.

As a result, when Xiao Jingren ascended the throne, Shen He was barred from entering the inner palace due to her ill reputation.

Shen Jiao trembled, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Eldest sister, I know you’re afraid I’ll steal your spotlight at the Empress Dowager’s banquet, but you shouldn’t resort to such methods. If you don’t want me to go, I won’t go...”

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“You were the one who said you didn’t want to attend the banquet, and you were the one who pretended to cry and accuse me of bullying you,” Shen He raised an eyebrow. “Shen Jiao, do you really think I’m still the fool you used to manipulate?”

Stepmother Shan Zhuanyu frowned, sensing something different about Shen He today.

Shan Zhuanyu was Grandmother Shan’s niece. When Shen He’s mother, Lu Manzhi, was pregnant, General Shen got drunk at Grandmother Shan’s birthday banquet, and an indiscretion occurred between him and Shan Zhuanyu. Grandmother then arranged for Shan Zhuanyu to become Shen Huai’an’s concubine.

Later, Lu Manzhi died in childbirth, and Shan Zhuanyu, who was already pregnant, was elevated to second wife.

Grandmother Shan naturally favored Shan Zhuanyu and her daughter.

Shan Zhuanyu didn’t have time to think further and stood up. “Ah He, you’ve been pampered since childhood. Mother understands that Jiao’er can’t compare to you, but Jiao’er has always been well-behaved and never lied. Ah Yan saw that you pushed Jiao’er into the water. Mother does not blame you; just apologize to Jiao’er, and this matter will be over.”

She then glanced at Shen Yan.

Shen Yan timidly stepped forward, tugging at her clothes and lowering her head. “Mother is right...”

Shan Zhuanyu gave Shen Yan a disdainful look, then turned back to Shen He with feigned concern. “Ah He, Mother just wants to tell you that you should change your temper. If this spreads, it will disgrace our General’s residence!”

Shen He sneered and took a step closer to Shan Zhuanyu, her voice cold. “Spread? Who would spread it? This happened within the Shen family. If all the Shen family keeps quiet, who could possibly spread it? Or is Lady Shen so incompetent in managing the household that she can’t even control the servants’ tongues?”

Shan Zhuanyu froze, shocked that Shen He would silence her so bluntly. If rumors did spread, wouldn’t it be her fault as the mistress of the Shen family?

In the previous life, she had just received the imperial edict to marry Xiao Jingren and was overjoyed, but faced with such accusations, she had no idea how to respond.

This life was different.

Seeing this, Shen Jiao cried again, “Grandmother, it’s one thing for my sister to deny what she did, but even if I just accidentally fell into the water, it’s not serious. I simply didn’t attend the Empress Dowager’s banquet—that’s all...”

Smack—

A sharp slap echoed harshly in the silent main hall.

Shen Jiao covered her face, staring at Shen He in disbelief.

“You... you hit me?”

Shen He sneered. “If I hit you, I hit you. Do I need to pick a day for it?”

In the previous life, she had cared too much about reputation, never standing up for herself, always letting others have their way, suppressing her own sharpness to become Xiao Jingren’s consort.

Now, living this life again, she finally understood that reputation and the so-called virtues of a woman were nonsense.

Once she accepted the title of wicked woman openly, it was surprisingly liberating.

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Grandmother suddenly stood up. “Shen He! How dare you be so insolent!”

“Grandmother, as the eldest sister, it is my duty to educate my younger sister. She is full of lies, which only harms the reputation of our Shen household.”

Shan Zhuanyu tenderly stroked Shen Jiao’s face, which was already flushed red. “Ah He, I know you’ve never liked me as your mother, but the old lady is still here. You are too arrogant! How can you claim to be the heir of the Qín Character Jue?”

Shen He sneered, “So you were waiting for me here.”

Legend has it that thirteen hundred years ago, the Cangze Emperor of Yun Cang Kingdom fervently expanded his territory. With tributes flowing in from all four seas, treasures poured continuously into the kingdom.

It was said he sent men to seek out dragon veins and constructed four treasure vaults to house these amazing riches, offering them to divine beasts in hopes of eternal prosperity for his nation.

Subsequently, the Four Great Clans were entrusted to guard these vaults, each creating a “Jue” inscribed with one of the characters from “Qin, Qi, Shu, Hua” (music, chess, calligraphy, painting). Only when all four Jues combined could the Cangze treasure vaults be opened.

The Shen, Xue, Yan, and Zhao families each held one of these Jues.

It was rumored that whoever obtained the treasure would rule the world, but for a thousand years, no one had found the vault’s location.

The Qin Character Jue was held by Shen He’s aunt, Shen Liqin.

Shen He’s mother, Lu Manzhi, died shortly after giving birth to Shen He. Shen He was raised by her aunt, Shen Liqin, so it was well known that Shen He was the heir to the Qin Character Jue.

In the previous life, Shen Liqin presented the Qin Character Jue to Shen He as a wedding gift on her wedding day.

“Your aunt is still alive, yet Mother is already coveting the Qin Character Jue?” Shen He sneered.

“Shen He! Your father is not here—do you think you can run wild?” Old Lady Shan scolded fiercely.

“Grandmother, who’s causing trouble in my father’s absence? I just returned from the Empress Dowager’s banquet and was falsely accused of pushing my stepsister into the water, and yet I am not allowed to defend myself?”

“There is witness testimony. What defense do you have? Even if you’re so defiant today, you need to learn your lesson! Servants, take the eldest miss to the ancestral hall to kneel in punishment! She is not to leave without my permission!”

Several maids approached to seize Shen He, but she sneered disdainfully. “No need to trouble you all. I know the way to the ancestral hall better than you.”

With that, she left the main hall without looking back.

Punishment by kneeling—small matter!