National Division

Chapter 82 The Shen Clan of Lanxi...

Dali Temple

As Shen Xian departed on the Empress's phoenix palanquin, the Shen family members in the Dali Temple government office did not linger in the gloomy atmosphere of the Dali Temple office.

Shen Lin looked reluctantly toward the palace and said to the Shen family, "It's getting late, let's go back first."

Shen Zheng hesitated and said, "Father, you admire him..."

"We'll talk about it when we get back." Shen Lin waved his hand to stop Shen Zheng, then turned to Shen Qian: "Zhongcheng, come back with me."

Shen Qian suppressed his excitement and replied, "Yes, Second Uncle."

As he spoke, he helped Shen Lin out of the Dali Temple government office.

Shen Zhai stood there, stunned, still unable to recover from the shock, and mechanically followed the crowd back.

When the Shen family returned to the Shen residence, the Princess Zhenguo turned her head to look at Si Di beside her and said softly, "Si Di, let's go to the palace too."

Si Di responded with a "Yes," then turned to Zhou Liang and said, "Lord Zhou."

Zhou Liangzheng was calming himself down when he heard this. He cupped his hands in a salute to Si Di and forced a smile, saying, "What advice do you have for me, Lord Si?"

"Scholar Shen is one of our Vermilion Bird Division's men. From now on, the criminal officers of the Court of Judicial Review should keep their eyes open." Si Di said calmly and casually.

Zhou Liang's heart skipped a beat, and he cupped his hands and said, "Lord Si, rest assured, such a thing will never happen again."

Si Di didn't say much, and quickly left Dali Temple with Princess Zhenguo, Xue Zhihua and others.

After everyone had left, Zhou Liang's face suddenly turned ashen, and a barely perceptible hint of resentment flashed in his eyes.

Since being selected by the Empress Dowager, Zhou Liang has been ranked among the Nine Ministers. He has never suffered such repeated humiliations.

Who exactly is this Shen Xian? Why is he being treated with such courtesy by the Empress?
Zhou Liang's face was ashen. After thinking for a moment, he prepared to discuss the matter with his advisor, Diao Fenglai, but then remembered that Diao Fenglai had gone to the Censorate.

"I wonder where this Shen Xian came from. Why does the Empress value him so much? I need to inquire about this with Prince Zhao." Zhou Liang pondered, then turned and returned to the Dali Temple office.

King Zhao is the nephew of the Empress Dowager and currently serves as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.

……

……

The Shen residence, the inner courtyard—

The lights were on full display, as bright as day.

Wooden screens divided the hall into several spaces, with servants standing with their hands at their sides.

Bathed in the glow of the lanterns, the jewels adorning her hair and her cloud-like hair shone brightly, clearly belonging to the women of the Shen family of Lanxi.

The Shen family of Lanxi has lived in the capital for many years. The main branch has two houses, which are not only numerous and well-established, but also have many relatives and clansmen.

Meanwhile, Old Madam Shen, with her full head of silver hair, sat on the Luohan bed covered with soft cushions. Her face was aged, and she was dressed in silk and satin.

Several daughters-in-law were seated on the chairs on either side of the lower end.

On the left is Shen Zheng's first wife, Zhou, and his concubine, Guo.

Zhou was in her early forties, a woman past her prime, but still charming. She was Shen Zheng's first wife, and her father had once served as the Sima of Linzhou.

Of course, when Shen Lin married Shen Zheng, he was also a sixth-rank official, so the two families were considered a well-matched couple.

Zhou had a daughter who married a few years ago, and a son named Shen Jun, who was just over twenty years old and unmarried. He was studying at the Imperial Academy and was determined to follow Shen Zhai's example, hoping to pass the imperial examination and enter officialdom to bring glory to his family.

Guo was a maidservant of Madam Shen. She was in her thirties and quite beautiful. She had a son and a daughter with Shen Zheng. Her son, Shen Dai, was seventeen years old and was studying law. He served as a second-class clerk in the Ministry of Justice.

In fact, this was the reality of that era. The official system of the Great Jing Dynasty not only had nine ranks and thirty levels, but also nine unranked classes, which were called "unranked."

Guo's daughter, Shen Youyi, was thirteen years old and unmarried.

Sitting to the left was Shen Zhai's wife, Madam Du, with no concubines beside her.

Du wore a pomegranate red long dress, her hair was adorned with pearl hairpins, and she had an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows and almond eyes, with a charming appearance, but her cheekbones were slightly high and her eyes were sharp.

The woman was twenty-five or twenty-six years old, the prime of her youth, radiant with youthful beauty.

Du was the daughter of the Du family of Jingzhao, a family of meritorious officials who were among the founding nobles of the country. Since she came from a prestigious family, even if she was from a commoner family, she was naturally proud. How could she share the position of Shen Zhai with others? In fact, Shen Zhai was able to successfully transfer to the position of Imperial Censor and Palace Attendant Censor without the help of Du.

The two branches of the Shen family's direct lineage also reflect the changes in Shen Lin's official career. By the time his youngest son came of age, he had already held a prestigious fourth-rank official position, and his family's status had risen so that he could marry a woman from a high-ranking family.

"Did Zheng'er and Zhai'er say what happened just now?" Old Madam Shen picked up the maple dew tea handed to her by the maid, took a sip, and asked.

Under the system of the Great Jing Dynasty, the wives and mothers of officials could be granted the title of Imperial Noble Consort. Shen Lin was a fourth-rank official, serving as the Junior Secretary. His wife, Chen, was granted the title of Imperial Noble Consort and became a "Shuoren" (a high-ranking official title).

Madam Du said softly, "I heard from the servants who attend to my husband that the Dali Temple has arrested my nephew Shen Xian."

"Nephew Shen Xian?" Old Madam Shen's aged face showed a look of recollection, as if she was trying to figure out who this nephew Shen Xian was. No wonder, after all, she was getting old.

Zhou, whose memory was better, explained, "My mother-in-law, Shen Xian is my third brother's son. Five years ago, I even brought him to the capital to meet you."

"Is it Xian'er? Sanlang's son?" Old Madam Shen suddenly remembered and hurriedly asked, "Why did the Dali Temple arrest him?"

Madam Zhou sighed, her expression wistful: "Does A-Jia still remember the marriage agreement made with the Yu family back then? It was made with the Yu family when my eldest uncle was still alive."

Upon hearing this, Madam Shen said, "I heard your father-in-law mention it before."

Zhou said, “When the Yu family came earlier, my grandfather said that this matter was of great importance and that the court was investigating the traitors of Prince Qing. Our Shen family should not get involved. Then he said that he would have my fourth brother write a letter and send it to Guhe County, Anzhou, to instruct my third brother not to take in any Yu family fugitives.”

As he spoke, he glanced at Madam Du, who was sitting not far away.

Madam Shen also recalled this matter, her gaze blank, and finally she sighed.

The Shen family, with over a hundred members in the capital, certainly shouldn't be involved in such a treacherous case; they shouldn't even get involved.

Du Shi chimed in, "My husband hadn't even had time to write a letter when his nephew Shen Xian came to the capital. He happened to be spotted by the people from the Dali Temple and was taken there. Before leaving, they said that a palace eunuch was delivering an imperial edict. We couldn't find him, and we don't know what happened."

Madam Shen looked puzzled and asked, "Did the eunuch say what the decree was?"

There was chaos at the time, and those who knew the truth all went to Dali Temple with Shen Lin and others, while the women of the Shen family knew nothing about it.

Du's beautiful face was clouded with worry as she said, "My father and the others left in a hurry, without explaining the cause and effect. The servants are ignorant and do not know the inside story."

"Then we can only wait until your father-in-law returns," said Madam Shen.

Du sighed and said, "I'm afraid the Dali Temple has some leverage over us and will turn their attention to the Shen family of Lanxi."

The capital is fraught with danger and peril. Recently, countless prominent families have been implicated in treasonous cases, resulting in the destruction of their homes and the deaths of their members.

Guo, standing next to Zhou, looked fearful and said, "What should we do?"

Madam Shen frowned and glared at Madam Guo: "Don't scare yourself."

Madam Du pursed her pink lips, carefully choosing her words: "Father, we have been separated from the Shen family of Anzhou for a long time. According to your daughter-in-law, we should separate our branches as soon as possible, so that no matter what happens to either branch, we will not be implicated."

Actually, this is a rehash of old news, because by the time of Shen Bin, the Shen family of Lanxi was already the third generation, and they had not made much progress in officialdom.

Especially after the Shen brothers, Shen Zheng and Shen Zhai, turned to literary pursuits and associated with the crude and vulgar Shen brothers, they tarnished the noble reputation of the Shen family of Lanxi.

Of course, objectively speaking, separating clans at this time could indeed reduce the risk of being implicated.

After a moment of silence, Madam Shen said, "Your father-in-law will not agree to this. Besides, it involves the clan's farmland and ancestral home in Lanxi. How can it be divided?"

People at that time valued their hometown and clan the most. If Shen Lin were to pass away one day, it would be fine, but his cousins ​​from the next generation, such as Shen Zheng, Shen Qian, Shen Bin, and Shen Zhai, would have to go their separate ways from then on.

But Shen Lin is still alive, how could he possibly do something like splitting up the clan?
"Now we're already involved, and who knows what kind of trouble this will cause," sighed Madam Du.

Madam Shen's face also showed some worry, but she did not speak.

While the women in the inner quarters were gossiping, a servant entered the backyard and announced, "Madam, the old master has arrived."

Shen Lin was called "Old Master" by the servants at home, and he could be said to be the pillar of the Shen family in Lanxi.

Madam Shen and her daughter-in-law both stood up to greet them.

Accompanied by Shen Qian and Shen Zheng, Shen Lin passed through the corridor, entered the three gates, and then through a hanging flower gate to arrive at the main hall of the inner residence.

Zhou, Guo, Du, and other female relatives all paid their respects.

(End of this chapter)