Young widow in her boudoir

Xie Rutang hid for two days.

She happened to be menstruating at the time, so her consummation with Shen Shuming had to be postponed.

Xie Rutang breathed a sigh of relief. She still couldn't bring herself to do that kind of thing with any man other than Shen Yuan.

Autumn arrived in the blink of an eye, but the summer heat lingered, and the air remained dry and humid. Only after nightfall did a cool evening breeze arrive.

Last time, Pei Zhiheng returned the stolen goods to Zhang and her son, but Xie Rutang was still worried and busy with her brother's lawsuit.

Xie Rutang's fingers tightened around the agate cufflinks. If Pei Zhiheng showed no mercy and summoned her to the Dali Temple for a joint trial, acting impartially, she would have no way to resist. After all, she was just a woman confined to her chambers.

If a bribery attempt fails, the offender may pay a fine to atone for the crime, or be flogged according to the law.

Xie Rutang bit her lip lightly, then she accepted it.

She waited anxiously for the Dali Temple to send a message every day, but as the days went by, Pei Zhiheng was entangled in complicated official duties and seemed to have forgotten about the case, disappearing without a trace.

After being deceived by Zhang Qingci, Xie Rutang had no choice but to find another way out. With the expenses of Cuiwu Courtyard tight and in dire straits, she had no choice but to take out a piece of jewelry from her dowry that she liked very much and pawn it to make ends meet.

In the morning, Jin Yue carried a jewelry box to her usual pawnshop in the capital. Unexpectedly, she was spotted by Tao Lü, who was out buying strings for Ye Wan Yu.

Upon seeing Jin Yue emerge from Cheng Yu Pawnshop, Tao Lü instinctively hid.

If she wasn't mistaken, that person was Xie Rutang's maid...

When Tao Lu returned to the Shen residence, she told Ye Wanyu what she had seen that day.

Ye Wanyu was arranging flowers, the vase mainly filled with bright hollyhocks, complemented by elegant orchids. Upon hearing this, she narrowed her eyes, "You really saw Xie Rutang's maid?"

She still can't forget the scene of Shen Yuan and Xie Rutang enjoying their honeymoon in the mansion after Shen Yuan got married.

Although Shen Wen was handsome and well-mannered, he had three wives and four concubines. Ye Wanyu often quarreled with him and then hid in the room to cry.

Therefore, she hated Xie Rutang's appearance and hated that she had seduced Shen Yuan, otherwise she wouldn't have suffered so much.

Then one day, Shen Yuan, dressed in white, appeared in the garden of the Shen family mansion. He was as handsome as an orchid and as elegant as a phoenix and as graceful as a dragon.

Unable to suppress her emotions any longer, Ye Wanyu tearfully recounted her grievances after marrying Shen Wen.

With tender eyes, she revealed that the only person she had ever loved was him.

She had thought she would gain Shen Yuan's pity. She herself was not bad-looking, with a beautiful face and painted lips. She was by no means inferior to Xie Rutang. Moreover, her background was much higher than Xie Rutang's. She was a well-bred young lady from a scholarly family!

To everyone's surprise, after hearing this, Shen Yuan's dark eyebrows suddenly furrowed, his eyes, though gentle and affectionate, were actually cold and indifferent, concealing a faint chill within.

He stood under the sycamore tree and coldly interrupted her, "Sister-in-law, watch your words."

"If these words were to fall into my wife's ears, they would inevitably hurt her."

Those eyes were now filled with indifference and detachment.

Ye Wanyu was deeply shocked, her mind went blank. The beautiful thoughts that had just crossed her mind shattered completely in an instant.

She had been so distraught and heartbroken just now, and she had thought that even if Shen Yuan couldn't reciprocate her feelings, he would at least feel some pity and offer some words of comfort. But in the end, all he cared about was whether Xie Rutang would be sad.

Ye Wanyu slowly raised her hand to wipe away the tears on her cheeks, a deep and irreconcilable jealousy growing in her heart towards Xie Rutang.

……

Tao Lü nodded firmly, "This servant is certain that person is Jin Yue."

Ye Wanyu gazed at the flower branches in the vase, pondered for a long time, and slowly curled the corners of her lips: "So, Xie Rutang probably had no choice but to pawn her dowry and jewelry to raise money in order to save her brother."

Madam Shen had always been a cold observer, refusing to lend a hand in Xie Rutang's brother's case, and she had heard about this before.

But that alone is not enough to give Xie Rutang leverage.

Ye Wanyu's eyes flickered slightly, and with a smile playing on her red lips, she said to Tao Lu, "Come closer and do as I instruct..."

Another day passed.

Jin Yue took the bracelet that Xie Rutang had made from unused beads and went to Chengyu Pawnshop to pawn it again.

She deliberately acted discreetly, thinking she was getting away with it, but Tao Lü still managed to follow her.

Upon entering the pawnshop, the shopkeeper picked up the string of beads and examined it for a moment, then said, "I'll give you five taels at most."

Upon hearing this, Jin Yue frowned, her face filled with disbelief: "These are my mistress's private collection, all broken beads from her fine clothes and precious jewelry. Each bead is a top-quality, valuable gemstone. You've gone too far!"

The shopkeeper gave a dry, mocking laugh: "Miss, you probably don't understand the workings of the pawnshop. These scattered beads will sit in our warehouse for who knows how long before we find a buyer, and there's a considerable risk involved. If it were a complete set of jewelry, the price would naturally be different."

Jin Yue was unwilling to suffer a loss for nothing, so she continued to bargain and finally only gave six taels.

After she left in her carriage, Tao Lu quietly went into the pawnshop to find the shopkeeper from earlier.

……

Jin Yue returned to Cui Wu Courtyard with the six taels of silver, still feeling resentful.

Xie Rutang told her to put the silver away, lowered her eyes, and said, "Alright! Although it's a bit low, we should be content with the current situation."

She knew in her heart that she was now a widow living in the mansion and was subject to many restrictions. Her money was becoming increasingly scarce, and it was already difficult for her to obtain even this much.

She secluded herself in the Cuiwu Courtyard for two days.

Before they knew it, it was the first day of the seventh lunar month, and the Shen family was going to distribute porridge on the streets.

According to clan rules, as Shen Yuan's widow, she should make an appearance. Firstly, it would allow her to pray for her deceased husband and accumulate good karma; secondly, it would be a beautiful thing that would win praise from the neighbors.

On the day the porridge was distributed, Xie Rutang, as usual, went to her mother-in-law to listen to the rules.

When the old lady saw her in her white dress today, she immediately frowned and said with disdain, "Yuan Cheng is dead, who are you dressing so ostentatiously for?"

The so-called ostentation was nothing more than the fact that she had embroidered a few lotus flowers with blue thread on her cuffs today. Even though it was already very simple and plain, the old lady was still so picky.

Xie Rutang did not refute.

The old lady said with disgust, "Go change your clothes before you come back! Don't embarrass yourself in front of people!"

Xie Rutang lowered her eyes and said, "Yes."

She changed into a plain gray-blue jacket and a matching horse-face skirt before returning. She was without any hairpins or ornaments, looking as dull as grass and trees.

Jin Yue felt a pang of heartache and her eyes reddened slightly, but she dared not let the madam see, for fear that Xie Rutang would become even more sentimental.

The porridge distribution shed was set up at the east corner gate of the mansion. The courtyard wall here was wide, and the corner gate led directly to the long street in the city, making it convenient to enter and exit. The Shen family chose this place to set up the porridge distribution shed.

When Xie Rutang arrived, he saw several iron pots on the stove, with boiling rice porridge bubbling and the sweet aroma of rice wafting through the air. A large number of people had already gathered along the street, all waiting.

The steward and his servants worked in an orderly fashion, distributing bowls of porridge. Ye Wanyu had already arrived, dressed in a moon-shaped skirt with gold-embroidered spring flowers and jade bracelets around her wrists, standing in front of the shed.

Xie Rutang didn't say much, but went over to serve the porridge herself, rolling up her sleeves slightly to reveal a patch of her fair skin.

She was so busy that it was noon, and Xie Rutang didn't even have time to drink water.

Suddenly, a servant announced that Pei Zhiheng had arrived.