Young widow in her boudoir

Incense and candles burned brightly, and offerings of three kinds of meat were displayed on the altar.

Because the matter needed to be kept confidential, Madam Shen only invited one elder of the clan to come and witness the event.

After the ceremony, the old lady carefully stored the contract in a box in the ancestral hall.

After signing the decree for the continuation of the family line, Pei Zhiheng, preoccupied with official duties, left the Shen family ancestral hall and traveled by carriage to the Dali Temple.

Just as Xie Rutang was about to curtsy and take her leave, the old lady suddenly called her to her side.

The windows of the side hall were half-closed, isolating the servants outside, leaving only the mother and daughter-in-law inside.

Since she had attempted suicide last time, and knowing she was a virtuous and chaste woman, the old lady unusually refrained from speaking harshly.

Xie Rutang appeared delicate, as if she could be blown away by a gust of wind, but she turned out to be quite strong-willed. This made the old lady admire her a little, and what she valued most was her loyalty to Shen Yuan.

The old lady spoke slowly, "It's best if you can understand. You are the widowed daughter-in-law of the Shen family. Do your duty well, and you will naturally be rewarded in the future."

She spoke gently, as was rare for her, and earnestly advised, "Yuanzhi will be staying at the Shen residence for another month. During this month, you should pay close attention and work harder."

The old lady hoped that she would soon produce an heir for the main branch of the family.

Seeing that the old lady's tone had softened considerably.

Xie Rutang loosened her clenched fist. It seemed that her suicide attempt yesterday had worked.

Having no other support in the mansion and no other options, she could only deliberately feign vulnerability to gain sympathy and lower others' guard. She hoped that the old lady's attitude towards her would gradually soften, so that she could gain some advantage from it.

In retrospect, she succeeded.

Xie Rutang felt a slight sense of relief, but it wasn't enough to make her optimistic.

Her seemingly weak and pitiful appearance is half genuine and half an act.

As a widow, she had no choice but to weep and wail every day, devotedly waiting for Shen Yuan.

If she doesn't cry... others will find fault with her. They all think that the meaning of a widow's life is to maintain her title for her deceased husband.

Xie Rutang's eyes were slightly dazed.

Even she herself didn't know whether she truly couldn't let go of Shen Yuan, or whether she was bound and suppressed by centuries of traditional etiquette and rules, forcing her to live only for her deceased husband's memorial tablet, becoming a mindless puppet.

When others think of her, they only think of Shen Yuan's widow, not Xie Rutang.

But deep down she was unwilling, and there was a hidden resistance in her heart.

She didn't want to live a life like a stagnant pool, unable to laugh or cry out loud.

She also wanted to wear a brightly colored dress like the other girls.

Go hiking and fly kites.

Xie Rutang especially missed her life as a young woman awaiting marriage, a life so bright and vibrant.

The old lady, unaware of her thoughts, spoke almost commandingly: "Yuanzhi is in charge of the Court of Judicial Review, burdened by paperwork day and night, exhausted both physically and mentally. You must be even more proactive!"

Someone of Master Pei's status would never accommodate anyone.

Even if they were to share a room, it wouldn't be him who asked; Xie Rutang knew this in his heart.

"Tonight, you should put aside your pride and invite Yuanzhi to stay with you. From now on, Yuanzhi will sleep at your place."

The old lady looked displeased. Her daughter-in-law was the most alluring and flirtatious of them all. If she took the initiative even slightly, any man would be moved.

Unfortunately, Xie Rutang was a well-educated young lady from a prominent family, with a conservative and reserved personality, and she couldn't let go of her inhibitions.

Xie Rutang bit her lip slightly, and then she suddenly realized that Su Xue Ju was some distance from her Cui Wu Yuan, neither far nor close.

If they were to share a room in the future, Yuanzhi would have to come to the back courtyard, to her Cuiwu Courtyard.

Xie Rutang's usually calm and composed heart suddenly started beating extremely fast.

The old lady didn't say anything else, but simply told her to go back to Cuiwu Courtyard to make preparations.

Xie Rutang pleaded with the old lady to allow her to go to Chengxin Painting Shop, which Shen Yuan had owned before his death. The shopkeeper had been waiting for her for a long time, as she had to sort out the monthly books and handle many other matters, both big and small.

Because she couldn't often appear in public, she had to ask permission from the old lady every time she left the mansion.

The old lady did not initially agree, but when she thought of Yuan Cheng's hard work and her deceased son, her eyes welled up with tears, she sighed deeply, and nodded in consent.

……

After Xie Rutang walked out of the ancestral hall, he went back to his room and took a few paintings before leaving the mansion.

Shen Yuan was skilled in both literature and martial arts, and both he and she loved painting and protecting it.

The Chengxin Painting Shop in the capital was opened by him and her together.

Now that Shen Yuan is gone, Xie Rutang is worried about the painting shop. She is delicate in appearance but resilient in character. Even without Shen Yuan, she is determined to support the old family business on her own.

Since Xie Rutang inherited the name of her late husband, Daolian Jushi, she has continued to sell her elegant works.

At first, she had a hard time running the business. She tried to imitate Shen Yuan's style, but it only restricted her.

Later, she turned to her strengths, painting with a delicate and tender style, specializing in lotus, orchid, plum blossom, and chrysanthemum, while also incorporating a touch of wild growth, blending it with Shen Yuan's previous paintings on the market.

After a period of perseverance, things have started to improve in the last few days.

Her paintings sold out as soon as they were put on the market yesterday.

With a glimmer of hope, Xie Rutang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she might be able to use the money she earned from selling her paintings to redeem her brother.

In the afternoon, she carried several paintings and walked through Jinxin Hall in the backyard to Jinfang Garden. Before she even stepped into the garden gate, she was blocked by Ye Wanyu and a group of servants.

Ye Wanyu wore her hair in a high bun, adorned with a pearl-encrusted gold hairpin and necklace. She moved like a noble peony, with Tao Lü by her side.

Upon seeing them from afar, Xie Rutang frowned slightly and considered taking a detour.

As a result, Ye Wanyu still caught a glimpse of her figure under the flowers.

Ye Wanyu winked at Tao Lü to stop her, "What a coincidence, what brings you here, sister-in-law?"

"Where are you going, sister-in-law?"

Xie Rutang was beautiful, and her allure, which could not be concealed by the sunlight in her simple dress, aroused Ye Wanyu's intense jealousy.

Ye Wanyu had finally managed to catch her in a compromising situation, but the old lady easily suppressed it. How could she accept that?

Xie Rutang clearly cheated on her husband with another man in the mansion!

She racked her brains but couldn't understand why the old lady would let Xie Rutang go.

Xie Rutang stopped in her tracks, carefully holding several scrolls of paintings in her arms, her clothes fluttering in the wind. "I just asked my mother-in-law for permission, and she, understanding my concern for my late husband's business, allowed me to go to my husband's shop to check the accounts."

Ye Wanyu smiled and said, "So, sister-in-law is going out. But the shop's accounts are managed by the manager; why should sister-in-law personally go to the marketplace?"

"In my opinion, it would be better to send the manager to the mansion with all the account books, so that my sister-in-law can simply sit in the courtyard and look through them. Why bother to go through all that trouble herself?"

Xie Rutang remained silent.

The Shen family still doesn't know that the owner of Chengxin Painting Shop is Shen Yuan.

If Ye Wanyu intentionally makes things difficult for her and forbids her from leaving the mansion, she will no longer be able to sell paintings under the identity of Daolian Jushi.