Chapter 007: Covert Warfare

She fixed her gaze intently in this direction, seemingly afraid that Shen Changle might suddenly take action against her daughter

Both the old lady and Shen Lingcheng's expressions stiffened, but in the end, it was the old lady who spoke, saying, "If you want to see your sister, then go ahead and see her"

Shen Lingcheng's gaze lingered slightly on Aunt An, which naturally did not escape the notice of those around him. The old lady was indifferent; after all, Shen Lingcheng had two legitimate sons, so a little favoritism towards a concubine was not a significant matter. Men, after all, have a natural inclination towards vibrant colors.

Shen Lingcheng did not expect her to suddenly mention Shen Yue. At this moment, when he looked up, he saw Aunt An standing by the bed. She had a complexion like a peach blossom, and her dark hair was adorned with a single silver hairpin inlaid with pearls, from which several tassels hung. At that moment, her eyes met Shen Lingcheng's, and she couldn't help but shyly lower her head and smile, causing the tassels in her hair to sway gently, further enhancing her charming demeanor.

After a while, the Zhao family also found an excuse to leave, and only a few concubines and servants remained in the room to attend to Lin.

Everyone immediately turned to look at her, and at that moment, Lin had already straightened her posture, her face displaying a tense expression

"It looks good," Shen Changle said loudly. Her remark elicited laughter from the other elders in the room, but the smile on Lin's face was not as sincere and natural.

Upon hearing this, Aunt An felt flustered inside, yet she did not dare to lag behind in action and quickly picked up the small bowl. However, as soon as she touched the bowl, it was scalding hot; it had just been placed outside, and the maid had put it on the stove to warm it up, fearing it would get cold. Yet, even though Aunt An found it hot, she did not dare to complain.

However, Lin was always on edge. Although she did not understand why Shen Changle made such a proposal, she felt that the child was too eerie, exuding a kind of sinister aura that frightened her. Yet, the old lady and the master doted on her in every possible way, which was truly terrifying

At that moment, a commotion was heard outside, and soon footsteps approached. When the maid lifted the door curtain, it was unexpectedly Shen Lingcheng supporting the old lady as she personally came over to visit. As soon as the old lady entered the room, she spotted Shen Changle and smiled, waving her hand as she asked, "Changle, have you come to see your sister too?"

At this moment, the maid had already brought over two low rosewood chairs. After the elderly lady was assisted by the maid to sit down, she beckoned for Shen Changle to come over. Although Shen Changle approached with her short legs, her face still bore an expression of displeasure.

In the past, Shen Jinxin was proud and self-assured, her beauty vividly remembered. If it weren't for her current inability to paint, she would have loved to capture the present appearance of Shen Jin. However, she turned her eyes and revealed a hint of mischief.

Suddenly, she reached out and gently poked Shen Jin's cheek, then looked up at Shen Lingcheng with delight and said: "Father, look how soft my sister is"

The wet nurse glanced at Lin, noticing her anxiety, and for a moment was unsure whether she should let the third young lady see the child

Now, Shen Lingcheng can roughly understand what she is saying, and he nodded to indicate: "You were born this small, but with a high nose and thick hair"

"Father, I want to play with my two younger sisters in the future. I wish the fourth sister would grow up quickly," Shen Changle said loudly. At this moment, a young woman standing by the Lin family's bed, dressed in a light green silk robe with a persimmon pattern, immediately looked up and joyfully glanced over.

Shen Changle nodded, a displeased expression appearing on his face

After she fed Lin Shi the first bite, Lin Shi frowned and said, "It's a bit hot; let's let it cool down first."

During dinner, Shen Changle happened to overhear two maidservants chatting idly and learned that after leaving the Lin family's quarters, Aunt An's hands had swollen to the size of pig trotters

Shen Lingcheng asked the wet nurse to bring the child over, and naturally, the wet nurse did not dare to refuse. After Shen Lingcheng personally held the child, he showed it to the elderly lady beside him. He had already seen the child last night, and after the elderly lady had taken a look, he lowered his head and said to Shen Changle beside him: "Changle, come over and take a look, this is your sister"

Shen Changle nodded, her face beaming with a smile, and her pair of sparkling big eyes radiated an indescribable anticipation, which made Zhao feel a softening in his heart. She turned to the wet nurse beside her and said, "Could you hold the Fifth Miss for the Third Miss to see?"

Although Zhao's family has three wives, it is not appropriate for her to interfere in the affairs of the first wife, so she refrains from saying much. On the other hand, Shen Changle, being younger, speaks without much thought, and her words are merely those of a child. Thus, she pouts in displeasure and exclaims loudly: "I want to see my younger sister, but the madam says no"

As for Shen Changle, it mattered even less to her; in her view, her father's affection for the concubine was naturally preferable to his affection for Lin. Therefore, the one who suffered the most in this household was Lin, who had just given birth to a daughter, while her husband's gaze was fixed on the concubine.

"Younger sister is beautiful, draw her," Shen Changle said obediently, but deep down she harbored mischievous thoughts. It was at this moment that she realized not only had her body shrunk, but her behavior had also become childish. She wanted Shen Lingcheng to paint Shen Jin, and then coax their father into giving her the painting.

When others heard this, they understood that the lady was about to settle accounts. Just now, Aunt An had been exchanging glances with the master in front of so many people, as if no one had noticed. Thus, some people naturally felt secretly pleased, although they did not dare to show it on their faces

Shen Jin is truly unattractive, all wrinkled, resembling a molted monkey.

Seeing this, Zhao felt a pang of sympathy for her niece. Indeed, a stepmother is just a stepmother; Le Jie'er merely wanted to see her sister, yet she made such a fuss over it. Moreover, it was she who had asked Shen Changle whether she wanted to see the child, and Lin's actions had also slapped her in the face. Thus, Zhao could no longer maintain the smile on her face.

Zhao was completely unaware of what Lin was thinking. Seeing her eagerly looking at the wet nurse's hands, he assumed she wanted to see her younger sister and smiled as he asked her: "Changle, do you want to take a look at your sister?"

The Shen family's household is not particularly complex, so any slight disturbance is quickly known throughout the entire residence.

Upon seeing this, Shen Changle secretly smiled to herself, but her face displayed a look of grievance: "I just wanted to see my sister"

Lin glanced at Aunt An, let out a cold laugh, and then softly said: "Zhang Mama, go and bring the bird's nest soup; I am a bit hungry."

The wet nurse naturally suspected nothing, and took a couple of steps forward, just about to bend down to show her the child in her arms, when she suddenly heard Lin's voice from the bed exclaiming: "No."

Upon hearing that she was hungry, Granny Zhang quickly instructed the maid to bring in the bird's nest that had already been prepared. The maid entered carrying a gilded redwood carved tray, on which sat a sweet white porcelain bowl, and walked to the side of the bed. Once the young maid stood still, He Xiang beside her reached out to take the small bowl.

Shen Lingcheng knew that his daughter was usually well-behaved and obedient, always wearing a smile. Therefore, seeing her like this all of a sudden, he curiously asked, "Changle, what is the matter?"

The old lady certainly noticed, and moreover, there were no nails on Shen Changle's delicate fingers. Deep down, she felt somewhat displeased, thinking that this Lin family was rather petty and unworthy of attention. Changle, being just a little girl, merely wanted to get close to her sister, yet she was being overly critical.

Shen Changle pointed at Shen Jin and said, "Father, can you draw my sister?"

Lin's family exerted tremendous effort to have a daughter. Although there was disappointment, she was still their own child, how could they not like her? Early in the morning, the elderly lady had someone send over a number of tonics, saying that she should rest first and that they would come to see her later

Standing to the side, Zhao, however, perfectly captured her gaze within her eyes. She shook her head inwardly, after all, a stepmother is still a stepmother

With Shen Lingcheng's words, the old lady's memories were stirred as well. She looked at Shen Changle and said kindly, "Our Changle was truly beautiful when she was born. In my lifetime, I have seen many children, but I have never seen a little one as lovely as our Le Jie."

In the future, if Shen Jin dares to act arrogantly in front of her again, she will not hesitate to expose such an ugly version of her on hetushu.com

So the old lady waved her hand and said, "Chang Le, come here, come to grandmother."

At this moment, Lin lay languidly on the Huanghuali bed, her complexion pale. In comparison to the picturesque Aunt An, she truly seemed worlds apart.

Shen Changle, due to the previous incident involving the Lin family, no longer had much desire to see Shen Jin. However, when Shen Lingcheng truly bent down to let her see Shen Jin, she was momentarily taken aback; had she not been straining to hold back, she would have likely burst into laughter.

At this moment, Shen Changle was talking to Shen Lingcheng while watching Shen Jin. Shen Jin had her eyes closed, and her skin was still a bit flushed, which was quite unappealing. She looked up at Shen Lingcheng and curiously asked, "Father, am I the same as my sister?"

Shun Gu and Chun Liu dressed her up beautifully and then took her to the Lin residence. At this time, the Zhao family was already present, along with several of Shen Lingcheng's concubines and maidservants, making the room crowded to the brim.

However, Shen Lingcheng found her suggestion to be quite good. As for painting, he has always favored landscapes and rarely painted figures, so his daughter's proposal piqued his interest somewhat

As for Shen Changle, she felt both happy and conflicted, but in the end, she decided to go see her younger sister. She asked Aunt Shun to help her change into a different outfit, saying that she wanted to visit the Lin family courtyard to see her sister. Seeing her in high spirits, Aunt Shun thought she was pleased about having another little sister to play with at home, so she hurriedly sent Chunliu to fetch the clothes.

At this moment, the old lady looked up at Lin, noticing that she was staring in this direction, her gaze fixed on Shen Changle with an expression that seemed to wish she could devour her. The old lady had never been particularly fond of Lin, and now, seeing that she had only given birth to a daughter, she began to resent Shen Changle even more, which only deepened her dislike.

After a short while, the elderly lady felt tired, so Shen Lingcheng accompanied her back. Seeing that this time had yielded considerable gains, Shen Changle also left with them.

Shen Lingcheng did not expect her to make this request. Having grown up in a duke's residence, he was naturally skilled in painting. So he curiously asked, "Is Changle asking father to paint for sister?"

Sitting on the bed, Mrs. Lin looked over here with a somewhat approving gaze, but she still saw Shen Changle poking her daughter with her finger. A momentary stiffness flashed across her face, but since both the old lady and Shen Lingcheng were present, she could only gently coax, "Changle, your sister's skin is delicate; you mustn't poke her with your nails."

Little did Lin realize, she raised her head to glance at Aunt An and smiled faintly: "Let Aunt An attend to me, so you all need not stand here idly."

Aunt Niang also had a daughter. Apart from the two wives of Shen Lingcheng, she was the only one among the concubines who had children. Therefore, it is understandable that Shen Lingcheng had a certain degree of affection for her

Shen Lingcheng noticed her staring at the little baby and assumed that she liked her sister, so he smiled contentedly and asked, "Changle, is your sister pretty?"

At this moment, Lin was half-sitting on the bed, wearing a brocade scarf adorned with blooming flowers on her head. Her attire was neat, and her cheeks were plump and round, indicating that she had been well-nourished during her pregnancy. At this time, the wet nurse was standing beside her, holding the child, while Zhao was accompanying Lin in conversation.

Shen Changle was taken aback for a moment, then opened his hand and held it up for everyone to see, loudly calling out to the other side: "Madam, I did not poke my sister, I just wanted to touch her."

Although she knew that the old lady might be saying this because she liked her, Shen Changle still felt a bit embarrassed

Upon seeing Shen Changle approach, Lin's demeanor stiffened, and her palm instinctively tightened around the corner of the blanket. Clearly, Shen Changle's resolute assertion that she was carrying a girl had left a lasting impression on her. Now that she had indeed given birth to a daughter, the sight of the child unexpectedly evoked a sense of tension within her

She shook her head and couldn't help but sigh, realizing that the Lin family was nothing more than this, surprisingly so impatient.

Aunt An stood by holding the soup bowl, feeling a sharp pain from the heat, yet not daring to show any expression on her face. At this moment, the other aunts and the concubines nearby noticed this, and their glee at her misfortune diminished.