Chapter 5: The Pursuit of Freedom

The young mistress is about to take action! It's over, it's over, I must hurry to Yong City and report to Master Shen!" A servant exclaimed as he ran towards the stable, but suddenly he caught sight of Yan Zhiqing glaring at him fiercely. Instantly, the servant was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he bent his knees, kneeling on the ground.

Shen Qian's thoughts are naturally a result of not being able to obtain the grapes, thus he can only say that the grapes are sour

Now, looking at the frail Shen Qian Cai, Yan Zhi Qi indeed felt a pang of heartache. After all, this is her husband, the man she will accompany for a lifetime. Although she cannot say she likes him at present, who knows what the future holds? With time, feelings will surely develop.

Madam Shen, you are being overly courteous. Please allow a servant to accompany me back to fetch the medicine. By the way, for the next few days, ensure that Mr. Shen does not catch a chill and avoid heavy lifting. I shall take my leave now.

No, nothing at all. Shen Qian Cai suppressed the errant thoughts in his mind and said with an awkward smile

Ring!

"Do you dare to defy me?" Yan Zhiqing said with a cold gaze

Suddenly, a delicate shout came from behind Shen Qian Cai, and he recognized it as the voice of Yan Zhiqi

"The young lady has stated that without her permission, the second young master cannot go out," the gatekeeper servant obstructed.

Shh—speak softly, let's not concern ourselves with this matter, as it is beyond our control

Freedom, hm

Seeing the frail Shen Qian Cai leaning against the bed with a forced smile, Yan Zhi Qi did not reveal much on her face, but her heart could not help but feel a wave of sweetness. Although she had known his temperament before marrying, which made Yan Zhi Qi extremely reluctant, she had no choice due to their betrothal arranged in infancy.

This young master is the owner of this household. Whether to enter or exit is the freedom of this gentleman and the book. How can a mere woman like you be allowed to oversee it, hmph? Shen Yujia, shedding her usual playful demeanor, straightened her chest and shouted.

Family discipline serves as a guiding principle

Damn, feminists

Oh dear, what is going on here

Indeed, during the wedding night, Yan Zhiqing truly witnessed Shen Yujia's true nature. As rumored, he was lecherous and impatient, eager to undress her. As a result, she kicked him out of the window, and he never dared to be so forward again. Afterward, he made several pleas to share a room with her, but at that time, she could not accept it. Thus, she continuously set traps for him, first subduing him and teaching him a lesson before allowing him to enter her chamber

What do you want to do!" Yan Zhiqing asked knowingly.

At this moment, two servants, holding a bundle of hemp rope in Huan'er’s hands, approached Shen Yujia. When they reached him, they wore a pained expression and said, "I apologize, Second Young Master, but we can only trouble you a little this time."

Watching the two servants bind themselves with hemp ropes again and again, he stood there in a daze and looked at Yan Zhiqing, asking: "What do you want to do?"

Second Young Master, are you courting death!

I rely on it

Stop

Let me make it clear: do not even think about it. Today, I will speak plainly. If you cannot meet my requirements, you will never be able to enter my house for the rest of your life

It is done, it is done. Should we send someone to hasten to Yongcheng to report to the master

"Is this the Shen family or the Yan family? Who has the final say here?" Shen Qian Cai frowned

At this moment, Shen Qian Cai almost condemned everything he had been taught about how ancient women should respect their husbands.

Shen Yujia's words left some servants utterly astonished and speechless. Observing their bewildered expressions, Shen Yujia felt a sense of delight within, secretly thinking: "I have finally acted like a man for once!"

In the following days, Shen Qian Cai, whether he had matters to attend to or not, enjoyed wandering around aimlessly. After exploring the small courtyard, he wished to take a stroll outside. However, when he arrived at the main gate, he was stopped by a gatekeeper.

Shen Qian Cai is now Shen Yu Jia, the second young master of the prestigious Shen family. It is quite surprising that he would be stopped by a servant, which indicates that the other party has some backing. Moreover, this backing is none other than his wife, whom Shen Qian Cai cannot afford to provoke.

However, three days ago, Shen Yujia suddenly passed away. This incident was extremely puzzling and left people bewildered. Even though Yan Zhiqing, who did not like him at the time, felt a pang of sadness. Yet, just a day later, he suddenly woke up again, and he had become unrecognizable.

What do I want to do, hm!

The state has its laws, and the family has its rules. Since there have been prior agreements, one cannot deny them. Moreover, this document bears Your Majesty's imperial seal; if you dare to deny it, it would be an act of deceiving the sovereign.

This time, Shen Qian Cai decided not to let go; he was determined to persevere, to make a comeback, and to prove himself. Therefore, he resolved to abandon Shen Qian Cai and become Shen Yu Jia, casting aside all past weakness and restraint.

Seeing that his second son was somewhat angry, the gatekeeper, though fearful, still spoke in a firm and resolute manner: "The young lady's word is final"

Yan Zhiqing let out a cold snort and said, "Fine, I grant you your freedom. You may leave now, but once you step out of this door, do not come back."

However, in his previous life, Shen Qian Cai did not have a wife; at most, he had a first love that he painstakingly maintained for over six months. They hardly held hands a few times, and in the end, he was dumped, becoming that kind of tragic man.

What does it mean to defy? You can drink, and you are as strong as an ox. I admit that I cannot compare to you. However, you have reached the top, yet you are still just a woman. Since you said "Marry me," then learn the three obediences and four virtues. Go back now and play with embroidery, and honestly be a good little wife. Do you understand

Yan Zhiqing placed a large hat on her head, completely bewildering Shen Yujia. Now he finally understands that the Shen family seems to be quite extraordinary! It appears that this time, the attempt at a comeback has utterly failed

Shen Qian Cai turned around and looked at Yan Zhi Qi, asking with considerable annoyance, "What is it? Do I not have any freedom at all?"

Yan Zhiqing was contemplating how to change her perception of Shen Yujia in order to accept him. However, at that moment, Shen Qian Cai was thinking: "If I had known back then that you could hold your ground, I would never have put myself in this predicament. When the two of us are face to face, I will definitely wash away the shame of the past"

However, he suddenly heard the whispers of the servants, and as these words gradually reached his ears, he could not help but feel deeply puzzled

Standing in front of Doctor Xu, Yan Zhiqing let out a sigh and said with a faint smile: "Thank you for your trouble, Doctor Xu"

Yan Zhiqing let out a cold snort, walked towards Shen Yujia, took out a piece of parchment from her sleeve, unfolded it, and placed it before him, revealing two small dimples. She sneered and said, "It is clearly written here that after entering the door, everything must be under my command, for I am the master of this household. If you dare to defy me in the slightest, you will face my consequences. Your fingerprint is on this document, so don't even think about denying it."

At that moment, Yan Zhiqing suddenly called out sharply, and right after that, Huan'er, the girl, appeared out of nowhere, taking a few small steps to run to Yan Zhiqing's side, bending down respectfully and asking, "Miss, what are your instructions?"

Shen Qian Cai instantly wilted; there was no way around it. Xiao Ming, the star, not only had a terrifying presence, but also excelled in drinking and strength. Moreover, perhaps due to preconceived notions, after learning that she was his wife, Shen Qian Cai's thoughts were entirely focused on her, which could also be interpreted as having taken a liking to her

As she gazed at the lines of text in the parchment, Shen Yujia felt a sense of foreboding in her heart

What else could Shen Qian say? He directly ignored the doorman and strode towards the door, determined to push his way out. He truly did not believe that the other party would dare to stop him

"Mr. Shen is not seriously ill. I will prescribe you two doses of medicine: one for internal use and one for external application. You will be fully recovered in three days," Dr. Xu said with a faint smile, stroking his beard in Mr. Shen's room.

Shen Yujia was filled with doubt, secretly thinking that the matter shouldn't be too bad. After all, isn't it a natural order in ancient times for a husband to discipline his wife?

This statement not only left a few passing servants momentarily stunned, but also took Yan Zhiqing by surprise.

Yan Zhiqing instructed Huan'er to follow Doctor Xu to the pharmacy, then walked over to Shen Qian Cai's bedside, revealing two small dimples, and smiled, saying: "Look at you, trying to scheme against me, yet you ended up getting yourself caught in it."

Although Shen Qian Cai is a man, if we were to return to his previous life, he was merely a small man of the 21st century, even somewhat afflicted by a congenital tendency to be dominated by his wife. His greatest concern was that his wife might throw a tantrum; if she were to leave, wouldn't he end up single? In his previous era, finding a wife was no easy task, especially for someone like him who had no house, no car, and no money.

Perhaps many people think that he is just pretending and fooling around, but Yan Zhiqing feels that Shen Yujia has truly changed. Although he is still somewhat lecherous, he no longer has that piggish demeanor upon seeing her.

It was evident that the young mistress was not going to inform him, yet this servant, with unwavering loyalty and courage, shouted at Shen Yujia: "Second Young Master, run quickly! Run as far as you can."

What happened, what are you all trying to do

Looking at Yan Zhiqing in front of him, and recalling the matter of sharing a bed with her, Shen Qian Cai's gaze suddenly changed. This kind of gaze was not unfamiliar to Yan Zhiqing; it was precisely the look that Shen Yujia had been giving her every day for the past half month.

Yan Zhiqing uttered only these four words, and immediately, the entire venue was in an uproar

A few servants were whispering among themselves. Although they had tried their best to lower their voices, after Shen Yujia spoke, the entire venue fell silent, and even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard. Naturally, their discussions were clearly heard by Shen Yujia and Yan Zhiqing.

Looking at the flustered expressions of the several maids and servants, Shen Yujia said in a daze: "What is going on?"

Yan Zhiqing's tone grew increasingly cold, and in the end, she regained her former aloofness and turned to leave

Who says that there was no feminism in ancient times, and who claims that ancient society favored men over women? At least from Shen Qian Cai's perspective, this was simply not the case; otherwise, how could Wu Zetian have existed? Although this world may not have her, what about Yan Zhiqi? Isn't she a figure who can dismantle the notion of male superiority and female inferiority?

Is it not because I am worried about you? If you were to suffer an injury, I would regret it to the depths of my being. As the saying goes, when you are hurt, my heart aches!

At present, Shen Qian Cai is naturally unaware of Shen Yu Jia's character; if he were to know, he would probably not think this way.

"I. I have lost my memory, I do not know, this matter has nothing to do with me, I want to protest, I seek justice, I seek freedom!" Shen Yujia protested.