Chapter 009: Injustice

Shen Changle did not expect her grandmother to cooperate with her in such a manner, and she secretly chuckled twice, still obediently calling out, "Aunt."

Sister-in-law, I am truly embarrassed to speak of such a shameful matter. However, I have always felt wronged in my heart. The third young lady is ill, and I am with child, so naturally, I must keep my distance. Yet, for the doctors I needed to invite and the medicinal herbs I required, I have never been stingy. But the master, on the other hand, has never shown me even a bit of understanding. I have carried this child for nine months, and I still manage this large household. Who has ever considered my hardships?

Xiao noticed that her eyes were red, giving her a look of having suffered great grievances, and immediately asked anxiously: "What happened? You mustn't cry for no reason."

"Sister-in-law." When Lin saw Xiao, she felt a sense of surprise. Although she had received a letter earlier informing her that someone from home would be coming, seeing her now made her heart warm, and her eyes immediately turned red.

However, no matter how much Xiao inquired, she remained silent. In the end, it was still Zhang Mama who sent the maidservants away, leaving the room for the two of them, the aunt and niece. Xiao took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears, then gently asked, "Please tell me, what exactly happened?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao felt that Lin's method was truly both foolish and malicious, but she could not voice her thoughts. She could only say: "That Aunt An is merely relying on having given birth to a daughter; as long as you take care of the child she bore, you need not worry about her not submitting to you."

However, these words were not something she could express. Thus, she could only comfort her by saying: "You should take it easy. Now that you have a sister, you have established your position in the household. Those concubines and secondary wives are nothing of significance. It is already a blessing for them to have the honor of seeing you; there is no reason for you to be so angry. After all, you are in confinement here, and it is only natural for someone to attend to your brother-in-law. Regardless of who is serving, they cannot surpass you; you should just relax and not worry."

"Call her Jin'er, Shen Jin," Lin said happily

The elderly woman, who was originally slouched on the kang, lifted her head and said softly, "But what about the lady's elder sister from her maternal family?"

Xiao observed her cheeks, which looked relatively good, but they were not plump. From her appearance, it seemed that she had not gained weight during her confinement; rather, she had lost quite a bit. Xiao, having given birth herself, naturally understood that Lin's condition indicated that her confinement was not going smoothly. Therefore, she continued to ask, "Sister, if you have any grievances, please feel free to tell me. Before I came, my mother-in-law was constantly worried about you. If it weren't for the long journey, she would have likely wanted to come in person."

Xiao responded awkwardly, her expression embarrassed, and fell silent. However, the old lady, seeing that she had nothing to say, allowed her to go and see Lin.

The elderly lady ordered her maid to bring a straight-backed chair, and after Xiao expressed her gratitude, she slowly sat down

Just as she picked up the small porcelain spoon and was about to start, a maid hurriedly entered from outside and reported: "Madam, the eldest daughter of the Lin family has arrived"

As he spoke, he continued with a few more words

It is rather troublesome for the in-laws to be concerned. The old lady smiled slightly, but her expression did not seem very warm

She asked again, "But has a name been chosen?"

However, as soon as she finished speaking, she hesitated and said: "But the master already knew that I had made things difficult for her earlier. If I bring it up again now, will it make the master suspicious of me?"

The old lady has always been accommodating to her requests, and immediately instructed the maid to take care of it. Meanwhile, Aunt Shun was anxiously staring, and Shen Changle, feeling guilty, turned her head, pretending not to have seen anything.

Lin is certainly not worried about Aunt An; she is merely afraid of becoming estranged from Shen Lingcheng. At this moment, Xiao smiled slightly and said softly, "If she cannot take care of the child herself, how is that your concern?"

The old lady nodded and had someone invite her in. Shen Changle scooped a spoonful and put it in her mouth; it was cool and sweet, instantly alleviating half of the summer heat from her body. Before long, the eldest lady of the Lin family entered. Her maiden surname was Xiao, and her father was a close friend of Lin Zheng, the head of the Lin family, both of whom had been top scholars in the imperial examination of the 21st year of Yongli. Logically, Shen Changle should refer to Xiao as her aunt by marriage, but she already had her own aunt by marriage, and to her, Xiao was merely Shen Jin's aunt by marriage.

Lin expressed her grievances: "I have no choice but to be this way. Previously, when she merely served him a hot bowl, the master showed her endless affection, fearing that others would not know I had hurt his beloved."

Xiao did not expect that she still remembered him, and immediately praised her, saying: "Le Jie'er is truly clever"

Upon hearing this, Lin praised her method enthusiastically as excellent

After hearing this, Xiao remained silent, quietly sighing to herself twice. Due to her father-in-law offending the powerful figures in the court, he was dismissed from his position, and the Lin family's situation had been consistently poor. Moreover, her younger sister-in-law's marriage was fraught with difficulties; the family that had initially agreed to the match, upon seeing the Lin family's decline, found an excuse to call off the engagement. Later, her mother-in-law, unwilling to swallow this humiliation, insisted on finding a prestigious family for her younger sister-in-law, but for families like theirs, which noble family would be willing to accept them?

Lin nodded, but it seemed she recalled something, furrowing her brow and saying with displeasure: "I am only concerned for my Jin'er. She has only just been born, yet the number of times the master has come to see her is even fewer than that of the concubine's illegitimate daughter."

Later on, the daughter of the Zhang family passed away, leaving behind two sons and a daughter. When the Xiao family heard this news, they merely sighed quietly a couple of times. Little did they know that the mother-in-law had set her sights on the Duke of Wei's residence. It is unclear how she managed to persuade both the Duke of Wei's and the Marquis of Ji'an's families to agree to let Lin marry in as a secondary wife.

The elderly lady of the Zhang family looked down upon the Lin family, believing it to be truly disgraceful for a dignified noblewoman to compete for favor with a maidservant

"Sister-in-law, you have finally arrived," Lin said, extending her hand, which Xiao quickly grasped. The young maid beside them made way, allowing Xiao to sit down on the bed.

Although the old lady did not explicitly state it, the maids and servants in the room understood clearly that this person was not the maternal aunt of the Zhang family who often brought gifts. A few of the maids, though they did not laugh out loud, lowered their heads, their shoulders trembling slightly

Lin summoned Granny Zhang to come in and asked her to bring Shen Jin over. After holding the child behind Xiao, she praised, "Although the girl is young, her high nose and big eyes resemble you very much, sister."

She is merely raising a child of a concubine; if she were to bring that child before me, would it not be elevating her status

Little did she know that after she finished speaking, the smile on Xiao's face froze. At that moment, the elderly lady beside her, having heard her granddaughter's words, slowly said: "Changle, do not be unreasonable; this is your wife's maternal family sister-in-law, and also your aunt by marriage."

In recent days, the rewards received by Aunt An in her courtyard have surprisingly exceeded what other concubines receive in an entire year. Lin has made things difficult for Aunt An on two occasions, but little did she know that the more she troubled her, the more Shen Lingcheng chose to stay overnight in Aunt An's courtyard. When the elderly Lady Shen was in her courtyard, she considered Shen Changle to be too young and thought she understood nothing, so she would discuss the recent events in the residence in front of her with the nurse.

This is precisely the hottest time of summer. Although there is an ice mountain inside the house, it is still very hot. Moreover, children are inherently warm-blooded, so she particularly desires to eat a bowl of ice. However, her aunt is very strict, fearing that her delicate stomach cannot withstand it, thus allowing her to have it only once a day. Today, Shen Changle has already finished her portion.

"My aunt often brings me gifts, so of course I remember her." Shen Changle tilted her head, her dark and bright eyes fixed on her, exuding an air of innocence.

At this moment, Shen Changle turned her head and looked over. Seeing her gaze, Xiao immediately asked, "Sister Le, do you still remember me? I am your aunt."

Upon seeing her family, Lin's initial feeling of seven parts grievance suddenly transformed into ten parts. With her head lowered, tears began to flow down her cheeks. Grasping Xiao's hand, she said with tearful eyes: "Sister-in-law..."

"Jin Jie'er is a legitimate child, how can she be compared to a born out of wedlock? Moreover, if you truly look down on that An family, there are plenty of ways to punish her" Xiao said nonchalantly

Xiao smiled and said, "Sister, what I mean is, you just need to make that Aunt An understand that if you want to take her daughter away, it is an easy task, and dealing with her is as simple as crushing an ant. There is no need to actually bring her over."

Although Shen Changle did not raise her head, her ears perked up. It is worth mentioning that the Lin family's maternal home has a significant connection with the Zhang family. Lin's biological mother is the younger sister of the Lady of Jining Marquis and the Lady of Tushufu, which means that according to seniority, Shen Changle should address her as "Aunt Grandmother." Initially, when Shen Lingcheng intended to take a concubine, he originally planned to select one from the Zhang family daughters. However, the daughters born of the Zhang family were either already promised to someone or were not of suitable age. Later, for reasons unknown, Lin was allowed to marry in.

Although Lin understood this principle, she always felt gloomy inside. Now that someone was there to comfort her, she felt much more at ease. Thus, she finally showed a hint of a smile, saying, "I must have embarrassed my sister-in-law; it is truly thanks to her that I can think this way. Usually, when I lie here alone, my thoughts wander aimlessly, which is really not as helpful as my sister-in-law's words."

Upon arriving at the Lin family's courtyard, as soon as Xiao entered, she sensed that the atmosphere in the room was off. The maidservants stood at a distance, seemingly afraid to come closer. Meanwhile, Lin was half-reclining by the bedside, and a maidservant opposite her was holding a small blue-and-white porcelain bowl, serving her red date and snow frog soup.

As soon as she finished speaking, she noticed her granddaughter looking at her eagerly. Finding it amusing, she asked, "Why is Le Jie looking at her grandmother like that?"

Shen Changle smiled broadly, revealing a few small teeth in her mouth, and joyfully asked, "Is it the great-aunt from the capital?"

Lin understood this and immediately laughed, saying: "Sister-in-law's method is indeed the best."

Shen Changle tilted her head, the pearl chain entwined in her flower bud hairstyle hung down, swaying between her delicate earlobes. She reached out her small hand and eagerly asked, "Grandmother, I want to eat an ice bowl"

Xiao nodded and praised, "Indeed, it is a good name. I believe the son-in-law must be very fond of our daughter, and this name is well chosen. Tomorrow is the full moon celebration, a significant day for our daughter. You will need to come out to entertain the ladies, so it must be a joyful occasion!"

This month has been quite eventful for the Shen family. First, the Lin family welcomed a daughter. Before they had the chance to celebrate, Shen Lingcheng unexpectedly began to frequently stay overnight in Aunt An's room, leading to widespread speculation among the household that Aunt An might soon ascend to a higher status.

At this moment, Xiao was looking at the little girl sitting opposite the old lady. The girl's rosy little face was quite plump, indicating that she had been well taken care of. Previously, she had heard from hetushu.com that the third young lady was ill, and the old lady was worried at home that the young master might vent his anger on the little aunt. However, it seems that it was not a serious illness after all. Nevertheless, she also knew that Shen Changle was left behind by the Zhang family, so even a minor illness would warrant more concern than usual.

She smiled and asked, "Le Jie'er, this little face is quite round. I heard she was ill before, and my mother-in-law was so worried that she couldn't sleep for several nights."

As the young maid approached, carrying a tray adorned with carved red lacquer and begonia flowers, atop it rested a small, colorful covered bowl. A thin layer of condensation enveloped the exterior of the bowl, giving it a refreshing and cool appearance. Shen Changle immediately sat up straight, eagerly watching as the maid placed the small covered bowl on the narrow table in the center of the luohan bed.

Xiao entered and immediately bowed to the elderly lady. She wore a turquoise silk robe adorned with intricate floral patterns on the upper body, while her lower half was dressed in a long white skirt with plum and bamboo motifs. Her long, jet-black hair was styled in a falling horse bun, and she had a pair of double-knot jade hairpins inlaid with red coral, presenting a truly dignified and graceful appearance

The two sisters-in-law exchanged quite a few words, and it was only then that Lin realized: "Sister-in-law has yet to see the girl; I will have someone bring her over to take a look."

At this moment, Lin wept, releasing the grievances she had kept deep within her heart, which brought her a sense of peace. She then looked up at Xiao and began to recount the events. She started from the time when Shen Changle fell ill, and continued to describe the various affections Shen Lingcheng had shown to Aunt An over the past month. Not only had he stayed in her courtyard for several consecutive days, but the gifts he bestowed were also flowing like water, leading to much gossip within the residence.

The father-in-law naturally is unwilling, only feeling that his daughter is wronged. However, according to the Xiao family, even if it is a secondary marriage, the Lin family is still climbing high by marrying into the Shen family. After all, the Shen family is a prestigious family, a first-class duke's household, one of the foremost families since the founding of the dynasty. Looking at it now, the younger sister-in-law has a spoiled temperament, having been doted on by her parents at home. After marrying in as a secondary wife, she not only fails to properly care for the legitimate children from the first wife, but also expects her husband to shower her with endless affection. Xiao silently shook her head in her heart, clearly realizing that Lin is too unaware of the hardships of being a wife, nor does she understand the difficulties of being a stepmother.

"Returning to the old lady, she is indeed the eldest daughter-in-law of the Lin family," the young maid said with a smile