On the day Zhao Shuxian got married, it was not a rest day (for the academies and the court). Although Yin Furen followed the customary grandeur for the marriage of legitimate daughters in the family and prepared a relatively respectable ceremony, Guogong Yé did not take leave to return home.

The Fifth Branch felt it was a loss of face, so they specifically sent someone to invite Guogong Yé back. Guogong Yé claimed he was too busy to leave and ultimately did not return.

He Furen was quite displeased and whispered to her daughter, “I always thought the Fifth Branch enjoyed Lao Yézi’s favour in the Guogong Residence, but now it turns out Lao Yézi didn’t even come back to see his granddaughter get married. Jin Shi really lives up to the surname ‘Jin’, all she knows is how to plaster gold on her own face.”

Here, the surname Jin (金) means "gold," and the idiom 往脸上贴金 (plaster gold on one’s face) means to glorify or exaggerate one’s achievements to look better.

He Family’s fourth Young Miss, He Xuetong, replied, “Mom still have time to worry about whether they’re favoured or not? This is a legitimate young lady from a Guogong Residence marrying down into our family. You’d better think about how to get along with your new, high-status daughter-in-law.”

He Furen poked He Xuetong on the forehead and said, “What do you mean marrying down? Didn’t she throw herself at us? Whether she’s from a Guogong Residence or a Marquis’s manor, once she’s in our family, she’s my daughter-in-law. Let’s see if she dares to defy me!”

After the He Family took Zhao Shuxian away while beating the drums and blowing the trumpet, Yin Furen returned to Jiaxiang House. She sat leisurely in the main room, sipped a cup of tea, and remarked with a relaxed expression, “The residence feels much quieter again.”

Xu Nian’an and Zhao Jiazhen chuckled softly at her comment. At that moment, Qianhe entered and reported, “Taitai, the people we arranged to keep watch outside the Yan Family’s residence have come back with news: Yan Family’s eldest son has gone to Shuntian Prefecture to file a lawsuit!”

This is about their plan of annuling Zhao Jiarong's marriage engagement.

Yin Furen immediately sat up straight, her eyes sharp, and commanded, “Quick, have Nanny Su find the matchmaker who arranged the marriage for the Ni Family last time. She is to go to the Ni Family tomorrow to cancel the engagement! Also, send someone to summon Qin Shi to me.”

After Qianhe left, Yin Furen turned to Zhao Jiazhen, her expression filled with both tenderness and regret. “If only my child had had such an opportunity back then, how wonderful it would have been.”

“Mom, it’s all in the past. Don’t keep dwelling on it. Look at me now, I’m doing just fine, right? If we can save Jiarong this time, it’ll be enough to make up for my regrets back then,” Zhao Jiazhen replied with a radiant smile.

Yin Furen let out a sigh and exchanged a few words with the two ladies before a maid came to report that Qin Shi had arrived. Yin Furen instructed Zhao Jiazhen and Xu Nian’an to move to the side room and had Qin Shi brought in.

Ever since her father-in-law Zhao Mingkun was expelled by Guogong Yé, Qin Shi always felt uneasy when meeting Yin Furen. Firstly, because her backer was gone, and secondly, because she had previously tried to harm Zhao Huanxi by using Pang Daixue. Now, with Yin Furen dominating the First Branch, dealing with a shu daughter-in-law like her would be effortless.

Thinking about this, Qin Shi grew even more cautious. She held her breath, lowered her voice, and, after performing the proper courtesies and stood obediently, waiting for Yin Furen’s instructions.

Yin Furen felt irritated the moment she saw her. If it weren’t for finding her an eyesore, she would have called her in every day just to make her stand and behave properly.

Placing her teacup on the table with a thud, Yin Furen spoke coldly, “Jiarong is breaking off her engagement with the Ni Family. Shen Yiniang said the betrothal gifts from the Ni Family were kept by your father-in-law at the time. They were never delivered to my courtyard. Before tomorrow, make sure those gifts are sent to my courtyard so they can be taken along when we go to the Ni Family to break the engagement.”

Qin Shi exclaimed in shock, “Cancel the engagement? Why?”

Yin Furen shot her a glare and raised her voice slightly. “Is that something you should be asking?”

Qin Shi quickly lowered her head, her eyes darting nervously. After a moment’s hesitation, she stammered, “The betrothal gifts for Jiarong… they weren’t given to us either…”

“If they weren’t given to you, and they weren’t sent to me, then did your father-in-law eat them? It’s fine if you don’t deliver them, but when word gets out that you embezzled a shu sister’s betrothal gifts, don’t blame anyone else if it causes trouble!” Yin Furen said coldly. She didn’t want to look at Qin Shi any longer and dismissed her.

Qin Shi left both angry and anxious. Back at Shenxiu Courtyard, she waited in restless frustration until Zhao Huanchao returned from his duties. Once the maids were dismissed and the door was shut, she told him, “Yin Furen said Jiarong’s engagement with the Ni Family is to be cancelled, and it’ll happen tomorrow.”

Zhao Huanchao was also shocked and asked, “Why?”

“I don’t know. She wouldn’t let me ask. And she wants us to return the betrothal gifts that the Ni Family gave to Jiarong by tomorrow when they cancel the engagement,” Qin Shi replied.

“How can we return those?” Zhao Huanchao furrowed his thick brows. Setting aside other matters, since the engagement was arranged, he had been leveraging his connection with the Ni Family to gamble at the casino in the northern part of the city, run by Ni family’s cousin-in-law. If the engagement fell apart now, how could he get his money back?

“No, we absolutely cannot let them cancel the engagement. I’ll go to the Ni Tamily myself,” Zhao Huan said, his face clouded with worry as he got up and left.

The Ni Family, however, was already overwhelmed by the legal trouble brought on by the Yan family’s accusation that Ni Family’s eldest son had beaten his first wife to death. While Ni Family’s eldest son was out trying to pull strings, Zhao Huanchao couldn’t meet him and returned home empty-handed.

He then said to Qin Shi, “Go to Shen Yiniang and tell her that if they dare to break off the engagement with the Ni Family while Father isn’t home, her Shen family’s life from now on won’t be so peaceful.”

“What if she makes a fuss?” Qin Shi asked nervously.

“Shen Yiniang is timid and weak. She’s been in this household for over ten years. When have you ever seen her raise her voice? Just go!” Zhao Huan said.

Qin Shi hesitated. “If Yin Furen finds out…”

Zhao Huanchao grew irritated and scolded impatiently, “Can’t you go quietly?”

Thus, Qin Shi waited until late at night and sneaked into Concubine Shen’s quarters under the cover of darkness.

At first, she tried to persuade Concubine Shen politely not to let Jiarong break off the engagement with the Ni Family, but Concubine Shen ignored her entirely. Seeing that her efforts were futile, Qin Shi resorted to the threats Zhao Huanchao had instructed her to use, bringing up the Shen Family as leverage.

Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone a person. Concubine Shen had already endured enough when Qin Shi tried to convince her to marry Jiarong off into the Ni Family, but being threatened pushed her to her limit. She erupted in fury, leaping up and pulling Qin Shi’s hair into disarray while scratching her mercilessly. As she hit and tore at Qin Shi, she cursed her as heartless and cruel.

The maids rushed in, some trying to separate the two and others joining the shouting match. The chaos in the side room became so loud that it alarmed Yin Furen.

When Yin Furen arrived, Concubine Shen threw herself to the ground at her feet, sobbing as she recounted every detail of Qin Shi’s threats.

Yin Furen sneered coldly, ordered the maids to help Concubine Shen and her daughter back to their room to rest, and had Qin Shi brought to her own courtyard. She then instructed someone to summon Zhao Huanchao.

Zhao Huanchao rushed to Jiaxiang House and saw Qin Shi kneeling on the hallway, her hair dishevelled and her face covered with injuries, sobbing. Suppressing his anger, he entered the room and bowed respectfully to Yin Furen.

Yin Furen wasted no words, immediately declaring, “Qin Shi has violated the rules of disobedience to her elders and excessive meddling. She can be dismissed.”

休弃 (xiūqì): To divorce and cast out. In this era, this refers to a husband unilaterally "divorcing" his wife, which often brought great shame to the woman's birth family. This type of divorce is different with Zhao Jiazhen's He-Li (和离), where the divorce is a form of agreement from both side, and carried much less social stigma compared to xiuqi.

Shocked, Zhao Huanchao asked, “One wonders what has led to this decision?”

Yin Furen replied, “I told her that Jiarong’s engagement with the Ni Family was to be cancelled, yet she went and threatened Shen Yiniang to prevent it. This constitutes disobedience to her mother-in-law. Furthermore, as a daughter-in-law, she meddled in her sister-in-law’s marriage and even dared to threaten a concubine in the household. This constitutes excessive interference. Have I made myself clear enough?”

Zhao Huanchao felt a chill run down his spine, clenching his fists tightly. “There must be some misunderstanding in all of this.”

“There’s no misunderstanding here. I see that you’re the one who’s being defiant!” Yin Furen shot a cold glance at Zhao Huanchao. “I’m giving you one day. If Qin Shi hasn’t been dismissed by the day after tomorrow, I’ll have someone report your defiance to the authorities. The choice is yours, make it wisely.”

Zhao Huanchao returned to Shenxiu Courtyard with Qin Shi. Seeing him sitting there in silence, Qin Shi couldn’t hold back her tears and began hitting him as she cried. “Ever since I married into this family, everything I’ve done has been for you! If not for that, why would Yin Furen hate me so much? Do you really intend to listen to her and dismiss me? If you divorce me, with your father and mother gone, who will the children rely on? Won’t they be left at the mercy of others?”

Zhao Huanchao grabbed her hand firmly, utterly exasperated. “When have I ever said I wanted to divorce you? But right now, I’m being roasted over the fire! Do you think I have any say in the matter? And Father isn’t even here!”

Zhao Huanchao truly didn’t want to divorce Qin Shi. After Zhao Jiazhen and Li Ziliang’s divorce, Ding Guogong secretly stirred up trouble with the Central Army Commander’s Office, making his life difficult. Although the Qin Family was not a prestigious one, it still provided some support, and he needed Qin Shi to manage the household. If he divorced her, not only would the support turn to enmity, but his home would also descend into chaos.

“If you don’t want to divorce me, then go beg someone! Go beg Guogong Yé, beg Lao Taitai. Someone must be able to handle Yin Furen,” Qin Shi cried.

Zhao Huanchao thought for a moment and said, “Lao Taitai won’t concern herself with matters of the First Branch in her current condition. The only person I can ask for help is Zufu. I’ll go now.”

He then left Shenxiu Courtyard and made his way to Dunyi Hall. After confirming that Guogong Yé was inside, he requested an audience.

The gatekeeper left briefly, and soon Xiangzhong arrived, greeting Zhao Huanchao courteously but coldly. “Huan Da Yé, please go back. Guogong Yé has said that the First Branch has a matriarch, and if there’s something to discuss, you should go to her.”

Zhao Huanchao’s heart sank, a chill spreading through him. It was only now that he fully realized his position in the grand, prestigious Guogong residence.

He returned to Shenxiu Courtyard in a daze, and when he faced Qin Shi’s expectant gaze, he shook his head and sat down at the table.

Qin Shi covered her face with a handkerchief and began crying uncontrollably. She sobbed, “If you divorce me, how will I live?”

Zhao Huanchao’s expression was numb as he replied, “If I don’t divorce you, Yin Furen will really file a petition with the authorities accusing me of disobedience. I’ll definitely lose my position in the Central Army Commander’s Office, and my future will be ruined. If you stay with me, what will you live on?”

Qin Shi stared at him in shock, her tear-filled eyes wide.

Zhao Huanchao also looked at her and said, “Tomorrow, I’ll send you back to the Qin family to explain things to your parents. You’ll stay with them for now, and I’ll write to my father. When my father returns, I’ll come to fetch you.”

Qin Shi knew there was no other choice at the moment and couldn’t help but cry again.

✦

The next morning, Zhao Jiazhen and Xu Nian’an went to Yin Furen’s room and were stunned after hearing about the situation.

After coming to her senses, Zhao Jiazhen sighed, “Qin Shi must have thought that since she had seen Shen Yiniang and her daughter quietly endure for over ten years, they would be easy to handle. She never expected things to escalate to this point.”

“Women are generally weak, but when it comes to being mothers, they are strong. This is true in Shen Yiniang’s case,” Xu Nian’an said.

Yin Furen said firmly, “I’ve never liked Qin Shi. If she had behaved herself, I might have let it be, but she came to provoke me. How could I not deal with her? Zhao Mingkun thought he could live freely by hiding away with Du Yiniang, but he made my life miserable for half a lifetime. If I don’t repay him for what he did to me, wouldn’t I have lived this life for nothing?”

Zhao Jiazhen and Xu Nian’an exchanged a glance, both thinking: This honest person, when she retaliates, can be quite formidable!

That morning, Nanny Su and the matchmaker went to the Ni Family to break off the engagement. The Ni Family, whose status was never a match for the Guogong household, was already entangled in legal issues. With the news of Zhao Mingkun being sent to Pingliang, they realized that the marriage wouldn’t bring them much benefit, so they agreed to the cancellation without hesitation.

When Nanny Su mentioned that the betrothal gift had been embezzled by Zhao Huanchao, the Ni Family didn’t mind. After all, Zhao Huanchao had money in the gambling house, so they weren’t worried he would run away.