Chapter 1 Boarding a Boat Northward What a coincidence! In her past life, three generations of her family...
"You vile, foul-mouthed worm! You pretended to be sick before, and now you're biting me!"
“My son has passed the imperial examination and divorced you, you down-on-your-luck merchant’s daughter. He even gave you money to return home. He has been more than kind and righteous! Yet you take advantage of my old age and vandalize my house in revenge! You’ve shattered this place! Give me back the money! You barren, wretched hen! You’re a disgrace! Bah!”
"I wouldn't even look at your wretched dowry chests, those few rotten wooden boxes! Take them all away as soon as possible, so I don't have to find someone to dump this pile of poor, filthy stuff!"
The gentle, warm spring sunlight filtered through the swaying willow tips, and the wild crabapple trees along the Qinhuai River were also opened by the spring breeze. It was a pleasant season of blossoming flowers, but no one around had the heart to appreciate this beautiful scenery. The narrow alleyway was crowded with neighbors who had come to watch the excitement. Accompanied by the shrill, furious curses of old women, a donkey cart loaded to the brim struggled out of the crowd.
With a small blue leather bundle slung over her arm, Shen Miao straddled the donkey cart. Just then, she heard the incessant cursing coming from behind her and noticed that more and more people were gathering. She immediately and dramatically shook out a handkerchief, and her peach blossom eyes instantly filled with tears.
The original owner already possessed a beautiful and pitiful appearance, and having just recovered from a serious illness, she was even more delicate and pitiful, like a willow swaying in the wind.
Many passersby, unaware of the situation, gathered to watch the commotion. They saw her dressed in a faded white floral jacket, her head wrapped only in a coarse blue floral headscarf, adorned with a single wooden hairpin. A few strands of hair fell beside her thin, pale face, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She had been chased and cursed by the old woman but dared not retaliate, instead trembling slightly. They couldn't help but feel pity for her. Some even went so far as to ask the neighbors who lived there, "This woman seems kind and gentle; what's going on here?"
The neighbor, who already had a handful of sunflower seeds tucked into his sleeve, immediately beamed when he heard someone ask:
"So that you may know, sir, this Rong matriarch is an old widow with only one son who has just passed the imperial examination and become a scholar. She looks down on her wife, Shen, whom she married years ago. She dislikes that Shen is an orphan, frail, and sickly woman, not someone who would bring many children and good fortune. She has often tormented her. Now, while Rong is away studying, she has decided to divorce her! Shen used to be very submissive. When she learned that she was to be divorced, she cried and begged every day. A few days ago, she fell seriously ill. Rong matriarch didn't even bother to find a doctor or medicine for her, fearing that she might not die. But Shen is tough and actually pulled through! Hey! Guess what?"
The neighbor spoke with great enthusiasm, and without waiting for the questioner's reaction, he eagerly continued:
"After this brush with death, Shen's dull mind cleared up. She stopped crying and begging, and after resting quietly for a few days, she was able to get out of bed. She even managed to avoid Aunt Rong and went to the yamen to find a lawyer to witness her, so she could take possession of her dowry. Aunt Rong was stingy by nature, so how could she agree? Just as she was about to throw a tantrum, Shen took the lead, crying and rolling on the ground, smashing the Rong family's pots and pans to pieces!"
Aunt Rong was known for her shrewishness and love of taking advantage of her neighbors, earning her a bad reputation in the alley. Now, everyone wanted to chime in when the Rong family was mentioned. Someone covered their mouth and laughed, "That Aunt Rong keeps saying that Shen has been married for three years without having children, and that's why she divorced her. What a joke! Rong Dalang studies at the Mingzhou Academy all day long and doesn't come home for a year or two. Even when he comes home for a day or two at the end of the year, Aunt Rong keeps a close eye on him day and night. The couple even sleeps in separate rooms! We all guess that Shen is probably still a virgin!"
Another person shook his head and said, "That's fine. Most of the money Rong Dalang spent on his studies and taking the imperial examinations came from Shen's dowry. Now that Rong Dalang has obtained the title of Xiucai (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), he wants to divorce his wife who has shared his hardships and is unwilling to return the dowry. He is in the wrong. Fortunately, the old lawyer that Shen hired is eloquent and knowledgeable in the law. He helped her get the remaining dowry back. Otherwise, this wicked mother-in-law would not be so furious."
"So that's how it is. How pitiful." The official watched the donkey cart gradually drive away, nodding repeatedly as he listened. He then glanced at the fat old woman standing at the alley entrance, still standing with her hands on her hips, cursing loudly, and felt utterly contemptuous.
The unbearable noise had long been forgotten by Shen Miao. After leaving the alley, she leaned against the donkey cart, her dark, round eyes no longer showing any trace of tears. She turned her slightly sickly face to silently look at the flower boats on the Qinhuai River, with their melodious music playing, and the thousands of willow branches hanging on both banks, their branches drooping onto the river. The taverns and teahouses on the banks were lined up one after another, their seats full of customers, truly displaying a prosperous and beautiful scene.
This is just one last look; this is the place where the original owner gave their entire life.
“Madam Shen, Nanjin Ferry is just ahead. Please sit comfortably in the carriage, and I will find you a porter to carry your luggage.” The driver said, reining in the donkey.
Even in the Song Dynasty, when the Cheng-Zhu school of Neo-Confucianism had not yet taken hold, there were very few wicked mothers-in-law like Rong Da Niang who would exploit a child to obtain a dowry. The coachman who had been hired this morning had obviously heard her tragic story and seemed to pity her. He even took the initiative to run errands for her. Shen Miao's eyes curved slightly, and she thanked him softly, "Thank you very much."
"Hey, you're welcome, you're a pitiful person too."
Shen Miao did not intend to linger in Jinling. Ever since she transmigrated, she had been determined to get away from the original owner's husband's family as soon as possible. Besides, the Rong family was not a golden nest that was hard to give up, but a pit of fire!
Therefore, the Rong family's decision to divorce his wife was exactly what she wanted! During the few days that Shen Miao "recuperated" in the woodshed, she went through the original owner's memories several times and confirmed that this era was a Song Dynasty that was somewhat different from what she knew: during the reign of Emperor Taizu of Song, the court redeemed the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun with gold and silver, and afterwards, it was not a succession from brother to brother; Emperor Taizong of Song was actually Zhao Kuangyin's eldest grandson, Zhao Weizheng.
Therefore, the Great Song Dynasty was prosperous and powerful. Although there were still external threats, there was no Jingkang Incident or the Manjianghong Incident. In the original owner's memory, Jinling City was the most prosperous place in Jiangnan. Merchants and barter trade were extremely developed, and land and loan transactions were frequent. Trade disputes were also common. Lawyers were as common in Jinling as teahouses and restaurants. Jinling even had private schools specifically for teaching litigation, which were called "litigation studies". This is why Shen Miao was able to easily hire a lawyer when Aunt Rong went out to play cards.
Moreover, according to Song Dynasty law, a woman who is divorced does not necessarily divorce her husband voluntarily, so she does not have to be flogged or imprisoned. Furthermore, she will not be blamed for reclaiming her dowry; on the contrary, the husband's family that embezzles the dowry will be despised by society, and even if the matter is taken to the authorities, they will hardly be lenient towards such a greedy family. Since this is the case, unlike the original owner of this body, she will naturally make the Rong family suffer greatly!
Rong Dalang was a mama's boy who let his mother mistreat his wife. In the original owner's memory, Rong Dalang even often slept in his mother's room! He did not engage in production. If he had not married the original owner, how could he have lived such an easy life? In the Song Dynasty, there was a custom of generous dowries. Even if she was from a small merchant family, the original owner's dowry was still a hundred strings of cash.
However, this child is a bit dim-witted. She didn't realize that the dowry was being held tightly in her hands to make the Rong family subservient. Instead, she obediently used it to support Rong Dalang's studies, supplement the family income, and even diligently served the shrew in the house! Now, she can only get back one or two tenths of it, but at least she still has twenty-three strings of cash, enough for her to return to Bianjing—that's right, the original owner was from Bianjing.
The original owner's parents ran a "tangbing shop" in Bianjing—later known as a noodle shop—and business was always good. Three years ago, Rong Dalang failed the imperial examinations, so he came to Bianjing to submit his poems and essays to gain fame. While having breakfast at Shen's Tangbing shop, he caught a glimpse of the original owner and was captivated by her pure and refined beauty despite her simple clothes. That's how they met—but Shen Miao felt that this guy probably had ulterior motives and was probably after the Shen family's generous dowry.
After going through those memories again, she realized her guess was correct.
Rong Dalang was also handsome and charming. With his sweet words, he deceived the Shen family into believing that he was the reincarnation of a talented but unappreciated scholar, and they actually married their daughter to him. However, less than half a year after the original owner of this body married into the Shen family, her parents were driving out of the city to buy vegetables and rice when a well-dressed young nobleman charged at them on horseback and killed them.
The original owner rushed back to Bianjing to handle the funeral arrangements and also had to settle her two young and ignorant younger siblings. Three years ago, Shen's younger brother was only seven years old and her younger sister was only four years old. They were still innocent children when they suddenly lost the protection of their parents. She originally wanted to take her younger siblings back to Jinling, but the Rong family refused to accept the two children. Her mother-in-law glared at her, and Rong Dalang just kept his head down and didn't say a word.
Later, the original owner of this body found many reasons for herself, such as that she had no choice in the matter and that her younger brother had already started his studies in Bianjing and was not able to move around. In the end, she sent her younger brother and sister to live with her uncle. She also found a middleman to rent out the family's soup noodle shop. All the rent she received each month was given to her uncle as support for the two children.
But the good times didn't last long. Two months ago, Aunt Shen wrote to complain that the merchant who rented Shenji's shop had been careless with fire and caused a fire one night. Although the fire wasn't big, it completely destroyed the shop. Fearing repercussions from the Shen family, he ran away with all his money that very night. Now the shop is a mess and no one wants to rent it anymore. She keeps asking me to send money home.
The original owner of this body had the idea of bringing her younger brother and sister-in-law to Jinling again. This was also the reason why Aunt Rong was determined to drive away her daughter-in-law: the original owner's dowry was almost used up, and it was about to be two more burdens. While her son had obtained the title of Xiucai, she might as well marry another woman with a rich dowry!
It is said that Rong Dalang has been favored by Zheng Xueyu of Mingzhou Academy. Zheng Xueyu also has a daughter who is of marriageable age. Rong Dalang is now trying his best to curry favor with the Zheng family and has not returned home for nearly half a year. He is probably waiting to outlive the original owner of this body so that he can marry a new wife.
While dealing with the dowry matters with the lawyer, Shen Miao pondered for a long time and quickly figured out what to do after leaving the Rong family: she thought of the original owner's background and felt that leaving Jinling to make a living in Bianjing was not a bad way out, and the original owner's family ran a restaurant, which suited her profession in her previous life.
Isn't that a coincidence? In her previous life, three generations of her family were all chefs!
Moreover, the original owner's two younger siblings were still living under someone else's roof in Bianjing. Shen Miao was not as naive as the original owner. Judging from that letter, she knew that her aunt was not easy to deal with. Land in Bianjing was extremely valuable, and the rent must have been quite high. She had already received three years' rent and was still pressing for payment. She wondered how the two children were doing now.
Since I've taken over someone else's body, I should at least take care of her only living relatives and not abandon them.
While she was lost in thought, the coachman finally managed to get the porters, and they diligently helped her negotiate a lower price, so she was finally able to board the boat and head north.
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