Chapter 5 The Caged Bird Still Can't Fly Out
"Is this ridiculous?! What kind of name is this? It's utterly childish!"
The red letter with the name written on it was eventually sent to Heyuan Garden. At that time, the Duchess of Dingguo was in the main hall paying her respects to the old lady.
The Duke of Dingguo had two wives. His first wife died after giving birth to Shen Yun. The current head of the Duke's mansion is Xu Rongyi, the second daughter of the prefect of Yanzhou.
The red note was handed to the old lady. Xu Rongyi noticed that the smile on the old lady's face suddenly disappeared. She muttered to herself and got up to look at the old lady's side.
Upon seeing the sharp, bold strokes on the red paper and confirming that it was written by Shen Yun himself, Xu Rongyi's eyes widened, and she immediately exclaimed in surprise.
Of all her grandchildren, the old lady was most pleased with Shen Yun.
He was intelligent from a young age and hardworking. In his youth, he refused to accept a position of privilege and instead took up arms and went to the battlefield.
When the Western Yue invaded, he was only sixteen years old.
On the battlefield, swords clashed and shadows fell. Within the Sheng Dynasty, a struggle for succession ensued, with officials shifting blame and leaving the army depleted, leading to a series of defeats.
At a time when the dynasty was in turmoil, Shen Yun risked his life to get involved, luring out the spies in Mingzhou and then traveling south alone to lure away the secret agents from Xiyue who had infiltrated the border.
This enabled the Sheng Dynasty to use a feint attack to the east while striking in the west, thus inflicting a major defeat on the Western Yue.
Shen Yun, due to his outstanding achievements, firmly established himself in the imperial court and propelled the Duke's Mansion to its zenith.
Compared to her biological son Shen Jingshi, the old lady always felt that Shen Yun had more of the demeanor of her husband, the old Duke of Dingguo.
The Shen family is full of glory, and it is destined that Shen Yun will carry on its legacy in the future.
But all these years, Shen Yun has revolved entirely around one woman.
However, it was also in that year that Shen Yun met Lin Shutang.
The old lady sighed deeply, "It's all fate."
There's no need to elaborate on this; both of them knew perfectly well that the name was definitely not chosen by Shen Yun.
What shocked them even more was that Shen Yun actually agreed to take such a name.
The naming of the heir is a major event. It's one thing for Shen Yun to indulge him, but how can Lin Shutang be allowed to act recklessly in this matter?
"She's just the daughter of a country bumpkin. She's managed to climb up the social ladder of my Duke Dingguo's mansion and become a third-rank noblewoman. What more could she ask for! In the whole capital, which family isn't vying to marry their daughter to us? But she's always putting on airs."
Xu Rongyi noticed that the old lady's expression was not good, so she immediately spoke up angrily, acting as if she could read the old lady's mind and appearing to be a polite and sensible person.
The old lady, however, was not impressed and even got a headache from Xu Rongyi's shouting.
She pressed the throbbing Zanzhu acupoint, then placed the red letter back into the lacquer tray. "Has it been sent to the Duke of Dingguo's residence?"
The maid nodded in agreement.
The old lady sighed and waved for the people to leave.
Xu Rongyi looked on, then hesitated, her lips trembling, and asked in disbelief, "Mother, are you going to abandon us?"
"How can we manage him? You know what kind of person Yun'er is. Once he makes a decision, who can question it!" The old lady spoke rapidly, almost coughing repeatedly.
Xu Rongyi dared not utter another sound and quickly went to gently pat the old lady's back.
Meanwhile, at the Duke of Dingguo's residence, they had already received the red letter from Jingyuanju.
The Duke of Dingguo glanced at it only once, his face expressionless, but his aura deepened.
The newcomer silently bent down even lower.
Upon hearing the voice of the Duke at the head of the table, he ordered him to summon the young master.
Shen Yun entered the study.
Shen Jingshi stood in front of the carved window lattice, while servants in the courtyard were using poles to knock the snow off the pine and cypress trees.
He turned his head slightly upon hearing the sound.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a pale, white figure.
Shen Yun bowed and greeted him, her tone indifferent, her manner completely businesslike, hardly resembling a greeting to her father.
Shen Jingshi turned his head, abandoning any pretense of paternal affection and filial piety, and said succinctly, "Change the name."
The tone was commanding, clearly not a suggestion.
“The red letter has already been sent to the ancestral hall.”
"Shen Yun!"
Hearing his words of acting first and reporting later, Shen Jingshi flicked his sleeve and looked at him, his voice not loud but as heavy as a mountain pressing down on him.
Now nearly forty, Shen Jingshi has endured years of battlefield hardships and survived countless deaths, leaving him with an ever-present aura of menace.
Without needing to glare or make a scene, a single glance is enough to silence someone.
But Shen Yun just looked at him indifferently.
It was as if they couldn't sense his anger.
Shen Yun and Shen Jingshi don't actually look alike, but when they're not speaking, their eyes are equally cold and frightening.
Shen Yun is more like her own mother.
He stood tall and straight, like a pine tree.
A white robe accentuated his handsome features, making his bright and sparse eyebrows appear even more striking.
Despite serving as a general for many years, Shen Yun did not possess the ruthlessness and unruliness of a rogue soldier. His demeanor was dignified and composed, more like a refined scholar-official cultivated by a noble family with a strong sense of etiquette.
Yes.
Shen Yun's mother came from a scholarly family in Jiangnan with a reputation for producing "three generations of Jinshi" (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations). His maternal grandfather had also served as the tutor of the crown prince.
Shen Jingshi looked at the child who resembled his deceased wife and his heart skipped a beat.
When did it start that he seemed unable to control his son?
"If Father has nothing else to attend to, I shall take my leave." Shen Yun had no time to reminisce with him about the past, so he bowed and left directly.
Shen Jingshi felt a surge of anger welling up inside him, and for the first time, he lost all composure, shouting, "You unfilial son!"
But before the sound could fully fade, it was completely swallowed up by the creaking of the door opening, making it seem insignificant.
-
The name of the grandson was finally decided.
Record the family genealogy and inform the ancestral temple.
Name—Shenyan.
According to the old lady, the word "dislike" is a good choice.
"Satisfaction" means being content with what one has, and that is true contentment.
At that moment, the old lady was playing with the baby in the wet nurse's arms.
Lin Shutang brought Shen Yan to pay their respects.
The old lady's eyes were filled with a kind and warm gaze as she looked at the baby in swaddling clothes, gently holding his little hand and teasing him. "Whether it's 'annoyance' or 'banquet,' the men of my Shen family can handle it. Why should a name bind you for the rest of your life?"
"Isn't that right, Yan'er?"
This statement is clearly pointed.
Lin Shutang lowered his head and didn't say a word.
After teasing her for a while, the old lady seemed to get tired.
He waved his hand, signaling the wet nurse to take the child away.
This means it's time to see the guests off.
Lin Shutang hurriedly got up from the armchair and was about to bow and leave when the old lady called her in.
"Have you recovered well these days?" The old lady patted Lin Shutang's hand.
"Thank you for your concern, Grandmother. I'm much better now." Lin Shutang still kept her head down.
"That's good. Childbirth is like walking through the gates of hell for a woman, it takes a lot of energy. I know Yun'er loves you. You must not degrade yourself just to go against him."
The old lady's words were not entirely without basis.
When Shen Yun and Lin Shutang first got married, they turned the Duke's mansion upside down.
The old lady knew that this marriage was forced upon her by Shen Yun.
Although she was dissatisfied with Lin Shutang's status, she also knew that, in the end, Lin Shutang was the one who suffered more injustice.
But as a grandmother, she naturally doted on her grandson. Shen Yun was also a stubborn man, and as a woman, she could hardly interfere.
Now the two of them have argued and quarreled.
So many years have passed, and now they have a child.
The old lady had to give Lin Shutang a few more pointers, which was also for her own good.
After all, what's done is done, and this woman's lifelong hopes still rest on her husband and son.
Continuing to cause trouble will not do Lin Shutang any good.
Shen Yun dotes on her now, but a woman's beauty fades and love wanes.
Lin Shutang can no longer act recklessly; she should take on the responsibilities of a prince's wife.
After leaving Crane Garden, Lin Shutang pondered the old lady's words.
Over the years, she has been entangled with Shen Yun, from Yizhou to Yujing, from the villa to the Duke's mansion.
She went from a traveling peddler to Shen Yun's secret concubine, and then to the seemingly noble and privileged wife of the heir apparent.
Lin Shutang struggled a lot, but in the end, he was the one who suffered the most.
The more she tried to escape, the tighter Shen Yun's guard became.
In the three years since her marriage, she has hardly ever stepped out of Jingyuan Residence.
The Duke's Mansion has multiple gates with watchmen's clappers. To get from the main gate facing the street to Jingyuan Residence, one has to pass through several ceremonial gates and several layers of deep courtyards.
The corridors wind and turn, with tiered terraces and pavilions.
Several times, Lin Shutang was taken back by his men before he could even reach the hanging flower gate outside Jingyuan Residence.
Lin Shutang later learned that, in addition to the seemingly full guard duty, there was also a patrol every three steps inside and outside the courtyard.
Shen Yun secretly had quite a few people watching her.
Escaping from the heavily guarded Duke's mansion was even more difficult than staying in the separate courtyard where Shen Yun had once placed her.
Gradually, Lin Shutang gave up on the idea.
In these three years, although she held the title of the Crown Prince's wife, she was no different from when she was in the villa. She was still the caged bird that could not fly out of Shen Yun's palm.
Yeah, what good will it do to keep making a scene...?
On the day of the 100-day celebration, the gates of the Duke's mansion were wide open, and red candles and firecrackers were set off all day long. Not only were noble families and dignitaries invited, but the people of Yujing also shared in the festivities.
Eight-immortal tables were set up for a wedding banquet that filled the entire long street, and a large crowd of people, including princes and nobles, arrived in sedan chairs.
Its intensity was no less than that of Shen Yun's marriage back then.
Red silk hangs high on the vermilion gate; an inch of silk is worth a thousand pieces of gold.
Lin Shutang stood beside Shen Yun, her eyes slightly lowered as she looked into the distance.
Inside the Duke's mansion, both the eldest branch and the other two branches were standing at the gate, surrounded by the elderly lady.
This elaborate setup was all because the eunuch who came to deliver the message this morning announced that the Emperor would be personally attending a celebratory banquet at the Duke's residence.
For a subject, this is an immense honor.
Guests came and went, filling the house with people who either envied or fawned over them, and all sorts of strange gazes fell on Lin Shutang and Shen Yun.
Lin Shutang could clearly sense the hostility in those gazes.
Over the years, she has stayed in Jingyuan Residence and has long lost the ability to interact with people.
Suddenly standing in a dense crowd, facing their gazes, I inexplicably felt short of breath and a little nervous.
Lin Shutang lowered her eyes and gently exhaled.
Back in the day, when she accompanied her father on his business trips, she was praised for her eloquence and quick wit.
As Lin Shutang was lost in thought, his hand was suddenly grabbed.
Fine goosebumps instantly spread across the back of my hand.
Lin Shutang knew it was Shen Yun without even looking.
Are you tired?
"Would you like to rest at Jingyuan Residence then?"
The clear, melodious voice of Shen Yun could be heard in my ears.
Lin Shutang shook his head and tried to pull his hand away but couldn't.
She looked up at Shen Yun, following the shape of those well-defined hands.
Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, indicating she was somewhat annoyed.
What is he doing? It's one thing for him to act recklessly all the time.
This happened in full view of everyone!
A note from the author:
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