Chapter 68: Striving for Children and the Imperial Decree

Runaway girls—Shen Shi had heard of many, but runaway demons? This was the first time he had ever encountered one. Yet, given his connection to Xin the Fourteenth Lady, Shen Shi refrained from asking further questions. Circling the pill furnace twice, he could sense from the flows of energy that it was no ordinary object, but an enchanted artifact. Without need for testing, he knew it could dispel impurities and extract essence with remarkable effect.

Bringing such a pill furnace home—clearly, she intended to stay for the long term.

Shen Shi had no objections to this.

“Master, will you still read aloud to the Fourteenth Lady?” Xin the Fourteenth Lady, having informed Shen Shi of her move, made a small request. Shen Shi agreed.

The room filled with the clear, resonant sound of reading. The old madam nodded in satisfaction. Lady Shen, unable to contain herself, whispered to her husband, “Look at Shi’er—he’s still so diligent, even after passing the exams.”

“Well said! I’ll go study too.” Shen Liang, battered by the day’s many blows, could only go along.

“Study? What’s the point? You’re simply not cut out for it,” the old madam suddenly dealt him a heavy blow.

Shen Liang was close to tears. “But I’m your son—your own flesh and blood!”

“And Shi’er is my grandson—my own flesh and blood!” the old madam retorted.

“So should I keep studying?” Shen Liang asked.

After a thought, the old madam decided, “No need. Starting tomorrow, you’ll resume martial training!”

“Martial training? Yes, of course. Thank you, Mother.” Shen Liang lit up with joy.

He much preferred martial arts to studying. Why had he never even passed the first-level student exam? Apart from the pressure from the scholars, his own lack of enthusiasm was a key reason.

Then, the old madam added, “No need to thank me. I’m your mother. Train your body well and give the Shen family a few more sons. Only then, when I die, can I face your father in the afterlife.”

What? So that’s what she was after?

This was not what Shen Liang desired.

“But Mother, haven’t I already given you Shi’er?”

“One is far from enough! Haven’t you heard of fathers and sons fighting side by side on the battlefield? You must at least give me seven or eight grandsons. If your father hadn’t died so early, do you think the Shen family would have only you?”

The old madam had no intention of consulting Shen Liang and set the target directly.

Then she turned to her daughter-in-law, “Daughter-in-law, I know it’s hard on you.”

“Mother, it’s not hard at all,” replied Lady Shen, joy blooming in her heart.

As the saying goes, a woman in her thirties is like a wolf, in her forties a tiger. Shen Liang had married early, at twelve, and fathered Shen Shi at fifteen. Now, Lady Shen was at the prime of her life.

Had Shen Liang continued his nightly studies for the family’s sake, Lady Shen would have had to endure in silence. But now, with her son’s success, her husband freed, and her mother-in-law’s blessing, bearing more children was a duty she was delighted to fulfill. After these years, she was determined to make up for lost time.

...

The next day, before dawn, Shen Liang hurried out of bed.

“Husband, the rooster hasn’t even crowed yet,” Lady Shen protested, having rediscovered her wifely role the night before and reluctant to let him go.

But Shen Liang had no choice. Such matters could be fatal, after all.

Of course, no man would admit to weakness, so Shen Liang said, “I must be up. Since I’m shifting from the literary to the martial path, I must act the part. The court is at war with Western Xia—who knows, I may yet make my name. Then you and Mother might be honored as well.”

A family of military men may not know how to excel in the imperial exams, but they did understand that mastering martial arts could earn imperial favor.

No matter how unwilling Lady Shen was, she could only let him rise.

Shen Liang quickly dressed and went to the training grounds, beginning his new day.

He could not match his son in scholarship, but martial arts—well…

Even after years of study, his foundation remained. His body moved like a dragon emerging from water, sinews snapping, echoing through the morning.

He may have lost in the examination hall, and drawn in the marital bed, but on the training ground—this was where a man truly proved himself.

He practiced with vigor.

Suddenly, firecrackers exploded.

“All members of the Shen household, prepare the incense table—the imperial decree has arrived!”

A herald had come, the advance messenger, just as officials would send word before a leader’s inspection. The arrival of an imperial edict followed similar procedure.

“May I ask, sir, what is the nature of this decree? Why has it come to our house?” the old madam inquired, confused. The Shen family had not received an imperial edict in a hundred years.

Fortunately, the herald was sent by Bao Zheng, who favored Shen Shi. The messenger was courteous, explaining that it was a reward for Shen Shi’s appointment as captain.

A reward! That left nothing more to be said. Of course, they prepared the incense table!

The table was set. The Shen family, washed and dressed, waited in anticipation.

By midday, the eunuch delivering the decree finally arrived, accompanied by Cao Jinhua.

Since Cao Jinhua’s recent spring awakening, her maid had watched her like a hawk, forbidding her from seeing Shen Shi.

But now, with the imperial reward at hand and knowing the eunuch, Cao Jinhua simply joined the entourage.

This was official business—the maid had no say. Though she suspected her lady’s true motives, the “official matter” left her without the moral high ground, and she could only retreat.

With the imperial edict delivered, Shen Shi was officially made captain. Shen Liang, his father, was left bewildered.

He watched his son receive the decree, then saw the eunuch request a private conversation with Shen Shi…

And what of himself, the father? Was he to become nothing more than a breeding machine?

While Shen Liang sank into melancholy, Shen Shi sat with the eunuch and Cao Jinhua as host and guests.

“Captain Shen, your auspicious gift has greatly pleased His Majesty…” the eunuch relayed the emperor’s sentiments.

This was all official procedure. The emperor expressed his appreciation for loyal subjects, and the “loyal subjects” returned thanks.

With formalities complete, they turned to more substantial matters.

“Brother Shen, if the palace were to be fully renovated, could your porcelain meet the demand?”

At this, the eunuch ceded the conversation to Cao Jinhua.

Shen Shi quickly understood.

Take chamber pots, for instance. In the twenty-first century, they were nothing special, but anyone knew a proper seat was more comfortable than a squat toilet.

Though Emperor Renzong of Song was not a dissolute ruler, his harem was considerable. The quantity taken by Cao Yi last time was far from enough. To favor some over others would not befit “Renzong of Song.”

This time, the eunuch’s primary aim—besides delivering the decree—was to procure more chamber pots for the palace.

With the main issue clear, the presence of Cao Jinhua became less critical.

Even the eunuch, upon learning her identity and her relation to the emperor as sister-in-law, left her to handle the matter. As for Shen Shi, an outsider, he had nothing more to say.

Shen Shi replied, “The porcelain is fired at home. To know how much is available, I must inquire within.”

“Of course,” the eunuch nodded, signaling for him to do so.

As Shen Shi left the main hall, he found the little fox, Xin the Fourteenth Lady, waiting anxiously. She clearly had something urgent to say…