Chapter 171: The Shen Family Is Desperate! Shen Wansan Is Filled with Regret!

Master.

Something’s wrong!

The Shen family’s steward rushed toward the inner hall, his face pale with panic, his steps unsteady, utterly frantic and helpless.

What’s happened now?

Seeing the steward burst into the inner hall in such disarray, Shen Wansan frowned, his aged face filled with displeasure.

For some time now, bad news had come to the Shen family like a tide—wave after wave—almost every few days, reports arrived from all directions, especially the north, overwhelming the already aging Shen Wansan.

He labored daily, personally handling every matter.

“Just now, an imperial edict arrived at the Zhu household. Champion Bo Zhu Ying has achieved great merit in the northern campaign; the Emperor has specially granted Zhu Ying’s wife, Shen Yuer, the rank of third-class noble lady.”

The steward’s voice trembled slightly, laced with unmistakable dread: “And… and unconfirmed rumors from court suggest Zhu Ying may be promoted to marquis—granted the title of Champion Marquis.”

Champion Marquis!

Those three words exploded in Shen Wansan’s ears like thunder.

Sitting in the main seat, Shen Wansan’s face turned instantly pale; the tea cup he had held steadily slipped from his grasp.

Pācī

A sharp crack—the teacup shattered on the floor, tea splashing everywhere.

How could this be?

Shen Wansan muttered to himself, his voice thick with disbelief: “Champion Marquis! He’s only seventeen!”

How could he possibly be made a marquis? A seventeen-year-old marquis?

Fear filled Shen Wansan’s eyes.

His wrinkled old face was now entirely consumed by terror, as if he had foreseen an unavoidable, catastrophic doom looming ahead.

Or rather!

Even today, Shen Wansan still felt as if it were a dream—he simply could not comprehend how that once obscure, insignificant boy had grown to this terrifying height, becoming a marquis at merely seventeen.

Of course.

To the outside world, Zhu Ying was nineteen, for Shen Wansan had spent vast sums bribing recruitment officers to falsify Zhu Ying’s age and household registration.

But Shen Wansan knew better than anyone: Zhu Ying was truly barely over seventeen.

At this moment!

In Shen Wansan’s heart, besides the ceaseless surge of fear, another powerful emotion churned—regret, a bone-deep, gnawing regret.

His eyes filled with deep self-reproach: he had once had the chance to become Zhu Ying’s in-law; Zhu Ying might well have become his son-in-law.

But because of his short-sightedness, because of his contempt, he had destroyed this golden opportunity himself.

Now, Zhu Ying stood firmly on the opposite side of the Shen family—between them, only death would end it.

This could no longer be changed.

“Is this news certain?”

Shen Wansan forced calm, snapping back to himself, his gaze fixed tightly on the steward.

Master.

The steward gave a bitter, helpless smile: “The news is confirmed.”

“Just now, the Emperor’s chief eunuch personally went to the Zhu household to proclaim the edict, granting Shen Yuer the rank of third-class noble lady.”

“You ordered us to closely monitor the Zhu household, so our servants went to witness the ceremony.”

But before he could finish—

“I didn’t ask about the noble lady!”

Shen Wansan frowned again, his tone sharpening: “I asked—is Zhu Ying being made a marquis, true or false?”

A third-class noble lady was prestigious, but compared to a marquis, it was an entirely different matter.

“Though not yet officially announced, the information is beyond doubt.”

The steward’s expression grew grave, his voice low: “This northern campaign’s victory was entirely due to Zhu Ying leading the Ming cavalry to crush the Northern Yuan’s Mongol cavalry head-on.”

“Thus, the Crown Prince personally petitioned the Emperor to promote Zhu Ying to marquis, retaining the title ‘Champion.’”

“He is now, without question, the Champion Marquis.”

Upon hearing this—

“Crushed the Northern Yuan’s Mongol cavalry head-on!”

Shen Wansan’s face darkened sharply.

As a merchant who had thrived since the Yuan court days, he understood the might of the Northern Yuan cavalry better than anyone.

Long ago, he had witnessed with his own eyes how rebel armies were slaughtered like ants beneath the hooves of the Northern Yuan cavalry.

The overwhelming combat power of the Mongol cavalry had left an indelible shadow in his heart.

He knew: no ordinary Han cavalry could possibly stand against them. Now, hearing Zhu Ying had led Ming cavalry to crush them head-on, his first reaction was disbelief.

“Fake.”

A glimmer flashed in Shen Wansan’s eyes, as if he’d grasped a lifeline: “This military merit must be fabricated.”

“How powerful were the Mongol cavalry?”

“You saw them yourself back then—how formidable were they? Zhu Ying, desperate for promotion, dares to falsify battlefield reports!”

“That’s a capital offense.”

Yet—

The steward beside him shook his head bitterly, his expression filled with helplessness.

Master.

The steward spoke softly: “This victory report is absolutely true.”

“After my men investigated extensively, we learned this news was submitted directly by General Guo Ying himself—no falsehoods whatsoever.”

“It’s said the Emperor will issue an imperial edict to proclaim this victory to the entire realm, so all subjects may know the martial virtue of our Great Ming, and that our troops crushed the Northern Yuan cavalry head-on.”

“And Zhu Ying’s name will appear in that proclamation.”

“This is the supreme honor bestowed upon Zhu Ying by the Emperor and the Crown Prince.”

Moreover, the court is now abuzz—after this battle, Zhu Ying’s reputation and the prestige of the Champion Marquis will resound across the land.

“Already, many in court are seeking to ally with Zhu Ying, including high ministers from the Six Ministries.”

“Zhu Ying has truly soared.”

“Our Shen family has indeed created an enemy we cannot possibly oppose.”

“And… after this proclamation, even the Huaixi faction may no longer be able to touch him.”

The steward’s voice was heavy with dread and despair.

At first!

They had hoped to use the power of the Huaixi faction, leveraging Shen Yuer’s status, to threaten Zhu Ying into abandoning his revenge against the Shen family.

But now, it was clear—this had been nothing but delusion, utterly foolish.

Hearing the steward’s words, Shen Wansan’s face grew darker still.

Facing this situation.

Facing the ever-stronger Zhu Ying.

Even though his wealth was boundless, rivaling the empire, before the overwhelming power of a marquis, all his riches now seemed worthless.

Merely imagining the future—imagining Zhu Ying’s inevitable revenge against the Shen family—Shen Wansan felt profound regret and chilling dread, his spine turning cold.

He had poured countless years of effort into building the Shen family’s vast fortune, making it the foremost merchant house in the Great Ming.

He was old now, yet like all men of power and influence, he had hoped to pass this legacy securely to his son.

But now, thinking of the terrifying enemy the Shen family had made in Zhu Ying, Shen Wansan felt he could not even die in peace—he feared that the moment he closed his eyes, the Shen family would be utterly exterminated by Zhu Ying’s wrath.

“Ah.”

Shen Wansan sighed deeply, that sigh carrying the weight of a lifetime’s hardship and helplessness.

He slowly turned his gaze to the steward and asked: “What can our Shen family do now?”

“Zhu Ying—in just three years—he has grown to this level.”

“I was wrong. I should never have treated him this way.”

“If only I hadn’t targeted him back then, but instead arranged his marriage to Yan’er, and made Shen Yuer his concubine—how glorious our Shen family would be now?”

As he spoke these words—

Shen Wansan’s eyes brimmed with regret, wishing desperately to turn back time three years, to make that one choice that would have changed the Shen family’s fate.

From the Yuan court days until now, Shen Wansan had made countless decisions for his family’s prosperity—but this one choice, he had gotten catastrophically wrong!

Utterly, unforgivably wrong!

Master.

The steward’s face was grim, his expression heavy with dread: “The deed is done. We must now think carefully—how do we face Zhu Ying’s revenge?”

“Though we have no concrete proof, it’s clear now: the repeated disasters befalling our Shen family’s trade caravans in Beiping were almost certainly Zhu Ying’s doing.”

“And given Zhu Ying’s current methods and trajectory, his revenge against our family will not stop easily—it won’t be confined to Beiping; other regions will not escape either.”

“This boy is truly vengeful to the extreme.”

Hearing this—

“Ah!”

Shen Wansan sighed again, helplessly saying: “All we can do now is wait for Shen Cong to return and see what Zhu Ying’s stance truly is.”

“As long as he doesn’t target our Shen family, even the greatest cost is acceptable.”

At this moment, Shen Wansan had lost all his former toughness and confidence, and no longer dared mention the word “threaten.”

Earlier, they had fully relied on Shen Yuer’s status to control Zhu Ying, but now it was clearly a colossal joke.

With Zhu Ying’s promotion to marquis—especially the highly esteemed Marquis Guanjun—even though the Huaixi faction had many fierce generals, who could truly be certain they could suppress Zhu Ying?

Any minister with even a modicum of insight in court now saw that the Emperor and the Crown Prince valued Zhu Ying not only for his undeniable battlefield achievements, but also to use his power to curb the ever-expanding Huaixi faction.

As long as Zhu Ying continues to serve the state with great merit, he is now a marquis—and perhaps one day, he may even be granted the title of Duke.

The Shen steward bowed his head slightly and said nothing in reply.

He knew well that he was merely a servant; some things were better left unsaid.

Even if Shen Wansan was wrong, he could not speak up.

Just then!

“Father.”

“Something’s wrong!”

Shen Rong’s urgent voice came from outside the hall, accompanied by hurried footsteps.

Hearing this, Shen Wansan’s expression grew slightly calmer.

He assumed Shen Rong had heard the news of Shen Yuer’s appointment as a third-rank noble lady and Zhu Ying’s imminent enfeoffment.

“I already know about matters concerning Zhu Ying and Shen Yuer,” Shen Wansan said calmly, looking at Shen Rong as he rushed in. “No need to be so flustered.”

“Father, what are you talking about?” Shen Rong looked utterly bewildered, his eyes filled with confusion at this sudden remark.

“You don’t know Shen Yuer was appointed a third-rank noble lady?” Shen Wansan frowned, a faint sense of unease rising in his chest.

“Father,” Shen Rong hesitated, his face flickering with inner struggle and uncontainable anger: “Shen Cong has returned from the north—but…”

Shen Rong paused, as if unable to speak the words: “Never mind, Father. Just look for yourself.”

Shen Rong turned and shouted loudly toward the hall’s entrance: “Bring Shen Cong in!”

Shen Rong spoke, turned, and shouted loudly toward the hall’s entrance: “Bring Shen Cong in.”

Two servants carefully supported Shen Cong as they entered the inner hall.

Shen Cong’s face was as pale as paper, utterly bloodless, his steps unsteady, as if a breeze could knock him over—he was terribly weak.

When Shen Wansan saw him, his face instantly turned ashen, his aged eyes narrowing sharply.

Beneath his gaze, Shen Cong’s hands were tightly wrapped in layers of white cloth, crimson blood seeping through, leaving splatters on the floor—horrifying to behold.

“You… you this…” Shen Wansan raised a trembling hand, pointing at Shen Cong, his throat choked, unable to speak, his face twisted in horror.

“Master,” Shen Cong cried, tears welling in his eyes, voice trembling with sobs: “That Zhu Ying is a beast!”

“He… he cut off both my hands.”

“And… and he declared he will be at war with the Shen family until one side is dead.”

As he spoke, Shen Cong broke into heart-wrenching sobs, his cries filled with grievance and rage.

He seemed to want to devour Zhu Ying alive.

Beside him, the Shen steward, seeing his son’s horrific state, turned deathly pale, his eyes instantly red, tears streaming down.

He rushed forward, hands trembling as if to touch his son’s wounds, yet afraid of causing more pain, only sobbing: “Cong’er.”

He hurried forward, his hands trembling as he reached to touch his son’s wounds, yet fearing he might hurt him, he could only weep bitterly and cry: “Cong’er.”

Shen Rong’s face burned with fury, his eyes blazing: “This Zhu Ying has no sense of decency!”

“We’ve made enormous concessions—we even prepared tens of thousands in gold as compensation—and yet he not only refused, but cruelly maimed Shen Cong! He’s asking for death!”

“Then let us expose Shen Yuer’s true identity.”

“Once the Huaixi faction learns of it, they will surely move against Zhu Ying.”

Shen Rong’s breathing grew ragged, his chest heaving with rage.

Shen Cong was his trusted man, sent by him—now suffering such a fate, how could he not be furious?

Add to that the humiliation of being driven out of Zhu’s mansion by Shen Yuer’s men with sticks—and his hatred for Zhu Ying ran bone-deep.

From his reaction, it was clear he still knew nothing of Zhu Ying’s imminent enfeoffment.

“Enough,” Shen Wansan said coldly, his face dark and terrifying.

“Father!” Shen Rong protested bitterly: “We’ve reached this point—must we keep retreating?”

“This Zhu Ying clearly intends to fight the Shen family to the end!”

“I just received a letter from my younger brother: even with a paid escort, our caravan suffered heavy losses—the bandits were like ghosts, impossible to guard against.”

“If this continues, we won’t be able to run our business in Beiping Prefecture…”

Before Shen Rong could finish—

“Go outside and ask around,” Shen Wansan said, voice cold and heavy: “Zhu Ying is about to be made a marquis.”

“Shen Yuer has been appointed third-rank noble lady.”

“The Huaixi faction? They may already be powerless against Zhu Ying.”

These words struck Shen Rong like a hammer blow.

His face turned instantly white; he looked up in shock, voice trembling: “M-Marquis?”

“Young Master,” the Shen steward sighed helplessly, explaining: “It’s all over town—the imperial edict appointing Shen Yuer as noble lady has already reached the Zhu residence.”

“This time, Zhu Ying achieved great merit in the northern campaign.”

“He now holds power and influence, and is the youngest noble in court.”

“Not just our family—even the Huaixi faction likely cannot touch him now.”

Hearing this, Shen Rong froze completely, as if turned to stone.

Even Shen Cong, moments ago howling in pain and demanding revenge, was struck dumb, utterly stunned.

Upon hearing this, Shen Rong froze completely, as if struck by a paralysis spell, unable to move.

Even Shen Cong, who had been screaming for Shen Wansan to seek revenge, his hands severed and filled with rage and grievance, now reeled as if struck by lightning, utterly stunned.

Though the Shen family was immensely wealthy, in this Hongwu era, the Emperor despised merchants.

To use wealth to oppose a marquis? It was suicide!

Though the Shen family was wealthy beyond compare, in this Hongwu era, the current emperor deeply despised merchants.

You’re asking to die!

…

In the East Palace, the main hall!

Lu Ben stood straight, respectfully holding the sealed imperial edict in his hands.

“Your Highness,” Lu Ben bowed slightly, voice steady and respectful: “Should this edict be issued as an urgent proclamation, or distributed gradually according to protocol?”

Lu Ben stood straight, standing respectfully in the center of the hall, holding in his hands the imperial edict already sealed with the great seal.

Zhu Biao, as always, sat before his desk, reviewing memorials.

Hearing Lu Ben’s voice, he looked up.

“The northern campaign is not yet complete,” Zhu Biao said slowly after a moment’s thought, his tone calm yet carrying undeniable authority: “A gradual, protocol-compliant announcement is sufficient.”

“Only after the northern campaign succeeds shall we issue an urgent proclamation.”

“Your servant understands,” Lu Ben replied immediately with respect.

“There is nothing further now; prepare the announcement,” Zhu Biao said calmly. “Begin tomorrow in Yingtian City, then expand gradually to Yingtian Prefecture and surrounding regions—move swiftly.”

“Your servant understands,” Lu Ben bowed again.

Yet before departing, Lu Ben hesitated, then respectfully added: “Your Highness, I have not seen my daughter in a long time—may I remain briefly in the East Palace?”

“Your servant understands,” Lu Ben bowed again to receive the order.

Zhu Biao paused, then smiled gently: “Go ahead.”

Within the East Palace, though not as strictly regulated as the imperial harem, all rituals and norms were identical to those of the palace.

Even as Lu Ben was Lu Shi’s father, he required Zhu Biao’s permission to linger even briefly.

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

Receiving Zhu Biao’s consent, Lu Ben’s face lit with a faint smile; he bowed and quickly withdrew.

“Luo Yang,” Zhu Biao called out loudly after Lu Ben left.

Luo Yang, commander of the Jinwu Guard, clad in armor and a bright red cloak, stepped swiftly into the hall.

“Luo Yang,” Zhu Biao called out loudly toward the hall’s entrance after Lu Ben had withdrawn.

He immediately approached Zhu Biao and bowed deeply.

“Your Highness’s command,” Luo Yang said respectfully.

“Go to the Zhu residence and deliver the edict,” Zhu Biao said calmly. “Tomorrow, have Zhu Ying’s wife, Shen Yuer, bring her son to the East Palace for an audience.”

“She has been in Yingtian for over ten days—it is time I see her.”

“Go to the Zhu household and deliver the imperial decree,” Zhu Biao said calmly and quietly: “Tomorrow, let Zhu Ying’s wife, Shen Yuer, bring her son to the Eastern Palace for an audience.”

“Your servant receives the order,” Luo Yang replied at once.

He rose and strode out decisively.

How brisk and efficient.

Once the orders were given, Zhu Biao turned his gaze back to the mountain of memorials on his desk.

Night approached; his figure looked weary, yet radiated diligence.

Daily, mountains of memorials and state affairs never ceased—he had barely found time today to arrange this audience.

As night fell, his figure appeared weary, yet radiated diligence.

Daily piles of memorials and state affairs never ceased; tomorrow, he had barely managed to carve out time to arrange this audience.

And in the Eastern Palace, within the palace where Lady Lu resided!

“Daughter greets Father.”

As Lu Ben entered the palace, Lady Lu immediately rose and bowed respectfully.

Lu Ben lifted his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over the palace maids waiting inside.

Lady Lu instantly understood, whispering softly: “You may all wait outside the hall.”

“Your servant obeys.”

The palace maids all bowed slightly, then filed out in sequence, retreating to stand silently outside the hall.

……

(End of Chapter)