Chapter 67: I Am Especially Ruthless When I Make Up My Mind

“Fu’er… Fu’er, you’re here!”
The moment she saw Shen Fuyu, Aunt Wen looked as though she had glimpsed hope itself. She climbed down from the bed and hurried over, gripping Shen Fuyu’s arm tightly. “Help your mother, won’t you? I truly can’t go on like this!”

“Oh.”

Shen Fuyu brushed off her hand, saying little. She was all too familiar with Aunt Wen’s way of feigning weakness, and could already predict what would come next. “You think you can’t go on living in the Shen household, is that it?”

“Fu’er… your mother’s life is so bitter!”
Aunt Wen slumped in a chair, weeping bitterly. “Your brother… he’s gotten into debt again. I truly have no more money! Fu’er, you’re my good daughter, now you’ve become an imperial consort, the Emperor dotes on you so. You have money—help your brother this once! We can’t let him go on like this!”

“He just came by to ask you for money, didn’t he?” Shen Fuyu didn’t bother with anything else, glancing at Aunt Wen. “Did you give it to him?”

Aunt Wen faltered for a moment, hesitating. “I couldn’t just watch your brother get beaten to death by the men from the gambling house.”

“With skin as thick as his, it wouldn’t be so easy to beat him to death, would it?” Shen Fuyu laughed. “Don’t joke, Aunt. Is Father dead? My brother is his son—if he owes money, why come to you? How much money do you have? Let him ask Father; the Shen family isn’t lacking the money to pay off a debt.”

“No… no, that won’t do! Your brother is already disliked by your father; we can’t let him find out he’s been gambling!” Aunt Wen shook her head desperately, clutching Shen Fuyu’s hand. “I know you’ve made something of yourself, you’re an imperial consort now, the Emperor favors you, you have money. Help your brother just this once, I promise, after the debt is paid I’ll make sure he behaves! He’s your own brother—if you ever need anything in the future, he’ll be there for you!”

“Oh, spare me! Who wants to throw money into that bottomless pit? Do I look like a fool?” The original owner of her body had never wanted to clean up Shen Qianyu’s messes, so why should she?

Aunt Wen’s face twisted with despair. She snapped at Shen Fuyu, “How can you speak like that! He’s your brother—your own flesh and blood!”

“If you don’t help him, he’ll just come asking for money again, and I truly have nothing left to give!” Aunt Wen began to sob once more. “Help your mother, won’t you? Your father won’t even come see me, I’m bullied daily by the maids, I have to scrimp and save just to eat—can you really harden your heart and leave your mother like this?”

“No problem at all.”

Why should she feel any pity? She felt nothing.

To be honest, Aunt Wen was an interesting character. At a glance, she seemed like those useless mothers who prized sons over daughters, draining both for sustenance. But what was strangest was that whenever Shen Qianyu made a mess, Aunt Wen would only ever call on Shen Fuyu to clean it up. The original owner had been forced to play the maid, always left to patch up Shen Qianyu’s disasters.

But what the original self failed to see, she could. Aunt Wen was Shen Shucheng’s concubine, once beautiful in her youth. By old conventions, she was gentle, lovely, able to bear sons, and in her earlier years, she was not without cunning—otherwise, she could not have safely borne two children under Lady Gu’s nose.

If Shen Qianyu made a mistake, Aunt Wen could easily have humbled herself before Shen Shucheng, taking the blame for her son. After all, raising sons was a father’s responsibility, and it was not unusual for a concubine to struggle. The other bastards in the main branch had all been sent to the front quarters early, their studies overseen daily by Shen Shucheng and the tutors. Though none matched Lady Gu’s legitimate sons, they did well enough and looked every bit the young gentlemen of a noble house.

But whenever Shen Qianyu made trouble, Aunt Wen would push Shen Fuyu forward, sending her to beg Shen Shucheng for mercy on her brother’s behalf. How could a little girl know what to say? She only provoked her father’s anger, and Aunt Wen’s own favor quickly waned as a result.

“These furnishings in your room, Aunt, seem unchanged since I was a child,” Shen Fuyu remarked, idly toying with a flawless vase. She smiled. “It really has been a hardship for you. How about this—since I hold my current rank, why not move out, Aunt?”

“I could buy you a few maids and matrons, have them serve you as befits the mistress of a household. And I could ask His Majesty to issue a decree—that Father grant you your freedom so you need never bow to the whims of the Shen household again. What do you say?”

“Or, I could speak of you more often before Father. If you tidy yourself up, you know, in your youth, you were every bit Lady Gu’s equal in beauty. With my support, regaining Father’s favor would hardly be difficult. What do you think, Aunt?”

Shen Fuyu presented Aunt Wen with two clear paths. In truth, either was a fine choice. She could leave Shen Shucheng and, as the mother of a favored imperial consort, live in comfort and freedom. Or she could win back her husband’s affection and remain in the Shen household, where, with a man’s favor, her days would be far from bitter.

Everything now depended on Aunt Wen’s decision.

Aunt Wen stared, stunned. “And your brother…?”

“If you leave, of course he can’t go with you,” Shen Fuyu replied. “He’s a young master of the Shen family—it’s impossible for him to leave. But with me in the palace, the Shens would never prevent you from seeing your own son. You needn’t worry.”

“Or, if you’d rather take charge of your own fate—when I was a child, Father was so fond of you. How is it you never see him now?”

“I…” Aunt Wen’s expression grew flustered. She shook her head. “I’m old now. Your father likes young women. Look at me—how could I win his favor again?”

“Then come with me, Aunt. If the feelings are gone, isn’t leaving all the better?”

“No! I can’t abandon your brother!” Aunt Wen shook her head. “Your brother’s gambling—Father must never know!”

“Then do as you see fit.”

Shen Fuyu said no more. “I’m only here out of courtesy. If you want money from me, you’re dreaming. I earned my place as Consort by my own merit—why should I share the spoils with you?”

Taking Aunt Wen away was no trouble; supporting her would cost next to nothing. But she would never fill the hole left by the original owner. “Besides, my brother is a young master of the Shen house. If you don’t see to him, Father will. A beating, the debt paid—he’ll learn his lesson. Why should a mere woman of the inner chambers concern herself over such things?”