Chapter Ninety-One: Unaware of the Vastness Within the Heart

On a terrace in the Streamside Garden of the Shen Estate, Lu Jin was supervising a few children as they worked through their homework when, all at once, a shout erupted from outside.

"Lu Jin, get out here this instant!"

Zhou Manyun was nearly driven mad with rage. For the sake of her daughter, she had not intended to quarrel with this live-in son-in-law. She had never imagined, however, that he would dare to lay hands on her own son.

Lu Jin frowned, understanding at once that Zhou Manyun had come. He set down his book and went out, not stopping those who followed behind him.

"Mother." Seeing Zhou Manyun, Lu Jin hurried forward to pay his respects. Since he had disciplined Shen Yanlun in a manner that could be called discourteous, he could not commit the same fault himself.

"Did you have Shen Yanlun seized?" Zhou Manyun looked at the smiling Lu Jin and nearly burst with fury. You captured my son, and you can still smile?

"Mother, what do you mean by that?" Lu Jin rose, staring at her in feigned shock.

"You..." Zhou Manyun had never imagined that this son-in-law would dare deny it. Then where had her son been taken? Could it be... ? A wave of dizziness washed over her.

"Mother!" At that moment, Shen Yanlun, who had been following behind, cried out, finally bringing her back to her senses.

The instant Zhou Manyun saw him, she rushed over and inspected him from head to toe. Her instincts told her that such an uproar could only mean trouble; if it were good news, would it require being seized? This had nothing to do with her character. It was simply the unconscious judgment anyone would make by common sense.

"Mother, I'm fine. Really, I'm all right," Shen Yanlun said awkwardly. After all, he was almost a grown young man now, and being turned this way and that by his mother was deeply embarrassing.

Zhou Manyun looked him over for a long while. There did not seem to be any... hmm? Why was his face so red?

"Did you hit him?" she snarled at Lu Jin.

"Mother, what do you mean by that?" Lu Jin asked again, looking at her in confusion.

What do you mean by that? What do you mean by that? With all those books you've read, is that the only phrase you know? Zhou Manyun felt she might explode from rage at any moment.

"Yuan'er, tell your mother: did this son-in-law hit you?" Since she could not get an answer from Lu Jin, she could only ask her own son. She had no expectations of the servants in Streamside Garden either; if not for them, would they have allowed her son to be bullied?

"He slapped me twice," Shen Yanlun said. He was not good at lying to his mother, and in any case he had indeed suffered a grievance.

"How dare you, you wretched son-in-law! You've got real nerve. Today I'll..." Hearing that Lu Jin had dared strike her son, Zhou Manyun flared up at once and raised her hand to slap him, no longer caring about the dignity of a matriarch of the clan.

"Wait. Does Mother not care to ask why?" Lu Jin stepped forward instead of retreating, his voice sharp and stern.

This sudden turn left Zhou Manyun frozen on the spot.

"I honor you as Mother, yet from your mouth comes only 'son-in-law' again and again. Is this the upbringing of the mistress of the Shen family? Is this the bearing of a mother?" Lu Jin advanced another step, pressing her hard.

If Zhou Manyun had not come looking for him, there would still have been room to ease this matter over. Once he had subdued Shen Yanlun, it could have ended there. But now that Zhou Manyun was here, there could be no easy settlement. There had to be a clear outcome. He could not retreat.

Bai Xueyao, standing behind them, was dumbstruck. When had they ever seen such a fiercely aggressive son-in-law? What was more, he spoke as though every word were reason itself, leaving them too wary to act rashly. As for Shen Yanwen, he was anxious beyond words, unable to interject. Somehow, he felt that this brother-in-law would not be so reckless without cause.

"Ha. Fine. So now you dare lecture me. Have you forgotten this is the Shen family, and you are merely a son-in-law?" Zhou Manyun laughed in anger. Today the Shen family had truly seen a dragon descend from the heavens—a son-in-law daring to shout at the mistress of the house.

"What of the Shen family? What of being a son-in-law? Does Mother imagine that within the Shen family one may ignore right and wrong and bully others at will? Does Mother imagine that because one is a son-in-law, he may be abused at your pleasure and dare not utter the slightest complaint?"

"You..." Zhou Manyun was nearly spitting blood. He had seized her son, yet now he was pressing her so hard as if she were the one at fault.

"Shen Yanlun is young and ought to be striving forward, yet instead he spends his days basking in wealth and comfort, with no thought of progress. As his brother-in-law, I disciplined him a little. Where was I wrong?" Lu Jin did not give Zhou Manyun a chance to catch her breath, and once again challenged her sharply.

"And you, as his mother, look down on everything under heaven, even scorning your own daughter's husband. Do you know that every word and deed of yours affects the Shen family? Is it any surprise that Shen Yanlun keeps calling people 'son-in-law' when he has taken his cue from you?"

Under Lu Jin's relentless questioning, Zhou Manyun was left somewhat dumbfounded. As the matriarch of the Shen family, she naturally knew she ought to have the bearing of one. Though she had never held this son-in-law in esteem before, she had only grumbled in private and still had Shen Yanlun address him as brother-in-law in public. The Shen family could not be without rules, nor without courtesy. Lately she had even treated him with warmth and civility. Who could have expected that, in her moment of confusion today, she would leave herself so completely at his mercy?

Zhou Manyun's thoughts turned quickly, searching for a way out. She had no way to step down now and could not simply concede defeat.

"Hmph! What a fine performance. Today has truly opened this old woman's eyes."

At the sound, everyone turned and saw the old matriarch standing outside the crowd, supported by Shen Yanxi and Bai Hui. No one knew when she had arrived.

The old matriarch was shrewd to the bone. She had sensed something was off with Zhou Manyun and, uneasy, had ridden over to Streamside Garden in a sedan chair. She had originally thought Zhou Manyun had gone to Cloudwatch Tower, only to discover that it was merely her granddaughter entertaining her close friends there. After the old matriarch explained the matter, Shen Yanxi learned of it as well, and so she hurried over with her grandmother to take a look.

Though there was only a lake between Cloudwatch Terrace and Cloudwatch Tower, the scenery and trees masked the view, and the lake was no small thing. One could not see clearly, nor hear a thing.

Shen Yanxi accompanied her grandmother over, and the moment they arrived she was nearly frightened to death: her husband and her mother were actually quarreling. With the old matriarch present, she could not simply step forward, and so she could only stand there with a dead heart and listen.

When the others saw the old matriarch had come, they forgot everything else and hurried forward to pay their respects.

The old matriarch paid them no mind. She had Shen Yanxi support her as she sat down in the chair on the floating platform, and the Shen family members automatically followed after her. The servants dispersed on their own; were they supposed to keep watching the spectacle?

The old matriarch did not look at anyone else. Instead, with a kindly expression, she asked Shen Yanlun, "Yuan'er, come tell your grandmother what happened. If your brother-in-law truly bullied you, tell me, and I will make sure justice is done."

Shen Yanlun had originally wanted to hide himself as much as possible. After all, he was the true culprit. Who would have thought that his grandmother would call him out by name? Helpless, he had no choice but to come forward and kneel.

"Grandmother, it was this grandson's fault!"

Zhou Manyun was nearly driven to her grave with anger. Whether you were right or wrong, could you not explain yourself first? Instead, you simply admit fault before saying anything at all.

"Hm. Tell grandmother everything that happened."

"My brother-in-law had Yuan Fang bring me here. In a fit of anger, I insulted my brother-in-law and Sister Su, and my brother-in-law had Yuan Fang strike me twice and teach me a lesson..." Shen Yanlun began to cry again. After all, he had never suffered such humiliation.

Shen Yanlun was, in essence, only a spoiled young dandy. He was not as irredeemable as Lu Jin had made him sound; that had merely been Lu Jin's heavy-handed accusation. The Shen family's education was, fundamentally, quite good, which was why Shen Yanlun had admitted fault without another word.

Seeing her son cry, Zhou Manyun felt as though her heart had been pricked with needles, and her eyes reddened as well. Yet with the old matriarch there, she did not dare step forward.

"Hm. And how did your brother-in-law teach you?" the old matriarch asked again.

"He said I was arrogant and unbridled, that I bullied others at will, and had no compassion... no sense of shame... no modesty... no discernment between right and wrong..."

Zhou Manyun was utterly stunned. She hurriedly looked at Shen Yanlun, who was still kneeling there. Was this really her son? Could he truly be this bad? Or had he committed some evil deed and hidden it from her?

The old matriarch then glanced at Lu Jin. Could this old woman have been seeing things? Her grandson should not be quite so worthless, should he? Still, these four faults were rather insightful.

"And then?" the old matriarch asked.

"And then my brother-in-law told us stories and gave us lessons."

By this point, the truth of the matter was already perfectly clear. Zhou Manyun, now calmed, also knew she had acted rashly today. But everything was already too late.

The old matriarch tapped her cane. "Manyun, what do you have to say?"

Zhou Manyun could only step forward and kneel before the old matriarch. "Mother, this daughter-in-law knows her mistake."

Lu Jin and Shen Yanxi hurriedly knelt as well. Such were the customs of the age: when one's elders were kneeling there, no child or junior could remain standing brazenly. It was the same for a son-in-law.

Lu Jin also said quickly, "Grandmother, not all the blame lies with Mother. Your grandson-in-law was thoughtless and did not inform her in advance, which caused her to misunderstand."

"Your grandson-in-law's heart is full of care for Shen Yanlun. That pleases me greatly," the old matriarch said with a sigh. "Manyun, go kneel in my room and think carefully about where you were wrong!"

"Grandmother, it was this grandson-in-law..."

"All of you, go down. I want to speak with my grandson-in-law alone."

Lu Jin had intended to take the blame himself—first, out of filial duty, and second, because once the other side admitted fault, they would not truly bear him ill will. Yet the old matriarch cut him off directly. He also had no idea what she intended to say.

"Everyone has gone. You may stand up now," the old matriarch said.

Lu Jin froze, for this was not the tone in which the old matriarch usually addressed him; she did not even call him grandson-in-law.

"Everything today was probably within your calculations, was it not?"

"First you did not discuss it with your father-in-law, your mother-in-law, or even Yanxi, but instead forcibly seized Shen Yanlun in order to probe the Shen family's attitude toward you. You were testing your in-laws, testing this old woman, and testing Yanxi as well. If matters had not gone as you wished, I daresay you had already planned to run away again, had you not?"

...Lu Jin was genuinely startled. Was it truly that obvious? Was his plan too clumsy, or was the old matriarch simply too shrewd for her years?

His seizure of Shen Yanlun today had not been a whim, but something he had long considered.

Lu Jin's standing in the Shen family had been steadily rising. Whether it was the old matriarch or Shen Hao, they had no choice but to take him seriously, but the rest of the Shen household did not know that; to them, he was still nothing more than a little live-in son-in-law, just as the wastrel Shen Yanlun saw him.

The Shen family now treated him as though he were acceptable enough, but there had been no real conflict of interest yet. For the time being, they could consider themselves to be supporting a son-in-law in vain, since Shen Yanxi liked him. But what if conflict arose? Would the Shen Estate still have room for him? And what of Shen Yanxi?

Since Lu Jin had already decided to do something, if he was to remain within the Shen family, then he needed to be tied to them. But was the Shen family worth binding himself to? And once he was bound, he would need a voice. He needed money and power.

Shen Yanlun was the blade he had chosen. With one strike, he could establish authority, test hearts, and demand a voice.

When there was conflict between a biological grandson and a son-in-law, how would the Shen family handle it? Such a result would be the simplest and clearest. Of course, Lu Jin was not so shameless as to fail to stand on reason himself and yet still demand that others protect him.

Why seize Shen Yanlun? What consequences would follow? Lu Jin had already imagined them. His forceful capture of Shen Yanlun was meant to provoke an impulsive reaction from Zhou Manyun, so that he might act to advantage. The result was obvious: Zhou Manyun only treated him as family on the surface. Once her own son was involved, her attitude changed at once.

After that, he would either wait for Shen Hao or for the old matriarch. These two were the decisive figures who would determine exactly what relationship he would have with the Shen family in the future.

In truth, everything up to this point had gone according to plan, until the old matriarch kept him behind for a private conversation.

"Ever since you entered the household, this old woman has been very fond of you, child, because there is light in your eyes, a rare innocence and sincerity. Later I discovered that you also possess considerable ability and wisdom, and I came to like you even more. Moreover, I believe you are bound to achieve something in life, even if you are only a son-in-law of my Shen family. For this Shen Estate cannot hold a true dragon."

The old matriarch fixed her gaze on Lu Jin and continued, "You clearly could have chosen a better method. Your mother-in-law is not some foolish woman, so why not take the broad road instead of the narrow one?"

Sweat poured down Lu Jin's back, and he hurriedly dropped to his knees.

"Grandson-in-law, you may scheme for a moment, but not for a lifetime. The scholar Yu Wen of the previous dynasty was unmatched in cunning and foresight, a man who seemed to calculate everything without error, yet in the end he was killed by his own student."

"Human hearts are even harder to fathom. You and Yanxi were originally a heavenly pair. Today you may scheme once, but what of tomorrow? Must two people who belong together keep suspecting each other's hearts? Yanxi nearly lost her life for your sake, and when did my Shen family ever blame you for it?"

"My Shen family is not blind and heartless, otherwise we would not be what we are today. We know you suffered grievances when you first came, so whether you gave your father-in-law a hard time or even wanted to leave, I treated it as though I never saw it and thought of it as nothing more than a little temper. As the head of a great clan, did you truly think your father-in-law had no way to deal with you? It was nothing more than letting you vent your anger. But today you have disappointed me, grandmother."

"You are a man of great wisdom. Many things in this world can be seen clearly only by you. Yanxi has told me about your learning, and though I do not fully understand it, I know it must be extraordinary learning, not mere skills, because it can explain all things and comes close to the Way itself."

"With wisdom like that, why walk the crooked path? So long as you stand upright and follow the great road without deviation, who in all the world could stop you? What plot or intrigue could possibly ensnare you? And who would not recognize you?"

"The hearts of men in this world are complex beyond measure; simplicity and honesty are precious. You must not carry heaven and earth in your breast without knowing it, only to lose treasure and pick up scraps instead, child."

"Your grandson-in-law is ashamed." Lu Jin's eyes reddened, and he bowed with his forehead to the ground.