Family Get-Together

The thought brought Shen Lantang no relief. Instead, her heart grew heavier.

"Miss, are you worried that Pregnancy-Safeguarding Talisman might harm the women who drink it?" Lan Xin asked.

Lan Xin had grown up under her care and knew her well. One question had gone straight to the heart of it.

"I am. But matters of spirits and gods are shrouded in mystery. I have no way to stop those women from drinking the talisman water."

Lan Xin pressed her lips together. "Miss, I would never let anyone make you drink it."

Shen Lantang knew Lan Xin had always cared only about the people close to her. She wasn't angry. Instead, she reached out and pinched her cheek, as she hadn't done in a long time.

"All right, I know. Go on and get some rest."

"Yes, Miss."

Only after Lan Xin left did the smile slowly fade from Shen Lantang's face.

As she had said before, countless emperors, generals, and ministers had died from taking "elixirs" throughout history. But what did those rulers and officials have to do with her? So many factors determined the rise and fall of a dynasty. Elixirs were only one small part of it.

But childbirth was difficult enough for women, especially in an age with poor medical care, when giving birth meant passing through death's door. One misstep could cost both mother and child their lives, yet some people deceived the public and profited from it!

Deep disgust and alarm rose in Shen Lantang's heart.

If he dared deceive people like this today, would he point at someone tomorrow, call them a monster, and have everyone believe him?

It was hardly unheard of. Things like that had happened many times in the previous dynasty.

The more she thought about a person's wickedness, the worse he seemed. By afternoon, Xuanxin had become, in Shen Lantang's mind, a villain to rival Kongyin, the evil monk of the previous dynasty. His name still lived on in the threats mothers used to make their children go to bed early.

After Shen Lantang woke from her afternoon nap, a servant from the main courtyard invited her to dinner. It was a Xie Family tradition. Her father-in-law, Xie Heng, rarely concerned himself with his daughter-in-law's affairs, but to maintain a good relationship, he made a point of eating with her whenever he was home on a rest day.

It was a good custom, too. If it ever stopped, she would know either something had happened in the household or her parents-in-law were displeased with her.

Shen Lantang accepted the invitation and went to the main courtyard half an hour before dinner.

Her father-in-law and mother-in-law were talking in the main hall. Xie Heng was fifty-four. They said it took three generations of officials before a family truly learned how to dress and dine, and Xie Heng was precisely that third generation. In looks and bearing, he resembled Xie Jin. Xie Jin's features were sterner, with a sharp beauty to them, while Xie Heng, a civil official, seemed gentler. But an edge lay hidden beneath that gentleness, and she feared him even more than Xie Jin.

Shen Lantang did not dare study her parents-in-law too closely. It would have been improper.

When they saw her arrive, they stopped their conversation and began chatting with her.

Xie Heng had not thought much about his daughter-in-law before. As long as his son and wife were pleased with her, his own opinion hardly mattered. But after the incident with Nanny Feng, he had come to understand the woman before him better. She had begun to feel like a person to him, and he had been pleased with how she had handled the matter. He found himself speaking to her with a little more candor.

After they had talked for a while, it was time for dinner. They took their seats in order, and the maids began serving the dishes.

The head of the family was hosting his daughter-in-law, so the evening meal was more lavish than usual. There were three meat dishes alone: fish tucked inside lamb, which brought the flavors of both together; salted duck, a frequent dish in the Xie Family because their ancestral home was Jinling; and vegetable meatball soup, savory with both broth and meat.

There was no shortage of small vegetable dishes, either.

A proper family did not talk much during a meal, apart from a few words at the beginning and end. After exchanging pleasantries, the three ate in silence.

Freed from having to attend to her elders, Shen Lantang's thoughts immediately wandered.

Before her nap, she had been thinking about how to deal with Xuanxin. The royal family might be involved, so she had to tread carefully. One wrong move and, rather than exposing him, she might land herself in trouble. In fact, that outcome seemed far more likely.

Just who is this Xuanxin, and who's behind him?

Whoever it is, I can't stand by while he treats people's lives with such disregard.

He's only the Fourth Prince, not the Crown Prince. Even the Crown Prince has political enemies. Who's afraid of whom?

A faint voice sounded in Xie Heng's mind. At first, he thought he was hearing things. Then he caught the name "Xuanxin," and every word that followed came through clearly.

As he "listened" to the woman before him mention the Fourth Prince, the Crown Prince, and political enemies, Xie Heng was stunned.

"What did you just say?!"

Family Get-Together

Shen Lantang looked at Xie Heng in surprise. "I didn't say anything."

"You..."

Xie Heng was about to continue when Xie Madam slapped the table and snapped:

"Why are you bringing up what happened between us in front of our daughter-in-law? You've only thought of it now? How can you be so slow?"

Xie Heng stammered, "I... you... I..."

"Enough. Whatever it is, we'll talk in our room!"

Shen Lantang stared at the two of them in shock, then silently lowered her head and pricked up her ears. Was this something a daughter-in-law was supposed to hear?

Xie Heng had held high office for years, and his mind was quick. Though he had a thousand questions, he followed his wife's lead and pressed no further. After dinner, Shen Lantang saw that both her elders looked preoccupied, so she found an excuse to leave.

No sooner had she gone than the Xie couple went to their room.

Xie Heng could not wait to ask, "What was that about, what Lan Tang said just now?"

The moment he asked, uncertainty crossed his face. "I didn't see her open her mouth..."

"She wasn't speaking." Xie Madam wore the expression of someone who had been through it before.

Rankings

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Time-Travel and Rebirth Romance

Destined Love

Jiang Ciyu

Mind Reading

Salty Fish