Chapter 226

Chapter 226

For every person rejoicing, there is another grieving.

The Shen family, the Han family, the Pan family, the Wu family, the Kang family... all the clans closely connected to Han Zhang were overjoyed to hear the news of his triumphant return to the capital.

But those with poor relations—or those who had once kicked the Han and Shen families while they were down—were now regretting it bitterly.

Especially the few cadet branches of the Shen family who had chosen to abandon the main house before the exile, and the Wenxiang Marquis's household, which had divorced Eldest Sister Shen.

How would one describe the luck of these two groups?

Let's just say they were both unlucky and fortunate—and ultimately unlucky again!

Their misfortune began when Qi State invaded and the court fled the city. These families, delayed by packing their belongings, missed the main evacuation and were forced to remain in the capital.

They survived, but their gold, silver, and jewels were looted by enemy soldiers and rioters, leaving them destitute.

Fortunately, within a few months, Han Zhang drove out the Qi army and recaptured the capital. Though they had lost their wealthy lifestyle, at least their days were stable again, free from constant fear.

But their final misfortune was this... Han Zhang was about to become the emperor of a new dynasty!

Given what had happened with Grand Lord Jiayou, and the fact that Han Zhang had never taken concubines—with all three of his children born to Shen Qinglan—who in the realm didn't know how deep their bond ran?

Barring any surprises, Shen Qinglan would surely be made Emperor Consort, and his son would surely be named Crown Prince.

With that, as the maternal family of both the Emperor Consort and the Crown Prince, and possessing the merit of having supported the founding of the new dynasty, the Shen family's future prospects were beyond imagination.

But this tidal wave of wealth and honor... they had missed it entirely...

Shen Qingshuang and Shen Qingbai were beside themselves with envy.

"Why him of all people! What does Shen Qinglan have besides a pretty face that earns him any special regard? He's spoiled, pleasure-seeking, shallow, and ostentatious... Why is Han Qinzhang so devoted to him alone? Why does he get to become Emperor Consort now?"

"It's not fair... not fair... Why do we scheme and plot every step of the way, only to end up with nothing, while Shen Qinglan does nothing at all and gets such a blessed fate? Sob..."

Unable to accept reality, the two of them wept and cursed, nearly driven mad with rage.

Deep down, they knew full well that resenting Shen Qinglan made no sense at all.

Their second brother had never actually done anything to them at all. From childhood to adulthood, he had simply ignored all his half-siblings entirely.

Even toward those half-siblings willing to humble themselves and flatter him, Second Brother didn't mind handing out clothes, jewelry, or other favors.

Aside from enjoying pleasure, showing off, and lapping up flattery, he really wasn't hard to get along with.

Shen Qinglan had earned Han Zhang's sincere devotion because he was equally sincere in return—the couple had stood by each other since their humble beginnings.

But... they were jealous, plain and simple!

Why should it be that, though they were all Shen family children, Lan Ge'er lived better than them simply because he came from the legitimate wife's womb?

Their father had once favored them more, but Lan Ge'er, thanks to his mother's affection, had always lived more freely than they had.

Why were their concubine mothers so useless, without wealthy maternal families—families that even needed them to send money back, a whole pack of burdens...

They were jealous—they couldn't help it.

This world was just too unfair!

The two of them fumed indignantly.

But... the world had never been fair in the first place.

Some are born with everything; others are born in the mud. If you're unsatisfied, you have to change things on your own. Hoping for others to hand you charity is nothing but a pipe dream.

Never expect someone else to pave the road for you. The lucky few who glide through life smoothly are always the minority; hardship and obstacles are the norm for most.

Concubine Song and Concubine Mei finally realized that their easy departure from the Shen family had probably been deliberate on Shen Houde's part—that old bastard!

That black-hearted old bastard would swindle people even without a grudge—how could he simply let go of those who displeased him?

"The master did it on purpose... He was testing us back then, wasn't he? How could he do this? Was he ever such a saint himself, anyway? What right does he have to demand that we share his hardships?"

Concubine Mei and Concubine Song were both filled with regret and fury.

They certainly wouldn't consider that their inability to share hardship, or the Shen family's refusal to let them share in prosperity, was only natural.

All they knew was that the Shen family had cut them off from wealth and honor—so it was the Shen family's fault!

But no matter how angry or resentful they were now, it was all useless.

A missed opportunity was a missed opportunity.

Regret had no remedy.

—

And even more regretful than them was the entire Wenxiang Marquis household!

Back when she married up into their family, Eldest Sister Shen knew her own family's foundation was weak. To pave the way for the Shen family, she had done everything in her power to please her in-laws.

Above, she attended to her parents-in-law morning and evening with filial devotion, keeping them comfortable;

Below, she conscientiously raised the children from her husband's first wife, treating them as her own without a hint of favoritism;

Even the petty jealous squabbles in her husband's harem, she handled with perfect propriety—no fuss, no jealousy, striving for perfection in everything...

Even more remarkably, Shen Qingyue had inherited her mother's business acumen. While managing the household finances, she grew the marquisate's private assets handsomely, multiplying them several times over, and allowing the household to live even more lavishly.

In short, aside from her slightly inferior family background, Shen Qingyue as a daughter-in-law was beyond reproach.

Unfortunately, the Wenxiang Marquis's household had grown too accustomed to the good life, and their heads had swollen accordingly.

They gradually forgot who they were, grew ambitious, looked down on the Shen family's status, and wanted to marry into a more prestigious family instead.

As a result, after driving away Shen Qingyue and her two children, they never found that high-born daughter-in-law—and then the war broke out.

The marquis's household failed to join the nobles' flight, their savings were looted by mutinous soldiers, and now, with the change of dynasty, their noble title was about to vanish into thin air!

And the daughter-in-law they had scorned and despised... was about to become kin to the new imperial house!

When the Wenxiang Marquis's household heard the news, they were truly consumed by regret and fury, nearly fainting from rage several times.

Especially the stepson and stepdaughter whom Shen Qingyue had raised so carefully—they were struck as if by a bolt of lightning.

After staring blankly for a long moment, they suddenly rushed to the old madam, weeping and complaining in disbelief:

"Grandmother! This is all your fault! If you hadn't tormented Mother day in and day out, finding every excuse to make her life miserable and forcing her to leave... then we would still be Mother's children, and we'd be imperial relatives too! Maybe the marquisate's title could have been saved!"

When the old marquis and the current Marquis of Wenxiang heard this, they couldn't help but cast blaming glances at their wife and mother, following up with angry rebukes:

"It's all your fault, you troublemaker! We had a perfectly good life of wealth and luxury, but you had to torment our daughter-in-law! Now look—everything's gone to pieces, and we've lost it all!"

The whole group completely forgot how they themselves had also bullied Shen Qingyue back then.

After all the frantic quarreling and bickering, they still refused to accept it, and in the end, brazenly showed up again at the Shen family's door, hoping to reconcile with Shen Qingyue.

After all, no matter what, there were still the two kids between them and Shen Qingyue!

Even if the document severing family ties had already been written, blood ties run deep. As long as they coaxed the two children properly and played the kinship card, everything would get better.

However.

The two children had suffered grievances in the marquis's household since childhood, and being thirteen or fourteen years old now, they were already sensible. Whether weighing emotions or interests, they wouldn't be foolish enough to have anything more to do with the marquis's household!

In the end, her father, driven by his long-standing guilt toward his eldest daughter, firmly stood up for her. He directly took charge of changing the children's surnames and entering them into the Shen family registry, completely cutting off the Wenxiang Marquis's household's schemes to claim kinship.

This resolved all her lingering worries, and Shen Qingyue couldn't help but cry tears of joy: "Father, thank you, thank you..."

"What's there to thank? It's your father who owes you. You've suffered all these years. From now on, just live comfortably at home, raise the two children well, and I'll take care of you for the rest of your life."

Facing his eldest daughter's gratitude, her father felt an unusual pang of guilt.

Finally, he added a reminder: "When you get the chance, go chat with Lan Geer more often. Face and pride don't mean a thing compared to a real, comfortable life. Don't harbor any resentment. Lan Geer is kind and simple by nature; he just likes hearing soft, kind words, with no other intentions."

"Father, rest assured, your daughter understands."

Shen Qingyue wiped away her tears and nodded with a smile.

Among the siblings, she was one of the rare ones who combined the best qualities of both her parents—both deeply loyal and clear-headed.

She accepted the task of flattering and pleasing her younger brother with great ease, without a trace of jealousy or resentment.

After all, as the eldest sister, she had always felt like a mother to her younger brothers, treating them like her own children.

As one drama after another of joys and sorrows in the capital finally came to an end.

Han Zhang's victorious army returning from campaign finally arrived in full force outside the capital.

Zhao Yongchang personally led the capital's officials, commoners, and their families, standing at the city gate with faces full of anticipation to welcome them.

"Husband!"

"Father!"

When she saw Han Zhang's figure astride his tall steed, Shen Qinglan, who hadn't seen him in so long, could no longer hold back the longing in her heart. Casting all propriety aside, she sprinted toward him.

Xiao Tao'er, Xiao Qingdu, and Xiao Bai Tun, the three children, also eagerly followed behind their mother, tripping over themselves in their excitement as they ran toward their father.

"My husband... my sweet babies!"

Watching his wife and children rushing toward him, the cold severity on Han Zhang's face couldn't help but give way to a genuine smile.

The murderous aura and imperial bearing cultivated through years of campaigning instantly dissipated, replaced by a tenderness belonging solely to a husband and father.

He had never forgotten what he had fought all this way for.