At the time of the Spring Equinox, spring showers came without warning. The dark clouds hovered in the sky and the fierce winds whistled restlessly. The towering trees shook from the pressure of the torrential rain. Rather than it being a refreshing shower though, it did nothing but added an indescribable humidity to the atmosphere.
“Go!”
“Catch up with them!”
Between the lofty plains and mountains, on a winding loess road, two carriages fled through the torrential rain. Following shortly behind were roughly a dozen horsemen. Their expressions were not kind and each carried a vicious sword. They appeared to be robbers.
“What should we do? They’re about to catch up.”
“Hurry up…”
“Grandma Wei, think of a way. I don’t want to die…”
“What can I do? It’s all because of the fifth young master. What a scourge of the stars. Even being abolished to the countryside did nothing to suppress his implication. The moment we bring him back, we’d encounter a robbery? How calamitous.”
“Grandma Wei, how can you say that. The fifth young master…”
“Did I say something wrong?”
The fast-galloping carriage met with the bumps on the road and those crowded in the carriage argued endlessly. Occasionally, a shriek would sound out. Shen Liang who sat in the innermost position felt groggy. His internal organs felt shattered and after a groan, his thin arm raised and pressed against his burning forehead. Shen Liang scowled as he slowly opened his eyes.
What he was greeted with was the image of an elderly and young woman to his left and another two young maidens to his right. All wore rather thin and coarse cloth and linen clothes.
Qi Yue?! Qi Xuan?!
Almost immediately, Shen Liang’s pupils shrank. Weren’t they already…
No. Weren’t his eyes already gouged out by the witch Shen Qian? How was he able to see Qi Yue and Qi Xuan who had already passed away long ago? And… there was also the Grandma Wei who handled the household affairs in Marquis Donglin’s Manor. This… what was going on?
“They’re getting closer. Grandma Wei, think of something!”
“What can an old granny like me do?! They’re bandits!”
Those in the carriage had their attentions focused on the bandits who were slowly closing up on them. None discovered that the comatose Shen Liang had already woken up. The maid Jin Zhi’s face grew pale as she pulled on Grandma Wei’s beaded bracelet. Her gaze fled around frantically as she feared the carriage would be overturned by the pursuers at any moment. In contrast, the one called Grandma Wei was much calmer. Despite her words, they were all simply a repetition of the same content over and over again, but in the midst of the panic, no one noticed.
Because of the shock, Shen Liang who had fell into silent contemplation was able to see this. Images and memories surfaced through his mind as intermittent pictures. As they drew to an end, Shen Liang then realized why he felt those images felt familiar and nostalgic. Wasn’t this the time when he was returning back to the Marquis Donglin Manor? He was only fifteen.
After his birth, Marquis Donglin, Shen Ruiting didn’t have and add another child to the Manor beside Shen Qiang. It wasn’t that his concubines were incapable, but that every time they were finally pregnant, some mishaps would occur. In contrast, the second and third family were more exuberant. Before long, nasty rumors began to surface around the Marquis Manor. It wasn’t until Shen Liang turned ten and another six-month pregnancy ended in another miscarriage that in a fit of anger, the marquis had Shen Liang’s grandmother find the Taoist priest of the Baiyun Temple. As a result…
The Taoist priest insisted that the Father and heirs of the Marquis Manor wasn’t safe simply because of the scourge of the stars of the Marquis Manor. That scourge was no one else but Shen Liang. The misfortune had to be eradicated at the source. Either killed or sent away. As such, his father who had always been cruel, immediately exiled him to the countryside. It was also because of this matter that the eldest son of the Marquis Manor, Shen Da left home… and ended up dead from the torrent of arrows on the battlefield!
Who would’ve guessed that his death wasn’t an accident, but instead resulted from his own father’s second wife and Qin Yunshen’s schemes. Who knew what role his own good father also played?
Thinking of this, immense hatred and monstrous anger swept through Shen Liang. His poisonous oath was still fresh in his mind. Shen Qiang, Qin Yunshen, those who sought to harm and deceive him, Shen Liang would see to it that they wouldn’t live a good life!
“Fifth young master, you’re awake?!”
It was unclear whether his hatred was too intense or whether the group of women were finally done arguing, but followed by the exclamation, the two young servants sitting to his right hurried before him despite the rough bumps. Their young and immature features rendered naked concern and fear.
Shen Liang didn’t say anything. He simply stared at them in stunned silence. Qi Yue and Qi Xuan were the servants his eldest brother had personally chosen for him. They grew up with him and accompanied him through the sully and humiliation in those five years at the countryside before one died in his place from insult and humiliation while the other was simply beaten to death before his very eyes.
He really did cause the death of too many people!
Sharp pain coursed through his atrium. As he gazed at them, the corners of his eyes burned as his fist clenched tightly.
“Fifth young master…” Seeing this, the two clever young servants reached out to cover his clenched fists. Shen Liang’s eyes narrowed as he said in a hoarse voice, “It’s alright, just a little dizzy.”
For some reason, he seemed to have returned back to ten years ago. Since it has come to be this way, then it was Shen Liang’s turn to protect them.
A hand lightly touched his forehead and before Shen Liang could sense the disappearance of the cool jade touch, a gentle voice sounded, “A little feverish. Fifth young master, please endure it some more. We’re almost at the Imperial City and when we arrive at the Marquis Manor, there will be a doctor to treat you.”
Qi Yue was as gentle as ever!
“En.”
Shen Liang nodded with tears in his eyes. Thank goodness. They were still alive.
“The fifth young master is so delicate. You’ve been in a comatose state for half a day with just a little fever. We sure had it hard. Because of you, the bandits have surrounded us and I’m afraid we just might be headed for the Heavens.” A harsh and sharp voice suddenly interrupted them. Qi Yue and Qi Xuan’s face immediately darkened.
Shen Liang reached out and patted the back of their hands in comfort. After, he raised his head and looked at the Grandma Wei who had just spoke, “I’ve been away from the Marquis Manor for five years but I didn’t expect the rules and etiquette of the Manor to fall behind and denigrate to this point. A old servant actually dares to speak to me with such disrespect. When I return, I ought to inquire just exactly how has ‘Mother’ been disciplining the servants.”
*All children of a Manor must address the formal wife of the Marquis as ‘Mother’ even though in essence, the formal wife is a stepmother. Depending on the time and aristocratic family, they may not even be able to address their biological mothers as ‘Mother,’ and instead ‘Lady’ + their biological mother’s maiden name or name granted by their husband’s family, for instance, in the Imperial Family. If you’re interested, there will be notes included in the end of this chapter but in this case, while Shen Liang’s dad will always remain the main, legal spouse of the Marquis Manor, since he has died, Shen Ruiting is legally allowed to promote one of his concubines into the legal status, in which Shen Liang has no choice but to also address such person as “mother.” Fortunately, because even though Shen Liang’s dad has passed away, he passed away with his title as the legal spouse. Hence, Shen Liang is also able to continue calling his dad, “Dad” and doesn’t have to address his dad like he would a concubine.*
It was like this during his previous life as well. During the entire trip back, the old servant continuously refrained his being the scourge of the stars and implicating those around him. At that time, because he had been disdained by his father since young and the only eldest brother who loved him was no longer by his side, Shen Liang’s character had been cowardly and had a somewhat inferiority complex. He wouldn’t dare talk back, much less recall he was still the legitimate son of the Marquis Manor.
“You…”
Grandma Wei’s face underwent a drastic change, but when she met Shen Liang’s gaze, her back went cold and a shiver ran through her body. Before she could decipher what she had seen, an anxious shout cried out, “Grandma Wei, they’ve caught up!”
“Ahhh! I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!” Jin Zhi, the maid who sat next to Grandma Wei shrieked. Her two hands clasped tightly onto Grandma Wei’s arms and her eyes inadvertently swept toward Shen Liang. She suddenly called out while pointing at him, “It’s you! You scourge! If it weren’t for you, we would’ve never encountered such a burglary. Sob.. Sob…”
For a servant to be able to point at him and scold him as such, it was evident that Shen Liang’s identity as the legitimate heir of the Marquis Manor didn’t amount to much.
Qi Yue and Qi Xuan were incensed. Their mouth distorted in disgust, but Shen Liang didn’t allow them to speak. They could only fiercely glare at the two people before them with their rapidly rising chest emanating their anger.
“Fifth young master, allow this old servant to say something inappropriate. Jin Zhi’s words are not without reason and justice. If it weren’t for your constitutional attributes, how would be reduced to this drastic state and encounter bandits?”
As she patted Jin Zhi’s hands to comfort her, Grandma Wei stared at Shen Liang. A fierce harshness flickered across her eyes. Although she believed herself to have concealed it well, Shen Liang was able to clearly sense it. No, more accurately, even if he wasn’t able to capture the nature in her eyes, Shen Liang would be able to predict her next words. After all, he had experienced all of this ten years ago.
“So?” After throwing Qi Yue and Qi Xuan a look that signaled for them to remain calm, Shen Liang unhurriedly tidied his attire. Since his last life up to now, since they’ve all accused him of being the scourge of the stars, why don’t he sit on that title well? Otherwise, wouldn’t it be unworthy of the title? Since the Heavens had the eyes to return him back to ten years ago, then Shen Liang wouldn’t allow himself to suffer any losses.
“And?”
Due to habit, Grandma Wei carelessly disregarded the difference between her and Shen Liang’s status and identity. She continued, “Since this was all caused by you, then you should naturally be the one to resolve this matter. Why don’t the fifth young master take the initiative to be taken by the bandits. This would allow us to return to the Marquis Manor and call for reinforcements.”
“You! Grandma Wei, no matter what, the fifth young master is the legitimate heir of the Marquis Manor. Know your place!”
Qi Xuan, whose temper had always been easy to ignite roared in anger. Qu Yue also scowled.
Jin Zhi, who had been fearful to now suddenly called out, “What do you mean by that? What Grandma Wei said was right. This was all caused by the fifth young master. He should take on luring those bandits away, as to allow us time and opportunity to call for reinforcements!”
“Are you sure you’d even call for reinforcements?” Qi Yue had just wanted to say something when Shen Liang cold and indifferent voice sounded out.
“Liangliang!” Thinking Shen Liang was conceding to the two witches’ suggestions, Qi Yue and Qi Xuan called out simultaneously to voice their objections. They called him by his pet name. The three of them had lived worse than servants those five years at the countryside. Shen Liang took them to be his brethren and he was the one who asked them to call him by a more intimate name. It was just that after so many years to hear himself be called by that again, Shen Liang couldn’t help but fall into a momentary trance. How many years had it been? After his brother, Qi Yue, and Qi Xuan both died as well. Afterwards, was it only his grandpa who he had only seen once and his uncles who would call him that?
Shen Liang’s heart churned, but it was only in that moment. He turned around to look at them and smiled, “No matter. Believe in me.”
The two fell into a daze as they couldn’t help sense there was something different about the fifth young master today. However, they were also unable to pinpoint the exact difference.
“Of course, we’d head back to call for reinforcements.” Disregarding the interaction between the three, Grandma Wei pursed her lips. The arrogance and triumph in her eyes could not be concealed.
“Really?” Shen Liang turned his gaze back to her and was once again cold. No one noticed the murderous qi slowly condensing in his solemn eyes.
Novel Background
For better understanding, the situation in the Marquis Donglin Manor is as such:
Shen Ruiting, the master and head of the Marquis Donglin Manor is Shen Liang’s father. He wields significant court power and married Shen Liang’s dad, who’s story will slowly become uncovered later on. Shen Da is the eldest and legitimate son of the Marquis Dongling Manor and is Shen Liang’s older brother. This means by default, Shen Da will be the heir of the Marquis Donglin Manor and holds first rights in the inheritance of Shen Ruiting’s property and position if and when Shen Ruiting dies or decides to pass everything onto Shen Da.
However, it is mentioned that Shen Da ran away from home. He can be considered having “given up” his rights to inheritance. Then by default, next in line as heir should be Shen Liang, as the second child of his dad, the main spouse of Shen Ruiting.
Note that this is by default, as what is expected may not be the case. In this case, recall that in the previous chapter, Shen Qiang, Shen Liang’s half-sister, was resentful of Shen Da being the legitimate and eldest son. In actuality, it might be helpful to know that after Shen Liang’s dad died, Shen Ruiting can marry in another wife or promote one of his concubines to the position of official wife. Shen Ruiting chose to promote Shen Qiang’s mother, who used to be a concubine. Now, Shen Qiang’s mother has two children of her own, the first being Shen Xiao, who will show up later in the novel. He is older than Shen Liang but when he was born, his mother was still a concubine. Before Shen Liang and Shen Da, he will always be of lower status in that case. However, after his mother was promoted to official wife after the death of Shen Liang’s dad, his status also becomes legitimate, and he can discard the title of being a “bastard” son, because his mother being an official wife means she has married Shen Ruiting and he is the son of two married couples.
Technically, as Shen Da becomes legitimized, he can stand on equal footing with Shen Liang since he is older than Shen Liang but Shen Da is the eldest so if and when Shen Da returns, he will always be first in line to the title of “heir”. There is that but also remember that the only reason why Shen Da’s mother became an official wife was because Shen Liang’s dad passed away. Otherwise, she would always remain a concubine. Hence, even though Shen Da and Shen Qiang are legitimate children now, they are going to be regarded as a lower status than Shen Da and Shen Liang. This is because from beginning to end, Shen Liang’s dad has always been the spouse Shen Ruiting respected, loved, and conferred the official title of wife. He was married in publicly, proudly, and legally. Meanwhile, Shen Da’s mother was once a concubine and when Shen Da was born, she was a concubine.
This does mean, however, that if Shen Ruiting favors Shen Da, Shen Da can replace Shen Liang as second in line for inheritance after Shen Da but he would have to face public scrutiny because Shen Liang’s dad being the “original” wife will always outrank Shen Da’s mother, even if Shen Da’s mother was promoted.
Also to note: Shen Ruiting only has four children, from eldest to youngest: Shen Da, Shen Xiao, Shen Liang, and Shen Qiang, which means Shen Liang is technically the third eldest but everyone in the manor will sometimes call him fifth brother, or Xiao Wu (Xiao = little, Wu = five), which means he’s the fifth eldest in the family. This is because including their cousins, Shen Liang is the fifth eldest. When calling out to each other, cousins will also be called “brothers” or “sisters” even though they are technically cousins, which is why when considering oldest to youngest, cousins are also counted in.
Historical/Background Knowledge
Gay Marriage Existed
Since ancient China, men could be together. Shocking? I thought so too but it was made possible because it wasn’t termed “marriage” and people/society didn’t think that way. Instead, it was viewed more as a “partnership.” This is because the male: female population was severely disproportionate back then. Don’t mistake it for being sworn brothers, as that is also a thing, but something different.
In a “partnership,” two men who have grown close together exchange vows as well (don’t ask me what the vows entail), move in together, live together, study together, and basically do everything together, except have children together. That is not what sworn brother do. However, what society sees isn’t gay marriage, but rather two men who help and support each other in life. As for how intimate they are and what goes on behind closed doors, well, that’s for them to decide but it’s confusing in that people don’t want to think and didn’t dare to think of it as the two men in love, especially since this “partnership” wasn’t seen as an anomaly in ancient China. It was something people just did at one point in history and society just never questioned “are the two of them sleeping together.”
So just think of it this way: society was against two men in love and sleeping together, but they were not against them living a married life together under the pretense of “partnership,” especially since the words and thought of “sleeping together” and “in love” wasn’t focused on. If two men are in “partnership,” they can each have their respective “wives,” but the wives are of lower status and the children would are automatically would call the other man “godfather.” They would then raise the children up together. However, that is rare in that if two men are in “partnership” that usually means they aren’t inclined to marry a woman to being with or there was a lack of woman. They might have concubines though, and that’s for the sake of having children.
Why I bring this up is because in terms of status, this is more accurate in seeing Shen Liang’s status as a Ger. Men in “partnership” are of higher status than official wives, especially since they are male. This is the same case in this novel, which is why I like it. In many novels that have Gers, Gers are no different than woman. However, in this novel, it is important to note that in terms of societal expectations that Gers are Gers. You cannot see them as women.
Etiquette wise, Gers must know propriety and act with reservedness around both males and females. They are higher up in status than women, have the same inheritance rights as men (as seen with Shen Liang being the second-in-line for heir after Shen Da but Shen Qiang as a female, never will have inheritance rights), but should practice more reservedness compared to men. They can practice politics more freely than women, but the prospect won’t be as accepting as men practicing politics (seen later in the novel in which a Ger will want to practice politics and eventually does, but was still met with obstacles, albeit not as much as women). In the same aspect as “partnership,” while wives are expected to comply or persuade meekly to their husbands in times of disagreement, Gers should be allowed to voice their objections more freely. For etiquette, they will learn how to be gentle and refined, but not coquettish and not to use weakness to allure and persuade men. Shen Liang will mention several times in the novel “I am not a woman,” when his lover and others are being overprotective. In this novel of politics, Shen Liang will also be fighting his own battle and while his lover may aid him, Shen Liang will be “using” him (with the other party being willing, of course) rather than his lover taking charge and exacting Shen Liang’s vengeance for him.
Polygamy
There has always been a misconception with Chinese polygamy and feminism. This novel refers to the Daqin Empire, which is reflected as the Qin Dynasty, in which Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China passed a series of decrees that protected women. The emperor himself was biased towards women, especially so since he himself doted on his daughter(s) and was biased towards them. However, please note while this novel utilizes some aspects of the Qin Dynasty, none of the characters actually existed, even as a reference, especially when mentioning the Imperial Family and Qin Yunshen.
In more detail, a man is only allowed one wife, who is his legal wife, bound by the laws. She is protected by the laws and has rights. While in such a patriarchal society, women are definitely held at a disadvantage, they are entitled to rights. For example, at a certain point in time, if men cheated on their wife, they can even be beaten to death. While domestic abuse may occur and women may be reluctant to divorce, men will be frowned upon and looked down on in society even if the women doesn’t report her abuse to the authorities. Men, especially those termed “gentlemen” (scholars and those who are educated and educated meaning raised right by their parents, not actual education), have expectations to uphold and treating their wives with respect and courtesy is one of them.
In fact, an official marriage holds many vows and ceremony that highlights the importance of a man’s wife. The wedding in of an official wife may include something called a “ming mei zhen qu, ba tai da jiao” (明媒正娶, 八抬大轿), which means marrying in of the official/legal wife, carriage of eight men. When marrying in an official wife, her feet will not touch the ground. She will be carried to the carriage that is not pulled by horses, but hoisted on the shoulders of eight officials who cannot be an official below a third rank. This is a ceremony reserved for official wives and while in later down in history, the regulations were more relaxed and favored concubines/consorts could also partake in such ceremony, by that time, the carriages could be carried by any men.
The vows that bind the marriage also highlight the importance of the official wife. There are three bows, highlighting the vows. The first bow is to Heaven and can be the most serious because of faith, belief, and religion. What can it entail? One of the most memorable marriage vows I have ever heard of was something along the lines of as Heaven has witnessed this marriage, this marriage is now bound by the Heavens. If I am ever unfaithful to this marriage, may I be struck by lightning, have my soul stripped, never to be reincarnated, and that was a modern society Chinese wedding vow.
The second bow is to the men’s parents. China has always been a very community and family-based society. Bowing to the parents also entails the official wife changing her address of the men’s parents into “mom” and “dad” and embracing her new family.
The third bow is to each other, symbolizing their promise and vows to each other. I often find this one the most romantic, but also the most worthless one because as we know, love is fleeting.
All of this shows and highlights the status of official wives/spouses. However, official wives/spouses are not all women. That is where consorts/concubines come in. Concubines are not considered “people.” They are slaves to a Manor, and oftentimes, only nobles or wealthy families have the luxury of having concubines. Think of them as high-classed prostitutes reserved for a specific man but even less so than that, because in terms of status, they are slaves. They can be beaten to death and/or abused and no one would be able to help them because they are seen as property, not people. While their children are supposed to still be treated with dignity, that is because half the blood that flows through the children are the men’s. However, these children are of lower status than the wife’s children. They are considered “bastard” children, because they are born out of wedlock. In addition, they may not call their concubine mothers “mother.” They will address their own mother as “Lady +mother’s maiden name” and must address the official wife as “mother” instead. Concubines can have “weddings”, but they are never married. Men can have several concubines.
It’s hard to say whether a woman would become an official wife or a concubine though. Often times, a legitimate daughter would become an official wife, but not always. In fact, if a woman loves a man enough, she might allow herself to be taken into the man’s manor as a concubine, denigrating herself, especially if the man already has a wife. Or, if the woman comes from a lower status and is marrying into a family of higher status, she may be married in as a concubine. Daughters of concubines will most likely become concubines themselves. Women from poor families may also become concubines if coerced or if they want to rise in rank. When a woman becomes a concubine, it becomes a back courtyard brawl filled with conspiracies to gain the man’s favor because that is the only way for a concubine to be treated with respect. If the man loves her enough, even though she is technically only a slave, she is a favored and loved woman of a master of the manor. If the man loves the concubine more than he does the official wife, a concubine can have more say in the manor. However, she will never be able to overcome the official wife because societal expectations are that only the wife can manage the back courtyard (harem) and if a man blatantly favors and is biased towards a concubine compared to the wife, he is looked down on. In official settings, he is also expected to take the official wife, as taking a concubine to the setting means disrespect to the occasion.
Royalty
Despite all that, the harem of the emperor and royal family is different. Even the servants of the Imperial Family hold more power and authority than commoners. The consorts and concubines of the imperial family are not to be treated like slaves no matter how low in rank they are. Their own families must treat them with respect as sometimes, they may even outrank their own parents. The Imperial harem is as follows:
Tier 1: Empress
At the very top, what most people call the “queen” is the Empress, mother of all under Heavens. There is only one Empress and I will be using the term “empress” rather than “queen” because anyone who is able to sit on the top as the “empress” is no simple woman. Empress outranks queens in authority, power, and status. They are responsible for the Imperial harem, and if any consort/concubine dies or commits faults/crimes, she is also expected to bear responsibility. No matter what, all the princes and princesses will address her as “mother empress.” The empress is the only status and position in tier 1.
Tier 2: Consorts
The imperial noble consort assumes the responsibility of the empress if the empress falls ill or something happens to the empress. Similarly, there can also only be one imperial noble consort. They are often the person the emperor favors/”loves” the most. When an emperor first assumes position, he needs support and the empress will oftentimes be someone who can give him the background, power, and status to stabilize his position on the throne. However, one will often find that especially for paranoid emperors, they will find it hard to love the empress because sooner or later, they will begin to fear the power and authority the empress wields. The empress is in her seat because the court will pressurize the emperor, but the court’s hands won’t be able to exert that much pressure on who becomes the imperial noble consort. Hence, the emperor will reserve the second-in-command position for the woman he loves the most so that she is not so far back in rank that the empress can bully her, but also that she is not the empress and wield more power to the point in which he begins to be cautious towards her as well. There can only be one imperial noble consort.
Below the imperial noble consort are noble consorts (x2) and regular consorts (x4). The children of consorts are able to address their birth mothers as “mother consort.” They can also be given titles which would be granted by the emperor.
Tier 3: Concubines
For concubines, the ranking become more complicated but also insignificant. They wield no real power and struggle to gain favor. Their children may not visit them as please nor call them “mother” if they reach below a certain rank. Titles can still be granted to them by the emperor though, and that symbolizes certain significance as that could mean the emperor has begun or does favor them and there are simply no more positions available in tier 2.
