Chapter 22: Gold and Silver

She pointed at one bolt. "This."
Sky-silk brocade in lotus-blue. Girls rarely chose it. Lotus-blue ate ordinary faces and aged them; without noble bearing all over, the color wore you instead.
Chen Ruoqiu's eyes flashed. She laughed gently. "Little Five, why so dark? Girls should shine like your sisters. This shade looks old on you."
"Quite right," Ren Wanyun chimed. She enjoyed main-line humiliation, but lotus-blue was too far. Outsiders might think every Shen daughter matronly—and Qing still had to shine at the feast. Little Five must not drag her.
Shen Yue and Shen Qing hid smiles. Shen Qing said, "Lotus-blue is fine. Fifth Sister never wore deep color—try it. They say it's grand."
"If I hadn't chosen already, I'd try the lotus-blue too," Shen Yue added, sweet.
Mistress Li looked at the honey-tongued cousins, then at Shen Miao's calm face, and sighed inside. Everyone knew the general's legitimate daughter was slow. Who guessed the gentle cousins twisted knives like this?
She pitied the girl—father on the border, child eaten at home. "Lotus-blue is very solemn for a flower feast. Perhaps this jade-white—"
Shen Miao glanced at her. A honest woman. Last life she had said the same; Shen Miao had trusted the cousins instead. "Thank you. I want the lotus-blue."
Chen and Yue relaxed—the brows that had knit smoothed out. Shen Yue laughed. "Fine taste, Fifth Sister. Mistress Li, measure us all."
Mistress Li sighed again and took the tape.
Old Madam reclined, eyes closed, deaf to everything—as she always was when silver moved, happy not to know. Today's cloth came from the public purse Ren Wanyun ran.
When measuring finished and Mistress Li left, Ren Wanyun smiled wider. "You're all big girls now. Shen daughters must not look small outside. I had jewelry made for the banquet." Xianglan brought boxes—one for Shen Qing, one for Shen Miao.
Shen Miao's was heavy. Ren Wanyun looked tender. "Second Aunt saw you busy with review and picked these at the shop—best styles. I hope you like them."
Old Madam's brow twitched as if she might open her eyes. She did not.
"Thank you, Second Aunt." Shen Miao bowed. Yue and Qing chose their own pieces at the shops—"didn't want to disturb you"—then handed her a finished box too late to swap.
"We'll go peek at ours," Shen Yue said, pulling Chen, winking at Shen Miao. "Yours will be the grandest."
Shen Miao smiled and said nothing.
Back in the west wing she tossed the box aside unread.
Jingzhe stared. "Miss, won't you look?"
"What's to look at? Same as always." She did not turn.
Jingzhe wanted to speak. Every gift from second or third branch used to make the miss glow—but even servants saw the vulgar shine. They had raised her to love gold like a magpie.
Shen Miao reached back and lifted the lid.
Light hit her face—gold and silver bangles, collars, hairpins, fat rubies, bad color, loud as brass.
Jingzhe's mouth tightened with anger.
Shen Miao almost laughed. Before marriage her jewel case had been full of this. Country girls would not wear it. Bright dress plus blazing metal—beside gentle Shen Yue and open Shen Qing she looked like a bath maid.
Now the box was only absurd. Jingzhe watched, waiting for the old excitement. It never came. Shen Miao shut the lid and pushed it over. "Pawn it. Buy a plain silver hairpin—engraved flowers, nothing fancy."
"Miss—" Jingzhe gaped. "If the east wing finds out, they'll make a whip of it." She was glad the miss had turned from gold—but this was bold.
"Unwearable junk is junk. Coin in hand beats drawer dust." Shen Miao's voice was flat. Empress years had taught her utility. The manor paid each girl two taels a month—but how much extra did Yue and Qing get from their mothers? Shen Miao never saw a share.
She had thought aunts paid from love. Now she knew better.
Public money sat in Ren Wanyun's palm. Shen Gui and Shen Wan spent salary on court grease and had none to spare.
Shen Xin bled on the border. The throne rewarded him—and he poured every reward into the public purse.
They spent his silver to dress her like a clown.
Sooner or later, she would cut this house in two.