Dimensional Supermarket - Chapter 122

Before Ye Zhou has time to settle accounts with the Yang family, he receives shocking news: the head of Yang Jia’s household’s own younger brother—their most influential member—has been deceived by a traitor into brandishing weapons and raising a private army. Now overwhelmed with remorse and ashamed to face the ruler, he cuts his own throat.

By noon today, only the patriarch’s two sons remain under the Yang name—every other branch has abandoned Linzi and renounced the surname.

The two sons, holding the wooden box that contains Yang Yi’s head, wear nothing but coarse linen clothes. Step by step, they kneel as they walk to the palace gate, requesting to see Chen Hou and confess their crimes.

The people seem to suddenly forget what the Yang family has done to them. Standing on the streets, they watch with tears in their eyes as the two young men kowtow with every step.

“How pitiful.”

“Alas, the elders made mistakes, but why should the whole family suffer for it?”

“The Yang family has fallen…”

The crowd observes the two fragile young men who should be living lives of comfort and security under the protection of their family.

“Their family is gone now. I doubt the king will bother with them anymore.”

“I can’t bear to watch this. It’s truly pitiful.”

“You can see that when the head of a family is foolish, the whole family falls.”

“That’s not entirely true. As long as the main bloodline survives and the descendants strive forward, there will always be a chance for the family to rise again.”

The people express their genuine pity.

When the Yang family was powerful, they had united to protect Ye Zhou, and many had wished to see every member of the Yang family punished. But now, with the Yang family in ruins and only two weak young men left, the people regret the family’s downfall. They recognize that the mistake wasn’t fatal and hope Chen Hou will show them mercy.

They wish for the two young men to be given positions of importance and for the Yang family to be revived. This is what the people expect of a “benevolent monarch.”

Without laws, the standard for judging right and wrong in the eyes of the people is based on feelings. It is difficult for a monarch to go against the “expectations” of the people and the noble families.

Chen Hou lies in bed. Though he has woken up, he is still groggy.

He turns his head slightly and looks at Madam Chen, who sits beside him, offering a bitter smile. “Thank you, Madam.”

Madam Chen shakes her head. “It is your Majesty who has suffered these past few days.”

Chen Hou sighs. After waking, he listens as Madam Chen explains the events of the past few days and understands the cause of his “illness.” He looks at the woman who has been by his side for many years. Although she appears haggard and aged, her eyes still hold a spark, as if something has revived her youthful energy.

“Jiao’er…” Chen Hou softly calls her by her nickname. He closes his eyes briefly and speaks weakly, “Don’t worry about the Jiang family’s matters anymore.”

Madam Chen freezes.

Chen Hou’s voice is gentle as he continues, “You know what I mean. You are the mother of a nation. I’ve given you all the dignity and power you deserve. I can tolerate many things, but I cannot tolerate that, as the mother of the country, you prioritize the Jiang family above all else. You are a daughter of the Jiang family, and that will never change.” Chen Hou sighs, feeling exhausted. “Let the Jiang clan go.”

Madam Chen sets the bowl aside. She is silent for a long time before replying, “No. I want the Jiang family, not because I value it more than Chen State,” she says. “My brother is not an ambitious man. He has no aspirations—he cares only for love and children. Under his hands, the Jiang family will decline within ten years. Your Majesty, that is my mother’s family. I must save it.”

Chen Hou slowly opens his eyes and replies softly, “Jiao’er, you can deceive others with that reasoning, but you cannot deceive me.”

Madam Chen says nothing further.

“I know the world has treated you unfairly,” he says, coughing and pushing himself up. “But you can never set roots as a man would. You cannot build a family of your own. Chen State belongs to Rui’er. Even if the Jiang family belongs to you now, one day, it will belong only to the Jiang’s children.” He looks at his wife tenderly.

Madam Chen’s eyes grow red under his gaze. She has never known what she truly wants.

She is raised as a daughter of the Jiang family. Her parents, relatives, and everyone around her always tell her that her highest achievement in life is to marry a man of high status for the family.

As a young girl, that is her goal. She can play the piano, write poetry, and even compose articles.

But all that is for the sake of marriage.

It matters little whether her articles are better than those of scholars. Both her knowledge and beauty are merely props, adornments for a marriage.

She never wants this. After marriage, she can’t wait to intervene in family affairs, using Chen Hou’s position to take control. She wants the Jiang family, wanting to prove that everything she has learned can be put to use.

But now, Chen Hou’s words shatter her self-deceiving excuses. Even if she gains the Jiang family, it still won’t belong to her.

Nothing in this world truly belongs to her.

“I don’t understand,” Madam Chen says, taking a deep breath. She doesn’t dare blink, afraid her tears might fall. “I don’t understand why God made me a woman. If being a woman is so harsh and cruel, then why create us?”

For the Jiang family, daughters like her are just tools to win support.

They may love her, but that love is insignificant compared to power and wealth.

If her parents have to choose between her and the sons of the family, they will always choose the sons.

Daughters are tools, sons are the fire that sustains a family.

Tears fill her eyes—she realizes she has never known who she truly is.

She is a daughter of Jiang, but Jiang will never belong to her. She is the wife of Marquis Chen, but their marriage has been for profit, to produce a prince with Jiang’s blood.

She is the mother of the prince, but the prince isn’t hers. He belongs to the Chen State.

Her eyes fill with tears, as if a great force has struck her down. She is wise, capable, but no one needs her wisdom.

Everyone only wants her to play her part.

No one cares about her as a person.

“Sometimes, I really envy Duke Lu’s wife,” Madam Chen suddenly says. “Even if it’s just for show, at least Duke Lu sees her as a person, not her family name.”

Chen Hou tries to comfort her. “But you are my wife. You have more power than anyone besides me.”

Madam Chen asks, “If you die, and Rui’er grows up, will I still have it?”

Chen Hou falls silent, then she continues, “Even if you die, those ministers will still be ministers.”

Chen Hou finally understands. “You want to have an official position?”

Madam Chen shakes her head, her voice tinged with helplessness. “I know it’s impossible. You can’t do it. I can’t do it. Maybe no one can. But I still don’t understand. I want to know who I am.”

“How many women in the world truly know who they are?” he asks.

The couple falls silent. Madam Chen can’t find the answer, and neither can Chen Hou.

After a long pause, Madam Chen says, “I won’t let go of the Jiang family.”

Chen Hou sighs, “Jiao’er!”

Madam Chen’s voice grows firm. “I have nothing left! Even if it’s for just a few years, or more than ten, it’s enough!”

“Do as you wish…” he finally says, coughing. “But I fear the day you cease wanting to know who you are. What if one day, Rui’er wants to deal with the Jiang family? What will you do?”

Madam Chen immediately responds, “That’s impossible. My Jiang is Rui’er’s Jiang!”

“No, you are his mother,” Chen Hou replies bitterly. “If one day, the Jiang family relies on their connection to Rui’er and tries to compete with him for power, and refuses to follow his orders, will you stand against them for Rui’er and for the State of Chen?”

Madam Chen opens her mouth, but Chen Hou interrupts her, “You can say you would now, but we both know the truth.”

He looks at her, just as he did the first time they met.

Back then, he knew his future wife was power-hungry. She is like a wild cat, living by instinct, desiring everything without understanding why.

He doesn’t love her, but he admires her.

He admires her refusal to accept defeat, her fierce ambition in the fight for power.

That’s why he always indulges her.

But now, this indulgence is slipping beyond his control.

“If one day I die,” Chen Hou holds Madam Chen’s hand, “You can’t live.”

Madam Chen trembles.

Chen Hou meets her gaze. “This is for the State of Chen and for Rui’er.”

“If you die before me, I won’t marry again. I’ll only have you as my wife in this life.” He holds her gaze. “Rui’er will never have a half-brother to threaten his position.” Chen Hou’s lips tremble as if he has made up his mind. “On your tombstone, there will be no mention of my name or the Jiang family. Only your own name will be engraved. Not the wife of Chen Hou, not Jiang’s daughter, but you.”

Finally, Madam Chen sheds a tear. She grasps Chen Hou’s hand and smiles.

“Okay.” She smiles and adds, “If you do this, the world will scold you.”

Chen Hou smiles bitterly. “Let them scold. By then, I’ll probably be dead or dying. I won’t care. As for Zheng…” His voice softens. “Do whatever you want. I’ll talk to Brother Yan. He’ll listen to you.”

Madam Chen watches as Chen Hou drifts back into sleep.

She rises, wipes her tears, and adjusts her clothes.

Leaving the room, she still carries herself as the dignified Lady of Chen.

She walks out into the sunlight.

It is a good day for killing.

Ye Zhou is having dinner when he learns that the Zheng family has been surrounded by Chen Yan’s troops.

A young general named Zheng Shaoyu comes to report to him.

Although Zheng Shaoyu shares a surname with the Zheng family, he is not actually from that family; otherwise, he would not have joined the army.

Chen Yan’s reason for surrounding the Zheng family is somewhat tenuous — the claim that the Zheng family is collaborating with the enemy and selling out the country.

However, this accusation can be seen as a convenient pretext for framing someone in this era.

After all, the Yang family used the same reasoning when they tried to deal with him.

Moreover, when one really thinks about it, there seems to be no advantage for the Zheng family in collaborating with the enemy. The Zheng family’s status in Chen State is second only to the Jiang family.

It also isn’t the best time to act. The main branch of the Zheng family has already been captured and executed, but the branches still control numerous cities across Chen State. If they shut the city gates or genuinely surrender to the enemy, what can Chen Hou do?

Before Ye Zhou has a chance to ask, Madam Chen arrives at his residence.

She comes alone, dressed simply in coarse cloth with a wooden hairpin in her hair.

As soon as she is ushered in, she bows to Ye Zhou.

Ye Zhou stands up and leads Madam Chen outside. They stop on the veranda, watching the carp swim leisurely in the pond.

“Madam, are you here regarding the Zheng family’s situation?” Ye Zhou asks, offering half of a steamed bun to Madam Chen with a gentle tone. “What is your goal in surrounding the Zheng family?”

Madam Chen knows she has acted impulsively. She hadn’t wanted to use force initially, so she quickly responds: “I was too hasty, but when I think about how the Zheng family has harmed the Marquis, I couldn’t hold back. But I didn’t consider everything. To give their children the best of everything, the Zheng family has neglected the branches. Every year, the branches in different cities must send gifts to the main branch, just so they can receive favorable words from Zheng in court. The two sides are not united.”

Ye Zhou nods. Disunity is normal. Even brothers might not be united, let alone “relatives” living in different places, some of whom may not have seen each other for decades.

“In that case,” Ye Zhou says with a smile, “Madam, since you’ve taken action against this Zheng family, instead of wiping out all Zhengs, why not establish another line? But if you do this, the State of Chen will fall into chaos.”

Madam Chen nods. “I came to speak with you about this matter.”

Ye Zhou studies Madam Chen. “Is this what Marquis Chen wants?”

Ye Zhou doesn’t know Madam Chen personally, but from his understanding of aristocratic families, they usually protect their own class. Madam Chen, also from an aristocratic background, might handle the Zheng family from the perspective of the aristocracy, but not from the perspective of the royal family.

Madam Chen nods slightly. “His Majesty said that there is no creation without destruction. If the State of Chen is not thrown into chaos, it won’t be able to eliminate the source of its troubles.”

Ye Zhou pauses feeding the fish and looks at Madam Chen.

She knows he is waiting for her response and stands still, waiting for him to speak.

Ye Zhou says, “Marquis Chen is braver than I thought.”

It’s easy to talk about “no construction without destruction,” but one misstep could lead to an irreversible downfall.

When the noble families realize that Marquis Chen intends to confront them, he will have more than just the Zheng family to deal with.

All his allies will turn into enemies.

Most of the ministers in court will oppose him.

Ye Zhou speaks calmly. “Madam, do as you wish.”

Madam Chen bows again. “Thank you, Immortal.”

She understands that the Immortal is willing to help them.

Once they win the Immortal’s support, she and her husband will have nothing to fear.

On the last day of late summer, the entire main branch of the Zheng family is arrested.

All the adult men are executed, and unmarried men and women are taken and sent to the palace.

The entire country of Chen is thrown into an uproar.

Ye Zhou, too, receives countless “gifts.” The noble families shower him with presents — rare treasures and, beyond mere objects, young and beautiful men and women. All the noble families seem to have gone mad.

Ye Zhou’s wealth surges uncontrollably.