Who Cares About Being the Matriarch? My Rebellious Husband Secured Me a Noble Rank! - Chapter 73

To make sure she hadn’t misheard, Shen Tangning smiled and asked again, “You want who to submit obediently?”

Shen Xiwei repeated her earlier words.

“…” Shen Tangning gave her a strange look. “You want Lady Hou to be obedient to you, a concubine?”

She couldn’t believe Shen Xiwei actually said that out loud.

In this dynasty, filial piety comes first. Even a princess, after marrying into her husband’s family, must not go against her mother-in-law.

No matter how domineering the mother-in-law is, the daughter-in-law has to endure it, patiently waiting until she becomes the lady of the house herself—only then does the cycle of oppression continue.

If one had the means, earning the respect of the in-laws wasn’t impossible, but Shen Xiwei’s bluntness was unheard of.

Shen Xiwei frowned, confused. “But Lady Second Wife listens to the eldest sister, doesn’t she?”

Shen Tangning raised an eyebrow. “That’s because Mother-in-law has a good temper. You, Second Sister, just happen to be lucky.”

In other words: You can’t keep a hold on her.

Shen Xiwei’s face paled, her jaw clenched tightly as she fought her frustration before blurting, “Didn’t you say before, you could make someone so sick they can’t get up?”

A faint gleam flashed in Shen Tangning’s eyes, and she said, surprised, “When did I ever say that?”

Shen Xiwei grew anxious, “Last time I came to see you, you said exactly that…”

Shen Tangning’s expression shifted as if suddenly remembering. “Second Sister, you must have misunderstood. What I said was, people who eat all kinds of grains are bound to get sick sometimes. What’s wrong with that?”

“…” Shen Xiwei was momentarily speechless.

Shen Tangning furrowed her brows and earnestly advised, “Although Lady Hou is strong-willed, she is the heir’s mother. Second Sister, don’t be foolish and go down the wrong path!”

Shen Xiwei’s face turned pale then flushed. She stood abruptly. “Eldest Sister, if you won’t help me protect yourself, I have nothing more to say! Today, consider that I never came!”

Their conversation ended bitterly.

Watching her storm off, Shen Tangning’s eyes darkened with thought. “Has anything interesting been happening in the East Courtyard lately?”

She had been busy preparing for Chi Yan’s imperial exams and hadn’t paid attention to the other side for a while.

Snow Green (Xue Qing) thought for a moment, a slight smile tugging at her lips. “I heard that yesterday, Lady Hou brought a new maid for the heir—seems obedient and pleasant.”

Shen Tangning raised an eyebrow, smiling faintly. “No wonder she’s so anxious.”

That sounded like a move Lady Hou would make.

Now that Shen Xiwei was heavily pregnant, she needed someone to serve the heir. Picking a docile one who could be controlled, sharing favor without letting her get cocky.

Shen Xiwei was pushed into a corner and came asking her for advice.

But Shen Tangning had no intention to get involved. Lady Hou had an official rank—if anything went wrong, it wouldn’t end well so easily.

Her attempt the other day was only possible because no one else was present, and Shen Xiwei’s word alone wouldn’t convince anyone.

As for actually making a move, Shen Xiwei would have to plan on her own. Since she had the idea, she wouldn’t let it go easily.

She’d just watch the tigers fight from the sidelines. No need to jump into the mess.

Besides, she had already warned her. Shen Xiwei didn’t listen; what else could she do?

Shen Tangning smiled slowly and glanced at Snow Green. “Second Sister is quite far along now, isn’t she?”

Snow Green nodded. “About four months.”

Shen Tangning’s eyes deepened. “As her body grows heavier, she should rest well. She’s so restless, it worries me.”

“Well, enough about that.” Her expression relaxed. “It’s sunny today—perfect weather to feed the fish.”

Snow Green smiled softly. “I’ll go get the fish food.”

…

The First Day of the Imperial Exams

Chi Yan stared at the exam paper handed to him, his expression growing heavier by the minute.

He’d only glanced over the paper briefly before, but some of the questions looked strangely familiar—he recognized them!

Could someone have leaked the exam questions on purpose?

If that were true, it was outright cheating. If caught, the consequences would be severe.

Chi Yan’s mind churned. He had prepared so long and hard—if the results got invalidated, all his efforts would be wasted.

No matter. Since it had come to this, he might as well give it his all.

He forced himself to calm down and started answering carefully.

Some candidates glimpsed the exam paper and couldn’t hide their excitement.

Everyone was furiously scribbling, the exam hall unusually quiet.

The chief examiner, surnamed Zhu, from the Hanlin Academy, was patrolling the hall. Seeing Chi Yan focused on his paper, he paused in surprise.

He looked twice to confirm it was Chi Yan—the infamous Chi Er Gongzi, who had failed three times before and was well known among the examiners.

In fact, many academies used him as a textbook example—for failure.

The first time, Chi Yan was caught sleeping openly during the exam, infuriating the examiners who wanted to kick him out immediately.

But since he didn’t cheat or disrupt the exam, they had no grounds.

The second time, he stopped sleeping but drew a turtle on his exam paper.

Asked why, he said proudly, “I don’t know the answer, so I can’t leave it blank, can I?”

The examiner nearly lost their breath at the sight of the turtle occupying half the paper.

Couldn’t you just scribble some random characters?!

The third time, he took the exam properly, but had eaten something bad, causing him to repeatedly rush out, uncontrollably passing gas, tormenting nearby examinees who demanded a seat change.

Eventually, the examiners had no choice but to “invite” him out.

Recalling those scenes, the chief examiner grimaced.

Who knew how shocked he was now, seeing Chi Yan writing seriously?

To be sure, he stepped closer and nervously glanced at the paper, half-expecting to see another giant turtle.

But instead, neat rows of characters filled the page. Zhu examiner was stunned.

So Chi Yan could write neatly?

Before, his terrible handwriting was a torment for examiners to grade.

Looking between the paper and Chi Yan, Zhu was amazed.

Rumor said Chi Yan had become more mature after marriage—he had thought it exaggerated, but now it seemed true.

Still, he wouldn’t relax yet. This was only day one. Who knew if this “ancestor” would come up with some new antics in the coming days?

Chi Yan ignored the examiner’s feelings, his wrist aching from all the writing, regretting deeply—

If only I had studied the liberal arts before!

So many characters… who do they think I am, trying to wear me out?