Hi this was the fanfiction I wrote while reading Malicious Empress (c90) because I felt that though Shen Qing did some bad things in her life, both current and previous, she didn't deserve that cruel fate. Anyways, this is just wish fulfillment, an alternative ending to Shen Qing's life. Spoiler: Shen Qing After Shen Qing was raped, she's broken inside. In her well of despair, where would she have time to hate Shen Miao? But then she found out she's pregnant, and at first she could not even bring herself to care. But as her belly grew, she began to stroke it, and little by little, the baby drew her out of her misery. Her mother wanted her to abort the child, when she found out, but Shen Qing would not hear of it. Her mother thought to marry her off while her belly hasn't shown yet, but Shen Qing refused. What kind of life would her child have, with a husband cold to her and suspicious that the child was not his? Instead, she begged her mother to send her to the countryside. They had some country estate, and with her sullied, no one would want to marry her anymore. It was not that their family's wealth was so small that they couldn't support another mouth. Out in the countryside, who would know that she was an unmarried girl who had a child. They could easily spin a story of a young widow, left with only a child to raise. Her mother, after all, still loved her, and she relented. Her daughter, who had such a bright future, could only have such an ending. She sighed bitterly in her heart, but seeing her daughter care for the baby growing inside her and caring for her health again, at least it was better than seeing her daughter languish. The other households did not know about Shen Qing's pregnancy, so her mother bundled her daughter quietly away and just told the Shen family that Shen Qing's health was not getting better, and thought the country air might help her recover. Shen Miao was stunned. What about all of her plans? Shen Qing cared nothing about them and lived in the countryside. She had dismissed her personal maids so that they could remain in the city. She had the country estate select a couple of girls to serve her. They were not as meticulous as those maids who had grown up with her, but at least they did not know about her bitter past. She would have her child have a fresh start. When Shen Miao came to visit... "Why should I hate you? If I were to hate you, then should I also hate my mother who heard my pleas but did not come to help? Then again, it was not her in that bed. It was not you nor her who brutally raped me. Hate? Of course, I hate him. But just as I was innocent, this child is innocent. I may hate the father, but I will never blame the child. You are the precious treasure in your family's eyes. I know my place. I only ask that you leave us in peace. I hope this is enough vengeance for you, for whatever I had done to you in the past. Please leave this mother and child a way out." Barely a young woman and raising a child was hard. At least she had the monetary support of her family and the servants to help her. She learned how to manage the estate and she took delight in raising her child, who did not show a perverted or sadistic side like the child's father, nor the self-serving ways of his mother's line. The child was simple, clean and adorable, often running around and laughing in the halls. Wasn't this better than the wolf-eat-wolf world of the capital city? She whispered softly to her sleeping child, "I don't ask that you be famous or powerful. I only ask that you live a good life, be upstanding and honorable. I don't need you to be wealthy or to have a high position in court. Those treacherous waters, I hope you never have to experience. This mother only wish is for your happiness. That is enough for this little mother." An ordinary life. One day, she stumbled across a half-dead swordsman in the field and nursed him back to health. When he asked how he could repay her, her eyes brightened. He bitterly thought, how can there be such a good person, of course she would want something in return. But instead of gold or having him get rid of a rival, she had only asked him if he could help her son learn some martial arts while he recuperates. "Just for a season," she pleaded. This woman...did no one pamper her before? To beg so desperately, it would seem that she was the one who owed him a favor. He agreed. As someone from Jianghu, he often wandered around and had no set destination. It made no difference to him if he stayed here for a couple of months. The child was a quick learner, and had some talent in martial arts. But as he got better, there were some rumors flying around. A young widow and a single man staying under the same roof...people shook their heads. The practitioner found out and moved out to an abandoned hut in the forest. The roof leaked, the walls were drafty and creaked at night. Shen Qing couldn't bear it, and would come almost everyday, everytime bringing something to fill in the cracks, to make the place warmer, to "accidentally" leave plates and cups so that he'd at least have something to eat and drink from. She would always bring Shen Ling, who was still young with a chubby face, and they would practice out in the yard. This did nothing to quell the rumors. But she who had lived through so much already, what were rumors but flies buzzing around? She liked seeing her son have a role model to look up to, and she was content. One night, Shen Ling tugged at his mother's skirt and asked, "Is Shushu my father?" Shen Qing stilled and then she clasped Shen Ling's shoulders tightly, making him feel scared at the intensity of his mother's gaze. "Shen Ling, you must never say that. People would misunderstand. Shushu is just a good friend. He is just staying a little while, but once he gets well, he has to leave." "Why can't Shushu be my father?" Shen Qing gently shushed him. "It is mother who is bad, that you had to grow up without a father." She knew that she was used goods. Why would someone as free and heroic as "Shushu" want to tie himself down in this small town to someone like her with another man's child? Maybe she had been careless of late. She had thought that as long as they were happy, it should be enough. But if even her child misunderstood the situation, then maybe she had been getting too close. What if the man also thought she was trying to get into his bed? She resolved to be more strict with herself and obey the rules of propriety. She had been lonely for so long, but it was a thirst for companionship rather than romance that she missed. Of course, the practitioner had been outside the window and heard everything. She did not want him like that. He had thought they were getting closer, that they were practically a family, but her words doused him in cold reality. After all, he was just a wandering swordsman. What right did he have to want to marry a young lady of a prosperous household, even if she was a widow? Even though he didn't know her background, but he wasn't blind. A family that could afford to have a young widow run an entire estate would have to be powerful. Would they consent to let her marry a penniless vagrant? He'd been thinking too much. He had already mostly recovered under her care, but he had been coming up with excuses to stay a little longer, a day became a week became a month. But now that he had the blindfold pulled from his eyes, he no longer had a reason to stay. The next morning, he packed up his meager possessions in a bag, and bundled up all the things he'd "borrowed". He took them back to her house and bid farewell. "Shen furen, I'm mostly recovered and I should be on my way. I thank you for your hospitality these last few months." She was stunned, but quickly recovered. "Let me pack some--" "Don't bother." The words sounded harsh even to his ears, and the wounded look in her eyes made him regret it. "Zhen Lan, did I do something wrong?" His eyes widened as he heard his honor name. He had given it to her long ago, but she had never called him before. Now, he thought bitterly, only now when he was leaving would she call him. Even though he was bitter, but his heart couldn't help but soften up a little. "I...was hasty. Please, if you don't mind." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She looked down at Shen Ling. "Ling'er, go get the cloth handkerchief out back. Let's pack some snacks for Shushu." Shen Ling hesitated for a moment, but still obediently dashed out back. She looked at him for a moment, but then looked away. "Please wait a moment." She all but fled into the kitchen. He didn't want to leave, but staying here would break his heart. He had already come to care for this mother and child pair, but he knew his feelings weren't reciprocated. It would be better if he broke it off now. Shen Ling probably wouldn't even remember him after another few months. She came out with a bulging pack and handed it to him. "Shen Ling packed this for you to eat along the way." But where was Shen Ling? "Ling'er," she called, and only after a few moments did Shen Ling reluctantly come out, his lips jutting out in a stubborn pout. "Ling'er, say 'bye bye' to Shushu," Shen Qing coaxed. Shen Ling finally looked up and asked flatly, "Are you coming back?" Shen Qing furrowed her brows, but didn't scold Shen Ling. This was the first person her son had gotten closed to and he was leaving. Of course he'd care. "The mountains and rivers are vast and wide. Who can tell where one ends up?" Shen Ling wasn't happy with the answer, but after a few moments, Shen Ling let go of his mother's skirt and ran to cling on his Shushu. "Shushu, stay safe. I'll miss you." "I'll miss you too." He looked up at Shen Qing, but he could not read what was in her eyes. "Shushu has to go now." He took out a book and placed it in Shen Ling's hands. "This is a martial arts manual. Practice it well and protect your mother. Shen furen, I will take my leave." That night, after Shen Ling had fallen asleep, she took the things he'd returned and went back to the hut he'd lived at. She set the table and reminisced about the time they'd spent together. She turned around only to find him standing in the doorway. Like a wife waiting for her husband to return. She froze. What wife? What husband? Wasn't she just lusting after a man? "I..." but what could she say? "Shen Ling. I have to get back to Shen Ling." Without another word, she rushed out, cursing at her heart. Why had he come back? It was several days later when she got the courage to take Shen Ling to revisit the hut. No one was there. Had she hallucinated after all? She took her son back, but he would often come here to practice his martial arts without her knowing. And what about Zhen Lan, a.k.a. Xuan Yu? He had gone to the capital and found out who her family was. He had gone to the old general, Shen Xin, and enlisted in the army. It was only after he'd done meritorious deeds that he dared broach the subject of marriage to the general's niece. "Shen Yue?" He shook his head "Shen Qing furen." "Furen?" It was only then that Shen Xin found out his niece had lost her innocent and given birth in secret. Shen Xin was stunned. He'd only thought that Shen Qing's health was bad and had never recovered. He told Xuan Yu that Shen Qing was not a young widow, and she had gotten the child out of wedlock. Xuan Yu was stunned, but after all, he was someone from the pugilistic world. He was not like those nobles and officials, who would shun a girl because she had lost her innocence. Was there anyone who had never made mistakes? And having known her over those months, he could only see her virtue. "General Shen, she has a child, so it is not that I don't know. But I am just a coarse and simple man. All I want is a wife who I can care for and cherish. What I am most afraid of is that she would not want me, or that the Shen family does not want me." "I have worked with you for so long, I know a military career is not what you wish for, but that you would still submit anyways shows me that you have your heart set and course steady. Although I am not close to my niece, but even for my own daughter, I could wish for nothing more. If she accepts you, then bring her back here, and I will give you my blessing." (And the reason why it's Shen Xin who's giving the blessing is because by this time, Shen Miao had wiped the rest of the Second Household.) Shen Xin wrote a letter and Xuan Yu travelled back to the small town with it. He comes to a familiar courtyard, and saw a boy practicing his martial arts diligently. From what Xuan Yu could see, the boy had learned the entire martial arts book Xuan Yu had given him. As though sensing his gaze, the boy glanced over and then stumbled to a stop, his mouth agape. "...Shushu?" the boy blurted, and then flushed. Undoubtedly it sounded to childish to his ears, but he didn't remember Xuan Yu's name and had always stuck to him and called him 'Shushu'. "I've come back." The boy's eyes widen and he ran into the house, a distant "Mom!" could be heard. Before long, he heard another voice. "Ling'er what's the matter? Who is it?" She rounded the corner and time stood still. She had grown more mature, her face leaner and more dignified. He clasped his hands in greeting. "Shen furen." ~~ Xuan Yu told Shen Qing where he's been all these years, and finally ended with asking her to marry him. There was no room for confusion or misunderstanding. He'd told her what he'd learned at the Shen household, and that it was not something he cared about. And he had asked to marry her. So she accepted. They had to go to the capital as Shen Xin would stand in for her parents to officiate the marriage. She could have left Shen Ling behind and avoided a lot of questions and rumors, but how could she? When she was in her darkest moment, it was this child, her son, who had saved her life. How could she reject him, even for a moment? So they had gone to the capital. Her old acquaintances jeered at her and looked down on her, but she found out that they had no power over her. She had Xuan Yu and Shen Ling, her happiness complete, how could they intrude? She only feared that Shen Ling would not be used to these insidious words and be hurt. But he had trained in martial arts since he was young, and Shen Ling was unexpectedly calm. He also had faith that his shushu would protect his mother. It was so that the Shen household finally met the fourth generation estranged son.
Poor her. I hate mc for that. She should have put that evil mom not her. I was sad when she become crazy after being rape. I don't dare think it. Because I am scare at it
I don't think Shen Qing would have changed just like that. But that really was a sweet story. Unfortunately, the way XianXia is, the villains are almost always one-dimensional and irredeemable.
Thank you for writing such a sweet and lovely ending for Shen Qing! I agree. I would have liked it if her ending/punishment fitted her actions instead of the ending in the novel.