The last time Shi Guang had seen Meng Xiangyang, he had sensed in a vague way that the Meng family harbored intentions of rebellion — which was precisely why he had spoken those words to placate him.

Not long after, Meng Xiangdong was also imprisoned by the Marshal’s orders, and that became the final straw that broke everything.

The Meng family had rebelled, yet without a single soldier mobilized, they had been effortlessly subdued by the Marshal. Thinking back now with clear eyes, if the Marshal had not been one hundred percent certain of the outcome, how could he possibly have moved against Meng Xiangli and Meng Xiangchen?

Yet everything the Marshal had done — including turning Liu Qingnian against them — Shi Guang had been completely unaware of when it happened, and why he had not received so much as a whisper of it.

Though he knew nothing of the Marshal’s movements, he was certain of one thing: everything the Marshal had done, Shi Ting had been a part of.

Thinking of the Marshal’s trust in Shi Ting, and then of the suspicion the Marshal had just directed at him, Shi Guang felt he had never in his life known such a sense of dread.

With Lady Shi gone and the Meng family fallen, he had lost his most powerful backing against Shi Ting. Going after him from here on would be more difficult than ever.

At the thought of this, Shi Guang’s eyes narrowed slowly. It seemed that particular matter would have to be set in motion sooner rather than later.

~

The Meng family had fallen. Henceforth, the Meng family members would spend the rest of their lives within their high walls and barbed wire, and Meng Xiangchen and Meng Xiangli were not long after executed by firing squad for their crimes. The storm surrounding the Meng family passed without lasting long, and the Shi Mansion entered a period of unprecedented peace.

But with Lady Shi’s removal, the position of the Marshal’s principal wife now stood vacant.

The Second and Third Concubines were of humble birth. No matter how favored they might be, neither could be elevated to the position of principal wife — if word spread that the Marshal’s official spouse had once been a dance hall girl and a maid, ridicule would be unavoidable.

The Third Concubine understood this perfectly well, yet there was no one who did not dream of climbing to greater heights. Moreover, she was carrying a child — her belly as large as a radish gourd, the birth clearly imminent — and if she delivered a son, her position would be secured.

The Marshal had been spending his nights at her Snow Blossom Courtyard every day of late, and the Third Concubine was naturally devoting every effort to pleasing and attending to him.

By contrast, the Second Concubine, Luo Huaimeng, had become something of a decorative piece within the Shi Mansion. The Marshal paid her no attention whatsoever, but Luo Huaimeng had long since attained a kind of inner stillness, and she could not have cared less about such things. The position of the Marshal’s principal wife was something she neither wanted nor dared to want.

Shi Ting had grown increasingly busy of late as well, departing before the sun had risen and frequently not returning until past midnight.

After the matter of the Meng family, the Marshal’s trust in Shi Ting had reached a height it had never before attained. On the other hand, Shi Guang, whose star had once shone brightest in the household, found himself gradually pushed into the cold.

The men inside the political offices were all cut from the same cloth — shrewd and calculating. Under these circumstances, it was entirely possible that the Marshal might designate any one of them as the Young Marshal to inherit his position.

Shi Guang had lost the backing of his mother’s family, but his own power remained nothing to be taken lightly. Shi Ting commanded enormous prestige among the common people, and possessed both ability and strength. As to who would ultimately prevail, no one dared hazard a guess.

Time passed in a blink, and the season had already turned to early autumn. The scorching heat of Shun Cheng gradually ebbed away, giving way to those rare, refreshing days of crisp skies and fresh air.

Yan Qing had not seen Shi Ting in several days. Typically, he had already left by the time she awoke, and only returned after she had fallen asleep.

So as not to disturb her, he had each time gone to sleep on the low couch in the outer room.

On this day, Yan Qing had already slept through one stretch of sleep when, in a drowsy haze, she felt someone embrace her from behind. She turned over and, out of habit, burrowed into his arms, wrapping her own arms around his waist.

Shi Ting gazed at the person nestled so obediently in his embrace, and smiled softly. At the risk of waking her, he could not help pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

Yan Qing made a small murmuring sound, burrowed a little further into his arms, found a more comfortable position, and drifted into an even deeper sleep.

The following morning, Yan Qing awoke within a firm embrace. She stared for a moment at the familiar fabric before her face in a daze, then could not help reaching out to touch his waist.

“Good morning.” A certain someone’s clean, magnetic voice drifted down from above her head.

Yan Qing gave a start and quickly tilted her face upward. “Why are you home?”

“Am I not allowed to be home?” Shi Ting raised an eyebrow slightly, producing an expression of exaggerated grievance.

“That’s not what I meant.” Yan Qing quickly patted his face to soothe him. “Have you finished everything?”

“The situation with the Meng family has been more or less dealt with.” Shi Ting drew her back into his arms. “The Meng family’s reach was considerable — they still had remnant branches within the political offices, and clearing those out took no small amount of time.”

Regardless, the Meng family no longer had any means of recovery. Meng Xiangyang and his household had no choice but to live out their days confined within that compound.

“Meng Xiangyang has fallen ill — gravely so.” Shi Ting idly played with a loose strand of her hair. “Ailments of the heart are the hardest to cure.”

Meng Xiangyang had plummeted from such great heights. Any ordinary person would be unable to withstand a blow of that magnitude. It was easy for a commoner to rise to a position of nobility, but far more difficult for a man of nobility to be reduced to a commoner’s life.

“There is more than that, as well. Meng Xiangyang has also learned the reason why he has never had a son all these years.” Shi Ting looked at her with amusement, and their gazes met directly — eyes like deep, still pools, drawing him in so completely that he could not help bending down to press a kiss to her eyelids.

“I always found it odd — Meng Xiangyang had a principal wife and four concubines. How could he possibly have failed to produce a single son?”

“The reason is quite simple. First Madam Meng, in order to prevent those concubines from bearing sons, had been secretly drugging Meng Xiangyang. Unfortunately, she was too heavy-handed with the dosage and rendered him entirely unable to father children. Meng Xiangyang himself never knew any of this — he always assumed the problem lay with the concubines.”

“Did it never occur to him to go to a doctor?” Yan Qing was greatly surprised.

“A man’s pride would never allow him to walk into a doctor’s office for that. He would rather believe that all four concubines had the problem before he would ever suspect himself.” Shi Ting gave a cold laugh. “A pity that he only learned the truth now — but it is far too late.”

“Was it you who had someone reveal this to him?”

“It wasn’t me.” Shi Ting shook his head. “It was the Marshal.”

The Marshal had done this deliberately to heap further torment upon Meng Xiangyang. The Meng household, already thrown into complete chaos, was now in an even greater uproar.

“I suspect Meng Xiangyang won’t need the Marshal to shoot him. After all this upheaval, I doubt he’ll last much longer.”

With Meng Xiangyang’s fall, the women of the Meng household had truly become abandoned wives. Thinking of how these people would now spend the rest of their lives confined to a single compound, one couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow.

And yet this was simply each person’s own fate — the consequence of choices made. Even if there was a flicker of melancholy, there was no reason to feel sympathy.

“The position of the Shi Mansion’s mistress will not remain empty indefinitely.” Shi Ting looked at her. “What do you think?”

Yan Qing considered for a moment. “The Third Concubine must desperately want that position, but her background makes it impossible.”

“The Third Concubine does have that ambition. Right now she is focused entirely on bearing a son to secure her standing. If the Marshal is pleased, he might yet make an exception.”

“I don’t think he will. The Marshal may indulge the Third Concubine, but he values his reputation even more. For her background, the role of a favored concubine is one no one would find fault with — but if she were to become the reigning mistress of the Shi family, the Marshal would never allow it.” Yan Qing had, over these recent months, come to see the Marshal’s nature clearly: he could treat you well, but only so long as you had value to offer. The moment you ceased to be of value to him, you became worthless in his eyes.

He could send his own son to Mo Cheng — much less a concubine to whom he bore no blood connection.

“Any movements on Shi Guang’s part lately?”

“He has been unusually quiet of late,” said Shi Ting.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. “After what happened with the Meng family, the Marshal is bound to direct some of his displeasure toward him. With Shi Guang’s temperament, he is not the sort to simply sit and wait for the axe to fall.”

“What will he do?”

Shi Ting shook his head. “Whatever he plans, this second brother of his is considerably harder to deal with than the eldest.”

“By the way — what became of the matter with the pier at Jiuyang Village?”

“I have already sent someone to negotiate with the new village head of Jiuyang Village. However, it is not something that can be accomplished overnight — for Jiuyang Village to open up and recapture its former prosperity, time will be needed. But I believe that day will not be far off.”

Yan Qing had one hundred percent faith in Shi Ting’s capabilities. In the not too distant future, Jiuyang Village would surely flourish once more.

“Are you not going out today?”

“Taking the day off to keep my wife company.” Shi Ting smiled, pinching her soft cheek. “What kind of husband would neglect his wife?”

“Then you can accompany me to the medical college. Doctor Du sent word that the forensic science department is getting ready to start classes.”

“So soon?” Shi Ting was taken aback. “Does that mean you’re about to become a teacher?”

Yan Qing smiled. “Another thing added to my life, then.”

“This is a matter of great benefit to the nation and the people. My wife’s contributions could well be written into the historical record.”

“You’re exaggerating terribly.” Yan Qing smiled, thinking Registrar Shi was really too dramatic.

“Come on, get out of bed,” she said, giving him a nudge. “It will be too late if we don’t hurry.”

“A kiss first.” The man leaned his face toward her.

Yan Qing obediently gave him a quick kiss before finally pulling him out of bed.

After breakfast, Shi Ting personally drove Yan Qing to the medical college at Shun Cheng University.

In the offices of the medical college, Yan Qing sat down together with the college’s administrator and Du Tonghuai to hold a meeting, the main topics being the establishment of the forensic science department and plans for its future development.

Shi Ting did not take part in the meeting. Instead, he sat in a chair outside and waited patiently.

The light that fell through the window draped itself across him like a radiance, making the lines of his profile appear all the more defined and striking.

The female students who passed by, near and far, could not help turning back to look again and again.

“Excuse me, which department are you in?” One young woman, egged on by her companions, plucked up the courage to approach and ask.

Shi Ting turned to look at her, his tone calm. “I’m not a student here.”

He was not especially old, so being mistaken for a student was entirely understandable — but the moment the young woman met his gaze, she felt a cold chill, as though a draft had swept up her back.

“I’m so sorry to have bothered you.” She fled in fright back to her group of friends, exclaiming over and over that the man was handsome, but his eyes were far too cold.

“You’ve frightened that poor girl away.” Yan Qing had just stepped out of the meeting room in time to witness the scene, and she couldn’t help laughing.

—