The news of Xie Shu’s prolonged failure to capture Stone Fort had not yet reached the Xie Manor and life within the household remained relatively peaceful. A stream of joyous news had arrived, and with Li Guanling preparing to travel to the capital for the imperial examinations, Concubine Lian approached the Old Madame that day to make a request: “Whether or not Lanshan passes the examination, at least the child will be coming to Youzhou, where he’ll have relatives to rely on. The eldest young miss is concerned for him but cannot properly accompany him to the examination. Old Madame, what do you think about hosting a banquet and inviting both sons-in-law for a lively gathering?”
The Old Madame considered it reasonable. Currently, neither couple had married, and Lanshan and Chunzhi could only interact as relatives would. With the autumn examinations approaching and both the son-in-law and the family’s young men preparing for the trials, hosting a family feast now would serve as a proper send-off. She agreed, “You can make the arrangements. The Madame hasn’t been feeling well lately, so let’s not trouble her. If there’s anything important, you can still seek her opinion.”
Concubine Lian responded with a “Yes,” and couldn’t help but smile mockingly when mentioning Madame Hu. What illness could she have? Previously, mother and daughter had acted like tyrants of the Xie family. If not for the incident at Huguo Temple, they would still be stepping on everyone. Heaven had eyes after all, and now their glory days were over. That Hu woman was truly thick-skinned – everyone had thought the Second Young Miss would seek refuge in a nunnery, yet she stubbornly remained in the manor, continuing to bring shame to the Xie family.
As her maid supported her out of Huifang Garden, she whispered, “The Madame has completely lost her spirit, she’s not even managing the household anymore.”
Concubine Lian laughed upon hearing this and sighed sympathetically, “Our Old Madame is most considerate of others’ feelings, fearing she would lose face, and preserving her dignity. However, hiding like this isn’t the solution. When the Master returns and sees what’s become of the Young Miss…” She shook her head as she pondered, “They’ve truly brought shame to eighteen generations of ancestors. Let’s see how she explains this to the Master!”
The mistress and servant shared quiet laughter as they went to make detailed preparations.
When invitation cards were sent out, none of the sons-in-law declined. The Old Madame was delighted, sitting at the head position with a smile, “The house hasn’t been this lively in a while. Now we’re just waiting for your wedding. Our family has welcomed three daughters-in-law, but we’ve never married off a daughter. When the time comes, we must make grand preparations.”
Concubine Lian, listening from the side, intentionally said, “The Fourth Young Miss’s wedding date hasn’t been set yet, but it likely won’t be before our First Young Miss’s. The First Young Miss is Old Madame’s eldest granddaughter, so everything will depend on Old Madame’s arrangements.”
These “arrangements” primarily referred to the young lady’s dowry. In families with many descendants, not all fingers are of equal length. Originally, the Old Madame would have favored the Second Young Miss, but now that she had fallen from grace, and the Third Young Miss had entered the palace, their dowries should reasonably be redistributed to the remaining two young ladies.
The Old Madame had her calculations, and she disliked the concubine’s attempt at extortion. However, with guests present, she glossed over it and turned to chat with Li Guanling, inquiring about the Prince’s Manor’s wedding preparations for spring.
Qingyuan appeared somewhat listless, perhaps due to the stifling heat, feeling uncomfortable all over. After forcing herself to keep company for a while, she withdrew from the main hall.
Li Congxin naturally followed her out, matching her pace as he asked, “What’s wrong, Fourth Sister? You don’t look well.”
She made a sound of agreement, “I think I’m coming down with an illness.” As she spoke, she pinched between her eyebrows a couple of times.
Under the tree shade where it was cool, dappled sunlight filtered through the dense branches and leaves. In the beam of light, he saw that her delicate brow quickly developed a diamond-shaped red mark, the color of rouge, delicate and lovely, like an exquisite flower design in contemporary makeup.
“Does your head hurt?” He examined her face carefully, “This sha seems quite severe, appearing so easily from just a light pinch.”
She brushed her brow, and seeing a small stone basin with copper grass growing nearby, she bent down to look at her reflection. Seeing her face in the water, she exclaimed “Oh my!” and bashfully covered the red mark, laughing, “I look like Erlang Shen.”
He loved her girlish charm, emanating vitality and brilliance from her very being. She was usually very proper, but when she occasionally showed playfulness, it instantly stirred his heart. He reached out his hand, “Let me massage it for you.”
Qingyuan shook her head with a smile, “I’d better go back and have Chuntai scrape the sha for me. She has the best technique in our courtyard, and it works immediately. Then I can come back to dine with Old Madame. I’m sorry I can’t keep you company – you can take a walk in the garden or go find Big Brother and the others at the front.”
He was a gentle and considerate person, only saying, “I’ll escort you back, then go find them later.”
Qingyuan didn’t refuse then, allowing him to accompany her. Today, the young lord wore moon-white clothing, as pure and warm as when she first saw him at the spring banquet. Her peripheral vision was filled with this person, and though she had wanted to chat with him several times, she found it difficult to begin. Still hesitating and stammering, they slowly reached the entrance. She entered her bedroom, and he lingered in the outer room for a while before heading to the front.
Chuntai pressed the copper coin moistened with clear water against her smooth back, scraping one stroke, and small spots appeared beneath the skin. As she was about to make a second stroke, Qingyuan sat up and put on her clothes. Chuntai was puzzled, “What’s wrong, Young Miss?”
Qingyuan smiled, “I just remembered something I need to tell Old Madame. I must go to Huifang Garden.” After speaking, she tidied her clothes and went out again.
Baoxian hurriedly brought an umbrella to shade her from the sun, but she walked hesitantly, seemingly in no rush to see the Old Madame.
The Fourth Young Miss usually had everything planned out, and such instances of forgetting something and having to make another trip rarely occurred. Baoxian vaguely understood something and asked softly, “Young Miss, are you looking for the Third Young Master?”
Qingyuan remained silent. Today’s family feast was a good opportunity for everyone to gather. It had been half a month since the visit to Huguo Temple, and even the heaviest grief should ease somewhat after half a month. Once it eases, some restless emotions might grow – not everyone in the world is good at self-control, and some people, driven by obsession, repeatedly fly into the flame like moths.
She had a strange premonition in her heart but feared Baoxian would laugh at her if she spoke of it, so she kept it to herself. Following the stone path deeper into the garden, she walked intermittently as if just taking a stroll. Fortunately, what she worried about hadn’t happened, and she let out a light sigh, self-mockingly saying, “I really must have been affected by the summer heat today, my mind is muddled.” Just as she was about to turn back, after walking about ten steps, her sleeve was suddenly grabbed by Baoxian.
She made a sound of acknowledgment and followed Baoxian’s gaze. Under a Chinese tallow tree stood two people – the pitiful Qingru and the sympathetic Li Congxin.
Baoxian exclaimed softly, “Young Miss…”
Qingyuan raised her hand to signal silence and led her to circle from the side. Behind the tallow tree was a rose trellis, lush with branches and leaves in midsummer, like a green wall that could perfectly conceal their presence.
Her heart was pounding; she could almost guess what Qingru would say, she just wanted to know how Li Congxin would respond. The wind rustled the rose leaves, and their voices carried over clearly. First came Qingru’s sobbing, stammering, “I had thought I would never see you again in this life, but why did you have to marry the Fourth Sister? Now that we’re family, how can I escape… Brother Chunzhi, you know my heart for you, everything I did was for you…”
Li Congxin said, “Second Sister, please don’t be like this. I have reported to my family’s parents and committed Fourth Sister. This matter cannot be changed now. For your feelings toward me, I can only say that if there’s anything you need my help with in the future, I will certainly do my utmost to assist you, alright?”
However, Qingru had no intention of giving up. Her tone carried endless hatred as she choked out, “In your eyes, the Fourth Sister is like a goddess, but you don’t know what a venomous heart she has! My current situation is all her doing – she colluded with Shen Run to harm me, it was all their trap. You people of status don’t understand the cruelty of the inner courtyard. She was jealous of me, knowing I wouldn’t dare speak up, making me suffer this injustice silently… Brother Chunzhi, now only you can save me…”
Qingyuan, listening from behind the rose trellis, frowned deeply. Qingru was truly a pity, still distorting black and white even now. Earlier, she had blamed herself for how things had developed, but it seems that was unnecessary – Qingru’s current situation was simply evil meeting its due retribution.
Li Congxin naturally took a protective stance, “Fourth Sister isn’t that kind of person. While Second Sister’s misfortune is regrettable, you can’t take out your resentment on her…”
Qingru burst into bitter sobs, “If it wasn’t for Qingyuan sending her people to deceive me, saying you were waiting for me there, how could I have fallen for their trap? If I’m at fault in this matter, my only fault was being utterly devoted to you…”
Then both fell silent and after a while, Li Congxin’s uncomfortable tone could be heard: “Second Sister, please don’t be like this, someone might see…”
Qingru sobbed even louder, “Brother Chunzhi, I’m not asking for status anymore, I just want you to see my heart, let me stay by your side. Even if as a concubine outside the household, I’ll accept it.”
“Second Sister… ah, Second Sister…”
Qingyuan didn’t listen to what followed, tugging at Baoxian’s sleeve to leave. Back at Danyue Pavilion, she leaned against the beauty rest and sat in a daze. Those around her dared not speak. After a long while, Baoxian brought over a cup of clear tea and asked softly, “What does Young Miss plan to do?”
Qingyuan lowered her head, caressing the octagonal teacup, murmuring, “Second Sister said one thing right – now that we’re family, there’s no escape… I now know what kind of people are most detestable – those who hesitate and waffle! He wants to be the good person, unwilling to offend her, but ends up hurting others instead.”
She had been waiting for him to say something decisive. If Qingru knew no shame, then he should have firmly crushed her hopes or stormed off, avoiding her afterward. But he wasn’t like that – having gone through such effort to become engaged to the younger sister, he then became entangled with the elder sister. Pursuing one while unable to reject the other, perhaps in the future, he might truly fulfill Qingru’s wish and keep her as a concubine outside – it wasn’t impossible. After all, she had already fallen to such a state, no one would properly marry her now, so what did reputation matter anymore?
Qingyuan put down her cup and slowly paced under the corridor. The sunlight outside was dazzling as she gazed distantly, sighing, “If this continues, we’ll likely become a laughingstock.” Then Qingru would be like a nightmare, haunting her for life – it would be either you die or I live. And that young lord who couldn’t bear to hurt anyone? He would feel guilty while seeking other consolations. Perhaps he couldn’t even distinguish between what was mere fondness and what was love.
It wasn’t an unforgivable sin for a noble young man to be gentle and romantic, but when he was ambiguous with the women of his household, it was like having a knife by the pillow – rather chilling.
Actually, with some maneuvering, she could arrange for the Old Madame and the household to witness something that would leave him no choice but to accept breaking off the engagement. However, that seemed somewhat cruel – it would be better to let him save some face.
After the family feast dispersed, Qingyuan stayed behind in Huifang Garden to attend to the Old Madame taking her medicine. The Old Madame noticed something was amiss but didn’t ask. When everything was nearly tidied up, she sent everyone else away and gestured for her to sit, “I know you have something on your mind. There’s no one here now, speak.”
Qingyuan didn’t beat around the bush, speaking directly: “This marriage alliance with the Danyang Marquis’s Manor – your granddaughter fears it cannot be realized.”
The Old Madame wasn’t surprised and calmly asked why, “Wasn’t everything fine today?”
The truth was difficult to speak, but without speaking, there was no way to explain. She rubbed the corner of her clothes, hesitating before saying, “Second Sister had a private meeting with the Young Lord today, even saying she would be his concubine. If our marriage proceeds, not only would I lose face in the future, but the Xie family’s reputation would be dragged through the mud. Grandmother, it’s not that your granddaughter doesn’t appreciate her fortune, but those wearing shoes fear those who go barefoot. The Young Lord had to struggle for his family’s consent, inevitably causing trouble with the Marquis and his wife. They indulge him, reluctantly agree, and merely turn a blind eye regarding me. This alone could be tolerated, but if he becomes involved with Second Sister in the future, Second Sister’s reputation… Grandmother, consider this – forget what others might say, just within the Marquis’s household, our entire family wouldn’t be able to hold our heads high.”
With each sentence Qingyuan spoke, the Old Madame’s expression grew darker, until finally she nearly struck the table, saying, “What misfortune for our family, to have such a disgraceful matter! That second girl… she… has she no sense of shame at all?”
Qingyuan lowered her eyes in silence. A daughter’s lack of education was naturally the mother’s fault – after this series of events, the Old Madame must harbor some hatred for Madame Hu. Hatred alone was enough – of the two concubines in the family, one was a favored consort, the other had borne two sons. No matter how noble the position of the principal wife, she wasn’t irreplaceable.
The Old Madame took a long while to calm down from her anger. At first, she had thought Qingyuan simply regretted choosing the Danyang Marquis’s Manor and wanted to switch to the Commander’s household, but upon uncovering it, this was the reason. What could be done? Even if Qingru was outrageous, they couldn’t simply kill her. With her worldly attachments unextinguished, even sending her to a temple wouldn’t contain her. If Qingyuan truly married Li Congxin, how would they handle the sister-in-law and brother-in-law situation? After much consideration, breaking off the engagement seemed the only path forward.
The Old Madame sighed heavily, “It’s a pity Commander Shen is also getting engaged. This means you’ll have no prospects on either front – you must think this through carefully.”
Qingyuan nodded, “I understand. Perhaps choosing neither is a way to avoid offending anyone.”
The Old Madame’s melancholy exceeded hers, inwardly lamenting that missing these two excellent marriage prospects might mean never achieving such good matches again. Truly rejecting them was somewhat difficult to accept, so she suggested carefully, “How about this – let’s keep things ambiguous for now. Your father hasn’t returned anyway, so the formal engagement can’t proceed. Watch carefully, particularly regarding Chunzhi’s character. I think since your future marriage wouldn’t be in Youzhou, perhaps once you’re far away, the second girl will settle down.”
Since the Old Madame spoke thus, Qingyuan couldn’t be too insistent – it would be good to observe more carefully. Regarding Li Congxin, she didn’t hate or resent him, just felt disappointed. She had thought that something gained through such struggle would be more cherished, but now that the dust had settled, it seemed that was all there was to it – he enjoyed the process of pursuit.
It was getting late, and she had shared everything with the Old Madame – the rights and wrongs would be for the Old Madame to judge. Qingyuan rose, made a bow, and withdrew from the main hall. Just as she reached the corridor, she saw Zhenglun rushing over breathlessly, leaving the lantern-carrying servant far behind.
Qingyuan stopped, about to ask what was wrong with Second Brother, when Zhenglun said, “Fourth Sister, don’t leave yet – something serious has happened.”
Qingyuan looked at him puzzledly. Zhenglun slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “News has come from the palace – Father’s attack on Stone Fort this time has yielded no success after more than a month, with over half of the sixty thousand troops dead or wounded. The Emperor is furious and has ordered a detailed report. They say he may be sentenced to execution commuted to exile three thousand li away.”
Qingyuan was stunned – she hadn’t expected that just as one crisis hadn’t fully passed, an even bigger storm would arrive. Talk of execution and exile made one’s scalp tingle with fear.
Before she could respond, Zhenglun rushed into the main hall calling for Grandmother. As she stood there in shock, she heard the Old Madame loudly call “Fourth Girl!” She responded and returned, and the Old Madame said tremblingly, “Did you hear? Your father’s campaign isn’t going well, and the Emperor will punish him. What should we do… Could it be that our family’s ancestral graves have bad feng shui? Misfortunes are coming one after another… Quickly think of something, go find Commander Shen again and ask him to gather some news, alright?”