Volume 1, Chapter 15: Instigation

He was blatantly accusing Qi Ruofeng of being poorly raised.

The second wife’s family was repeatedly trampled upon by Qi Jinshan and Xie Mingyue. Xie Wanqing dared to be angry but not speak up, awkwardly saying, “Mr. Liu, who was recommended by the Dean of the National Academy, is considered a great scholar in the capital.”

Qi Jinshan let out a faint, ambiguous laugh, and the hall fell into a heavy silence.

Qi Xiuyu could no longer bear to see his wife and children so oppressed but was powerless to resist. After all, Qi Jinshan had fought hard to rise from the status of a lowly illegitimate son to become the legitimate eldest son.

He had no choice but to change the subject: “Big brother, we will reconsider Feng’er’s tutor. Let’s not discuss this at today’s family banquet.”

The Marquis of Shunqing cleared his throat and tried to smooth things over: “Indeed, Jinshan, you worry about state affairs; when you come home, rest a while. Mingyue has just recovered her health, so you should hurry and give your mother another grandson.”

Xie Mingyue pressed her lips together in silence. It was truly amusing to see how this group, under Qi Jinshan’s pressure, dared not show anger.

She secretly smiled to herself, but unexpectedly, the Marquis suddenly mentioned having another grandson.

Qi Jinshan responded nonchalantly, “Father is right. I will do my best.”

Do his best? What could one “do their best” at when it came to having children?

Thinking of the fire protection diagram she had once secretly seen, Xie Mingyue felt as if she might burst into flames.

The Marquis laughed heartily: “Good, good, eat your vegetables.”

The family picked up their chopsticks and began to eat.

Xie Wanqing shot a spiteful look at Qi Jinshan and Xie Mingyue. They had clearly reached an irreparable state. Rumor had it that Xie Mingyue was on the verge of death, so how had she suddenly recovered as if newlywed?

She bit her palm in frustration. Fortunately, at that moment, Qi Xiuyu reached out secretly to hold her hand, comforting her greatly.

Originally, Xie Mingyue had thought the scheme she and Qi Xiuyu had planned was carried out by Qi Jinshan. She only hated Qi Jinshan for his forceful dominance and could never forgive him; he must have been pretending!

Xie Mingyue was no longer a daughter of the Xie family and had remained secluded for ten years, indifferent to worldly affairs. Within this mansion, she could never compare to her.

Holding Qi Xiuyu’s hand and using the dishes arranged under his instructions, Xie Wanqing’s heart was suddenly warmed to the extreme.

“Husband, when did your sleeve get stained?”

She examined Qi Xiuyu, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, and suddenly noticed a bright blue stain on the cuff of his inner garment.

Qi Xiuyu’s eyes flickered. He then withdrew his arm from Xie Wanqing’s grip and smiled slightly at the watching family members: “It happened in Jinzhou while painting. I accidentally stained it and didn’t wash it off, so I just left it be.”

Upon hearing this, Lady Luo felt even more heartbroken for her son, suffering and uncared for outside.

“Since you’re back, change into a new one.”

She then instructed Xie Wanqing, “Now that Xiuyu has returned to the capital, it’s different from Jinzhou. Don’t forget to arrange his clothes and everything.”

Xie Wanqing obediently nodded, “Daughter-in-law will remember mother’s advice.”

The banquet dishes were quite good. Xie Mingyue was enjoying her meal until she saw the bright blue stain on Qi Xiuyu’s sleeve, and her heart skipped a beat. She retracted her hand quickly.

How could it be the same color as the paint on her wrist?

She hurriedly lowered her hand to avoid Qi Jinshan noticing, lest it cause another misunderstanding.

But keeping her right hand withdrawn was inconvenient. After a moment of anxiety, Xie Mingyue stood and left for the dressing room to wash her hands.

The dressing room was stocked with orchid-scented soap beans. She scrubbed the inner side of her forearm hard, reddening the skin, but the paint still remained in one spot, stubbornly refusing to come off.

Well, at least it was less than before.

She sighed, tidied her sleeve, and turned to leave, only to bump into Qi Xiuyu at the corner.

Xie Mingyue’s first thought was to keep her distance from him.

“Mingyue,” Qi Xiuyu smiled warmly, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “It’s been years. How have you been?”

Xie Mingyue stepped back coldly, “Call me sister-in-law.”

Qi Xiuyu was momentarily stunned, then lowered his voice: “There’s no one here. Why do you have to keep up appearances?”

He stepped closer. “Did Jinshan pressure you again?”

Xie Mingyue looked at him with disdain. She had eaten well tonight; how could he tell Jinshan was forcing her?

Could it be that Qi Xiuyu often stirred trouble between her and Qi Jinshan in the past?

Judging by his smooth manner of speaking, it might well be true!

“Second brother, did you catch hysteria in Jinzhou? I’m getting along very well with my husband.”

She kept a proper distance and wanted to leave quickly, but Qi Xiuyu firmly blocked the corner. To pass, she had to come very close to him.

Xie Mingyue’s expression soured. Qi Xiuyu forced a bitter smile and spoke gently: “Are you still blaming me for the choices I made back then? But Mingyue, I am the heir to the Marquisate. My marriage wasn’t up to me. With your status back then, being a concubine was already difficult, and with big brother’s interference, my position as heir was precarious. It was truly hard to protect you.”

Xie Mingyue laughed scornfully.

“I never thought I had to marry you. Even as a concubine, it would have been difficult. So difficult, yet how did Qi Jinshan marry me? I had no family support, but now that you stand with him, surely you can tell whose wife carries more weight. Qi Xiuyu, don’t blame your incompetence on me. Qi Jinshan’s looks, character, and talent—he surpasses you in every way. I am very happy to be his wife!”

She vented all her anger and scorn on Qi Xiuyu while praising Qi Jinshan, making her feelings clear.

Though it was only to refute Qi Xiuyu’s confident words, an odd joy rose in her heart.

Saying this made it seem that marrying Qi Jinshan was truly better than marrying Qi Xiuyu. At least Qi Jinshan wouldn’t privately block his siblings or spread baseless slanders.

She wondered if Xie Wanqing knew that her beloved husband privately disregarded propriety and spoke such vile words to her sister-in-law.

Seeing Qi Xiuyu still slandering Qi Jinshan, Xie Mingyue stepped closer: “I know all about what you and Xie Wanqing did back then. If you want to sow discord between me and Qi Jinshan, you can forget about it!”

Her bright, radiant face shone like blooming flowers in the night.

Qi Xiuyu was momentarily dazed but quickly regained his calm smile: “Mingyue, the whole family knows about your resentment toward big brother. Why pretend otherwise just to spare my feelings?”

He caught a glimpse of a black robe at the corner, suddenly opened his arms, and pulled Xie Mingyue fiercely into his embrace.

“You clearly still remember the bond we had.”

Xie Mingyue was startled. But given the vast difference in strength between them, she couldn’t resist.

In the flash of an instant, Qi Xiuyu was struck by a fist from behind, and she immediately found herself enveloped in a cool, woody-scented embrace.

Tears welled up in Xie Mingyue’s eyes.

Without lifting her head, she clung to Qi Jinshan’s chest and complained, “Husband, your brother is shameless—he actually tried to violate his sister-in-law!”