The Marquis of Lin'an's residence stood magnificent in Dingjing City. The late Marchioness had been Princess Yuqing, the late Emperor's most treasured daughter. By rights, upon becoming a prince consort, the Marquis should have relinquished his military authority. Yet Princess Yuqing's charm had persuaded her father to grant an exception—a testament to the depth of the late Emperor's affection.
Princess Yuqing possessed extraordinary beauty and the gentlest of temperaments. After marrying into the Marquis's household, she was naturally cherished by her husband. Yet even this devotion could not prevent him from taking a concubine—the current Lady Fang.
Where Princess Yuqing embodied noble grace and refinement, Lady Fang represented common beauty. Her father had once rendered the Marquis a significant favor. When the Fang family later fell into disgrace, her father leveraged that debt, ultimately compelling the Marquis to accept Lady Fang as a primary concubine.
A primary concubine held a different status than ordinary concubines—she could not be casually beaten or disposed of. Lady Fang maintained a low profile and avoided jealous behavior, so the Marquis paid the matter little mind. Perhaps noble sons grew accustomed to multiple wives and concubines; the Marquis, having taken only one primary concubine, considered himself restrained. He saw nothing improper in the arrangement.
Men and women, however, viewed such matters through vastly different lenses—particularly regarding concubines. The Marquis dismissed the primary concubine as inconsequential, believing Princess Yuqing remained his true love. Princess Yuqing felt otherwise.
She had grown up cocooned in the late Emperor's devotion. Her marriage to the Marquis had brought a privileged life with only one legitimate wife—herself. She had known nothing else. Then, without warning, a concubine appeared. Princess Yuqing had just given birth to Xie Jingxing and had not even completed her postpartum confinement when the news struck.
Lady Fang came daily to pay respects, dressed and behaving with impeccable propriety. Her very correctness made matters worse—each visit left Princess Yuqing increasingly vexed. Had Yuqing been an ordinary princess, she might have found ways to secretly undermine Lady Fang and remove her. But Princess Yuqing had always been sheltered and maintained an innocent nature—she possessed no skill for such underhanded tactics.
One of the princess's dowry nannies conceived a plan. Without informing her mistress, she secretly sought grounds to drive Lady Fang away. Somehow, not only did she fail, but the Marquis of Lin'an discovered the scheme.
Though the Marquis often acted carelessly, he possessed an upright character and despised women's petty machinations. He immediately delivered a severe reprimand to Princess Yuqing.
This marked the first quarrel since Princess Yuqing had married the Marquis. Unable to bear being wronged, she refused to reveal the nanny's independent actions. Instead, she confronted the Marquis directly, eventually provoking such anger that he stormed away.
She assumed he would return after a few days. Instead, a month passed with the Marquis remaining exclusively with Lady Fang. Women in postpartum confinement require particular care against distress. Princess Yuqing, swallowing this grievance, fell gravely ill.
The Marquis, who still loved his wife deeply, prepared to visit Princess Yuqing when an imperial edict arrived, summoning him to war that very night. He departed without even bidding Princess Yuqing farewell.
Shortly after the Marquis left, Lady Fang discovered her pregnancy.
As the legitimate wife, Princess Yuqing could not act against Lady Fang during her husband's absence—she was even obligated to protect the unborn child. Otherwise, if anything occurred, rumors would spread throughout Dingjing City that she had exploited her husband's absence to harm his concubine.
The strain wore on Princess Yuqing relentlessly. Her health deteriorated until she approached death's threshold. The nanny, witnessing this decline, grew desperate, but Princess Yuqing forbade her from alerting the royal family. She struggled upright and wrote a letter to the Marquis of Lin'an, begging him to return and see her one final time.
She waited and waited, but the Marquis never came.
Princess Yuqing passed away. Three days after her burial, the Marquis returned triumphant, unable even to view his beloved wife's remains. His devastation ran deep, but the beauty was gone—only a handful of yellow earth remained.
The late Emperor, consumed by fury, stripped the Marquis of his position. Only when the new Emperor ascended the throne, recognizing his talents, was the Marquis of Lin'an reinstated. But there would never again be a tale of the talented man and his beautiful wife.
The Marquis of Lin'an never remarried. The Marquis's residence housed only Lady Fang, who continued maintaining her low profile for decades. The Marquis showed some concern for the children she bore, yet invested all his energy in his legitimate son, Xie Jingxing.
Xie Jingxing, however, offered no gratitude. From the moment he gained understanding, he had distanced himself from the Marquis. The love and resentment between Princess Yuqing and the Marquis of Lin'an had become common knowledge in Dingjing—those who wished to know could easily learn the truth.
The Marquis felt profound guilt toward his son and attempted to satisfy his every wish. Yet Xie Jingxing seemed to derive pleasure from opposing his father, perpetually causing him grief. Regardless, he had inherited Princess Yuqing's beauty and brilliance. Apart from his mischievous nature, he was a remarkable young man—naturally the dream of noble daughters throughout Ming Qi.
Today proved no exception.
Xie Jingxing strode into his study.
His courtyard had been Princess Yuqing's residence during her final illness, situated far from the main courtyard—valued for its tranquility. Xie Ding had urged him to relocate closer to the main courtyard, but Xie Jingxing refused. His reason: "I don't want to see certain people."
His attitude toward the Marquis's residence remained consistently indifferent.
A servant pushed open the door and entered, carrying a snow-white ceramic bowl adorned with floral patterns. "Concubine Fang has prepared crystal lotus seed porridge for you. She said it's been simmered for several hours to warm you up."
He disliked his subordinates addressing him as "Young Master" or "Heir," preferring simply "Master"—as if this could separate him from the Marquis's household.
Xie Jingxing glanced at the bowl. The porridge gleamed crystal clear, the broth bright and thick—evidence of hours of careful preparation. A fragrant aroma rose that would make anyone's mouth water.
He said coldly, "Throw it away."
The servant, accustomed to such responses, acknowledged with a "Yes" and withdrew.
As soon as he departed, a figure materialized behind the door, bowing his head slightly. "Master, we've found out: the third young lady of the General's household's main branch, Shen Xin's legitimate daughter, Shen Miao."
"Shen Xin?" Xie Jingxing frowned.
Shen Xin and Xie Ding had opposed each other politically for years. The Shen household and the Marquis of Lin'an's household regarded one another with mutual distaste. Their military powers counterbalanced each other, entangling numerous interests.
The Marquis of Lin'an's household maintained a friendship with the Su family. The Shen family warning the Su family might constitute a warning to the Xie family as well. But why would opposing parties suddenly offer such a warning? What purpose did it serve? Moreover, how would a young girl like Shen Miao comprehend such matters? The Shen family must have deliberately sent her to deliver the warning. Shen Xin currently remained in the northwest—could it be the second or third branches orchestrating this? Shen Gui and Shen Wan were ambitious men. With the court situation shifting again, they were likely attempting to exploit the chaos.
"The Shen and Xie families are divided. The Shen girl's sudden goodwill harbors ill intentions." He raised an eyebrow, his tone cold as iron: "Continue investigating!"
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