Chapter 14

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Qin Xiangyi struggled to control the trembling of her fingertips. To anyone watching, she still appeared as cold and detached as ever, as though nothing in the world could touch her.

“What exactly have you come to my home for? You know I could never marry you again.”

Pei Qingji gazed at her with eyes brimming with affection. “Xiangyi, I came to wish the old madam a happy birthday. Is even that forbidden? You are being far too cruel to me.”

Qin Xiangyi shot him a fierce look. The resolve and ruthless determination in her eyes were exactly the same as they had been on the night she had forced him to sign the divorce agreement.

Pei Qingji had been helpless against her then, and naturally remained helpless against her now.

Once he confirmed that the force within her had not diminished in the slightest, Pei Qingji surrendered.

The moment Qin Xiangyi showed even the slightest weakness, he would tear her apart and devour her whole.

Just as Qin Xiangyi had said on the night they signed the divorce agreement:

“Pei Qingji, I can die, but before I do, I will drag you into hell with me. I am betting that you would never dare bring your entire Pei clan down into hell alongside me.”

That night, Pei Qingji had been horrified by what he saw in her eyes. It was true that he loved her, but Qin Xiangyi had seized a secret capable of bringing ruin upon the entire Pei family. He had been utterly powerless and could only sign his name on the divorce agreement.

Pei Qingji gave a bitter laugh. “Xiangyi, what happened back then was something we did together. You can threaten me, but I cannot threaten you. I truly think that is unfair.”

Qin Xiangyi said coldly, “Because I am not afraid of death. If you are afraid, then bury that matter deep in your stomach and never let it see the light of day. Pei Qingji, stop indulging in your ridiculous fantasies.”

He had come today purely to make her uncomfortable. He knew exactly how far he could push her without driving her over the edge, yet he did not want her to live out her solitary life in peace and contentment. Qin Xiangyi understood him far too well.

Tormenting her was his pleasure.

The more he acted this way, the less she could afford to lose her temper. She had to suppress the trembling that shook her entire body, lest she grant him his wish.

She curved her lips into a faint smile. “Pei Qingji, from now on, you may come to my home whenever you like. I only hope you remember the person I personally buried beneath Mount Changluo—”

“That is enough!”

Where he could not see, the corners of Qin Xiangyi’s lips lifted slightly. Look at that—deep down, he was still afraid.

“Pei Qingji, let me say this one more time. You are the only one afraid that the truth will be exposed. I fear nothing. I advise you to stop appearing before me, lest I suddenly remember all the sorrow of the past and decide that I no longer wish to live. Before I die, I will certainly drag you down with me.”

Now that she thought about it, her trump card was truly feeble. All she had was a single life.

The next morning, the Qin family rose at dawn to receive their guests. It was the birthday banquet of the old general’s wife.

After General Qin’s death, everyone had taken to calling him the old general.

Although the old general had passed away, people were still willing to show his widow some respect.

This time, Lady Qi had sent invitations to nearly every prominent noble in Azure Capital.

Although she claimed there was not enough money to host the birthday banquet, she would rather incur a little debt than cancel such a grand affair. After all, even a rough calculation showed that the gifts they would receive would far exceed the cost of the banquet.

All those gifts would naturally end up in the pockets of Qin Tianzhu and his wife, with at least some of them going toward Qin Yuling’s dowry.

Old Madam Jiang did not care about such things. What she wanted from this birthday banquet was nothing more than prestige. Lady Qi had made the occasion sufficiently grand, and that had thoroughly soothed the old madam’s heart.

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No one could have been dissatisfied with the birthday banquet.

Early that morning, Old Madam Jiang summoned Qin Xiangyi to her side and immediately expressed her displeasure with the way she was dressed.

“You refuse to marry Little Pei again, so be it. But on an occasion as grand as this, you could at least have dressed in something more colorful. You ought to pay more attention to your own affairs. The most important thing now is for you to hurry up and marry yourself off.”

With that, Old Madam Jiang produced an elaborate set of hair ornaments that jingled loudly and handed them to her. Once worn, they were enough to make a woman look like a swaying branch of flowers—gaudy and ostentatious.

“Just look at those two pitiful hairpins on your head. Anyone who sees you will think our general’s residence has fallen into poverty. Take these and put them on. Come out later and receive the guests.”

Qin Xiangyi accepted her mother’s instructions. In truth, for the sake of wishing her mother a happy birthday, she had already added an extra hairpin to her usual adornment that day. It was made from the finest bluewater jade recently offered in tribute by the Kingdom of Nanyue. In all Azure Capital, apart from the favored consorts in the palace, she was the only one wearing such a piece. Even if it had been fashioned from the leftover scraps intended for the consorts, it could hardly be called shabby.

Qin Xiangyi did not contradict her mother. She knew what she ought to do at present.

Yet rather than display herself before everyone like merchandise, hoping that someone might take a fancy to her, she would sooner observe in secret first. Once she had selected a few suitable candidates, she could then present herself to them.

She would wear bright clothes and adorn herself with flamboyant jewelry, but not yet.

“Mother, I know what I am doing. I am sorry to have made you worry. The fault is mine.”

Old Madam Jiang’s entire store of resentment had landed on a soft cushion. Her daughter knew how to admit fault, but never changed her ways.

The guests had nearly all arrived. Lady Qi was young and audacious, and had sent invitations to many prestigious families whom even the old general had once been unable to win over. Though those families did not attend themselves, they had sent servants bearing gifts.

As a result, He Yanzhou, the representative sent by the He family, turned out to be the most distinguished guest present.

He Yanzhou’s official rank was not particularly high, but he came from the He family, and everyone who cared about appearances treated him with respect.

Lady Qi was consequently beaming even more brightly. The more she looked at this prospective son-in-law of hers, the more delighted she became. Although the two families had only reached the stage of exchanging names and had not yet signed a formal betrothal contract, Lady Qi had already decided to let everyone know that He Yanzhou was her future son-in-law.

What was there to hide?

The moment He Yanzhou arrived, Lady Qi pulled him over to sit with the Qin family. Anyone could see that the Qin family and He Yanzhou were on close terms.

He Yanzhou did not refuse. The two families were already discussing a marriage. Though he was somewhat displeased by Lady Qi’s blatant actions, he said nothing. After taking his seat, he began quietly searching for Qin Xiangyi’s figure.

Qin Xiangyi had changed into a pale yellow dress, the hem dyed the color of sunset clouds. She did not know what technique had been used, but the fabric faded gradually, like the evening glow along the horizon. Her upper garment still wrapped her figure with impeccable propriety in a crossed collar, revealing only the edge of its cloud-patterned brocade.

The instant He Yanzhou saw her, the corners of his lips rose in a curve he did not even notice himself. This was not the Qin Xiangyi usually enclosed in the deep jade-green robes of the palace, with their solemn, dignified aura reminiscent of Guanyin. She had lost a trace of that sacred serenity and gained, instead, a touch of vitality.

A delicate golden branch bearing osmanthus leaves adorned her hair. She had fashioned it herself from fine gold wire, twisting it into a tiny osmanthus branch, then setting its leaves with thinly carved green jadeite.

Her attire suited the golden autumn season perfectly.

It was rare for her to reveal herself through her clothing like this.

He Yanzhou would have used the word “revealing” to describe her appearance that day. Everyone’s clothing and adornment revealed something of them, but Qin Xiangyi had never been like everyone else.

Precisely because she had dressed with such slight care—to complement the autumn season, to add joy to the birthday banquet, and to please her mother—there was a faint, almost imperceptible hint of ingratiation about her. He Yanzhou found it utterly captivating.

At the same time, a trace of loneliness stirred within him. So his aunt did not live solely within her own world after all. She could change for the sake of others. She could wear clothes a little brighter than usual, and replace her silver hairpin with a golden one in such a bustling and splendid gathering.

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He Yanzhou would later learn that she would also raise a toast to her mother’s guests. She would smile at the guests, and she would smile at him as well, saying, “Welcome, Lord He. Thank you for coming. Your presence brings glory to the general’s residence.”

The words she spoke to him were no different from those she offered to any other guest.

He Yanzhou drank the wine she presented to him, then watched as she drifted away toward another table.

The son of the Minister of Revenue, Tang Ming’an, had also come that day. The moment Qin Xiangyi saw him, she grew wary. Her eyes moved discreetly back and forth between Tang Ming’an and Qin Yuling.

Who was she doing all this for? He Yanzhou, of course.

She felt that she was being quite kind to him. He and Qin Yuling were not yet married, yet she had already begun helping him catch his unfaithful fiancée, determined to save him from wearing a cuckold’s hat.

He Yanzhou, however, knew nothing of this. All he knew was that his aunt kept glancing toward Tang Ming’an from time to time.

What was there to look at in Tang Ming’an? He was merely one of the capital’s wastrel young masters.

When Tang Ming’an began making strange, snaking movements and acting furtively, Qin Xiangyi started paying close attention to him.

Then Tang Ming’an disappeared from the banquet, and Qin Yuling began making similar serpentine detours. Qin Xiangyi became certain that there was something wrong between the two of them.

She glanced toward He Yanzhou. Seeing that he had not noticed anything, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Wait there, dear nephew. Your aunt will personally clear away this infidelity for you.

Qin Xiangyi began stealthily following Qin Yuling as well.

He Yanzhou took a deep breath, rose silently, and followed them. It was nothing more than curiosity. He simply wanted to know why his aunt was following Tang Ming’an.

As for the other person caught up in the matter—his fiancée, Qin Yuling—he genuinely had not noticed her.

In his eyes, Qin Xiangyi had simply followed Tang Ming’an away.

He could not say what state of mind had prompted him to follow. Perhaps he wanted to tell her that she would do well to keep her distance from Tang Ming’an.

The Censorate had submitted countless reports detailing the Tang family’s misconduct.

The father frequented brothels; the son abducted innocent girls.

Whenever He Yanzhou wrote those reports, his brows remained tightly knit from beginning to end. He had reached the point where even looking at the words made him sick.

Pure and unblemished as fine gold and flawless jade, He Yanzhou hated the Tang family most of all.

Qin Xiangyi followed behind Qin Yuling at an unhurried pace. Her footsteps were so light that they disturbed no one.

To He Yanzhou, her steps remained as calm and effortless as ever, and he felt slightly relieved.

They eventually circled behind an artificial hill. Qin Xiangyi watched as the two of them slipped one after another into a narrow gap between several enormous stones. A sealed space lay within.

A small stone stool stood outside. Without a second thought, Qin Xiangyi sat down upon it. From there, she could hear the voices inside perfectly.

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