Chapter 2: A Glimpse

Lu Qingqing sat in her room all night, and after that, she never saw Shen Jin again.

That night, the General’s Manor was ablaze with light until dawn. It was said that the young lady Shen Jin had brought back fell suddenly ill, and he stayed by her bedside the whole night.

“Madam Xie, it seems Master won’t have time to see you again. We’ll escort you back; dawn is breaking, and it would not be proper for anyone to see you here.”

Lu Qingqing said nothing as she followed the old matrons out of the room.

The winding paths led into tranquil corners; Shen Jin’s residence was tastefully built, and in the corners of the courtyard, clusters of hydrangeas bloomed in riotous profusion.

Lu Qingqing saw them and couldn’t help the tears that welled up again—those were her favorite flowers. Seeing them now was like having thorns driven deep into her heart.

In the nearby pavilion, Shen Jin was coaxing the young woman beside him, even stooping to change her shoes.

“It’s different here from the southern border. You’ll catch cold if you go barefoot. Be good, let me put these on you.”

“No, I’m used to it, Brother Jin,” the young woman replied with a sweet, playful smile, refusing to obey.

From across the water, Lu Qingqing watched the scene, her nose stinging with sorrow.

Behind her, one of the matrons urged her on.

“Madam Xie, let’s hurry.”

“Mm.”

Lu Qingqing walked straight out of the manor, hearing the matrons behind her sigh.

“What a sin. That young Marquis really has no conscience, handing his own wife over to the General. And who started the vicious rumor that our General has a taste for married women?”

“Hush, Madam hasn’t gone far. She’s pitiful, truly—so delicate and gentle, once the treasured jewel of the Lu family. How did it come to this… Such madness.”

Lu Qingqing heard every word. She had been sent to Shen Jin’s bed by Xie Zhiyun after a single cup of wine.

But that did not mean she would let Xie Zhiyun trample her dignity.

Back at the Marquis’s residence, Lu Qingqing stormed through the door, kicked it open, and dragged Xie Zhiyun out of bed, wrestling him fiercely.

The drowsy young Marquis Xie was startled awake, only to be met with a slap.

“Lu Qingqing, how dare you lay a hand on me!”

“You know very well what you’ve done,” Lu Qingqing spat back angrily. She was, in name, Xie Zhiyun’s wife.

After last night’s humiliation, Lu Qingqing was left in this state.

“Well, well,” Xie Zhiyun sneered, his sleep disturbed. “What’s the matter, did Shen Jin not please you, or did he not touch you at all?”

Lu Qingqing’s expression darkened to the extreme, her eyes cold as she stared at Xie Zhiyun.

“Don’t look at me like that. If I hadn’t married you, once your belly swelled, you’d have become the most despised woman in the capital. You should be grateful. I’ve given you a good life these years, and now you’re just doing a little favor for the Xie family—what’s the harm?”

Xie Zhiyun grumbled. For the past three years, he’d married Lu Qingqing and kept her at home like a Buddha to be worshipped.

Another slap landed, this time on his left cheek.

“Are you finished yet?”

Lu Qingqing rolled her eyes at him with such force that Xie Zhiyun lost all bluster, muttering under his breath.

“I was actually doing you a favor, you know. You’re so madly in love with Shen Jin—giving you a chance was a kindness.”

“Shameless. Despicable.” Lu Qingqing snapped, not wanting to waste another word on Xie Zhiyun, letting him go.

“So virtuous, aren’t you? All these years, guarding your chastity for who, I wonder…”

With a loud crash, Lu Qingqing swept all the teacups from the table onto the floor before Xie Zhiyun, her voice cold and threatening.

“If you dare say another word, I swear I’ll kill you.”

She had never been a demure woman; her infamy for being willful was well known. If not for Shen Jin’s insistence on marrying her, no one in the capital would have dared to covet the Lu family’s beloved daughter.

Lu Qingqing’s rage was at its peak, while Xie Zhiyun lay stiffly on the floor, not daring to make a sound.

“Last night’s matter is far from over.”

She slammed her hand on the table, just as the maid, Yuanyuan, came in carrying a small bundle. Hearing the commotion, Yuanyuan understood at once what had happened.

“Miss, Manman is crying again. She didn’t sleep at all last night, calling for her mother.”

Only then did Xie Zhiyun breathe a sigh of relief, watching Lu Qingqing’s demeanor soften as she went to soothe her daughter, Manman.

He realized he hadn’t thought things through last night, but with the Xie family’s current predicament, he had been driven to desperation.