Chapter 5

Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan had already gone to rest, but Zhao Jue still hadn’t returned to the bridal chamber of the second household after the banquet.

Shen Mingzhu sat on a lacquered bed carved with grape patterns. The phoenix crown on her head pressed so heavily that her neck hurt, and her back ached so much she couldn’t sit straight.

She quietly lifted the red bridal veil and saw that the pair of dragon-and-phoenix wedding candles on the table had burned down halfway, but there was still no sign of Zhao Jue coming back.

She looked around the room. The carved windows were pasted over with paper and decorated with a big red “double happiness” character.

Below the window stood a two-foot-wide ebony bench. On it sat a small table holding a blue-and-white porcelain incense burner. A delicate fragrance drifted through the room with the curling smoke.

The calming scent helped settle her restless heart a little.

Her backside was sore from sitting, so she shifted position. She noticed the golden-embroidered red bed curtains and the “hundred children” quilt beneath her, and her face instantly flushed.

But when she thought about Zhao Jue still not returning, the calmness in her heart gave way to irritation.

She worried that swapping the bride at the last moment might have caused trouble, and that she might not be able to marry Zhao Jue as planned.

Shen Qingtan had enjoyed over ten years of luxury in her place. Shen Mingzhu felt jealous and unwilling to accept it.

Zhao Jue was supposed to be her fiancé, but because Shen Qingtan had taken her place in the family, she couldn’t openly marry him.

Her mother had told her, “The Duke’s household values loyalty and honor. Even if they knew Shen Qingtan wasn’t truly the Marquis’s daughter, they would never agree to cancel the engagement and let you marry Zhao Jue instead.

After all, Shen Qingtan was raised in the Marquis’s household for over ten years—she’s no different from a noble young lady.”

So they had no choice but to secretly switch the brides.

Her mother had also said, “Mingzhu, don’t resent Shen Qingtan too much. If you hadn’t gone missing, I would never have taken her in.

She was partly my comfort for losing you, and partly a way to form a marriage alliance with the Marquis’s household.

She grew up in your place, learned noble manners, and got a good engagement to strengthen the Marquis’s position.

But if you return, her marriage should naturally go back to you.

Otherwise, at your age, it would be hard for you to marry well into a noble family.

Zhao Yi won’t live long. If she marries him, she’ll soon be widowed and spend the rest of her life in the inner courtyard. That’s nothing compared to you.”

Madam Shen didn’t think herself cruel. Shen Qingtan was just a merchant’s daughter. If she hadn’t been so pretty, Madam Shen wouldn’t have stolen her away to raise.

If not for her, Shen Qingtan would never have lived such a noble life. Now it was time for her to repay the Marquis’s kindness.

Shen Mingzhu was comforted by this thought. The idea of Shen Qingtan marrying a sickly man who wouldn’t live long made her feel a little better.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before she heard footsteps outside. A servant called, “Third Master.”

The door opened, and Zhao Jue walked in, smelling strongly of wine.

Shen Mingzhu nervously picked at her fingers. When Zhao Jue used a jade ruyi to lift her red veil, she looked up at the handsome man. The bright red wedding robes made his strong figure look even more imposing, and her cheeks flushed red.

Zhao Jue studied her made-up face, which was more charming than her usual fresh beauty, and his expression softened slightly.

“Mingzhu, sorry to keep you waiting.”

“You were entertaining guests. No matter how long, I could wait,” she replied shyly.

Zhao Jue smiled, poured two cups of wine, and handed her one. They drank their wedding toast together.

In a low voice, he said, “Grandmother knows you were the one to marry me today. To avoid gossip, she canceled the usual pranks in the bridal chamber. I’m sorry if that disappointed you.”

“I’m not disappointed,” Shen Mingzhu said softly, “Third Master, I’m already happy just to marry you.”

Thinking of his grandmother’s disappointed look, Zhao Jue’s smile faded. “You’ve had a long day. I told the kitchen to prepare some food for you. Eat a little first.”

After that, he took out his underclothes and went to bathe.

Her maid Zhongxia came to help her remove the phoenix crown, while Wantong brought in a bowl of plain noodles and wiped her hands.

Seeing the steaming noodles, Shen Mingzhu smiled. Zhao Jue had prepared food for her—surely that meant he cared.

She ate the whole bowl and felt full. After rinsing her mouth, the table was cleared away.

A moment later, Wantong entered again. “Second Miss, Qiuchan and Chunjiao are here.”

Shen Mingzhu frowned. “Let them in.”

The two maids entered, bowed, and said, “Second Miss, the Eldest Miss sent us to return to our original mistress.”

Shen Mingzhu set down her teacup and asked with feigned concern, “How is my elder sister? Is Second Young Master treating her well?”

Qiuchan thought Shen Mingzhu had the same treatment, so she spoke openly. She described how Zhao Yi had taken off Shen Qingtan’s heavy phoenix crown before she went to toast guests, worried she would be tired, and how he’d prepared four or five delicate dishes so she wouldn’t go hungry.

Hearing this, Shen Mingzhu thought of how she had sat for hours in her phoenix crown, hungry and waiting. Her face grew darker.

That warm bowl of noodles now tasted sour in her heart.

Hearing the sound of water from the bath, she asked coldly, “Since Second Young Master is in poor health, I suppose he bathed and rested early?”

Qiuchan realized her tone was wrong and fell silent.

“I’m talking to you. Why so quiet? Is there something you can’t say to me?” Shen Mingzhu snapped, anger rising. “You’ve only served Shen Qingtan for half a day and already forgotten your true mistress? I’ll have you both sold tomorrow!”

Frightened, the two maids knelt. “We wouldn’t dare. Second Young Master just told Eldest Miss to rest after bathing, then he went to his study to wash up.”

The words stung even more. Shen Mingzhu ordered them out.

She told herself that even if Zhao Jue wasn’t as attentive as Zhao Yi, he had a brighter future.

But jealousy still burned in her, and when Zhao Jue came out of the bath, she looked at him with tearful eyes.

Seeing her pitiful look, Zhao Jue frowned. “Not feeling well? Then go wash up and rest early.”

Instead of comfort, all she got was a reminder to wash up. Her anger turned into grievance, and she went to the bath in silence.

Never mind, she thought—at least Zhao Jue would live longer than Zhao Yi. She wouldn’t have to be a young widow.