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Xu Qingyi felt utterly humiliated—completely and utterly humiliated.
She recalled that on the night of her wedding, at most, she had only needed the support of a maid to walk. But tonight, she had to be practically carried back.
Her wet nurse, deeply distressed by the sight of her young mistress in such a state, couldn’t help but lower her voice and ask, “Young Madam, is something troubling you? How did things turn out like this?”
Xu Qingyi rested limply against the edge of the bathtub, her eyes closed in exhaustion. Her cheeks felt slightly warm as she thought to herself—there was nothing troubling her. She was simply drained, that was all.
Since she didn’t respond, the wet nurse wisely chose not to press further.
However, in her heart, she was already making plans. Perhaps she should prepare more fire-avoidance illustrations for her young mistress. Looking at such materials more often might be beneficial.
Ah, in the end, it was truly difficult for her young lady.
Hopefully, she could conceive soon, so she wouldn’t have to endure these exhausting encounters with the Eldest Young Master any longer.
Meanwhile, in the inner room, the Eldest Young Master, having changed into fresh clothes, suddenly felt a wave of coldness. However, as soon as Zi Xiao draped a quilt over him, the chill quickly dissipated.
He was not someone who feared the cold. He remembered that a few winters ago, during the harshest months at the border, the other soldiers had shivered uncontrollably, their bodies nearly frozen. Yet he alone had remained warm, his blood burning hot, seemingly unaffected by the biting frost.
But times had changed. The days of charging into battle, sword in hand, commanding the battlefield, were gone forever. Now, he could only relive those moments in his dreams—where he could still run and leap as he once did.
Outside the screen, Zi Xiao and Ming Yu whispered to each other.
“The Young Madam stayed quite a while tonight,” Ming Yu mused. “Do you think she likes the Eldest Young Master?”
Xie Yunzhi had yet to fall asleep. Hearing the servants gossip, he paid a little more attention.
“She probably does, right?” Ming Yu sounded uncertain, but one thing he was sure of—grinning, he added, “But I know for a fact that Young Madam really likes Young Master Heng. I heard that lately, he’s been sleeping in her room every night.”
“Well, of course,” Zi Xiao replied matter-of-factly.
Anyone with eyes could see that Young Master Heng was practically Young Madam’s little shadow.
So… was Xu Qingyi favoring Heng?
Then, Xie Yunzhi heard Zi Xiao continue, “But Young Madam treats Young Master Lin well too. I heard from the maids who serve him that she bought him nearly an entire room’s worth of calligraphy supplies—so many that they’re running out of space to store them.”
That was a bit of an exaggeration. But she had indeed bought quite a lot.
Xie Yunzhi felt reassured again. As long as there was no favoritism, that was good. Discord between brothers was usually the result of parents lacking virtue.
Now that he was crippled, the responsibility of managing the household could only fall to Xu Qingyi.
Having exhausted herself the night before, Xu Qingyi didn’t wake up until the sun was high in the sky. By then, Lin and Zhen had already left for their studies, leaving only Heng to leisurely share breakfast with her.
The Old Madam was not a strict elder; she didn’t require the younger generation to greet her every morning.
As long as they paid their respects every few days, it was enough.
As for going to her mother-in-law, the Marchioness, to learn proper household etiquette—well, that was completely unnecessary.
In her current condition, if Madam Qin still expected her to go through those formalities, the woman must have lost her mind.
And so, with all things considered, as the newlywed Young Madam of the Marquis’ household, Xu Qingyi was now enjoying a life where she could sleep in as long as she pleased.
Not long after, her maid, Su Ye, came rushing in with an excited gleam in her eyes, eagerly reporting, “Young Madam! Early this morning, the Marquis personally escorted Second Young Master—who had been kneeling all night—to the Yong’an Marquis Mansion to beg for forgiveness. Before leaving, he even whipped him twice, drawing blood!”
Everyone in the household despised Du Jinyun and Xie Huaian’s betrayal of their master, so the news was met with great satisfaction and righteous indignation.
Hearing about Xie Huaian’s misfortune, everyone was naturally overjoyed.
Xu Qingyi sipped her tea leisurely and remarked, “Second Brother bled—certain people are probably going to get slapped again.”
She wasn’t wrong. Soon enough, news spread that the Marchioness had gone to Xie Huaian’s courtyard once more to vent her anger on Du Jinyun.
The wet nurse scoffed coldly. “She doesn’t deserve any sympathy. After committing such a disgraceful betrayal, she doesn’t even have the decency to apologize. She must think she’s done nothing wrong.”
And indeed, Du Jinyun believed that her relationship with Xie Huaian was a matter of mutual affection and had nothing to do with Xu Qingyi.
After all, she had never truly considered Xu Qingyi her mistress—because, strictly speaking, she had never been her maid to begin with.
So why should she apologize?
However, the Marchioness had been ruthless. Two consecutive days of slaps had left Du Jinyun’s cheeks painfully swollen.
She wanted to cry but dared not, fearing that it might harm the child in her womb.
What made it even worse was when Mama Chang, who had gone out to gather information, hesitated before informing her, “The Young Madam is living quite well—she doesn’t even have to pay respects to the elders. I heard she sleeps in until the sun is high in the sky.”
Du Jinyun touched her still-flat belly and sneered, “So what? She’s just short-sighted. She’ll suffer soon enough.”
Mama Chang continued, “I heard that the Old Madam dotes on Young Madam Xu immensely. She’s allowed to take whatever she wants from the storerooms. Tsk tsk, even the Marchioness has to give way to her, not daring to impose any household rules on her.”
Du Jinyun still wanted to put on a brave front, but as she touched her swollen cheeks, she had to admit—she was deeply jealous of Xu Qingyi’s situation.
It frustrated her to no end. Why?
The Marchioness should hate Xu Qingyi more than anyone, yet somehow, Xu Qingyi had managed to keep her firmly under control.
Meanwhile, she herself could do nothing but endure the Marchioness’s slaps and insults without resistance. The injustice of it all filled her with bitter resentment.
“Sigh, just look at how well Young Madam Xu is doing now,” Mama Chang mused. “And in a little while, once she conceives the Eldest Young Master’s child…” She paused, clicking her tongue again. “She’ll soar to even greater heights. Even His Majesty will surely grant her rewards.”
Everyone in the empire knew that the Emperor regarded Xie Yunzhi as if he were his own son.
Even after Xie Yunzhi’s incident, within six months, he had been posthumously honored twice. His current title was already that of a First-rank General.
And the Emperor had even promised that if Xie Yunzhi were to wake up, he would be granted the extraordinary title of Zhen Guo General, a rank above the norm.
If Xu Qingyi truly bore the Eldest Young Master’s child, forget about just inheriting the Marquisate—there would be so many titles bestowed upon her family that they wouldn’t even be able to claim them all.
Du Jinyun had never really grasped the full scope of things before, but hearing Mama Chang spell it out, she finally realized—Xie Yunzhi’s status was far beyond what she had imagined.
Her heart turned cold. No—she absolutely could not allow Xu Qingyi to conceive the Eldest Young Master’s child. If Xu Qingyi became pregnant, then Xie Huaian would lose the chance to inherit the marquisate.
Du Jinyun could not let that happen.
Xu Qingyi was soft-hearted and kind—easily swayed. With that in mind, Du Jinyun quickly turned to Mama Chang and said, “Find me an old dress. I need to see the Young Madam.”
The worse she looked, the more Xu Qingyi would sympathize with her.
Moments later, with her face still swollen and bruised from the slaps, Du Jinyun arrived at Danhuai Courtyard, looking utterly pitiful as she requested an audience.
Along the way, everyone who saw her cast strange glances in her direction. It was humiliating, but she gritted her teeth and endured it—all for the sake of winning Xu Qingyi’s sympathy.
At that moment, Xu Qingyi was preparing to go out. To be honest, she had no interest in letting Du Jinyun in. Who knew what kind of schemes she was planning?
Still, she agreed to see her—but only in the outermost reception room. And sure enough, the moment Du Jinyun stepped in, her swollen, bruised face was impossible to miss.
Pfft. Wanting my Sympathy?
Not a chance. Xu Qingyi only felt pleasure.
The Marchioness truly had a heavy hand—those five finger marks were practically a perfect imprint.
“You needed something? I’m about to head out, so if you have something to say, make it quick,” Xu Qingyi said flatly.
Du Jinyun froze. That’s not right. Had Xu Qingyi not noticed the two glaring slap marks on her face?
Back when they were close, even the slightest fever or headache would make Xu Qingyi worry over her.
Maybe she’s still mad at me, Du Jinyun thought. Her eyes turned red, and she choked up, tearfully saying, “Qingyi, I’m sorry… It’s all my fault…”
“Wait a moment.” Xu Qingyi interrupted.
Du Jinyun quickly lowered her handkerchief, looking at her with anticipation.
Xu Qingyi frowned and said, “Whether by your mother’s status as a concubine or your own past as a maid, you should be addressing me as ‘Young Madam.’”
This person has no right to call me by name.
Du Jinyun was stunned, her expression stiff with embarrassment. But after a moment, she reasoned that Xu Qingyi was just still angry—it made sense. Forcing a smile, she awkwardly said, “Young Madam, it was my oversight. Things are different now.”
Xu Qingyi nearly rolled her eyes. She actually has the nerve to bring up the past?
Back in the day, she had been the esteemed daughter of a noble marquis family, while Du Jinyun was nothing more than an opportunistic guest—one who, in her opportunism, had somehow ended up in the bed of her mistress’s fiancé. Shameless.
“Does Concubine Du have anything to say?” Xu Qingyi asked.
Du Jinyun wasn’t a concubine yet, but it was only a matter of time.
In the original timeline, her path to being officially recognized as a wife had been long and arduous. Now, it would only take even longer.
Du Jinyun pressed her lips together, looking as pitiful as ever before softly saying, “It was my fault for losing control with Second Young Master. I’m willing to pour tea and apologize to the Young Madam.”
Xu Qingyi was slightly surprised. She had assumed that Du Jinyun, with her background as a scholar’s daughter and former noble lady, would be too proud to apologize.
Not one to make things difficult, Xu Qingyi simply nodded. “Alright then. Once I return, I’ll arrange it—with the entire household as witnesses.”
If she wanted to apologize, it would be done properly, in front of everyone.
Du Jinyun’s face paled. She had thought she could simply pour tea and apologize in private.
She hadn’t expected Xu Qingyi to be so domineering—demanding that she lower herself in front of the whole household.
But with things as they were, Du Jinyun gritted her teeth and agreed. “Alright.”
With nothing more to discuss, Xu Qingyi motioned for Su Ye to escort the guest out.
As Du Jinyun followed Su Ye outside, her gaze darkened as she glanced toward the deeper parts of the courtyard.
Servants moved about, sweeping and tidying the grounds at all times.
It was also well known that the four personal attendants serving the Eldest Young Master were all highly skilled in martial arts.
Du Jinyun retracted her gaze. It seemed the safest approach was still through Xu Qingyi.
What she didn’t realize was that Su Ye had taken note of her every move. As soon as she returned, she reported, “Young Madam, Concubine Du was deliberately sizing up our courtyard just now. She also glanced several times toward the Eldest Young Master’s main residence.”
Why was she looking at the Eldest Young Master’s residence?
Xu Qingyi frowned in thought. The Eldest Young Master had always been nothing more than a background character in the novel, with very little presence—he had never had any dealings with Du Jinyun.
But after a brief moment, it clicked.
In the original story, the Eldest Young Master never married, nor did he leave behind any heirs. He died young, and his absence had no impact on the male and female leads’ grand ambitions.
Now, however, he had a wife—and the possibility of descendants. If he fathered a child, that child could completely bypass Xie Huaian and inherit the marquisate instead.
Of course Du Jinyun would panic.
Xu Qingyi immediately issued orders: “Increase patrols around the courtyard. Everything brought before the Eldest Young Master must be carefully inspected—no negligence is allowed.”
In the novel, the main couple never harmed the Eldest Young Master.
But a cornered dog will bite. Who knew what they might do for the sake of the title?