Chapter 24

Xu Qinhui couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Above her was a carved wood screen with begonia embroidery. She remembered this screen from when she lived in the Marquis of Dechang’s residence before her marriage. She used to rest in the west wing every afternoon, and the white fox fur beneath her was a gift from her mother, who knew she preferred resting on a chaise longue rather than a bed.

But hadn’t she died? How was she back in the Marquis of Dechang’s residence?

She vividly remembered the bone-chilling fear before her death and the cold, emotionless face of the new emperor, formerly King Shu. His face was half-covered in blood from killing half the palace, with only his eyes remaining clean but devoid of any emotion, resembling the eyes of a fierce predator.

The new emperor had approached them, sword in hand, dripping with blood.

She trembled as she watched him approach, hearing her husband, Emperor Shengyuan, pleading in terror, “Fourth Brother, I am willing to give you the throne. Please spare my life. It wasn’t me who poisoned Father but Empress Dowager Fu, my mother. I never wanted the throne. Fourth Brother, please…”

Emperor Shengyuan’s voice was abruptly cut off, and a flash of blood filled her vision as his head fell to the ground. Before she could scream, the sword flashed again, and the last thing she saw was her own headless neck and the blood spurting from it.

The new emperor hadn’t given her a chance to speak before beheading her.

Xu Qinhui gasped for breath, clutching her neck. What was happening? She had clearly died by Pei Weixuan’s sword. How was she now in the Marquis of Dechang’s residence? Was it all a dream before her death?

Instinctively, she pinched her thigh, and the pain made her cry out.

Outside, her maid Ping’er immediately called out, “Miss? Are you awake? Are you feeling unwell?”

“Ping’er, come in!” Xu Qinhui quickly called her maid inside.

Ping’er was her personal maid.

The door to the wing room opened, and a round-faced maid entered. Seeing Xu Qinhui’s pale face, she asked worriedly, “Miss, did you have a nightmare? Shall I have the kitchen prepare some calming soup for you?”

“No need.” Xu Qinhui stepped forward and grabbed Ping’er’s hand, her voice trembling as she asked, “Ping’er, what day is it today?”

Ping’er’s face turned pale, and she whispered, “Miss, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me. This year is the first year of Yuanqi, the first year of Emperor Shengyuan’s reign.”

Xu Qinhui was stunned. Could it be that becoming Emperor Shengyuan’s concubine was just a dream?

No, it couldn’t be. Those scenes were too real.

So it wasn’t a dream. After experiencing such a massacre, the heavens had given her another chance to start over.

This time, she wouldn’t make the same mistake!

Thinking of something, Xu Qinhui excitedly asked, “Ping’er, where is my second sister now?” If her second sister hadn’t married King Shu yet, she could marry him instead.

She didn’t know the exact date, but in her previous life, she had been betrothed to King Shu, who was then the Fourth Prince. However, during the struggle between the Eldest and Second Princes, the Eldest Prince wasn’t as ruthless as the Second Prince and the Noble Consort. The Eldest Prince’s maternal family had no real power, and Empress Wen had no means, being too soft-hearted. The only useful person was Anping Duke, who couldn’t say much in court.

At that time, the Eldest Prince had more support in court. He was capable and a good military leader.

In the end, he was defeated by the Second Prince and the Noble Consort’s ruthlessness. They poisoned the late emperor and framed the Eldest Prince, not giving the court officials a chance to investigate. They directly captured the Eldest Prince, and despite his martial prowess, he was overwhelmed by hundreds of imperial guards and met a tragic end.

The Eldest Prince was accused of treason and executed on the spot.

Afterward, the Second Prince ascended the throne.

The Fourth Prince, Seventh Prince, and Sixth Princess, who were the Eldest Prince’s siblings, were all exiled to the southwest.

Of course, she only learned these things later when she became Emperor Shengyuan’s concubine, and it became common knowledge.

Pei Weixuan didn’t usurp the throne by killing the new emperor. He rightfully overthrew a tyrant and the empress dowager. Before the late emperor was poisoned, he had already drafted an edict naming the Eldest Prince as the crown prince. The Second Prince and the Noble Consort must have learned about this edict and hastily poisoned the late emperor and killed the Eldest Prince.

But somehow, Pei Weixuan found the edict. She remembered that after entering the palace as a concubine, Emperor Shengyuan and the Empress Dowager were always searching for it.

When she learned she was the Fourth Prince’s fiancée and feared being exiled with him, she was desperate and begged her parents and grandparents for help.

Knowing the disaster, her grandmother cried with her and came up with an idea. Her grandmother had an old acquaintance in the palace, an elderly consort. She arranged for Xu Qinhui to meet the new emperor by chance. Her grandmother said she was beautiful, and the new emperor would surely be captivated by her.

Later, she entered the palace and met the new emperor. After crying and pleading, the emperor took pity on her and considered issuing an edict to annul her marriage to King Shu, planning to grant amnesty so she wouldn’t have to accompany him into exile. However, she worried about tarnishing the Marquis’s reputation and hesitantly mentioned that her second sister, Xu Qinyu, was still unmarried. At that time, she was genuinely concerned about the family’s reputation and feared being seen as ungrateful. She believed sacrificing one person to preserve the family’s honor was worth it.

The new emperor took the bait and issued an edict, betrothing Xu Qinyu to King Shu and sending her into exile with him.

Later, their grandmother sent her second sister to King Shu’s residence in a small sedan chair and exiled to the southwest with his lineage. Unexpectedly, King Shu was a ruthless character who, after ten years of patience, stormed the palace and killed the new emperor and Empress Dowager Fu, slaughtering half the palace.

Thinking of this, Xu Qinhui shivered.

But fortunately, everything could still be changed. She had another chance and hadn’t yet entered the palace as the emperor’s concubine. However, she couldn’t remember if her second sister had already married into King Shu’s residence.

Ping’er said, “Miss, how could you forget? Second Miss was exiled to the southwest with the King Shu’s lineage two months ago.”

Two months ago? Xu Qinhui frowned slightly.

But there was still time, ten years to be exact. Moreover, her second sister was weak, and she remembered that her second sister had died on the road to exile. Later, a landslide occurred on the road to exile, and only King Shu and Madam Wen survived.

So now, only King Shu and Madam Wen should be alive.

Speaking of Madam Wen, she was indeed fortunate. As a concubine’s daughter from a noble family, she became the empress. Even though she was later exiled and her entire family perished, she and her son survived. Her son was capable and eventually restored her position as empress dowager.

Xu Qinhui vaguely remembered seeing Madam Wen, wrapped in a cloak and standing far away in front of the main hall, surrounded by Pei Weixuan’s black-armored guards, when Pei Weixuan beheaded her.

At that time, Madam Wen was hunched, her body weakened by ten years of exile. But what did it matter? Before her death, she had returned to the pinnacle of power.

Thinking of King Shu’s bloody massacre of the palace and her own beheading, Xu Qinhui’s face turned pale, and her stomach churned.

Fortunately, there were still ten years. Even if her second sister died, she must plan carefully and seek her grandmother’s permission to marry King Shu in the southwest.

Even though the southwest was poor, she could bring plenty of silver, perhaps tens of thousands of taels. Her mother had money, and she could continue to send silver every year. She could buy a large house in the southwest, bring ten or so maids and servants, and live with Madam Wen and King Shu. It wouldn’t be impossible. The southwest might lack the splendor of the capital, fine clothes, jewelry, and delicious pastries, but she could bring a cook and enough beautiful clothes and jewelry.

Thinking this, Xu Qinhui said, “Since Second Sister is in trouble, I’ll go talk to Grandmother.”

Ping’er instinctively said, “Second Miss isn’t in trouble. Just now, an officer who escorted her to the southwest came to deliver a message, saying that the Second Miss and King Shu have safely arrived and should be settled by now.”

“What did you say?” Xu Qinhui’s relieved expression froze.

She was full of disbelief. How could it be? Her second sister had clearly died on the road to exile. She couldn’t be mistaken. Later, when her second aunt found out, she spat out a mouthful of blood and remained bedridden, passing away after six months. After that, her second uncle was heartbroken and made a mistake in his official duties, leading to his demotion. If it weren’t for her pleading with Emperor Shengyuan, her second uncle would have lost his position entirely. She couldn’t be mistaken, but now Ping’er was telling her that her second sister wasn’t dead?

“Help me change clothes. I need to see Grandmother.” She still couldn’t believe it.

Xu Qinhui changed her clothes and went to Old Madam Xu’s courtyard. Old Madam Xu, still fuming from Ma Liu’s earlier visit, was complaining to Nanny Feng about the second household. She blamed the second household for sending an officer to deliver a message and humiliating her. Especially that second girl, who was exiled to the southwest. As the wife of a traitor, what did she have to do with the Marquis’s residence?

Seeing Xu Qinhui, Old Madam Xu felt a bit better.

Xu Qinhui greeted her grandmother and inquired about her health and recent meals.

Seeing her favorite granddaughter, Old Madam Xu felt much more at ease.

Feigning concern for her second sister, Xu Qinhui asked if she had arrived in the southwest.

Old Madam Xu immediately recounted the officer’s visit and the message he delivered.

Xu Qinhui was speechless.

Where had things gone wrong? If her second sister wasn’t dead, how could she escape her previous fate? How could she marry King Shu? She didn’t want to lose her head again. As for King Shu finding the late emperor’s edict and eventually leading a rebellion to the capital, she didn’t dare tell the new emperor and Empress Dowager Fu.

Otherwise, that madwoman, Empress Dowager Fu, might consider the Marquis’s residence allies of King Shu and have them all killed.

So what should she do?

…

While Xu Qinhui was worried in the capital, Xu Qinyu’s life in the southwest continued as usual.

The snowfall had lessened in recent days, and her meat sandwiches were still selling well. Each person was limited to buying two, which was enough for the people on two merchant ships.

However, two sandwiches weren’t enough to fill them up, only to satisfy their cravings. They kept asking Xu Qinyu to make more, but she couldn’t make too many. She planned to rest for a few months and regain her strength before increasing production. She was still thin and didn’t have much energy. Additionally, she planned to set up an evening food stall in the east and west parts of the town, in addition to her stall at the dock.

She hadn’t decided what to sell at the evening food stalls yet, but it wouldn’t be meat sandwiches.

The town didn’t have a night market, and all the shops closed by 8 or 9 PM. She planned to save up some money and have a large iron pot and iron barrel made at the blacksmith’s shop. With a large iron pot, she wouldn’t need to braise fish in three or four batches. She could cook it all at once and store it in the iron barrel, making the process much faster and easier. Then, she could have her fourth brother stay home or have her mother return early to sell the braised fish at home during dinner time.

For now, she only sold the braised fish to the residents of Osmanthus Alley. She could inform them to come to her house to buy the fish at a specific time.

Even if the braised fish became popular and people from other alleys wanted to buy it, they could come to her house. She wouldn’t need to push the cart around with her fourth brother, and she could go to the east and west parts of town to set up her stall.

In that case, they would definitely need a large guard dog for the house.

During dinner, Xu Qinyu asked, “Fourth Brother, when can we get a guard dog that can protect the house and its owners?”

Catching a stray dog from the street wouldn’t work, as they were used to roaming around. She needed a dog that could guard the house and protect its owners, one that would rush to defend them if they were being bullied.

Pei Weixuan thought for a moment and said, “Tomorrow. I’ll also need to go up the mountain to find some things.”

“Is it not going to snow tomorrow?” Xu Qinyu knew her husband could observe the weather. “If it snows, going up the mountain won’t be safe. Why do you need to go?”

The snowfall had been light in recent days, and she had planned to ask if it would continue to snow heavily.

Pei Weixuan replied, “It will continue to snow lightly for the next two days and then snow heavily again in a few days.”

It seemed like the snow would never stop. Xu Qinyu was worried that such continuous snowfall might cause a disaster. She couldn’t help but voice her concern, and Pei Weixuan looked at her and said slowly, “The southwest won’t be affected.” This meant that other places might be at risk.

Xu Qinyu was still worried after hearing this.

Madam Wen was also concerned and didn’t want her son to go up the mountain. It was winter, and the snow made the mountain even more dangerous. The cold weather made it difficult for the beasts on the mountain to find prey, leaving them hungry. Encountering such beasts would be disastrous.

Madam Wen expressed her concerns, but Pei Weixuan said, “Mother, don’t worry. I’m going to the mountain to find a medicinal herb that only appears after the snow. It’s related to my condition.”

He was poisoned, so the herb he was looking for could help detoxify him.

Madam Wen fell silent but remained worried, her brows furrowed.

…

The next day, before dawn, Pei Weixuan left. That morning, Xu Qinyu set up the stall by herself, making pancakes and fried eggs.

On the way, Xu Qinyu was quite worried about him. Although she vaguely knew that her husband wasn’t as weak as he appeared and had some impressive martial arts skills, going up the mountain in winter was dangerous. Even experienced hunters avoided it, but he had no choice.

In fact, she also wanted to go up the mountain. It had been a long time since she had eaten mushrooms.

People here didn’t eat mushrooms, so there were none for sale. The town was some distance from the mountain, and even in warmer weather, it would take her an hour to walk to the foot of the mountain, which was quite far.

After selling breakfast, Xu Qinyu bought pig offal, grass carp, and a lot of lard.

The previous batch of lard was finished, and this time, she bought enough to make two large jars. With more lard, there would naturally be more cracklings, so she planned to make dumplings with cracklings and radish.

Cracklings and radish were the perfect combination because the radish’s sweetness could absorb the excess oil from the cracklings.

After returning home, she didn’t immediately process the ingredients but went east and west of town to see what kind of businesses were there.

The east and west of town had two bustling streets, with many people even in the snow. In front of the market were several large restaurants and various shops. The stalls were mostly set up in the alleys behind the market, forming a kind of open market where all kinds of food and ingredients were sold, along with miscellaneous items. It was busier than the dock, which was only lively when there were many merchant ships.

The food sold in the open market in the east and west parts of town was mostly common fare.

After looking around, Xu Qinyu had a rough idea and planned to think more about it when she got back.

Back in Osmanthus Alley, Xu Qinyu started working.

Madam Wen hadn’t gone to work in the past few days, worried that Old Lady Luo might come and bully the children again. However, they hadn’t seen Old Lady Luo for several days, so Madam Wen planned to return to work the next day after her son went back.

In the afternoon, Madam Wen helped Xu Qinyu by scraping the scales off the grass carp. She didn’t help gut the fish because Yuniang had mentioned that the fish’s gallbladder could make it bitter if not handled properly.

Xu Qinyu thoroughly cleaned the fish, including the innards, which she washed, marinated, and stuffed back into the fish’s belly with some ginger slices before cooking.

After cooking the fish, Madam Wen, seeing her daughter-in-law’s hard work, offered to help sell the fish in the alley.

Xu Qinyu gladly accepted, as she still needed to render lard and make dumplings.

Madam Wen’s sales went smoothly. She quickly sold all the fish and returned with the money bag for Yuniang.

Xu Qinyu finished rendering the lard and started making dumplings.

She chopped the cracklings finely for the lard crackling dumplings and mixed them with minced pork belly. She shredded the radish, salted it to draw out the water, and then mixed it with the chopped cracklings and meat filling, adding an egg, soy sauce, salt, and five-spice powder.

The lard crackling and radish dumplings had one outstanding feature: their aroma!

They didn’t have a particularly strong flavor but were incredibly fragrant, filling the mouth with a delightful aroma.

Xu Qinyu also made a dipping sauce with soy sauce, vinegar, and a bit of chili oil. Even Ning Jie’er couldn’t stop eating, her head down and focused on her food.

Xu Qinyu didn’t cook Pei Weixuan’s portion, planning to wait for him to return in the evening. However, even after she finished braising the intestines, Fourth Brother hadn’t returned. Madam Wen couldn’t sleep and waited for another half hour, but he still didn’t return. Everyone was getting anxious. Madam Wen sent Ning Jie’er and the two children to bed and told Xu Qinyu to wash up and sleep as well.

Xu Qinyu thought for a moment and said, “Mother, don’t worry. Fourth Brother said he might return tonight if he’s quick, but it could take two or three days. He brought food with him and won’t go into the mountain without being fully prepared.”

Madam Wen was still worried but was eventually persuaded by Xu Qinyu to go to bed.

Xu Qinyu also slept restlessly, her mind occupied with thoughts of Fourth Brother. During the night, she had several dreams, some about her past life and others about moments with her family, all jumbled together.

She woke up on time at dawn and went to the kitchen to light the oil lamp and start the fire. Just as she lit the stove, she heard some noise in the courtyard. She hurried out and saw Fourth Brother standing there. It looked like he had jumped over the wall, as the gate was still closed. She exclaimed with joy, “Fourth Brother, you’re back!”

Pei Weixuan nodded and carried a cloth bag into the kitchen.

Xu Qinyu eagerly followed him inside. Seeing him return safely, she finally felt relieved.

Pei Weixuan entered the kitchen and put down the cloth bag.

Curious, Xu Qinyu asked, “Fourth Brother, is the herb you were looking for in the bag?”

“No,” he replied coolly. “Open it and see for yourself.”

As Xu Qinyu was about to open the bag, the fresh scent of mushrooms wafted into her nose.

She paused and eagerly opened the bag to find it filled with mushrooms. Shocked, she asked, “Fourth Brother, can you tell which mushrooms are poisonous and which aren’t?” Realizing her mistake, she added, “Of course, you can. You know about herbs, so identifying mushrooms isn’t surprising.”

Xu Qinyu smiled at him and then emptied the bag of mushrooms.

A bright red fruit and a plump ginseng root rolled out along with the mushrooms. The fruit wasn’t a mushroom, so it must be the medicinal herb he mentioned. Seeing the plump ginseng, she was stunned.

Pei Weixuan picked up the red fruit and the ginseng, keeping the fruit in his palm and handing the ginseng to Xu Qinyu. “This is to repay you for the silver.”

Xu Qinyu remembered that he had borrowed a tael of silver from her in Raozhou City to buy medicine to make an ointment.

She quickly waved her hand. “It’s just a tael of silver. It’s not worth a ginseng root, especially since you borrowed the money to make an ointment for us.”

The wild ginseng looked of high quality, with all its roots intact and plump. It must be very valuable. She thought Fourth Brother might need the ginseng more since he was poisoned.

“Fourth Brother, why don’t we keep the ginseng for now? It might save a life in the future, or we can decide what to do with it in an emergency. We don’t need money right now, so it’s better to keep it.”

Pei Weixuan nodded. “Alright, I’ll prepare it tomorrow.”

Xu Qinyu knew that medicinal herbs needed to be processed for long-term storage. She squatted down and examined the mushrooms, confirming they were all non-toxic. She was already thinking about stir-frying them for breakfast when she heard Fourth Brother’s unhurried voice, “Yuniang, didn’t you ask me to find a guard dog that can protect the house and its owners? I found one.”

Xu Qinyu was puzzled.

She thought: I didn’t see him bring back a puppy.