Chapter 9

Second Master was irritated. The original plan for this wedding switch was for Zhao Jue to go to the bridal chamber first—before Zhao Yi—lift the bride’s veil in front of everyone, and reveal the bride swap.

Then they would alarm the Marquis of Cheng’en’s household, have Madam Shen come forward to apologize, and push all the blame onto Shen Qingtan.

The excuse was that Shen Qingtan, both beautiful and talented, admired the brilliant Zhao Yi and had purposely gotten into the wrong sedan chair just to marry the man she liked.

They had even hidden Zhao Yi’s embroidered handkerchief, calligraphy, letters, and paintings in Shen Qingtan’s room, so Madam Shen could bring them back as “evidence” against her.

But who knew Zhao Yi would speak up first? His questions left them with no way to explain themselves, completely ruining the plan and making the Old Duke and Old Madam disappointed with the Second Branch.

“You foolish woman! Publicly provoking the First Branch during the tea ceremony will only make Mother favor them even more,” Second Master said. He knew the First Madam’s temper—born from a military family, proud, straightforward, and unyielding. If pushed too far, she’d rather break than bend. “Don’t provoke your sister-in-law in the coming days.”

Second Madam was bitter. “Mother has been biased toward the First Branch from the start.” Then she ground her teeth. “If she didn’t look down on me, I wouldn’t have tried to knock her down a peg.”

Second Master sneered, “You seduced your own brother-in-law—any decent person would look down on you.”

Second Madam had just been stabbed in the heart by First Madam’s words, and now her own husband was exposing her shame. Her chest hurt from anger. “If you were a decent man, would you have secretly met me behind my sister’s back?”

Second Master spread his hands. “Have you ever seen a decent man think with his pants? If I’d used my brain back then, you’d be calling me brother-in-law today.” He pointed at a water tank in the corner. “We’re like the two turtles in that tank—both the same sort. Hardly anyone respects us, so stop worrying about saving face. Focus on helping Jue secure the title—that’s what matters.”

Second Madam’s face turned from red to pale. She asked uneasily, “Shouldn’t you and Jue go apologize to Father to calm him down?”

“We can’t.” Second Master’s head throbbed. He was in a bind. “Father already suspects us. If we admit fault, we’ll be confirming it. We can’t accept this blame.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Let Jue make up for his mistakes.”

—

Old Madam took several sips of tea before her anger subsided.

“Mother, you’ve only just recovered from illness. Don’t make yourself sick over this,” First Madam said, setting the teacup on the table. She spoke sincerely, “Everyone in the capital knows Tan’er is talented and virtuous in every way. Our Yi’er is lucky to marry such a good wife. When I take her to banquets, countless people will envy me.”

“Qingtan grew up under our eyes. She’s a good child, careful in speech and actions,” Old Madam smiled faintly, then sighed. “I had originally wanted her to marry Yi’er. But at that time, his illness was at its worst, and I didn’t want to ruin a young girl’s life.”

“Seems it was fate.”

“Yes, fate,” Old Madam said, but when she thought of the Second Branch’s behavior, her smile faded. “Your second brother has been unruly since childhood. Beating, scolding, grounding—nothing straightened him out. At fifteen or sixteen, he left the capital to study, and came back with a mistress and a child.”

“The Old Duke broke two sticks on him, made him kneel in the courtyard for a day, and ordered him to apologize to his fiancée, Miss Luo. She was kindhearted and agreed to give the woman and child a proper place.”

That mistress became Second Master’s concubine, and the child was the household’s eldest illegitimate grandson.

“But that scoundrel betrayed Miss Luo and got involved with her younger sister instead. The younger sister lured him into her courtyard, and Miss Luo caught them. Miss Luo broke off the engagement, and Second Master married the younger sister instead.”

That younger sister was the current Second Madam.

Old Madam always felt that scandal had shamed the family. “Zhao Jue has achieved some military merit, and the Old Duke values him. But with parents like his—one unreliable, one scheming and competitive—how can the entire Duke’s household rest in their hands with peace of mind?”

Her voice grew cold. “Sure enough, now they’ve even pulled a bride swap. For the sake of a title, they’re willing to harm their own kin. Their greed is too great.”

First Master was sipping tea with elegance, but upon hearing this, he swallowed too quickly and almost ate the tea leaves.

He glanced at First Madam: Not good.

First Madam: …

“You should persuade Yi’er to leave a child for Qingtan, so she’ll have someone to rely on.”

Both their faces changed at once.

Zhao Yi was physically capable, but he didn’t want a child to suffer as he had, so he publicly claimed he was infertile.

“Mother, Yi’er said he won’t let his child go through his pain. Agreeing to this marriage was already his biggest compromise,” First Madam said, feeling annoyed just thinking about it.

Back then, the Marquis of Cheng’en’s family had pressured them into the marriage, implying they didn’t believe Zhao Yi would live long or have heirs.

The Old Duke valued promises, so when the Marquis insisted on marrying his daughter in, he agreed and somehow persuaded Zhao Yi to take a wife.

But in the end, it turned out the whole thing was just a ploy to marry Shen Mingzhu to Zhao Jue.

“If Qingtan really needs a child to rely on, it’d be better to adopt one from the clan,” First Madam suggested. “There are plenty of capable children in the family who could bear the responsibility of the title.”

Old Madam, unwilling to force Zhao Yi, rubbed her forehead. “Go back. I’ll think about it.”