Inside the inner quarters of the Hanlin Mansion.
"Speak! Whose is the bastard in your belly!?"
Hanlin Xie had not even had time to remove his official robes. He held a measuring rod and struck his daughter viciously.
Xie Zhixue collapsed to the floor, her hands protecting her slightly rounded belly, biting her lower lip to keep from uttering a single sound.
"If you don't reveal the name of that man, I will beat you to death today to cleanse the Xie Family's reputation!"
The veins on Father Xie's forehead throbbed; the rod fell faster and faster, and bloodstains soon bloomed across her slender back.
"Xue'er, speak up! Do you really intend to let your father beat you to death?!"
Outside the door, a beautiful woman rushed in, throwing herself over her daughter to block her husband.
"Xue'er is pregnant! Do you want to kill her? She is our only daughter!"
Her six-year-old brother also cried as he tried to snatch the rod from his father's hand.
"Ming'er will study hard! Father, please stop hitting Sister!"
The family was in an uproar of sobbing and pleading until, left with no other choice, Father Xie flung the rod onto the floor with a violent clatter.
"She is so shameless, conceiving a child out of wedlock, and you still insist on coddling her?!"
Mother Xie carefully helped her daughter up and kept calling for the maids to fetch medicine.
"Xue'er, what on earth happened? Don't be afraid, tell Mother slowly. I will take charge for you. While you are still in the early months, you can marry, and we will make the wedding dress loose so no one will notice!"
Xie Zhixue shook her head, unable to speak, only shedding tears.
It was not that she wanted to protect that man; the truth was that she did not know who he was.
Three months ago, she had gone to Zhenguo Temple to pray for blessings. She encountered villains and was drugged with Arousal Incense. In a haze, it felt as though a wealthy young nobleman had saved her and unfastened her clothes. By the time she opened her eyes again, she was back in her own bedchamber.
She had dared not speak of it until today, when she began vomiting frequently and the family doctor discovered the pregnancy.
Xie Zhixue’s body had always been frail, and her periods were irregular, so she had never expected to be with child.
In that dazed state, the man had unhooked a jade pendant from his waist and promised he would return in a month to marry her. Now, it seemed he had merely been tricking her.
Xie Zhixue had not even seen his face clearly. In her heart, she could not tell if she felt love or hate.
If he had not saved her, her fate would have been even worse—perhaps she would have been ravaged by a crowd, dragged off to the mountains, and tortured to death.
Yet, if he did not want to take responsibility, why make such a promise? Why give her hope only to extinguish it with his own hands?
Upon learning her daughter's plight, Mother Xie wept uncontrollably, and Father Xie sighed repeatedly. Only the young brother remained innocent of the ways of the world, blinking his large, black-grape eyes as he looked at his sister with concern.
Mother Xie made a swift decision. "Xue'er, you are still young. Luckily, only the household servants know of this, and since I hold their life-contracts, they dare not spread word. Listen to Mother: abort this child, then go to the manor in the country to recuperate for a few months. I guarantee it won't hinder your future marriage prospects."
Father Xie pondered for a moment and nodded in agreement.
"The Emperor originally intended for Xue'er, Lady Shen, and a few other noble daughters to participate in the selection for the Crown Prince. Fortunately, the Crown Prince went to the northern frontier and the matter was dropped, otherwise..."
If a future Crown Princess candidate were found to be pregnant out of wedlock, their entire Xie Family would be implicated.
Mother Xie helped Xie Zhixue back to her room and locked it tight, ensuring no news would leak before calling the family doctor to pulse-check and abort the child.
The doctor pressed his fingers to Xie Zhixue’s wrist. He felt for a long time, nearly twisting his thin goat-like beard off.
"The young lady has a constitution of extreme cold. If this child is aborted, I fear it will be difficult for her to conceive ever again."
The words struck like a bolt of lightning.
In a high-status household, a wife’s worth lies in continuing the family line and managing the home. If a mistress of the house has no son of her own, she has no standing.
Mother Xie was so frantic she struck the bedframe. "What are we to do now?!"
After a long silence, Xie Zhixue pulled back the bed curtains, revealing a face as pale as death.
"Mother, I will not abort this child."
She caressed her slightly rounded abdomen. The little life inside was linked to her by blood. With her frail health, this might be her only child.
She could not bear to end it.
Mother Xie signaled the maid to lead the doctor out, then held her daughter’s hand and sighed.
"Xue'er, do not be foolish. The origins of this child are unclear. If you give birth, the rest of your life will be ruined!"
"Mother understands your concerns, but the doctor only said it would be *difficult* to conceive again, not impossible. I will find famous physicians to nourish your body..."
Xie Zhixue squeezed her mother’s hand and shook her head, her eyes red.
She was already a broken flower. Even if she were to marry, she was no longer a virgin. How would she survive the wedding night's scrutiny, or the pulse-taking of family doctors?
One slip, and she would be disgraced, and her sisters within the Xie clan would all find it impossible to marry well.
"My mind is made up, Mother. You need not try to persuade me."
Father Xie kicked the door open, his face ashen. "If you insist on giving birth to this bastard, you are no longer my daughter from this day forth!"
He had spent his life building a reputation; he would not have it destroyed by this disgrace!
Xie Zhixue rose slowly, knelt on the floor, and kowtowed three times to her parents.
"Father, Mother, your daughter is unfilial. I can no longer serve by your sides."
Mother Xie sobbed, beating her husband's chest. "Must you be so heartless?! Xue'er went to the temple to pray for *you*! To ensure your recovery from the plague!"
At these words, even the stern Hanlin Xie’s eyes grew red. He turned away, unable to look at them.
"Send this disgraced daughter to the country manor! Tell the world she has fallen into a severe illness and cannot be seen!"
With that, he flicked his sleeves and stormed out, slamming the door.
Mother Xie let out a breath and hugged her daughter, weeping loudly. "My poor Xue'er, why is your life so bitter?"
A fine noble lady, reduced to hiding away in a country manor.
To keep the secret of the pregnancy, they could not keep many servants at the manor. Everything would fall to Xie Zhixue to handle herself. How could a pampered young lady endure such a life?
Xie Zhixue closed her eyes and forced a faint smile. "Mother, I will eat vegetarian meals and chant Buddhist sutras at the manor, praying for you and Father every day."
The social codes of Daliang were harsh; being pregnant out of wedlock meant being drowned in a pig cage. That her parents were protecting her at all was already an enormous risk.
Mother Xie wiped her tears.
"I will prepare your things and have your personal maid accompany you."
"Once the storm passes, Mother will come to the manor to see you..."