"Er, Yu, bad..."
Xie Mingyue repeated the words aloud, her heart sinking.
"Mujin, does 'Er' refer to Second Sister Xie Wanqing, and 'Yu' to Qi Xiuyu? Is that right?"
Mujin nodded. Xie Mingyue's gaze turned solemn as she pressed further: "How did they behave badly? Did they conspire against me when the Xie Family drove me out all those years ago?"
Mujin made soft "um-um" sounds while gesturing frantically, but Xie Mingyue could not decipher her meaning. When she asked Mujin to write it down, the girl could not do that either.
Xie Mingyue sighed. Seeing the coachman emerge from the teahouse, she gave up on further questioning and continued, "Then why did I marry Qi Jinshan? Mujin, did he force me into it back then?"
Mujin’s eyes widened. She shook her head in denial and traced the characters for "good" and "nine" on Xie Mingyue’s wrist.
Xie Mingyue bit her lip gently. So, Qi Jinshan had not forced her after all.
Mujin even called him "good"—had she been misjudging him all this time?
Also, she wondered what the "nine" meant.
"Lady Qi, our Princess Consort is waiting for the Fifth Concubine to return and attend to her. If you wish to reminisce, perhaps pick another day. If we are late, I’ll have a hard time answering to her," the coachman said, waddling over after finishing his tea and bowing servilely to Xie Mingyue.
He couldn't fathom what this Lady Qi had to talk about with a mute concubine. Princess Consort Rui was a strict mistress; if they were late, both he and the Fifth Concubine would be punished.
With the Princess Consort looming behind the coachman, Xie Mingyue knew she could not remain stubborn.
"Very well, I will say no more," she said, pulling down her sleeve and patting Mujin’s hand. "I will come to Prince Rui's Mansion to see you another day. If you need anything, just send someone to the Shunqing Marquis Estate to find Wutong, all right?"
Mujin clutched her hand with reluctance, looking back three times before finally boarding the carriage.
Wutong felt a swell of sorrow behind Xie Mingyue. "Sister Mujin was always so eloquent. How did she become a mute?"
Xie Mingyue’s thoughts were in turmoil. Once back in the carriage, she said in a low voice, "Do not cry. Mujin must have been sold to a pleasure house and then gained Prince Rui’s pity, which is how she became a concubine."
Though life as a concubine was difficult, it was still better than selling smiles in a pleasure house. But once inside the mansion, there was no way out. Xie Mingyue racked her brain, yet could think of no way to rescue her.
"It is getting late. Let us return to the estate."
She glanced at the sky. It was too far from Guinan Ward to return and question Bai Xin, so she had to go back for the family banquet.
Wutong sat beside her. Xie Mingyue pulled back her sleeve, looking at the characters written in vibrant blue pigment, and fell into silent contemplation.
It seemed that neither Xie Wanqing nor Qi Xiuyu were good people; they must have had a hand in her expulsion from the Xie Family. And if what Mujin wrote was true, the one who helped her back then was likely Qi Jinshan.
Qi Xiuyu was returning to the estate tonight. Xie Mingyue rubbed her temples.
Thinking of the way Qi Jinshan acted when he mentioned Qi Xiuyu the other day, she felt a headache coming on.
"Madam, should you wipe off that pigment before we arrive?" Wutong noticed the color was quite striking and handed her a dampened handkerchief.
Xie Mingyue wiped it a few times, but it wouldn't come off.
"This pigment is specially made; it requires oil to remove. I’ll wash it off when I take down my hair tonight."
By the time they returned to the Shunqing Marquis Estate, the servants were busy carrying dishes to the front hall. Madam Luo stood in the gallery beside the Marquis of Shunqing, the couple chatting and laughing with rare tranquility.
Xie Mingyue had passed through four gates to reach the house, skirting past ancient trees. The estate was twice the size it had been a decade ago, all thanks to the immense honor and favor Qi Jinshan enjoyed at court.
Watching from a distance, Xie Mingyue noted that while the Marquis had looked like a standard nobleman a decade ago, he now appeared more austere, with a long beard and a thin frame that gave him an ethereal, detached air.
But what lay beneath, she could not tell.
Xie Mingyue lowered her eyes and stepped forward, bowing respectfully. "Daughter-in-law greets Father. Was your time spent in mountain meditation peaceful?"
The Marquis of Shunqing froze.
This eldest daughter-in-law of his rarely stepped out and was said to be sickly, lying in bed all day; since his son had always protected her, he had paid her no mind. Yet looking at her now, she was healthy and radiant—a refined young lady with not a single flaw to be found, save for being a bit thin.
"This is Jinshan’s wife. Marquis, have you not seen her for so long that you no longer recognize her?" Madam Luo gently reminded her husband.
The Marquis laughed heartily. "How could I not recognize her? I was merely surprised to see Mingyue looking so much healthier. Have you recovered?"
Xie Mingyue offered a faint, elegant smile. "Thank you for your concern, Father. I am quite well now."
The Marquis nodded, stroking his beard. Madam Luo chimed in: "It is good that your health has returned. Jinshan is already thirty; you must make haste to provide an heir for the First Branch and carry on the family line."
Before the Marquis, Madam Luo maintained the air of the mistress of the house, yet she still took the opportunity to jab at the First Branch's sore spot.
Xie Mingyue’s lips chilled. Just as she was about to speak, she looked up and saw Qi Jinshan striding toward them.
He always moved with an unrestrained, sweeping grace, accompanied by a gust of early spring wind, arriving at their side in a blink.
"Father, Marchioness, it is cold outside. Why have you not taken your seats?"
"We were just about to," the Marquis said, his presence silently dimming before his son, who commanded authority without even trying.
He walked inside. Qi Jinshan followed with Xie Mingyue, leaning in to ask, "Did you find out what you wanted to know today?"
His well-defined jaw was right before her, highlighting a reserved, profound attraction. Thinking of their kiss the night before, Xie Mingyue could not help but feel a flicker of shyness.
"No, I just wandered around the city."
She thought of the "good" written by Mujin, and a bitter feeling stirred in her heart.
In what way was he "good"? Could it be that her marriage to him was entirely due to his "goodness"?
Did he pity her, and that was why he married her?
She hid her shifting emotions carefully, but Qi Jinshan was no ordinary man. His sharp, discerning eyes instantly detected something amiss.
His gaze fell on the seat left empty for Qi Xiuyu at the table. Qi Jinshan’s eyes paused, and he began to rhythmically rub the lion-headed thumb ring on his finger.
"Where did you wander?" he asked, feigning indifference. Xie Mingyue was somewhat distracted.
"I just looked around and went to Changan Street."
The Marquis and Madam Luo had already taken their seats. Looking at the empty chair, Xie Mingyue suddenly realized she did not know the proper seating arrangement.
There were no servants to guide her.
She hesitated for a moment, just about to follow standard convention and sit beside Madam Luo, when Qi Jinshan grabbed her.
"You sit here." Seeing that she had even botched the seating, Qi Jinshan narrowed his eyes coldly. "What is the matter? Has he not returned yet, and your heart has already flown to him?"
Xie Mingyue looked up in surprise, seeing the cold sneer on his lips. He looked dark and intimidating, and she could not help but frown. "What are you saying?"
Her vacant, wandering demeanor only fueled Qi Jinshan’s anger.
"Nothing."
He fell silent after sitting down. Xie Mingyue was baffled and was about to press him when the doorman ran to the front of the house and knelt down, beaming.
"Marquis, Marchioness, the Second Master has returned."
A string in Xie Mingyue’s mind snapped with a loud *buzz*.
Qi Xiuyu was back.
Across the ten-year chasm of unfamiliarity, Xie Mingyue gripped the back of her chair tightly.
The hatred of her betrayal surged in her heart, making her tremble uncontrollably.
Her pale fingers were squeezed until the blood drained from them. Qi Jinshan watched, not knowing whether to mock himself or fly into a rage.
As the others turned their heads in unison, the sound of footsteps approached from outside the door.