Xie Mingyue was startled. How had she let such a thought slip out? If Qi Jinshan were to notice something amiss, it would be a disaster.
"Oh, no, I just meant..." she stammered, trying to deflect, but to her surprise, Qi Jinshan’s expression softened. He asked in a low voice, "Why the sudden question?"
Xie Mingyue hesitated. She couldn't answer that; if she made a slip, she might be branded a demon and burned at the stake.
"Just a sudden curiosity," she parried vaguely. Then, a thought struck her, and she pursed her lips. "After all, after I was struck from the Xie Family records, I have no family background. Marrying me brought you no support from an in-law's house."
Marriage was all about social standing; which young masters and misses were paired together was a deliberate calculation. Back then, even at his worst, Qi Jinshan was a son of the Marquis’ Estate with a peerless appearance. He should have married a woman of equal standing—perhaps a concubine’s daughter of a similar house or a legitimate daughter from a minor family.
With her reputation ruined and her name struck from the Xie Family, she likely didn't even have a dowry. Ignoring her own wishes at the time, she wondered why Qi Jinshan would even agree to take such a wife.
Xie Mingyue was lost in thought, while Qi Jinshan looked at her with heavy, intense eyes. After a long silence, he said, "I don't need an in-law's house."
The words carried such strength that Xie Mingyue’s heart skipped a beat. Watching his deep, dark eyes, her emotions swelled like a tide.
"Th-thank you for saying that."
She was at a loss for words, her mind blank. Following Wutong’s earlier advice, she spoke up, her invitation sounding stiff and dry. "I’d like to invite you to dine in my courtyard tonight."
The servants following them were stunned. Was the sky falling?
A few years ago, the mistress had barely managed to appear at family dinners to sit with the Eldest Young Master. Later, as she grew sickly, the Eldest Young Master granted her the use of a private kitchen in her own courtyard, and they had rarely seen her at the main table since. Even on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month or during holidays, he always sat alone at the round table, a stark contrast to the lively, harmonious scene of the Second Branch on the other side. It had been truly desolate.
But now, the mistress was inviting the Eldest Young Master to eat in her courtyard!
Jinhe and Yujiang, who had served Qi Jinshan for years, exchanged a glance. They secretly wondered: was the mistress planning to poison him tonight?
Unaware of the stir she had caused, Xie Mingyue saw Qi Jinshan’s surprised expression and leaned in slightly, asking, "Is it inconvenient? If so, never mind."
In her heart, she prayed he wouldn't come, yet seeing his hesitation, a secret sense of disappointment crept in.
Qi Jinshan blinked slowly, pulling his gaze away from her face.
"I have engagements tonight." He straightened the thumb ring on his hand, and before Xie Mingyue could feel relieved, he added coolly, "I am off duty tomorrow."
Xie Mingyue waited for him to continue, but he stopped there.
What did he mean by that?
She was sharp and perceptive. After a moment of thought, she understood: he would be free all day tomorrow.
"Then... come for a meal tomorrow morning. We can decide on the lunch and dinner menus at the same time."
Xie Mingyue’s etiquette had been praised even by the Empress. Even though she was reluctant, she followed the rules precisely as she extended the invitation.
"Just breakfast and lunch will do. Tomorrow is the fifteenth; there is a family dinner in the evening." Qi Jinshan glanced at the sky and said no more. "I’m leaving."
Xie Mingyue watched him go, then turned to walk back with Wutong.
"Wutong," she said, the tension finally leaving her shoulders, "was my relationship with Qi Jinshan that bad in the past?" Otherwise, why would a simple meal together feel like such an extraordinary event?
Wutong wore that familiar look of distress. Xie Mingyue noticed it. "Don't give me polite words. Just tell me the truth."
"You detested the Eldest Young Master. For a time, you would faint just seeing him. Except for the most urgent matters, you two never saw each other," Wutong answered honestly.
Xie Mingyue hadn't expected their relationship to be so antagonistic. "Even then, he didn't divorce me?" she asked, bewildered. "Did he spend his time with concubines?"
"Mistress, you are his only wife. He has no concubines or bed-servants, and he doesn't even let the maids serve him closely." Wutong hadn't expected Xie Mingyue to have forgotten even this, and she felt a flicker of pity for the Eldest Young Master.
"No concubines?" Xie Mingyue was truly shocked. While no woman wants her husband to take a concubine, she had refused to let him touch her for all these years, yet he had never sought other women? He held a high position and was in the prime of his life—it didn't make sense.
Unless...
She lowered her eyes. Just because there were none in the house didn't mean there weren't any outside. Earlier, when Xie Wanqing handed over the account books for the First Branch, she had specified that those for Qi Jinshan’s own residence were managed separately. Perhaps that was why he kept his own accounts.
The thought that he might have a mistress outside—perhaps even children—made it hard for her to breathe.
"Mistress, what’s wrong?" Wutong quickly helped her sit down in the courtyard.
"It’s nothing," Xie Mingyue said, waving her hand and forcing herself to pull away from the speculation. There was no point in upsetting herself over things she couldn't confirm. She looked at the staff in the yard and asked, "Wutong, are you my only personal maid?"
When she was with the Xie Family, she had four. Seeing Wutong, she had assumed the family had sent them all, but that didn't seem to be the case.
Wutong’s eyes reddened. "After your true identity was revealed, the Grand Madam sold the rest of us. I was the only one left because I was sold later, and the Eldest Young Master bought me. Later, when you married him, he had me serve you again."
"Grandmother sold them?" Xie Mingyue frowned. "What about my mother?" She couldn't understand it. Even if the rest of the Xie Family was heartless, her mother knew about her birthmark and her love for her had been genuine. How could she bear to never see her again?
"I don't know," Wutong replied.
There was no more information to be had, and this was not the time to rush. Xie Mingyue pushed her questions aside. After familiarizing herself with the courtyard, she sat at her desk to organize the account books. Today’s events had been sudden, and Xie Wanqing likely hadn't expected to hand over control of the household finances. She had brought the books back immediately to ensure Xie Wanqing couldn't tamper with them.
Just as she sat down, a nurse from Madam Yun’s courtyard arrived, carrying a wooden box.
"Eldest Madam," the nurse said, her face kind and round, smiling as she opened the box. "The Grand Madam sent me to deliver this. She said you suffered grievances today and wanted to offer a small compensation. Tomorrow, she herself will take you to pick out some jewelry."
"Thank you, Nanny. Please express my gratitude to Mother."
After the standard pleasantries, Xie Mingyue accepted the box. Once the nurse left, she opened it to inspect the contents. Along with five hundred taels of silver, Madam Yun had included a bracelet with a pomegranate pattern in burned enamel.
This was no ordinary piece; the craftsmanship looked Central Asian, perhaps even imperial tribute. She wondered if it was something Qi Jinshan had obtained for Madam Yun.
Xie Mingyue examined the bracelet. Having been sensitive to scents since childhood, she noticed a faint, elusive fragrance when she brought it close. Recalling some Central Asian trinkets she had seen before, she frowned. After tinkering with it for a long time, a soft "click" sounded, and the enamel pattern slid aside, revealing a hollow space inside.
Wutong stared in shock as Xie Mingyue shook a cluster of fine red powder out of the bracelet.
"Mistress, what is that?"
Covering her nose and mouth with a handkerchief, Xie Mingyue sneered. "Nothing good. If it were, it wouldn't need to be hidden."
She scraped the powder into an oil-paper packet and handed it to Wutong. "Find someone reliable, or go yourself, and take this to any medical clinic outside to have a doctor check it."
Xie Mingyue already had an idea of what the powder was. She just couldn't bring herself to believe that Madam Yun would be so cruel to her own son.