In the Yu Residence late at night, Tian Qin opened the brocade box with half-belief, her delicate eyebrows tightly knitted. When she clearly saw the object inside, her face abruptly changed color. She let out an involuntary soft gasp and nearly dropped the box.
Chen Momo hurriedly caught the box, reminding her: “Be careful, young mistress. This was specially delivered by Lord Xie late at night. He repeatedly emphasized it’s a precious item that must be personally delivered to your hands.”
Tian Qin bit her lip hard, her face as pale as paper. She couldn’t even utter the word “despicable” through her chattering teeth, her mind thrown into chaos by restless emotions. It was as if the box contained not an exquisite Xiaxuzhuo bracelet, but a venomous snake crawling out of water, a vengeful spirit coming to claim her life.
Chen Momo was also puzzled, speculating: “You used to adore this bracelet and couldn’t bear to part with it. You were still wearing it when you visited the Xie Residence a few days ago. You probably left it there, and Lord Xie has returned it to you.”
Tian Qin was furious but couldn’t vent her anger, as if she could see her brother-in-law’s faint cold smile through the flickering candlelight from the dark window.
He had clearly witnessed her dropping the Xiaxuzhuo bracelet, deliberately had someone retrieve it, and chosen to return it in the middle of the night – his intentions couldn’t be more malicious.
His meaning was mutually understood between them. He always spoke with measured words, wearing a saint’s appearance while harboring a devil’s heart.
The moonlight was diffuse and hazy, the night sky dark and gloomy. Thick darkness enveloped the inner chambers, while ominous yellow clouds shrouded the earth.
Tian Qin felt chilled to the bone. This Xiaxuzhuo bracelet haunted her relentlessly, denying her peaceful sleep. She vented her frustration by throwing it aside on the dressing table, but despite several impacts, the exquisite bracelet remained completely undamaged.
Chen Momo couldn’t understand why a beautiful bracelet could frighten her so much that her face turned deathly pale. There was a time when she would caress it lovingly, praising to everyone: “This is a gift given only to me by brother-in-law.”
The night breeze gently stirred her full head of beautiful hair. Under the lotus-white moonlight, Chen Momo attributed her behavior to drowsy confusion and advised: “Young mistress, go back to sleep. No one will disturb you tonight.”
Tian Qin lay back in her bedding with lingering fear, extinguished the lamp, and soon fell asleep, making vague sounds between her teeth.
In her half-dreaming state, her brother-in-law seemed to drift in again, his breath blowing against her neck inch by inch, his knees forcing apart her curled legs.
She gathered a shallow pool of resistance, wanting to fight back, but her strength was invisibly dissolved. Her entire body trembled like autumn leaves in the wind.
In the dream, he kept an ambiguous distance, repeatedly pressing her with cold gentleness: “Why did you throw away my gift?”
“Why don’t you smile when you look at me anymore?”
Tian Qin’s feet stretched taut into straight lines, her teeth clenched tight. She couldn’t answer, couldn’t refute, couldn’t even open her eyes in the dream.
Completely losing reason and composure, suffering intensely, she nearly lost herself in the exchange before gritting her teeth to say: “Go find Ku Ju! She likes you, she’ll become your concubine. Stop haunting me! Stop!”
A burst of white light pierced through, and Tian Qin suddenly opened her eyes.
The room was bright and clean, daylight fully arrived.
Birds chirped, tranquility and light everywhere.
Another… nightmare.
Recently, nightmares had become so frequent that she was thoroughly tormented. Her jade-like cheeks showed dark circles, her spirit weakened.
Lying on pillows marked with sweat and tear stains, enduring the slight soreness, she slowly shifted her gaze to her wrist. To her horror, she discovered that the Xiaxuzhuo bracelet was actually worn on her wrist, reflecting cold light.
“Young mistress, what’s wrong?” Both Zhao Lu and Wan Cui were present, having entered when Tian Qin called out Ku Ju’s name. Zhao Lu worriedly stroked Tian Qin’s forehead. “Young mistress, you’ve had another nightmare.”
Certain the nightmare had dissipated, Tian Qin lay quietly on her pillow, hoarsely struggling to speak: “This Xiaxuzhuo bracelet… how did it get back on my wrist?”
Wan Cui said innocently, “I saw the young lady had left it on the dressing table. While you were sleeping, I put it on for you, so it wouldn’t gather dust elsewhere.”
The young maid hadn’t overstepped—Tian Qin had indeed treasured this Xiaxuzhuo more than her own eyes before.
Tian Qin pressed her dry lips together. Having been reborn as if living a new life, she couldn’t blame Wan Cui and Zhao Lu, who knew nothing of it.
After a moment, her mind still felt dazed and weak. She coldly removed the Xiaxuzhuo: “Wan Cui, immediately throw this into the deepest part of the storeroom. Don’t let it see daylight, and don’t let me see it again.”
Wan Cui and Zhao Lu were utterly confused.
Tian Qin’s attitude was firm, leaving them no room for argument.
How strange—why had the young lady suddenly stopped treasuring something Brother-in-law had given her?
Since returning from Xie Manor, she seemed completely changed.
…
Yesterday, Tian Qin had secretly gone to the private school to see Yan Ge’er and ended up alone with the private tutor, greatly displeasing He Shi.
As the Zhumu, He Shi had the authority to discipline the women in the inner household and forbade Tian Qin from any further private interactions with the private tutor.
Though Tian Qin didn’t understand how simply exchanging a few words with Xu Junzheng had become “private interactions.”
Chen Momo advised: “One can’t fight against greater power. You are an illegitimate daughter in this family, young lady. Don’t defy the Zhumu—your future marriage depends on her selection.”
Tian Qin’s eyes reddened: “I’ll only check Yan Ge’er’s homework from now on. They can’t control that.”
Opening Yan Ge’er’s assignments, she saw traces of Xu Junzheng’s annotations, with comments like “pen-holding posture needs improvement,” and finally a special inquiry about whether Miss Tian was well, thanking her for yesterday’s pastries.
Tian Qin traced the still-damp ink marks, her tears turning to laughter. Xu Junzheng was quite clever to contact her this way.
The next day, Tian Qin bypassed Zhumu He Shi and directly brought pastries to visit her father Yu Yuan. With sweet words and a charming, gentle demeanor, she begged Yu Yuan to allow her to take a carriage to the newly opened bookstore in town.
Seeing her delicate features, Yu Yuan was suddenly reminded of her long-deceased courtesan mother. Moved by the memory, he nodded in agreement.
“Don’t return too late. Your mother is watching closely.”
Tian Qin reluctantly agreed and added a few more sweet words for Yu Yuan before taking the carriage to the bookstore.
The streets were bustling with people. When she arrived, Xu Junzheng had been waiting for quite some time.
His ear tips were faintly red: “Third Young Lady.”
Tian Qin nodded in acknowledgment: “Mr. Xu.”
Indeed, this could be considered private interactions.
Xu Junzheng gestured for her to go deeper into the bookstore to see which books caught her interest. As they walked, he whispered: “I used Young Master Yan’s homework as an excuse to meet you today. I hope you don’t mind.”
Tian Qin smiled: “Why would I mind you?”
This method was quite good. In the future, if he wanted to contact her, he could hide messages in Yan Ge’er’s comments—completely unnoticed.
Xu Junzheng glanced at the dew-covered camellia tree at the bookstore entrance and said: “Spring is coming. Soon the court will hold the Duice examinations. I might resign.”
Tian Qin’s gaze solidified with unclear emotions, her head lowered: “Tell father then. Why specifically tell me?”
Xu Junzheng watched the shells in her hair shimmer with pearlescent light in the sun, his heartbeat skipping: “Because… you’re Young Master Yan’s sister. I was afraid it might affect his studies.”
Tian Qin’s long eyelashes fluttered: “Oh.”
Duice—another path to officialdom besides the imperial examinations, consisting of three components: memorial responses, policy discussions, and policy questions.
The scholars participating were all virtuous talents recommended from various regions. Those who passed could directly enter court service. The chief examiners were often renowned Confucian scholars or the emperor himself would set the questions.
At that time, Xu Junzheng would be busy with his own studies and likely wouldn’t have time to tutor Yan Ge’er, which was why he was informing her in advance.
The atmosphere felt strange, as if he had privately arranged to meet her solely because she was Yan Ge’er’s sister—a matter of official business.
From the camellia trees beside the bookshop, a cloying yet heavy fragrance faintly drifted over, while mottled leaves cast patchy shadows that blocked the sunlight.
After a long pause, Xu Junzheng hesitated, his expression tinged with bashfulness and apprehension, before gritting his teeth and adding, “…Actually, I told Third Miss for another reason as well.”
Tian Qin’s voice held a hint of anticipation: “What other reason?”
Flustered by her pressing, Xu Junzheng stammered, “Because… I didn’t want to make Miss Tian unhappy.”
Tian Qin feigned ignorance: “Why would I be unhappy about your resignation? Yan Ge’er’s Private Tutor will always be replaced by someone else. And just now you called me Third Miss, but now it’s ‘Miss Tian’?”
Xu Junzheng’s eloquence was utterly lacking. In that instant, the spring day seemed to turn cold and dim, making him think she had never been interested in him at all.
“So the young lady isn’t unhappy,” he murmured as if suddenly realizing it, unable to hide a sour bitterness, “Then… that’s good.”
Because it was her. His affairs, his plans, every step of his future—he wanted to share them all with her.
Tian Qin’s heartstrings were stirred. Her gaze fell on the camellia stamens outside the window as she said softly, “My second brother is also taking the Late Spring Policy Examination. You’ll be competitors.”
Xu Junzheng shook his head: “I’m certainly not as good as Second Young Master.”
“I think you’re better,” she remarked lightly.
Xu Junzheng’s heart leaped. “What?”
What was better—his exam performance, or himself as a person?
Tian Qin suppressed a smile and said no more.
The two lingered a while longer among the stacks of books in the shop. Even Xu Junzheng, such a proper Confucian scholar, wasn’t reading the Four Books and Five Classics. His heart seemed to drift outside his chest, captivated by the delicate scents of early spring, every nerve in his body strangely tense.
This was his first private meeting with a young lady.
He struggled to think of some pleasant, polite small talk, but his mind kept circling back to pedantic phrases. As for what young ladies liked to hear, he was completely clueless.
After a long silence, he circled back to the Policy Examination: “Speaking of which, the mentor for this exam is Lord Xie.”
Tian Qin choked for a moment, her tone noticeably cooler: “Oh, really?”
Xu Junzheng didn’t dare look at her face and naturally didn’t notice her gradually paling complexion. He continued, “Master Xie’s standards are the Confucian standards. If one could visit him before the exam, it would be a rare fortune earned over lifetimes.”
His eyes shone with brilliant yearning—the pursuit of ideals, an unwavering commitment to scholarly integrity and moral courage.
Belatedly, he realized his words might seem like he was trying to take advantage of Tian Qin, since Master Xie was her Brother-in-law.
He hastily added, “Many people try to buy connections, but I have no money. I was just speaking idly. Third Miss, look—those books over there are new. Shall we take a look?”
Tian Qin gave a sparing “Mm,” lost in thought.
Xu Junzheng regretted it even more, cursing himself inwardly for his foolishness in upsetting her.
…
Across from the bookshop, in a painted pavilion roofed with glazed tiles.
Xie Tanwei stood by the window, the cool breeze brushing past him. His bright, clear eyes settled on the two figures walking arm-in-arm below.
Though crowds came and went, he instantly picked out her lotus-leaf green dress adorned with plum blossom patterns. It was Tian Qin.
“…What does Master Xie think? If my son is fortunate enough to receive some guidance from you before the policy examination, our household would spare no expense in gold or beautiful women. Should you have other conditions, we would absolutely comply.”
The person across from him placed a black stone on the board, negotiating amiably.
Xie Tanwei responded indifferently, his gaze still fixed on Tian Qin downstairs.
An unfamiliar man stood beside her, whispering something that made her cheeks flush with a charming smile.
He set down the chess piece he’d been holding between his fingers, lightly straightened his sleeves, and rose. “Excuse me for a moment.”
Author’s Note:
Here’s the update 🌈! See you tomorrow at 6:00 PM.
About the male lead 【villain-type male lead】: Readers who have seen “The Bully Husband,” “Sigh of the Gilded Cage,” and “Ideal Son, Ideal Daughter-in-Law” should know he’s fundamentally a villain.