“Brother-in-law will help vet your future husband selection…”
The sun gradually approached the eaves, passing the noon hour.
He Shi, accompanied by two maids, had gone shopping for household supplies. Just emerging from a crowded clothing store, she rubbed her eyes and stared fixedly into the distance, disbelief coloring her expression: “Isn’t that Tian Qin, the illegitimate daughter?”
The head maid glanced over and gasped: “It really is Third Young Miss. There’s a man beside her who looks like our residence’s private tutor.”
He Shi gritted her teeth secretly, wishing she could tear Tian Qin apart.
How could this be? Just yesterday she had reminded her to uphold feminine virtues and know her place, and today she was secretly meeting a man on the streets.
She was a concubine, destined to be sent to the Xie Residence as a concubine.
“Follow me,” He Shi said with a fierce glare, signaling the maids to capture Tian Qin and bring her back for household punishment.
Meanwhile, Tian Qin keenly sensed approaching danger. Stealing a glance backward, she unexpectedly spotted the Zhumu, her heart instantly feeling like a heavy stone had been thrown into still waters.
Xu Junzheng anxiously hesitated: “What should we do? I’ve ruined your reputation, it’s all my fault…”
Tian Qin urged him to leave first, insisting they separate immediately while she headed in the opposite direction.
Xu Junzheng wiped his sweat: “Alright, take care, Young Miss.”
He Shi’s two capable maids closed in from both sides, leaving Tian Qin with no escape.
Just as she found herself cornered, a modest and unadorned carriage unexpectedly came to her rescue. A male voice echoed softly in the early spring chill: “Get in.”
Caught off guard, Tian Qin was pulled into the carriage.
Xie Tanwei sat in flowing white robes, his presence rippling through the carriage like moonlight bathing a cold spring, filling the compartment with an indelible pale luminescence where sunlight and shadows intertwined in half-light.
Tian Qin widened her startled dark eyes, recognizing the newcomer, but dared not make a sound.
Incense smoke rose vertically like a ruler’s line in the confined space, silence hanging heavy until He Shi’s figure completely disappeared from view.
Tian Qin felt prickles on her back, the cramped quarters amplifying her senses with indescribable awkwardness and embarrassment. She kept her head deeply bowed, afraid to meet Xie Tanwei’s gaze.
Xie Tanwei, however, exuded the opposite demeanor.
How coincidental that he had witnessed her meeting with Xu Junzheng. The more one avoids someone, the more one encounters them.
The scenes from her nightmares instantly materialized into reality, and she exhaled a constrained breath with trembling caution.
“Brother-in-law—” Tian Qin spoke resentfully, a subtle tremble in her voice as her gaze drifted, “Thank you for saving me.”
Xie Tanwei asked: “Why is Third Sister here?”
Tian Qin evasively mumbled: “A new bookstore opened, meeting with a friend.”
His tone lifted slightly with a light “Oh,” then he inquired, “What friend?”
Tian Qin felt his calm gaze settle upon her, his expression not one looking toward the future but rather reminiscing about the past—their shared past.
Countless dark nights in their previous lives, their garments brushing against each other, sinking into deep intoxication and inescapable haziness.
She felt as if touched by a faint electric current, her sandalwood-colored lips trembling like spring flowers in the wind, “An ordinary friend. I didn’t mean to disturb you, Brother-in-law. I’ll get off now.”
But the carriage wheels had already begun moving.
With no alternative, Tian Qin was forced to remain in the carriage with her brother-in-law.
Xie Tanwei maintained his outwardly gentle and benevolent appearance, profound as an abyss. Even after catching her secretly meeting her lover, he retained his deeply serene composure.
He was her sister’s husband, she was his wife’s younger sister—the chasm of their status differences stood between them like a forbidden barrier. He would not cross the line, nor would she.
Tian Qin often found it difficult to grasp the true thoughts of this deeply scheming and powerful minister. In her previous life, he had been aloof and indifferent, treating her merely as a concubine for bearing children, even showing some annoyance toward her. Yet in this life, he had retrieved the bracelet she discarded and used it to intimidate her.
Her thoughts drifted, and she seemed to return to the thatched cottage of her final struggles in her past life—after giving birth, the sky cold and bleak, bitter winds and chilling rain, without medicine, without water, without firewood, she had frozen and starved to death.
She had to admit, she held some resentment toward him, but more than that, she feared him as a person in power. It was nothing like the calculated ease with which she handled Xu Junzheng.
“Is that Yan Ge’er’s tutor?” Xie Tanwei glanced sideways out the window at the blue sky peeking through the clouds, his question deliberately or inadvertently fixed upon Xu Junzheng.
Tian Qin felt extremely uncomfortable, pursed her lips and softly acknowledged with an “Mm.”
She lowered her head, staring at the slender shadow of her long skirt segmented by the carriage window in the spring sunlight, prepared for his further interrogation. Unexpectedly, he shifted topics abruptly, suddenly bringing up the Xiaxuzhuo from midnight yesterday:
“Do you still like the bracelet?”
Tian Qin felt dizzy from his erratic changes in conversation. Secretly clenching her nails, she thought—he did it on purpose, retrieving the bracelet she had thrown away and returning it at midnight as if demanding her life.
She conjured an appropriate smile: “Thank you, Brother-in-law. I accidentally lost the Xiaxuzhuo, and you retrieved it for me.”
Xie Tanwei spoke in a very certain tone: “Was it an accident, or did younger sister break the clasp herself?”
That time when she stood on the small stone bridge destroying the Xiaxuzhuo, he had seen everything clearly from beneath the wisteria.
Tian Qin snorted coldly inwardly—he was a powerful minister who could overturn clouds and rain, while she was merely an illegitimate daughter confined to the inner quarters. Having navigated official circles for so many years, he could see through her tricks at a glance.
“Tian Qin still has a younger sister Ku Ju and a younger brother Yan Ge. They don’t even have gold and silver to wear yet, so it wouldn’t be proper for Tian Qin to dress ostentatiously all day, inviting gossip. That’s why I didn’t particularly like that Xiaxuzhuo.”
She found a plausible excuse for herself, skillfully avoiding direct confrontation. “Brother-in-law, please don’t send any more in the future. Rather than giving Tian Qin the Xiaxuzhuo, it would be better to give it to Ku Ju.”
Although before her death in her previous life, she had learned that the Xiaxuzhuo was just a trivial item from Xianqiu’s storage, falsely attributed to him—it wasn’t actually sent by him at all.
Xie Tanwei nodded understandingly.
When she said she didn’t like it, it seemed she wasn’t just referring to the bracelet, but also to the person.
“Younger sister has grown up, your thoughts have become hard to decipher.”
Tian Qin offered an apologetic smile: “I just don’t want Brother-in-law to go to unnecessary expense.”
He said lightly: “If you don’t like it, that’s fine. There will be better ones in the future.”
Tian Qin said: “I still prefer crab roe pastries—they can be eaten, they’re substantial.”
Sharp-eyed and clear-minded, he teased: “Because Yan Ge likes to eat them?”
Tian Qin pinched the corner of her clothes, neither admitting nor denying.
Her face was almost stiff from smiling, an indescribable spiritual emptiness making her weary of dealing with him.
The carriage wheels turned, moving so slowly.
After a while longer, they finally arrived at the Yu residence.
Though anxious inside, Tian Qin showed no trace of it on her face. She waited gracefully for the coachman to place the footstool before elegantly lifting her skirt to descend from the carriage.
Turning back before parting, she hesitantly asked: “About today’s matter, Brother-in-law will keep my secret, right?”
If He Shi wanted to catch her and Xu Junzheng, and their private meeting were exposed, it would skin her alive.
Xie Tanwei gazed into the distance, his eyes filled with the tenderness of late spring: “What secret are you referring to, third younger sister?”
Tian Qin felt a chill of disgust.
He had his own calculations in mind—outwardly warm and considerate, yet inwardly cold-hearted and venomous as a snake. Now that he had caught her weakness again, she had no choice but to tread carefully while dealing with him.
“It’s about meeting a friend,” she mumbled vaguely, unwilling to elaborate, using “Brother-in-law” to feign closeness. “Brother-in-law, this is our secret. You mustn’t tell anyone.”
Xie Tanwei smiled, a touch of soft coldness in his expression. “So you’re saying I caught you meeting with someone else, and now you want me to keep it a secret?”
Tian Qin composed herself and agreed. “No one else knows about this. If you tell anyone, I’ll be in serious trouble.”
The Yu family wouldn’t tolerate her; only her brother-in-law could.
Their auras seemed to fit together naturally, each holding a fatal attraction for the other. She made him itch, and he made her itch too.
In her plea to him, there was a cautious mix of seduction and vulnerability.
Her clear eyes, like lotus leaves wet with raindrops, stared fixedly at him. Her long hair cascaded like dark clouds, and the light, cloud-like dress of water-chestnut green she wore suited her perfectly—graceful and adorable, indescribably sweet, surpassing even the radiant peach blossoms of spring.
To Xie Tanwei, she was full of schemes and cunning, yet every inch of her features vaguely resembled her past self. Her pleading posture was almost identical to how she had looked just before her death in her previous life.
Xie Tanwei nodded quietly.
“Meeting a lover isn’t something you should do too often.”
His words were like a handful of clear, icy water—seemingly intentional, yet careless. “If you’re choosing a husband, I’ll help you vet him in the future.”
Tian Qin was slightly scalded by this somewhat ambiguous remark, and she listened as he continued, “…Or let me take care of you for the rest of your life.”
It was a subtle and implicit promise, one-sided, as if he was certain he could control her life.
Tian Qin didn’t accept his promise. A chill ran through her, and a trace of hatred surfaced in her heart. She responded noncommittally before hurriedly escaping the carriage.
…
That evening, He Shi returned exhausted and sullen, doubting her own failing eyesight. She had clearly witnessed Tian Qin meeting a lover, yet after searching every street, she couldn’t find her. Could that wretched girl have grown wings and flown away?
Furious, He Shi intended to summon Tian Qin for questioning, but a maid informed her that Tian Qin had been personally brought back by Lord Xie in the afternoon. The two had been chatting and laughing, lingering at the entrance of the Yu residence to whisper intimately for a while. Tian Qin’s face was flushed, and Lord Xie was smiling.
He Shi immediately swallowed her scolding words, belatedly realizing: if Lord Xie had brought her back, could it be that the person she was meeting was Lord Xie himself?
This turn of events was truly abrupt. He Shi secretly regretted her earlier rashness. Fortunately, she hadn’t caught Tian Qin—otherwise, how would she have handled offending Xie Tanwei?
It was just as well if that wretched girl had come to her senses.
What He Shi feared most was Tian Qin exchanging flirtatious glances with that Private Tutor, unwilling to settle peacefully as a concubine. Now that she was showing interest in Xie Tanwei, it showed she knew what was good for her.
As she relaxed, He Shi couldn’t help but feel a renewed contempt for Tian Qin. To even seduce her own sister’s husband—how frivolous and promiscuous! She truly was the spawn of that brothel singer.
Seeing He Shi so neurotic, Yu Yuan remarked a couple of times that Tian Qin was, after all, a daughter of this family.
Actually, there was nothing wrong with that young man Xu Junzheng. He had passed the imperial examination at a young age and had a promising future ahead.
Now that the Yu family had risen again, surpassing the Xie family to become the imperial clan’s most powerful maternal relatives, they no longer had to kowtow to anyone.
Lord Yu had always cast a wide net and planned to marry a daughter to Xu Junzheng to win over this rising star.
Provided, of course, that Xu Junzheng truly succeeded in the examinations.
On Yao Yiniang and Ku Ju’s side, they were consumed by envy and resentment toward Tian Qin. What virtue or ability did Tian Qin possess to actually climb into Lord Xie’s carriage and have him personally escort her back?
Ku Ju’s eyes reddened, her nails digging into her palms until they nearly shattered.
…
At Xie Manor, the Zhujun and Zhumu were having their evening meal.
Xie Tanwei followed the principle of not speaking during meals or after retiring, his dining etiquette exceptionally elegant—neither hurried nor sluggish, neither excessive nor lacking, neither intense nor bland.
Xianqiu, distracted, stole glances at her husband, her heart burdened with unresolved thoughts. No matter how long she delayed, she had to broach the subject eventually. Gathering her courage, she tentatively asked:
“Husband, my health is frail. I wish to have a younger sister by my side. Between Ku’er and Tian’er, whom do you prefer?”
Silence lingered long after her words fell.
By afternoon, rumors of Xie Tanwei escorting Tian Qin back to the manor had more or less reached Xianqiu’s ears.
Xie Tanwei finished his last sip of soup: “Madam may decide. If uncertain, then Tian Qin.”
Xianqiu was not surprised by this answer, for Tian Qin was as beautiful as her name implied—sweet without bitterness.
“But Tian Qin seems to have someone in her heart—the Private Tutor from my maiden home, with whom she has always been close.”
Xie Tanwei set down his chopsticks, unperturbed by the matter, and replied indifferently: “I know.”
He knew? Xianqiu found it hard to believe, but soon vaguely realized something and swallowed the rest of her words.
Yes, he knew she had someone in her heart, but so what? It didn’t affect his intention to take her as a concubine.
Taking a concubine involved silver, gold, and documents—he was merely hiring her person, not her heart.
Hadn’t she always dwelled on his debts from their past life? Then in this life, he would take her as his concubine again to make amends.
Though he had promised to help vet potential husbands for her, who could care for her better than he himself?