“Isn’t that so?” Lu Changqing said with a look of disgust. “Don’t worry, after the dual-lineage succession, I’ll naturally spend the first and fifteenth days of the month in Miaoyan’s room. But when she’s unwell, I’ll still come to the second branch to see you and Yuan’er and Yao’er. You should be content!”
Fang Qianxue recalled the scene she had just envisioned in her mind—how she would have lunged at Xu Miaoyan, fought with her, and then been placed under house arrest by Lu Changqing. Soon after, Lu Changqing would have told everyone that Fang Qianxue had gone mad with jealousy and hatred.
No, she still had to protect her two children. She couldn’t be confined to her quarters, much less be driven to madness.
So she held back.
“Has my husband forgotten the promise he made before my grandfather?” She truly hated that woman who appeared delicate but had a heart as venomous as a snake’s, but she hated Lu Changqing’s broken promise even more.
Back then, he had knelt before her grandfather, promising never to take a concubine, to treat her alone with kindness, and begging her grandfather to marry her to him.
The words still echoed in her ears, but the heart behind them was gone.
“I haven’t broken my promise, nor am I taking a concubine,” Lu Changqing’s handsome face flushed red at the memory. “In the future, Miaoyan will be your sister-in-law. When you see her, you must show proper respect, and make sure Yuan’er and Yao’er follow the rules as well.”
Fang Qianxue leaned on her maid and slowly sat back in her chair. “Since my husband has already made up his mind, why are you and Miss Xu still here? Please, do as you wish.”
Though dual-lineage succession was occasionally heard of, it was mostly in remote areas. Here, in the imperial capital of Shangjing, right under the emperor’s feet, if Lu Changqing truly went through with this, it would be a devastating blow to the upright image he had cultivated over the years.
“Miaoyan, let’s go!” Lu Changqing frowned, supporting Xu Miaoyan as he stormed off angrily.
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the maid Suiqiong ran in, beaming with joy. “Don’t be upset, Madam. Tonight, Miss Xu is staying at the old madam’s Pine Sound Residence, and the Second Master is staying in his study. They aren’t together.”
“I’m afraid Miss Xu didn’t agree to it,” Fang Qianxue said, resting her forehead in one hand while stroking the Sanskrit-inscribed hairpin in the other.
She had worn this hairpin since she was three years old, and only now did she recall some vague memories from before that age.
As a child, she could understand the speech of the swallows nesting on the beams and told her parents about it. Her grandfather, Fang Qingshi, invited a high monk to divine her fortune. The monk said she was born with the Phoenix Maiden Destiny, but the Fang family would face a great calamity within twenty years. If the Phoenix Maiden revealed her talents too early, she would be killed.
Grand Tutor Fang then asked the high monk to craft this Sanskrit-inscribed gold hairpin and instructed her to wear it always. From then on, Fang Qianxue never heard strange voices again.
“How did you know, Madam?” Suiqiong wiped the sweat from her forehead. “I heard our Second Master is the only one eager about this. Miss Xu doesn’t want to marry him, and rightly so. The Second Master is already thirty this year, while Miss Xu is still so young.”
Fang Qianxue sneered.
In this world, a man of forty could still marry a girl of fifteen or sixteen. Wasn’t her elder brother, Lu Changli, already in his thirties?
Lu Changli was an inspector. While on duty in Jiangning, he received help from Xu Miaoyan and reported Prince Yong’s rebellion, earning great merit. The two of them grew closer and secretly became engaged, but no one expected Lu Changli to suddenly fall ill and pass away.
To be honest, Lu Changli and Xu Miaoyan’s engagement was never formally announced, and neither family’s elders knew about it.
“Madam, why not speak with Miss Xu? Give her some silver and send her away,” Cuishuang suggested, bringing her a cup of calming tea.
“Send her away?” Fang Qianxue shook her head. “If she truly wanted to leave, she wouldn’t have followed Second Master back.”
According to the original plot, that was exactly what she did.
Hearing from the maid that Xu Miaoyan was unwilling, Fang Qianxue genuinely thought she didn’t want to marry into the Lu family. So she summoned Xu Miaoyan, intending to offer her three thousand taels of silver to send her away. Instead, the woman turned around and went to Lu Changqing, tearfully complaining with feigned grievance.
Because of this incident, Lu Changqing held Fang Qianxue in even greater contempt.
“What should we do then?” Cuishuang was anxious for her mistress. “Will Madam just stand by and watch that woman enter the household and overshadow you?”
“As long as I’m here, she won’t enter this household.” Fang Qianxue wrapped the gold hairpin in a handkerchief and placed it back into her dressing case.
She had always been the type who would rather shatter like jade than remain intact as a tile. Five years of marital affection—since Lu Changqing had abandoned it, she would let go as well.
“Have Yuan’er and Yao’er both gone to sleep?”
“Rest assured, Madam. Both the young master and young miss are asleep. They didn’t hear what you and Second Master said earlier.” Cuishuang sighed softly.
Fang Qianxue felt slightly relieved and took a deep breath. “Be extra careful these next few days. Don’t let outsiders near the children. Once I figure out a plan, I’ll take them away.”
In the original book, her only two children both ended up crippled and died young, while Lu Changqing and Xu Miaoyan would go on to have children of their own. Just thinking about this made Fang Qianxue’s heart ache terribly.
It was so unfair.
“Ah?” Suiqiong exclaimed in surprise. “Madam plans to take the young master and young miss away? How can that be?”
If the Fang family were still around, Madam could at least return to her maternal home when wronged. But now, the Fang family was gone!
“Keep your voice down. I have my own plans.”
Lu Changqing would soon become obsessed with pleasing that woman. If she didn’t leave, would she just wait for him to raise his blade against the children?