It was February, when the weather could turn warm one moment and cold the next.
The sky had only just begun to pale with the first hint of dawn. A faint sliver of light filtered through the window. Shen Qiao raised a hand and pushed aside the bed curtains. She had no idea how long she had been sitting there.
A pale-pink quilt embroidered with flowers covered her bent knees. Through the window, she gazed at the hazy light outside.
The morning glow fell across her fair, beautiful face, yet there was not the slightest trace of joy or vitality in her striking features. She closed her eyes, letting the faint warmth of the sunlight slowly dispel the chill and unease of the long night.
Then, silently, she thought:
*Another day has passed.*
Her maid, Cui’er, arrived on time to help her wash and dress.
Once the bedding had been tidied, the four warming bricks tucked beneath the covers were taken away as well. Her mistress was afraid of the cold, and even with four warming bricks, her hands and feet were often icy by morning. So every day, when Cui’er came to attend to her, she prepared an extra one in advance. At that moment, it was nestled in her mistress’s hands.
Her mistress had been in the household for two years, and Cui’er had served her for just as long. Overall, Cui’er thought she was a wonderful mistress. Though she came from a humble background and following her offered little hope of wealth or status, she had a kind heart, caused little trouble, and had none of the airs so common among other noble ladies. Nor did she burden her servants with endless rules or strike and scold them at the slightest provocation.
The only trouble was that her mistress was not very healthy, which required Cui’er to put a little extra thought into caring for her. During her first year in the household, Cui’er had even feared she might not survive.
There were also times when they were neglected because her mistress held little standing in the household. But neither of them took such things to heart. As long as they did not dwell on them, their days remained relatively peaceful.
“Second Young Madam, how about this hairpin today?”
Her mistress had spent the previous two years dressed in mourning clothes. She had only just completed her mourning period this year, and Cui’er still had no idea what she liked when it came to clothing and accessories. Yet she could hardly ask outright, given the difference in their statuses, so she had to feel her way along and make her own choices.
Shen Qiao glanced at the white jade magnolia hairpin in Cui’er’s hand and nodded.
Besides the jade hairpin, Cui’er had chosen a pale-pink dress for her. Shen Qiao gave it the same brief glance and nodded again.
Once she had finished washing and dressing, Shen Qiao went, as usual, to pay her respects to the Marchioness.
Before leaving, Cui’er draped a cloak over her shoulders. As she came close, she caught the same faint medicinal fragrance that always lingered on Shen Qiao.
Following behind her mistress, Cui’er often found herself thinking that she was extraordinarily beautiful. Even among the high-born young ladies of the capital, there were few who could compare with her.
And yet, how could such a beautiful woman have such a frail constitution?
Whenever Cui’er saw her mistress’s slender figure, she could not help feeling a pang of sympathy.
Their courtyard was some distance from the Marchioness’s main residence. Mistress and maid took several twists and turns before finally arriving at the Marchioness’s courtyard.
The moment they stepped inside, warmth enveloped them, completely different from the chill outdoors.
The floor of Anhe Hall had been scrubbed until not a speck of dust remained. Farther inside, the quiet, lingering fragrance of sandalwood gradually surrounded them, settling the mind along with it.
“Shen Qiao pays her respects to Mother.”
Shen Qiao bowed, and Cui’er followed her in greeting.
“You may rise.”
The Marchioness took a sip of tea without even lifting her eyes.
Shen Qiao straightened and stood where she was. She had expected to wait for the Marchioness to give her a few instructions, as usual, and then leave.
Instead, the Marchioness asked, quite out of the blue,
“What do you think?”
The abrupt question left Shen Qiao momentarily stunned. She looked at the Marchioness, uncertain what she meant.
The Marchioness set down her teacup and looked directly at her.
The girl had been in the household for two years. She was dutiful and respectful of propriety. At first, she had been unfamiliar with many of the household’s rules, but she was obedient and compliant, never giving anyone cause to find fault with her.
But now…
The Marchioness examined her carefully.
Her mourning clothes were gone, yet her attire remained plain and modest. Even so, no amount of simplicity could conceal the striking beauty of her features. Her figure, too, was delicate and slender, seemingly as fragile as a willow in the breeze. Yet her breasts were full and shapely, while her waist was so slender it could nearly be encircled with one hand.
After looking a few times, the Marchioness irritably turned her eyes away.
She had no particular grievance against this girl. In fact, she even felt some sympathy for her.
But now that the matter involved her own An’er, she could not help considering it from other angles.
She knew all too well what kind of women men favored.
Take her own Marquis, for instance. After years of fighting on the battlefield, he was as hard and rugged a man as they came. And yet even he had fallen into the trap laid by the Second Concubine.
Now that same Second Concubine wanted to arrange a woman just like herself to tempt her son.
And this one was even more beautiful than the Second Concubine.
The Marchioness waved a hand.
The maids in the room, Cui’er among them, all withdrew outside.
When the door closed, only the Marchioness and Shen Qiao remained inside, and the room became noticeably quieter.
“The Second Concubine didn’t speak to you first. She came straight to me?”
At the mention of the Second Concubine, Shen Qiao suddenly understood what the Marchioness was referring to.
After completing her mourning period, the Second Concubine had indeed come to speak to her about something utterly bewildering.
Shen Qiao tightened her hands where they were clasped before her.
“She did.”
“What do you think?”
Shen Qiao clasped her hands tightly.
“I was surprised. I haven’t really thought about it.”
The Marchioness gave a faint scoff through her nose. Looking at Shen Qiao standing there with such restraint and propriety, she said,
“Ever since you entered this household, you’ve always known your place. That’s why you’ve been able to live here peacefully. No matter what happens, don’t ever forget that.”
Shen Qiao kept her head lowered.
“Yes. Shen Qiao understands.”
The Marchioness leaned back, settling into a more relaxed posture as she studied Shen Qiao.
After a moment, she asked,
“If you had a choice, would you rather be with An’er, or keep vigil for Xiao Jun?”
“I want to keep vigil for A-Jun.”
“Tell me the truth.”
The Marchioness’s voice grew more stern.
Shen Qiao pressed her lips together slightly before lifting her head to meet the Marchioness’s eyes. Her gaze was sincere.
“A-Jun and I truly loved one another. Eldest Brother is Eldest Brother. I have never harbored any other thoughts toward him. Marrying A-Jun was already more than I could have hoped for. I would never dare dream of becoming the Marquis Estate’s heir’s wife.”
Her voice was soft, yet every word rang with sincerity.
Even now, when she spoke of her deceased husband, tears still glimmered in her eyes.
The Marchioness watched her.
This girl did not seem to harbor any ulterior motives. It was that Second Concubine who was stirring up trouble again.
The Marchioness had originally intended to ignore the matter and dismiss it as another one of the Second Concubine’s foolish schemes. After all, she had grown accustomed to her antics over the years, and she had never believed the woman could stir up any real trouble.
But this time, the Second Concubine had invoked her deceased son.
Two years ago, her son had lost his life in the flood while saving the Marquis’s younger son. His body had never been recovered.
Because of that, the Marchioness had spent the past two years showing the Second Concubine considerable forbearance and sympathy. She had always felt that she owed the woman and her son something.
Now that the Second Concubine had brought it up again, the Marchioness found herself even more troubled.
After paying her respects to the Marchioness, Shen Qiao returned to her own courtyard. She ate only a few bites of breakfast before settling onto the swing in the courtyard.
Cui’er watched her mistress sitting there in a daze, then looked at the large amount of porridge and food left untouched. She sighed and shook her head.
Her mistress’s health had improved compared with before, but she still ate so little. She hardly spoke each day, either. She would simply sit in the courtyard or inside her room for most of the day.
There had been nothing particularly unusual about that during the previous two years. But now that her mourning period was over, she still refused to go outside for a walk.
Cui’er walked over and fastened the ties of Shen Qiao’s cloak for her before silently stepping aside to wait.
She looked up at the swing.
The Second Young Master had had it built especially for the Second Young Madam while he was still alive.
At the time, the Second Young Madam had not yet married into the household. The Second Young Master had spent days hammering and sawing away in the courtyard himself. He had not hired a single craftsman, instead carrying planks and frames back and forth as he worked.
Everyone in the Marquis Estate knew that the Second Young Master was building a swing for the wife who would soon enter his household.
But later, the swing was finished before the Second Young Madam ever entered the gates.
And the Second Young Master was gone…
“Second Young Madam, the weather is lovely today. Why don’t I accompany you to take a walk in the garden? I heard that several magnolia trees have already blossomed.”
Shen Qiao seemed not to hear her.
Only after a long while did she shake her head.
Cui’er lowered her head, wondering what else she could say to persuade her mistress to leave the courtyard.
She was still thinking when she saw the Second Concubine enter gracefully through the courtyard gate, her maid following behind her.
The Second Concubine rarely visited their courtyard. She had come fairly often when the Second Young Madam had first entered the household, but afterward, she hardly ever appeared.
Recently, however, she had come several times.
“The Second Concubine is here,” Cui’er whispered into Shen Qiao’s ear.
Shen Qiao had been staring at the fresh green shoots emerging from the grass in the courtyard. Only then did she lift her head and look toward the gate.
The Second Concubine wore a pale-purple dress and approached them with the same graceful bearing as always.
Shen Qiao rose to greet her.
“Shen Qiao pays her respects to Second Concubine.”
The Second Concubine hurriedly took both her hands.
“Good child, quickly, get up.”
She continued holding Shen Qiao’s hands affectionately, studying her carefully for several breaths before breaking into a smile.
“You look so much better now.”
Hearing that, Cui’er quietly glanced at Shen Qiao from behind her.
Her mistress’s complexion was still fair, but there wasn’t a trace of color in it.
How could she possibly look better?
“It does you good to come out and get some sunlight,” the Second Concubine said, her gaze falling on the swing behind Shen Qiao.
“I saw you sitting here just now. Shall we sit together for a while?”
Shen Qiao glanced at the swing and nodded.
The swing was large enough for two people to sit on together, with a backrest they could lean against. Seeing how much Shen Qiao liked to sit there, Cui’er had even laid a soft cushion over it.
Once the two women were seated, Cui’er prepared tea and refreshments before she and the other maid withdrew to a respectful distance.
The Second Concubine ran her fingers over the frame of the swing and sighed with a smile.
“That child was so thoughtful. He sanded the whole frame until there wasn’t a single rough spot left.”
Following her movement, Shen Qiao looked at the swing as well.
“I still remember how he used to bustle around the courtyard, his whole face covered in sweat. After only a few days, his hands were covered with blisters. Even after they burst and he wrapped them in cloth, he kept working on the swing. And he wouldn’t let anyone help him. That foolish child.”
As she spoke, the Second Concubine shook her head.
At her words, Shen Qiao lowered her head, her lips gently pressed together.
The Second Concubine sighed again. This time, the lightness had disappeared from her voice, replaced by sorrow and heartache.
“You two truly loved one another. It’s just…”
She raised a handkerchief and dabbed at the corner of her eye.
“It’s just… such a pity.”
At those words, Shen Qiao’s eyes grew moist as well. She turned her face slightly away and dabbed at the corners of her eyes with her own handkerchief.
From where she stood in the distance, Cui’er could not hear what they were saying. She could only see her mistress crying again.
She silently sighed to herself.
She truly wished the Second Concubine would stop coming.
Why did her mistress always end up heartbroken whenever she came?
After drying her eyes, the Second Concubine placed her hand over Shen Qiao’s where it rested on her lap.
“All right, all right. Let’s not talk about it anymore. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“But… but…” The Second Concubine’s voice choked with emotion. “There’s no one else I can say these things to. In this whole household, you’re probably the only one who can truly understand how I feel.”
“I miss Xiao Jun so often too. Other people might grieve for a day or two, but he’s my son. My only son. I suffer and grieve for him every single day. Surely you can understand that.”
The more the Second Concubine spoke, the more emotional she became, and her grip on Shen Qiao’s hand tightened.
Shen Qiao nodded.
A tear finally slipped uncontrollably from her eye.
Yes.
She could understand.
The Second Concubine suffered and grieved for her son every day.
Had Shen Qiao not done the same?
That year, the Second Concubine had lost her son.
And Shen Qiao had lost her fiancé.
At the same time, she had lost her mother—the only family she had left in this world.
The two women sat together on the swing, weeping for quite some time.
Cui’er could not bear to watch any longer. She did not want her mistress to keep crying; she was afraid Shen Qiao would make herself ill.
She hurried over to refill their tea.
Seeing Cui’er approach, the Second Concubine finally reined in her emotions. She wiped away her tears, then gently wiped Shen Qiao’s face a few times as well.
Once they had both calmed down, the Second Concubine took a sip of tea and cleared her throat.
“About what I spoke to you about last time… I know it may be difficult for you to accept. If you truly don’t want to do it, then forget I ever mentioned it.”
“I said I wanted you to have a child to keep you company, so that you would have someone to rely on in the future. That’s one reason.”
“Actually, I have my own selfish reasons as well. I want to leave Xiao Jun an heir.”
As she spoke, the tears she had just wiped away began to gather in her eyes again.
“This is simply the selfish wish of a mother. No one but me would think this way for Xiao Jun.”
“He wasn’t even the Marquis’s biological son to begin with. Apart from me, no one in this household truly cared about him. No one truly thought of him or missed him.”
“Xiao Jun and I have never had it easy in this household. It’s just that foolish child never knew it.”
“I couldn’t bear to lose him. He left so suddenly, without leaving anything behind. I couldn’t bring myself to accept it.”
“But I was foolish.”
“He loved you so much. He would never want to put you in a difficult position.”
“If you don’t want to do it, then forget it. Whether he leaves an heir or not… we’ll forget it. We won’t talk about it anymore.”
The Second Concubine pressed one hand against her chest while waving the other as she spoke.
“Don’t talk about it anymore. Don’t…”
She wiped away her tears once more.