Li Zhenchun sat beside Yue Jingque at the study desk. Across from them, Wei Xinian scratched his head and fidgeted as he stared at the blank sheet of paper. He still could not bring himself to write.
“Second Brother, you should hurry. If you wait any longer, it will be dark.”
Yue Jingque sipped her tea and spoke calmly.
Li Zhenchun sat between them, looking from Wei Xinian to Yue Jingque. She felt like grass blowing in the wind, unable to decide which side to support.
Somehow, she felt that Yue Jingque had carefully set a trap for Wei Xinian.
Wei Xinian, who had stepped right into it, could not understand what had happened.
He had wanted to take a concubine just to anger Yue Jingque. So how had it become him sitting here miserably writing a divorce letter?
And the worst part was…
He did not dare write it.
He was not stupid. If he really wrote the divorce letter and Yue Jingque returned to her parents’ home with it, his mother and grandmother would never forgive him.
They would probably drag him to the Prime Minister’s Mansion to apologize.
If a newly married wife returned home with a divorce letter after only one month of marriage, the Prime Minister’s family would certainly not let him off either.
He rested one hand against his head while spinning the brush with the other, still refusing to write.
Even Nanzhi beside him could not bear to watch anymore.
“Second Young Master, please hurry. If you wait any longer, it will be time for dinner.”
“Why are you in such a hurry?” Wei Xinian put down the brush. “Then let your Young Madam have dinner before she goes home. That way no one can say the Wei family couldn’t even spare her one meal.”
Yue Jingque gently placed her teacup on the table.
The sound made Wei Xinian jump.
“Then, Second Brother, you may stay here and slowly finish writing. I will return to the Prime Minister’s Mansion first. When you finish the divorce letter, you may have someone deliver it there.”
She turned to Li Zhenchun.
“Sister-in-law, I feel like we became close the moment we met. Since I am returning to my parents’ home, would you like to stay there with me for a few days?”
Being suddenly asked, Li Zhenchun froze.
She hesitated.
This was really a matter between husband and wife. Maybe an outsider like her should not get involved.
More importantly…
She did not want to study.
To her, Yue Jingque was basically another teacher. Living together with her teacher was an honor that Wei Xinian could enjoy by himself.
“I…”
Before she could finish, Hongxiu hurried over and whispered into her ear.
“Young Madam, Eldest Young Master has returned.”
Li Zhenchun’s eyes widened.
“I do!”
She immediately grabbed Yue Jingque’s hand.
“When are we leaving? Right now? Immediately?”
She had almost forgotten about Wei Nancheng.
If he was no longer busy and she was no longer studying, they would have to live under the same roof every day.
Wei Xinian was stunned.
This silly woman!
What was she doing?
Didn’t she care whether he lived or died anymore?
If Yue Jingque walked out of the Wei residence today, his legs would be broken within the hour.
Li Zhenchun pulled Yue Jingque to her feet.
“Let’s go now!”
“No!”
Wei Xinian slammed both hands on the desk.
“You can’t leave!”
Li Zhenchun held Yue Jingque’s arm.
“Forget him. Let’s go.”
It had already been over a month, yet she was still terribly afraid of Wei Nancheng.
She pulled Yue Jingque toward the door.
Seeing this, Wei Xinian hurried around the desk and grabbed Yue Jingque’s sleeve.
“No. You can’t leave!”
Li Zhenchun looked at him anxiously.
“Let go!”
“I won’t!”
Not only did he refuse to let go, he tightened his grip around Yue Jingque’s wrist.
Li Zhenchun looked at the two of them.
Once again, she reminded herself that this was between husband and wife. She really should not interfere.
“I’ll wait outside.”
Without waiting for Yue Jingque to answer, she turned and ran. Hongxiu could barely keep up.
She was running so fast that she nearly crashed into someone entering the courtyard.
She stopped just in time and secretly stepped back half a step.
Standing before her was Wei Nancheng in a dark blue robe.
He looked at her.
“Why are you running so fast?”
Li Zhenchun immediately lowered her head and stayed silent.
She deliberately avoided meeting his eyes.
Seeing how nervous she was, Wei Nancheng’s expression softened slightly.
“Today is the Spring Festival. There will be a lantern festival tonight. Mother specifically told me to take you out.”
Li Zhenchun secretly complained.
Then why didn’t you tell me this morning? Why did you suddenly come back and scare me?
She really did not want to go with him.
“I already made plans with Jingque. I probably won’t have time today.”
Wei Nancheng had not yet answered when Yue Jingque appeared from behind the bamboo grove.
“I am only taking my sister-in-law to stay at my parents’ home for a few days. I will send her back afterward.”
She looked at Wei Nancheng.
“I will accompany my Sister-in-law during tonight’s festival.”
Li Zhenchun immediately turned toward Yue Jingque.
Her eyes sparkled like a little puppy that had finally found someone to protect it.
She hurried over, hugged Yue Jingque’s arm, and looked at Wei Nancheng.
“Yes, yes! I’ll go with Jingque. Eldest Brother, you don’t need to worry about me.”
“No! You two can’t go together!”
Wei Xinian rushed over through the crowd of servants.
His eyes landed on Li Zhenchun’s hands wrapped around Yue Jingque’s arm.
He wished he could chop those hands off.
Traitor!
She doesn’t care about me at all anymore!
An idea suddenly came to him.
He quickly hugged Yue Jingque’s other arm.
“I’m going too.”
If Yue Jingque returned to her parents’ home alone, everyone would think she had been wronged by the Wei family.
But if he went with her, people would simply think the young couple was visiting her parents.
Yue Jingque looked down at the hand wrapped around her arm.
“Let go.”
“I won’t.”
Today, he was determined not to let go.
“Jingxin, pull the Second Young Master away.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Jingxin stepped forward.
Seeing this, Wei Xinian quickly shoved Li Zhenchun aside and dropped to his knees, hugging Yue Jingque around the waist.
He gritted his teeth.
“I admit I was wrong, okay?”
Li Zhenchun stumbled from the push.
She thought she was about to fall, and Wei Nancheng instinctively reached out to catch her.
But when Li Zhenchun saw his hand from the corner of her eye, it looked like a piece of burning hot iron.
She forced herself to stop with pure determination and stood upright again.
Good job, Li Zhenchun! You did it!
After steadying herself, she looked at Wei Xinian.
“It was only about taking a concubine. Fine! I won’t bring it up again!”
“I already apologized! What more do you want?”
If he had not been kneeling, Li Zhenchun would have wanted to slap him.
“So, Second Brother, are you truly promising never to mention taking a concubine again?”
Yue Jingque looked down at him.
From the very beginning, this had been her goal.
She wanted to completely destroy his desire to take concubines.
“Whoever brings up taking a concubine again is a dog!”
Wei Xinian declared firmly.
“When a man is deeply in love, he will swear eternal devotion and promise anything.”
“But when his feelings fade, he forgets every promise he made.”
Yue Jingque looked at him.
“Since you promised today not to take a concubine, remember your words.”
“If you ever break this promise…”
“I will make you incapable of fathering children and send you into the palace to serve the imperial ladies.”
With the Prime Minister’s Mansion behind her, she could openly say such shocking words without fearing anyone.
Li Zhenchun admired how fearless Yue Jingque was.
Then she noticed Yue Jingque looking at her.
Why is she looking at me?
I can’t even take a concubine.
Was she… setting an example for her?
Did she expect Li Zhenchun to threaten Wei Nancheng the same way?
Just imagining it made Li Zhenchun’s heart pound.
She did not have that kind of courage.
All she could do was smile awkwardly.
She simply was not brave enough to threaten a man like Wei Nancheng.
…
The Great Jin Dynasty valued farming.
The Spring Festival celebrated the return of life to the land and the beginning of spring planting. It symbolized prosperity and new beginnings.
Many people on the streets carried small jade bottles with fresh tree branches growing inside.
Some young women also wore wildflowers in their hair.
“You just arrived in the capital. This must be your first time seeing this festival.”
Yue Jingque smiled as she looked at Li Zhenchun, who was curiously staring at the market stalls.
Li Zhenchun wore a light yellow dress with blue-green earrings and a matching blue-green shawl.
Married women in the capital rarely dressed in such bright colors, but because she was still so young, it suited her perfectly.
Even Nanzhi had once said that although Li Zhenchun was married, she still looked and acted like a child.
Li Zhenchun nodded eagerly.
“Why is everyone carrying tree branches?”
“They’re praying for blessings,” Yue Jingque explained.
“Every year, the court prepares a piece of fertile land outside the city. Everyone can plant a branch there. If it survives, it means the person will have good fortune and a fresh new beginning.”
Li Zhenchun looked at the sky.
“It’s already getting late. Can we still leave the city?”
“There is no curfew tonight,” Yue Jingque answered.
“The gates stay open all night.”
“That sounds fun.”
Li Zhenchun immediately bought two jade bottles from a nearby vendor and handed one to Yue Jingque.
“Let’s go plant them too.”
Li Zhenchun chose a peach branch.
Yue Jingque received a willow branch.
Nanzhi smiled.
“Eldest Young Madam, if you’re praying for good luck, you should use a willow branch. Willow branches are much easier to grow than peach branches.”
Yue Jingque looked at the branches and held hers out.
“Let’s switch.”
“No, no.”
Li Zhenchun waved her hands.
“I’ll keep the peach branch.”
Yue Jingque quietly looked at the peach branch.
It reminded her of the peach trees that had been removed from Wei Xinian’s courtyard.
Once someone committed a wrong, even the smallest things would constantly remind them of it.
She had taken Li Zhenchun’s intended husband.
Now it seemed as if heaven kept reminding her that she had separated two people who might have been happy together.
“Yue Jingque! I want this one!”
Wei Xinian’s voice echoed from far away like a noisy summer cicada.
He held up a tiger-shaped lantern, then picked up another one shaped like the Vermilion Bird and handed it to Wei Nancheng.
“Brother, this one looks good. You carry it. Let Yue Jingque pay.”
Wei Nancheng accepted the lantern and paid the vendor himself.
“When a man is out with his family, how can he let his wife pay?”
“I don’t have any money.”
Wei Xinian lifted the lantern helplessly.
“That tigress searched me from head to toe. I don’t even have a single coin.”
“If I had money, do you think I’d stay in the mansion suffering for a whole month? I’d already be living comfortably at one of our estates in Jiangnan.”
Wei Nancheng looked at the Vermilion Bird lantern.
Then he watched Wei Xinian run over to Yue Jingque while waving the tiger lantern in front of her face.
“Look.”
“Doesn’t this look just like you?”
Li Zhenchun looked from the tiger lantern to Yue Jingque.
Yue Jingque’s calm expression never changed.
She simply called,
“Jingxin.”
Jingxin stepped forward.
Right in front of Wei Xinian, she kicked the tiger lantern so hard that it flew far into the distance.
Li Zhenchun’s eyes lit up.
What amazing legs!
She grinned and looked at the stunned Wei Xinian.
“Oh dear! Your lantern caught fire! Second Brother, you’d better have someone put it out before it burns into ashes.”
Wei Xinian ground his teeth and glared at Jingxin.
“What are you doing? Who told you to kick my lantern?”
“It was too close to Young Madam.”
“I was only worried the fire might burn her.”
Jingxin answered coldly.
Yue Jingque looked at him.
“If the Second Brother wishes to play with lanterns, there are plenty hanging in the mansion. I can have someone escort you home.”
Wei Xinian had no intention of going home.
After finally being allowed outside, he was not going back so easily.
Like an annoying stray dog that refused to leave, he kept following Yue Jingque everywhere.
Since he had no money to enjoy himself, he would make sure she could not enjoy herself either.
From time to time, he deliberately called her name just to bother her.
“Eldest Young Master, please forgive him. The second Young Master has always been… straightforward.”
Jiuan looked helplessly at his own master.
Sometimes he truly could not understand why Wei Xinian kept provoking Yue Jingque.
He clearly knew she was not someone to mess with, yet he kept stepping on her bottom line.
Wei Nancheng looked at the Vermilion Bird lantern in his hand before speaking.
“I remember that when Second Brother was little, he loved throwing stones at the carriages outside the girls’ academy.”
“Miss Yue’s carriage always had the most stones.”
Jiuan laughed awkwardly.
“Our Young Madam was very beautiful and was the Prime Minister’s daughter. Naturally, many young scholars admired her.”
In the past, the Great Wei Dynasty had employed female officials, so girls’ schools became popular in the capital. Men and women interacted more freely, and many romantic stories began there.
Wei Nancheng continued,
“Other boys left flowers, embroidered pouches, or hairpins outside the carriage.”
“He was the only one who threw stones.”
Jiuan scratched his head.
“I remember Young Madam threw the stones back and hit the Second Young Master’s face.”
“I think that frightened him.”
“That’s probably why he still calls the Prime Minister’s daughter a man-eating tigress today.”
He still remembered how Wei Xinian cried to his mother after coming home, insisting that the Prime Minister’s daughter was a terrifying tigress and that he would never marry a woman like her.
…
“Yue Jingque!”
Li Zhenchun had just found a quiet place with Yue Jingque and was about to dig a hole to plant her peach branch when someone called Yue Jingque’s name.
They both turned around.
A young woman in a blue dress walked toward them, followed by many noble ladies.
Behind them knelt a large group of maids.
The woman looked Yue Jingque up and down.
“I invited you and your sister-in-law out many times this past month, but you refused every time.”
“Did marrying that useless playboy Wei Xinian make you too embarrassed to show your face?”
Li Zhenchun looked at Yue Jingque.
She invited us? Why didn’t I know about this?
The woman lowered her eyes to Li Zhenchun.
Because Li Zhenchun was squatting, she felt as though the woman was looking at her like she was a stray dog.
“So this is your low-born sister-in-law?”
Li Zhenchun stood up, ready to introduce herself.
Before she could speak, the woman continued,
“She really does look like she’s from a poor family.”
“No wonder you don’t want to go out with such an embarrassing sister-in-law.”
Li Zhenchun immediately stopped smiling.
What kind of way is that to talk?
She’s just like Wei Xinian.
Her words are just as unpleasant.
“No matter where she came from…”
Yue Jingque calmly looked at the woman and then at all the noble ladies behind her.
“She is now the Wei family’s Eldest Young Madam.”
She slowly swept her gaze across the group.
“Are you here to see her?”
“Or are you here to see me?”
While Li Zhenchun was still wondering what Yue Jingque meant, Yue Jingque continued,
“My sister-in-law and I became close the moment we met. I treat her like my own sister.”
“I cannot be apart from her.”
“So if you wish to invite her somewhere…”
“You should first consider whether you’re willing to invite me as well.”
Li Zhenchun stared at Yue Jingque with wide eyes.
Yue Jingque…
Was standing up for her in front of all these noble ladies.
At that moment, Li Zhenchun finally understood what the storybooks meant when they said:
“Meeting one special person is a blessing worth three lifetimes.”