Jiang Ruoli had never imagined that Chu Muyuan would bring back the woman he had once been betrothed to—his cherished first love—on her birthday.
More absurd still, he said he wanted to take her as a high-ranking concubine[1]A concubine of elevated status within an aristocratic household, but still subordinate to the principal wife. The precise hierarchy of concubines varied across Chinese historical periods. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736447_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736447_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
“You know that Yuqing’s household was implicated in a treason case. If I hadn’t gone there in time, she would have been sent to the court entertainment bureau[2]Known historically as the Jiaofang, this institution was associated with providing and training performers. In some historical periods and fictional portrayals, women from families punished for … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736447_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736447_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.”
In their five years of marriage, Jiang Ruoli had never once heard Chu Muyuan say so much to her at a stretch.
Jiang Yuqing stood there in a plain white dress, her figure graceful as a willow. Before she could even speak, tears were already slipping silently down her cheeks.
“Elder Sister, please don’t blame Brother-in-law. I truly had nowhere else to turn.”
If the circumstances had been different, Jiang Ruoli might almost have laughed.
Yes, she was Jiang Yuqing’s elder sister in name, though they shared no blood.
The two girls had been switched at birth at the Minister’s residence. Jiang Ruoli had been raised in a remote village until she was fifteen, when she was finally brought back to the family.
If the late emperor’s marriage decree hadn’t clearly specified the legitimate daughter[3]In traditional Chinese family hierarchies, a legitimate daughter, or di nü, was a daughter of the principal wife. This status generally carried greater standing in inheritance and marriage … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736447_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736447_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); of the Jiang family, a mere country girl like her could never have married into Prince Su’s Residence[4]The household and mansion of Prince Su, a titled nobleman. In Chinese historical fiction, a prince’s residence is both his home and an aristocratic establishment with its own servants and … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736447_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736447_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
After all, Chu Muyuan and Jiang Yuqing were the ones who had truly grown up together.
By contrast, Jiang Ruoli knew nothing of etiquette or rules, nor could she take part in refined pursuits or share the harmony expected of husband and wife with Chu Muyuan.
Chu Muyuan had probably resented the marriage but been powerless to refuse it, so he had always treated Jiang Ruoli coldly.
At first, she hadn’t known any better and thought he was simply like that by nature.
Only when she happened to see how Chu Muyuan behaved around Jiang Yuqing did she realize that he could smile—just not for her.
The Jiang family had at least acted honorably. Though the girls had been switched, they still let Jiang Yuqing marry the Marquis of Zhongxin[5]Marquis, or hou, was a title of aristocratic nobility in imperial China. Its precise rank and privileges varied by dynasty; Zhongxin is the designation of this noble title in the story. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736447_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736447_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); as the Jiang family’s second daughter.
Who could have guessed that only a few years into the marriage, the Marquis of Zhongxin would be implicated in treason?
The men of his family were all exiled; the women were sent to the court entertainment bureau.
“Do you know you’ll be held responsible for sheltering someone wanted by the court?” Jiang Ruoli’s gaze swept over Jiang Yuqing. “Her husband committed the grave crime of treason, which condemns three generations of his family[6]This reflects the historical concept of collective punishment, under which relatives of someone convicted of a grave offense, especially treason, could also be punished. The specific relatives … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736447_1_6').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736447_1_6', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. His principal wife can’t escape punishment either.”
Chu Muyuan frowned impatiently.
“That’s why I’m taking her as a high-ranking concubine. It’s the only way to protect her.”
As if afraid Jiang Ruoli would refuse, he went on to explain.
“Before the Marquis of Zhongxin was arrested, he had already signed a letter of divorce. Yuqing is free now.”
“A gentleman doesn’t put himself in danger[7]This reflects the traditional Chinese maxim that a prudent or virtuous person avoids placing himself in foreseeable danger. It emphasizes caution rather than recklessness. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736447_1_7').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736447_1_7', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); . Regardless of what people will say about you taking your sister-in-law as a concubine, if this brings trouble to the Prince’s Residence—”
Before she could finish, Chu Muyuan cut her off coldly.
“I know what I’m doing. Even if something happens, I won’t let you be implicated!”
Though Chu Muyuan had no love for her, he had at least treated her with courtesy and respect. This was the first time he had humiliated her in public.
Jiang Ruoli swallowed her embarrassment, unwilling to show weakness in front of an outsider.
“I am your lawfully wedded Princess Consort[8]The principal wife of a titled prince, holding an official position within his household. Unlike a concubine, she possessed the recognized status and authority of the lawful wife. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736447_1_8').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736447_1_8', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, so naturally I have to concern myself with matters of the inner household[9]The domestic affairs of an elite residence, including the management of servants, residential courtyards, and relations among household members. Such responsibilities traditionally fell under the … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736447_1_9').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736447_1_9', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.” She paused. “Mother Consort[10]A respectful form of address for the prince’s mother, reflecting her senior familial status within the princely household. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736447_1_10').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736447_1_10', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); told me so before she left.”
“Don’t use Mother Consort to pressure me.”
Chu Muyuan’s face turned livid. The couple stood at daggers drawn when a childish voice cut in.
“Mother, stop arguing!”
Jiang Ruoli looked down and saw her son, Chu Ci, who was just over four, gazing up at her.
Her heart softened. She was about to comfort him when he said,
“Mother, go get the best courtyard ready for Auntie Qing[11]In Chinese kinship terminology, yi refers to a maternal aunt. Here, Jiang Yuqing is treated as Jiang Ruoli’s younger sister within the family, making Auntie Qing an appropriate familial address … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736447_1_11').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736447_1_11', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.”
Only then did she notice Chu Ci clutching Jiang Yuqing’s skirt, as if afraid she would run away.
Jiang Ruoli’s nose stung.
Her son had never been close to her, even as a little boy. After Chu Muyuan took him away to begin his lessons, he had grown even more distant.
Yet now he showed utter devotion to Jiang Yuqing.
“Let her stay in Songlan Courtyard. I want to live close to Auntie Qing.” He made another decision on his own. “Otherwise, Mother can move to the guest rooms.”
Songlan Courtyard was Jiang Ruoli and Chu Muyuan’s bedroom.
A flicker of awkwardness crossed Jiang Yuqing’s face.
“Young Ci didn’t mean anything by it. I only need somewhere to stay…”
What a clever act of retreating to get her way. Jiang Ruoli could no longer keep the scorn from her voice.
“If she’s becoming a concubine, doesn’t she have to live with him?”
As expected, Chu Muyuan’s face turned livid at her words.
“Raised in the countryside, and it shows. You have no refinement at all, saying something like that.”
“If you can go ahead and do it, why can’t I say it?”
Chu Muyuan was stunned by the rare firmness in her voice.
In his eyes, Jiang Ruoli had always been gentle and amiable. This was the first time she had ever spoken so harshly to him.
For a moment, he felt a flicker of panic, but Jiang Yuqing’s tear-filled eyes quickly distracted him.
“Elder Sister and Brother-in-law, please don’t quarrel because of me. Sis—Your Highness has every reason to be concerned. After all, His Highness and I were once betrothed…”
She wiped away her tears and faltered, as though she had more to say.
When Chu Muyuan looked at Jiang Ruoli again, his tone had softened slightly.
“Can’t you be a little more considerate? Yuqing is pregnant!”
Jiang Ruoli clenched her fists, forcing down the nausea rising in her stomach.
So she was pregnant too.
Her hand instinctively moved to her own belly, and every word she had been about to say died on her lips.
Jiang Yuqing glanced timidly at Jiang Ruoli, then said in a wounded voice,
“Brother Muyuan, perhaps I should just leave.”
She turned as if to go, but a small figure in black darted forward even faster than Chu Muyuan and threw himself against Jiang Yuqing.
“Don’t go, Auntie Qing! I want you here. You’re the best auntie in the whole world. Mother is so mean!”
Jiang Ruoli felt as though the pain in her very organs had grown so intense that she was numb to it.
Each word from the child she had spent two full days in labor to give birth to struck her heart like a hammer.
“Are you really less sensible than a child?” Chu Muyuan pulled their son into his arms, as though forcing her to make a decision.
Looking at the two adults and the child before her, Jiang Ruoli was suddenly overcome by exhaustion.
Five years of marriage, and in that moment she felt she was the outsider.
She drew a deep breath and gave her order with resolute finality.
“Steward Zhou, didn’t you hear what the young heir[12]The title shizi traditionally designated the recognized heir of certain princely or noble households. Its precise status depended on the dynasty and the family’s rank. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736447_1_12').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736447_1_12', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); said? Have people get Songlan Courtyard ready at once.”
Chu Muyuan froze. Was she really giving up the Princess Consort’s bedroom?
Before he could study her expression, Jiang Ruoli’s skirt swished as she turned and walked away.
Chu Muyuan had meant to follow her, but their son took his hand and said he wanted to help Auntie Qing settle in.
So Chu Muyuan decided he would ask Jiang Ruoli what she meant later.
By the time Jiang Yuqing had been settled, dusk had begun to fall.
He returned to the couple’s Songlan Courtyard. As soon as he stepped into the room, he saw that the table was laden with dishes, all gone cold.
Jiang Ruoli had never been one for extravagance.
Chu Muyuan instinctively turned to the maid beside him, Qiuyue.
“Did the Princess Consort have a guest today?”
Qiuyue felt her mistress had been wronged, and answered with a touch of resentment,
“It’s the Princess Consort’s birthday today. Before the Dowager Princess Consort left the residence, she specifically told the kitchen to prepare all this.”
It was her birthday today?
No wonder she had been so angry just now. A trace of guilt rose in Chu Muyuan’s heart.
“I must have been too busy to remember.”
He had been so eager to bring home his childhood sweetheart, his cherished first love, that he had forgotten his wife’s birthday.
Jiang Ruoli curled her lips in scorn and sent the servants out.
Chu Muyuan cleared his throat.
“I was too hasty about what happened today. I should have discussed it with you first.”
His expression softened a little.
“But birthdays come every year, while the chance to save someone comes only once.”
Jiang Ruoli had felt a small flicker of happiness at his first words, only for his next sentence to crush it.
“You’re right.” She gave him a faint smile, as if mocking her own naivety.
But the words she spoke next were utterly resolute.
“Chu Muyuan, let’s divorce[13]The Chinese term heli refers to a mutually agreed dissolution of marriage, traditionally distinguished from a husband’s unilateral repudiation of his wife. Its legal procedures and recognition … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736447_1_13').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736447_1_13', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.”
References[+]