When her elder brothers were still alive, Qin Qi had visited the Shen family to spar in martial arts and discuss military strategies. Shen Ruojin had met him several times and was fairly familiar with him.
Back then, she was young, and since neither was married, there was no need to avoid suspicion when they were together, especially since they were always surrounded by a large group of people.
But now, the two were brother-in-law and sister-in-law. Meeting under the corridor, it was inappropriate to stand too close to talk.
"This is a matter between Qin Lang and me. There’s no need to trouble Eldest Brother."
Shen Ruojin changed her address, calling him "Eldest Brother" according to the ranking in her husband’s family. It wasn’t because they had grown distant as old acquaintances, but because in the capital, within the inner quarters of the Wangfu, one could no longer live as freely as they had on the frontier.
Hearing the address "Eldest Brother," Qin Qi paused for a moment and said softly, "Second Brother’s actions are absurd. I can’t stand to see him bully you."
That was going too far.
Shen Ruojin smiled faintly. "Eldest Brother speaks too soon. Who bullies whom is not yet certain."
"Ruojin…"
Qin Qi wanted to say more.
"I appreciate Eldest Brother’s kindness. However…" Shen Ruojin had no intention of reminiscing with anyone here. She walked straight ahead, brushing past Qin Qi. "What I, Shen Ruojin, intend to do, I never leave to others."
Her refusal was direct—neither showing weakness nor invoking past sentiments.
Qin Qi stood under the corridor, watching Shen Ruojin pass through. In late autumn, leaves fell in abundance, and the wind lifted her sleeves. She moved through the splendor untouched, as if not a single leaf clung to her.
The carriage prepared by Steward He was already waiting at the entrance of the Wangfu. A servant sent to find the Young Lord’s whereabouts returned to report, "The Young Lord is listening to music at Fanghuatai."
Fanghuatai, the most famous opera house in the capital. In recent years, the city’s most captivating performer, Haitang Hong, was the star of Fanghuatai.
It seemed that after Qin Lang’s heroic rescue of the beauty yesterday, he had stayed there.
In the opera, it was the tale of a talented scholar and a beautiful lady; outside the opera, it was the story of a libertine and an actress. The most sensational gossip had spread through every street and alley.
The servant delivering the message cautiously observed the expression of the new bride.
Shen Ruojin’s face remained unchanged. She calmly said, "I understand," and boarded the carriage with Shijian.
A moment later, Shijian’s voice came from inside the carriage. "To Fanghuatai."
"Yes," the coachman quickly responded, driving the carriage forward.
Steward He dared not oppose Shen Ruojin’s wishes, nor could he allow the new bride to go with only one maid. He hastily called his son, He Cheng, who also served as a steward in the Wangfu.
The old steward instructed, "Take two men and follow them quickly. If the Second Young Mistress and the Young Lord start fighting at Fanghuatai, you must step in between them, even if it means taking a beating yourself, and stop them."
The Young Lord Qin was a troublemaker, and the newly married young mistress was skilled in martial arts. If they were to fight in public on the second day of their marriage, it would be disastrous!
"Yes, Father. I understand the gravity of the situation. I’ll go right away."
He Cheng was efficient. He immediately selected two attendants and rode after them on horseback.
…
Three incense sticks later, Fanghuatai.
The most popular opera house in the capital was located on the bustling East Street, surrounded by shops and taverns. Even in the morning, it was crowded with people.
News had spread that the previous night, Young Lord Qin, in a fit of rage for a beauty, had abandoned his newlywed wife and rushed to Fanghuatai, beating the second son of the Prime Minister’s family until even his own mother wouldn’t recognize him. This directly caused the morning performance of Fanghua Ban to be packed with spectators.
While listening to the famous performer Haitang Hong sing, they could also witness the drama of Zhenbei Wangfu up close. Buying one ticket to watch two shows—this money was well spent!
As soon as the carriage from Zhenbei Wangfu arrived at the entrance of the theater, the spectators and passersby both inside and outside erupted into a commotion. Someone exclaimed, "They're here, they're here! The show is about to begin!"
Hearing the commotion outside, Shen Ruojin remained seated calmly inside the carriage, not immediately rising to step out.
Shijian gritted her teeth in anger. "Are the people in the capital all so idle? They spend their days stirring up trouble and cheering on drama, never tiring of watching others' misfortunes."
"Don't be angry. If you get upset, they’ll only find it more entertaining."
As Shen Ruojin spoke, she prepared to rise and step out of the carriage.
"Second Young Madam, please wait!" Xiao He hurriedly rode up on horseback, stopping beside the carriage window. He dismounted and bowed, saying, "The theater is a chaotic place, and I fear you might be jostled or disrespected. Please remain seated in the carriage for a moment. I will go upstairs immediately to fetch the Second Young Master."
Shen Ruojin lifted the carriage curtain to look outside, catching sight of the sweating steward Xiao He and also Pei Jing, who was approaching through the crowd.
This man was born with the appearance of a handsome scholar from a storybook—slender and tall in stature, fair-skinned, dressed in the simplest of blue cloth robes, with a bamboo and wood crown adorning his head, making him appear even more like a jade tree, his features refined and elegant.
Judging solely by Pei Jing’s gentlemanly, jade-like demeanor, one would never guess that on his wedding day, he had eloped with his wife’s half-sister.
As the surrounding crowd whispered among themselves, many sighed with emotion, "Appearances can be deceiving!"
Shen Ruojin had not expected to encounter her former fiancé, who had eloped with her half-sister, in such a place and under such circumstances. For a moment, she remained silent.
"Second Young Madam, please wait a moment. I will go upstairs now to fetch the Second Young Master."
Seeing that Shen Ruojin did not speak, Xiao He assumed she had tacitly agreed. He immediately handed the reins to a servant behind him and hurried into the theater, heading straight for the private room on the second floor.
This only fueled the gossip outside even further.
Shen Ruojin lowered the carriage curtain, no longer looking at Pei Jing and blocking out the probing gazes of the crowd outside.
Ignoring the public criticism, Pei Jing walked directly toward the carriage of Zhenbei Wangfu. He leaned close to the window and whispered, "Ruojin, I did not elope with Yun Wei. What happened yesterday was all a misunderstanding. This is not the place to talk. Come with me, and I will explain everything clearly once we find a place without outsiders."
"There’s nothing to explain," Shen Ruojin replied through the curtain, her voice slightly cold. "On our wedding day, you left with Mu Yunwei, leaving me alone. That much is true. Even if you had a hundred explanations, it wouldn’t change what happened."
"No, it wasn’t like that!"
Pei Jing lifted the carriage curtain with one hand, his arm straining so hard that the veins bulged.
He hurriedly explained, "I didn’t mean to abandon you. It’s just that yesterday, Wangjiazhuang was suddenly attacked. A great fire nearly claimed hundreds of lives. I took Yun Wei back because she…"
Shen Ruojin narrowed her phoenix eyes and interrupted, "Because she could help you, right?"
Pei Jing paused. "Yes, but not entirely…"
Shen Ruojin said, "If you truly had an urgent matter and needed to cancel the wedding, you could have simply told me. But not only did you fail to inform me, you didn’t leave a single word of explanation before disappearing without a trace with Mu Yun Wei. Only afterward do you come to explain. Don’t you think it’s too late?"
She had truly once thought of marrying Pei Jing, of walking hand in hand with him through life. But the world is unpredictable, and people’s hearts are fickle.
Three years ago, when she was fifteen, her uncle and elder brothers had said that once the final battle was fought and the border was at peace, they would all return to the capital together to choose the finest young man in the world to be her husband.
But that battle was lost, a scene of mountains of corpses and rivers of blood, exceptionally tragic. Those who had treated her best remained forever in that land.
The brothers who often said, "My sister is the best girl in the world," died on horseback…
Shen Ruojin often looked back on the past, often reflecting on whether it was because she was disobedient, because she never listened, that Heaven punished her like this, taking away the most important people in her life one by one.
So when Pei Jing came to propose with her mother's token, she agreed.
She tried to be an obedient girl, no longer practicing martial arts, learning to speak softly and gently, following the rules in the marquis's household, doing needlework, wrapping her feet with cloth strips when walking—becoming the image of a proper marquis's daughter in the eyes of the world.
During these days of waiting in the inner chambers to be married, Shen Ruojin felt as if she had been in a long dream, trapped in the shadow of her loved ones' departure, unable to free herself.
It wasn't until yesterday, when Pei Jing eloped with Mu Yunwei, that she suddenly woke up.
No matter what she did, her brothers would never return.
Being obedient was useless; becoming a marquis's daughter who was nothing like herself was useless.
She had to live well, to accomplish what her brothers had left unfinished—only then would she not waste this life.
Shen Ruojin had never been indecisive. Once she made a choice, she would move forward with determination. Her eyes, dark as ink, fixed on Pei Jing. "Pei Jing, what makes you think I would definitely wait for you?"
Pei Jing was taken aback by her question. Unable to explain, he could only admit his fault. "It was wrong of me to break my promise on our wedding day… Ruojin, it's only right for you to resent or hate me. But you can't treat your lifelong matters as a joke. Qin Lang is a notorious philanderer—he is absolutely not a suitable match! You…"
Before he could finish, a mocking laugh came from above. "If I'm not a suitable match, then are you?"