In the He family’s garden, the grass and trees were lush, and peach blossoms and willows were in full color—a scene of thriving prosperity.
In the adjoining hall, the atmosphere was heavy.
Xiao Yunzhu sat at the head, speaking slowly: “Third Cousin, are you joking?”
Her voice was soft and sweet, pleasant to the ear, yet carried a faint chill.
Only two months past her coming‑of‑age ceremony, she wore her hair in twin loops with a butterfly jade hairpin, dressed in a coral‑red embroidered gown, idly fanning herself with a silk round fan. Born with bright eyes and pearly teeth, her beauty was unforgettable.
He Baoyan adored her snow‑white skin and delicate features, yet resented her refusal to play along, making him look foolish. He frowned: “Yunzhu, don’t pretend. Chunsi and I are deeply in love, true confidants. I hope you’ll give us your blessing.”
Xiao Yunzhu shook her head. “I don’t believe it. Sister Chen has long known of our betrothal—how could she fall in love with you?”
He Baoyan sighed: “That is fate! You and I were destined, so we were engaged as children. She and I were destined, so she came to this house and fell for me. Yunzhu, we must all follow Heaven’s will.”
Xiao Yunzhu: …
His shamelessness left her speechless.
He Baoyan pressed on earnestly: “With you and Chunsi, I ask for nothing more. The three of us can live happily together.”
In looks, Chen Chunsi was far inferior to Xiao Yunzhu. But her gentle attentiveness, her coy affection, her obedient devotion—these were things Xiao Yunzhu lacked. To have both was, in his mind, the perfect blessing.
Xiao Yunzhu: “…Three people, living happily together?”
She had heard of husband and wife, never of husband and two wives. How could he say such absurd words? Did he take her for a fool—or was he the fool?
He Baoyan grew urgent: “Yes! Tell Grandmother that you and Chunsi are as close as sisters, that you cannot bear to see her married away. Ask to bring her into the household, like Emperor Shun’s two wives, living in harmony.”
Xiao Yunzhu fell silent, studying him with astonishment.
He Baoyan shifted uneasily under her gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Xiao Yunzhu sighed: “I never knew my Third Cousin aspired to be Emperor Shun. Admirable!”
He Baoyan: “…What nonsense! Don’t say such things!”
If word spread, he would be mocked—or punished.
Xiao Yunzhu: “Without Emperor Shun’s ambition, how dare you ask for Ehuang and Nüying?”
He Baoyan scowled: “Yunzhu, stop twisting words! The story of Ehuang and Nüying serving one husband is just a saying!”
He had no such ambition, nor the ability.
Xiao Yunzhu smiled: “You could simply say you want a concubine.”
She had come with her servants from the capital to celebrate her grandmother’s birthday, never expecting this farce right after the festivities. Not that she was surprised he wanted a concubine—only that he confused concubine with wife.
Ehuang and Nüying were both wives of Emperor Shun, not lesser consorts.
He Baoyan sensed mockery in her smile, and his anger rose. “What’s wrong with a man taking a concubine?”
Xiao Yunzhu: “Nothing at all. But a true man should act openly. If you want Chen Chunsi, ask Grandmother yourself. Why drag me into it?”
He Baoyan forced patience: “You are my fiancée. If I went behind your back, it would seem disrespectful. If you arrange it, it shows propriety.”
Xiao Yunzhu: “…So I should thank you?”
He Baoyan truly believed so, smiling faintly: “We are betrothed, and cousins besides. We should understand each other.”
Xiao Yunzhu’s voice turned cold: “Perhaps I lack experience, but I have never heard that a fiancée gains dignity by helping her betrothed take a concubine.
He Baoyan: “…No need for that sarcastic tone!”
This was precisely what he disliked about Xiao Yunzhu. Outwardly, she looked like a delicate, gentle girl, yet inside, she carried a sharp edge—unlike Chunsi, who adored him and obeyed his every word with tender devotion.
Xiao Yunzhu continued: “Our wedding is set for the end of the year. You bring this up now—do you mean to let her enter the household first?”
He Baoyan admitted: “Yes.”
He knew it was improper, but: “Chunsi is the daughter of an official family, not of low birth. To be a concubine is already a great humiliation. We must make it up to her somehow.”*
Xiao Yunzhu said coolly: “Whether she feels wronged has nothing to do with me. I didn’t force her to be a concubine, so it’s not mine to remedy. Besides, if she willingly lowers herself, what grievance is there to speak of?”
He Baoyan stared in disbelief, stunned before crying out in anguish, “Yunzhu, how can you say such cruel words!”
In his memory, Xiao Yunzhu had always been soft‑hearted, reluctant to punish even servants who erred—at most docking their monthly pay. Yet toward Chunsi, she was merciless. Could she not understand plain speech?
Xiao Yunzhu gripped her fan tightly, breathing deep to suppress the urge to smash it over his head. She spoke evenly: “Third Cousin, if Chen Chunsi enters first, she will press me down. Do you understand?”
He Baoyan smiled faintly: “So that’s what worries you. Rest assured, Chunsi is gentle and dignified. She would never compete with you.”
Xiao Yunzhu nearly threw the fan again. She calmed herself with two sips of tea, then said steadily: “To take a concubine before marrying the principal wife is a disgrace, a laughingstock.”
Don’t get angry, don’t get angry—anger brings illness, and no one will care.
He Baoyan explained methodically: “If my family arranged it alone, yes. But if you preside, it silences gossip and shows your magnanimity.”
So not only must she agree, she must personally arrange it? Outrageous!
Xiao Yunzhu fixed him with a stare: “Third Cousin, did all your learning of poetry and propriety end up in a dog’s belly?”
The words were blunt. He Baoyan’s face darkened: “Xiao Yunzhu…”
She cut him off: “Is this your idea, or hers?”
He Baoyan: “Mine!”
In truth, he hadn’t thought of it until recently. Chen Chunsi often wept in secret, refusing to explain. He overheard her with her maid, learning that her heart was wholly his and that she was willing to lower herself to be his concubine. Yet as a lady of good family, becoming a concubine disgraced her lineage and left her fearful of the wife’s oppression.
He was deeply moved. At his page’s suggestion, he conceived this plan: if Chen Chunsi entered first, the household would respect her more, and relatives would see she was no ordinary concubine. And if Xiao Yunzhu arranged it, it would show unity between husband and wife, leaving outsiders no room to criticize. Years later, perhaps it would be praised as harmony between wife and concubine.
Xiao Yunzhu: “No matter whose idea it is, I refuse. Third Cousin, please leave.”
Her cousin and fiancé, famed in Anzhou for his talent—yet to her eyes, plainly a fool. Or perhaps, when it came to certain matters, men were simply fools. Or chose to be.