My cousin and I married the twin sons of the Marquis’s residence, a tale that became the talk of the capital.
Two months later, however, the devastating news of my husband’s death in battle arrived. Before he died, my husband supposedly entrusted his twin brother with my care, asking him to inherit both family lines, look after me, and give me a child. Even my mother-in-law urged me to agree.
When my sister-in-law found out, she slapped me on the spot and cursed me for being unchaste.
I vehemently refused, but I accidentally overheard an argument between my mother-in-law and my brother-in-law:
“The one who died was clearly your younger brother. Why must you insist it was you?”
“Mother, Xi Yue and I were already in love. On the wedding day, my brother and I swapped places for the ceremony. I had planned to reveal the switch the next day, but I never expected to be sent straight to the battlefield.”
“Then what about Qing Wan? She was heartbroken to hear of your ‘death’ and is now forcing herself to manage the entire Marquis’s residence!”
“Qing Wan has always been sensible and strong. I’ll just inherit both family lines. I will give her a child as well, which should be enough to honor the bond between us.”
“Now that your brother is dead, let’s just let this mistake stand. No one is to tell Qing Wan the truth…”
**
The fifth day of the tenth month was an auspicious day for weddings.
The Marquis of Zhongyong’s residence was festooned with lanterns and colorful decorations, the air filled with the clamor of gongs and drums. Su Qing Wan was already seated on the wedding bed in the bridal chamber, listening to the faint revelry from the front courtyard.
She was the eldest legitimate daughter of the Su family, and today she was marrying Gu Yunrui, the heir of the Marquis of Zhongyong. Entering the household with her was her cousin, Su Xi Yue, who was marrying Gu Yunrui’s twin brother, Gu Yunci.
This marriage of two sisters to twin brothers had, for a time, become a celebrated tale throughout the capital.
Gu Yunrui was the favorite student of her grandfather, Grand Tutor Su. He was gentle and refined, as warm as a spring breeze and as bright as the moon, and had always treated her with respect. But just now, during the wedding ceremony, Su Qing Wan, hidden beneath her bridal veil, had tripped on the hem of her dress and nearly fallen, only to be caught and held steady by the groom at her side.
Although they were about to become husband and wife, Su Qing Wan still felt the gesture was improper. As she struggled to free herself, the man beside her had said a very cold, “Pardon me.”
Sitting on the wedding bed, Su Qing Wan lightly bit the tip of her tongue, wondering if Gu Yunrui didn’t want to marry her.
“My lady, the Heir is truly so gentle and courteous to others.”
Her head maid, Qin Xin, chattered on as she helped her remove her phoenix coronet. “Not at all like the Second Young Master. When he came to fetch the bride this morning, his eyes were as cold as ice. I’m afraid the Third Miss will suffer after marrying him.”
Su Qing Wan hummed in absent-minded agreement, shedding her embroidered wedding cape and changing into a red gauze nightgown.
The candlelight shone on the porcelain-white skin of her neck, exposed above her collar.
She was about to pull a book from her cosmetics box when her fingertips brushed against a thin booklet—the book of erotic art her mother had tucked inside.
The tips of her ears instantly burned. She hastily shoved the booklet to the bottom of the cabinet, just as she heard the voices of the old maids outside the courtyard offering their greetings.
“The Heir has returned.” Qi Yi was about to lift the curtain when two old maids entered, supporting a very drunk Gu Yunrui. His red wedding robes were wrinkled, and his usually clear, gentle eyes were now clouded with the haze of alcohol, revealing a hint of ferocity she had never seen before.
“Prepare some sobering soup,” Su Qing Wan said, frowning as she stepped forward. Just as she was about to reach out and help him, her wrist was seized in a fierce grip.
The force was astonishing.
She stumbled and was pulled down onto the bed. The man’s alcohol-laced breath fanned across her neck. Those eyes, which were usually filled with smiles, now stared down at her like a predator lying in wait.
“Heir?” she tried calling out, her voice trembling slightly.
He didn’t answer. He simply lowered his head, and a searing kiss fell upon her lips.
Unlike his usual gentle courtesy, this kiss was domineering and brooked no resistance, its twists and turns nearly stealing all her breath. The red gauze of her gown was crumpled into a mess, and the hand on her waist tightened, squeezing so hard her bones ached.
Su Qing Wan’s mind went blank. Was this really the same Gu Yunrui who would cup his hands in a polite bow to her? His fingertips had faint calluses that left a scorching trail as they swept across her skin…
She didn’t know how long the night’s turmoil lasted. She was so exhausted she couldn’t open her eyes, only remembering that at the very end, he had clasped her waist with a force that felt as if he wanted to knead her into his very bones.
When she opened her eyes again, the sky was already brightening, and the space beside her was empty.
Qin Xin entered with a basin of water. Seeing her awake, her face was a little pale. “My lady, you’re awake? Someone from the palace just came to say that enemy troops have launched a surprise attack on the northern border. His Majesty has urgently summoned the Heir and the Second Young Master to lead troops to the battlefield immediately.”
Su Qing Wan sat up abruptly, her hair spilling over her shoulders. “What did you say?”
What kind of logic was there in being sent directly to a battlefield the day after one’s wedding?
Wasting no more time, Su Qing Wan immediately had her maids help her with her makeup and dress. Without even a moment for breakfast, she hurried to the main courtyard.
In the main hall, the Marquise of Zhongyong, Lady Feng, was clutching a handkerchief, her eyes red-rimmed.
The Marquis of Zhongyong, seated in a wheelchair, said exasperatedly, “What are you crying for? To be personally appointed by His Majesty to go to the battlefield and defend the nation is a good thing, a great honor for our Marquis’s residence.”
“What, are you dissatisfied with His Majesty’s decision?”
How could Lady Feng dare!
She let out a sob. “Being appointed to go to war is certainly a good thing, but why did he have to send both brothers?”
“The second one spends all day roughing it in the barracks. He’s tough-skinned, so it’s fine if he goes to war. But A-Rui has already been transferred to the Court of Judicial Review as a Junior Minister. Why must he go to the battlefield too? It’s so dangerous!”
Su Qing Wan, standing at the entrance of the hall, happened to overhear these words.
She had long heard that although the Marquise of Zhongyong had given birth to twins, she had always favored her elder son, Gu Yunrui.
Back then, after Lady Feng had smoothly delivered her elder son, the second one refused to come out. The ordeal had nearly caused Lady Feng to bleed to death, and though she managed to give birth in the end, her body was damaged, leaving her unable to have any more children.
Therefore, Lady Feng had never liked her second son.
As the eldest daughter-in-law, Su Qing Wan would naturally be favored by extension.
Lifting her head, she saw her cousin, Su Xi Yue, walking over with a radiant face. She didn’t know if Xi Yue had heard Lady Feng’s words.
Su Xi Yue said, “Elder Sister, you’re only just getting up too? I thought I was the only one who woke up late.”
As she spoke, she tilted her head as if by accident, revealing several ambiguous red marks on her neck.
Su Qing Wan’s gaze remained placid, but she couldn’t help but subconsciously recall last night. The Heir had been very strong, savoring her as if he’d discovered a delicacy…
She gave a light cough. “Xi Yue, let’s go in quickly. We shouldn’t keep Father-in-law and Mother-in-law waiting.”
When the maid lifted the curtain, the Marquis and his wife had already stopped talking. Upon seeing their two daughters-in-law enter, they briefly explained the matter of both sons going to war.
Lady Feng took Su Qing Wan’s hand and said, “Qing Wan, don’t be nervous. This is, after all, a sign of His Majesty’s immense grace. A-Rui is skilled in martial arts and is intelligent. He will surely return safely.”
At this, she seemed to finally remember Su Xi Yue standing beside them and added, “The second one will also return safely.”
Su Qing Wan and Su Xi Yue both nodded.
They knelt to serve tea to their parents-in-law as per tradition. Lady Feng, in turn, took off the emerald jade bracelets from her wrists and gifted one to each daughter-in-law.
However, she gave Su Qing Wan an additional set of gold-inlaid jade hair ornaments.
After the ceremony, Lady Feng spoke lovingly to Su Qing Wan again. “Rest well today. Starting tomorrow, I will have you begin taking over the household management.”
The eldest legitimate daughter of the Su family was the kind of daughter-in-law every noble lady in the capital desired—skilled in all four arts, an adept household manager, and both intelligent and gentle.
Lady Feng was not one to cling to power. She genuinely liked her eldest daughter-in-law from the bottom of her heart and trusted her to manage the household well.
Su Qing Wan agreed and curtsied again before leaving the main hall with Su Xi Yue.
On the way back to her courtyard, Su Xi Yue suddenly spoke. “Elder Sister, have you ever heard the saying: ‘No flower stays red for a hundred days; fortunes change over thirty years’?”
Su Qing Wan looked up. “And so?”
A smug smile touched the corners of Su Xi Yue’s lips. “Elder Sister, I will definitely have a better life than you in the future!”
Su Qing Wan replied, “The Marquis of Zhongyong’s residence is a noble family, and we have the Su family backing us. As long as we make no mistakes, we will naturally enjoy endless wealth and glory.”
Su Xi Yue pouted. “That’s not what I mean. Forget it, you’ll understand in the future.”
She had clearly left her sentence half-finished, as if waiting for Su Qing Wan to press her for more.
But Su Qing Wan did not.
She simply lowered her gaze and continued walking without pause, paying Su Xi Yue’s words no mind, her expression remaining as calm as still water.
Su Xi Yue, however, hated this detached and serene demeanor of hers. But then, a thought seemed to cross her mind, and her jealousy transformed into an unconcealable smugness.
Su Qing Wan naturally knew that Su Xi Yue was surely plotting something.
But if she were to ask now, the other girl wouldn’t say anything, merely wanting to take the opportunity to gain a verbal advantage.
She knew her all too well.
After returning to Linglong Courtyard, as Qin Xin helped Su Qing Wan remove her hairpins and change into casual clothes, she remarked in confusion, “It’s so strange. Usually, the Third Miss tries to compete with you in everything, and then throws a fit when she can’t win. But today, she was smiling the entire time.”
Even when she was treated differently by the Marquise of Zhongyong, her expression didn’t change, though the things she said were a bit odd.
Had the sun risen in the west?
Su Qing Wan combed the ends of her hair, her gaze calm. “You can keep a closer eye on things. Also, you all need to quickly familiarize yourselves with the Marquis’s residence—the character of the various stewards. They may act one way in front of their masters, but in private, they might be completely different.”
Only by knowing oneself and one’s enemy could one win every battle. Since ancient times, the inner courtyard has also been a battlefield.
Qin Xin quickly assented.
Although it was unexpected for her husband to go to war the day after their wedding, everything else proceeded in an orderly fashion.
The next day, Lady Feng had all the household account books brought to Su Qing Wan, telling her to come to the main courtyard and ask if there was anything she didn’t understand.
In the blink of an eye, more than a month passed. Su Qing Wan managed the household affairs of the Marquis’s residence with impeccable order. Throughout the entire estate, there was not a single person who was not convinced of the capable Heir’s wife.
During this time, occasional military reports came from the front lines, all stating that the war on the northern border was stable. The Gu brothers were said to be working in perfect concert, having won several small victories that dampened the enemy’s morale. Lady Feng prayed to Buddha every morning and evening for her sons’ safety, and the worry on her brow had lessened considerably.
She would even occasionally tell Su Qing Wan that when they returned, they must hold a grand banquet.
On this day, Su Qing Wan had just finished with the account books and was having Qin Xin sort through the recently purchased winter fabrics when she suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the courtyard.
Qi Yi lifted the curtain and entered, her face as white as paper, her voice trembling uncontrollably. “My lady, an urgent report just arrived at the front courtyard. They said… they said the Heir… the Heir has been killed in action on the battlefield!”