All efforts were in vain, yielding nothing in the end.

Luoqing Study.

Xu Guiyi sat at her writing desk practicing calligraphy. Nearby, a censer released sandalwood incense, its fragrant smoke swirling gently and filling the room with a delicate, soothing aroma. Since childhood, Xu Guiyi had been frail and troubled by restless sleep; for this reason, the calming incense in Luoqing Study was never absent.

Her close maid, Xiyue, approached quietly, carrying a bowl of warm white fungus and lotus seed soup. She spoke softly, “Miss, have some warm soup. You’ve been writing all morning.”

Xu Guiyi gave a gentle hum in reply, finished two more characters, then set down her fine wool brush. She took the bowl in both hands, habitually stirring the soup with her spoon before sipping it slowly and with elegance.

“How are things over at Rui Residence?” Xu Guiyi asked, her long lashes fluttering slightly as she spoke—her voice so soft and even, betraying no sign of emotion.

Xiyue had served Xu Guiyi for many years. Though she hadn’t fully mastered her mistress’s composed and inscrutable nature, she had grown to resemble her somewhat. With a calm expression, Xiyue let out a light laugh. “No news yet. I heard that the Third Master and Third Madam have been with the Old Madam for half an hour and haven’t come out. Last night, the Third Master waited outside our Second Master’s study until the third watch, but our Second Master never saw him. This morning, he tried again but was turned away by the Second Master. Now they’re seeking the Old Madam’s help, hoping she’ll plead with the Second Master on their behalf.”

She paused, watching Xu Guiyi’s expression, which remained unchanged, then continued, “But the Old Madam has always cherished you, Miss. This time, their efforts will surely be in vain.”

Xu Guiyi lowered her gaze and did not respond immediately. She simply handed the empty bowl to Xiyue, who received it at once.

“The soup was just sweet enough today. I liked it very much. Xiyue, bring some to Grandmother this afternoon as well,” Xu Guiyi said with a gentle smile.

“Yes, Miss.” Xiyue’s culinary skills were well-known, especially her white fungus lotus seed soup and peach blossom cakes. Delighted by Xu Guiyi’s praise, Xiyue happily carried the empty bowl away.

Watching Xiyue’s retreating figure, Xu Guiyi noted how perfectly the spring sunlight shone in the courtyard. The slender, graceful silhouette of the young maid was a scene of its own charm.

With little else to occupy her, Xu Guiyi turned to admire the calligraphy she had just copied. Upon the pure white rice paper was a line in delicate seal script: “Conceal skill in simplicity, find clarity in obscurity, preserve purity amid the turbid, and yield to advance.”

Today, her state of mind was especially good, and her writing flowed like clouds and water.

Over at Rui Residence, Madam Jiang sat to one side while Old Madam Xu occupied the seat of honor. Xu Min knelt before her, his back hunched with worry and his face drawn with anxiety.

“Mother, is there truly no room for reconsideration? Hua’er… Hua’er is your own granddaughter. She’s always been filial, respectful, obedient…” At this, Old Madam Xu grew even more furious, cutting him off with a stern rebuke.

“Obedient? Obedient enough to conspire with her future brother-in-law in such disgrace?” She, too, had come from an illustrious family and had seen many sordid affairs among women in the inner chambers, but never had she imagined such a disgraceful, shameless scandal would befall her own descendants right under her very nose. How could she not be enraged?

“You only dared to be so brazen all these years because the Second Daughter-in-law is meek and accommodating. If it were me, just ten years younger, I’d have stripped you of your pride to set the family right.” Every word was sharp and unyielding, a hint of the Old Madam’s formidable authority as matriarch still evident.

Xu Min deflated at once, collapsing in despair, his face ashen. Seated beside him, Madam Jiang listened to the Old Madam’s tirade against her husband with secret bitterness, but dared not show it.

She remembered clearly how, when she had first married into the Xu family, she had witnessed the Old Madam’s methods firsthand. Of the three Xu daughters-in-law, none could match the Old Madam’s iron will.

“You and your wife are insatiably greedy. Now, after such a scandal in your household, I have not pursued it harshly, yet you come begging me to plead your case. How utterly shameless!” Once her anger was ignited, the Old Madam’s chastisement was accompanied by pounding fists and stamping feet, gone was her usual calm. “You’ve always been sly and lazy, refusing to study, and even after years of examinations, you barely became a licentiate. If not for your second brother’s support, would you be a magistrate today?”

Her words left Xu Min utterly humiliated. Madam Jiang, watching her husband wilt under the Old Madam’s scolding, stepped forward with trembling legs. “You are right, Old Madam, our Third Master has failed you. But Hua’er is your own granddaughter, the Fourth Miss of the Xu family. How can she be sent as a concubine to the Ren family? That would disgrace both the Xu family and you!”

She thought that, no matter how angry the Old Madam was, she would not ignore the family’s reputation.

But the Old Madam was unmoved.

Madam Jiang had been silent at first, almost invisible to the Old Madam. Now, upon speaking, the Old Madam’s eyes blazed, and she thundered, “Wretched woman!”

Though Madam Jiang was reputed to be formidable, in the presence of her mother-in-law, she was still lacking. The Old Madam’s shout made her knees go weak, and she sank to the floor, gripping the chair for support—a show of bravado covering her timidity.

Old Madam Xu declared sternly, “Hua’er is my own granddaughter, but is Yi’er not also my granddaughter?” Then, turning to berate her son again, “You are my son, but is Yan’er not my son as well? Have you forgotten how your second brother has helped you all these years? Now, after your daughter’s disgrace, the fact that he hasn’t had her hanged with a white silk cloth is already a mercy. And you still want me to make things difficult for his household? Utter foolishness.”

With things said so plainly, the Third Master and his wife knew there was no hope left.

Old Madam Xu was a forthright and reasonable woman—fierce in her youth, and never tolerant of such filth. Yet, unfortunately, the third branch of the family seemed destined to give her grief.

According to the original agreement between the Xu and Ren families, the engagement was set for the thirteenth of the third month, with the wedding on the eighteenth of the eighth month. Now, with Xu Zhuhua already with child, the wedding had to be rushed—set for the second day of the fourth month, which at least was an auspicious date.

Though the bride was still a Xu family daughter, the Ren family felt that Xu Zhuhua’s conduct before marriage was unworthy of a noble lineage. The elders of the Ren family had their reservations about her entering their household.

If Xu Zhuhua were not a Xu, not the niece of Xu Yan, Magistrate of Luan Prefecture, but merely a common woman, the Ren family would have dealt with her quietly with a bowl of saffron—an easy way to dispose of a woman who had disgraced her family.

But Xu Yan insisted that Xu Zhuhua enter the Ren family as a concubine, and both families had to accept it. After all, Xu Zhuhua could not have conceived a child alone; the Ren family’s young master was equally culpable.

In the past fortnight, every tavern and teahouse in Luan Prefecture buzzed with the latest gossip. Wherever one went, the talk was of the Xu and Ren families. The illustrious Xu family, headed by the Prefect, had lowered themselves by marrying a legitimate daughter as a mere concubine to the Ren family’s young master.

To call her a “secondary wife” was putting it kindly; in truth, she was but a concubine.

The marriage documents might call her a secondary wife, but that was merely the Ren family and the official matchmakers preserving the Xu family’s dignity.

Among the three great families of Jiangdong, the Cao, the Xu, and the Ren ranked first, second, and third.

The Cao family was a lineage of distinguished scholars and officials. This generation boasted a Grand Tutor and a Minister, while among the daughters there were a consort and a princess—true glory.

The Xu family was likewise a family of scholars. The late Old Master Xu had been imperial tutor and ennobled as Lord of Grace. After his passing, his eldest son inherited the title and resided in the capital, while his second son, Xu Yan, was known for his talent from a young age, earning official posts through the imperial exams. By not yet forty, he had risen to Prefect of Luan Prefecture, his integrity and governance earning the people’s praise. The Xu family’s descendants remained worthy of their heritage.

Different from the previous two, the Ren family’s fortune came from commerce, only later cultivating scholars. It was said they were the wealthiest in Jiangdong, and their sons were not only handsome but skilled in both business and letters—a family with a promising future.

Perhaps it was this spirit that led Xu Yan to choose Ren Duyu, third son of the Ren family, as his son-in-law.

But things did not go as planned.

Ren Duyu became the Xu family’s son-in-law—but not Xu Yan’s son-in-law.

When the engagement between the Xu and Ren families was first announced, the festivities were grand. Yet, no one expected that such a spectacle would be made of marrying off a concubine. Indeed, these great houses cared only for appearances.

“Fourth Miss Xu—she’s the legitimate daughter of the third master, isn’t she? She really agreed to be a concubine in the Ren family? How strange!” The times were open-minded, and people spoke freely. Even with the streets bustling, the peddlers gathered and gossiped without restraint.

Another snorted derisively, “Secondary wife? She’s just a concubine.”

“Could it be that Fourth Miss Xu has some hidden illness? Otherwise, why would the Xu family agree to such a thing?”

“Who knows, maybe that’s it.”

“But I heard that the engagement was originally between Third Miss Xu and the Ren family’s young master. How did it become Fourth Miss Xu? Very odd!” Some were certain; others remained skeptical.

“How could Third Miss Xu, the Prefect’s own daughter, be married off as a concubine? Don’t make me laugh,” another teased.

“I’m not joking! Either someone got it wrong, or I didn’t hear wrong,” the first insisted, eager to defend himself.

“Well, I’ve heard the Ren family’s wealth rivals that of nations. If it were me, I’d be content to marry in as a concubine.”

“Oh please, even if you wanted to, the Ren family wouldn’t want you.” With that, the crowd dispersed in laughter, returning to their business after enjoying their gossip.