Chapter 9

He turned to me. Shame showed in his eyes as he said quietly, “My wife, I misjudged her and caused you to suffer.”

I lowered my eyes and answered gently, “You’re too kind, my lord. As the principal wife of the Wei family, I naturally have to protect the marquis’s reputation. Concubine Liu has committed a grave crime. Let her be dealt with according to the family rules.”

With that, I smoothed the hair at my temple, concealing the cold glint that flashed in my eyes.

Liu Yingying was dragged away, given thirty strokes, and then sold to a remote estate, never to return to Bianjing.

9.

The scandal stripped Wei Jing of what little face he had left. The entire Wei household could no longer hold its head high.

Yet the noblewomen of Bianjing praised me one after another for my skill at managing the household. Even the Princess of Jing’an personally sent an invitation to a flower-viewing banquet. Every line of her note carried the same implication: “The Wei family must have earned the blessing of their ancestors to gain a daughter-in-law like you.”

Seeing my influence grow, the Wei matriarch trusted me more and more, handing all matters great and small over to me.

Wei Jing seemed to have finally come to his senses. He curbed his debauchery and often visited my room with a flattering smile.

“My wife has worked hard managing the household all this time. From now on, I’ll treat you well. If we stand together as husband and wife, we can restore the Wei family’s glory.”

I lowered my eyes and idly moved the abacus beads, answering with a faint smile.

“You flatter me, my lord. As the principal wife of the Wei household, I’ll naturally do my utmost. You only need to take care of your health. I’ll see to everything else.”

Hearing me promise to shoulder it all, he breathed a sigh of relief. His eyes even showed a touch of dependence.

He thought I was being magnanimous and was willing to work hard for the sake of our marriage, cleaning up the mess he had made.

He had no idea I meant to take care of everything for a different reason: his death was drawing near.

The Wei household was about to change hands, and I needed to prepare.

Sure enough, in less than a month, Wei Jing began to feel as if his limbs were weighed down with lead. One morning, he could barely tie the jade sash around his waist.

At first, everyone assumed it was only because he drank too much. They continued giving him the usual nourishing tonics.

But one day, he returned from outside, passed through the flowered screen, and suddenly blacked out. He collapsed onto the stone floor, sending the maids and matrons into a panic.

The imperial physician felt his pulse for a moment, then sighed and shook his head.

“The marquis’s vitality has been depleted. His five organs are failing. He may not last much longer.”

The Wei matriarch was so distraught she snapped the Buddhist-bead bracelet in her hand. Clutching mine, she sobbed, “Mingzhu, now that Jing’er is like this, what will become of our Wei family…”

Her voice caught before she could finish.

I hurried to comfort her gently. From then on, I personally prepared his medicine and tucked in his blankets, serving him as though I were wholly devoted to him.

I even deliberately had someone raise half of the Xiangfei bamboo curtain, so outsiders could see how I stayed by my husband’s side day and night, with no time even to change my clothes.

But whenever it was just the two of us in the room, I no longer bothered to act.

Candlelight flickered across Wei Jing’s face, pale with a sickly green cast.

He lay helpless on the bed, unable even to lift a hand. His words were barely intelligible.

I ran my fingertips along his cheek, then suddenly pinched him hard.

“My lord, your skin has grown rather slack.”

I smiled tenderly, tightening my grip until a bruise rose beneath his skin.

Wei Jing sucked in a breath of pain. Fear filled his cloudy eyes.

He tried to pull away, but I slapped him across the face.

“Why are you dodging? I’m helping improve your circulation.”

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He could only choke out a few muffled groans.

I casually picked up the bowl of medicine by the bed, gripped his jaw, and forced him to swallow.

“The old madam often says that when a family is harmonious, all things prosper. Now that you’re resting safely here, and Liu’s already pushing up daisies at some remote estate, the household is finally free of its filthy complications. Isn’t that harmony?”

As Wei Jing choked on the medicine, I leisurely took out a handkerchief and wiped the residue from my fingertips.