Chapter One, Return

He looked down at her from a height, lifting her chin, his tone softening slightly as if he were tipsy: "Qingmei, I want you to kneel."

As she opened her mouth, white mist dispersed, and Shen Qi suddenly realized that someone was kneeling on the ground: "What are you doing here?"

Why, despite her already being worn out at home, looking so haggard, does she still appear to him more captivating than the vibrant flowers and willows outside, evoking a desire to destroy

Shen Qi paused for a moment, allowing her to lean against him: "Why were you punished?"

Shen Qi walked to the door of the side room, first noticing a bright lantern near the ground, followed by the pouting red lips of the lock: "Young Master, you have returned."

The thin moonlight illuminated the dark green walls and tiles, the black jar gleamed, and a faint, dying insect chirp echoed through the blades of grass

No, a flower that has lost its roots is destined to fall. Only by living poorly oneself can one be said to share in the rise and fall with the Su family

The snowflakes and Xiao Wuer were perceptive, quietly retreating, and with a pop, the charcoal brazier made another sound

Su Qing stood in the front yard draped in her garments, surrounded by fragrant herbs such as the white angelonia that filled the courtyard, with a gentle breeze wafting through. The wind turned the pages of the booklet in her hand, causing the broken dried flower petals tucked within to scatter and fall.

Two red fingerprints were left on Su Qingning's cheeks, resembling delicate cream. She steadied the tremor in her voice: "I am well aware of my own feelings."

The cold wind cut across her face like a knife. She turned her head and lightly spat through the door: "Am I still afraid of you? In a few days, when the Su family is completely finished, let's see how you maintain this arrogant demeanor."

At that time, the Su sisters envied such elegance and all began to imitate it, competing to see who could gather more and more complete flowers. The young ladies shared their handmade creations, coming together like a cluster of blooming flowers, with laughter and cheerful voices never ceasing

When Xuehua brought the booklet back from the kitchen, it had already had several corners folded and was smeared with indelible coal dust and grease stains

Before the words had left his mouth, something flew over the wall and struck the jar at the corner, producing a loud clang. It then fell from the grass blades, rolled several times on the ground, and ultimately came to rest on the muddy moss.

sister-in-law

The heavy curtain was pulled aside, allowing the cold wind carrying a mix of ice, snow, and dust to enter the room. Su Qing coughed for a moment, and just as the snowflakes were about to close the door, the curtain was lifted. The figure of Xiao Wuer, resembling a thin monkey, squeezed in first, retreating while lifting the curtain: "Young Master, please take your time."

*

However, this time, she actually continued to speak: "You don't even respond to my words; if you go out in the future, won't it make people laugh at our family's lack of rules"

Lock Er huffed for a while, darkened his face, and stomped out, slamming the door behind him

The body on my back is finally warm, unlike the ghostly Madame, whose hands and feet are always cold, resembling a lifeless object

The maid stood outside the house, glancing at the cat with a sidelong look, then lowered her head and spat a mouthful of sunflower seeds shells into her palm.

He smiled at her: "Remember, if it weren't for my strong support for your father back then, his head would have been gone six years ago"

The hand he placed beside Su Qing's cheek suddenly transformed into a grip with some force, lifting her off the ground and standing her up. His tone was strange: "Qing Mei, you said my father-in-law is dead, what does that have to do with him?"

Then, Shen Yi impatiently reached out and grabbed the girl's shoulder, pulling her under the umbrella. He tilted the umbrella towards her, seemingly to avoid suspicion, only using the edge of the umbrella to hook her head, gradually bringing her closer to his side. The two of them stood shoulder to shoulder, slowly disappearing from his view

Su Qing has been married for six years, yet the matter of taking a concubine has inexplicably slowed down. Lock Er, at the age of twenty-two, still lacks a formal title, and is convinced that the first wife has whispered in the husband's ear, thus harboring jealousy towards her.

Su Qing agreed without much spirit, her voice resembling a faint meow of a cat

Su Qing was originally lost in thought

Su Qing suddenly felt a throbbing pain in her temples, perhaps due to not having eaten, her head felt foggy. She leaned against the table and sat down on the chair: "Go outside and kneel."

The person who had initially remained silent finally spoke, their voice like the wind through the pines, deep and chilling: "That is my sister-in-law."

The person who is not reached by Shen Yi is, after all, the one he has obtained, still in his hands to be flattened and kneaded, allowing him to humiliate at will

There is no one else in the room, and the snowflakes are like timid and indecisive wallflowers. Suo let out a sneer: "I am doing this for your own good. The madam's heart is not set on the eldest young master; what is the point of indulging in trivial matters?"

That sound was soft and gentle, blurred in the night like a dream

He saw Shen Yi stop, snatched the umbrella away, and turned back to say something. Su Qing also halted, frozen in place, looking up at him in a daze, unsure of what to do.

When she secretly agreed to Shen Qi's request without informing her parents, she thought that as long as she closed her eyes and played the role of a good wife from then on, life would pass by like a fleeting horse, and it would soon be over

Do not say that the Su family has now fallen from grace, and that everyone avoids them; last month, Shen Qi got drunk and had her support him to stay in the side room, and finally, in a half-hearted manner, he took her virginity. The next morning, he tacitly allowed her to move into the side room.

Suo'er is no ordinary maid. She is the personal servant of Young Master Shen, having grown up alongside him, and their bond is exceptional. Aside from their usual playful banter, the young maids have witnessed Suo'er assisting the young master during his baths; even when she affectionately pressed her body against his heated back while scrubbing him, the young master would merely tease her by poking her nose.

Lock Er can be considered quite charming among the maids, with a pair of eyes that glimmer like a cat's. However, even when she deliberately dresses up, standing next to such a grand lady makes her appear like a puppet dressed in red and green from a folk play.

Every time he thinks of this, it makes his blood surge with excitement

Even a rabbit will bite when it is anxious, can she still be considered a master

Shen Yi walked quickly, and she was jogging along diagonally behind, with raindrops hitting the umbrella and splashing out, soaking one side of her shoulder, while her boots stepped into the puddles one after another

That person seemed to ignore her completely, as if they had left her far behind.

She lowered her brows and averted her gaze, not waiting for his response, calmly and respectfully squatting down, wrapping her arms around his waist, and in an extremely humble manner, unfastening his leather belt

On that day, Su Qing revealed only half of her smile, and even in the rain, with only a blurred silhouette remaining, she seemed to exude boundless vitality

After a while, the person gently said "Hmm," and then added, "Right, wait a moment, I will return it to her."

The woman sighed a few times, anxious: "Second Master, that is indeed a valuable item! To just throw it away like that, it would be nice if you could give it to me instead."

I know this. Shen Qi's voice was devoid of much emotion as he casually fiddled with the paper flower on her head, saying, "You have fulfilled your filial duty; it is better to mourn in moderation."

No matter how foolish she may be, she has a premonition that the joyous event will certainly happen in the next couple of days

A gold bracelet, divided into two hollow strands in the middle, is intricately carved with a long-tailed phoenix. The phoenix's tail curves into clouds and mist, while its head holds a dark brown stone-patterned decorative bead. Remarkably, despite the fall, it shows no signs of deformation

Xuehua grabbed the corner of Suo'er’s clothing, bowed deeply to the madam, and, in a state of great panic, folded her hands and said: "I will go find it for you"

With a hint of intoxication, Shen Qi observed her, becoming increasingly perplexed as he looked on

The lock still hung on him, murmuring, calling his soul back: "The lock wants to help the young master vent his anger, so it took the madam's book to prop up the table corner. Did the lock do something wrong?"

The snowflake could no longer contain itself, nudging the lock with its elbow, its voice timid: "The madam is calling for you"

In the blink of an eye, another New Year has arrived

The lady is indeed a renowned beauty in the capital.

Shen Qi's expression darkened almost instantly. He paused for a few seconds, lowered his head towards Su Qing, and gently rubbed his chin against the top of her head, asking, "Madam, do you wish to meet?"

Pian Suqing is still living in a dream

In this dynasty, there have been many precedents of personal maids being promoted to concubines. Even if Suo'er considers herself as the mistress now, others cannot say anything about it

Throughout the year, he rarely comes back a few times

Locke cast her a glance, feeling somewhat annoyed as well

Shen Qi slowly curled his thin lips and tilted his chin towards Xiao Wuer, saying, "Did you hear that?"

Locke was certain that Su Qing would not come after her. She walked into the side room, touched up her rouge in front of the mirror, and chose a brighter lantern before heading out.

She lowered her eyes, "Having lost her home, she still considers herself a delicate young lady lamenting the spring and autumn. Isn't she afraid of being laughed at by others?"

Lock Er was taken aback, feeling that her voice was like calling for a soul, sounding ominous

"Good young master, don't you know?" Suo'er paused for a moment, her tone very innocent. "The madam has a booklet in which she writes melancholic poems about the joys of spring and the sorrows of autumn all day long. I opened it to take a look, and it turned out to be filled with words like 'regret' and 'longing'. I wonder who she is thinking about."

"How can one drink so much?" Stumbling unsteadily, the two of them leaned this way and that, crashing against the wall with a loud thud. The sweet and crisp laughter of the courtesan first erupted in breathless giggles before she began to complain, "Where is this place? The lanterns are so dim. Why is the second master heading this way?"

The curtain has been drawn shut

The two words that escaped his lips, tender like lovers, cold like enemies, formed a tightly knotted thread that he unexpectedly dropped on the ground

Su Qingdao: "The night breeze is cool, you should go back and rest."

A daughter who is married off is like water that has been spilled; sadness should have its limits. He suddenly turned around and pushed her down onto the couch. Seeing her expression of resistance, he intended to act more violently.

*

The madam seems to be truly angry

Saying this, he took a deep sniff and suddenly laughed: "Whose yard is this? The herbs inside the courtyard wall smell really good"

In that moment, he suddenly thought of Su Qing

The scent of alcohol wafted towards me as a tall figure stumbled into the room, the cord around his waist spinning incessantly

The lock hung down with its eyes unresponsive, and the room fell into an awkward silence

Shen Qi's face was hidden in the night, and his tone was as cold as the west wind: "Is it true?"

The gaze of the snowflakes lingered between the two individuals, noticing that the eyes of the lady were slightly red, perhaps from having just cried, though she concealed it well

Shen Qi was very pleased with her expression of despair and ruin

Locker's heart was originally filled with guilt, but what kind of madness had the lady, who could be bullied by anyone, fallen into to dare to reprimand her? She spoke in a muffled voice: "I have served the young master since I was little, clumsy and unskilled, not comparable to you, madam, as a young lady in the boudoir..."

Su Qing's skirt flowed gracefully until she could no longer hear any sound, at which point she bent down to pick it up

Shen Qibing's cool hand suddenly brushed against her face, and his voice was unexpectedly gentle: "Aren't you cold wearing this?"

The room is illuminated by the flickering light of candles, casting delicate shadows of figures on the flower-patterned window.

In addition to the smell of alcohol on him, there was also a lingering scent of powder, a garish aroma, likely acquired while leaning against the red and green. It was not until his palm pressed against her that she suddenly froze, a wave of dull pain surged from her heart, like a knife cutting.

In the second year after Shen Qi married Su Nu, his half-brother Shen Yi also emerged in the court. Over the course of six years, it seemed as though he was deliberately opposing him, cultivating a force that could stand in equal opposition, and making things difficult for him at every turn

Shen Qi, in a rare good mood, was about to say more when the door creaked open. Xiao Wuer lifted the curtain and said, "Young Master and Madam, the Second Young Master has arrived. He mentioned that Old Master Su has recently passed away, and he wishes to see you and... the First Madam"

Shen Qi found it somewhat strange: "The madam punishes you?"

Su Qing lowered her eyes and compared her wrist with her fingers. Unfortunately, she had become too thin, and the original size of the bracelet was no longer suitable.

The madam must be confused...

She stepped into the room and asked, "What is the matter, madam?"

Six years ago, the court underwent a significant upheaval, and the old factions were deeply intertwined. If it had not been for Shen Qi, who had just risen to power at that time, assisting her maternal family, the Su family would not have been able to survive until today

The astute individuals are the most adept at reading between the lines, and as they speak, their voices grow increasingly softer

Su Qing raised her head and looked at her for a while without much expression, and unexpectedly smiled slightly, "Since I cannot control you, why don't you take on the role of the main wife?"

A pale paper flower at her temple trembled softly in the breeze that seeped in from the west

If it can be said that previously Su Qing was still somewhat feared by Suo Er, this time she is not afraid at all

Su Qing's soft, broken hair gently fell over her delicate brows, her skin was tender and fair. As she looked at him with wide eyes, her watery gaze resembled two plump almonds, the tips of the almonds slightly raised. It was the brilliance of countless lights reflecting in the river, devoid of any hint of vulgar allure.

Su Qing's hand rested on the window sill, the simplest drop-shaped earrings resembling two teardrops, glimmering beneath her earlobes, which were as delicate as snow.

"May I ask how your good wife is doing?" She stood up, leaning half of her body against Shen Qi, as if she could not stand on her own.

Absolutely true! Lock Er stood on tiptoe and boldly wrapped her arms around his neck. "Usually, the lady keeps a tight grip on that book, and I couldn't bear to see it, so I took it away. She then flew into a rage and punished Lock Er by making her kneel in the freezing winter."

As the saying goes: To appear charming, one must embody filial piety. The unadorned plain attire accentuates her dark eyes and the cool tones of her skin, revealing an almost ghostly beauty.

My father has recently passed away. She lowered her eyes

Shen Qi took the lamp, paused for a moment, instructed someone to open the door and enter the room, and Suo Er, filled with joy, turned her head and smiled sweetly at him

There is still a brazier at home, and she is wearing a cotton coat. In a place where she cannot see, she cannot imagine how cold it must be there

Many years ago, a young girl, standing gracefully like a flower bud, walked alongside her brother, who had the most gloomy and eccentric temperament. In the slanting rain, she tiptoed to hold an umbrella for him, leaving only a blurred silhouette behind

"Nonsense." Su Qing's eyes were slightly red, and she slammed her hand on the table, causing the candle on the table to flicker, startling the snowflake's shoulder to tremble. "Go, bring it back to me."

The flickering light cast shadows as Shen Qi saw her quickly rise to her feet, her face momentarily displaying an expression of confusion.

Recently, she has lost a lot of weight, her waist seems as if it could break with a slight bend, and a paper flower rolled over a few times before landing on the carpet, where it was stepped on by him.

The madam has failed to win the favor of the young master, and in the territory of the Shen family, she has retreated time and again, now shrinking to just this small area of the study. If she is further trampled upon...

Su Qing no longer struggled; she bit her lip and after a long while was finally able to speak: "Of course, I dare not forget."

He immediately released his hand, as if he had just touched something filthy. He turned his back and paced around the room, his steps chaotic and disordered: "Do not forget, you are now my wife, Shen Qi."

The warm breath that Suo'er exhaled brushed against his neck, familiar yet cautious as she gently rubbed her lips against him: "It is truly cold today, does the young master still wish to let the ice sculpture Suo'er in?"

Su Qing lowered her head, kneeling motionless in place, and after a long while, she replied steadily: "It is late today, let uncle settle down early."

Only after the figure of the snowflake disappeared did she slowly crouch down, her silver satin cloak spread over the soil. Her knees firmly knelt in the soft earth as she dug a few handfuls of soil with her bare hands, burying this book that preserved the last vestige of dignity beneath the blooming four-season begonia.

The man sneered as he rubbed her face: "You did very well."

The cold west wind howled outside, and Suo Er widened her eyes.

Do you regret it

The room fell silent for a moment, and Xuehua silently lamented in her heart

Lock Er cast a sidelong glance at the ground, unwilling to move: "I have propped up the corner of the table."

Su Qing abruptly opened the drawer, revealing a moderately sized empty space inside. She unusually opted for a straightforward approach and asked, "Have you seen my item?"

This is also the source of his agitation

Although he used the phrase structure of "lifting the case to the eyebrows," his tone felt unfamiliar, likely due to his habit of speaking in the authoritative language of officials

In her boudoir, whenever spring arrives, the maidservants would pick several branches of fresh flowers, still bearing dew and in bud, to place in a vase. She would select the most exquisite branch, pluck the petals to soak them, and after draining, arrange them on paper. Additionally, she would compose a poem beside it, binding them into a collection, ensuring that their fragrant essence would forever linger in the book

Indeed, the Su family is no more, father has passed away, and she is like a grasshopper clinging to Shen Qi for survival

Shen Qi's gaze suddenly darkened

Lock, you come in

is.

The two brothers had long since severed ties, dividing the Shen residence into two halves, east and west, and had no contact with each other.

The candle in the side room swayed in its embrace and then extinguished

Su Qing's tone remained gentle, and the snowflakes suspected that the madam was inherently incapable of anger. Since marrying into the Shen family, she had mostly been a quiet and virtuous shadow, and even when she spoke, her words were soft, failing to command respect.

He stood in the rain, seemingly entranced, feeling that he had lost completely, for she had never, ever held an umbrella for him like this, nor had she ever smiled like this.

Su Qing was momentarily taken aback, but then skillfully and dutifully took his outer garment: "My lord has returned"

Shen Qi showed her no mercy, treating her like a puppet to manipulate. During the siege, he did not forget to press her relentlessly: "Your father is a criminal, and you, are the daughter of a traitor. You might as well not wear filial piety, lest it implicate the Shen family. What do you say?"

Su Qing's face was pinched into a distorted shape, her eyes wide open as she stared at him in silence, a hint of daze reflected in her gaze

Locker's heart tightened, and her eyes hurriedly fixed on her toes: "Replying to the madam, how could I dare."

Su Qing rarely displayed emotions, resembling a walking portrait of beauty, interacting with others through a veil of mist. At this moment, her eyes, like dark blue glass beads, reflected two glimmers of light, making it seem as if the portrait of beauty had come to life

Su Qing's hand was holding a handful of soil, suspended in mid-air, as the moist sand trickled down through her fingers, while the petals of the guest flower displayed a captivating purplish-red under the moonlight

The snowflake caught a glimpse of her expression and was taken aback: "Madam..."

The window was lifted slightly, and the ethereal sound became clear: "Lock?"

Lock slowly brushed away the crumbs stuck to her lips and said: "It has nothing to do with you"

Su Qing's beautiful hand rested on the edge of the table, her nails neatly trimmed and rounded. Her gaze swept over the emerald attire and the rouge on Luo Er's face, and without saying a word, she lowered her eyes, a row of dense lashes resembling crow's wings: "Did you go through my drawer?"

"Indeed not." Suo'er began to cry uncontrollably, "Oh dear, look at my legs, they have turned into ice sculptures."

Locke noticed this and became increasingly resentful, her lips curling downward, preferring to stare at the dark night outside the window rather than look at Su Qing's face

Xuehua hurriedly grabbed Su Qing's hand, noticing that the four fair fingers she had slapped on the table were already red. Startled, she glared at Suo'er several times, "You are being too much..."

But as soon as she took a step, Su Qing reached out to stop her, while she continued to stare at Suo Er: "Let her go"

The moon is extremely round atop the treetops beyond the thin wall, and outside the courtyard wall, the clear laughter of a woman seems to be echoing