Chapter 60 Confinement: “Go to your room now—three days confined.”

Chapter 60: House Arrest: "Go back to your room now. You're grounded for three days."

Tian Qin spent the entire day at the Thousand Gold Clinic, obsessively seeking a solution to the Love Gu, completely forgetting about her mission to help Xian Qiu conceive a child. Only as she was about to head home did she hastily ask the physician a couple of questions.

As a result, she returned to the mansion two incense sticks later than planned.

Two incense sticks—an insignificant amount of time, but for Tian Qin, it could be fatal. Every extra moment past the agreed-upon hour made her break out in a cold sweat.

Upon reaching the Xie residence, Tian Qin did not go to Qiutong Residence to pay her respects but went straight to the study. That day happened to be a day off for officials, so Xie Tanwei was at home, which only added to her guilt.

She had been to the study once before—solemn and orderly, furnished with antique sandalwood that made the study as dark as night. Crows perched on the rafters, their long, hoarse cries echoing beneath the bright moon.

The candlelight flickered warmly. He was there.

Tian Qin took a deep breath, trying to steady her trembling fingers. Perhaps it was a guilty conscience—today she had privately asked Master Xizhong about the solution to the Gu.

Who knew if there were any of Xie Tanwei’s informants among the busy crowd at the Thousand Gold Clinic? If there were, she was doomed.

"Brother-in-law..." she murmured, barely audible, casting a shadow over the candlelight as her embroidered shoes pressed together.

Xie Tanwei was reading at his desk, his face half in shadow. He glanced at her briefly. "You're back."

The atmosphere was strangely oppressive, with hidden tension beneath the calm.

The tea cup was empty—he had been waiting all along.

Tian Qin hesitated for a moment, then steeled herself and took the initiative to speak: "I'm sorry, brother-in-law. I was a bit late."

Xie Tanwei hmm-ed quietly, his tone indifferent: "What did you tell me when you went out?"

Tian Qin stammered, unable to get the words out.

"The Thousand Gold Clinic was very crowded. I couldn't get through..."

"Don't make excuses." He cut her off impatiently, blunt and decisive. "Go back to your room now. Three days of house arrest."

Tian Qin's expression darkened, and she suddenly grew anxious: "No."

She walked around the desk to his side, grabbing his sleeve with both hands. "The Thousand Gold Clinic was really crowded. I only delayed because I was getting medicine for my sister. Afterwards, I urged Zhao Ning to drive the carriage back quickly, without wasting a single moment."

Xie Tanwei remained unmoved, his voice was lazy: "I don't like waiting. You always go back on your word, little sister. Promises mean nothing to you."

Tian Qin apologized repeatedly: "I didn't mean to."

"It's not about the process, only the result. Whether you meant it or not doesn't matter. The fact is, you don't know how to behave or control yourself. It was the right thing to put the Love Gu on you."

"Now, go back."

Xie Tanwei spoke each word coldly. "Do I need to have Zhao Ning escort you?"

The Love Gu was already burning inside her, and Tian Qin had no choice but to obey.

This was the first time he had punished her with house arrest.

In the past, no matter how extreme things got, he had never openly restricted her freedom, always maintaining the facade of a kind brother-in-law.

Now the mask was off, leaving only blunt orders.

Tian Qin walked out of the study utterly dejected. The cold moon peered down, the night air stretched endlessly, and the world was steeped in desolation.

Zhao Ning escorted her back to the Painting Garden. Because of the house arrest, he locked the low bamboo fence gate.

The dark green bamboo towered upright, leaves rustling in the wind. Spring cicadas groaned weakly in the spring air.

Nanny Chen and the others gathered around worriedly. Tian Qin waved her hand, signaling that it was fine, and collapsed onto the soft daybed, utterly exhausted.

House arrest meant she couldn't leave the Painting Garden for three days. Master Xizhong still awaited her news, having promised to lend her an ancient medical book on Gu solutions that she needed to read.

The spark of hope was suddenly extinguished once again.

...

Tian Qin endured the three days in the Painting Garden like a stone statue, enduring each moment, every second felt like a year.

The shadows of bamboo leaves fell on the water, painting ripples of soft light, reflecting the dusk. Tian Qin stared out the window at the water until a crow, drinking from the pond, startled its surface, and only then did she rub her eyes, realizing she had been staring for far too long.

Bored out of her mind, her heart pounding with worry, Tian Qin closed the window, shutting out the annoying spring scenery. She found paper and a brush, sat at the table, and wrote down all the Gu creatures she remembered from Master Xizhong's words.

The Gu creatures were countless and ever-changing: Golden Thread Gu, Loach Gu, Bamboo Sliver Gu, Stone Gu... Each Gu required a unique antidote, and even slight changes in the dosage of poisons could result in very different antidotes.

Master Xizhong had sighed, "Whoever ties the bell must untie it," meaning that only the person who planted the Gu knew the exact ingredients and refining process, and could precisely formulate the antidote.

The more Tian Qin thought, the more desperate she became. She couldn't help crumpling the paper into a ball, then silently wrote down a few antidote herbs Master Xizhong had mentioned.

It wasn't that she was too stupid to understand medicine; it was that such sinister things were beyond even the old physicians who had practiced medicine for decades.

After the three-day house arrest was lifted, Xian Qiu hurried to the Painting Garden.

Xian Qiu wore a headband, her illness flaring up again, and her complexion was poor. She embraced Tian Qin as soon as she saw her, saying lovingly, "Tian'er, you've suffered these past few days, haven't you? Your brother-in-law has a sharp tongue but a soft heart—he sends you delicious food every day. Your sister's been thinking of you."

Tian Qin told her about the fertility remedies she had gathered at the Thousand Gold Clinic, leaning into Xian Qiu's arms. "It was Tian'er's fault for not being obedient. I came home late that day, and brother-in-law's punishment was deserved."

Xian Qiu wept, "The more sensible you are, the more my heart hurts for you."

The sisters chatted for a while, then Xian Qiu sat down and said earnestly, "Come to Qiutong Residence for lunch later. Apologize properly to your brother-in-law, and this will all be over."

After a moment, Xian Qiu also mentioned that Xie Tanwei's birthday was approaching, and the household was preparing a big celebration. Since Tian Qin's birthday was close to his, they planned to celebrate both together. She asked Tian Qin what she thought.

Tian Qin had no expectations for her birthday. Thinking back to her previous life, when she was a concubine in the Xie residence, she had never celebrated a birthday. She hadn't thought about it then, and she didn't now. She just went along with whatever Xian Qiu decided.

Xian Qiu touched her face with satisfaction, praising her for being sensible.

Xian Qiu seemed to want to say something but held back, finding it hard to speak. She wanted to tell Tian Qin to stop drinking the contraceptive soup. But saying it outright would be equivalent to acknowledging Tian Qin as a concubine. Not to mention whether Tian Qin would agree, Xie Tanwei had shown no intention of taking her as a concubine.

Xian Qiu truly wanted to raise a child, but how could she borrow a womb?

Perhaps He Shi was right—once her husband had been with Tian Qin, it would be easier for him to accept other women later. If all else failed, she could buy a beautiful, fertile concubine and give her to Xie Tanwei specifically for bearing children.

...

At dinner, Tian Qin apologized to Xie Tanwei as Xian Qiu had instructed, and he forgave her with a casual nod.

Xian Qiu made a few lighthearted remarks, dispelling the shadow of the house arrest, and the family enjoyed a pleasant meal together.

After the meal, Xian Qiu went to manage household affairs and prepare for the Head of the Xie Family's birthday.

Tian Qin put down her chopsticks and sneaked a glance at Xie Tanwei. "Brother-in-law, are you still angry with me?"

Xie Tanwei's expression was unreadable. "Your sister played peacemaker. How could I still be angry?"

Tian Qin hesitated, then asked if she could still go to Qianjin Hall.

"I left in such a hurry that day, I dropped my handkerchief."

"Sister, so careless with your things. If some other man picks it up, I'll have to marry you off to him."

His gentle reprimand landed on her like a feather. It wasn't unheard of for a poor scholar to use such a thing to climb the social ladder. "If you'd mentioned it that day, I'd have grounded you for three more days."

Tian Qin apologized, saying, "Tian'er only just remembered last night. I'm absolutely terrified. Please, brother-in-law, allow me to retrieve the handkerchief."

Xie Tanwei neither agreed nor disagreed, simply asking her, "Is it that you don't want to marry, or that you don't want to lose the handkerchief?"

Tian Qin was struck by his seemingly casual words. The two were vastly different.

She wanted to marry.

She couldn't give a false answer—he would take it seriously.

Seeing her long silence, Xie Tanwei added, "Your sister is looking for a match for you. She asked me to keep an eye out for talented men in court. Sure enough, a girl grows up and can't be kept at home."

There was no emotion beyond calmness.

The calmer he was, the more terrifying it felt, like death.

Tian Qin was swept by an autumn wind, the pain in her heart turning to cold. He meant the opposite—he had already toyed with her body; how could he allow her to marry someone else?

"Sister... always worries about things she shouldn't."

For once, she criticized Xian Qiu. "I'd rather stick with you, brother-in-law. Even if you tried to drive me away, I wouldn't leave."

"Oh?" Xie Tanwei seemed to enjoy this.

The Love Gu was already stirring inside her. Tian Qin steeled herself and closed her eyes. "Tian'er doesn't want to marry, which is why I want to go to Qianjin Hall to retrieve my handkerchief. I don't want some opportunist to show up and cause you trouble."

Xie Tanwei's voice came as if from the underworld, calm and low: "Rest assured. Even if you had a child with someone, I wouldn't marry you off for the sake of reputation. You will die, and you will die in the land of the Painting Garden."

Tian Qin shrank her shoulders, shivering.

After a thrilling round of parrying, she finally won the chance to go to Qianjin Hall again.

"Find the handkerchief properly. I want to see it." He adjusted her lapels, speaking slowly. "Our birthdays are coming up. Your sister has prepared extra dishes. Dinner tonight will be an hour earlier than usual. Come back early."

His instructions were plain and direct—the rules for this outing.

Tian Qin's usual return time wasn't late, and an hour earlier meant she would have almost no time to study medicine with Master Xizhong.

But what did it matter? His bottom line was set right there.

"I understand."

She would keep at it. Even if she could only learn one herb each time, by steady effort and daily accumulation, she could eventually break the Love Gu.

Xie Tanwei glanced at her casually, reading something from her determined eyes.

He mulled it over but decided not to call her out. "Are you suddenly interested in medicine?"

Tian Qin denied it, using Xian Qiu's illness as a shield. "It's all for my sister. That Master Xizhong can work miracles."

Xie Tanwei let out an almost inaudible laugh. "I myself could teach you medicine. I could also teach you how to make your sister 'work miracles' yourself. If you want to ask about the Love Gu, I can tell you everything without reservation. No need to bother with outsiders."

"Not the Golden Thread Gu, Loach Gu, Love Sickness Gu, or anything like that."

Tian Qin's heart jolted as if struck by lightning. Her secret was suddenly laid bare. Her eyes went wide.

He had likely been drinking—there was a faint scent of wine on him. He made no effort to hide his desire for her. He sounded serious, yet as if casually mentioned, shrouded in riddles like a fog.

That old bastard Xi Zhong was nothing but a minor player. In his eyes, even the most famous physicians under heaven were no match. The Love Sickness Gu was basically an aphrodisiac—he couldn't be bothered to use it. He had given the pair of Gu he carefully raised a simple, ordinary name: Love Gu. One in his body, one in hers. No duplicates. Their souls vibrating in unison—it was the most precious bond he could give her, and the most romantic gift.

To Tian Qin, he was nothing less than a madman. A clever, calm, scheming madman—far more terrifying than someone truly insane.

"You're joking, brother-in-law."

"Am I?"

Black whirlpools spun in Xie Tanwei's eyes. Calm and rational, he smiled serenely, gently watching how this fish in his net would struggle and flounder. He would see it through to the very end.