Chapter 71 Midnight: “Never envy the mistress.”

Chapter 71: Midnight: “Never Be Jealous of the Lady of the House.”

In the night, Tian Qin was drifting in and out of sleep when suddenly the Love Gu stirred inside her. Her whole body felt dry, an indescribable stifling suffocation. She turned over, struggling to suppress it, but it grew fiercer, itching unbearably. She wished there was a man around.

Had the Love Gu gone out of control?

Tonight, it seemed set to drive her insane, to ravage her till she dropped.

Unable to endure it, she rose in agitation, lit a candle, and was about to call for Zhaolu when she saw a female shadow outside. Zhaolu knocked hesitantly at the door. “Miss... are you still awake? The Lord just sent word; he wants you to come over.”

Tian Qin’s heart skipped a beat.

He had sent word earlier that he would be staying the night with Xian Qiu, and she had obediently agreed. Now, in the dead of night, he was pulling a surprise return, using the Love Gu to torment her half to death. What was his game?

Tian Qin draped a robe over herself and walked through the night to the temporary quarters at the Xie ancestral home. The lamps were out; only a faint yellow light like that of a firefly glowed in the side chamber.

Inside, Xie Tanwei was there, slowly fastening his robe, his dark hair half loose. By the window, he lounged lazily, drinking cold tea. A single lamp flickered like a tiny bean of light. When he sensed her presence, his eyes carried a trace of arrogance. “You’re here. Sit.”

Tian Qin was half-doubting. She saw that the curtain between the side chamber and the inner hall was tightly drawn, thick with darkness. Xian Qiu was clearly asleep inside.

“Brother-in-law, why did you call for me?”

Two or three teacups sat empty on the table. He had been burning with restless desire in the dead of night and had called her to relieve it. No wonder the Love Gu had suddenly stirred in her just now—he was summoning her.

No need to ask what he wanted—it was that.

Tian Qin was utterly humiliated.

She turned to leave, but Xie Tanwei snaked an arm around her waist, saying lightly, “Were you sleeping already?”

Forced onto his lap, Tian Qin was awkwardly off-balance. “Even if I was asleep, you’ve woken me up.”

“Sorry. I missed my little sister way too much.” His tone was lukewarm, without any real apology. He dipped his head to nibble on her slender neck. Tian Qin shuddered as a cold sensation, like a venomous snake, slithered over her. Helpless, she pressed her hand to his lips. “Don’t, brother-in-law. You can’t do this. I’m not feeling well today; I can’t serve you. If you force me, I won’t go along with it. Sister will hear.”

Xie Tanwei frowned in displeasure and brushed her hand aside. Every time they got hot and heavy, she’d bring up her sister and ruin the mood. Cold and aggressive, he gripped her chin. “Move again, and I’ll tie you up.”

“Then would you behave?”

The protection knot dyed with his heart’s blood from that day was still there.

At such savage words, Tian Qin’s dark eyes flickered. She held back her tears, resigned to letting him take what he wanted.

Pushed to her limits, her instinctive fierceness surged up. She gathered all her strength to fight back, wrestling against him. In their struggle, usually he won, but occasionally she managed to drag him down.

Xie Tanwei could hardly believe it. She still dared to fight back. He had to admit: though he detested her verbal defiance, he enjoyed her stubborn, unruly resistance in action.

Thanks to her, Xie Tanwei had his fill tonight. She was no longer like a dead fish or a piece of wood, but a living person—even if she was fighting him like a madwoman.

He let out a long, satisfied breath, wiped the sweat from his brow, and kissed her lingeringly. After hours of torment, Tian Qin had gotten no sleep and was dizzy with exhaustion.

Xie Tanwei’s breathing had not yet fully calmed; a cold breath traced the beautiful curve of her nose. He inexplicably brought up the matter: “Were you upset I didn’t come to you tonight?”

Tian Qin was so tired she felt like dying, every inch of her body feeling crushed by a cart. Hearing him smear her honor, she bristled. “Who’s unhappy? I agreed completely when you said you’d stay with Sister. It was you who went back on your word and forced me to come here.”

“Mm, I forced you to come here.”

Xie Tanwei repeated her words, each syllable carrying the opposite meaning.

Satisfied, he loosened his hold. He lounged back against the couch, carefree as a loose boat. “Not scared of upsetting your sister anymore? You’re talking pretty loud.”

She had snapped back, her anger still simmering. She had indeed failed to control her voice just now.

With all that racket—him going in and out of her, so wantonly—unless Xian Qiu was deaf, she must have heard.

A vengeful glint flashed in Tian Qin’s eyes. She maliciously thought it would be good if Xian Qiu found out, so the couple would grow suspicious, create rifts, harm each other, and bring mutual ruin.

“If Sister finds out, wouldn’t it be more trouble for you? After all, the whole Xie clan is here, looking up to you as a role model.”

Her teeth were gritted, flashing open and shut.

“I don’t mind. What harm could losing my reputation for my little sister bring? Besides, as you said, I myself have a ‘venomous heart,’ so how could I hide it from the world forever?”

Xie Tanwei was fearless and completely unbothered, as if possessed, grinning lasciviously. “Scream a few more times for me.”

Tian Qin shuddered in disgust and sharply turned her head away.

He was refreshed and invigorated by her, and slowly picked up the thread of their earlier conversation. “Whenever Xian Qiu and I are together, you always seem displeased. Either you hang your head in silence or you hide in a corner. Do other women get to you? Are you jealous?”

Tian Qin was shocked, unable to believe it, feeling utterly insulted. “Jealous? I’d sooner say—”

Before she could finish her retort, Xie Tanwei covered her mouth right on cue, saying with mock seriousness, “Don’t deny it. Your eyes can’t hide things. I saw everything.”

Tian Qin didn’t know what her eyes had hidden.

He was arrogant, assuming she was jealous, so she must be jealous.

“Never be jealous of the lady of the house. She’s your sister, but also my wife.” Xie Tanwei implicitly placed her in the position of a concubine. His voice was beautiful, like heavenly music, but it froze her to the bone. “...And a little sister is just a little sister.”

Tian Qin’s heart felt frozen over. He truly was the head of a great family, a pedantic scholar-bureaucrat, a Confucian stickler—just like in her past life, caring only about clan law and propriety. What was the difference between falling in love with such a cold-hearted man and falling in love with a beast? It was truly pathetic. Xian Qiu was even somewhat pitiable.

“Don’t worry, brother-in-law is just brother-in-law. I would never dare to be jealous of you two. Sister’s illness will one day be cured. When you have a fine son and live in harmony, a loving couple, I will vanish from your sight forever, in this life and the next.”

Her long, resentful speech turned the atmosphere from bickering to outright hostility.

Xie Tanwei’s eyes were cold and wet. He was displeased by her words, especially “disappear forever.” He gripped her wrist tightly. “Disappear? Where could you disappear to?”

What he had said earlier was actually a provocation, a reverse psychology. He had hoped she would be stubborn and confess her true feelings, admit she was jealous of him, show that she cared. But the answer he got was the exact opposite.

Xie Tanwei’s good mood was shattered. He didn’t want to hear another word from her. He casually grabbed a handkerchief and stuffed it into her mouth, then almost cruelly turned her over.

The restless fire he had barely quelled surged up again.

Tian Qin’s chin rested on the pillow. She stared grimly, silent, resisting his violence with a stone-like silence.

Seeing her stubborn look tonight, Xie Tanwei felt moved. He pushed her down and began a new round.

This time, he still found it not enough and cranked up the Love Gu, forcing her to lose her composure and descend into frenzy.

Tian Qin’s mind wavered. Her resistance gradually faded to nothing. Under his inhuman torment, she screamed out again and again. The sound was loud enough to reach Xian Qiu in the hall.

Yet the hall remained deathly silent, just like that day in the theatre. Xian Qiu made no movement at all. No matter how Tian Qin called for help, it sank into the vast depths. Her cries for help only added to the couple’s pleasure.

“Do you know you’re wrong now?”

Before her consciousness faded completely, only Xie Tanwei’s cold sneer remained, each word a warning that drilled into her mind: “For eternity, you can only be by my side.”

...

The Qingming ancestor worship lasted for several days, followed closely by the spring purification ritual.

The purification rite, held twice a year—spring and autumn—was a time when people would wash their feet and bathe in the river, washing away dust and bad luck.

For the great noble houses, holding a spring purification was not merely about observing ancient rites; it was also a means of networking among the elite—delineating social circles, aligning with powerful patrons, and visiting friends.

The Golden Water River flowed slowly from the depths of the palace, passed through the outskirts of the capital, and gradually converged into a lake. Around the lake, trees and rocks cast dense shadows, thickets of pruned branches lined the shore, and purple rushes had grown along the banks in spring. The wind settled, the sun emerged, and the scenery was exquisite.

The Xie family’s purification rite was held on an open bank where pavilions and waterside structures had been erected, construction had begun last winter and was just completed. They laid out an array of early spring fruits, snacks, spirits, and delicacies, forming a banquet that drew all the great clans who had come to the river for the spring purification—they mingled, exchanged pleasantries, raised their glasses, some by the lake, some on the rocks, others under the shade of the trees—a scene brimming with Zen-inspired tranquility.

On such an important occasion, Tian Qin was likewise required to attend.

At dawn, Tian Qin fastened her buttons one by one. She wore a pale pink cloud-patterned thousand-water skirt, pure and spotless, with butterflies hidden in the dark-hued embroidery. The fasteners, sleeves, and hem were all strung with tiny South Sea pearls—plain, simple, gentle and quiet—as if perfectly suited to her role as a younger sister. One pearl sat just at the high collar, and when fastened, it seemed to grip her throat, the glittering little South Sea pearl like a prying, watchful eye.

Xie Tanwei observed quietly from behind.

The garment was his choice—expensive, yet exuding an oppressive sense of restraint from every angle. He wanted her to wear it, to conceal her graceful figure, to forbid her from being too flashy. Like the fleeting bloom of a night-blooming cereus, its most stunning beauty was to be seen by him alone in the deep of night.

“Beautiful.”

Xie Tanwei encircled her from behind, her form as pure and white as a lotus. “With looks like yours, anything you wear looks good.”

“Is this outfit you prepared for me a gown, or a prison uniform?”

Tian Qin stared blankly at the sleeves that nearly swallowed half her palms. Her neck, her sleeves, even the hem that tightly covered her shoes—everything was stiflingly enveloping. The silk was a soft, warm cage, trapping her at every step as she moved. He had watched her entire process of changing clothes, with no regard for modesty or proper boundaries.

“You even have to control my clothes. You might as well throw me into a dungeon.”

Xie Tanwei chuckled, feeling the softness of her dark hair, his warm lips brushing her earlobe. “Then you’d hate me for life.”

“Don’t I already?”

Xie Tanwei wrapped his hand around her delicate fingers, stroking them gently. “You’re the only good little sister I have. Naturally, I keep a close watch on you—I’d regret losing you forever.”

He brought lipstick to her lips. “Press them together. It will improve your complexion. Don’t look like you’re under house arrest.”

Expressionless, Tian Qin parted her lips, staining them a vivid red.

With her pinkish-white dress, jet-black hair, crimson lips, and fair skin, she looked as if she had emerged unsullied from the mud—a pure and unsullied beauty, simple yet not shabby, exuding a subdued elegance and nobility.

From the garden he had personally built for her, to the clothes he had chosen—the form didn’t matter. He wanted to trap her in a dense web of surroundings, to earn her willing submission.

Xie Tanwei rested his chin atop her head, a gesture full of reassurance.