Chapter 93 Disgust: “Tian Qin, beg Brother-in-Law.”

Chapter 93: Disgust: "Tian Qin, beg your brother-in-law."

Ever since Tian Qin fell into the sea, Xie Tanwei had treated her well—indulgent, gentle, perpetually good-natured, his smiles free of any shadow, making one forget his demonic nature.

But a demon is a demon, fickle and capricious, cruel and merciless in his actions, like the venomous fangs of a viper or the sting of a scorpion. He tears away the mask of pretense and, without warning, devours the prey that has been lulled into false tenderness.

The prayer mat in the temple was made of coarse hemp, worn down by countless worshippers. Kneeling for a short while to burn incense was bearable, but after a long time, a needle-like pain set into the knees, the blood circulation faltered, and even the hardest bones softened in this invisible cage.

Tian Qin knelt motionless, like a corpse. The young novices glanced over, their hearts moved by compassion, and after a while, one quietly brought her a cup of warm water.

Tian Qin was mortified, a sense of humiliation washing over her. Her first instinct was to refuse the novice. But then she caught the mix of confusion and concern in their gazes, their goodwill, and she gently accepted the warm water, though she dared not say "thank you"—Xie Tanwei had explicitly forbidden her from speaking to anyone, and she feared that even the slightest defiance would bring harm to these innocent monks.

The novices understood tacitly and continued their sweeping and polishing of the Buddha statue. Amitabha, since Lord Xie had ordered her to kneel in repentance before the Buddha, she must have committed an unforgivable sin.

Tian Qin endured the most excruciating half-hour of her life, every moment like dripping wax torment.

Inside the hall, the bodhisattva's finely carved brows drooped low, maintaining an eternal stillness. The biting autumn west wind could not stir even a corner of her robe.

The Buddha regarded all beings as equal. The rhythmic, drum-like tapping of the wooden fish drove away any warmth from the hall, leaving it solemn, pure, and cold.

In a daze between sleep and wakefulness, Tian Qin reflected as Xie Tanwei had commanded. He controlled her person, her heart, her freedom, and even the wishes she made before the Buddha—she was not allowed to wish for escape, for fear that the Buddha might hear and grant it.

He would never allow such a wish to come true.

She had tried every trick and method in the world to escape his grasp, and all had failed. How could she dare to place her hope in illusory gods and Buddhas?

Just before the half-hour was up, Xie Tanwei arrived.

He leisurely observed her in the hall for a while, waiting until the full half-hour had passed before he said lightly, "It must hurt to kneel. Get up."

Tian Qin's already strained waist gave way, and she collapsed onto the mat. Dusty and haggard, her face ashen, all defiance gone, leaving only exhaustion and resignation.

The atmosphere was stifling.

There was nothing more to say between them.

Xie Tanwei cared nothing for her mood. As her master, he easily manipulated her fate, and all he wanted was to see her accept her lot.

"Time to go back to the mansion."

He broke the icy silence, offering a token of comfort. All traces of his fangs were gone, as if he were some great philanthropist bathed in Buddha's light. "Can you walk? Come to my side on your own."

Tian Qin was too exhausted to obey, but when his dark eyes fixed on her, a wave of dark terror spread through her. She jerked to her feet and, with numb legs, shuffled to his side, like an empty puppet shell.

Xie Tanwei grabbed her chin. "Resenting me? What should you call me?"

Tian Qin spoke dully, like a flickering candle in the wind: "Brother-in-law."

Xie Tanwei draped an arm over her shoulder and led her out of the hall, pulling her stumbling steps along. His hand naturally rested on her waist, and he lightly kissed her soft hair, which carried the scent of incense, heedless of the sacred ground.

"Remember that time there was an avalanche, and we were trapped together in the temple? You had a high fever, and I brewed medicine for you in the monastery. We played chess, admired the snow, and recited poetry."

He spoke of the days after their rebirth, when Tian Qin had tricked the answers to the imperial exams from him and passed them to Xu Junzheng. That act had brought disaster upon both her and Xu Junzheng.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

Tian Qin avoided the topic. "I don't remember. Climbing the mountain was tiring."

Her voice came out hoarse—too much incense smoke in the hall.

Xie Tanwei studied her vacant expression. "Next time, I'll have someone carry you."

He played both the kind and the harsh roles, switching between gentleness and cruelty with no pattern. Tian Qin felt she was going mad. Her knees still ached, and she dared not say anything out of line, only replying with short phrases like "Mm" and "Okay."

Tian Qin closed her eyes, leaning into his embrace, deceiving herself into being a breathing puppet, trading docility for a moment's peace. Her body kept sinking, as if her greatest redemption lay in not angering him.

Xian Qiu had come to pray for a child. She had consulted several masters to analyze her fate and also had an elderly monk of great medical skill take her pulse. She knew nothing of Tian Qin's punishment of kneeling.

On the way back, Xian Qiu was distracted in the carriage, murmuring the names of a few herbs the old monk had recommended.

Tian Qin was also distracted in the carriage, jostled and turning over thoughts, her rebellious impulses growing fainter and fainter.

The old monk's medical skill was superb, and this time Xian Qiu was full of hope.

Xian Qiu probably told Xie Tanwei about the old monk's prescription. He listened with a show of understanding, like a complete outsider.

Xian Qiu sighed, regretting his ignorance of medicine. "Husband, the master said that for a child, husband and wife should be close. Are you busy tonight?"

She was hinting that he should stay tonight.

But Xie Tanwei replied, "Not sure yet."

As the prime minister, urgent state affairs could arise at any time.

Xian Qiu's hopeful heart suddenly chilled. "Then, husband, could you move your official documents to your wife's chambers and review them there?"

Xie Tanwei refused coldly: "Madam, don't jest. State affairs are top secret."

The conversation stopped abruptly. The carriage window was half-open, and the stagnant autumn air hung within.

For a woman, to press further would cross the line.

Xian Qiu encountered a soft but firm resistance. For the sake of a child, she brazenly invited Xie Tanwei again.

His attitude remained enigmatic—neither outright refusal nor easy promise, like a smooth stone wall keeping its distance.

Xian Qiu was deeply frustrated by his evasive tactics, and her hatred for concubines and maids who disrupted her family deepened.

Tian Qin was also in the carriage, never once looking at Xian Qiu, and Xian Qiu never looked at her. Their once-close sisterly bond had withered with the passing of summer. They were now two opposing forces vying for one man.

When they reached the Xie mansion, Xian Qiu got off first.

Tian Qin stooped to follow, eager to escape the cramped and suffocating space, but her wrist was suddenly seized by Xie Tanwei, his grip firm enough to pin her in place.

Tian Qin froze, turned her head, and Xie Tanwei pulled her back into the dim carriage, restraining her roughly. He threw precise control and coldness at her, more insistent than ever, forcing her: "Kiss me before you get off."

Tian Qin was terrified by his reckless cruelty at any time and place, her heart frozen solid. At the same time, the Love Gu whipped her spine and skin with the cruel lash of a slave driver, making her shiver. She spat out the words one by one: "Tian Qin, beg your brother-in-law."

He intensified his grip, his dark emotions blurring, his coldness nearly choking her: "How do you beg?"

To survive, Tian Qin grabbed at the texture of his white robe, trembling as she pressed her lips to his. Tears of humiliation spread like a torn spider's web across her face, mixed with strong self-loathing. The taste of the kiss was bitter, a blend of helplessness and heartache.

Xie Tanwei took it all without mercy.

He tormented her until she was half-dead, then briefly relented, straightening her collar. "Get down."

His distant attitude was like a wall between them, as if he hadn't just kissed her breathless.

Tian Qin almost fled.

In the Painted Garden, Nanny Chen and others saw Tian Qin coming back looking devastated and a total mess. They shook their heads helplessly and silently prepared hot water for her.

Tian Qin was sniffling, her nose bright red; without a word, she stripped completely and sank into the hot water, scrubbing her skin red and raw.

Her tears mixed with the warm steam; her snow-white neck was covered in shocking bruises, and she was so furious she felt like hanging herself.

Zhaolu and Wan Cui both frowned with worry. Nanny Chen hugged Tian Qin with heartache, pulled her pale, scrubbed-clean body out of the water, clutching her in her arms: "Tian Jie'er, don’t cry, don’t cry! Things will pass! We are all here!"

But the more she said, the harder Tian Qin cried, crying her eyes out, her heart nearly shattered.

Zhaolu and Wan Cui closed the doors and windows tightly, afraid that the sound of crying would reach the Lord or Lady, making things even harder for the young lady.

"Miss would be better off marrying Bo Ge. At least Bo Ge is kind, honest, and faithful to his wife," said the younger Wan Cui, also crying, complaining despite Zhaolu covering her mouth.

Bo Ge was Nanny Chen’s son, nearly thirty and still unmarried, making a few copper coins a day selling flatbreads. Earlier, when Tian Qin had secretly fled to the Yu family, Nanny Chen had planned to have Bo Ge temporarily shelter Tian Qin.

But fate had other plans: Tian Qin hadn’t even gotten two streets away before the Lord caught her.

What's so great about rich families? They don't treat people like people. No matter how poor Bo Ge was, he would never humiliate Tian Qin like this.

Nanny Chen and the others dried Tian Qin thoroughly and helped her to the bed. Zhaolu lifted Tian Qin’s clothes, applying ointment to the bruises on her knees from kneeling, couldn't help her eyes welling up: "The Lord really dotes on you when he's affectionate, but when he punishes, he's ruthless too."

Tian Qin was glum; the tears had stopped, but her heart was heavy, her mind dizzy.

She lay limply on the couch, staring blankly at the patterns on the canopy, for a second she zoned out, then suddenly realized the pattern was exactly the same as in Wuyu Tongchun Garden. Not only that, but the pillow, the bedding, even the auspicious cloud jade ruyi at the head of the bed, the Xiang brush on the table, the inkstone for grinding ink, the zongzi-shaped soap pod for washing hands... every single item was identical to those in Wuyu Tongchun Garden.

She remembered that the Painted Garden was built and designed by him personally. The furnishings and supplies inside were also chosen and sent by him.

The hidden patterns on her fancy gowns were a stunning replica of the texture, fabric, and color of his robes.

This was no coincidence; it was a meticulously crafted "matching set" by him.

She was his, so naturally everything from furnishings to clothing, food, and living followed his lead. These coincidences formed an impenetrable net, seemingly trivial but actually like the Love Gu, strengthening the connection between him and her, subtly reinforcing the idea that she belonged to him, and even altering her perception, making her helplessly drown in this ocean of his presence, believing "she is his."

Such suffocating manipulation.

So disgusting.

Tian Qin suddenly wanted to tear down the curtains, destroy the brushes, inks, dresses, and jade ruyi, burn this garden—the prison he had tailored for her alone.

She leaned over the edge of the couch and began to vomit, startling Nanny Chen and the others, who quickly brought a spittoon and patted her back to ease her breathing.

"Could she be pregnant?" Nanny Chen suspected, though she didn’t dare say it aloud, given how many days Tian Qin had served the Lord.

If she were, perhaps the lady’s life would improve, giving her some leverage to stand up to them.

Tian Qin wiped the wet vomit, but knew clearly that it couldn’t be—there was always contraception. This wasn’t morning sickness; she was nauseated, her stomach churning and heaving as she threw up, purely from disgust at Xie Tanwei himself.