Chapter 138 Captive: “I won’t be your second wife.”

Chapter 138 The Prisoner: "I Won't Be Your Second Wife."

The thick door was locked tight.

Tian Qin was alone in the bedroom of Hua Yuan—familiar yet strange. She felt dazed, like she was in a dream, unreal. Pinching her arm, she thought the nightmare would shatter.

Hua Yuan was as it had always been—she could almost hear the voices and see the smiles of Nanny Chen, Wan Cui, and Zhaolu. She was hallucinating badly, reaching out with icy hands to touch, only to grasp darkness and nothingness.

Some parts of Hua Yuan were different now. All the sharp corners on the furniture had been rounded off. The ceiling had no beams, and the walls were covered with thick, soft cotton padding five inches thick. The sharp hairpins and ornaments had been taken out of the jewelry box. The teapot and cups were made of solid stone—dropping them would only leave a tiny white mark, not sharp enough to cut a wrist.

Tian Qin let out a bitter laugh. He had thought of everything, making sure she couldn't hurt herself.

It was pure paranoia. In her current numb and cowardly state, she didn't have the guts to do something that painful.

Inside the dim, sealed bedroom, she was imprisoned alone.

She missed the wild, carefree life at Drunken Flowing Years so much. She pounded on the door, trying to break the lock with sheer force, and shouted, "Let me out!"

In the dead of night, no one responded.

Through the crack in the door, she could see the guards outside, armed and menacing, their murderous intent clear. They were ordered to watch her like a prisoner and only answered to the Lord.

Tian Qin screamed until she was hoarse, then slowly slid down the door. She struggled to the table and gulped down some water. The water was cool and sweet, perfect for a summer night—cardamom tea.

She collapsed onto the couch in defeat, too tired to even take off her clothes, and grabbed a blanket to sleep. Even on that sweltering summer night, the room in Hua Yuan wasn't hot. The window shutters had been deliberately left open, letting in the cool breeze from the bamboo grove, which turned the wind wheel. The wind wheel spread the coolness, keeping the sleeper at just the right temperature, and she drifted off to sleep.

The next day, Xie Tanwei came to see her.

Tian Qin remained motionless, her voice dripping with bitterness: "You bring me home, and you won't even let me out the door?"

Xie Tanwei's eyes held a warm brightness, his tone gentle as he sauntered in: "Of course I'll let you out—after a year."

"Which door?"

"The main gate of the estate."

Tian Qin's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she suddenly understood: "You're going to mourn Yu Xianqiu for a year?"

Xie Tanwei's demeanor was as clear as water, his belt loosely tied around his waist: "She was my wife. According to Confucian rites, the mourning period for a wife is one year, just for show."

"And after a year, why will you allow me to go out?"

Tian Qin pressed further, acutely sensing her fate. Her tone turned icy, and she snapped: "I won't be your second wife!"

He laughed softly, a cold draft sweeping in: "I'm afraid you don't have a choice."

"Two women serving the same husband, marrying you one after the other—the Xie family would be disgraced. People would say you wasted your education. Let me be your concubine, or keep me outside as before, but I won't be your wife."

Tian Qin held back her anxiety, trying to reason with him. Marrying him would be worse than death. She forgot that Xie Tanwei wasn't the type to reason—the powerful never are.

"Cases of two women serving one husband are common. You've been sheltered, so you wouldn't know. People won't curse me; they'll think I'm devoted to my first wife. The elder sister died, and out of grief, I married the orphaned younger sister. That's seen as noble. The Yu family is gone, so no one will suspect I'm climbing politically."

Xie Tanwei seemed casual, fully aware, and tousled her hair. "Be good and listen to your brother-in-law. I'll give you a proper wedding. After the wedding, we'll have children—just like in the past life, a boy and a girl twins."

Tian Qin felt pain in every bone at his words. In a rush of fury and grief, she threw pillows at him, hurling everything she could grab: "Liar! You liar! You said you wouldn't force me to get pregnant! I can never marry you, let alone bear children! You're delusional!"

Xie Tanwei stood with his arms crossed, casually bearing her curses. No matter how much she thrashed and struggled, her weakness couldn't change anything. Her helpless tears only made his interest grow: "I've changed my mind. A child will bring us closer, and the Xie family will have an heir."

He leaned down, approaching her, glancing sideways at the woman whose life he controlled. "Since you could bear children for someone like Bo Ge, why not for me? You should treat us equally. I didn't get you pregnant before out of consideration, not so you could hold it against me."

"I can still die—and take you with me."

Tian Qin lifted her head resolutely.

Then a chill ran through her. The room had been fortified; he was prepared.

Xie Tanwei slowly stopped smiling, his face unreadable: "Then try."

He was a divine physician—don't forget that.

"To die together with you would be a perfect ending."

Xie Tanwei sighed deeply.

Only then did Tian Qin taste true despair, like being struck by lightning, her mind blank. Tears streamed from her stunned eyes, silent as the night.

"No..." She grabbed his clothes, her tears falling too fast, wetting the front of her dress in moments. "I beg you, Xie Tanwei, don't be so cruel. I don't want to marry you, I don't want to have kids. Please let me go, or I'll really go crazy!"

She always did this—when being tough didn't work, she'd go soft, mixing both to soften people. But Xie Tanwei's heart was like iron; he wouldn't pity her anymore. He wanted her; he also wanted children. He would also win her love in the future. Everything a normal man had, he would have, not missing a thing.

Xie Tanwei wiped her tears, unashamed: "Alright, you're about to become the lady of the house. Cheer up."

He then announced his plan for the year playfully: "After drifting outside, you've grown tired. Stay home and rest well, and meanwhile, learn how to be a mistress. Of course, whether you learn or not is up to you. If you want to beat up the etiquette teacher, that's fine too."

None of that mattered; what mattered was: "Our hearts are still beating in sync with the Love Gu. During this year, you must not leave this mansion or try to undo the Love Gu, or there will be some small punishments."

Xie Tanwei laid out the bottom line clearly, noting that he wasn't asking her to humble herself or resolve her feelings to love him. His demand was only physical.

If she couldn't even meet the bottom line, the "small punishments" would cost her half her life. Of course, being soft-hearted, he wouldn't directly beat her or destroy her—but those she cared about would inevitably suffer.

Tian Qin froze: "Is there any room for negotiation?"

"No." He was resolute.

She said, "Even if you can control my body, I won't give you a single kind look for the rest of my life."

"It doesn't matter."

Xie Tanwei shook his head. It truly didn't matter. He didn't care.

He had been imprisoned by her in that cold, lonely death cell for too long, long used to it. He would never receive her merciful pardon, yet he persisted, sitting out his sentence at the bottom of that prison.

...

Tian Qin's resistance to Xie Tanwei reached its peak.

Her relatives were in his hands, so she couldn't resort to violent rebellion. Instead, she used passive resistance to cut him.

When he came to her, many times she wouldn't open the door.

Under the cold moonlight, they lay together on the bed, but she didn't say a word to him, colder than a stranger.

Their feelings seemed dead. This painful sensation didn't feel like a married couple living together, but rather like two enemies tormenting each other.

Xie Tanwei was determined to keep her chained by his side, so he endured this life as best he could. His skill at cultivating his spirit was superb, and he accustomed himself to this silence, finding joy in it.

During the day, Tian Qin could manage to ignore him, but at night, sharing the bed with him, his presence was magnified like never before, impossible to overlook.

"Call me." Xie Tanwei demanded, his voice hoarse.

Tian Qin's eyes were clear as spring water, and she said firmly, "Brother-in-law."

Those two words cruelly drenched the warm atmosphere with icy water, nailing them back into their proper places.

"Heh." Xie Tanwei half-lowered his raven lashes. "Why do you still call me that?"

Tian Qin said disdainfully, "You know it. At most, I'll only ever see you as my brother-in-law."

She struggled to squirm away, trying to escape his control, but was pinned down more ruthlessly.

"A brother-in-law is half a husband, and a sister-in-law is half a wife" — a Chinese saying. He lowered his eyes and smiled, composed and confident, with a hint of imperceptible self-mockery, and pinched her cheek. "The younger sister has feelings for me."

Tian Qin's purpose was to remind them both of their identities. With red-rimmed eyes and disgust, she said, "Self-delusion."

Xie Tanwei was obsessed and unrepentant, with a hint of estrangement: "You're the one deluding yourself."

She had loved him. In her past life, she had admitted it herself.

"You..." Tian Qin was about to say something aggressive.

Xie Tanwei silenced her first.

Descending into the quiet night, the cold moon watched them.

Cornered at her breaking point, Tian Qin begged him to be reasonable, to talk things over, and said they could negotiate the terms.

Xie Tanwei thought he was rational enough. No matter what terms she offered, the chains could never be removed.

So, it was better for them to enjoy the beautiful night together; no need to waste more words.

Tian Qin firmly believed that Xie Tanwei was her karma.

He trapped her like this, and as she slowly went mad, he would be satisfied.

What he wanted was not her living self at all, but a docile puppet.

Xie Tanwei caressed her eyes, which shone bright through the mist. Every time he touched them, he could find a smug comfort.

He was the one who had cured them. Whenever she wanted to leave, he could keep lying to himself that he was good to her and could keep her.

Otherwise, she would be blind for the rest of her life.

So what if both were miserable? At least they were together.

This went on until late at night. Earlier, Tian Qin had watched Xie Tanwei drink the medicine.

Since he said he wanted a child, he probably wouldn't take the medicine for long. He would forcibly marry her and then force her to play the role of a happy couple with him.

She was exhausted and sweaty, feeling sullen and resentful.

Xie Tanwei was domineering—not in terms of his style or methods, but the natural aura of oppression he exuded as a man, which made her extremely tense.

"When will you let me go?" Tian Qin repeated the same tiresome question over and over, almost as a kind of harassment.

Xie Tanwei replied calmly, "Indefinite sentence. I will be good to you."

"We will have a very long time." He was cursing her.

Tian Qin hated his stubbornness. Out of all the people in the world, why was she the unlucky one chosen?

"Hold me and let me look at the moon." When Xie Tanwei was about to pull the blanket over her, she suddenly stared at the moonlight, blocked by the wooden window lattice, the pitiful clear light seeping through the gaps. "I can't sleep."

Xie Tanwei gave a vague hum, held her, opened the window, and they looked at the moon together.

Closing their eyes, they, bathed in the clear light, seemed sacred, as if they could all be redeemed.

They no longer argued, tacitly unwilling to ruin the beautiful moonlight.

Insects chirped all around; the night was like water.

The evening breeze blew gently, neither cold nor hot, caressing their cheeks, as if their innards were also cleansed.

Under such a glorious scene, one couldn't help but start making wishes.

His wish was to be together forever, but her wish was to be separated forever, even if by death.

The old man under the moon, the matchmaker in heaven, didn't know whose wish to follow.