Chapter 6 Escape: Her Face Seen by Him

Chapter 6 Fleeing: Seen by Him

After Qi Hao finished speaking, there was another prolonged silence.

He thought Jiang Yueyi would make a scene.

Jiang Yueyi had refused to take the graceful way out he had kindly offered, insisting instead on asking him for a clear answer. Such an inflexible person must be a stickler for rules in all matters; in her eyes, they were a lawfully wedded couple, and it was only natural for a wife to enter her husband’s study. How could a husband forbid it?

But to his surprise, Jiang Yueyi also remained silent for a long while.

A spring breeze drifted in through the window, lightly lifting the corners of their clothes. Unable to withstand the wind, Qi Hao couldn’t help but cough twice.

After he drank some hot tea to suppress his coughing, Jiang Yueyi said coldly, “I understand everything you’ve said, sir.”

“Good.” Qi Hao’s voice had grown a little hoarse after his coughing fit.

Jiang Yueyi did not leave immediately. She stood there, gazing steadily at Qi Hao, and spoke slowly, word for word: “I have confessed my fault and agreed to your request. Then I have one condition as well. No matter when or where, you must not deny me the dignity I am owed as the Lady of the Earl’s household. Can you agree to that, sir?”

“I have already given you the divorce papers. You may leave at any time,” Qi Hao said, but nodded nonetheless. “But since you are unwilling to go, I promise you: you will always be Lady Chengping of the Chengping Earl’s household. You will always have a secure place here.”

“Even if you take a concubine in the future?” Jiang Yueyi asked persistently, feeling a strange unwillingness.

Qi Hao smiled again. Looking at her stubborn, dignified, yet slightly immature face, he suddenly felt helpless. “With a body like mine, how could I take a concubine? As long as I live, you will be Lady Chengping. Unless… I die.”

As he spoke, his voice grew softer. Jiang Yueyi couldn’t help staring at him for a moment longer. Yet perhaps because of his prolonged illness, his face showed no trace of melancholy when speaking of life and death; it was as calm as ever, as if death meant nothing to him.

Jiang Yueyi sighed.

Well, what more could she expect from a man like this?

Qi Hao had already given her the divorce papers, and yet, on the condition that she stayed, he was still willing to preserve her dignity as the Lady of the Earl’s household. That was enough. Back when she had first married, she had harbored secret dreams of a loving and happy marriage, but in the end, such dreams were nothing but illusions, impossible for her to achieve.

She bowed to Qi Hao and was about to take her leave when Qi Hao suddenly asked, “I heard from Xing An that you came that day to borrow books from me?”

Jiang Yueyi paused, then replied, “Yes. I’ve been terribly bored these past few days, and I wanted to find something to do. I’ve finished all the books I had on hand.”

Qi Hao turned and walked to the bookshelves. After browsing for a while, he selected three books and handed them to Jiang Yueyi.

She flipped through them idly. One was the latest collection of poetry on the market, one was a popular novel of social customs, and the last was a book of Chan Buddhist philosophy. Probably not knowing what she liked to read, Qi Hao had simply chosen these three, covering a fairly broad range.

“Just idle tales, I’m not sure if you’ll like them,” Qi Hao said, a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips, as kindly as an elder brother. “When you’ve finished, just ask Xing An for more. I’ll have him bring them to you.”

Jiang Yueyi acknowledged with a murmur, feeling a little dazed. Qi Hao was really not a bad match for her—if only he would treat her well, then her life would have at least some meaning.

Unfortunately, she was not blessed with such fortune.

When she came out of Qi Hao’s study, Qing Lan was standing not far from the doorway, chatting casually with Xing An while keeping a close eye on the door. Seeing Jiang Yueyi emerge, she quickly ran over, grabbed her sleeve, and asked, “Are you all right, madam?”

Xing An’s expression turned awkward. Jiang Yueyi patted Qing Lan’s hand and smiled. “It’s nothing.”

So saying, she waved the books at Qing Lan. Both Qing Lan and Xing An sighed with relief. Just then, someone knocked at the outer gate, and Xing An hurried off to answer it.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yueyi and Qing Lan slowly made their way back inside. Qing Lan was terribly frightened, afraid that Qi Hao would cause trouble for Jiang Yueyi, so Jiang Yueyi quickly reassured her: “Don’t be so scared. It was nothing. The master just wanted to have a few words with me. See, he even lent me his books.”

Qing Lan said, “I should have stopped you that day, madam, and not let you go in. It’s already… Madam and the master cannot go on like this.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yueyi stopped in her tracks. She did not go farther inside, fearing that the others there might overhear something, so she spoke to Qing Lan seriously: “Qing Lan, don’t say such things, and don’t dwell on them. The master and I are fine—just like any ordinary married couple. Understand?”

Only then did Qing Lan realize she had misspoken. The inside was already a mess, but no matter how rotten, it had to be covered with a layer of brocade. Knowing the rot inside, she must not rip the cover off for her mistress; on the contrary, she had to help mend it.

“Madam, I understand.” Qing Lan quickly changed the subject, forcing a smile. “Allow me to see what books the master has given you.”

Qing Lan could read a little, having been at Jiang Yueyi’s side, so Jiang Yueyi pointed to each book and explained them to her.

Engrossed in their conversation, they did not notice that behind them, Xing An had opened the main gate and was welcoming someone in.

Just then, Qing Lan sighed, “Madam was already known for her love of learning back home; the men of the Jiang family couldn’t match her. Now that you’re married, you could take a rest, but you still won’t give yourself a break.”

When Qi Yuan stepped into Xingyun Courtyard, he happened to hear Qing Lan’s words. He looked up and saw two figures standing near the inner gate.

One of them had a delicate, graceful figure, slender and lovely, her slim waist slightly turned to one side. He couldn’t see her full face, only her slender fingers holding a few books, and a hint of a smile at the corners of her lips.

There was something strangely familiar about that silhouette. He stopped instinctively.

Unaware, Jiang Yueyi continued chatting with Qing Lan: “What do you mean, take a rest? Reading is for my own benefit—I don’t lose anything from it. If not for that, heaven knows where I would be today. There’s no harm in reading more, and the benefits are all mine to gain; nobody can take them away.”

These words made Qi Yuan frown slightly.

Reading was a pure and noble endeavor. How could this woman speak of it so matter-of-factly?

Just then, Xing An saw him staring at Jiang Yueyi and quickly called out, “Second Master, please come this way. The master is inside!”

The call startled Jiang Yueyi.

She had never expected to run into Qi Yuan here, and she immediately regretted stopping to talk. If she had just gone inside, she wouldn’t have been seen by him.

Jiang Yueyi grabbed Qing Lan’s hand and fled in panic.

She couldn’t be sure—if he saw her face, would he indeed recognize her?

As she hurried away, Qi Yuan looked away. This was his elder brother Qi Hao’s courtyard; whether it was a lady or a maidservant, it was not proper for him to stare.

Still, he asked Xing An, “Who was that?”

Xing An replied, “That was the madam and her maid.”

Qi Yuan asked no more and went inside to find Qi Hao. Xing An secretly wiped his forehead.

Qi Hao was delighted to see Qi Yuan. He pulled him to sit down and poured tea for him himself.

“You’ve been home so long, yet you never come to Xingyun Courtyard to see me. Today is the first time,” Qi Hao said.

Qi Yuan took the tea from Qi Hao and said solemnly, “Your health is not good. I feared that coming too often would disturb your rest. Besides, you are now married, and it would be improper in Xingyun Courtyard.”

He paused, then decided not to mention having accidentally seen Jiang Yueyi, and took a sip of tea.

“You keep calling me ‘brother’—why must we be so formal?” Qi Hao smiled ruefully. “Father passed away early, when we were only seven or eight. So many years have passed since then. We ought to support each other, but you are no longer in the capital, and my body is ruined—I can accomplish nothing, merely existing.”

Hearing this, Qi Yuan sighed softly. “Brother, why must you speak of yourself like that? The order of rank and seniority is the natural order of the world. If you dislike it, I can call you ‘elder brother’ (gege) instead.”

The old Earl of Chengping had died young, leaving behind his elderly widowed mother in the mansion. Qi Hao, as the legitimate eldest son, had his birth mother Feng Shi to look after him. Though losing his father made him somewhat lonely, it was not truly miserable. He naturally inherited the title.

But Qi Yuan was different. Soon after his father’s death, his mother, Concubine Qin, also succumbed to illness and passed away. Feng Shi greatly disliked this concubine-born son, born almost at the same time as her own second son. The fact that she hadn’t banished mother and son to the countryside back then was already a display of her magnanimity and sense of propriety as the legitimate wife. Now that her husband was gone, why would she bother to care for a concubine’s son? She merely ensured he had food and clothing, leaving him to his fate.

But even as a child, Qi Hao had secretly helped Qi Yuan, his half-brother born of a different mother. Thanks to Qi Hao, Qi Yuan had not been bullied too badly as a child.

If there was anything in this place—which could hardly be called a home—that made Qi Yuan reluctant to abandon it entirely, it was Qi Hao.

Qi Hao cleared his throat gently, shook his head, and said, "I was just joking. What difference does it make if you call me 'brother' or 'elder brother'? We're brothers, after all, and I won't fuss over such things. You don't show up at my door for no reason—surely you're not here just to see me today?"

"Yes," since Qi Hao had said so, Qi Yuan followed and stated his purpose, "The ancestral rites for this year are almost concluded, and I should be returning as well."

"Why the hurry?" Qi Hao asked.

Qi Yuan hesitated for a moment, but did not deceive Qi Hao, speaking truthfully: "Although I may be from the earl's household, you should know, brother, that this is no longer a place where I should linger. The old madam does not wish to see me either. It is better that I leave early, so that everyone can live in peace. Father has been gone for fifteen years. I likely will not come for next year's ancestral rites. In the future, unless there is a major event at the manor, I will not appear."

For a time, Qi Hao said nothing. Seeing that the tea before Qi Yuan was half drunk, he poured a little more for him, but still refused to fill the cup to the brim.