Chapter 24 Temperament: Separate Bedrooms on the Second Day of Marriage?

Chapter 24: Temperament: Separate Rooms on the Second Day of Marriage?

Winter rain is especially miserable, a damp chill in the air, like it's trying to freeze everything solid.

The night wore on, yet the rain showed no signs of stopping, instead intensifying. Qi Yuan, sick of the cold and damp, got up and threw a few more coals into the brazier.

Since Qi Hao's murder was still an open case, Qi Yuan was stuck at the Chengping Baron's estate for now.

He was still holed up in Snowfall Courtyard, and aside from the two servants he'd brought with him, nobody bothered with him—same as always.

A few days back, he'd been called to the palace to report on his work. In just two years, he'd made a real dent in the backlog of cases in Qing County, clearing half of them. The emperor was planning to reinstate him to his old post, and an imperial decree was due any day now. But Qi Yuan wasn't exactly thrilled. Staying in the capital wasn't necessarily any better than Qing County. Work was work, no matter where you did it. It was just the emperor's way of using the Judicial Review Office to keep the Grand Court of Judicature in check, and he needed Qi Yuan as his right-hand man. The waters in the capital were a lot muddier than in Qing County.

Of course, Qi Yuan didn't tell anyone about any of this. There was no one to tell. At the baron's estate, besides the late Qi Hao, nobody was rooting for him. Only a handful of close friends and colleagues knew how he was doing.

The rain pattered on steadily through the night. Everything was eerily quiet, just the sound of rain hitting the roof tiles and the ground. Qi Yuan was reading alone by the lamp when a sudden gust of wind made the candle flame flicker a few times before it steadied.

Qi Yuan's mind drifted. What had been as calm as still water now spread out like tangled vines, endless and unbroken.

It hadn't been that long since he'd last stayed in Snowfall Courtyard. Back then, Yaoyao had been by his side every night, keeping the loneliness away. Now, in the dead of winter, he was suddenly all alone, his cold bed and blankets a stark contrast. He'd often stay up until almost midnight before remembering he should go to bed, feeling completely listless.

The warm scent of his beloved seemed to still linger around the bed.

He used to be used to being alone, not even noticing how heavy it was. But after tasting how sweet it was to have someone, losing it all of a sudden felt like falling into an abyss.

Coming back to this old place, every moment he spent here carved her memory deeper into his heart, like a knife going from a light scratch to a bloody wound.

Yaoyao.

A soft sigh escaped Qi Yuan's lips, and he didn't even realize it.

Their goodbye had been so tender. He'd never been one to make promises easily, but she was different. He'd wanted to take her away from the baron's estate, and she'd agreed without a second thought.

She'd promised to wait for him to come back for her.

But in the end, she'd broken her promise.

In just a month or two, her leaving had been so sudden, catching him completely off guard. Like a wisp of smoke, she'd curled around him for a moment, and just as he was savoring it, she vanished without a trace. Sometimes, when he thought about it, Qi Yuan couldn't tell if he felt melancholy or grief.

Someone as lowly as Yaoyao, her life and death didn't matter to anyone. He couldn't even find her grave.

Qi Yuan could only regret that one moment of hesitation—why hadn't he taken her with him when he left? Maybe then she wouldn't have died so soon.

The whole baron's estate was like a beast lurking in the dark, its jaws wide open, waiting for someone to walk right into its greedy mouth and get torn to pieces.

Qi Hao, the master of the Chengping estate, had died for no clear reason. So what chance did a simple maidservant have?

A faint sound came from the door. Qi Yuan's sharp ears caught it right away. He pulled himself together and said firmly, "Come in."

Snowfall Courtyard was a place nobody at the estate wanted to go. The visitor at this late hour could only be Xing De.

Xing De reported, "Second Master, I've been asking around for the past few days. The mistress and Master Zhou barely know each other."

Qi Yuan's face turned colder. "Is that right?"

"Really," Xing De said, stepping closer and lowering his voice. "The Jiang and Zhou families never had anything to do with each other. Besides this distant connection through marriage to the estate, the mistress and Master Zhou had probably never even met before she got married."

"And after that?"

Xing De counted on his fingers. "Master Zhou left the capital last year with his teacher, Lu Ruohui. At that time, the eldest master's health was improving. It was summer. Then, in autumn, the mistress entered the household. By this summer, a full year had passed. It was only when the old madam, seeing the eldest master's health decline again, wrote to summon Master Zhou back to treat him. That was the first time the mistress met Master Zhou. No mistake."

Qi Yuan was quiet for a long time. Finally, his fingers tapped the table twice without him even thinking about it. The pages of the open book fluttered a little before he calmly smoothed them down and put a paperweight on top.

Xing De ventured, "Second Master?"

"Then that's even weirder..." Qi Yuan's eyes went cold. In his mind, he saw Jiang Yueyi kneeling in front of Qi Hao's spirit tablet, those eyes like hibiscus flowers covered in morning dew. For a second, he was lost in thought.

These past few days, his mind had been completely wrapped up in Qi Hao's business, and he'd naturally found himself thinking a lot about Qi Hao's wife, Jiang Yueyi. It was only natural. But every time he thought of her, he remembered the first time he'd seen her eyes—that familiar feeling, that brief moment of tenderness—and it left him unsettled. He, who had always been clear-headed and in control, forced himself to pull it together. But he couldn't help feeling suspicious and deeply disgusted with himself.

Regardless of Jiang Yueyi's character, she was his sister-in-law. He should not harbor any feelings for her. Yet whenever he thought of her, his mind wandered.

Pushing aside his hidden concerns, Qi Yuan continued, "Since they had never met before, why would Zhou Congshen be so biased in her favor? Even when faced with evidence, he insisted it could not be her. That defies logic."

Xing De said, "I asked the household servants. They all say the mistress is decent. In over a year since her marriage, she has never been harsh to the staff. She has a good temper."

"One's disposition is one thing, but if it were the elder brother..." Qi Yuan stopped mid-sentence, not finishing his thought. He only said, "If today it were Jiang Yueyi who had died mysteriously, I would also investigate the elder brother thoroughly. No difference."

Qi Hao was dead, and Qi Yuan did not want to speculate about his daily behavior. But if Jiang Yueyi had indeed done it, for a gentlewoman with a good reputation to resort to murder, her husband must have been at fault. No one would gamble their future without being pushed to extremes.

"But the mistress doesn't seem like that," Xing De said, speaking freely as he had long followed Qi Yuan. He scratched his head. "She's pregnant. How could she kill anyone? And if she gives birth to a daughter, what would she do?"

Xing De chuckled and said to Qi Yuan, "If the eldest master has no son to inherit, with His Majesty's current regard for you, a special favor might grant the title directly to you. That would spare the old madam and the mistress from having to adopt. Especially the old madam—her efforts would all be in vain!"

"Silence!" Qi Yuan immediately rebuked, his brows deeply furrowed. "Do not speak such words again. Remember, the baron's residence is my elder brother's home, not mine. Whatever happens to it has nothing to do with me."

Seeing that Qi Yuan was genuinely angry, Xing De quickly apologized but remained dissatisfied. "I grew up with you, Second Master. I've seen all the wrongs you suffered in this house. The baron's residence is your home, yet you can't even return. It's just..."

This time, Qi Yuan did not scold him further. He merely glanced at Xing De, who understood the gravity and fell silent, standing obediently with his hands down, waiting for Qi Yuan's instructions.

Qi Yuan asked again, "Xing An said the couple was not on good terms, and even the old madam confirmed it. Is that true?"

Xing De nodded. "Yes, indeed. Servants in the Xingyun Courtyard said that on the second day after the wedding, the eldest master moved out of the main bedroom. They've been sleeping apart ever since. Sometimes he stayed in the eastern wing of the main courtyard; other times, he slept in the study. The mistress never went to fetch him. For over a year, it's been like this—neither warm nor cold."

Even Qi Yuan was slightly surprised. "They slept apart from the second day of marriage?"

Knowing Qi Hao, he had always been gentle and considerate. He could be kind even to a concubine's son like himself. How could he be so heartless to his own lawful wife, to the point that even servants noticed the discord, showing no regard for her face?

"I don't know the details. All I've heard is that the old madam later sent several maids to the eldest master, but he sent them all back. It doesn't seem like his dissatisfaction was solely directed at the mistress. The old madam had no further comment and just let them be. Fortunately, the mistress later became pregnant."

Qi Yuan fell into thought but said nothing more.

Unbeknownst to him, the night rain had stopped, leaving only the intermittent dripping of water from the eaves.

This winter had been unusual, with an abundance of rain, disturbing the heart.

After a long silence, Xing De said, "Shall I prepare for you to rest, Second Master?"

Qi Yuan waved his hand, dismissing him.

After Xing De left, Qi Yuan rose and walked to the window. As the rain had stopped, a thin mist had risen outside, deepening the darkness of the night, as if entering a maze.

His long, well-defined fingers gently pressed his brow. He closed the window and returned to his bedside, removing his clothes one by one, hanging each piece on the clothes rack.

He was always meticulous and careful, smoothing and straightening each garment until there was not a single wrinkle.

When he reached the last piece, a white belt came into view.

Qi Yuan carefully unfastened it. Instead of hanging it on the rack, he folded it and placed it by his pillow.

Since the day he learned of Yaoyao's death, he had replaced all his personal belts with white ones. Though they were not husband and wife in name, they had been in body. He had been sincere in his intention to marry her.

Although Yaoyao had passed, as her husband, he would observe the mourning period for her, to honor their bond.

She was gone. Now, in the cold night, only a white belt remained beside him, a token of remembrance—yet it only added to his regret and sorrow, endless and unresolved.