Chapter 18

Song Yan was puzzled and asked, "I married at twenty, and it's only been ten years since then. How could I have a twelve-year-old daughter like Xi?"

"Ah...?" Song Yan's mouth hung open, unable to make sense of the situation for a moment.

Wei Qi asked, "When the matchmaker came before, didn't she tell the Song family about my circumstances?"

Song Yan recalled that the matchmaker sent by the East Wing was the sister-in-law of the one previously sent by the West Wing. The two women, closely related, knew the ins and outs of the marriage very well. So when she arrived, she only spoke auspicious words and didn't specifically mention matters about the Duke's household, because she assumed the Song family already knew everything!

And indeed, the Song family did know: Wei Qi had a first wife from the Guo family who passed away years ago, a twelve-year-old daughter named Wei Xi, and a concubine who had been the first wife's chief maid... Wasn't all this correct?

Wei Qi explained, "Xi was adopted from the clan. It happened coincidentally, and also to bring luck to the eldest madam. She is not our biological daughter. As for me and Shixian..."

Shixian was likely Madam Guo's maiden name. But at this point, he paused and didn't continue, instead saying, "That year, I was serving as county magistrate in Changzhou. The Guo family and the Duke's household both wrote to me saying the eldest madam was gravely ill. The Guo family consulted a wise man, who advised finding a girl born under the water element during the hour of the rat to adopt, which would bless her mother and help the eldest madam survive this calamity. Just then, a senior cousin of mine, already fifty, had a daughter, but soon after, he fell ill and died. His eldest son, now the head of the family, refused to raise his young sister and wanted to drown her. When the eldest madam heard of this, she took the girl in.

"With the wise man's assertion, the Guo family asked the Duke's household to adopt the child. At the time, I was busy combating bandits in Changzhou and couldn't leave, and though I didn't believe in superstitions, any hope was worth trying, so I agreed. The girl was renamed and underwent the adoption ceremony at the ancestral hall, officially transferred to me and the eldest madam. However, after a year, the eldest madam still succumbed to illness. I returned from Changzhou to attend her funeral, and that was the first time I met Xi; she was already four years old then."

Song Yan's shock lingered endlessly.

In her impression, Wei Xi was willful, domineering, lofty, always brandishing her status as the legitimate eldest daughter and the first wife's child, looking down on Song Yan, the second wife, and the children born of concubines. Never had Song Yan imagined Xi was herself adopted.

And the reason for the adoption was to bring joy to Madam Guo.

No wonder the Guo family never came to visit her, no wonder the eldest madam's attitude toward this granddaughter was always indifferent, no wonder Wei Qi paid her little heed—the truth was, there was no real blood bond between her and the Duke's household.

Her birth father had died, her mother was perhaps a concubine and barely able to protect herself, her own brother had wanted to end her life. With no familial ties to rely on, her sole support was the adoption by the Duke's household. But her adoption was unlike others: Wei Qi was not without heirs; he was still young and would have his own children. Neither he nor the eldest madam would truly cherish her.

"Does Xi know she's adopted?" Song Yan asked.

Wei Qi thought for a moment. "Probably no one has told her intentionally, but she likely suspects."

It was easy to imagine that father and daughter had never discussed this, perhaps never spoken deeply about anything at all. Wei Xi surely did not know what place she held in her father's heart—whether she was regarded as a real daughter or merely as an outsider.

Suddenly, all her previous resentments faded, and Song Yan felt a tinge of pity for Wei Xi. Perhaps Aunt Jiang was the only one who truly cared for her; after all, the two depended on each other...

After a pause, she asked, "Does Aunt Jiang have any children?"

A rare trace of displeasure appeared in Wei Qi's expression. He replied calmly, "No, and she never will." Then he looked at Song Yan. "Aside from Xi, my adopted daughter, I have no other children—none of my own. Everything depends on you."

So the duty of continuing the family line rested entirely with her?

Song Yan suddenly felt unhappy and muttered quietly, "There's no guarantee in these things, Third Madam entered the household first and has no children either."

Wei Qi sensed her resistance and replied gently, "That's not my intention. There's no rush; let it happen naturally."

Song Yan felt somewhat comforted and twisted her hands, saying nothing more.

Returning to the Duke's household, Wei Qi went to Jinghe Hall, and Song Yan returned to her own courtyard.

The peach tree in the courtyard had nearly finished blooming, its branches now adorned with red leaves. Song Yan looked at the thriving tree and thought of the elder Madam Guo whom she had never met, then of Wei Xi, who fiercely defended her and the peach tree. She stood for a long time before finally entering.

Having spent most of the day in the West Garden, she rested at home for a while, then worked on her embroidery until nightfall, when Wei Qi arrived.

Because of the issues with Wei Xi, the couple had not been intimate for several days. Now that things were cleared up, they would resume.

Though Zhu Manman had not conceived yet and Song Yan was not anxious, how could she truly not be anxious? The sooner she bore a child, the sooner she could relax; delay only made it a lingering concern.

So she spoke gently, "Shall I have someone prepare water for your bath, sir?"

Wei Qi shook his head. "I've already bathed at Jinghe Hall. You go ahead."

Song Yan went to bathe.

Soon the sound of water came from the bathhouse behind. Wei Qi took off his shoes and sat at the bedside.

There were two soft pillows at the head of the bed. One was placed neatly in the center, the other had been neglected for days and tossed aside. He picked up the discarded one to set it back, and as he moved the central pillow, he found a book underneath.

Recalling her previous panic, he picked up the book and flipped through a few pages.

It wasn't a forbidden book but rather a romantic tale of talented scholar and beautiful lady, which he hadn't expected her to enjoy.

He glanced through it casually. The story was about a lovely maiden and a handsome young man who, through twists of fate, became a perfect match. The plot wasn't entirely logical, but the prose was elegant, the author skilled. He was about to put it down when he saw a passage describing, "Petals parted, gently enveloped, sweat-soaked, spring yearning filling the heart..." He turned a few more pages, and found another: "Unopened peach blossom, how could it resist the bold butterfly's deep theft; half-broken heart of the flower, unable to withstand the wild bee's indulgent harvest..."

Song Yan came out of the bath, wiping the damp ends of her hair. She turned and saw Wei Qi reading the very book she had kept at her bedside.

Thinking of the book's content, she was instantly alarmed. She rushed forward and snatched the book from his hands, her face flushed red, hastily explaining, "It... was forced on me... I haven't looked at it closely."

Wei Qi knew she was embarrassed and couldn't resist teasing her, "If you haven't read it, why so nervous?"

Judging from his demeanor, he'd clearly seen those passages. Song Yan's face reddened further as she stammered, "I... I didn't know this one was written like that... The last one wasn't... No, the others aren't like this."

Which meant she had read quite a few.

Wei Qi found this amusing.

Song Yan became more anxious, almost swearing, "Really, none of the others are like this, just this one..."

Wei Qi stopped teasing her and said, "If you want to read, go ahead. There's nothing wrong with it; the writing isn't vulgar."

Song Yan's face was so red it seemed blood would drip, but she was surprised he didn't object, only feeling more bashful, whispering, "I didn't intentionally buy this one..."

She hurriedly stuffed the book into the chest in the room in front of him.

After putting the book away, she came to the bedside, about to climb onto the bed, then remembered the lamp was still on. She returned to extinguish it, waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, then got onto the bed. Wei Qi moved inward, making space for her.

He asked, "Did your grandfather and father permit you to read such books?"

In his mind, her grandfather was a self-proclaimed gentleman, quite old-fashioned and stubborn.

Song Yan replied in a soft voice, "They don't know. I always read them in secret. My brother knows; we read together. He has many ways to avoid being caught."

Wei Qi laughed quietly above her.

The laugh faded into the night, and when it was gone, silence reigned.

She could vaguely see his shadow drawing closer, and then she closed her eyes.

He kissed her, gently and slowly, lingering for a long time. After a while, he parted her lips and touched her tongue.

They had never been so intimate before; everything felt strange and unfamiliar. She didn't know what to do. At that moment, she remembered a passage from the book, about a flirtatious woman whose husband was frail and dull, making life uninteresting, but her lover was attentive and gentle, always stirring her heart, making her unable to resist him, so she adored the peddler and despised her useless husband, wishing for his early death.

When she had read it, she wondered how such things could be interesting. Wasn't it always the same, not every time as painful as the first, sometimes there was even a little pleasure... In any case, how could one betray their husband and curse him to die because of it?

But tonight, she felt as if she understood the flirtatious woman a bit more. As he buried his face against her, her breath grew uneven, her body trembled, and she felt a little itch in her heart, wishing he would hurry...

He came early that night, but finished at the usual time. Afterwards he went to relight the lamp, while she lay in bed, calming her breath, too shy to look at him.

When he went to the bathhouse, she waited a long time before rising to put her clothes back on.

As she dressed, she noticed a wet stain on the bed.

She stared for a while before realizing what it was, blushing furiously. She quickly changed the sheet. When Wei Qi returned, she had just finished, holding the old sheet in her arms, and as she turned, she saw him.

She couldn't help blushing, gathered the sheet tightly, and hurried into the bathhouse with her head down.

Wei Qi smiled slightly, fetched a book from the writing desk, then lay on the bed to read.

It was a long time before Song Yan emerged, having changed into her nightclothes. Seeing him reading, she didn't bother to extinguish the lamp.

He always slept on the outside, she on the inside. Passing from the foot of the bed to his side, she glanced at the title of the page he was reading, something called "A Brief Treatise on Military Affairs," which sounded very proper.

Song Yan blushed again.