The Crown Prince Chases His Wife
Chapter 101 Depth
Prime Minister Qin Mansion at the capital.
Song Mei sat in front of the ornate mirror, while Li Mama carefully combed her hair beside her.
She gazed at her reflection, her face clouded with worry, and her heart felt even more restless. Ever since the family lost its income from business ventures, and with the Prime Minister’s salary cut due to penalties, life in the mansion had become much more difficult. Though they weren’t as impoverished as commoners, compared to the life they once led, things had become much more restrained.
Gone were the days of lavish spending, and now they had to tighten their belts. They’d even had to sell off some properties in Yangzhou just to barely maintain their lifestyle.
Steward, Zhang had also passed along the Prime Minister’s orders where some of the unnecessary servants were to be dismissed, and everything in the household was to be simplified.
This made things even more difficult for Song Mei, who was currently managing the household.
Previously, Song Mei had been generous, often rewarding the servants with silver, earning their praise and flattery.
But now, the servants had shown their true colors with fewer and smaller rewards from Song Mei. They began to call her stingy and petty, gossiping behind her back.
Song Mei had overheard these rumors more than once. People whispered about her, even dredging up old scandals from over a decade ago.
They gossiped that the current Madam Qin, Song Mei, had once been the tutor of the eldest daughter and had used underhanded means to seduce the Prime Minister, which led to Lady Shen leaving the mansion with her daughter, allowing Song Mei to rise to her current position.
These filthy rumors enraged Song Mei, and she punished several servants in a fit of anger.
She leaned closer to the copper mirror, noticing a few more fine lines around her eyes. Displeased, she turned away from the mirror and stood up.
At that moment, a servant’s voice came from outside.
“Prime Minister.”
Song Mei’s heart leaped with joy. Qin Wenzheng had been avoiding her for days, but finally, he had come to see her.
The servant lifted the curtain, and Qin Wenzheng entered, bringing a cold chill with him.
“Everyone, leave,” he commanded.
The maids and servants obediently filed out, closing the curtain and shutting the door behind them.
“Prime Minister,” Song Mei called softly again.
“Shall I massage your shoulders?” she offered, her voice gentle.
Qin Wenzheng merely glared at her coldly, saying nothing.
Song Mei took a few steps closer, stopping just before him. She spoke tenderly, “Prime Minister… ah—!”
Before she could finish, Qin Wenzheng suddenly grabbed her delicate wrist with force, his face twisted in a fury she had never seen before.
Song Mei cried out in pain and surprise. “Prime Minister…”
His eyes were like ice, and with a violent shove, he flung her onto the nearby couch. Her lower back slammed against the edge, sending her sprawling onto the cold floor.
“Ah!” Song Mei screamed in agony as pain shot through her back, but Qin Wenzheng only looked down at her, his expression colder than ever.
Outside, the maids and attendants assumed it was just an intimate spat between the master and mistress and remained silent.
Qin Wenzheng stared down at Song Mei, her eyes brimming with tears. Yet, the sight of her stirred no pity in his heart. This woman had deceived him, putting a green hat of humiliation on his head for years. Worse still, she and another had conspired to ruin his fortunes.
The more Qin Wenzheng thought about it, the more a sharp pain twisted in his chest as if his heart were being pulled apart.
Qin Wenzheng took a deep breath and spoke in a cold, steady voice, “When did you and Fourth Uncle Qin begin your affair?”
Song Mei, struggling to sit up on the couch while supporting her back, looked utterly shocked at his words.
“Prime Minister, how can you say such a thing? Do you not trust me?” she stammered, her face full of disbelief.
Pulling out a silk handkerchief, she covered her face and began to sob softly, lying down on the couch in apparent sorrow.
Qin Wenzheng watched her, unmoved. “And is Qin Nian not my daughter either?”
Song Mei abruptly lifted her head. “How could that be? Nian Nian, she—”
“So, only Qin Ming isn’t my son?” Qin Wenzheng pressed on.
Song Mei’s body trembled violently, and she clenched her hand into a fist, pounding it on the couch as she sobbed bitterly.
“Prime Minister, Nian Nian and Ming’er are both your own flesh and blood! If you doubt me, I might as well throw myself into a well and end it all…” she cried in despair.
Qin Wenzheng felt a wave of irritation rising within him. Once again, she resorted to the same old tactics, crying, creating a scene, and threatening to end her life.
This was the very woman who had bewitched him years ago, driving away Shen Shiying, his true wife. How could he have been so blind to have entangled himself with her?
————–
Prime Minister Qin turned and strode out of the room, only to run into Qin Ming hurrying toward him in the courtyard.
Seeing his father, Qin Ming immediately straightened his posture and respectfully bowed, saying, Father.”
Qin Wenzheng remained silent, his eyes fixed intently on Qin Ming’s youthful face.
It was unfortunate, he thought bitterly, that this face, not yet fully mature, didn’t reveal whether it resembled his own or Fourth Uncle Qin’s.
Qin Ming looked up at his father, continuing, “Father, I heard that Mother has not been eating or sleeping well lately and looks quite haggard. I came to check on her. Were you here to see her as well?”
Qin Wenzheng’s gaze remained cold, and he still did not speak.
Qin Ming was used to his father’s stern and distant demeanor, so he didn’t think much of it.
Suddenly, he remembered something and spoke up, “Father, did you see the wedding gift I gave Second Sister? It was a calligraphy piece I wrote.”
“And when Eldest Sister gets married, I plan to write one for her as well.”
“Big Sister is so talented and lacks nothing. Maybe she’ll find my calligraphy amusing.”
“She’s excellent at painting. If I could be fortunate enough to inscribe something on one of her works, then…”
Qin Ming suddenly noticed the increasingly grim expression on his father’s face. He wondered if his father found him too talkative and promptly fell silent, bowing slightly.
“Father, I’ll go see Mother first.”
Stepping aside, Qin Ming quickly made his way toward his mother’s quarters.
Qin Wenzheng closed his eyes in silent agony, resisting the urge to turn around.
That was the “son” he had cherished for over a decade.
With a heavy heart, Qin Wenzheng turned and walked away.
————-
When Qin Ming entered the room, Song Mei had already composed herself, though her expression still carried traces of sorrow.
She hadn’t expected it to come to this—after all, secrets cannot remain hidden forever. Now the Prime Minister was suspicious of her and Fourth Uncle, and even of Ming’er’s true parentage.
But as long as she remained firm and denied everything, the Prime Minister wouldn’t be able to confirm Ming’er’s lineage. For now, this was the only path forward.
“Mother,” Qin Ming called softly, just as a servant outside announced, “Madam, Second Miss has returned and entered the mansion.”
“Second Sister is back?” Qin Ming said, delighted.
Song Mei immediately instructed the servant, “Bring Second Miss here.”
“I’ll go greet her,” Qin Ming said, quickly heading out.
Song Mei asked Zhang Mama to prepare a basin of water, and after washing her face, she straightened up her appearance.
Just as she finished tidying up, a servant’s voice rang from outside, “Young Master, Second Young Lady.”
The announcement was followed by the entrance of Qin Ming and Qin Nian, stepping into the room together.
“Mother,” Qin Nian greeted Song Mei with a formal bow.
Song Mei noticed that Qin Nian had come alone, without her husband, He Xiao. Her expression shifted slightly.
“Nian Nian, where is your husband?”
Qin Ming, also curious, glanced at his sister. He had wanted to ask earlier, but as her younger brother, he felt it wasn’t his place to bring it up.
Qin Nian responded calmly, “The Ministry of War has assigned He Xiao to go to the northern border immediately. It was an urgent order from the Taizi Mansion. He Xiao will leave within the next few days and is busy preparing.”
Song Mei’s face darkened. She opened her mouth, but there were certain matters between women that weren’t suitable to discuss in front of Qin Ming. Changing her approach, she said, “Ming’er, you should head back first. I need to have a word with your sister.”
Qin Ming, sensing the shift in tone, tactfully excused himself. “Mother, Second Sister, I’ll leave you to talk. I’ll return to my room.”
Once Qin Ming had left, Song Mei took Qin Nian’s hand and guided her to sit on the same couch where she had earlier been crying bitterly.
Song Mei looked at Qin Nian with growing concern and asked, “Just newly married, and he’s already leaving…”
“Nian Nian, how is He Xiao treating you?”
A mocking smile tugged at the corner of Qin Nian’s lips. “Him? How do you think things would be, given how our marriage started?”
“On our wedding night, He Xiao went straight to his concubine’s room. That woman is pregnant.”
“Since then, he’s stayed with her every night. Today was the first time I’ve seen He Xiao since the wedding. He came to warn me not to harm that woman.”
Song Mei’s brows furrowed tighter, her worry deepening. “If that woman gives birth to a son, the He family may…”
Qin Nian let out a soft laugh. “Why should I bother with her? If she gives birth to a son, that child will still have to call me ‘mother.’ If I wish, I could adopt him and raise him as my own.”
“What difference does it make if she has a son? With her lowly status, He Xiao wouldn’t dare try to favor a concubine over his wife and cause a scandal.”
Qin Nian hadn’t mentioned what she discovered the day after their wedding night. She had quickly learned the true identity of He Xiao’s concubine.
He Xiao hadn’t even bothered to hide it. That woman was none other than the legitimate second daughter of the former Minister of Revenue, now the most famous courtesan of Qianshui Lake, Nanxu.
Qin Nian had also heard that He Xiao had long been infatuated with the eldest daughter of the An family, An Yanxi. Unable to marry the woman he loved, he must have settled for Nanxu. He had even gone to the trouble of removing Nanxu from her courtesan status.
Qin Nian, however, had no intention of living harmoniously with He Xiao. If he wanted to fill the house with concubines, that was his business as long as it didn’t affect her standing as the legitimate wife.
She also had no plans to bear He Xiao’s children. Why go through the suffering and the burden of that responsibility? When the time came, she could simply adopt the son of one of his concubines.
Song Mei, unable to do much about the situation, shifted to a more pressing matter.
“The properties and estates that Qin Yan gifted you, what has the He family said about those?”
Qin Nian didn’t want to discuss this and brushed it off with a few vague words, “No one has mentioned it, and I’m in no position to ask.”
Song Mei gripped Qin Nian’s hand tightly, her voice filled with urgency.
“Nian Nian, you must hold on to your dowry.”
Qin Nian nodded absentmindedly, barely paying attention.
Song Mei, thinking of another matter, asked, “And what about the household management power at the He Mansion? Since the wife of Minister He passed away long ago, it should be you, the eldest daughter-in-law, who manages the household…”
“Mother,” Qin Nian interrupted softly.
“The He family already made arrangements. It’s not my place.”
Song Mei fell silent, her heart sinking. No money, no authority, and no husband… Nian Nian’s marriage seemed bleak.
After a brief pause, Qin Nian quietly said, “I’ve heard that the wife of Shizi Xie has passed away?”
Song Mei froze.
Was Nian Nian…
Panicking, Song Mei quickly said, “Nian Nian, don’t do anything foolish. If you lose your reputation after marriage, then…”
She trailed off, immediately recalling her own past…
Qin Nian didn’t respond, remaining silently in her seat. Her thoughts had drifted far away, to places unknown.
————–
Today, another woman returned to her maiden home, An Yanxi, now the Shizifei of Duan Wang Mansion.
An Yanxi sat in her former boudoir for a long time, her thoughts drifting back to the youthful dreams and memories she once held in this room. Scenes from her past played over and over in her mind.
When her brother, An Wenjing, returned to the estate and heard of her visit, he immediately went to her courtyard.
“Yanxi,” he called gently.
An Yanxi looked up, dazed. “Brother.”
An Wenjing was about to ask how she had been, but An Yanxi spoke first, “Taizi… is he about to marry?”
An Wenjing frowned at her words. Has she not let go yet?
An Yanxi lowered her gaze, a faint and bitter smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
“If I’m not mistaken, during Taizi’s upcoming birthday celebration, the engagement will be announced. Isn’t that right, Brother?”
An Yanxi lifted her gaze once more, stubbornly seeking confirmation from her brother’s lips.
An Wenjing knew the answer well. Their father, Grand Scholar and Minister of Rites, An Shifeng, had already made arrangements for Taizi’s upcoming marriage. Not only did An Wenjing know that an imperial decree announcing the Crown Princess would be issued during the Taizi’s birthday celebration, but he also knew the name of the Crown Princess on that decree.
Disappointment flickered in An Wenjing’s heart. Yanxi was still hung up on this, despite being married herself. What was she thinking?
He spoke but avoided answering her question directly. “How are you and Shizi getting along?”
An Yanxi lowered her head again, “He treats me well.”
Hearing this, An Wenjing breathed a small sigh of relief, “That’s good. Everyone has their fate.”
Those words were as much for An Yanxi as they were for himself.
An Yanxi’s bitter smile deepened. Everyone has their fate…
Was Feng Subei truly the man fate had chosen for her?
In the end, all she could do was count herself fortunate as it could have been worse. At least it was him.
After all, it was because Feng Subei had admired her for so many years that he could treat her with such respect and care.
Since their marriage, she and Feng Subei had yet to consummate their union. On their wedding night, they didn’t even drink the traditional wedding wine together. Instead, Feng Subei told her to rest well and then leave on his own.
An Yanxi understood that Feng Subei was giving her time, and respecting her boundaries.
In a way, this was a relief, at least Feng Subei was genuine in his care for her.
—————–
Dajue Temple in Yuquan Mountain in the western suburbs of the capital.
Today, after discussing official matters with the Taizi at the Taizi Mansion, Feng Subei saw him off to the Princess Zhaoren Mansion. Taking advantage of a brief gap in his schedule before returning to the city, Feng Subei climbed Yuquan Mountain to visit Dajue Temple, intending to speak with Master Yunjing, which was essentially to have a casual chat.
As Feng Subei rounded the corner of the master’s courtyard, he was about to step through the open gate when he overheard a conversation between the master and a woman inside.
Not wanting to interrupt, Feng Subei paused, ready to leave quietly. But the words exchanged inside caught his attention, causing him to stop in his tracks.
Though the voices weren’t particularly loud, Feng Subei’s keen hearing allowed him to catch every word.
“The way people interpret the scriptures these days is like a cup of wine. One person adds water, and then another adds water, and in the end, it’s all diluted.”
“Master, isn’t it true that the original meaning of the teachings may seem shallow, but because many have interpreted them over time, each adding and refining, the flavor has become richer?”
“Remarkable, Benefactor.”
“Master, you flatter me. The teachings say not to overthink and once you do, you’re already mistaken. So, whether the flavor is too strong or too weak, does it really matter?”
Laughter from Master Yunjing echoed afterward.
Peeking through a window in the courtyard wall, Feng Subei saw a slender woman, draped in a plain cloak, seated at a stone table across from Master Yunjing.
Feng Subei’s lips curved slightly into a smile.
This woman… was intriguing.