The Beauty Within the Gates
Chapter 6
Wen Shuse had been sitting on the wedding bed for over two hours. At first, she could endure it, but as time dragged on, her arms grew so sore she could barely lift them. The round fan in her hand nearly slipped from her grasp, so she hastily dismissed all the servants from the room.
Only when she was finally alone did Wen Shuse allow herself to relax. She lowered the fan, massaging her aching arms, then rose and walked to the round table to drink two cups of tea. As she did, she took the opportunity to glance around. The room was extravagantly decorated, yet everything felt unfamiliar. And this place, this unfamiliar place, was to be her home from now on.
She wasn’t the sort to fuss over where she lived. As long as it was comfortable, anywhere would do. And if it wasn’t comfortable, she’d simply make it so.
After the wedding ceremony, her mindset had shifted. She now saw herself as half a mistress of the Xie family. In the days to come, while the eldest young master would be busy with his official duties at the yamen, she would spend most of her time in the inner courtyards. She intended to put some thought into managing them. Everything else was to her satisfaction, except for that talkative bird. She didn’t care about it. She’d have to return it to the Third Young Master Xie one of these days.
Nanny Fang, fearing she might be hungry, had someone bring in wine and dishes. Once everything was laid out, Wen Shuse dismissed the servants again. The banquet in the front courtyard wouldn’t disperse until nightfall. The long stretch of time was the best remedy for frayed nerves, so much so that she nearly forgot she was merely a substitute. She ate, drank tea, and waited… and waited… until the last glow of twilight faded and night took the stage.
Then, suddenly, the maids and serving women outside burst into the room with an announcement, “Young Master has returned.”
The fluttering unease she had momentarily cast aside now rushed back. She turned and hurried to sit on the bridal bed, firmly raising the round fan to shield her face.
Soon, footsteps sounded in her ears, drawing nearer and nearer.
A maid lifted the final beaded curtain, the delicate pearls clinking together in a crisp, lingering chime that echoed in the silence. Wen Shuse’s fingers tightened around the fan’s handle. The round fan itself was made of white silk, and embroidered with a pair of mandarin ducks. Though the stitching was dense, it was not entirely opaque, light filtered through just enough for her to vaguely see the silhouette of a figure in crimson wedding robes approaching through the faint light.
In all her years of living, she had never felt such nervousness. Even her breathing came cautiously now as if too loud an exhale might shatter the moment.
Holding her breath, she watched as the man paused mid-step and stood motionless. The towering floor lamps on either side of the chamber stretched his shadow into a long silhouette against the floor.
Wen Shuse had braced herself for this moment. She knew Eldest Young Master Xie had met the bride before, once she lowered the ceremonial fan, his shock at seeing a different face was inevitable. But a smile softens most blows, doesn’t it? She would apologize first, then explain that they had already completed the wedding rites, making them rightful husband and wife. What was done could not be undone, why not accept it?
Besides, she wasn’t so lacking. True, she might not match Wen Suning’s gentle and graceful ways, but her beauty surpassed hers. And beyond that, she had other qualities worth admiring. For example…
Yet the man remained rooted in place, making no move to approach.
A guilty conscience bred unease. Wen Shuse began to doubt whether the fan truly shielded her, had he already seen through it?
But Xie Shao, on the other hand, was merely staring at the bed he had slept in for years. The curtains and bedding had been replaced, and now a stranger had taken over his space.
Even a sparrow wouldn’t take kindly to having its nest usurped. So how could a man?
The Old Madam had known he would find every excuse to feign madness or dodge this moment. He hadn’t touched a drop of wine at the banquet, and now, with a painfully clear mind, his feet refused to take another step forward.
Xie Shao might not have been a paragon of virtue, but he had never done anything quite this disgraceful before.
Just as he turned his head, Nanny Fang, who had been standing behind him, dipped into a deep bow and quickly retreated. With swift efficiency, she and the maids shut the latticed doors behind them, sealing them tight.
The chamber was now bathed in the silent glow of countless red candles, their flames flickering steadily. They were alone. Sooner or later, they would have to face each other.
If she truly minded, there was little he could do about it.
She was the victim here, and he was the one at fault. The least he could do was offer her a pleasant demeanor. Adjusting his expression, Xie Shao took another step forward and averted his gaze slightly, his voice soft and unhurried.
“Lower the fan.”
His tone was calm and casual, carrying a careless languor that gave no hint of joy or displeasure, yet it was undeniably pleasing to the ear.
The first meeting between a man and woman always came down to appearances, how they looked, and how they held themselves. If she wanted him to accept her sooner, then she had to present her best self right from the start. Ideally, he’d take one look and forget all about the other bride. That would make things easier for everyone.
The Old Madam had spared no effort in raising her, hiring tutors, etiquette lessons, and endless training. Wen Shuse knew the rules of a proper lady better than most.
Slowly, inch by inch, she lowered the fan, with her eyes lifting in tandem. A maiden’s natural shyness came easily to her, but to infuse her gaze with coquettish charm proved more difficult. It took real effort just to add a hint of tenderness to her eyes.
A smile. A touch of shyness. Eyes raised just so. She had rehearsed this, an elegant, pleasing display.
On this wedding day, the bridal chamber was lavishly illuminated. Aside from the two towering floor lamps, several tiered bronze chandeliers hung overhead, each laden with five or six layers of red candles.
The room was brightly lit, leaving nothing to the imagination.
Across from her stood the groom in his gold crown and crimson robes, tall and graceful as carved jade. For a moment, caught in the sea of lights, his face dazzled her. The kind that made people stop and stare without meaning to. And when you looked closer, those sharp brows, those starry eyes, lips like cinnabar on pale skin, not only held up under scrutiny but grew more unsettlingly handsome the longer she looked.
Yet… it was precisely this face, so refined and radiant, that nearly scared Wen Shuse out of her wits.
Third Xie?!
The tender affection she had so painstakingly mustered in her eyes shattered in an instant, replaced by sheer shock. The round fan slipped from her fingers with a soft pa-da, rolling to a stop at the feet of the man before her.
Xie Shao hadn’t initially intended to look at her face, he had expected a reaction like this. He had been about to come clean when his gaze shifted, landing on her almost casually. But the moment he caught a clear glimpse, his brows drew together in a frown, and he froze.
With the fan fallen, the only thing still veiling her was the beaded tassel hanging from her phoenix coronet. From a distance, it could still obscure her features, but now, with barely five steps between them, the fine beads did little more than blur the details.
An oval face like carved porcelain, adorned with a floral forehead ornament. Skin like polished jade, lips like red cinnabar, a beauty as striking as flame.
He had seen the Eldest Young Lady Wen before and this… wasn’t quite her. The features were too different. And those eyes… why did they seem so familiar?
The dangling beads still hindered his view. Frowning, he stepped forward, two paces more, then leaned in, tilting his head slightly for a better look.
The face that had just scared her witless now loomed abruptly larger before her. If her soul hadn’t already fled, it certainly did now. Wen Shuse jolted awake from her nightmare, realizing with a start that this was no dream.
With a jolt, she sprang from the bridal bed, stumbling backward step after step. One trembling hand shot out, finger pointing straight at the man in front of her, her words tripping into a stammer.
“Y-you… y-you…!”
In her frantic retreat, her heel caught the edge of a round stool behind her. She tripped, staggering awkwardly, and the jade tassels on her coronet clattered wildly as she flailed, tiny beads crashing into one another in a chaotic pi-li-pa-la that echoed her complete and utter breakdown.
There was no need to lean in any closer. He recognized her instantly.
This was none other than the Second Young Lady Wen, the very same person who had set her hounds on him and laughed wildly while perched on top of the garden wall.
Wen Shuse had been “y-you-you” -ing for ages before she finally managed to untangle her tongue. At the exact same moment, both bride and groom burst out with the same horrified question:
“Why is it you?!”
“Why is it you?!”
A thunderbolt from clear skies could not have been more shocking.
The devastating truth struck them like a hammer blow, leaving both shattered and gaping at each other in stunned silence. Wide eyes stared into wide eyes, the air thick with disbelief. It took an eternity before their scattered wits slowly returned, slowly reeling their thoughts back in from the edge of madness.
How had it come to this?
In the span of a single breath, countless possibilities flashed through their minds but it wasn’t hard to piece it together now.
Neither side had been honest.
The Xie family’s esteemed eldest young master was swapped for the third. The Wen family’s gentle first young lady had been exchanged for the feisty second. Each had played their hand, schemed and maneuvered, and in the end, no one had gotten what they wanted.
A perfect case of digging your own grave. The blood rushed straight to Xie Shao’s head; dizzy with outrage, he wobbled slightly on his feet and reached a leg out to hook the round stool at his side.
But the moment his foot moved, the girl before him recoiled as if he’d lunged at her. Her lovely face paled as she glared defensively and snapped, “Don’t you dare come near me!”
Ridiculous. Xie Shao gave a sharp, mocking scoff, his patience entirely gone, “Who’s going near you?”
Wen Shuse stared at the notorious rake standing before her. Though her wits had returned, her heart refused to accept the reality. In all of Fengcheng, who didn’t know that Third Xie was a wastrel?
What was she supposed to do now? What kind of future did she have?
If her grandmother ever found out…
Panic rose like a tide. At that moment, all reason fled. She threw every ounce of blame squarely onto him. “Your Xie family claims to be an honorable household, and yet you pull this kind of dirty trick, swapping people like it’s a game. Aren’t you even the slightest bit ashamed?”
Xie Shao’s temper, already simmering, flared at her hypocrisy. The Old Madam had even feigned illness for this farce, and now, all that had bought him was this. He shot back, voice sharp with contempt, “Oh, and the Wen family claims to be scholars of virtue?”
So now it was war.
Wen Shuse was never one to hold her tongue. That mouth of hers was made for battle, not display. She snapped right back, “If you, Third Xie, fancied my eldest sister, why not speak plainly? Break off the engagement with your elder brother first, then come to the Wen family with a proper proposal. My uncle, my aunt, and my grandmother, they would’ve agreed! You could’ve married her fair and square! But no, you had to pull this sneaky, low-down stunt. And now, congratulations, you’ve gotten your wish!”
Seriously, when was this her version of logic?
Xie Shao, already simmering, was goaded into action. He shot to his feet, eyes flashing. “Since you liked my brother so much, why didn’t you go after him then?”
A thousand losses for eight hundred gains. This battle would leave both bloodied.
Wen Shuse forced herself to take a breath, to calm down. There was no winning this way. Instead, she shifted to negotiation. “Look, we can’t go through with this. I absolutely cannot marry you. You go find Old Madam Xie. We’ll settle this tonight. Yes, we bowed to Heaven and Earth—but thank heavens this mess came to light early. No one got a clear look at my face anyway. Let’s swap me out quietly, and bring my eldest sister back for you. I’ll wait and choose an auspicious day to marry your brother instead. Agreed?”
It did seem like the only viable option at the moment.
But the way she phrased it “I absolutely cannot marry you” as if he were some kind of plague, left a bitter taste in his mouth.
Xie Shao rarely bothered arguing with women, but this Second Young Lady Wen was clearly an exception. “Sure, I could marry your eldest sister, but how exactly do we send you back.” He tilted his head mockingly, “Ah, should we return you in the same bridal sedan, untouched?”
Was he determined to tear all decorum to shreds and leave her no way out?
Even if she had to turn herself into a sieve today, she wouldn’t let his words choke her to death on her own indignation. “You’ve already exhausted your dirty tricks. Do you think the Wen family would still believe a word you say? If you want to marry my sister, you’d better peel off your brother’s face and wear it like a mask. That’s the only way it’ll work now!”
What a vicious little tongue she had.
“With such sharp words, did no one in your family ever discipline you?”
Oh, he was calling her uncultured now?
Wen Shuse’s temper flared. She gritted her teeth. “When Chancellor Xie served in court, he governed countless subordinates with ease. How is it that after retiring to Fengcheng Zhongzhou, he couldn’t even control his own son? Or perhaps it’s because the esteemed Old Madam of your family shields you too well. So, he’s powerless to stop you and lets you run wild instead. Who needs a proper marriage when you can bully, lie, and cheat your way through life, right?”
So that was how she wanted to play it.
Xie Shao’s brow twitched. He strode forward, not to threaten, but out of sheer unwillingness to be outdone. “Back in the day, the Old Master Wen assisted Emperor Wenchang with noble integrity, praised by all for his conduct behind his back. Yet now, in just a generation, his descendants have fallen so low. Could it be the Old Madam was too busy to instill a shred of discipline in you?”
The quarrel had escalated into personal attacks on their ancestors. If this continued, they’d soon be digging up their great-grandparents’ graves to settle scores.
But grievances had their rightful owners, and if she was going to strike, she wanted to stab where it hurt, straight into the lung of the guilty party. Just as she was racking her brain for the perfect retort, she noticed him advancing, closer, closer, until he was nearly upon her. Desperate, panicked, and out of conventional tricks, Wen Shuse suddenly let out a sharp, “Woof!”
It burst from her throat with a startlingly real bark, childhood mischief had left her with more than enough practice to pull it off. The sound echoed in the room with almost uncanny accuracy.
Xie Shao’s expression twisted in alarm. Instinctively, he stumbled back, fast. His heel caught on the very same stool that had tripped Wen Shuse earlier. The stool toppled over with a loud thunk, knocking into a porcelain ornament. That, in turn, slammed into a tall pedestal holding a flower vase.
A clattering, crashing chain reaction followed ding ding dong dong, echoing like a small avalanche.
Outside, the commotion sent the maids and Nanny Fang, who had been eavesdropping by the door, exchanging bewildered glances.
A maid whispered nervously, “Nanny… something feels off.”
Rumors had painted the Eldest Young Lady Wen as gentle and virtuous. Nanny Fang couldn’t fathom why such chaos had erupted. Anxiety mounting, she called through the door, “Young Master…?”
Before she could finish, inside came the furious roar of her young master, cutting through the air like a blade, “Second Wen!!”