The Beauty Within the Gates
Chapter 10
Wen Shuse finally grasped Old Madam Xie’s desperation, why she’d risked scandal to swap the groom. She had pinned her hopes on the Eldest Young Lady Wen’s reputation for virtue to rescue this spendthrift grandson.
And now she’d ruined those plans. What a pity…
For once, Wen Shuse felt a rare pang of guilt… though it was quickly followed by doubt. All of Fengcheng knew that Xie Shao was the only son of the second branch, with no siblings, and no cousins in that line. The girl who had just come must be from the first branch. So why had she come asking him for money?
Master Xie, head of the first branch, was Deputy Commander of Zhonghe, personally promoted by Jin Wang. Logically speaking, they shouldn’t be short on silver.
But doubts were just that doubts. It wasn’t her money, so there was no point fretting. She bowed her head again, picking through the broken shells on the table for bits of longan flesh.
Meanwhile, the girl who had just gotten what she wanted followed Nanny Fang out with light, cheerful steps, nearly skipping. She was about to receive a thousand-tael silver note and her heart was practically singing.
Then a voice from behind stopped her. “Wait.”
She turned around, her expression slightly flustered. “Third Brother, is there anything else?”
Wen Shuse raised her eyebrows, surprised, thinking that he had finally discovered something was wrong, which was delightful.
Xie Shao had drunk quite a bit today. His mind kept drifting and it took effort to keep it focused. Pushing through the fog in his head, he forced the words out. “Come here.”
The girl, confused and nervous, walked slowly back to his side. Before she could speak, Xie Shao raised a hand and gestured toward Wen Shuse, “She’s your Third Sister-in-law. Pay your respects.”
The girl froze.
Everyone in the mansion knew by now that the one who had entered was the Second Young Lady Wen. Someone who had schemed her way into the marriage was not worthy of being called “Third Sister-in-law”.
The girl stood stubbornly silent, her head turned away in defiance.
Xie Shao, already worn thin by his pounding headache, lost what little patience he had. His gaze fixed on her, sharp and unyielding. “Pay your respects.”
After a moment of silent hesitation, perhaps realizing that her pride wasn’t worth more than the thousand taels she was about to receive, the girl lowered her head and mumbled, reluctant and forced, “Third Sister-in-law.”
Given how terribly things had started between the bride and groom, to arrive at this strangely civil scene now felt almost miraculous like proof that the Bodhisattva had indeed smiled upon them.
Nanny Fang stepped forward with a smile to explain to Wen Shuse, “This is the Eldest Young Lady Xie. Since Third Young Madam only just entered the mansion yesterday, the two of you haven’t met yet.”
Wen Shuse hadn’t expected things to take this turn. She glanced at Xie Shao sitting upright with a composed face, then at the girl standing before her with her head down. How should she respond?
Tradition said that once someone addressed her as “Third Sister-in-law,” she should offer a meeting gift, usually a bit of silver. But Wen Shuse had always spent freely, never one to save. At the moment, her purse was embarrassingly light.
And after Xie Shao had just handed out a thousand taels, for her to offer a mere ten or twenty would only make things look worse. Better not to give anything at all.
In the end, sincerity mattered more. She glanced at the half-bowl of longans on the table, picked it up, and handed it to Nanny Fang. “Since this is Eldest Sister’s first time visiting, have some longans. They’re very sweet.”
Nanny Fang smiled and took it. “I’ll have it packed up nicely for the Eldest Miss.”
The girl stood frozen, still saying nothing, assuming it was all finally over. She was just about to turn and leave when Xie Shao stopped her again.
“No word of thanks?”
This time, she couldn’t hold back. Her head jerked up in disbelief, eyes wide with protest. In those innocent, round eyes was a silent cry: How is this even a gift worth thanking?
Seeing that Xie Shao was staring her down and clearly wouldn’t let it go until she complied, the girl finally gave in. Normally, this Third Brother of hers seemed carefree and generous, always willing to indulge others. But when he fixed someone with that particular look of intensity, even the boldest found their confidence wavering.
She bit her lip, dug her nails into her palm, and forced out the insincere words, “Thank you, Third Sister-in-law.”
Wen Shuse offered a polite smile and waved lightly. “No need for formalities.”
This time, no one stopped her. The Eldest Miss turned and practically flew out of the room, disappearing in moments.
Once again, the room was left with just the newlyweds.
Now, where had they left off? Xie Shao blinked, struggling to recall their earlier conversation. He couldn’t find the thread. Whatever, he will deal with it tomorrow.
He stood up, but being half-drunk, his limbs didn’t quite obey. After two steps, his foot clipped the leg of the table, sending him lurching forward. Not good, he thought, but at least there was someone in front of him.
Except that person didn’t reach out. His forehead met the solid wood of the round stool with a resounding THUD.
Xie Shao: ………
His head throbbed, stars burst in his vision, and his blood rushed up all at once. Did she not see that? Or does she just not have hands? Would it kill her to help?
Wen Shuse had clearly seen him knock straight into the stool—thud, loud and solid. It sounded painful, and she was moved, truly.
She raised her voice to call, “Nanny Fang…”
“I’m not dead. Don’t call anyone.”
Xie Shao braced himself against the round stool and got back up, rage still simmering, the vein at his temple pulsing. He must have been cursed for eight lifetimes to end up with her, Second Wen.
Oddly enough, the bump had cleared his head. He finally remembered why he came in the first place. Gritting his teeth against the splitting pain, he leveled his gaze at her and stated plainly, “Whether or not I like you is one thing. But as the Third Young Madam of the Xie family, you will have the respect you deserve.”
Wen Shuse stared at the swelling on his forehead, not daring to move.
Xie Shao gave her a warning. “From now on, don’t cry.”
No tears in his presence, no distressing the old madam. If anything happened to the old madam, he would hold Wen Shuse accountable.
With that, he turned on his heel and strode out, his broad sleeves swaying with each step.
His jet-black hair spilled loosely from beneath his jade crown, cascading down his back. His steps were steady, his posture upright and tall like a pine tree standing firm. The masculine presence he carried surged outward like a wild beast, radiating power and confidence.
After he left, Aunt Qing and Xiangyun approached. Seeing Wen Shuse still frozen in place, they gently called, “Miss?”
“Huh?” Wen Shuse turned her head, dazed.
Xiangyun leaned in with shining eyes. “Miss, this servant thinks the Third Young Master might not be as awful as people say. Just now, he stood up for you. That alone… makes him kind of a good person.”
Whether he was a good person or not, Wen Shuse wasn’t sure. All she could think about was that line, “From now on, don’t cry.”
She had read a lot of the romance books Ming Wanrou bought. The part that moved her the most was always the same: when the male lead trapped the delicate heroine in his arms and told her in a low, commanding voice, “Don’t cry.” Ming Wanrou used to tease her, saying, “You’re a noble lady! How can you swoon over such brutishness?”
But she had always thought Ming Wanrou didn’t get it.
That one “Don’t cry”, when said with that kind of domineering protectiveness, had a way of gripping a girl’s heart completely.
After this incident, even Aunt Qing’s opinion of their unexpected son-in-law shifted. “Young Lady, why not discuss your homecoming visit with him tomorrow? If Third Young Master is willing to accompany you back to the Wen family, the old madam will feel at ease.”
Ah, yes—the homecoming visit.
It was something that had weighed on Wen Shuse’s mind all day. As Aunt Qing said, if the groom returned with the bride, wouldn’t it naturally dispel the rumors, proving their harmony?
And tonight’s Xie Shao… did feel different from the one she had known before. It was true what they said drunken words revealed sober thoughts, and a person’s character could show in moments like that. Perhaps this version of him was closer to his real self.
People often form a judgment based on first impressions, yet sometimes, a single sentence could overturn it all.
The red wedding candles had long been removed. The room was now lit by plain oil lamps. The festive colors had faded, but people remained trapped inside what that ceremony had bound.
She remembered that she had sent Qiuying out this morning, and there still hadn’t been a reply. She didn’t know how Grandmother was doing.
Wen Shuse nodded, “Alright, I’ll give it a try.”
—
If one was going to ask for something, one needed to show sincerity.
Early the next morning, Wen Shuse got up and went to the kitchen with Aunt Qing and Xiangyun to make rice cakes.
These weren’t just ordinary rice cakes. This was a secret recipe from the famed White Tower restaurant in Fengcheng. Second Master Wen had once gone to great lengths, enduring an entire night of drinking, just to coax the recipe out of the shop’s owner.
After finally steaming a full tray to perfection, she carefully packed it into an ornate food box, full of anticipation, and headed toward the west wing.
But when she arrived at the door, Nanny Fang greeted her with a calm statement saying that the person had already gone.
She waited the entire day.
She waited all day, batch after batch of rice cakes steaming in the kitchen, yet there was no sign of him. It wasn’t until dusk that Xiangyun rushed in, her voice ringing out before she even crossed the threshold, “Miss, Miss! The Young Master is back…!”
Wen Shuse, lounging in a reclining chair, immediately perked up. She sat up straight, adjusted the dangling ornaments in her hair, and took the food box from Aunt Qing’s hands before hurrying out to intercept him.
When she reached the hallway, two figures were already approaching from the long corridor on the other side.
Sunlight filtered through the roof tiles, birds chirped in the branches. The man at the front wore a casual purple robe, bow, and arrows in hand, moving with a carefree air, no trace left of last night’s drunken mess. Following behind was Minzhang, carrying several pheasants and wild rabbits in both hands.
So, he had gone hunting.
Wen Shuse straightened her back and stood gracefully, waiting as he drew near. He was still undeniably good-looking… except for the glaring bruise on his forehead.
Xie Shao had already seen the figure waiting in the hallway. Given the unusual amount of attention he’d received today over his injury, he had been forced to grab a bow and mount a horse on the spot, just to give himself a more reasonable excuse for the injury on his head.
He had no intention of acknowledging her, but her gaze was too direct, locked right on the bruise on his forehead, and he had no choice but to flick her a glance.
The golden glow of sunset rimmed her silhouette in soft light. Her face carried a delicate smile, eyes feigning a hint of guilt which was clear that she was here with a request.
He wasn’t a bodhisattva, let alone has a bodhisattva’s heart.
He gave her a single glance, then walked right past without a word.
Wen Shuse quickly turned to follow him, taking the lead to apologize, “I promise, if you fall again, I’ll definitely help you up next time.”
Xie Shao’s expression darkened. He gave a faint, detached smile. “Then I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. I won’t give you a second chance.”
Whether he did or not didn’t matter, all she needed was his cooperation for the homecoming visit.
When she continued trailing him, Xie Shao halted at the threshold. “What do you want?”
Wen Shuse curved her lips into a sweet smile and extended the food box. “I made some rice cakes. Would you like to try one?”
“No.”
“Husb…”
Xie Shao pushed open the west wing door and cut her off. “We’re husband and wife in front of others, nothing more behind closed doors. Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten our agreement from last night.” He stepped inside and turned to shut the door, bluntly shutting her out. “Don’t try to get close. It won’t work.”
Whatever goodwill had formed last night, shattered, not even crumbs left.
Forget returning to her family. Wen Shuse spun around, gripping the food box with anger flaring in her chest as she stormed down the steps.
Only once she’d left did Xie Shao tilt his head to glance out the door. Just in time to hear her say coldly, “Feed it to the dogs.”
___
From that day on, Wen Shuse and Xie Shao deliberately avoided each other. Whenever he returned home, the straight-latticed doors of the main room were shut tight, not a single crack left open. They had fully honored their agreement to keep to themselves.
Madam Xie’s health still hadn’t improved. Xie Shao visited her every day. Today, just as he left her room and was about to head out, he was stopped by Uncle An, “Young Master, there’s been a problem with the accounting room.”
After the Second Master and Second Madam left for Quanzhou, they handed over the management of the accounts to Xie Shao. And in just over half a month, spending had already far exceeded the entire previous month’s total.
Xie Shao was unconcerned. “Then just allocate more silver.”
Uncle An sighed. “No amount of silver can satisfy greed. The accounts are unclear, and the distribution is a mess, something’s going to go wrong. I’ve heard that in the past half month, the Second Young Master and the Eldest Young Lady from the main branch have gone to the accounting office multiple times, using your name to withdraw silver…”
“How much?”
“Two thousand taels are missing from the records.”
Xie Shao vaguely remembered several people coming to ask him for money but he couldn’t recall how many he had actually agreed to. Two thousand taels didn’t sound like much. “Alright, I got it…”
“Young Master…” Uncle An looked at his retreating figure in frustration, stomping his foot. At this rate, how could the old madam possibly recover?
That day, whether the drinking party ended early or the opera grew stale, Xie Shao, unusually, returned to the courtyard while the sun was still high.
Just as he stepped onto the corridor, he spotted a table set beneath the pear tree in the opposite ahead. Several people were seated under its shade, leisurely sipping tea.
After a few days apart, the young lady was still chatting and laughing with ease. Xie Shao grew curious, just where had she met these people? As he approached, he finally recognized the woman sitting there as Madam Gu from his eldest uncle’s branch.
“Greetings to the Young Master,” Madam Gu quickly rose and bowed when she saw him return. She offered an explanation at once, “A few days ago, some relatives from my family came to the mansion seeking help. I was feeling unwell and had fallen asleep. Thankfully, the Third Young Madam stepped in and lent a hand. She gave them five hundred taels of silver, which spared the mother and daughter from ending up on the streets…”