Volume One, Chapter 12: Cold-Hearted, Cold-Livered, and Sharp-Tongued

Ming Shu still wore a smile, but her eyes quickly darkened.

Though she practiced feng shui and cultivated a serene, desireless heart, indifferent to matters of love, this did not mean she failed to perceive the desire in a man’s gaze—a primal urge rooted in physical possession.

After nodding in acknowledgment, she decided to take a different path.

But the pregnant woman would not let her go. “Wait! Young Master, Third Young Mistress says that if I touch our child, the umbilical cord will wrap around his neck. I’m so scared. I want to ask Third Young Mistress if there’s a way to make it unwind.”

Ming Shu had already taken several steps away, annoyed that the woman had spoken out of turn.

The young man called after her, “Third Young Mistress, wait!”

Ming Shu dared not stop. Pretending the wind muffled her hearing, she hurried down a small alley, nearly breaking into a run.

She couldn’t provoke him, yet couldn’t escape either—ouch!

Rounding a corner, she unexpectedly collided with someone.

A faint, cool scent of grass and wood filled her nostrils, and Ming Shu immediately recognized who it was.

“Sorry,” she said, covering her nose to check if she was bleeding, frowning as she looked up.

“Rushing off to reincarnation?” Fu Zhixun’s voice was calm.

Ming Shu was speechless. “Rushing off to become an immortal!”

This man was truly cold-hearted and sharp-tongued! Did he think himself some future power broker? She was destined to be a master of metaphysics!

Fu Zhixun stared at her reddened nose and suddenly smiled.

Ming Shu was taken aback, then shot him a glare. “Uncle Er’s matter is urgent. You handle those two behind me. I’m off!”

Without waiting for Fu Zhixun’s reply, she grabbed Muhui and fled.

Fu Zhixun turned his head, watching Ming Shu’s retreating figure. A strange thought suddenly arose: when she chose him in the Purple Palace that day, it was probably because he showed no reaction to her face.

Tsk, he indeed had trouble distinguishing women’s faces.

“Third Young Mistress, wait—”

Fu Zhixun’s eyes darkened sharply, icy cold.

Yet when he met the eager expression of the young man, he returned to his usual indifferent demeanor. “Cousin.”

*

In the Weirui Pavilion, Yun Xia was feeding Xue Tuan.

After several days, both she and Xue Tuan had recovered significantly from their wounds.

Seeing Ming Shu, Yun Xia was momentarily stunned, then abruptly stood. “Third, Third Young Mistress! I—I didn’t know you were the Third Young Mistress… Let me pour you some tea!”

Ming Shu quickly stopped her. “No need. I just arrived at the Marquis’s residence and am unfamiliar with the household. I don’t know anyone else, so I must ask you.”

You could have asked Third Young Master… Yun Xia almost said but stopped when Xue Tuan called twice, reminding her.

No one in the residence favored the Third Young Mistress, not even the Third Young Master.

But she was not like that.

The Third Young Mistress had stood up for Sister Yun Qing; Yun Xia knew she was a kind person and liked her.

“What do you want to know?”

“About the Second Branch. Who are the people there, their temperaments, their daily habits, that sort of thing.”

Yun Xia spoke freely. “There are five masters in the Second Branch. I’ll tell you one by one.”

“Second Master never took office. He usually plays with antiques and walks birds, easygoing and kind to servants.”

“Second Mistress is the general’s only daughter and brought a rich dowry. Since Second Master doesn’t manage affairs, the entire branch answers to Second Mistress. When things get busy, her temper naturally flares...”

Ming Shu silently assessed: Not just a flare, but outright irritable, snapping at everyone and everything.

At this, Yun Xia sighed. “Second Mistress has had a hard time. She bore four children. The Second Young Master lived only three days.”

“The Second Miss had a high fever lasting three days at six years old. She survived but her brain was damaged. Now at sixteen, she still acts like a six- or seven-year-old child. Arranged marriages are out of the question; she will likely remain at home.”

“Second Mistress worshipped many bodhisattvas and burned countless incense sticks before finally bearing the Fourth and Fifth Young Masters. She almost lost her life in the process, and the doctor said she must not have more children.”

“She cherishes the Fourth and Fifth Young Masters as if they were her own life, fearing anything will happen to them.”

Ming Shu frowned.

Yesterday, when she examined Second Aunt’s fate and children’s palaces, her chart showed five children but none survived.

Five children...

“Besides the Second Young Master, Second Miss, Fourth Young Master, and Fifth Young Master, did Second Aunt have any miscarriages?”

Yun Xia paused, then, considering Ming Shu’s abilities, no longer hid the truth. “According to Nian Nanny, before the Second Young Master, Second Mistress miscarried a fully formed baby boy.”

“That matter was strange. At the time, Second Mistress had just married in, was healthy, and her pregnancy went smoothly without morning sickness. The doctor said the birth would be safe. But at five months, she woke from a nightmare, and the child was lost.”

“The household said it was the work of ghosts and even invited Taoist priests to perform rites. The following year, she conceived the Second Young Master, carried to term without incident, but he died shortly after birth.”

“Second Mistress nearly went mad, always saying the house was haunted. Monks and priests came and went. Eventually her family took her home for a few months before sending her back.”

“When she returned, she carried a knife said to be the general’s battlefield sword, used to ward off evil spirits.”

“Second Mistress placed the sword in the main hall, leaving it there for many years. After Second Miss’s mishap, she stored it in the warehouse and never took it out again...”

Seeing Ming Shu’s dazed expression, Yun Xia apologized, “Am I going off-topic?”

Ming Shu snapped back. “I was captivated. Second Uncle and Second Aunt have had a rough time.”

Yun Xia glanced around and lowered her voice. “Indeed. Besides the matriarch, the Second Branch is the easiest to get along with. Though Second Mistress has a sharp tongue, she has a soft heart and is generous to servants.”

Ming Shu’s thoughts shifted. She couldn’t help but ask, “Is Great Uncle’s side difficult to deal with?”

Seeing Yun Xia look around again, Ming Shu said, “Muhui, wait by the door.”

She then recounted the earlier encounter, highlighting key points to Yun Xia. “I think that was the Eldest Young Master with his concubine or mistress?”

“That’s Consort Yuan.”

“We don’t know each other. Why would she invite me to her courtyard for tea?”

Yun Xia scoffed. “Consort Yuan isn’t inviting you for tea. She’s showing off her pregnancy! She’s pregnant and acts as if she’s carrying a bodhisattva, expecting everyone to worship her!”

“Huh?” Ming Shu looked at Yun Xia with eyes full of “I don’t understand, please explain.”

“The Eldest Young Master is twenty-five this year and still taking the imperial examination. I don’t understand scholarly matters, but he often attends poetry gatherings and tea parties. According to Nian Nanny, these are mostly held in pleasure houses and cost a fortune.”

“A year ago, the Eldest Young Master spent lavishly to bring the top courtesan back to the residence—that’s Consort Yuan.”

“This angered the Eldest Master and Eldest Mistress greatly, but the Matriarch doted on the Eldest Young Master. Since he insisted Consort Yuan was fertile, the Eldest Master and Mistress had no choice but to accept.”

Yun Xia shook her head and sighed. “The Eldest Young Master has been married to the Eldest Young Mistress for four years with no children. In the third year, the Eldest Young Mistress even arranged for two maids to be concubines, but still no luck.”

“The household says the Eldest Young Master is incapable... So, when he swore on his heirs, the elders reluctantly accepted.”

“Consort Yuan was indeed fortunate, becoming pregnant within six months. She’s the eldest grandson’s mother in the main branch; she must be quite proud.”

At this, Yun Xia spoke sincerely. “Third Young Mistress, I’m not saying you should fear Consort Yuan, but it’s better to avoid trouble. If anything happens to her pregnancy, who could bear the consequences?”

Ming Shu nodded. “I understand. Thank you, Yun Xia.”

Yet her heart was filled with suspicion.

From the main branch to the Second, and then the Third Branch with only Fu Zhixun left, the matter of heirs in the Marquis’s residence was indeed fraught with difficulty.