A Brother’s Burden

“What’s this nonsense!”
Wu Que’s head throbbed.
Today, after attending court, he’d heard that Zhao Xingjin had ordered the Court of Judicial Review to investigate military corruption.
The news left him pacing like an ant on a hot pan.
Though he no longer held military power, he’d skimmed plenty in the past.
His hands weren’t clean, so fear gnawed at him.
Worse, he learned that the list of corrupt officials and evidence presented at court all tied back to him.
While his name wasn’t explicitly mentioned, a quick investigation could trace every case to him.
This was a death sentence!
Burdened by this, Wu Que had no time to dwell on Xie Jiu’s betrayal.
Thus, when Wu Qingchan stormed in, he glowered.

A Sister’s Outrage

“Brother, she’s unfaithful, climbing into another’s bed!”
“Why keep such a woman?”
“Our Wu family is a noble house, a marquis manor!”
“Divorce her, and what fine lady couldn’t you marry?”
“Shut up!” Wu Que slammed the table.
“If her lover were anyone else, I’d deal with her.”
“But it’s the Emperor! Do you want me dead?”
As a man, Wu Que felt humiliated.
Sending his wife to another was one thing; her choosing another was another.
Wu Qingchan, cowed by his shout, softened her tone but persisted.
“Even the Emperor shouldn’t consort with another’s wife.”
“Won’t he fear the historians’ scorn?”
“Silence!” Wu Que’s face darkened.
“The Emperor made Xie the Second Princess’s tutor, keeping her in the palace. Nothing more!”
Yet his twisted expression betrayed his own disbelief.

A Painful Truth

Wu Qingchan, too heated to notice her brother’s state, scoffed.
“That’s just an excuse!”
“Brother, don’t fool yourself!”
“Xie Jiu is shameless, betraying you!”
Her words stung like salt in a wound.
Furious, Wu Que overturned the desk.
“Enough! You think I’m a fool?”
“Do I just swallow this humiliation?”
“I’m fighting to survive, for you, for the manor!”
“When I surrendered my troops, people cursed me as a coward.”
“But was I just afraid of death?”
“I feared our century-old legacy crumbling, leaving you alone!”
His accusations shifted blame to his sister.
“Brother…” Wu Qingchan froze.
Yet Wu Que pressed on.
“The Emperor’s probing military corruption.”
“If it reaches us, we’re dead!”
“I’m keeping my head down, barely breathing.”
“Divorcing Xie now would scream her affair with the Emperor!”
“That’s slapping his face! Are you rushing to die?”
His roared words and fierce expression made Wu Qingchan stumble back.

A Harsh Awakening

Never had she seen her gentle brother so terrifying.
His words jolted her awake.
Indeed, they had to swallow their pride, even with Xie Jiu’s betrayal.
Worse, they needed to feign gratitude for the Emperor’s favor.
“I was wrong, Brother,” Wu Qingchan said, eyes red, clutching her handkerchief.
“I didn’t know you bore so much for me and the manor.”
“I was thoughtless.”
Tears fell as she apologized.
Wu Que’s anger, vented in his outburst, began to cool.
He softened toward his sister.
“Enough, I don’t blame you.”
“You meant well, but don’t meddle in this again.”
Then, curious, he asked, “What did you bring to show me?”

A Provocative Reply

Wu Qingchan recounted sending the box to Xie Jiu in the palace.
Wu Que scolded her recklessness but wanted to see Xie’s response.
Despite her protests, he insisted.
When he saw it, his face turned green.
In her letter, Xie Jiu, posing as worldly-wise, urged Wu Qingchan to choose her husband carefully, not to marry a wretch like she did.
Not everyone, she wrote, was as ‘lucky’ as her to find a better match.
The magpie hairpiece was a pointed reminder.
Wu Qingchan, too angry, hadn’t read it all.
But Wu Que, finishing it, found something new.
“You’re still in contact with Zhou Zhiqing?” he bellowed.
Wu Qingchan paled, grabbing the letter.
After scanning it, she stammered, speechless.

A Forbidden Love

Zhou Zhiqing, a poor scholar, had talent.
After passing exams, he joined the Hanlin Academy.
Last year, he and Wu Qingchan, newly of age, met and fell in love.
But Wu Que, despite the family’s decline, looked down on Zhou’s humble origins.
He forbade their contact.
Wu Qingchan had wept, even starved herself, but eventually yielded.
Wu Que thought it was over.
Unbeknownst to him, they’d reconnected at a market earlier this year.
Qing Fang had discovered this and told Xie Jiu.
Xie Jiu, regretting her own arranged marriage, kept it secret to protect Wu Qingchan.
She only ensured the girl stayed proper.
Now, learning of their continued contact, Wu Que fumed.
“You’re confined to the manor!”
“No more contact with Zhou Zhiqing, or I’ll break your legs!”
“Brother, he’s a good man!” Wu Qingchan pleaded.
“Despite our fall, he still loves me and wants to marry me!”
“Why won’t you—”
A sharp slap cut her off.

A Sister’s Humiliation

Stunned, Wu Qingchan stared at Wu Que.
He, still enraged, pointed to the door.
“A lady speaking such shameless words!”
“Get to your room! No leaving without my permission!”
Never had Wu Qingchan faced such humiliation.
Crying, she fled.
Wu Que, still seething, grabbed the magpie hairpiece.
He wanted to smash it but paused.
As an imperial gift from Zhao Xingjin to Xie Jiu, destroying it was a crime.
A wave of frustration and powerlessness surged.
He longed to lash out but couldn’t.
Fearing a trap, he gritted his teeth.
“Chen Shun, store this safely,” he ordered.
While Weiyuan Marquis Manor erupted in chaos, Xie Jiu, the ‘culprit,’ rested comfortably in the palace.
Yet, her actions stirred trouble beyond the manor.
In Yanging Palace, Zhuang Fei was also cursing furiously.