Volume 1, Chapter 37: Paranoia Strikes Again

Wutong’s eyes widened. "My Lady, are you planning to..."

Xie Mingyue looked up at her and smiled. "Do you think I am that foolish?"

She rose and walked to the window. "This is a strategy to win over the heart."

Wutong did not quite understand. She spent the morning out and about, returning at lunchtime to lean toward Xie Mingyue with a mysterious air. "My Lady, your intuition is truly divine. Behind the rockery near the second gate of the estate, I found a secluded spot. There was a soft cloth and two small cups hidden there—it is clear that someone meets there often."

Xie Mingyue smiled faintly, as if everything were within her expectations.

Wutong remained curious. Could the ones meeting there be the Second Mistress and the Third Master? But looking at it, the Second Mistress showed no such intentions toward him. Unable to sit still, she went back to tending the incense and refilling the tea for Xie Mingyue. As Xie Mingyue caught the faint scent of osmanthus, a look of melancholy clouded her eyes.

Since childhood, she had loved osmanthus and jasmine. Later, Madame Xie had specially sought out a master perfumer to create two custom fragrance recipes for her, which were made into essences every year to be used in incense burners, floral waters, and bath powders. She had not expected to find these items in her room at the Qi residence. The Xie family would never have provided her with these, and since she had not brought them as part of her dowry, they must have been obtained by Qi Jinshan. She wondered where on earth he had managed to get them.

Thinking of the letter from Mu Jin, her heart grew heavy with sorrow, and when someone from the small kitchen came to ask about lunch, she had little appetite.

A short while later, Jin He arrived. "My Lady, the Master has sent me to inform you that there is no need to prepare lunch in the small kitchen today. He invites you to dine with him at Qihai Courtyard."

Xie Mingyue’s expression tightened. The memory of what had occurred within the bed curtains the previous night was still firmly etched in her mind. She lowered her eyes slightly and said softly, "I understand. I will be there shortly."

For the Master to invite his wife to dine in the front courtyard was a rarity, not just within the Great House, but throughout the entire Marquis’s estate and even the capital. Customarily, the men visited the inner quarters for meals; it was unheard of for the mistress to go to the front. The new servants at Qionghua Courtyard gained a new understanding of Xie Mingyue’s status: the First Mistress was the exception that the Master kept breaking.

When Xie Mingyue arrived at Qihai Courtyard, Qi Jinshan was just returning to change his clothes. As he shed his official robes, his lean, powerful waist was revealed.

"Master, Wutong just told me that the Mistress is in low spirits today," Yujiang said tentatively while taking the belt from Qi Jinshan’s robes.

Heaven knows, the servants dreaded nothing more than a conflict between the Master and his wife. Every time they quarreled, the Master would become like a man who had lost his entire family, becoming impossible to serve and leaving them to bear the brunt of his temper. Now, whenever Qi Jinshan and Xie Mingyue were left alone, Yujiang and Jin He’s hearts would silently tremble. Wutong, hearing this, felt the same.

"What happened?"

Qi Jinshan frowned, his already stern face becoming even more aloof. Could she still be angry about last night?

Yujiang lowered his head. "Wutong didn't explain clearly, only saying that after the incense from those two recipes was lit today, the Mistress became quite despondent."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop. As Qi Jinshan changed into his casual attire, a flash of realization crossed his eyes. "I see."

He turned and strode outside.

Xie Mingyue was sitting in the courtyard. The midday sun was warm, perfect for an outdoor meal. Hearing his steady footsteps behind her, she felt an inexplicable surge of panic. She dared not look at his face, fearing she would lose control and blush from head to toe.

Qi Jinshan caught sight of the mutton-fat jade hairpin in Xie Mingyue’s hair, and his eyes darkened slightly. "My Lady, I have kept you waiting."

He sat down beside her naturally, and he could feel her breath hitch for a fleeting moment.

"Not at all, I just arrived," she said, her voice thin. She kept her eyes lowered, showing none of the coquettish persistence she had displayed toward him the night before. "The hairpin—thank you."

Xie Mingyue paused and offered her thanks voluntarily.

Qi Jinshan watched her intently. He knew she was always observant of etiquette; even though she was still angry with him, she insisted on maintaining decorum. "There is no need for such formality between us."

He gestured for the servants to serve the dishes. Xie Mingyue glanced at him in surprise but did not refute his words. They were husband and wife; it was only natural for him to give her things. Yet, while ordinary wives might lean on their husbands and whisper sweet nothings, their relationship had become one of "mutual respect like guests."

Could he have given her this hairpin as an apology for yesterday? That would be too perfunctory—he hadn't even admitted his fault to her face! As she thought this, she couldn't help but want to speak, but the dishes began to arrive one by one.

The main dish was a five-colored fish sashimi, accompanied by dozens of delicate copper saucers filled with various condiments. Sashimi was fresh but bland, requiring dipping sauce. Jin He was about to step forward to mix the sauce for Qi Jinshan, but he raised a hand to stop him.

"I would like the Mistress to prepare it for me."

He spoke suddenly. Xie Mingyue was stunned, but she felt no annoyance at being ordered about. She had begun to grasp Qi Jinshan’s temperament: as long as it didn't involve Qi Xiuyu, he was quite easygoing with her. She figured he was trying to ease the tension between them.

Thinking that Qi Jinshan was doing this as a silent apology, Xie Mingyue pursed her lips and smiled, taking the empty saucer from Jin He. "What flavors would you like?"

She looked at Qi Jinshan with a pleasant expression, and he smiled faintly. "Whatever the Mistress likes is fine."

Xie Mingyue prepared one saucer that was spicy and another that was fresh and sweet. To her surprise, after Qi Jinshan took two bites, his expression darkened once more. Xie Mingyue was confused. The sashimi was a rare treat, and she had been enjoying it thoroughly; by the time she noticed Qi Jinshan had set down his chopsticks, she was nearly full.

"Why aren't you eating?" she asked, bewildered.

Qi Jinshan stared coldly at the two saucers of sauce. "Where did the idea for these condiments come from?"

He had eaten sashimi at family banquets before and remembered everyone’s preferences. Qi Xiuyu’s preference was exactly the same.

Xie Mingyue was taken aback, then looked at him with restrained anger. "It is just a dipping sauce."

She was... truly speechless. After taking two deep breaths, she could no longer contain herself. She set down her chopsticks and looked at him coldly. "What? Has your paranoia flared up again? How far off the mark can you twist two saucers of sauce? If you distrust me so much, why did you marry me in the first place?"

The servants were stunned by this sudden turn of events. They had been dining peacefully, and now, because of the sauce, the Master and Mistress were quarreling again.

Xie Mingyue could not bear the cold, emotionless look in Qi Jinshan’s eyes. Her eyes reddened, and with a choked voice, she suddenly pulled the hairpin from her hair. Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. All the attendants in the courtyard immediately lowered their eyes and turned their backs.

The jade hairpin hit the stone table with a crisp *clack*.

With her hair hanging loose, Xie Mingyue glared at Qi Jinshan with resentment. "Take it back! I will tell you who I was thinking of—I was thinking of ten years ago, at the banquet between the Xie family and the Marquis’s estate, when I first saw you! You had these exact two sauces in front of you then!"

Having said this, as if she could no longer endure his repeated humiliations, she turned and walked away in a state of near-collapse.

Wutong was terrified. Even when the Mistress had cleared her name before Master Xie, she hadn't removed her hairpin. How had things reached such a point? "My Lady!" she cried, rushing to follow, if only to pin up her hair.

However, a cold gust of wind passed her; Qi Jinshan was faster, catching up and pulling the slender figure into his embrace.