Volume 1, Chapter 61: Daughter-in-Law Sees Ghosts, Son Shows Rebellion

She panicked for a brief moment, then immediately sat down with a clear conscience.

Was she wrong? Not at all. Which man did not harbor the same thoughts in his heart?

Madam Yun knew that her son was a man of ambition. Over thirty and yet without an heir, this was a hindrance to his career, not only in the eyes of the Emperor, but also within the imperial court.

She did not believe that Qi Jingshan harbored no resentment in his heart.

"Jingshan, quickly take her away," Madam Yun coughed heavily, feigning weakness. "Disregarding filial piety and revaming her mother-in-law, I will not acknowledge such a daughter-in-law!"

Qi Jingshan stepped slowly into the room, his gaze unmoved. Seeing this, Madam Yun knew his mood was foul and added further embellishment: "Think back to Pingshan Lane, how caring little Fang was! My hands were washed until they were bruised, swollen, and cracked, bleeding endlessly. When she saw it, she brought ointment to soothe them. Jingshan, you were at the academy then, so you probably didn't know..."

She extended her hand, where the scars of those years still remained. After years of care, they had faded into thin white lines.

As long as Qi Jingshan cared, these white scars could cut deep into his heart...

"Since Mother is ill, you should refrain from speaking and straining yourself."

Who could have expected Qi Jingshan to lower his gaze and interrupt her flatly, without a ripple of emotion?

His eyes, steeled with chilliness, met Madam Yun's startled and suspicious face, and he said in a deep, cold voice: "You like little Fang? Tomorrow, your son will have someone bring her here to keep you company."

Madam Yun froze for a split second, then hurriedly said, "How can that be? Little Fang is already married..."

If they were to truly abduct someone, wouldn't that be seizing a commoner's wife by force?

Yet Qi Jingshan turned a blind eye to her panic. Seeing Xie Mingyue standing quietly to one side, he walked over and enfolded her slender figure securely within his shadow.

"Mother's courtyard is swarming with servants; surely there is no shortage of hands. Wife, let us return to our quarters."

With that, he did not spare Madam Yun another glance, and taking Xie Mingyue by the hand, he walked out of the courtyard gates.

Xie Mingyue let out a momentary breath of relief.

Today, she had essentially torn apart the superficial peace maintained with Madam Yun, and Qi Jingshan had witnessed every single undercurrent.

In truth, when she uttered those audacious words, she had not been entirely certain of the outcome. After all, Madam Yun was his biological mother, and filial piety was the foremost virtue esteemed in this dynasty.

She had no choice but to lay Madam Yun's malice bare before Qi Jingshan and let him make his choice, only then could another layer of Madam Yun's hidden true face be peeled away.

Yet she had not expected Qi Jingshan to follow her lead and strip away Madam Yun's dignity.

"What are you thinking about?" Qi Jingshan raised his eyes to look at Xie Mingyue, who was following behind him in a daze, her eyes wandering.

"Watch your step."

Before his voice faded, Xie Mingyue stepped on a protruding cobblestone and tripped slightly forward. Along the grip of their clasped hands, her entire body traced an arc and fell straight against his chest.

Xie Mingyue: ......

She hurriedly straightened her hair bun and teased with a smile, "I was just sleepy."

Qi Jingshan gazed steadily down at her, his look enough to make one's skin crawl.

"What—what is it?"

All of Xie Mingyue's drowsiness vanished instantly, and she subconsciously tightened her grip on her palms.

How could she have forgotten that this man excelled most at settling scores after the fact?

The fact that he had stripped Madam Yun of her dignity just now did not mean he was not annoyed with her for setting up this scheme.

The corners of Qi Jingshan's brows twitched slightly, but he looked at her with a smile.

"Scared out of your wits."

Her apricot-like eyes were round, and her cheeks puffed out, resembling a squirrel storing food for the winter.

"Doesn't my wife have a scale in her heart? What is there to fear?"

He tapped the tip of her nose and, noticing how fast her feet were shuffling, deliberately slowed his pace so she wouldn't have to rush so much.

Xie Mingyue pressed her lips together and remained silent.

She did have a scale in her heart, but she had no idea which side his weight was leaning toward.

The night was deep and the dew heavy; she had no desire to say more. She simply returned to their courtyard with Qi Jingshan and lay down on the bed.

With him around, his side felt like a furnace, so much so that even the charcoal burned in early spring could be reduced.

Until she fell asleep, Qi Jingshan's arm remained like iron, firmly welded around her waist, binding them closely together.

*The next day, when Madam Yun saw the woman kneeling in the courtyard, she was struck with utter dismay.

"Fang, you... why have you come?"

She instructed Mother Huang to help the woman up, her heart sinking straight to the bottom.

She had not expected that last night, she had merely mentioned the matter to make Qi Jingshan feel guilty, yet he had actually gone ahead and abducted the person.

Thinking of her son's formidable reputation outside, and the way his chilling smiles made one's very bones feel cold, Madam Yun shivered.

"Madam... you are..."

Tian Fang saw that the gorgeously dressed and imposing old madam before her actually recognized her, and she could not help raising her reddened eyes to ask in bewilderment.

For years she had been a married woman, bearing children and managing household chores, and she had never known any noble ladies. Yet early this morning, a group of officials riding tall, fine horses had come to her neighborhood, explicitly stating that the old madam of the manor favored her diligence and wished to summon her into the estate to keep her company.

Tian Fang was a law-abiding citizen; how could she ever wish to enter a manor to serve others?

Naturally, she refused, but her damned husband and mother-in-law, tempted by the generous compensation offered by the officials, had forced her to submit by using her own children as leverage.

Thus, as Tian Fang knelt here, her heart was filled with a mixture of bitter chill and anxiety, and she could not let go of her son and daughter.

She wished nothing more than to smash her head against the tree and bring bad luck to this family of nobles who had dragged her here.

Unaware of how Qi Jingshan had brought the woman here, Madam Yun could only force a kind smile and say, "Fang, it's me, Aunt Yun."

Maintaining her composure, she personally stepped forward to support her without any airs: "Years have passed since we last parted, and you too have become a married woman."

Upon hearing this, Tian Fang seemed to finally recognize her. After a flash of fright crossed her eyes, she forced a smile and said, "So it is Aunt Yun! No wonder the official who came to look for me said a noble lady appreciated me."

She cast a glance at her surroundings—a spacious three-courtyard mansion with throngs of maids and matrons, all dressed in new cotton-brocade garments, looking even more impressive than the madresses of ordinary households.

Word had it that this was a Marquis's estate...

How had Madam Yun attained such great fortune?

Tian Fang did not dare display any reluctance. Guessing the reason why Qi Jingshan had sought her out, Madam Yun had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Yes, when I caught sight of you on the street that day, it always brought back memories of the past. Now that my son has achieved success and I have become the mistress of a Marquis's estate, I naturally thought of you and hoped to look after you somewhat."

The lingering resistance in Tian Fang's heart diminished slightly. For one thing, she had already pressed her thumbprint on the deed of indenture to enter the estate and could not leave at will; for another, Madam Yun had become a Marquis's lady, which was practically ascending to the heavens in a single bound. If she served Madam Yun well, wouldn't she be able to secure a promising future for her children?

With these thoughts, her smile grew even more sincere. "Thank you, Aunt Yun, for keeping me in your thoughts. It's just that now that I've entered the estate, I know nothing and am unaware of how to serve, fearing only that I might incur your displeasure."

Madam Yun pulled her up. "Back then, we looked out for one another. Naturally, I won't have you doing menial work."

Looking at Tian Fang's weathered, sallow face, and touched by her words, Madam Yun truly felt a sense of genuine warmth rise in her heart.

Ever since she entered the estate, the servants had all been trained under Madam Luo. Even though she had her own confidants, there was truly no one in the household with whom she could share her thoughts. Her daughter-in-law was like a ghost, and her son was rebellious; for years, Madam Yun had also been lonely.

"Mother Wang, go fetch a set of my former dresses, along with a set of hair accessories." Driven by an impulse, Madam Yun truly decided to keep Tian Fang. "Fang, from now on in this estate, you may still address me as you always have. To the outside world, I will simply say you are a maiden from my maternal family, staying here in the estate to keep me company."

A wave of fierce pounding surged instantly within Tian Fang's heart.