Chapter 2

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Xie Linxu sat across from her, having just washed his hands, and said, “You indulged yourself without restraint last night, and now you can’t get up this morning. Is that my fault?”

Last night.

Indulged without restraint.

The maids standing nearby dared not interrupt the conversation between the heir and the lady, but they all, without exception, recalled what had transpired the previous night...

Last night, the heir and the lady had been intimate, their sounds unusually loud, the lady’s cries explicit enough to be heard clearly outside the room.

Hearing Xie Linxu’s words, Song Xingyue also remembered the events of the night before. Perhaps aware that she had gone too far, she blushed with shame and said no more.

Well, there was no use dwelling on it. Even if Xie Linxu wanted to embarrass her, she had nowhere to complain.

No matter if the heavens themselves came, it would still be him.

Late into the night, Song Xingyue had finished cleansing herself and sat before the bronze mirror, applying fragrant ointments to her face, neck, and wrists. Lost in thought, she was oblivious to Xie Linxu already lying down.

It was Xie Linxu who finally brought her back to attention.

“Still not sleeping? How long do you intend to sit there?”

Hearing he wanted to rest, Song Xingyue snapped out of her daze, blew out the lamp, and went to bed.

In the darkness, only their breaths mingled.

Unexpectedly, Xie Linxu was the first to speak.

In the dimness, his voice sounded even colder.

“What did your mother punish you to copy today?”

“The ‘Woman’s Code’,” Song Xingyue chuckled softly, recounting the passages she had copied that afternoon. “‘A husband is like Heaven; Heaven cannot be escaped, and a husband cannot be left... Quiet, chaste, and orderly; maintaining integrity and propriety in movement—this is the virtue of a woman...’ I copied so much that my head aches and my hands hurt…”

The lady of the Duke’s household and her younger sister-in-law mocked her for not bearing a child. As she copied, listening to their words, her head throbbed faintly.

Her voice faltered as she recalled something. Turning her head, she glanced at Xie Linxu. The night was moonless; in the darkness, she could only make out his vague silhouette beside her.

“Changzhou, could it be that because I was louder than usual last night, you deliberately had mother punish me?” Song Xingyue smiled lightly. “Tell me honestly. I won’t make a sound next time. I’ve been copying all day, and my hands still ache.”

Xie Linxu’s deliberate refusal to let her rise was intentional.

He was not unaware that her mother-in-law disliked her.

He was silent for a long moment, nearly conceding to her suggestion. Just when she thought he would say nothing, he asked in a calm voice, “Have you never made a sound in bed before?”

When she first married into the Duke’s household, Song Xingyue was timid and afraid of him, so she rarely made a sound. Later, realizing that besides giving her cold looks, he would not harm her, she grew bolder and no longer restrained herself in their intimacy.

Though Xie Linxu was excessively strict and formal, he never sulked over such matters.

After all, the relations between man and wife were natural. If he were angry or embarrassed by such things, it would be rather trivial.

Was there another reason?

Song Xingyue did not understand. She could not fathom where she had offended him.

Unable to think it through, she stopped trying and, exhausted from the day, drifted into a deep, heavy sleep.

She rested early that day. When dawn broke, she awoke.

Xie Linxu was gone. Reaching out, she found the pillow he had lain on cold. Alarmed, fearing he had left to pay morning respects without her, she hurriedly rose.

Just then, her personal maid entered from outside. Seeing her distressed face, she quickly set down her things and asked, “Miss, what’s the matter? Why are you in such a rush so early?”

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The maid was only sixteen, named Danping, a handmaid who had come with her from her natal home.

Song Xingyue stood and asked, “Where is the Young Master? Has he gone?”

Normally, Xie Linxu attended the morning court early, so he need not go to the Hall of Glorious Brightness to pay respects. But recently, having ceased early court sessions, the couple went together.

If Xie Linxu had left as abruptly as yesterday, she feared she would once again face Princess Jingxi’s torment.

Danping’s words reassured her. “The Young Master is still here, reading outside.”

Relieved to hear he had not yet left, Song Xingyue did not linger. After washing and changing clothes, she stepped outside.

As she exited the inner chamber, she saw Xie Linxu rising to leave. Pretending not to notice, she followed as usual, smiling gently. “Changzhou, good morning. I’m ready; let’s go.”

Though Xie Linxu clearly intended to leave her behind, she could pretend not to see.

This had been Song Xingyue’s way for two years.

No matter how coldly Xie Linxu treated her, she acted as if his frost was not directed at her but at others in the Xie family.

Her skin was thick—thick enough to endure insult without flinching, thick enough that even Xie Linxu had lost the will to quarrel with her. Over the years, he had grown silent toward her.

At first, he had made sarcastic, displeased remarks; later, he grew too lazy even for that.

Now, as always, he ignored her words and went his way.

Song Xingyue followed closely behind toward the Hall of Glorious Brightness.

They were not late; others had not yet arrived.

As usual, Princess Jingxi took this early hour to exchange a few words with Xie Linxu. Song Xingyue was left standing aside, not daring to interrupt.

About fifteen minutes later, the Xie family’s second son and his wife, Madam Huang, also arrived.

It is said that one should marry before pursuing a career. Xie Linxu’s youthful success was rare; the second son, Xie Linfu, only nineteen, was preparing for the imperial examinations and had not yet entered officialdom. He had married the third daughter of the Minister of Rites, Madam Huang, the previous year. Their marriage had progressed swiftly; Madam Huang was already with child.

The Minister of Rites’ family was distinguished, proper nobility, while Song Xingyue’s father held a modest sixth-rank official position.

In the capital, where even peasants might accidentally strike an official with a thrown stone, a sixth-rank position was considered quite lowly. Though respectable in ordinary families, such a background was laughable when tied to the Duke’s household.

Since marrying into the Xie family, Madam Huang had never regarded Song Xingyue kindly.

Entering the inner chamber, after exchanging greetings with Xie Linxu and Princess Jingxi, Madam Huang held her head high, ignoring Song Xingyue entirely.

Xie Linfu had the best temper in the family. After greeting his mother and brother’s wife, he tugged at Madam Huang’s sleeve, signaling her not to be rude to her sister-in-law.

Madam Huang ignored him silently. Annoyed by his pulling, she half-teased, half-scolded, “Why are you tugging? If you’re itchy, go cleanse yourself.”

Unable to persuade her, Xie Linfu gave up and offered a sheepish smile to Song Xingyue.

Song Xingyue, naturally, did not take the matter to heart.

As the conversation drifted, it inevitably turned to children. Song Xingyue sipped her tea quietly, lowering her eyes, refraining from speaking.

Suddenly, someone spoke softly: “There’s a folk saying that’s quite true: ‘There are three great offenses to filial piety, and the greatest is having no heir.’ If no child is born within three years, divorce is reasonable…”

The words struck Song Xingyue like a hammer, so loud that her ears rang. For a moment, she could barely tell if it was Princess Jingxi or Madam Huang who had spoken.

The comment was brutally blunt. Song Xingyue felt a sudden ringing in her ears, her thoughts blurred. Unbidden, memories from two years ago when she first married into the Xie household surfaced.

She had come to marry Xie Linxu purely because of an accidental liaison.

It had been at a banquet. Her dress was splashed with wine, and she rose to change in the cleansing room. On the way, she unexpectedly encountered a slightly unsteady Xie Linxu, alone and looking troubled.

Suspecting he was ill, she followed him.

He hurried into the quiet room, and she followed...

And then, what happened happened.

At that time, Song Xingyue knew who Xie Linxu was, but he likely did not know her.

The Xie family had been eminent for five generations, ancestors who had fought alongside the emperor to secure the realm. The title of Duke had passed down through generations. The current head, the Duke, was also Minister of Personnel.

Two years ago, Xie Linxu was just twenty, freshly coming of age.

At nineteen, he had placed third in the palace examination.

Born into nobility and renowned from youth, he was the most celebrated young man in the capital.

With a commanding presence and unmatched talent, Xie Linxu was known far and wide.

Yet, because of that banquet, she had been bound to him in marriage.

After her father discovered the matter, he caused a scene—crying, shouting, even threatening suicide; he almost ransacked the Duke’s mansion demanding an explanation. The household kept their doors shut for fear of bad luck.

The scandal had reached even the emperor’s ears.

At the time, Xie Linxu was already betrothed to another, and that arrangement was broken.

The other family, unwilling to be involved in such a mess, demanded compensation. The Xie family ultimately repudiated the engagement.

Those days had been torturous for Song Xingyue. Every night before sleep, she feared she would not see the dawn. Given the harshness of noble families, it would not have been difficult to dispose of her or her troublesome father.

In the end, perhaps due to her father’s shameless persistence or the scandal’s severity, the Xie family relented and had her become the heir’s wife.

But Xie Linxu was proud and furious. Forced to marry her, harboring no small resentment.

The Duke’s household was as proud as he was. Having suffered this humiliating loss, it was laughable that she could live peacefully there.

The first days after marriage were the hardest.

Xie Linxu likely thought she had drugged him and never gave her a kind look. On their wedding night, he despised her so thoroughly he never appeared, leaving her alone in the empty chamber. Thereafter, no matter her efforts to please him, he regarded her coldly.

The rest of the family was equally unkind, especially Princess Jingxi, who delighted in tormenting her.

At first, Song Xingyue feared Xie Linxu, but over time she grew accustomed.

Since he never struck her, only gave cold looks, she stopped fearing him.

She endured the hardships of the Duke’s household, growing used to the humiliation.

Yet, upon hearing the words “having no heir is the greatest unfilial act,” her heart still tightened.

Though an ice mirror sat in the main hall, Song Xingyue felt inexplicably restless and stifled.

Her complexion turned pale. She had been lightly sipping tea when the words “divorce” struck her throat, causing her to choke and cough repeatedly.

Setting down the cup with some force, distracted by her emotions, the cups clinked sharply—a sound piercing the quiet room.

Such an action was extremely rude.

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