Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Cheng Wenting had returned to the manor.

Before I was even ready, Xi’er heard the news and immediately ran off to invite him over.

At that moment, I was sitting before the bronze mirror in my undergarments, combing my hair.

The woman in the mirror looked weary, her face clouded with worry, yet with her hair cascading down like mist and her delicate features, she remained beautiful.

I had always been aware of my own looks and believed I was in no way inferior to Wei Shi. Still, my heart fluttered with unease. After much deliberation, I reached out and applied a touch of rouge to my face.

I was originally reluctant to go through with the plan to have Cheng Wenting stay the night.

But then I remembered the times my mother-in-law scolded me for being unable to conceive, demanding to know why I was still treated with such coldness by my husband after years of marriage.

This was my failure as a wife, and the shame was unbearable.

I also recalled the time Wei Shi’s daughter turned one. It happened to be when my sister-in-law, County Princess Rongjia, had just given birth to her second son with my elder brother.

On the day the Xie Family held a grand banquet to celebrate, Cheng Wenting and I went together to offer our congratulations.

Standing beside him, I was the noble wife of Lord Cheng, the envy of everyone.

However, by evening, at a private banquet for the women of the family, my mother’s expression darkened instantly. She spoke to me in a tone of deep disappointment.

“As the primary wife, how can you tolerate a concubine giving birth to your husband’s first child?

“I heard that child is still being raised in a side courtyard. If you don’t care to raise a girl, so be it. But what is that Wei Shi anyway? She was nothing more than a maid who was raised to the status of a concubine. Even if your mother-in-law favors her, she is still of lowly stock. The Xie Family raised you for so many years; are you truly incapable of dealing with even the likes of her?

“If you cannot capture your husband’s heart, you must find a way to use some schemes. You should understand the principles that Wei Shi understands. Yuan Niang, you have been gentle and obedient since childhood, but I know you have a mind of your own. I don’t believe you can’t even grasp a fraction of Cheng Wenting’s heart.

“I have told you before: though women in this world may be noble, they are all ultimately lowly. Only your status is your foundation. Being born into the Xie Family is not a permanent advantage; one wrong move, and you will end up with nothing more than a straw-mat burial. You must fight for yourself.

“Good child, you know what needs to be done.”

What did my mother want me to do?

She wanted me to find a pretext to dispose of Wei Shi. The method had to be meticulous so that even if Cheng Wenting and my mother-in-law were displeased, they would be unable to blame me due to my status as the primary wife.

Once Wei Shi was gone, I would have the chance to win back Cheng Wenting’s heart and then give birth to a child to secure my position.

Mother said that since ancient times, there has always been a distinction between the noble and the lowly. Men understood this best; a concubine was just a concubine, a servant meant to serve her master.

Mother also said that Cheng Wenting would come to his senses. Back when our marriage was arranged, although the Old Matriarch of the Chancellor’s Mansion acted as the matchmaker, it was he who had first selected me from among the name cards of many noble ladies.

Based on that alone, he at least shouldn’t loathe me.

How could I not have a chance to capture his heart?