Chapter 9

The first thing Xie Zeyuan did on returning was, naturally, to pay his mother his respects.

He brought in two enormous trunks full of jewelry, clothes, and local delicacies for her.

After so long apart, mother and son had endless things to say.

Only this time, she didn’t keep him for supper.

When he came back and told me, he sounded puzzled.

“Mother looks much better, but why does she seem less pleased to see me this time?”

I chided him for imagining things.

“We’d been married barely a month when you left on that long journey.”

“Mother is being considerate. Now that you’re finally home, of course she wants to give us time alone to talk.”

He still looked doubtful, but said no more.

He simply had a servant bring me a small box.

“You’ve worked hard at home too. These are things I saw young women wearing on my travels, so I bought some for you.”

I had to admit, setting aside his excessive closeness to his mother,

Xie Zeyuan could still be called a good husband. At least he could earn money, and was generous to his wife.

I was growing more satisfied with this marriage by the day.

That night, once we’d retired, he intended to enjoy a little intimacy.

I claimed my monthly courses had come and asked him to sleep in the study.

Naturally he refused. Persuading him took a good deal of talking.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to resist your teasing, and I don’t want you suffering from holding back either.”

“You’ll have to put up with the study for a few days, husband.”

Disappointed though he was, Xie Zeyuan had to agree.

Less than an hour later, Xiaocui whispered to me,

“Miss, just as you said. The master only stayed in the study a little while. Then he called for a servant with a lamp and went to the old madam’s courtyard.”

Of course he had.

It was still early. After so long away, he naturally wanted a family chat with his mother.

Whether Mother wanted to chat with him tonight was another question.

Lamps flared in the main courtyard, and an uproar broke out.

Only then did I put on a robe and stroll over at my leisure.

I’d guessed correctly. Mother hadn’t meant to entertain a visitor that night.

But Physician Pei had been sulking for days. She’d only welcomed him into her bedchamber, he complained, because her old flame had no time for her.

Now the old flame had come around, and she meant to neglect him.

Mother had spent ages coaxing him. Her son had just come home, she said. She’d lose all dignity if he caught them.

But Physician Pei persisted. The young couple had been parted for so long. Every moment of a wedding night was worth a fortune. Surely they wouldn’t leave each other for a second.

This was the safest night of all.

And so…

And so Xie Zeyuan very nearly caught them in the act.

Fortunately, Physician Pei was nimble. He leaped out of the window and escaped, leaving my husband no more than a glimpse of a figure.

Xiaocui covered her mouth and laughed.

“Miss, you calculate everything so well. You’ve finally got your revenge.”

Naturally. I always wore a virtuous face, but in private I repaid every slight.

She had spoiled my pleasures often enough. It was only fair to let her taste it herself.

When I reached Mother’s room,

Xie Zeyuan was pacing in the middle of it, his face red with fury and his chest heaving.

Mother reclined on her couch with a handkerchief over her mouth. She looked decidedly unhappy too.

At my entrance, Xie Zeyuan wheeled around, his gaze cutting into me like a knife.

“Just in time!”

He could scarcely contain the anger in his voice.

“I told you to take good care of Mother. Is this how you do it?”

I looked taken aback.

“What has happened to make you so angry, husband?”

He choked on his words. Naturally he didn’t want to explain such a family disgrace to me outright.

Mother looked mortified too, and snapped at me,

“It’s my boy’s first day home. Why aren’t you keeping him in your room? What have you come here for?”

Our relationship had improved considerably. This was the first time she’d spoken to me so harshly in Xie Zeyuan’s presence.

Most likely she thought I’d encouraged her son to catch her with a lover.

In an instant, both mother and son had turned on me.