Chapter 4

It took a long while and much frantic attention from the maids before my mother-in-law came around. She immediately had Xie Chengyi dragged back from the academy, forced him to kneel before me, and ordered him to apologize.

I gave him a cold glance.

“What use is an apology? My reputation is already ruined. He could split his forehead kowtowing and it would repair nothing.”

If she thought a mere apology would make me forget everything, she placed far too little value on the Lu family’s honor.

“My reputation is not the only thing he has damaged. He has insulted the Lu family. Even if I forgive him, the Lu family’s censors are formidable. They will not let the matter rest.”

At my reminder, my mother-in-law finally grasped the danger of offending imperial censors. Even a blameless household would then have to tread carefully for fear of an accusation at court.

The Xie family had no one left in government. If a memorial were submitted against us, we had no advocate to argue our case and could only swallow the bitter consequences.

“What do you think we should do, then?”

I smiled.

“Xie Chengyi should take generous gifts to the Lu residence and apologize in person.”

That would establish beyond dispute that Xie Chengyi had falsely accused his legitimate mother and brought disaster upon both the Lu and Xie families.

Even if he displayed earthshaking talent one day, the stain of being an incorrigible boy would remain on his name.

My mother-in-law objected at once.

“No!”

“That would destroy Yi’er’s future.”

“The Xie family’s future rests on him. We cannot let him ruin himself, no matter what.”

I lifted my eyes.

“Then there is nothing to be done.”

“We can take a heavy loss now and preserve some chance of recovery. If the family is uprooted entirely, we will never rise again.”

“You must weigh which matters more, Mother.”

Her face turned exceedingly ugly. I pretended not to notice.

Her fierce devotion to her beloved grandson and refusal to yield were both part of my plan.

There were plenty of other things she cared about that would make her bow her head obediently.

Once back in my courtyard, I sent a family letter to my uncle.

Only by standing together could the Lu family secure its future.

The next day at court, my uncle understood my meaning and hurriedly submitted a memorial. He accused the Xie family of lax discipline: allowing an illegitimate son into the household, letting him slander the mistress, and spreading rumors that humiliated the Lu family.

The entire court erupted. Gradually, some began to believe him.

“That child bears an uncanny resemblance to Marquis Xie, yet the old madam just happened to find him. That is rather too convenient.”

“The Lu family observes strict standards, and every member is educated and proper. No one has ever even heard of them mistreating a servant, let alone a concubine’s child.”

“Look at the elder boy. He was once so frail he could barely hold a brush. Now he carries himself with effortless grace and is steeped in learning. How could he have grown so well if the mistress were not kind?”

The emperor had no wish to interfere in domestic affairs. Remembering Xie Nanfeng’s sacrifice for the realm, he even left the marquis’s household a way out and advised my uncle to calm down.

“Marquis Xie was an upright man. He would never deceive and humiliate his wife in such a fashion. The boy, I am told, was merely found and taken in. Lord Lu, let your anger subside.”

Yet those few words inspired endless interpretations.

“Now I believe the child is not Marquis Xie’s. Surely he would not dare deceive the emperor so brazenly.”

“His Majesty praised his integrity. If the boy truly is his illegitimate son, he made a liar of the emperor and committed the crime of deceiving the throne. The Xie family would never dare!”

My uncle refused to back down. Even if the boy was not an illegitimate son, had he not ruined his legitimate mother’s name and caused the Lu family to be reviled?

The storm at court soon blew into my mother-in-law’s courtyard.

To protect the family’s reputation, members of the Xie clan demanded the truth about Xie Chengyi’s birth.

Deceiving the sovereign was a monstrous crime. Whatever secrets she had, my mother-in-law no longer dared acknowledge who Xie Chengyi truly was.

“He is only an orphan I found.”

“Do not let rumors tarnish my son’s name.”

They would not relent.

“If he is not the marquis’s son and has such low character, how can he be considered for heir to the marquisate? We would do better to choose two candidates from the collateral branches.”

My mother-in-law could never consent to letting someone else reap the reward she had cultivated.

“Nonsense! We… we still have Zhiyuan, do we not? That boy has been raised well.”

She had truly lost on every front.

She had offended the Lu family, made it impossible for Xie Nanfeng ever to acknowledge his own son, and openly elevated Xie Zhiyuan’s position.

Swallowing her bitterness, she bowed her head despite her illness.

“It is my fault for not listening to you sooner. Now the Xie household stands at the heart of the storm.”

“Regret will not help us now. I only hope it is not too late to mend matters. I will prepare generous gifts at once and have Yi’er apologize at the Lu residence.”

I agreed meekly, then broke into a broad smile the moment I stepped outside.

Xie Nanfeng’s proud and promising son had been stained so easily. It must hurt him terribly.

But even if Chengyi was lost, his beloved Shuang’er carried another hope in her belly.

I intended to tear that hope away as well—and plunge all of them into endless despair.