Chapter 5 — A Wrongful Match in Crimson

There was only one thing she had once told me in private.

If Yen Chu were ever to die on the battlefield, I was under no circumstances to remarry. Terrified that she would no longer be around to look after his children, she had made me give her that solemn promise. I gave my word to the Grand Princess that I would remain Yen Chu's wife for the rest of my days. I did not fear solitude; I only feared falling into yet another fiery abyss. After my marriage, I seldom returned to my maiden home. My mother would occasionally send letters, but they invariably complained that the Master's wife forbade my younger sister from visiting her family. Between the lines, her hidden intent was to lure me into stepping foot inside their estate once more. By then, I held a noble title, and Yen Chu enjoyed the utmost favor and trust of the Emperor. Had I maintained frequent ties with their household, the older woman would not have dared to treat my sister with such harshness. Yet, after reading those letters, I simply cast them aside as though they had never arrived. My sister had her own path to walk and her own destiny to fulfill; what need was there for me to meddle?

When New Year's Eve arrived, I nevertheless went back to visit. My sister and Gu Tui-vien were both in attendance, yet the warmth that had once existed between them before their wedding had utterly vanished. A wall of ice seemed to divide them, and a fatigue she could no longer conceal was etched across her face. Upon this homecoming, she was far more reticent than before, though she forced herself to ask me, "Why do I not see your husband?"

Hearing this, Gu Tui-vien stirred slightly. "I heard that not even on your formal return home after the wedding did he accompany you back?"

With a frigid expression, my sister shot back, "That was the day you went off to visit her again."

After exchanging a few sharp words of recrimination, the two of them lapsed into a heavy silence.

"Shu-ninh," Yen Chu's voice suddenly drifted from behind me. In his hands, he held a neatly wrapped package of preserved sour plums. "I finally managed to find them."

The little shop in the western quarter sold the most delectable sour plums, but unfortunately, they had been closed for the holiday. He had actually tracked the owner down all the way to their private residence. I plucked one from the paper wrapping and popped it into my mouth. "It is precisely this flavor."

With a mischievous glint, I picked out a particularly large one and shoved it straight into his mouth. The sudden sourness made him screw up his face into a tight frown, yet he still insisted, "Delicious."

I could not help but burst into laughter. My mother came over to summon us to the table, and catching sight of the plums, she asked, "Whatever possessed you to go wandering about outside? There are plenty of plums right here in the manor."

Taking me gently by the hand, Yen Chu replied, "Only those specific ones are tart enough." Then, turning to my parents, he announced with a warm smile, "Respected parents, Shu-ninh is with child."

My mother and father were overcome with sheer delight, immediately commanding the servants to exchange my seat for a sturdiest, most comfortable chair. Only my sister and Gu Tui-vien remained standing rigidly by the doorway, rooted to the spot like statues.

Toward Yen Chu, my parents were overflowing with beaming hospitality. My father even fetched a precious jar of Maiden's Blush wine that he had sealed away and buried for many years. "This is the very wine I laid down beneath the crabapple tree in the year Shu-ninh was born."

Ever since learning of my pregnancy, Yen Chu had touched no alcohol whatsoever. He cast a sideways glance at me and blinked playfully. Amused by his antics, I gave him a light tap on the forehead. "Since father has brought it out, you should at least taste a cup."

Before he could even pick up his wine cup, Gu Tui-vien abruptly shoved his own cup across the table. My sister's complexion shifted instantly. "Gu Tui-vien, what is the meaning of this?"

Sensing the rapidly souring atmosphere, my father hastily intervened, "Shu-ninh and Shu-kieu are only a year apart in age. The wine buried when Shu-kieu was born is also ready to be opened now, so bringing it out is quite fitting."

Two jars of wine sat upon the table, and Gu Tui-vien drank cup after cup in swift succession. Yen Chu merely took a single sip, leaning his weight against my shoulder with the faint, pleasant scent of alcohol lingering on his breath. Watching Gu Tui-vien's thoroughly intoxicated state, he chuckled softly. "Let him drink his fill. After all... it is nothing more than wine."

Long before the meal ended, my sister had already left the table in utter disarray. Once the banquet concluded, Yen Chu escorted me away without delay. Though my parents attempted to persuade us to stay, he politely declined on the grounds of my delicate condition. As my pregnancy progressed into its final months, I ventured out less and less, though reports constantly reached my ears of my sister making the rounds at every prominent banquet in the capital. Lady Lin, who had recently been elevated to a Prince's Consort, came to visit and chat with me, making sure to bring up these very rumors. "If it were not out of respect for you, who on earth would bother sending her an invitation?"

My sister's underlying motives were glaringly obvious. Scarcely a conversation passed without her dropping hints about Gu Tui-vien's upcoming promotion. By then, the entire capital was well aware that the young mistress of the Gu household was scurrying about everywhere, pulling every available string for her husband's advancement. It was not entirely an unjust reputation, though it was rather pathetic that, despite all her frantic efforts, he still failed to climb the ranks. Through these relentless maneuvers, the Gu family had well and truly made themselves the laughingstock of the city.