Chapter 1 — Incense Smoke in the Qi Manor

In the third year after I married down into the Qi household, my mother-in-law’s foster daughter, Than Nhu, crept into my husband’s bed. As a woman of established status and my mother-in-law's ward, she was not someone I could easily discard. I had no choice but to grit my teeth and endure the bitter tea of accepting a concubine. I detested Than Nhu to the depths of my soul. I had treated her like a sister, even personally helping her scout for young gentlemen of good lineage and character. Among all the four concubines my husband eventually took, none had ever hurt me as deeply as she had. Yet, it was she who had sought to steal my husband.

For the next twenty years, I fought against her, and my daughter fought against hers. In the end, I emerged the superior strategist, and she indirectly met her end by my hands. I became the ultimate victor, enjoying wealth, honor, and a peaceful death in my own bed. But in my final moments, I found myself thinking of Than Nhu. In truth, she had only been fifteen back then.

When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to that third year after my marriage—the very moment before Than Nhu was to climb into my husband’s bed. This time, I resolved to strike first. I would expose her alleged drugging of my husband, strip her of her dignity, and marry her off to a commoner in the southern Jiangnan region. I would not let her suffer the fate of the previous life, where she spent decades battling me until she withered away in the inner courtyard. Yet, as I watched the scene unfold, why was the person sprinkling powder into the incense burner my husband?

My throat tightened, and I quickly covered my mouth to suppress a dry heave. Why was he the one drugging the incense? In my previous life, I had always assumed that Than Nhu, unable to bear the loss of the Qi family's prosperity, had spiked his drink. Even after I won and lived a full, contented life, I had occasionally mused that perhaps the fifteen-year-old girl had merely been foolish and confused. It had never crossed my mind that she might have been entirely innocent.

My husband finished dusting the powder into the burner and then calmly tossed the empty paper packet into the charcoal brazier. The flames swallowed it instantly—much like the truth, and much like Than Nhu’s life in the previous existence. It was no wonder my past efforts to investigate how the drug entered the household had yielded nothing. A woman’s opportunities to go out were limited, and her purchases were easily traced. But a man faced no such restrictions. Whenever Qi Van Khai wished to go out, whatever he bought, and whatever he brought home, no one dared to inspect him.

Watching him prepare to leave, I retreated behind a folding screen, curling my body into a ball. Qi Van Khai, how many other secrets do you hide from me? Once he was gone, I emerged, deep in thought. Than Nhu was indeed a beauty with a gentle, amiable disposition, but her station was never a suitable choice for a concubine. Before she entered his bed, our household had been harmonious. I had learned how to manage the domestic affairs from my mother-in-law, and every matter between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was handled with consultation and mutual respect. Than Nhu lived by my mother-in-law's side, and we had quickly become close. Even when my husband was away, my days were filled with companionship and purpose.

Everything changed after the incident. I had blamed my mother-in-law and Than Nhu, suspecting that the older woman had deliberately raised a girl to be a concubine just to spite me. From then on, I treated my mother-in-law with suspicion; though the rituals were observed, the intimacy was gone forever. I grew to loathe Than Nhu, even going so far as to buy another concubine for my husband just to pull his heart away from her. For over twenty years, the house was a theater of war, and mother-in-law and daughter-in-law grew estranged. The price of bringing Than Nhu into the bedchamber had been too high—why would Qi Van Khai insist on such a thing?

Finding no immediate answer, I decided to act. I would prevent Than Nhu from going to the Warm Pavilion, forestalling today's scheme. I sent my maid to fetch Than Nhu, presenting her with portraits of young gentlemen I had carefully selected. Than Nhu looked shy, hiding her face as she turned to leave, but I caught her hand firmly.

"It is not as if you must choose this instant," I said. "Just look at them, consider your thoughts, and determine what kind of man you truly favor."

My mother-in-law nodded in agreement. "Nhuc Nhan is right. This is a life-changing decision. One must look beyond mere academic rank and reputation; family customs and the relationships within the household are what truly matter. Once you marry, you will spend your life among mothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, and sisters of your husband. Your happiness depends on these dynamics more than anything else."

Than Nhu hesitated, her gaze drifting toward the portraits. A flash of insight struck me like a bolt of lightning, revealing the cold, painful truth.

I realized why Qi Van Khai had used such underhanded tactics. The chaos he caused served him perfectly. By setting the women of the house at each other’s throats—me, his mother, and Than Nhu—he ensured that we were all preoccupied with mutual suspicion. I, out of jealousy, brought other women into the house to spite Than Nhu. I lost my closeness with my mother-in-law, and the older woman’s authority waned as she became a pawn in our internal struggle. By making us all bitter rivals, he became the only anchor for all of us.

Looking at the innocent fifteen-year-old, I felt a sharp pang of regret. The girl I had spent a lifetime hating was merely a pawn more pitiful than myself. I had been manipulated by Qi Van Khai, but through my own family’s influence and my children’s success, I had survived. Than Nhu, however, had been discarded the moment she was no longer useful.

I took a deep breath. My priority now was to dismantle Qi Van Khai’s schemes. I would find Than Nhu a worthy husband, an act of penance for the life I had stolen from her.

Later that evening, Qi Van Khai returned, pacing the room with an anxious air. Seeing me, he asked, "Did you not say you were going to share new tea with Nhu-nhi in the Warm Pavilion? Why was it not prepared?"

I smiled coldly. A man who would commit such filth had the audacity to question me. "I intended to, but Mother was eager to discuss marriage prospects for Nhu-nhi," I replied gently. "I had to present the portraits and discuss the backgrounds of the young masters. It took quite some time, so we could not make it today."

He stiffened, his frustration thinly veiled. "Then perhaps another day."

"I fear not," I replied, glancing at him. "Mother is quite anxious to settle her future. I shall be occupied with these arrangements for some time to come."

Days later, I sat with Than Nhu for tea. Halfway through, I turned to her with a smile. "Young sister, would you care to see a good show?"

I clapped my hands, and my maid led in a middle-aged merchant who looked utterly terrified. Than Nhu watched, puzzled, as I turned to him. "Tell us, what is the true purpose of the medicine that Master Qi purchased from your shop?"

The merchant trembled. "It... it is a potent aphrodisiac, madam. Used for… bedroom stimulation."

Than Nhu gasped, covering her face. I signaled my maid to show him a remnant of the packet I had intercepted. "Is this the medicine Master Qi acquired from your shop?"

The merchant confirmed it with a shaking hand. I waved him away and watched the color drain from Than Nhu’s face, the truth of her "betrayer" finally beginning to dawn upon her.