Chapter 5 — Incense Smoke in the Qi Manor

By the time that happens, it would not just be you taking the initiative to welcome a concubine into the household for him; my own status as the matriarch of this estate would inevitably be shaken. And then there is the matter of Shen Rou. If I were to truly believe his deceitful lies, I would surely fly into a rage and disown her, acting as if she had never been under my care. If Shen Rou were to be loathed by both her mother-in-law and the legal wife, she would have no chance of living a quiet, peaceful life. She would be forced to rely entirely on your husband’s favor to survive, and in her desperation to secure her position, she would stop at nothing to eliminate her rivals.

At this, my mother-in-law could not help but let out a cold, sharp laugh. What a convenient blade she would be to wield! And once she had served her purpose, he could simply wash his hands of her, claiming he was merely blinded for a moment and has since seen the error of his ways. I nodded repeatedly, finding her wisdom profound; the older the ginger, the spicier it becomes. In my previous life, that is exactly how Qi Wen Kai succeeded. I was suspicious of my mother-in-law, which damaged her influence, and my own reputation suffered as a result. Both of us treated Shen Rou as a thorn in our sides, driving her to scramble for his affection at any cost. In the end, my daughters had bright futures, while Qi Wen Kai quickly turned over a new leaf. I had even felt a moment of joy, believing he had finally come to his senses. I looked at my mother-in-law with hopeful eyes, waiting for her guidance. She pondered for a moment before speaking. Has he not already fainted? If a vase from the shelf fell and struck him, it is nothing more than an unfortunate accident. Accidents involving head injuries—who is to say when one might recover?

She gave me a medicinal formula, warning me not to show it to another soul and to administer it to him quietly. My mother-in-law mused that perhaps his illness should linger until after Shen Rou’s marriage, only truly beginning to lift three days after her homecoming visit. Filled with admiration, I bowed respectfully. Your instructions are wise, Mother. I will certainly care for the master diligently and ensure he recovers at the most opportune time. I took the formula, memorized it twice, and burned it on the spot. Only then did I pay my respects and withdraw. As I stepped out of her room, I could not help but recall a seemingly unrelated detail: it was said that the father-in-law I had never met had also fallen ill for two or three years before passing away in the prime of his life.

After the first dose of medicine, Qi Wen Kai fell into a state of hazy consciousness. When I told him that a vase had fallen from the display shelf as he was leaving, striking him senseless, he believed the lie in his dazed state. He drank the medicine dose by dose, and eventually, the day of Shen Rou’s wedding arrived. Originally, after her customary return visit, I could have slowly tapered off the medicine to let my husband recover. However, my pregnancy had become quite advanced. If he were to cause any more trouble, I feared my body would not withstand the strain of playing cat and mouse with him while carrying twins. I sought my mother-in-law’s advice on extending the treatment until I had safely delivered the heir to the Qi household, suggesting we consider his recovery a double blessing. She thought it over and readily agreed. Although this medicine harms the body if taken for too long, a physician relying merely on pulse readings would not easily detect anything unusual. Since I was already carrying the Qi family’s heir, we no longer felt the need to obsess over the state of Wen Kai’s health.

I quickly grasped her meaning. Three months later, my son was born safely. As I cradled the infant, my heart melted with tenderness; with this child in my arms, even if Qi Wen Kai were to perish tomorrow, I would have no cause for despair. With the baby safely arrived, I slowly ceased the medication. Qi Wen Kai, having been bedridden and delirious for months, remembered only the story I had concocted about the falling vase. He was deeply vexed by his own misfortune, yet could do nothing but accept it. After he regained his strength, the household seemed to return to its former state. Though he was not as close to his mother as he appeared, the shadow of filial piety still hung over him, and neither she nor I were willing to tear the mask off just yet. Qi Wen Kai pretended he had never plotted those vile schemes, and we pretended we had never discovered them. The days seemed unchanged, but I knew the foundation of this house had shifted. Both my mother-in-law and I had grown thoroughly disillusioned with him. He was allowed to recover his strength only because my son, Qi Jing, was still young, and having a father present at court might serve his future well. Furthermore, as the woman who raised him, my mother-in-law still harbored a shred of affection, and I saw no reason to act with undue haste. Yet, I knew my mother-in-law was not a woman of hesitation. The maternal bond between them had been worn paper-thin. It would only take one more heart-wrenching betrayal from Qi Wen Kai to snap it entirely.