Chapter 012: Welcoming the Concubine into the Household

Meanwhile, at the end of You Hour, a major event occurred thousands of miles away at the Zhongyi Hou Mansion in Chang’an City.

After drinking a bowl of medicinal soup, the Zhongyi Marquis, who had earlier fainted from anger provoked by his own son, suddenly began convulsing, nearly dying on the spot!

Fortunately, the Zhongyi Marquis was tough enough to survive, but he was left lying on the bed, unable to move. The physician beside him sighed and said, “I’m afraid the Zhongyi Marquis has only a few months left.”

Only a few months left!

Just a few months!

Qin Chanyue stood in the side chamber, seemingly overwhelmed with grief. She covered her face with a handkerchief as if unable to speak.

The maids and matrons nearby watched and sighed along with her.

Look at how heartbroken their Madam was!

A close matron softly comforted her, “Madam, don’t be too sad. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are all part of life. When fate arrives, there’s nothing we can do.”

“My life has been so bitter,” Qin Chanyue said, sitting by the bedside with tears in her eyes. “Let’s not even mention my two sons. Now my husband is in this state—how am I supposed to live?”

Madam had always been strong-willed, but now she was crying so pitifully that the matrons around her were at a loss. At that moment, the Zhongyi Marquis on the bed finally woke up slowly.

As he opened his eyes, he saw Qin Chanyue’s tear-streaked face.

Dusk had fallen by then. The setting sun melted into gold at the horizon, and crimson clouds streamed through the window, casting a golden glow that fell upon her face—so beautiful.

Seeing Qin Chanyue crying like this, the Zhongyi Marquis wanted to reach out and wipe the tears from her face, but he couldn’t lift his hand. In fact, he couldn’t even feel parts of his body.

His legs seemed to have disappeared, and his hands trembled uncontrollably. It took great effort just to move them slightly. When he tried to speak, his tongue refused to obey, and he could only struggle to utter a few sounds.

He could also feel the decay of his body, like a hollowed-out tree trunk. Though he lay there seemingly intact, inside he was empty. It wouldn’t be long before he withered away and turned into a corpse.

And all of this was because of the anger his two sons had caused him!

Throughout his life, he had valued purity and integrity, but he never expected that in his old age, his two sons would bring him such great distress. How pitiful his wife must be—

Seeing Qin Chanyue still crying, he raised his hand and gently touched her face.

Just that one movement made his entire body tremble, his muscles shaking uncontrollably, quivering and quivering.

He was truly going to die!

When a person is on the brink of death, it’s inevitable to speak of the things they cared about most in life. Since he was about to die, shouldn’t he voice the things he had suppressed, the regrets and the guilt, to find some peace?

So, Zhou Ziheng struggled to grasp Qin Chanyue’s hand.

Qin Chanyue also held his hand tightly, her fox-like eyes shimmering with tears. She loved him so deeply and was so reluctant to let him go. Surely, she would agree to any request he made at this moment, wouldn’t she?

The husband lying on the bed trembled his lips and spoke of his own regret.

“I… I have an outside concubine, whom I’ve kept hidden outside all this time without telling you. She and I have a son. Madam… I am so ill that I’m about to die. Please don’t blame them. Give them a way to survive and bring them back to the mansion.”

Zhou Ziheng loved Fang Qingqing and her son so dearly—she was the woman he cherished! As he faced death, how could he leave his bloodline outside? He was determined to find a way to bring them back.

If he were still healthy, he would have over a decade to pave the way for Fang Qingqing and the son they raised outside. But now, gravely ill, his only choice was to confess to Qin Chanyue.

At that moment, several maids remained in the side chamber. Upon hearing these words, they were all stunned.

The Marquis and Madam had been deeply affectionate for over a decade, and outsiders believed them to be inseparable. Who would have thought the Marquis had kept an outside concubine—and even had a child with her!

How could he do this to Madam?

How heartbroken Madam must be!

Sure enough, upon hearing that Zhou Ziheng intended to bring Fang Qingqing and her child into the mansion, Qin Chanyue felt a surge of fury rush to her forehead.

What a despicable man!

In her previous life, after her downfall, Zhou Ziheng had brought that mother and son back to trample over her. In this life, before she had even fallen, he was already scheming to bring them back. His devotion to that pair truly ran deep!

She had thought that by eliminating this man in this lifetime, she could cut off the path for that mother and son to return. Yet, Zhou Ziheng was determined to bring them back.

“To think the Marquis has kept an outside concubine!” The radiant Madam, upon hearing this, seemed overwhelmed with anger, tears streaming as she gazed at her husband.

Zhou Ziheng’s heart ached at the sight, yet he had no choice. Both women were deeply devoted to him—he could not abandon either!

Qin Chanyue had status and position, and she would surely not suffer hardships in the future. But his outside concubine was struggling to survive in an external residence. If he let go, Fang Qingqing would not make it.

He had to pave a way for Fang Qingqing.

Yet, seeing Qin Chanyue’s tear-streaked face, he feared Fang Qingqing would face difficulties upon her return. Hardening his heart, he said, “If you truly despise her, Chanyue, I will send her back to Zhou Mansion and have the Zhou family support them, just to give them an open path. How about that?”

Once that happened, all of Chang’an would know: Zhou Ziheng had kept an outside concubine and wished to bring her back before his death, but Qin Chanyue, out of jealousy, forced them out and dumped them on Zhou Ziheng’s parents. From then on, any trouble involving that mother and son would be blamed on Qin Chanyue.

He was using Qin Chanyue’s reputation to pressure her into agreement. After all, Qin Chanyue valued face so much—could she bear others pointing fingers and accusing her of “refusing to let her husband’s bloodline enter the mansion even after his death”?

Moreover, mentioning Zhou Mansion subtly hinted at using the Zhou family to pressure Qin Chanyue. After all, both Zhou Mansion and Qin Mansion belonged to the Crown Prince’s faction, with many covert ties between them. If Zhou Mansion caused trouble for Qin Mansion, her elder brother on the frontier would face additional difficulties.

Knowing he was dying, he had cast aside all shame, resorting to a retreat-as-advance strategy, mixing soft and hard tactics.

Hearing this, Qin Chanyue felt a chill in her heart.

Zhou Ziheng was determined to bring those two into the open!

Very well.

Gritting her teeth, she thought, since Zhou Ziheng insisted on bringing these two in, she would open the doors wide and let them enter the Houfu openly, allowing them to wade through the waters of the Houfu to see if they could endure it!

Thus, Qin Chanyue’s face softened with a few glimmers of tears and tenderness. With tears in her eyes, she lowered her head, embraced Zhou Ziheng before her, and said in a choked voice, “We have loved each other for many years. Although I may resent you out of jealousy, since the outside concubine carries your child, I will never mistreat them. Rest assured, I will bring them into the household and treat them well.”

With these words from Qin Chanyue, Zhou Ziheng finally felt at ease.

In his heart, he even felt a secret surge of pride.

Years ago, before Qin Chanyue married him, she had repeatedly forbidden him from taking concubines. But now? After more than a decade, hadn’t her stubbornness been shattered? The whimsical words of a young woman would ultimately have to give way.

He tightened his grip on Qin Chanyue’s hand, wanting to say more, but his body was too weak, and he fell into a deep sleep in an instant.

The smile on Qin Chanyue’s face gradually faded, and she eventually looked at him coldly, slowly withdrawing her hand.

That night, Qin Chanyue sent out a sedan chair to the outer courtyard Zhou Ziheng had rented, ordering someone to bring the outside concubine and the young master into the household.

——

For Fang Qingqing, that day felt like a dream.

She had heard about Zhou Ziheng’s illness, but due to her status, she could never see him in this lifetime. She could only weep in secret. When she learned that Zhou Ziheng was dying, she even considered taking her child to pound on the gates of the Houfu several times but ultimately restrained herself.

She was afraid!

If Zhou Ziheng died, what would become of her and her son? How would they survive?

Anxious and unsettled, she often sent people out to gather news. As she stood waiting anxiously at the entrance of the alley, she could always hear the neighbors’ mocking remarks.

“An outside concubine, thinking she can turn the world upside down.”

“Once her man dies, she’s finished.”

“Tsk, tsk, she can’t even get through the door!”

Hearing these words, her heart ached with bitterness and sorrow.

She was also the daughter of a respectable family! She was a Young Lady who had studied and learned proper etiquette!

Back then, it was she who had first fallen in love with Zhou Ziheng! If it weren’t for Qin Chanyue using her family’s influence to force her way into marrying Zhou Ziheng, how could she have been reduced to an outside concubine?

Overwhelmed with grief, she could not speak, and she returned to her courtyard filled with resentment.

Days like these passed one after another until, on this day, the sedan chair from the Houfu arrived.

The sedan bearers congratulated her with smiles at the door: “Concubine Fang, oh, the Marquis was thinking of you even in his illness! Lady Qin has given permission for you to bring your child into the household! This is a tremendous blessing, congratulations! Hurry and pack your things, it’s time to enter the Houfu!”

Fang Qingqing could hardly contain her excitement. She lifted her head high, took her son, and boarded the sedan chair back to the Houfu. As she passed by the commoners, she snorted triumphantly.

From now on, she would be the Marquis’s concubine, and she had nothing in common with these people.

Before entering the Houfu, she pulled her son aside and instructed him, “Son, you must strive to bring honor to your mother! Listen well to your father, make him happy, and he will cherish you.”

They arrived at the Houfu, and she would live a life more favored than Qin Chanyue! Her son would also be more favored than Qin Chanyue’s son!

Her son also nodded excitedly and emphatically.

Under the moonlight, the sedan chair proceeded openly along the streets and entered the Houfu.