Chapter 036: Do Not Touch Madam!

The question laced with killing intent swept over him like a harsh winter wind. At the very first encounter, it chilled half of Zhou Hai’s body, his muscles tensing up as if a grazing mountain deer had been pinned down by a lion. The blood in his entire body hummed, yet he found himself unable to move.

At that moment, Deputy General Qian’s words echoed loudly in Zhou Hai’s mind.

“Under no circumstances should you touch Madam.”

This overwhelming terror and the trembling brought by the pressure of death spread through his bones and blood. For an instant, a name flashed through his mind like a sudden clap of thunder.

A chill ran down Zhou Hai’s back, freezing his chest. He stumbled over his words in a panic: “N-no, I haven’t.”

The person standing before him remained silent, only fixing him with those dark, icy eyes.

Clearly, these few words were not enough. He wanted to hear everything—every detail of Zhou Hai’s interactions with Qin Chanyue!

Under the gaze of those eyes, a sense of suffocation washed over him. A thick, viscous liquid seemed to envelop him, making it impossible to breathe. It was like the swamps of the Twenty-Four Mountains of the Southern Borderlands: once a person sank in, all their senses were filled. The more he struggled, the deeper he would sink. The surging malice seemed to sprout claws and fangs, restraining him, devouring him, slowly consuming him entirely, corroding his bones until he died silently.

Suppressing the fear in his heart, Zhou Hai forced his sluggish tongue to recount the events of the day.

It was nothing more than Madam summoning him, speaking a few words to him, and then rewarding him with the position of private soldier commander.

At the end, Zhou Hai haltingly added: “Madam… Madam also asked me to come serve her tonight.”

Even before saying this, he had vaguely sensed it was a bad idea, but he dared not omit it. Sure enough, after he spoke these words, the tall man standing before him seemed unable to contain himself any longer and suddenly took a step forward.

Zhou Hai closed his eyes in fright, then felt a sharp pain in his neck before collapsing to the ground like soft mud.

Before losing consciousness, Zhou Hai had only one thought:

In the next life, never be a male consort again. Don’t ask why—just know that the neck hurts.

—

With a “thud,” Zhou Hai hit the ground. The person standing before him did not leave but instead stared fixedly at Zhou Hai through the mask with a pair of crimson eyes.

Zhou Hai had fainted, exchanging brief pain for peace. But Chu Heng’s suffering had only just begun.

At first, he had only wanted to take Zhou Hai’s place to relieve the poison once.

He thought it was a fleeting, illusory bubble, a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so he eagerly became a shadow in the dark, disguising himself as another person.

He was a despicable thief, and he knew it. That was why he never dared to stand in the light. He only wanted to carry this stolen moment of joy to endure the many years to come.

Even in death, he would take this secret to the grave, never letting anyone know.

But he never expected that Qin Chanyue would actually take the male consort into her service.

What Chu Heng had never dared to dream of had been obtained by some random, inexperienced young man. Why?

He had never done anything for Qin Chanyue. Why did he deserve her favor?

Love and hate, jealousy and envy—these are the most terrifying things in this world. They have no logic, no beginning or end, they simply surge forth suddenly, caring not whether you are innocent. If you have gained something, others will seethe with anger.

Why not me? Chu Heng wondered.

More than once, he had fantasized about what it would have been like if he hadn’t worn a mask that day.

The burning, suppressed, intense love in his chest churned, trying to break through his mask, to stand naked before Qin Chanyue, to let her know that it was him every single night.

But he couldn’t help but wonder: if that day, he hadn’t worn a mask, but had faced Qin Chanyue as himself, would she have taken him as a male consort? Would she have made love with him night after night?

No.

Qin Chanyue had never once considered being with him.

Chu Heng knew in his heart that Qin Chanyue only saw him as her adoptive brother—a distant elder, not someone close. She would die for him, but she would never share a bed with him. She could casually pull a private soldier to her side as a male consort to pass the time, but she would never have the slightest entanglement with him.

Deep down, Qin Chanyue did not see him as someone who could be a husband.

Even if a single thread of his intense desire were to leak out and be discovered by Qin Chanyue, she would avoid him like a venomous snake or scorpion, never coming to see him again.

He commanded the Twenty-Four Mountains of the Southern Borderlands, wielding boundless power, yet Qin Chanyue still would not have him.

More despairing than never obtaining something in a lifetime is watching others obtain it with ease, while he, even while impersonating another, must not reveal the slightest hint—only pretending to be someone else, deceiving Qin Chanyue and deceiving himself.

Every night disguised as Zhou Hai was like sugar laced with arsenic to him. He swallowed it bite by bite, until his intestines rotted and his stomach festered, exposing the “love” wrapped within his skin.

His love should have been white, sweet and rich like goat’s milk. But later, it was tinged with jealousy, mixed with lies, and finally tainted by greed. All these intertwined desires turned his love into a thick, black liquid, bubbling and gurgling.

When his skin was pierced, these things that bore the name of love rushed out eagerly. Wherever they went, bamboo withered yellow, ponds turned cold, and lotuses died—all drained dry by them.

Still unsatisfied, they grew wildly into dark, monstrous tentacles, desperate to find Qin Chanyue, to excitedly wrap around her, crawl over every inch of her body, and murmur over and over again in her ear—incoherent, blurred, stubborn: “I love you.”

I love you, I love you, I love you. Do you know I love you? Will you be with me? Whether you know or not, whether you will or not, I love you. I love you, I love you.

The overlapping voices were like a curse, whispering in the silent side chamber, clamoring to break free, to rush before Qin Chanyue.

Come on, say it, let her know, let her see!

Don’t be withered grass, don’t be a dead lotus—he wanted to come alive, he wanted to come alive!

His inner demons roared deafeningly.

Yet the tall man standing at the door of the side chamber made no move.

He was solemn, cold, restrained—a decade-long stillness like death. And at the same time, he was utterly merciless toward himself.

All those desires, the things he yearned for but could not obtain, were suppressed by him. Expressionless, he watched as he stuffed those chaotic thoughts back into his broken body, mending the shattered vessel, ensuring no one could see even a trace of his longing.

He must not startle Qin Chanyue.

He could not bear the cost of his secret being exposed. He would rather secretly impersonate someone else, just to spend a little more time with her, than risk revealing everything and driving them apart.

So he chose to continue being a despicable person.

Deceiving her, and deceiving himself.

When he raised his head again, he was once more “Zhou Hai.”

In the early autumn of the Houfu, he buried his affection deep, straightened his attire, donned another layer of human skin, and went to see his Xinshang Ren.

——

Meanwhile, Zhou Chiye had also arrived at Shuhai Courtyard.

When Zhou Chiye first entered Shuhai Courtyard, Liu Yandai had just gotten up to eat Reed-Flower Chicken.

Previously, the Houfu had never imposed the rules of morning and evening courtesies on Liu Yandai. She could go if she wished, or not if she didn’t feel like it. Later, when she became pregnant, all kinds of delicacies were sent to her room, treating Liu Yandai like an ancestor.

Qin Chanyue had recently become obsessed with male charms, never rising before noon herself, so Liu Yandai grew lazy as well. She seldom went to pay respects to Qin Chanyue, sleeping until the sun was high in the sky before getting up each day.

The first thing she did upon rising was to eat something delicious.

She loved to eat, regardless of the time, and not necessarily out of hunger—it was simply that her mouth craved it. So the Small Kitchen would prepare delicious dishes for her in various ways every day.

Today, the kitchen maid in the manor had made stewed Reed-Flower Chicken. The chicken was cleaned, plucked, chopped, seasoned, and simmered into a pot of rich, fragrant broth. Besides the Reed-Flower Chicken, there was also a plate of braised pork ribs. The ribs were stewed until tender and flavorful, with fine noodles added as a seasoning. The noodles, savory and smooth, soaked in the broth, could be slurped up in one mouthful—utterly satisfying!

For the meat dishes, there were these two. For vegetables, there was a stir-fried green vegetable and a pot of Pearl, Jadeite, and White Jade Soup. Beside the table were a plate of pastries and fruits and a bottle of sour plum juice.

This could not be considered a formal lunch. Ordinarily, the Shizi Furen would have her midday meal in the main hall, but neither Qin Chanyue nor Liu Yandai followed such rules. So this was just something the Small Kitchen had casually prepared—not necessarily exquisite, but perfectly suited to Liu Yandai’s taste.

She could finish it all!

As Liu Yandai sat on the low couch, happily eating, she suddenly heard someone requesting an audience outside.

The fair and delicate Shizi Furen sat on the low couch, chewing on a chicken leg in her hand, and asked with a muffled voice, “Who is it?”

In all the time she had been staying in Shuhai Courtyard, no one had ever come to visit her.

“Replying to Shizi Furen,” a maid beside her whispered, “it is the Second Young Master.”

For a moment, Liu Yandai held the chicken leg in her hand, unsure what to do. She picked it up, put it down, picked it up again, and put it down again. Finally, flustered, she stood up and said, “Help me get dressed.”

She had been lazy for a while, getting up just to eat, and hadn’t bothered to tidy herself. Now she couldn’t receive a guest in this state and had to hurriedly make herself presentable.

As the maid beside her stepped forward to attend to her, fixing her hair, Liu Yandai finally had a moment to ask, “What does he want with me?”

Liu Yandai had never had much interaction with this Zhou Chiye. Although Zhou Chiye would address her as “Eldest Sister-in-law” when they met, Liu Yandai knew that Zhou Chiye had always looked down on her.

Zhou Chiye thought she came from the Southern Barbarians, crude, vulgar, and uneducated. That was one thing, but she couldn’t even control her own husband, so Zhou Chiye had always looked down on this sister-in-law of his.

It was just that they had little interaction with each other, so there seemed to be no conflict between them.

Now, Zhou Chiye suddenly came to her, which surprised her greatly.

The maid beside her was just wrapping up Liu Yandai’s hair—these past few days, Liu Yandai had eaten many good things, and she looked a bit plumper, with a radiant glow like jewels on her cheeks. Even her originally dry, yellowish hair had become much smoother. Once her hair was wrapped up, the woman in the mirror revealed a round, full face.

Like a bright full moon.

Having shed the initial layer of awkward unease, hesitation, and self-doubt, Liu Yandai sitting here now bloomed with a gentle, flower-like beauty, looking slow and deliberate but exceptionally endearing.

“Replying to Shizi Furen, it’s a matter from the front courtyard,” the little maid hesitated for a moment before softly recounting what she knew.

“This morning, that Miss Bai came and knelt right in front of the mansion gate. No one knows what happened. Nanny Zhao went to ask, and when she returned, she looked panicked, but no one knows why.”

“Upon hearing that Miss Bai was kneeling at the gate, the second young master was so anxious he was pacing around like an ant on a hot pan. Earlier, some clever servants from our Shuhai Courtyard went out to inquire and brought back news—they say Miss Bai is pregnant with the second young master’s child and is kneeling at the gate hoping to be taken into the Houfu.”

“Later, the second young master went to Shangyue Garden but was turned away. They said the Marquise simply refused to see him.”

“After that, the second young master rushed straight to Shuhai Courtyard.”

As she spoke, the little maid took a floral hairpin and carefully placed it on Liu Yandai’s forehead, whispering as she did so, “This maidservant thinks the second young master has come to ask for your help, specifically to plead with you, hoping you’ll pave the way for him with the Marquise.”

Shizi Furen was naturally a bit slow-witted and often couldn’t see things clearly. When dealing with others, her mind tended to work a little slower, so some clever maids wanted to “show off” in front of Shizi Furen.

Although Shizi Furen was a bit foolish, she was favored! She was practically the apple of the Marquise’s eye—even her own son wasn’t as doted on as Liu Yandai. Moreover, Shizi Furen was now pregnant, ensuring her a secure place in the Houfu in the future.

Besides, Shizi Furen had a good temperament. While other madams would scold or beat their servants, Shizi Furen never did. Occasionally, when she had leftover delicacies, she would share them with the maids. If they accidentally broke something, Shizi Furen wouldn’t hold it against them. If anyone in their family encountered difficulties, Shizi Furen would generously grant leave and even provide financial support. She was truly a good mistress.

So these maids also put in extra effort to offer Liu Yandai advice.

“Shizi Furen must definitely not pay him any mind,” the maid said with certainty. “The Marquise doesn’t like that Miss Bai. In the past, Miss Bai caused so much trouble, and the Marquise is thoroughly annoyed with her. She certainly won’t want to let her into the household.”

“Moreover, the Second Young Master was never particularly fond of you before and even holds a grudge against Shiziye. He never came to see you in the past, yet now that he needs help, he comes looking for you. What kind of logic is that? Even those who pray to Buddha only do so at the last minute, but he comes straight to trouble you without even showing a decent attitude.”

“Shizi Furen, you mustn’t invite trouble upon yourself.” After the maid finished speaking in one breath, Liu Yandai, seated before the dressing table, nervously twisted the hairpin in her hand back and forth and tentatively suggested, “Why… why don’t we just say I’m not seeing anyone?”

After hearing the maid’s analysis and advice, she felt almost too afraid to meet him.

She had known for a long time that she couldn’t handle the affairs of the Houfu, so she avoided getting involved whenever possible, steering clear of trouble whenever she could.

She wasn’t a very clever person. Back in the countryside, she was often bullied by various aunts and relatives; anyone could mock her a few words, and she never learned how to fight back.

With her temperament, marrying into any family would have been worrisome. The people of Dachen valued ancestral traditions, and families typically lived together. In Chang’an, there were prestigious households; in the countryside, there were clan Ancestral Halls. No matter where she went, she would have to join another group of people, and within that group, her husband would only account for one-fifth.

The remaining four-fifths consisted of various elders, endless social obligations, and one challenge after another—bearing children, raising them, and all the difficulties of managing a household in the future.

And Liu Yandai was incapable of handling any of these matters. She would surely be bullied.

Even if she had the heart to learn, she couldn’t grasp it. Heaven had given her a dull mind; even if she were left in the countryside, she couldn’t hold onto a single plot of land. She lacked the ability to survive on her own, which was why her Shufu married her into the Houfu. He didn’t expect much from her, only hoping she could live under the protection of her Pomu. At the very least, Pomu wouldn’t treat her poorly.

Given this, it was best for her not to get involved from the very beginning.

The maid helping her with her makeup thought for a moment and nodded. “Then let’s just say you’re resting for the pregnancy and not receiving guests.”

As she spoke, the maid went out to decline the visit.

But who could have expected that the maid would return shortly after, looking troubled as she spoke to Liu Yandai in the side chamber: “Shizi Furen, the Second Young Master refuses to leave. He insists on seeing you.”

Liu Yandai had been uneasy and flustered, but after a while of anxiety, hearing that Zhou Chiye was acting this way, she suddenly felt a surge of anger welling up in her chest.

If she couldn’t even refuse him, it was clearly because he saw her as easy to bully! If it were anyone else, would Zhou Chiye dare to act like this?

He was the one asking for a favor, yet now it seemed as if he was forcing her!

“I won’t see him!” Liu Yandai puffed out her cheeks and declared firmly, “I don’t believe he’d dare to barge in!”

If he wouldn’t leave, then so be it. If he had the nerve, he could lay out a bedroll outside her courtyard and sleep right under her eaves!

Having been cared for by Qin Chanyue for so long, she had grown bold enough to vent a little when wronged.

Though it wasn’t particularly forceful, it was still much better than before.

It was early autumn, and the sun wasn’t too scorching; there was even a slight chill in the air. Zhou Chiye waited in Shuhai Courtyard, and whenever a gust of wind blew, rustling the window lattice, he would anxiously glance over, half-expecting someone to push the door open.

On Liu Yandai’s side, she refused to go out and meet him, while the person outside grew increasingly frantic.

As Zhou Chiye waited under the eaves, his gaze fixed intently on the window, he repeatedly felt the urge to rush in and confront Liu Yandai.

As fellow pregnant women, could Liu Yandai truly feel no sympathy for Bai Yuning?

Back when Zhou Yuanting had bullied Bai Yuning, Liu Yandai had surely heard about it. Did she not feel even a trace of guilt?

And now she was simply standing by as a spectator!

Zhou Chiye didn’t know what he was thinking, but he flung his hand down fiercely, his eyes burning with hatred.

This Liu Yandai was just as heartless as Qin Chanyue!

He felt a vague sense of humiliation for himself.

In front of everyone, Liu Yandai had actually left him hanging there!

In his rage, with blood rushing to his head, he steeled himself and turned back, heading straight for the mansion gate.

——

At that very moment, outside the mansion gate, Bai Yuning was still kneeling on the ground.

She wore a thin white dress that fluttered gently in the wind. Her belly wasn’t yet showing at this stage of pregnancy, so at first glance, only her slender waist was visible—delicate as a willow, as if she might be blown away by the wind. Her fair, rosy face, eyes brimming with tears, tugged at the heartstrings.

She counted the time, occasionally glancing at the sun, but mostly staring at the tiles in front of her. She wondered: should she collapse onto the tiles and pretend to faint?

Perhaps that would provoke someone inside to come out.

While Zhou Chiye inside was frantic with anxiety, she knelt outside without urgency, calmly calculating, because she knew the Houfu wouldn’t hold out for long.

She was carrying a child, after all. Even if Qin Chanyue had no regard for face, wouldn’t she want her own grandchild?

If Qin Chanyue insisted on keeping her out, the Second Young Master would later arrange for someone to impeach the Houfu. Although no one in the Houfu currently held an official position, they still clung to a half-dead Juewei. If Qin Chanyue wanted to keep the Juewei, she’d have to quickly settle the matter and bring her inside.

The more pitiful she appeared now, the harsher the impeachment would be later.

As Bai Yuning pondered this, she suddenly saw a figure striding quickly toward the mansion gate. Lifting her head, she caught sight of her lover’s face.

It had been a long time since they last met, and Zhou Chiye seemed to have grown thinner. His deep, fox-like eyes held a mix of longing and an indescribable sorrow. Without a word, he knelt down beside her.

“What are you doing?” Bai Yuning was startled. “Get up quickly.”

Zhou Chiye pressed his lips together and said, word by word, “I’ll stay with you.”

He couldn’t change the situation or persuade his mother, but he could share this burden with Bai Yuning.

If his mother refused to let Bai Yuning in, he would kneel outside with her.

It was early autumn, and an occasional breeze swept fallen leaves across the ground. Her lover’s voice was so resolute that it nearly blurred Bai Yuning’s vision.

She slowly lowered her head and, after a long pause, softly replied, “Mm.” Then, glancing around, she whispered, “I’m not actually pregnant. I just missed you so much and wanted to come back to the mansion to find you.”

Zhou Chiye was her only ally. She could hide this from anyone else, but not from him, so she had to confess from the start.

Zhou Chiye was taken aback for a moment, then gently grasped her hand and said softly, “It’s all right. I’m just glad you’re back.”

If she wasn’t pregnant now, they could try again later.

Bai Yuning couldn’t find the words to respond.

The Young Lady kneeling on the ground suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to cry.

She had schemed with every trick in the book just to return, and now, there was another person who had done all sorts of things, also just to bring her back—though his idea of “return” was different from hers.

She came with a purpose, while he simply loved her.

If only, if they had met before everything happened, if they were well-matched in social status, if there weren’t so many messy affairs—

Just as the two were holding hands, gazing at each other with tearful eyes, they suddenly heard footsteps approaching from afar. Both were startled, and as they looked up, they saw Nanny Zhao from Shangyue Garden walking toward them.

As Nanny Zhao descended the steps, her gaze swept tightly over the two figures, carrying a hint of scrutiny and displeasure.

Kneeling on the ground, Zhou Chiye’s heart tightened. He hurriedly straightened his neck and asked, “Has mother sent word?”

At this critical moment, only his mother’s words could have driven Nanny Zhao to come.

The Nanny Zhao before him pursed her lips and nodded, her expression cold as she said, “Congratulations, Second Young Master. Madam has spoken, permitting you to bring Miss Bai back. You may now take her to your courtyard to rest.”

In truth, Qin Chanyue’s original words had not been so pleasant. Upon hearing that Zhou Chiye had also gone to kneel at the mansion gate, she had frowned and cursed, “That shameless man,” before allowing Nanny Zhao to come fetch them.

However, “fetching them” meant just that—only fetching them. There was no mention of granting any status, not even the words “taking a concubine” were uttered.

But for Zhou Chiye, this was already enough!

As long as his Yuning could return, he was already overjoyed!

Seeing Zhou Chiye’s elated expression now, Nanny Zhao inwardly felt that he must have been bewitched! What was so good about this Bai Yuning that could drive Zhou Chiye to such madness?

But Zhou Chiye paid no mind to any of this.

He hurriedly helped Bai Yuning to her feet, personally brushing the dust from her clothes, while Bai Yuning bowed respectfully to Nanny Zhao and said, “Thank you, Nanny Zhao, for coming to inform us.”

Nanny Zhao did not even glance at her, only speaking coldly to Zhou Chiye, “Please return to the mansion early, Young Master.”

Don’t disgrace yourself outside the mansion gates.

Zhou Chiye naturally sensed Nanny Zhao’s attitude. He frowned and raised his eyes, about to reprimand her, when Bai Yuning beside him gently restrained him.

Bai Yuning acted as if she had heard nothing, patting Zhou Chiye’s hand before following him back into the Houfu.

The moment she stepped over the threshold of the Houfu, a satisfied smile flickered across Bai Yuning’s face.

The memory of being driven out of the Houfu still echoed in her mind, but after all the twists and turns, hadn’t she still managed to enter this Houfu?

In the end, she was the one who had won.

That day, after Bai Yuning and Zhou Chiye returned to Jianming Courtyard, the two remained affectionately close for half the afternoon. By evening, Bai Yuning had tidied herself up and headed straight for Qin Chanyue’s Shangyue Garden.

She was now eager to cross paths with Qin Chanyue.

And today, just as Bai Yuning arrived at the entrance of Shangyue Garden, she coincidentally bumped into Liu Yandai, who had come in a Sedan Chair to pay her respects to Qin Chanyue.

Liu Yandai had come to lodge a complaint with Qin Chanyue.

She intended to tell Pomu about how Zhou Chiye had barged into her courtyard earlier that day, causing trouble, and ask Pomu to stand up for her. But she never expected that, upon reaching the entrance of Shangyue Garden, she would encounter Bai Yuning.

What was Bai Yuning doing here? Knowing full well that Qin Chanyue disliked her, why would she come to Shangyue Garden?

Liu Yandai thought that if she were Bai Yuning, having finally managed to enter the mansion, she would surely lie low in her courtyard and avoid stirring up trouble.

Yet Bai Yuning stood waiting for Liu Yandai. Upon seeing her approach, a faint smile appeared on her fair, rosy face. She even took a step forward and performed a slight side bow, saying, “Yuning greets Sister-in-law.”

Gazing at that delicate, pear-blossom-like face and its gentle, submissive expression, Liu Yandai suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.