Duan Ting had a minor literary reputation in the capital.
He currently holds a sinecure at the Imperial Academy, and his talents have not yet been fully revealed.
Looking at himself alone, he was certainly not worthy of the daughter of the Marquis of Changping, but his good family background made up for it.
The Duan family is a prominent clan in the Guanzhong region, with a long and distinguished history spanning hundreds of years.
The previous dynasty produced many important figures who were appointed prime ministers and nobles.
Although Duan Ting is not in the main branch of the Duan family now, he is not far away.
Moreover, he had a good elder brother. He had just turned thirty when he was promoted to the fourth-rank position of Vice Minister of Revenue.
Even if you searched all over Kyoto, such a refined and noble family would still be worth noting.
…
Duan Ting insisted that he had been tricked into coming.
Someone is trying to break up their marriage. Qi Shulan should keep her eyes open and not fall into the trap of the villain.
As the carriage crossed the Caihe Bridge, the curtains swayed slightly, letting in the light and shadows from outside the street.
The scenery was the same when I arrived and when I left.
But Qi Erniangzi had completely lost interest in watching the lanterns.
A fleeting light from the roadside illuminated her red, tear-filled eyes.
She sat silently in the car, without saying a word.
"You still care about her? Do you really have an affair with her?"
The scene of questioning kept replaying in my mind.
What he said.
He was silent for a moment, then said with a wry smile:
“Sister Shulan, what do you want me to do? Regardless of whether I have an affair with her or not, such rumors have already spread throughout the capital. Her reputation is ruined. She is a young woman, and she has a long life ahead of her. As a man, if I don’t lend her a hand, she will be stuck in this quagmire for the rest of her life and never be able to get out. Can I just stand by and watch?”
Look how grand and righteous he is.
On the contrary, it made her seem unreasonable and irrational.
…
The carriage chugs along, heading back to the Marquis of Changping's residence.
Qi Shulan stepped down from the carriage, her eyes fixed straight ahead, and walked forward with a light, unsteady gait.
The maidservants followed in disarray, draping the fur cloak over her shoulders.
As they approached the main courtyard, they came face to face with a young man coming out of the courtyard.
The man was wearing a green official robe and looked tired.
It was as if he had just finished his official duties and was coming to pay his respects to his parents.
Seeing Qi Shulan walk forward silently with red eyes, he frowned.
"Where did you go? Why are you only coming back now? And what's with this appearance?"
The maid gave her a quiet nudge.
Qi Shulan looked up, snapped out of her daze, and called out:
"Big brother."
Thinking of her elder brother's strictness, she knew that her red eyes and tear-streaked face would surely displease him.
He quickly wiped his face haphazardly with his sleeve.
Qi Yuanlang, hands behind his back, asked, "I'm asking you, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing, I'll talk to my mother about it." Qi Shulan said, her head down.
Fine, he had no patience to listen to his daughter's clingy thoughts.
Qi Yuanlang stopped asking questions and started walking forward.
But his younger sister called out to him from behind.
"Brother, have you heard? That woman, Third Sister, I heard her newlywed husband died, and she became a widow in Jincheng."
Qi Yuanlang: "Why are you asking this?"
Qi Shulan: "It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered. She's out of men, is she going back to the capital? Has your brother heard anything from her?"
Qi Yuanlang glanced at her.
"Don't overthink it."
He didn't say anything more and just left.
His family affairs were in disarray, but they were far less troubling than the affairs of the imperial court.
His Highness the Crown Prince is very concerned about the Prince of Qishan who is about to return to the capital. As the Crown Prince's attendant, he has been planning for this matter for the past few days.
The little things at home are just ripples in a cup, not enough to stir up any real waves.
…
The night was deep, and the lights in the main courtyard flickered, but they could only dispel a small patch of darkness.
Qi Shulan stood quietly at the door.
Duan Ting said he had seen her a few days ago.
Today she's pulled this invitation again, making a fool of the two of them. This is exactly the kind of trickery employed by that narrow-minded, shameless village woman!
She returned to Kyoto, but instead of going home, she went to see Duan Ting first.
Even after becoming a widow, that little vixen still hasn't given up on Duan Lang.
Did she think she would get what she wanted this time?
In any case, her marriage to Duan Ting cannot be canceled.
In a few months, she will become the Duan family's lawfully wedded bride.
That little vixen, let alone being a concubine, she wouldn't even allow her to be a mistress!
Her long fingernails dug into her palms as Qi Shulan turned and walked away.
Maid: "Miss, shouldn't we go and tell Madam about this?"
Qi Shulan: "I should tell you, but not now."
She slowly let out a sigh of relief, reverting to her aloof and proud demeanor as a young lady from the Earl's Mansion.
"I'll go back, wash my face, redo my makeup, change my clothes, and then come back to see my mother."
There are two things to do tonight.
First, that village woman returned, and as soon as she came back, she challenged her dignity.
Aunt Ji grovels before my mother every day. Humph, vixen, how could she not know this?
Secondly, there's Duan Ting's cousin.
She had heard of her; she was his aunt's younger sister, whose family were wealthy merchants in Qiantang.
But none of them could challenge her position.
She was the true heiress of the Changping Marquis's mansion, a woman of great wealth and honor.
.
While Qi Su was in the capital, busy catching up with old friends, His Highness the Prince of Qishan was also busy catching up with old friends.
There has been no news of that person for several days since we met on the night of the Lantern Festival.
Even the little birds couldn't be caught.
Qi Su couldn't stand it anymore.
So they found the female manager of Yan Ruyu Rouge Shop.
"Sister, do you think my husband has died out there? Why hasn't he said a word?"
The female shopkeeper smiled.
"Second Miss, please don't worry. Perhaps you've been too busy lately. We'll hear from you soon."
Qi Su: "It's so lonely to be alone in my empty room. I wonder if there are any places in the capital suitable for women to seek pleasure? Like the Moon Gazing Tower in Jincheng."
The female shopkeeper still smiled and said in a very good mood, "Let me instruct someone to check on the second young lady."
That evening, someone knocked on her bedroom window.
Qi Su: "The window isn't locked, just come in."
The people outside hesitated for a moment.
"No, I think it's better to avoid suspicion."
That's Yan Xiaoer's voice.
To avoid suspicion of dogs.
Qi Su opened the window, and the man who was avoiding suspicion hung under the eaves.
Their eyes met, and in the silence, he handed over a small notebook.
"What is this?" Qi Su asked.
Yan Xiaoer: "A place for seeking pleasure."
"Really?" Qi Su took the notebook and flipped through it.
It really is a list of shop names and detailed addresses.
Sure, it's a brand personally selected by His Highness the King of Qishan.
"He's been to all of these places?"
"Don't talk nonsense, His Highness is a monk. Some of these are our own shops."
"Oh, what if you don't have money?"
"Doesn't the rouge shop have it in its accounts? Just ask the shopkeeper for it."
Alright. Qi Su is fairly satisfied.
"What has my husband been busy with lately? Has he been eating three meals a day on time? Has he been thinking of me three times a day?"
Yan Xiaoer: "Your Highness has made some progress in investigating the assassination attempt at Qingyuan Post Station these past few days."
"Oh." That's a big deal.
"His Highness said that he will be able to enter the capital openly and legitimately by the end of the month."
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