Chapter 1 Concubine
Xuanyuan Dynasty
Capital
General's Mansion
In Zhaixing Garden, sunlight shines into the room through the windows, and the whole house seems to be wrapped in a layer of golden light.
Xia Xing'er lay lazily on the pearwood chaise longue, one hand under her head and the other holding a feather fan and waving it from side to side. Her bright red dress wrapped around her slender body. She looked at the man standing in front of her, her newlywed husband whom she had been waiting for three years.
Helian Zhi, still wearing his half-worn armor, looked majestic and awe-inspiring. A hint of apology mingled with determination on his handsome face. "Xing'er, I'm sorry, you can no longer be the sole mistress of the General's Mansion. I will marry Qingyu soon."
Xia Xing'er slowly stood up from the chaise longue, folding her hands in front of her. Her eyes were dim and unclear as she asked doubtfully, "Our marriage was arranged by the Empress Dowager. I wonder why I can't be the sole mistress of the General's Mansion?"
Helian Zhi frowned. "You are still the wife of the General's Mansion. You and Qingyu are no different. She and I fell in love with each other on the battlefield and we are in love. I will ask for permission from His Majesty based on my military achievements. In fact, there is no need to ask for your opinion. I came back to tell you this because I respect you. Please don't be ungrateful."
Xia Xing'er raised the corner of her mouth, her eyes full of sarcasm: "You and her are in love. Do you still remember what you said to me before you left for the battle?"
Three years ago, on the night of their wedding, he led his reinforcements to war. Before leaving, he lifted her red veil and made a promise to her: "We will be together for the rest of our lives. In this life, Xing'er is the only one for me."
Helian Zhi was a little embarrassed. "Just forget what I said. I married you because the Queen Mother arranged it, not because I wanted to. I didn't know what love was at that time. The General's Mansion was in need of a mistress, and you just happened to be the right person, until I met Qingyu."
When he spoke of his beloved, his eyes were filled with deep affection like a thick fog that could not be melted. He continued to say to Xia Xing'er: "She is different from all the women in the world. I have fallen deeply in love with her and cannot live without her. I hope Xing'er can help me."
Xia Xing'er was amused by his shameless words.
"Then is your Qingyu willing to be my concubine?"
Helian Zhi frowned unhappily: "What do you mean by concubine or not? Don't say it so harshly. She is an equal wife, and there is no difference between you and me." At the end, he shouted in frustration.
Xia Xing'er smiled playfully: "You can't stand this? According to the Xuanyuan Dynasty laws I know, a concubine is also a concubine. Is your law different from mine?"
Regardless of his increasingly grim expression, Xia Xing'er continued to ask, "Have you asked your parents for their opinions?"
"Of course, my father and mother agreed. Qingyu is straightforward, cute, and considerate. Mother likes her very much. Chatting with her has made her illness much better."
They all agreed, so what was all her three years of hard work worth? All her sincerity was wasted.
Xia Xing'er asked calmly, "Is she in the mansion now?"
When Helian Zhi talked about Ye Qingyu, his tone always softened unconsciously: "She is talking to mother, and mother likes her very much."
Xia Xing'er couldn't describe her feelings, but she still said, "Much better? When you went to war, she was so sick that she couldn't get out of bed. All the doctors in the capital, including the imperial physicians, were helpless. It was I who found a miracle doctor to treat her. I stayed up all night, ate and lived with her, and took care of her personally. Only then did her condition improve."
She said this not to seek credit, but simply to state a fact and talk about her hard work over the past three years.
Helian Zhi's eyes were full of sincerity: "Now that she has seen Qingyu, her condition has improved. I know you have worked hard over the past three years."
As he said this, he was about to hold Xia Xing'er's hand, but Xia Xing'er dodged away in disgust.
When Helian Zhi saw Xia Xing'er avoid his outstretched hand, he thought she was angry with him.
"Xing'er, you are just a spoiled girl raised in seclusion, and Qingyu is a female general. You don't have to worry about her taking away your housekeeper power. She disdains to intrigue with a girl like you."
Xia Xing'er asked back, "She disdains to engage in intrigue with a woman like me? Then why would she want to compete with a woman like me for a husband?"
"She disdains to compete with me for the position of housekeeper. Do you think I care about the position of housekeeper of your general's mansion?"
The General's Mansion had been an empty shell since she married in. Just the medicine pills the old lady took cost dozens of taels of silver each, and the food, clothing, and social interactions of other people in the mansion also cost a lot of money.
She used her own dowry to subsidize all of this, but she didn't expect to end up with such a result.
Helian Zhi has lost his patience: "Okay, I have told you everything I need to say. Whether you agree or not will not change the outcome. I must marry Qingyu."
After saying that, he turned around and rushed out.
Xia Xing'er looked at his departing back and felt it was ironic.
"Miss, your son-in-law is so bullying?" Chunliu wiped her tears and moved closer to Xia Xing'er.
Xia Xing'er glanced at her calmly and said slowly, "I'm not crying, why are you crying? Go get my dowry list."
"Miss, what do you want the dowry list for?" Chunliu didn't understand.
"You silly girl, of course you're taking the dowry list to sort out our things. Why should we stay with a family like this and work like slaves for them?"
Xia Xing'er tapped Chunliu gently on the forehead.
Chunliu covered her forehead and let out a cry.
"But this marriage was granted by Madam at the request of the Queen Mother. I hope that you can marry, have children, and live a peaceful and stable life."
When talking about her mother, Xia Xing'er's eyes were filled with tears, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
Father Xia Chengsheng and mother Liu Youran loved each other all their lives and truly lived together for the rest of their lives.
In total, there were three sons and one daughter, and each of the three brothers was extremely handsome.
Although she was a girl, her father raised her as a boy since she was a child. When she was five years old, her father sent her to Meishan to learn skills.
He is well versed in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, songs, military strategies, and martial arts.
When she was fifteen, she finished her studies and went down the mountain. Her mother hoped that she would find a good husband and raise children like other noble ladies.
Although she was reluctant, she still compromised under her mother's expectant eyes.
I spent a whole year learning the Three Obediences and Four Virtues and the responsibilities of a clan wife in charge of the household.
As soon as the news that the eldest daughter of Marquis Changxin wanted to find a husband spread, people came to propose marriage one after another. In the end, they chose Helian Zhi. One reason was that their family was small, and the other was that he swore to his father and mother that he would only love Xing'er for the rest of his life and never take a concubine.
But in just three years, that person reneged on his oath. How ironic.
Three days later, her father, mother, brother and sister-in-law were all exiled and eventually died tragically on the way.
That’s right, Xia Xing’er was reborn, and everything that happened today also happened in her previous life.
How did she do it?
According to her original character, she would rather die than live in disgrace, but in order to reassure her father and mother.
Agree to let Ye Qingyu marry in as a co-wife.
Even the betrothal gift was paid from their own dowry, but how did they do it?
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