Chapter 15: Harm Others and You Ultimately Harm Yourself

Three people sat cross-legged on the low bed in the hall. When she entered, two of them rose to their feet.

The only one remaining seated was a man—Xu Chengyue was uncertain whether to address him as husband or father-in-law. Men of the Tang dynasty, upon reaching a certain age, would grow beards, which only made it harder for her to judge his age.

He wore a narrow-sleeved, round-collared robe and a futou headpiece, his attire simple and unadorned by gold, silver, or jade. Even seated, his commanding presence was unmistakable; his sharp eagle-like eyes scrutinized her intently.

His expression suddenly clouded with a hint of gloom, leaving Xu Chengyue puzzled.

She first bowed to him, and he nodded in return.

Then, they exchanged greetings with the two standing men.

One of these was Lord Lü, a familiar face, so no further introduction was needed.

The other was quite different. Unlike the casually dressed stranger, this young lady was elaborately attired: a short jacket over a skirt, large sleeves, and a flowing scarf—all worn as if for a grand occasion. Her hair was styled high in a towering coiffure, adorned with jade hairpins and flowers. Her makeup was extravagant, complete with slanted rouge, face rouge, and floral forehead decorations—nothing was missing.

Her presence brightened the humble room considerably.

She looked as if she were about to attend a court banquet, starkly out of place among the others and this simple chamber.

Her delicate cheeks flushed lightly, her eyes sparkling with delight as she fixed her gaze unwaveringly on Xu Chengyue.

Xu Chengyue’s mouth twitched; the brilliance of the young lady’s attire and the shine in her eyes almost blinded her.

Today, Duke Zheng had not intended to come himself. Such trivial matters didn’t require his presence; there were plenty of people to handle them, and it would suffice to send the thank-you gift through a messenger.

But his daughter, Third Miss Zheng, insisted on coming when she heard about it. He had always indulged this daughter, which was why she had been allowed to behave as she did.

Helpless, he had to acquiesce but feared she would leap from the wolf’s den into the tiger’s mouth, sparking some tragic romance. So, he accompanied her.

He had traveled light, wary of revealing his identity and attracting unwanted attention. The young lady, naive and eager to meet her benefactor, had spent an entire hour on her elaborate toilette. Duke Zheng found it quite unbearable.

Yet he hadn’t expected the visitor to be a young woman, which shattered his earlier assumptions and left him deeply vexed.

“Lady Yue, thanks to your letter, Third Miss was saved from disaster. She offers her deepest thanks to her benefactor,” Third Miss Zheng said solemnly, bowing deeply.

Xu Chengyue quickly steadied her, replying, “It was merely a small kindness, hardly worth mentioning, and does not merit such ceremony. My surname is Xu, and my given name is Qi. You may simply call me Lady Xu Qi.”

“Small kindness? You must have put much thought into it. Lady Qi is truly insightful—every detail matched exactly what that faithless scoundrel did,” Third Miss Zheng said unabashedly. She did not shy away from discussing the matter; the blame lay not with her but with that treacherous man.

Xu Chengyue felt a little embarrassed by the praise. The story she had shared was essentially a comprehensive guide to protecting rich girls from deceitful men like the “Phoenix men.” By chance, some cases aligned perfectly with Third Miss Zheng’s experience, who naturally identified with the rest.

Once seated, Third Miss Zheng continued animatedly recounting the entire affair to Xu Chengyue, omitting only the family name, never mentioning Duke Zheng’s household.

She clearly disregarded formalities, speaking freely despite Duke Zheng’s frantic signals to restrain herself.

“At first, I told him the engagement was off and turned to leave. He stopped me, begging desperately. I almost softened, but when he saw I would not change my mind, his expression darkened. He threatened that if I betrayed our bond, he would lie to my father, claiming we were already husband and wife,” Third Miss Zheng said with a bitter smile.

“That was when I truly saw the man before me. The noble ambitions and humble origins he pretended to have were all lies,” she said, filled with righteous indignation and self-pity.

Xu Chengyue listened with sympathy. Such shamelessness was appalling, but was this really a matter to share with an outsider?

“Luckily, my father had been keeping watch and sensed danger. He intervened just in time. Before being driven off, that man cursed me, calling me shameless for secretly consorting with him, then pretending to be virtuous,” Third Miss Zheng said, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“Do not grieve, Third Miss. Those with three legs are hard to find, but there are plenty of two-legged gentlemen. With your family background and beauty, finding a suitable match will be a simple matter,” Xu Chengyue comforted her with a well-worn proverb from her previous life.

“Indeed, Lady Qi is wise,” Third Miss Zheng beamed, then changed the subject.

“Later I learned you were the author of that book. I bought every copy and finished reading it in less than a day,” she said, omitting that she had stayed up all night, causing her mother to fear she still longed for that faithless man.

“That Chu Father was the true traitor. When it happened, he framed Chu Lady’s maternal family. What will become of Chu Lady now?” Third Miss Zheng asked curiously. She had been stuck on this point since her last reading, her heart torn as if clawed by a cat. It was hard to say whether this was part of why she had come.

At present, the story of the Divine Physician Poisonous Consort had reached the point where Chu Muqing was uncovering the truth and discovering that Chu Father was the real traitor all along.

During this time, a new figure appeared—Prince Jiang. Though his maternal family held no real power, he was highly esteemed in official circles. Talented and handsome, favored by the emperor, he was admired by scholars and ladies alike, a strong contender for the throne.

Prince Jiang was also the unattainable first love of the female antagonist, Chu Muxue. Out of love turned to hatred and jealousy over her elder sister Chu Muqing’s rising reputation after the polo incident—praised as a gem in the rough despite her plain looks—she plotted to disgrace them by framing them in a scandalous affair, hoping to ruin Chu Muqing’s reputation and force Prince Jiang out of the succession.

However, the scheme was uncovered by the two sisters, who quietly shifted the blame onto Chu Muxue and Prince Li.

The servants’ alarm drew the attention of many nobles, who assumed Chu Muqing and Prince Jiang were involved, only to find Chu Muxue and Prince Li instead.

The sight of Chu Muxue and Prince Li sharing a bed shocked the onlookers. Prince Li, however, was ecstatic and vowed to take her as his concubine.

Chu Muqing, disdainful even of the position of princess consort, certainly had no interest in becoming a secondary wife. During their dispute, Prince Jia and other admirers of Chu Muxue were devastated; some gave up hope, while others still wished to marry her regardless of the past.

The chaos provided a juicy scandal that kept the capital abuzz for three days.

“When the next volumes come out, Third Miss will know,” Xu Chengyue said vaguely, unwilling to spoil the story.

“That Chu Muxue is truly hateful. How could a woman use such vicious means to harm her own sister?” Third Miss Zheng recalled the plot with great anger.

Lü Hongzhuo, uncomfortable joining the ladies’ conversation, exchanged stiff pleasantries with Duke Zheng, feeling awkward. Hearing this, he perked up and joined in.

“Fortunately, Chu Lady was clever and let Chu Muxue reap what she sowed. Harm others and you only harm yourself!” Lü Hongzhuo said, feeling immensely relieved, as if the sky had cleared.