The next day, Ning Wang rose very early. Qingge pretended to be asleep, keeping her eyes closed and acting as if she hadn’t heard when he got up. Anyway, there were no elders in Ning Wang Manor, so as the new bride, she didn’t need to pay respects to anyone.
Once Ning Wang finished dressing, he left the chamber. Only after hearing his footsteps leaving and the sound of the door closing did Qingge open her eyes. She listened carefully and realized that Baizhi, who had been stationed outside the previous night, had been replaced by an unfamiliar secret guard, who had also left with Ning Wang.
This meant there were no secret guards posted near her room now.
It made sense, though. Ning Wang Manor was naturally heavily guarded, with guards stationed both inside and outside on top of fortress-like security measures. There was no need to assign a secret guard to watch over the newlywed Wangfei who resided deep within the inner yard. Having them monitor her so closely would be inappropriate.
This, of course, suited Qingge better—she could now demand her payment without having to come up with a suitable reason. After pretending to rest for a while, she got up, bathed, dressed, and took her breakfast. Once everything was in order, she dismissed everyone except for Luo Momo. She glanced down at the bowing momo and said coldly, “Luo Momo, you know what I want.”
Qingge had observed how masters treated their subordinates and was adept at imitating it.
Luo Momo gave her an assessing look. “Miss, you need to speak in detail about the time you spent last night with Ning Wang.”
“???” Qingge was taken aback.
“I need to record it,” Luo Momo added.
Qingge then understood. Right, she needed to recount every detail of her interaction with Ning Wang so that it could be reported back to the real Xiahou Jianxue, preparing them both for the next switch.
“Last night, after everyone left, Ning Wang asked me to serve him in bed,” Qingge did not beat around the bush and started recounting. “We did it once, then we each bathed separately. After bathing, we lay down to rest. About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, he asked me to serve him again.”1
Luo Momo pressed, “Be more specific. What kind of inner robe was he wearing? What did he say?”
Qingge was a bit taken aback, but she still complied with the details.
“How long did the first time take?” The momo asked again. “How long was the second time? How strong was he? Was his action rough? Did he have any experience? Did he say anything in the middle?”
Qingge frowned. “He didn’t speak much during, and his action was consistently forceful and domineering.”
Luo Momo nodded slightly. “That sounds right. And the duration? Approximately how long?”
Qingge thought for a moment and said, “The first time was quite brief, only about half a cup of tea time.”
Luo Momo’s expression shifted, and she frowned.
Qingge continued, “The second time was much longer. I didn’t keep track of how long, but I remember that shortly after we finished, the drum for the second watch drum sounded outside.” It had indeed been long and exhausting. Her emotions ran wild throughout the process, draining her both physically and mentally. As a result, she even lost her sense of time. 2
“I see,” Luo Momo seemed thoughtful.
“What do you mean?”
Luo Momo gave her a meaningful look, and then suddenly chuckled. “Miss, you are indeed fortunate. This is the yang essence3 of the imperial prince we are talking about, the real dragon seeds. Many would long for it but never have the chance, yet you were the one to receive it.”
Qingge raised an eyebrow. “Luo Momo, are you envious? It’s a pity Ning Wang would never consider you; otherwise, you’d be the one stepping into my place, committing yourself to him.”
Luo Momo’s expression shifted, and she glared at Qingge. “I have no intention of arguing with you. Now that we’re both inside Ning Wang Manor, any exposure would put all our lives at risk. If you insist on turning against me, you will lose all support, and who will pay you the remaining silver?”
When it comes to silver, Qingge agreed: “That makes sense. We indeed should maintain a perfect partnership.”
Luo Momo asked again, this time more tentatively: “Did Ning Wang leave his yang essence in your body?”
Recalling the events of the previous night, Qingge’s expression paused. “There are more details, and I will share them with you later. But right now—” she stopped and looked at Luo Momo, “where are my thirty thousand taels?”
Luo Momo gave a knowing smile and pulled out a bundle of silver notes from her sleeve. “Early this morning, Mr. Mo rushed to find me, specifically to confirm if everything had gone well last night. He also handed me these notes, saying they are worth 2,000 taels each.”
Qingge took them immediately, inspected the notes carefully, and, once confirmed, tucked them away.
With this, she had already secured 40,000 taels of silver—enough to last her for a lifetime. Now she could finally relax a little. If she could gather more benefits, such as rare medicinal herbs or precious jewels, she would stay in the role. If she couldn’t or if Ning Wang became suspicious, she would immediately find a chance to run away.
After giving Qingge the silver, Luo Momo saw she was in a good mood and took the opportunity to ask numerous questions. Some of these questions were so detailed and personal that Qingge was reluctant to answer. But having accepted payment, she was obligated to comply. From the moment she agreed to impersonate the Xiahou young lady and marry on her behalf, she knew she was merely playing a role.
Everything she experienced now belonged to Xiahou Jianxue—with this mindset, she answered every question in detail, withholding nothing.
Once Luo Momo finally left, Qingge began to ponder about how to avoid prying eyes and meet Ye Min privately as herself, to find out about his plans for her. Due to the poison she had been afflicted with, she was no longer able to continue with her secret guard duties, so Ye Min had permitted her to take a leave to recover, which was why she dared to take on this deal, initially thinking of it as a lucrative side job.
Now that she was already in Ning Wang Manor, she had the advantage of proximity. She could seek out Ye Min and get more information.
…
Under the pretext of familiarizing herself with her new home, Qingge took the opportunity to explore the Ning Wang Manor. Soon, she had a clear understanding of the manor’s layout and newest security measures, which had always been her expertise. It was no exaggeration to say that she knew these details better than Ning Wang himself.
Once she got enough information about the site, Qingge next began planning how to find a chance to sneak out and meet Ye Min. It just happened that the Zhonghe Festival4 was only a few days away, during which the Lize Lake in the suburbs would be opened to the public. This festival, celebrated every year, was one of the grandest events in Yuning. Locals and tourists alike would flock to the lake, with pleasure boats rowing everywhere, people mingling and playing, and a variety of performances and festivities taking place. During this time, women of all ages, married or single, would venture out to enjoy the celebration.
This would be a perfect opportunity. She could leave the manor openly, and during the outing, Luo Momo could cover for her while she slipped away to meet Ye Min. Of course, she needed to plan carefully to avoid leaving any trace and, above all, she had to ensure that Ye Min wouldn’t suspect that her ‘convenient proximity’ was actually within the manor.
Now that she had made up her mind, Qingge made a mental note to bring this matter up to Ning Wang when he returned to the inner yard5, thinking that he would not refuse such a small request. However, to her surprise, several days passed, and Ning Wang never set foot in the inner yard.
After some inquiry, she found out that Ning Wang had been staying in Tianhong Pavilion.
Ning Wang Manor covered a vast ground. While it appeared similar to any other grand estate—with its opulent buildings, landscaped gardens, ponds, and other ornamental features—the layout was, in fact, meticulously arranged according to the metaphysical principles of Qimen Dunjia6, creating a defensive formation. Among the many buildings in the manor, Tianhong Pavilion was where Ning Wang spent most of his time—during the day, he managed various affairs in his study there, and in the evening, he would retire to the adjacent living quarters.
Meanwhile, she, the ‘legitimate daughter of the Xiahou clan and the new mistress of the house,’ had been neglected in the corner of the inner yard.
Clearly, Ning Wang had no desire to see her. After marrying the legitimate daughter of the prestigious Xiahou clan and consummating the marriage, he completely neglected the wife he had just married, leaving his bride to fend for herself in the inner yard.
So heartless!
Or maybe he thought he had completed his marital obligation on the wedding night and thus no longer needed to pay her any attention?
If that were the case—Qingge pondered—she would need to adjust her approach. Being ignored was the best outcome she could hope for; it meant she wouldn’t need to put in much effort, and after five months, she could collect the rest of her payment without any complications.
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- Hour (shichen) refers to the ancient measurement of an hour, which lasts around two modern hours (120 minutes). One incense stick of time refers to a short time span, generally 15 minutes. One cup of tea refers to the time needed for a cup of tea to cool, around 5 minutes.
- Geng (更; rotation, watch) is a system that uses predetermined signals (drum or gong) to define the time during the nighttime. There are five watches a night (first watch to fifth watch), which last around 150 minutes, and the second watch starts at 9:00 pm and ends around 11:00 pm
- Yin Yang concept: Yang is male, masculine, and Yin is female, feminine.
- Zhonghe Festival (中和节) is celebrated on the first day of the second month of the lunar calendar, which marks the beginning of spring. As such, this festival has deep roots in agricultural belief.
- In ancient China, large estates were typically divided into two main areas: the ‘front yard,’ which is the public space and domain of men, and the ‘inner yard,’ (or backyard), which is residential quarters for the household’s female members. The inner yard was the most private section of the estate, with restricted access to ensure seclusion. Traditionally, when boys reached a certain age, they would relocate from their mother’s residence in the inner yard to their own quarters (‘courtyard’) within the front yard. Even after marriage, a man would maintain his separate residence in the front yard in addition to the residence he shared with his wife in the inner yard.
- Qimen Dunjia (奇门遁甲) is an ancient Chinese divination method used in military strategy and fate calculation. It employs complex calculations to precisely determine the ideal timing, position, and direction to achieve desired metaphysical effects.