Prologue: An Uninvited Guest

Plum Courtyard.

Tang Xiang sat alone by the window, gazing at the half-moon on the horizon. Its clear radiance spilled like water over her clothes, casting a faint silvery sheen. Outside the window, insects chirped, softly, one call after another.

"A-Lei," she said, her voice so soft it was as though she feared disturbing something, "this is the fourth year since you left. If you have time today, come into my dreams..."

Before her words had faded, a dark shadow suddenly flashed past the window. Tang Xiang's heart jolted. She sprang to her feet and stepped back.

But before she could cry out, a pair of hands reached around from behind and encircled her waist.

"A-Xiang..."

That voice sounded right beside her ear, carrying a cloying hint of laughter. "I've missed you so much."

Tang Xiang stiffened for an instant, then violently wrenched herself free of those hands and turned around.

In the moonlight, that face was clearly visible.

"Li Yuezhou!" Her voice was low, but filled with teeth-grinding hatred. "You've trespassed into my Marquis of Ningyang's Residence. Aren't you afraid I'll call the guards to seize you and have you punished?"

Li Yuezhou did not retreat. He simply stood there, looking at her with a smile.

"A-Xiang," he drawled, a hint of amusement in his voice, "don't you think a woman of your standing secretly meeting an unrelated man at night is a very interesting thing?"

Tang Xiang's expression changed. "You wouldn't dare!"

Li Yuezhou took a step forward, drawing closer to her. "Older sister," he said even more softly, with a cloying intimacy that raised goosebumps, "the wealth and splendor of the Marquis of Ningyang's Residence will soon come to an end. You've been widowed for years. Why insist on wading into these muddy waters?"

Older sister...

Tang Xiang's eyes suddenly reddened.

A-Lei had loved calling her that back then. He was a year younger than her, and even before they married, he had always called her "older sister" at every turn. After their marriage, he still refused to change how he addressed her. Whenever she heard it, she would feign anger, put on a stern face, and say, "Mind your manners." Then he would sidle up to her and pester her with a grin until she could no longer stay angry and could only let him have his way.

That had been her A-Lei, not this disgusting man before her!

"Shut your mouth!" Tang Xiang's voice trembled.

Seeing her like this, Li Yuezhou suddenly laughed. "All right, all right, all right." He raised both hands in a show of surrender. "As long as you're willing to marry me, A-Xiang-or even just leave with me-I'll agree to anything you say."

He took another step forward, leaving only inches between them. "Everyone says you're already a fading beauty, A-Xiang, but I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world."

Tang Xiang took a step back.

"You used to say I was a toad lusting after swan flesh, A-Xiang." Li Yuezhou's voice lowered, carrying the certainty of someone determined to have his prize. "What about now? If the Marquis of Ningyang's Residence falls, can I have you?"

Tang Xiang looked at him and suddenly sneered. "In your dreams." Her voice was cold, every word clear and distinct. "I am the eldest legitimate granddaughter of the Tang Family, the eldest madam of the Marquis of Ningyang's Residence. No matter what you do, I will never spare you a second glance."

"You're unwilling, A-Xiang?" Li Yuezhou tilted his head, his tone as casual as idle conversation. "Plenty of widows leave after mourning their husbands for a year. You're a woman of the Tang Family, A-Xiang, a woman of noble standing. If you wanted to remarry, you could find someone even better than Chu Molei." He paused, his gaze growing meaningful. "Or is it really just as the rumors say? Have you fallen in love with your husband's younger brother, and that's why you refuse to leave the residence?"

Tang Xiang's expression changed sharply. She raised her hand and slapped him hard across the face.

Smack-

The crisp sound was especially piercing in the quiet night.

Tang Xiang's voice trembled. "Li Yuezhou! You can leave now!"

Li Yuezhou touched his face, yet smiled. "Are your feelings for Chu Molei truly that deep?" His voice was mild, carrying a trace of something indefinable. "You're a widow now, without husband or child, and already nearing thirty. What exactly are you after?"

He stepped forward, staring her down.

"A-Xiang, leave with me. Once you're past thirty, even remarrying will be difficult."

Tang Xiang looked at him and suddenly laughed. That smile was cold, carrying a hint of condescending mockery. "In your eyes, can women only survive by marrying? A-Lei and I had neither our parents' command nor a matchmaker's word. From meeting to falling in love to marrying, all we wanted was to stay by each other's side, not some worldly notion of men taking wives and women taking husbands. Now that he's gone, I will guard this residence in his place as its eldest son, until A-Qi and Wanwan can stand on their own. And I have no regrets."

Tang Xiang looked at him, her gaze full of contempt. "How could a rat like you ever understand?"

The smile on Li Yuezhou's face finally began to fade. He looked at Tang Xiang, at that face that was clearly nearing thirty yet remained enchantingly beautiful, and fell silent for a moment.

Then he smiled again, but this smile was different from before. "Fine, fine, fine. I've already met Cui Wan, you know. Like some halfwit, she believed everything I said. Second Young Master Chu is even more deeply devoted. All I did was go on a brief outing with Cui Wan, and he nearly went mad. These are the people you, Tang Xiang, want to protect?"

He took another step forward, lowering his voice further. "I gave you a chance today. If the towering edifice of this residence should one day come crashing down... I'll have you, a noble lady, come and beg me in person!"

Tang Xiang's expression changed.

"What are you planning?" Her voice tightened. "Whatever you want to do, come at me. A-Qi and Wanwan have nothing to do with this!"

Li Yuezhou did not answer. He merely smiled and took a step back, then another.

"A-Xiang," his voice drifted through the darkness, "you care about your own unsullied reputation. So you won't send anyone to seize me, will you? It would sound so unpleasant if word got out."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure flickered and vanished into the night. Only the night breeze remained, gently stirring the window paper.

Tang Xiang stood rooted to the spot. Only after a long time did she slowly retreat and collapse into a chair, her hands trembling.

Li Yuezhou... what exactly was he planning? Did he simply like her? Was he merely unwilling to give up?

No, that wasn't right!

There had to be someone behind him. Even what had happened with Eldest Cui and Third Cui back then had not been as simple as a struggle between brothers.

Someone was manipulating all of this. Li Yuezhou was merely one of their pawns, being used because he liked her.

And what did that person want...?

Tang Xiang closed her eyes and drew a deep breath.

She had to tell A-Qi!