Chapter 95 The Mistress Rises to Power

Returning from the back mountain, Jiang Si’s face wore a smile of deep immersion, her upturned fox eyes occasionally casting ambiguous glances in Qiu Shuzhi’s direction.

After being discovered by her, not only did he not know to restrain himself, but he even provocatively challenged her with pride.

Yue Guanyi watched coldly from the sidelines, his gloomy phoenix eyes roiling with dark clouds. Just let this bitch be smug for a few more days.

As the dark night descended, Qiu Shuzhi took off her outer robe and held Yue Guanyi in her arms: “I’ve wronged you.”

During this time, she and Jiang Si had been frequently exchanging small gestures. Although they had successfully lured Jiang Si to take the bait, he had repeatedly failed to restrain himself, acting like a proud mistress showing off in front of the primary husband. Even knowing it was an act, it didn’t feel good.

Yue Guanyi suppressed the bitterness in his heart, nestling in Qiu Shuzhi’s embrace, and tilting his head to kiss her jaw: “I’m not wronged. As long as I can help Qiu Niang, it’s fine.”

Moreover, it was only natural for a woman to have three husbands and four attendants. After marriage, Qiu Niang had always favored him alone, never sharing a bed with other men.

For a man like him who had experienced hardships, to have such a good home with Qiu Niang, and to be fortunate enough to become her primary husband, he should be content.

Now, Yue Guanyi’s heart was filled only with the desire to quickly resolve the matter of the King of Dian. After the court stabilized, he would hand over all the power in his hands to Qiu Niang.

He was never a man of great ambition. He only wanted to be with his wife-master, to be an ordinary man, far from court disputes, raising children for Qiu Niang in the inner palace.

“Judging by today’s itinerary, we should arrive in two or three days. Qiu Niang, can we not linger then and return to the capital as soon as possible?” Throughout the journey, Yue Guanyi had felt an inexplicable unease in his heart. The closer they got to the Dian border, the stronger this feeling of unease became, as if some force was urgently pushing him to leave.

“Alright,” Qiu Shuzhi comforted him: “Don’t be afraid, everything will be fine.”

The next day, the army reorganized and set out again, with the large troop pushing heavy artillery into a deep and narrow canyon.

The canyon’s terrain was treacherous, also an excellent place for enemies to ambush. Qiu Shuzhi had sent people to scout the top of the canyon yesterday, fearing someone might seize the opportunity to act.

As the supervising official, Qiu Shuzhi walked at the front with Zhang Xiao, while Yue Guanyi, out of concern for his safety, was arranged at the rear, protected by heavy troops.

They finally passed safely through the narrow terrain. Qiu Shuzhi and Zhang Xiao exchanged smiles, both breathing sighs of relief.

After passing through the canyon, there was another winding, spiral path that could barely accommodate three people walking side by side. Beside it was the roaring river from yesterday. One misstep would result in falling into it. With such fierce currents, there was almost no chance of survival if one fell in, making the transportation of artillery even more difficult.

“Family Head, Family Head,” Qiu Shuzhi was riding at the front when Jiang Si suddenly ran over from behind.

Qiu Shuzhi reined in her horse, her eyes worried: “What’s wrong? Didn’t I tell you not to run around?”

As soon as she finished speaking, a thunderous noise came from above. Before she could look up, the soldiers behind her were crushed by a giant boulder, half their bodies pulverized by the massive rock. Wails of agony instantly filled the air.

Before they could react, more boulders came crashing down, rolling over people directly. More soldiers fell from the small path, plunging into the rapid water flow.

“Qiu Niang, be careful——” Yue Guanyi shouted from afar, rushing over regardless of everything.

A huge shadow fell over Qiu Shuzhi’s head. Just as she was about to be crushed by the boulder, Jiang Si lunged at her, and they both fell into the rolling river.

Raging water flooded her throat, her lungs choked and unable to breathe. Before she could surface, she was swept into a whirlpool by the oncoming torrent. An overwhelming sense of suffocation crushed down on her. In the last moment before closing her eyes, she seemed to hear Yue Guanyi’s heartbreaking cries, then plunged into endless darkness.

“Qiu Niang, Qiu Niang, wake up, wake up quickly, you can’t be in danger, you can’t die—” Vaguely, Qiu Shuzhi heard someone anxiously calling her name, continuously patting her face lightly.

In her hazy consciousness, something soft seemed to be pressed against her lips, gently breathing air into her.

She coughed up a mouthful of accumulated river water and opened her eyes hazily, meeting a pair of coquettish, moist fox eyes.

“You’re finally awake.” Jiang Si wept with joy, a tear sliding from the corner of his eye as he hugged her tightly.

Qiu Shuzhi struggled to prop herself up, looking around at the surroundings. The dense forest was deep, trees and undergrowth layered in concealment, making it impossible to discern direction or see the sky.

“Where is this?” Her voice was still hoarse from the river water, and her throat felt as if it was being torn apart when she spoke.

Jiang Si’s eyes flickered for a moment: “I don’t know where this is either. We fell from the small path and drifted here along the river.”

“I remember now.” Qiu Shuzhi’s gaze gradually regained clarity. She took Jiang Si’s hand: “Lan Er, you saved me.”

Jiang Si’s coquettish watery eyes nodded slightly.

Qiu Shuzhi pulled him into her arms. Both soaked by the river, they now clung tightly together: “If it weren’t for you, I would have died. Lan Er, when we get back, I will definitely marry you openly and properly.”

Jiang Si’s moist fox eyes flashed with some tenderness as he softly responded.

He gently rested his chin on Qiu Shuzhi’s shoulder, his arms slowly encircling her waist, his eyes gradually deepening.

Qiu Niang, you won’t have the chance to go back anymore.

After a moment of intimacy, Qiu Shuzhi released her hold: “We don’t know how far we are from where we fell, nor do we know the casualties of the army.”

“Qiu Niang, there’s no village or inn around here. Let’s find a place to stay first,” Jiang Si suggested.

Qiu Shuzhi nodded. Fortunately, neither of them was injured, so they could move relatively easily, but it was extremely difficult to traverse the dense forest in the South, teeming with snakes, insects, rats, and ants.

They walked from afternoon until night before they saw an earthen house with a solitary lamp lit.

Qiu Shuzhi knocked on the door. An elderly person opened it, leaning on a cane, with faltering steps: “Elder, we’ve lost our way here. May we stay for a night?”

As she spoke, she took out some silver fragments from her bosom.

The old person opened their cloudy eyes and looked at Qiu Shuzhi and Jiang Si. Both of their appearances were extremely striking in the capital, unlike rough mountain women. Especially Qiu Shuzhi, with her outstanding temperament and beautiful appearance, didn’t look like a bad person.

“Come in,” the elder’s aged voice said.

As soon as they entered, Qiu Shuzhi smelled a musty, old odor. The earthen house was simple and cold, with only the elder living there.

“Elder, where are your children and wife-master?” she asked.

The elder smiled bitterly: “Dead, all dead.”

Qiu Shuzhi’s smile froze.

“My wife-master and daughter were forcibly conscripted and died decades ago. My son-in-law fell ill from overwork trying to raise my granddaughter, and my granddaughter died of illness without money for treatment… only I am left in the family.” The elder’s form was hunched and aged, the bitter voice of advanced years shaking Qiu Shuzhi’s heart. A real-life version of “The Ballad of the Army Carts” unfolded before her.

Great Qi had been at war for years, killing countless innocent people.

She took out several dozen taels of silver from her person and gave it to him: “Elder, this money…”

“No need, no need. This old bag of bones doesn’t have many days left, there’s no use for this money.” The elder squinted, the furrows at the corners of his eyes full of the bitterness of years. He turned his gaze to Jiang Si behind her.

“This young gentleman is truly handsome. Who is he to you?”

“He…”

“I am her husband,” Jiang Si interjected before Qiu Shuzhi could answer, tilting his head to lightly nestle against her shoulder: “Isn’t that right, wife-master?”

The rules of the inner palace in Great Qi were strict. A wife would only have one husband, other secondary husbands and small attendants were merely servants in the household. Only the husband had the right to address the wife as “wife-master”, while others could only call her “family head”, symbolizing the hierarchy of status.

Jiang Si’s words clearly placed himself in the position of the primary husband, even more so disregarding Yue Guanyi, or rather, blatantly stealing his position.

But she couldn’t refuse him now. She was currently poisoned by an insect venom, and Jiang Si was still withholding the antidote. She could only use this method to gain his trust.

“…Yes, Lan Er is my husband.” She affectionately embraced him.

The elder smiled: “How wonderful, you two are truly a match made in heaven, a perfect pair.”

The phrase “perfect pair” almost made Lan Er bloom with happiness.

Because they were pretending to be husband and wife, when it came time to sleep, the elder directly arranged for them to stay in one room, sleeping in one bed.

Sichuan often had night rains. The pitter-patter of raindrops fell, and the heavy earthy, damp smell of the mud house permeated the air. Even the blanket had a damp feel, yet it couldn’t mask the strange fragrance emanating from Jiang Si’s body.

The elder’s home was poor, and they could only spare one blanket. The two people slept in close proximity for the first time.

Jiang Si took off his outer clothes, wearing only a thin inner garment, shyly curling up in Qiu Shuzhi’s arms. He appeared calm and bold on the surface, but in reality, his heart was pounding violently.

“Qiu Niang, I called myself your husband in front of the elder earlier. His Highness won’t be angry, will he?” In the pitch-black night, he couldn’t see Qiu Shuzhi’s expression.

“How could he be? In my heart, you are my only husband.” In the dark of night, Qiu Shuzhi spoke even more unguardedly.

Jiang Si smiled coyly, biting his lip, and buried his head in her chest: “Then from now on, I’ll call you wife-master and never change. Even in front of His Highness, I won’t change. Will you protect Lan Er?”

Qiu Shuzhi lovingly kissed his forehead: “You can call me whatever you like. Don’t mind him. Lan Er, I will protect you.”

Jiang Si smiled brilliantly, his beautiful smile hidden in the deep darkness of the night.

Even when Qiu Shuzhi and Yue Guanyi got married, Jiang Si had secretly envied them in his heart.

Qiu Shuzhi’s doting love for Yue Guanyi was famous in the capital. Everyone wanted to marry a wife-master as deeply devoted and exclusively doting as Qiu Shuzhi, and Jiang Si was no exception.

Dark thoughts had taken root in his heart at some unknown time. He both longed for Qiu Shuzhi’s single-minded devotion to Yue Guanyi, unlike his own fickle mother.

On the other hand, he also craved for Qiu Shuzhi to change her heart, to transfer her doting love from Yue Guanyi to himself, to dote exclusively on him alone.

Yue Guanyi, you’re already in a high position of power, second only to one person and above ten thousand others, the most noble man in the world.

So just give your wife-master to me.