Daylight fully illuminated the room, dispelling the warm chamber's ambiguous and sinful atmosphere. Shards of the broken jade pillow lay scattered on the floor, like fragments of a shattered pact.
Qing Dai's eyes were red-rimmed as she carried a bowl of plum soup, now cold, her steps unsteady as she entered. She saw her young mistress already dressed, standing with her back to the door by the window. Her posture was as straight as a pine tree, yet radiated an icy chill that kept others at bay. Shards littered the floor, while on the disheveled bed, the dark crimson stain belonging to a man glaringly declared the undeniable truth.
"Young Mistress..." Qing Dai's voice trembled with tears and lingering fear. "This servant... Last night, two unfamiliar matrons barred my way at the outer courtyard, declaring the kitchen off-limits to outsiders. They detained me for a long time... When I finally returned, the guards and maids on duty at the outer courtyard had been replaced by unfamiliar faces. They only said you had retired and forbade any disturbance..." The guards and attendants on duty in the outer courtyard had been replaced by unfamiliar faces for some reason. They only said you had retired and forbade any disturbance..." She knelt on the floor, "It is my incompetence!"
Ai Mu did not turn around, her voice eerily calm, as if stating a fact unrelated to herself: "It is not your fault. Since he took action, he would naturally clear away the obstacles. Clean it up."
There was none of the expected tears, breakdown, or angry accusations—only this icy calm born of complete understanding. Qing Dai's heart sank, and she hurriedly summoned her most trusted confidants to swiftly and silently clean up the mess.
Liu Zhengjun was the first to notice something amiss. According to the mansion's protocols, after awakening, Ai Mu should have immediately gone to pay respects to her father. Yet, even as daylight fully broke, the young lady's figure was nowhere to be seen in Liu Zhengjun's courtyard. Servants sent to inquire were turned back by the newly posted guards outside the warm chamber, their expressions unnervingly off. Sensing something was amiss, Liu Zhengjun hurried over himself. When he saw the trail of blood and his daughter's cold, lifeless face, he sucked in a sharp breath, his well-kept features instantly turning ashen.
"Was it Gu Liang?" Liu Zhengjun's voice trembled with fury and a deep sense of violated honor. How dare someone scheme against a young lady within the inner quarters under his jurisdiction!
Ai Mu finally turned, her face expressionless save for the frozen flames burning deep within her eyes. "It was him."
"How dare he! The son of a mere councillor, resorting to such vile tactics within the prince's inner quarters!" Liu Zhengjun trembled with rage. "I'm going to the Gu residence this instant. They must answer for this! And those servants who neglected their duties last night—not one shall be spared!"
"Father." Ai Mu interrupted him, her voice clear and composed. "His intention now is precisely for us to cause a scene at the Gu residence, to punish the servants, and to make this as public as possible. What he seeks is this 'accountability'—a spectacle where everyone knows of his 'wronged' state."
Liu Zhengjun froze, then grasped the crux of the matter, his expression darkening further.
Just then, Queen Ai Xuan strode in. She clearly knew everything, her authoritative face as cold as frost. Ignoring the chaos, her gaze fixed on Ai Mu, scrutinizing.
"What is your next move?" Ai Xuan's voice was steady, devoid of emotion.
Ai Mu met her mother's gaze: "He alone could never have mobilized the palace guards, let alone slipped the poison into my cup under such watchful eyes. Last night's events were too 'conveniently coincidental.' Someone must have paved the way for him, or exploited the chaos of the banquet to slip through."
The Queen's gaze sharpened. "What are you implying?"
"Two possibilities," Aimu analyzed. "First, someone within the palace colluded with him. Second, an external party welcomed this outcome—perhaps even... gave it a gentle push. But pursuing either now would play right into the mastermind's hands. Our priority isn't investigation, but stabilizing the situation."
She paused before continuing, "The fact remains: he has 'lost his virtue' to me. If the royal household now displays coercion or discontent, how will outsiders perceive it? They will see the Ai Royal House as abusing its power—defiling a man's honor yet refusing to take responsibility. If political enemies fan the flames, claiming my virtue is flawed and I'm unfit to inherit the title... Mother, my future and the mansion's reputation cannot withstand such risks."
"So?"
"So we must 'joyfully' marry him into the mansion," Ai Mu's voice was unwavering. "And we must do it with the full ceremonial honors befitting a proper husband, in grand style, with all the pomp and circumstance. We must convince everyone this is a consensual romance—a youthful passion misguided in execution. Only then can we transform rumors of 'forced marriage' into tales of 'mutual affection.'"
Liu Zhengjun cried out in anguish, "Mu'er! This plays right into that wretch's hands!"
"Precisely. Let him believe he's succeeded. " Aimu's lips curved into a cold smile. "Only by keeping him in the open, under my watchful eye, can I discern if he has backers and what his next move might be. Behind closed doors, whether things are round or flat is entirely up to me. A man confined to the inner quarters with a settled status is far easier to handle than a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, ready to strike again at any moment."
Her gaze fixed on Queen Ai with unwavering resolve: "Mother, retreating now is not surrender. The servants who 'conveniently' failed in their duties last night must be investigated discreetly, without fanfare. I request your permission."
Ai Xuan fell silent for a moment, studying the mirror image of her own decisiveness and ruthlessness in her daughter's eyes. Finally, she nodded slowly. "As you wish. You shall handle this matter entirely. The dignity of the royal household must not be compromised."
"I understand, Mother."...
Meanwhile, at the Gu residence.
As dawn approached, an inconspicuous green-canopied carriage pulled silently to a stop at the side gate of the Gu estate. The curtain lifted. Gu Liang, pale as paper, struggled alone to disembark. His steps were noticeably unsteady and sluggish. The moment he stepped down, his legs nearly buckled beneath him. He frantically grabbed the carriage door to steady himself, fine beads of cold sweat already forming on his forehead. His trusted young attendant, who had been waiting at the entrance, hurried forward but dared not touch him. Instead, he called anxiously in a low voice, "Young Master!"
Gu Liang shook his head, seemingly drained of even the strength to speak. Leaning on the attendant's arm, he moved with painstaking slowness and effort, his brow furrowed in suppressed agony. He was carefully laid upon the bed, appearing utterly drained of strength.
"What about Father and the Master Husband?" the attendant asked anxiously.
"It matters not..." Gu Liang's voice was faint yet lucid. "They... will learn soon enough..."
Sure enough, at daybreak, the Minister of Works, Gu, and his husband rushed over upon hearing the news. Seeing their son in such a pitiful, disheveled state—clearly suffering the agony of his first time—Gu's husband burst into tears on the spot. The Minister, however, was both shocked and furious. Pointing at Gu Liang, he was too enraged to form coherent words: "Where... where did you go last night? How did you end up like this?!"
Gu Liang kept his eyes closed, his long lashes casting shadows across his pallid face. Each faint breath seemed to tug at his discomfort, causing his brow to furrow slightly. He did not moan, but spoke in a voice as thin as a spider's thread, yet tinged with strange resolve: "Father... I have consummated the marriage with the princess... Your son now belongs to the Lady of the World... If the Prince's Mansion refuses to acknowledge this, your son... has only death as an option..."
This silent frailty and vocal resolve struck deeper than any wailing lament, precisely positioning him as a heartbroken, cornered "victim."
At that moment, the matron in charge of the Ai Royal Household arrived at the Gu residence with attendants, bearing lavish betrothal gifts befitting a legitimate wife. Though not overly warm, her demeanor was courteous and proper.
"Young Master Gu and our heiress share a mutual affection. The Prince's residence hereby formally proposes marriage, offering the position of principal consort. The wedding shall take place in one month. Your household is to make thorough preparations." The words were polite, yet carried an air of non-negotiable certainty.
Seeing their son's demeanor and hearing the palace's seemingly polite yet forceful announcement, the Gu household was overcome with complex emotions. They secretly breathed a sigh of relief—at least the palace acknowledged the situation, averting greater scandal—yet felt profoundly humiliated. They could only respond with respectful compliance. After the palace envoys departed, a heavy silence settled over the manor.
The news spread like pebbles dropped into a lake, ripples expanding rapidly.
Despite the Ai Prince's mansion's desperate attempts to spin the affair as a "romantic legend," no secret remains hidden forever. Gu Liang's prior "ruined reputation," his "accidental" fall into the water with the noble lady, his state upon being secretly returned at dawn, and this hastily arranged marriage where the bride's family took the initiative to propose... All these clues were enough for discerning eyes to piece together the truth: a forced marriage for advancement. Yet no one dared voice it openly before the Ai Prince's mansion. Whispers filled the streets—scorn for Gu Liang's scheming, teasing remarks about the noble lady's loose morals, and endless speculation about the marriage's hidden motives.
Gu Liang lay on his bed, fingering the ebony black-cat hairpin. The ache in his body served as a stark reminder of last night's events.
He had succeeded. He had finally pulled her back into his grasp—albeit through a method she loathed intensely.
The loophole proved more exploitable than anticipated... he mused inwardly. It seemed he wasn't the only one eager to see the Ai Royal House exposed in disgrace.
He knew the path ahead was fraught with peril. But he didn't care.
Ai Mu, we are finally together once more.
A silent smile spread across his pale face—a smile tinged with pain and a twisted satisfaction.
Within the Ai Mansion, Ai Mu gazed at her reflection in the mirror, dressed in the robes of a worldly woman. Her eyes were still as water, yet their depths were unfathomable.
The mirror no longer reflected merely a wife forced to accept her husband. It revealed a chess player about to enter the arena.