Chapter 41: The Cost of Ambition

The maidservants came out first.

Yin Zhi asked, “Where’s my cousin?”

Lüyan replied, “The Hanlin said he’ll come out after sobering up a bit.”

Yin Zhi yawned again. There was no helping it—brides are always dragged up in the middle of the night and have to stay up all day. By now, she was utterly exhausted, her soul nearly drifting away.

Hexin and Lüyan went to remake the bed—it had been messed up by Yin Zhi’s nap.

Shen Ti emerged.

The sobering soup had clearly worked; his steps were much steadier now. He’d bathed, changed into a casual robe, and since he was still in the inner chambers, he hadn’t tied a sash. The look was elegant and effortlessly graceful.

He didn’t flush when he drank, but his eyes were noticeably brighter than usual.

He didn’t look at Yin Zhi—only at the maidservants. “You may leave.”

Having received his orders, Lüyan, Hexin, and Kui’er all retreated.

Lüyan closed the door from the outside, while Kui’er stood on tiptoe and peeked in, catching sight of Yin Zhi standing up.

Her young mistress had always been carefree and unbothered. Even on her wedding night, she was acting the same. Kui’er was beside herself with worry.

The screen doors closed, cutting off her view.

Now, finally alone, Yin Zhi stood up. “Shen Ti.”

Shen Ti said, “My courtesy name is Ji Yun. If you don’t wish to call me ‘husband,’ you may use that instead.”

“Alright, Ji Yun di-di,” Yin Zhi replied. “Can you look me in the eyes like a proper person?”

Shen Ti’s lips pressed into a line. At last, he shifted his gaze and looked at her.

In the candlelight, her face was like peach blossoms in March, and her black hair flowed like a waterfall. Her arms were crossed, and she lightly tugged at the collar of her outer robe with her fingertips.

He had only ever seen his mother with loose hair when he was very little. After that, he had never seen any woman in such an intimate state.

And now—despite knowing full well the terms of their agreement: they would not be a real married couple, only partners, collaborators, companions in life—being alone with such a stunning young woman in a disheveled state, Shen Ti couldn’t stop his heart from racing.

His body was beginning to stir.

He quickly averted his eyes and looked toward the chaise lounge in the room. “I’ll just sleep on that tonight…”

“Spare me,” Yin Zhi interrupted.

The moment he opened his mouth, she already knew what he was going to say. “You sleep on the chaise while I take the bed, right? And how long do you think you can keep that up?”

Especially since the chaise in the inner room was a decorative divan—not like the large wooden bed in the side chamber that could be made into a proper sleeping place. That’s where the maids usually took night shifts.

Shen Ti was silent for a moment. “So what do you suggest?”

“Even though we agreed not to act like a real couple, we’ll probably be living together for life. So you’d better get used to it.”

As she spoke, Yin Zhi removed the robe draped over her shoulders and laid it over her arm. Then she pointed to her own shoulder. “First, you need to get used to looking at me properly.”

Shen Ti finally met her gaze again—and this time, he didn’t look away. He held her gaze steadily.

“Yes, like that.” Yin Zhi nodded approvingly.

She continued, “We’ll present ourselves as husband and wife to the world. Most of our time together will be in this inner room. This is how I look every day. You’ll have to get used to it.”

She added, “And it’s still only early spring—there’s still a chill in the air. Come June or July, there’s no way I’m going to roast myself alive. I will be baring my arms and shoulders. You should start preparing for that now.”

Shen Ti took a deep breath.

Back when he agreed to this arrangement, he had thought too simply. His only focus had been protecting Feng Luoyi. He hadn’t considered the reality of living alone with Yin Zhi every day, even under the guise of a fake marriage.

But now, there was no turning back. He had to face it.

“Alright,” he replied.

“Second,” Yin Zhi said, “you were planning for me to sleep in the bed and you on the divan, weren’t you?”

“How long do you think you can keep that up? And how would you keep it from the maids? What if they report it to Aunt and Uncle?”

Shen Ti knew she was right. As long as they lived under the same roof as husband and wife, separate sleeping arrangements wouldn’t go unnoticed.

Especially with personal maids who even helped with bathing and stayed overnight. There was no hiding from them.

“If Aunt and Uncle find out you’re ignoring me and not sharing a bed, they’ll probably blame her for it,” Yin Zhi said. “Remember what I told you: anything you do wrong will be counted against her.”

Shen Ti paused and then said, “You’re right.”

Yin Zhi crooked her finger at him. “Come on. The bed is big—we’ll each take half. Hurry up, we still have things to do.”

Shen Ti: “?”

She turned and walked into the canopied bed.

He hesitated but followed.

Once inside, Yin Zhi glanced at the screen doors to make sure they were tightly shut. Then she pulled down the bed curtain, climbed onto the bed, and reached under the pillow to pull something out. She turned back to Shen Ti. “Come here. I need your help with this. I can’t do it—I’m afraid of pain.”

Shen Ti: “??”

“What is it?” He was stiff in his inner robes, but seeing her this serious, he moved closer.

Yin Zhi reached out her hand. “Give me your hand—no, not your right hand, you need that to write. Left hand. Let me have your left hand.”

Shen Ti gave her his left hand.

Yin Zhi took it, raised her own hand—and a glint of cold light flashed from her fingers.

She was holding a small, very sharp-looking knife.

Shen Ti: “???”

“Wait!” He quickly blocked the blade with his right hand. “What are you doing?”

“I need some of your blood,” Yin Zhi said, lifting the freshly laid blanket Lüyan had prepared. “For this—you know what this is, don’t you?”

Underneath the embroidered quilt, on a silk bedsheet, lay a square of pristine white silk.

Of course he knew what it was for.

The virginity test.

So that’s what this was about. She’d really thought it all through.

Shen Ti released his hand. “Go ahead.”

Yin Zhi had ten months to prepare for this, and the knife had been sharpened well. But when it came time to actually cut him, she hesitated, shifting the knife around his fingers, unable to bring herself to do it.

After a while, Shen Ti lost patience and said, “Forget it. I’ll do it myself.”

Obediently, Yin Zhi handed him the knife.

Shen Ti nicked his fingertip, and fresh blood began to flow. He smeared some onto the center of the silk. “Is that enough?”

“Perfect!” Yin Zhi beamed.

She explained, “I did consider using chicken or duck blood. But it has to be fresh or it’ll coagulate, and I couldn’t discuss it with you beforehand. The fewer people who know about this, the better. In the end, I had no choice but to trouble you.”

As she spoke, she pulled out a roll of white gauze from under her pillow and wrapped it around his finger, pressing it firmly. “Hold it for a bit so it stops bleeding.”

Shen Ti: “……”

She really had thought of everything.

How should he feel? He should probably be glad his partner was so thorough. It would benefit both of them.

But somehow, his feelings were… complicated.

“All done. It’s stopped bleeding.” Yin Zhi cleaned up the scene. “We’ll have to dispose of this tomorrow. Erase all traces.”

Erasing all traces?

Shen Ti was speechless. He reached for the silk. “Give it to me. I’ll take care of it tomorrow.”

Yin Zhi was delighted. “Exactly! You’re in a better position to handle it.”

She handed it to him.

“Alright, time for bed.” Yin Zhi started dividing the sleeping space. “I’ll take that side; you take this side.”

The bed was large. She crawled into the inner side.

“That’s not proper,” Shen Ti said. “The husband sleeps inside; the wife outside.”

Yin Zhi of course knew this outdated rule.

The wife sleeps outside to serve the husband—bringing tea, chamber pots, etc.

“We’re not a real couple. No need to follow that.” Yin Zhi smiled and directed him, “Over there—hang your robe there.”

The canopied bed had designated hooks for clothing. It was truly luxurious.

Shen Ti realized his cousin was surprisingly nimble and adaptable.

Fine.

He glanced over. She was already nestled under the quilt, watching him, waiting for him to lie down.

Just to sleep.

This was what their daily life would be now. He had to adapt.

He turned around, removed his outer robe, and hung it up. When he turned back, Yin Zhi was lying flat.

He covered the lamp with the dimming shade, returned to the bed, pulled down the curtain, and slipped under his side of the quilt.

They lay side by side, both staring at the embroidered canopy above them.

The embroidery was actually kind of pretty?

Naturally, neither of them fell asleep right away.

After ten months apart, now reunited in a marriage of convenience, there were still things to discuss.

Yin Zhi spoke first. “What’s your arrangement for that Miss Feng of yours?”

“She’s waiting for you. Once you’ve settled in, she’ll formally serve you tea.”

Taking a concubine wasn’t like marrying a wife. Some families held a banquet, but it wasn’t required—more for appearances and collecting gifts.

Everyone in the Shen family knew Feng Luoyi would be taken in quietly.

Yin Zhi advised, “Then don’t rush. At least wait three days. Everyone’s watching the bride closely right now. Moving too fast won’t look good.”

“I understand. Don’t worry.” Then Shen Ti frowned slightly. “Do you think I’m some reckless fool?”

Teenagers are often rebellious, especially against parents and authority. Shen Ti was no exception.

But Yin Zhi had lived here for ten years. With experience from dealing with siblings and children, she turned to him and said, “No, I don’t think you’re foolish at all.”

Shen Ti looked at her.

Yin Zhi rested her head on her elbow. “Given her circumstances, the way she’s fallen in status—yet you refuse to abandon her, and even resisted your parents for her—I think that’s incredible.”

Her face was like a lotus, her eyes gentle, her breath sweet as orchids.

So close beside him. Her voice so soft.

But what stirred him most was her words.

For over two years, no one had praised him like this.

Everyone who knew the situation thought he was immature, impulsive—or blinded by lust.

Because Feng Luoyi truly was stunning.

No one saw his loyalty to her as something admirable.

But now, after two years, someone had finally affirmed him.

“Mm,” Shen Ti murmured and turned to face the wall. “It’s what I should do.”

He showed her his back.

But when he turned, Yin Zhi clearly saw a glimmer of tears at the corner of his eye.

The part of her that had been treating him like a child faded away. Genuine sympathy rose within her—for these two young, ill-fated lovers.

By her estimate, Shen Ti had only been fifteen or sixteen when it all happened. At that age, to stand against one’s parents over something so huge—it must’ve been incredibly hard.

Especially in a society so bound by duty and hierarchy.

Of course she also thought Shen Ti was still immature. Lady Shen had told her: Feng Luoyi’s father wasn’t disgraced for a mistake or corruption. He was punished for something he said.

And offending the emperor? That was a whole other level.

That, Yin Zhi suspected, was why the Shen family hadn’t married her in properly to save her. It was all political.

From that angle, Shen Ti did seem naive.

But none of that changed the fact that youthful love is often the most beautiful kind.

That beauty may fade as the years go by—turned ugly and burdensome in middle age.

But when it still exists, it’s precious.

Something to remember. Something that brings a smile. Something that makes the heart ache.

“Don’t worry,” Yin Zhi said with gentle affection. “You’ll have me to help you from now on.”

Shen Ti’s throat was tight. He didn’t dare turn around. His voice muffled, he said, “Okay.”

A moment later—

“…Thank you.”