Chapter 1: Joy on the Bed

Night, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.

Within the Prime Minister’s estate in Beining, the gardens were lush and green. The lights had fallen into silence, save for the flickering candlelight in the boudoir of the eldest miss, Ling Ruoxi.

“Ngh…” Groans that would make one’s face flush and heart race drifted from the tightly shut door. Through the paper-covered windows, one could vaguely see an inlaid jade Eight Immortals canopy bed creaking and swaying.

Two figures, like mandarin ducks with necks entwined, were locked in a tight embrace.

Suddenly, after a low growl, the man’s sturdy body collapsed onto the woman. Drenched in sweat, a decadent scent began to permeate the air.

Yun Xu’s ears twitched. Outside the courtyard, figures were approaching rapidly, their footsteps noisy and chaotic. His heart skipped a beat, and his figure flew into the room like a ghost.

“Young Master! We must go!” His arm quickly coiled around the man who had already fainted on the bed. After a few leaps, the two vanished from the room, truly coming without a shadow and leaving without a trace…

“Bang—”

The tightly shut door was kicked open with force from the outside. The door frame rattled and crashed to the floor, kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Ah!”

“This…”

“Quick, go call the Master!”

Inside, clothes were scattered across the floor. Behind the pink bed curtains fluttering up and down, the woman’s graceful, half-hidden body came into view. The Second Concubine stamped her foot and hurriedly said, “Why are you still standing there? Go invite the First Madam! Someone, come and dress the Eldest Miss! This! This is a total scandal!”

The next day, the rumors spread like wildfire throughout the Imperial City. From noble princes to commoners, everyone was gossiping about the news that Ling Ruoxi, the legitimate eldest daughter of the Prime Minister’s estate, had been violated and caught in bed on the night of her fourteenth birthday.

“Alas, the Prime Minister’s reputation of half a lifetime is likely ruined by this eldest miss,” someone sighed, wringing their hands.

“Who’s to say otherwise? I wonder if the marriage contract between the eldest miss and the Third Prince will still hold,” someone frowned in thought.

“Hmph, in my opinion, if Ling Ruoxi had even a shred of self-respect, she should commit suicide to atone for her sins! She’s nothing but a good-for-nothing who can neither write nor fight. So what if she’s the number one beauty? How could the Emperor allow a ‘broken shoe’ to become the Third Princess Consort?” someone gloated.

The Prime Minister’s estate, which should have been bustling with visitors, was closed to guests today. Even at the morning court, Prime Minister Ling Keqing claimed illness and did not attend. The Prime Minister’s wife, Xue Qin, dressed in a long pink gown, knelt on the ground, kowtowing incessantly to plead for her beloved daughter.

“My Lord! Ruoxi has suffered such a calamity, please, I beg you to seek justice for her.” Her forehead was marked with faint bloodstains from the stone floor. The Prime Minister’s wife’s eyes were already red from crying, and her exquisite makeup was now nothing but a mask of haggardness and worry.

“Big Sister, you aren’t being fair with those words. The rumors outside are already rampant. That thief was able to come and go without a trace in a Prime Minister’s estate filled with experts; I’m afraid it’s not that simple, is it? Perhaps he knew the layout of the estate like the back of his hand. Ruoxi’s courtyard is the furthest from the front hall—why didn’t he go for the Second Miss or the Third Miss, but chose the Eldest Miss instead?” The Second Concubine stood beside Prime Minister Ling and asked softly, her voice just loud enough for everyone inside and outside the hall to hear.

Ling Keqing sat on the couch with a dark face, his nostrils flaring with ragged breaths.

The Prime Minister’s wife was shocked. This was an insinuation that Ruoxi had been having an affair! She suddenly raised her head and exclaimed, “Sister, how can you say such a thing? Ruoxi has never stepped a foot outside the estate; how could she do such a thing?”

“One can know a person’s face but not their heart. Even if it was just an accident, Prime Minister, I’m afraid the estate can no longer accommodate the Eldest Miss. Think about it: everyone outside is watching how you handle this. If you aren’t careful, it will affect your political career. After all, the Eldest Miss has a marriage contract with the Third Prince. Now that her virtue is lost, the Third Prince will surely investigate to the end. If he happens to vent his anger on the Prime Minister’s estate…” The Second Concubine smiled sinisterly. She didn’t finish her sentence, but it was enough to set Ling Keqing’s imagination running wild.

His expression was complex. Listening to the First Madam’s wailing pleas, he finally sighed, “Enough. Banish the Eldest Miss from the estate. Send a carriage to escort her to the villa in our ancestral home to live. Do not let her step foot in the Imperial City again.”

These words clearly meant cutting off Ling Ruoxi’s future.

Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister’s wife let out a cry. She crawled on her knees to the Prime Minister’s feet, clutching his official robes tightly, her face covered in tears: “My Lord, she is our daughter! I beg you, do not treat her this way, she…”

“Say no more. This matter is settled.” Ling Keqing brushed her hands away and rose to leave.

The Second Concubine covered her mouth and giggled, her face full of triumph: “First Madam, if you want to be useful, you should give birth to another one. I’m afraid this Eldest Miss will never have a chance to rise again.”

The Prime Minister’s wife was overcome with rage and grief. A mouthful of blood sprayed from her heart, and as darkness clouded her vision, she fainted from the sheer agony.

That night, a carriage slowly drove away from the Imperial City. The wheels rumbled, and the curtains swayed in the evening breeze—desolate and lonely.

“Ugh.” A barely audible moan escaped the unconscious girl’s lips. Her eyelashes, fluttering like butterfly wings, trembled slightly before she opened her eyes. Her body felt as if it had been crushed by stones, causing Ling Ruoxi to gasp in pain.

Where was she?