Palace Coup 1

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Xie Miaoxuan had a child husband at the age of eleven.

Now fifteen, she had lost her father, Xie Qi, to a sudden death at the beginning of the year.

The senior branch of the family, far away in the capital, had sent Nurse Nian and her husband to take control of the second branch’s wealth and bring Xie Miaoxuan back to live among the clan, so that the orphaned girl might enjoy the family’s protection.

Nurse Nian told her that every noble young lady took pride in marrying into a prominent household and contributing to her family’s advancement. Even the Murong family, who had risen from humble origins and whose head now served as a fourth-rank court official, could never hope to marry a legitimate daughter of the Xie family.

The child husband her father had chosen for her would be a lifelong disgrace, an utter humiliation that would ruin a young lady’s reputation and drag down every other unmarried girl in the clan.

Thus, even though the child husband Xie Qi had chosen was handsome, possessed extraordinary strength, and had once killed a tiger with a single punch—a rare and valuable talent—Xie Miaoxuan obediently made him serve as a slave. She would not even allow him into her personal retinue, intending to send him far away as soon as she returned to the clan.

After all, a young lady’s personal retainers were her private property, and they could accompany her when she married into her husband’s family. He was not worthy of such a place.

As for why she had to wait until she returned to the clan before dismissing him, it was because the journey from Nanhai Commandery, where she lived, to the capital was more than a thousand li. The roads were unsafe, and she was migrating with the vast wealth of the entire second branch of the Xie family. She needed his strength to protect her and ensure that she reached the capital safely.

Of course, Nurse Nian had also told her to place him at the very front of the procession. He might die on the road before they even reached the capital, falling to the bandits, and then she would not have to dismiss him herself. That way, his loyalty would at least be honored.

Xie Miaoxuan thought that would be an excellent outcome. If he died, she would not be violating her father’s final instructions.

Unfortunately, the child husband’s life was simply too tenacious. Though he had encountered danger several times and repeatedly stood on the brink of death, he had always managed to pull through.

Now, once they crossed this mountain, they would meet the people sent by the senior branch to receive them. Xie Miaoxuan was growing anxious and wanted to dismiss him in advance.

The carriage swayed as the long procession raised a trail of dust behind it.

Ever since opening her eyes, Xie Miaoxuan had been rubbing her throbbing temple. She sat silently against the bedding in the carriage, her thoughts impossible to read.

When her maid, Cui’er, saw that she was awake, she pulled open the hidden compartment beneath the tea table, poured out tea and refreshments, then rose and naturally settled beside her, handing them over.

“My lady, once we cross that mountain, we’ll be within the capital’s borders. Aren’t you going to deal with Xie Yuanju? The First Madam has probably received word by now that he is the child husband the Master prepared for you. You are a lady of noble birth and precious status. How could someone of such low standing presume to aspire to you? You should send him away before word of this reaches everyone in the clan. Cui’er will help conceal it for you.”

“There are countless handsome and talented young men in the capital. The Xie family is a distinguished house of hereditary officials, once ranked among the Three Excellencies. With a beauty like you, my lady, you should go to the capital and seek a refined young gentleman from a family of equal standing.”

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At this, Cui’er sighed, her face arranged in exaggerated regret.

“It is all the Master’s fault. Who would have thought he would arrange such a marriage for you so early? How could this not leave you unable to hold your head up?”

Xie Miao looked at the maidservant before her as she listened to the endless stream of chatter. An unreadable glint passed through her eyes.

The Xie family had indeed once been ranked among the Three Excellencies—but that had been many generations ago.

The present-day Xie family was merely putting on a brave front, struggling to preserve the airs of an aristocratic house. They were waiting for her to return with her enormous fortune so that their circumstances could be improved and connections purchased for the young men of the household who had yet to enter official service.

As for Cui’er, she had long since been won over by the senior branch. She was a treacherous maid who had betrayed her mistress.

The ambition and smug delight in the girl’s eyes were almost impossible to conceal. Xie Miao thought to herself: Just how foolish had the original owner been, that she could not even tell whether her personal maid was human or monster?

This was a fictional world resembling the Eastern Han and the Wei and Jin periods.

It was this very maid, Cui’er, who had whispered into the original owner’s ear day after day, urging her to surrender the authority in her hands. Later, when the original owner had set her heart on marrying Xun Ming, the Marquis’s legitimate second son, Cui’er had spread word everywhere that she had once had a child husband. She had even smeared her reputation by claiming that she and the child husband had already carried on an illicit affair and that she had lost her virginity.

The testimony of a maid who had served at her mistress’s side was devastating. The original owner’s reputation was ruined, and she became a wanton woman reviled by all.

Xun Ming, who had exchanged flirtatious glances with her every day and had nearly reached the point of discussing marriage, decisively chose instead to marry her cousin.

Cui’er then goaded the original owner into drugging her cousin. She arranged for a lowly servant to be placed in the cousin’s bed, intending to have them caught together and destroy the cousin’s reputation. She told the original owner that this would allow her to take her cousin’s place as the bride.

Xie Miao: What?

The bizarre logic was impossible to understand. Why had Xie Miaoxuan thought that once her cousin’s reputation was ruined, she—a woman whose own reputation was already ruined—could simply take advantage of the situation?

The Xie family had other daughters, after all.

And why insist on scavenging for a man in a rubbish heap?

Those who harm others are invariably harmed in turn.

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Naturally, it was the original owner who ended up taking the drug. She was also the one found in bed with the servant and caught in the act.

Xie Miaoxuan tried to overturn the accusation and prove her innocence, but afterward the investigation revealed that the person who had purchased the drug had acted on her instructions. Once all the evidence was laid out, she was unable to defend herself. From then on, her reputation was utterly destroyed, and she became a rat crossing the street, reviled by everyone.

Xie Miao felt a headache coming on at the original owner’s sheer stupidity. The framing had been so obvious, yet she had foolishly leaped straight into the trap.

As an outsider, Xie Miao could see the situation clearly. It did not take her long to analyze the chain of events from the original owner’s memories.

Eighteen years earlier, Xie Miaoxuan’s father had separated from the family and journeyed alone to Nanhai Commandery, where he had built an enormous fortune through his own efforts.

The moment the head of the senior branch heard of his death, they had planned to consume the estate of this childless household. They had no intention of allowing his only daughter an easy life, either. To eliminate any future trouble, they had deliberately encouraged her to become useless and ruin her own reputation. Then the senior branch could seize the wealth of the second branch with perfect justification. After all, who would stand by the original owner if she complained, when she had behaved so disgracefully?

The moment Xie Miaoxuan returned to the capital with her vast fortune, she caught Xun Ming’s attention.

As the legitimate second son of a marquis, he could not inherit the title. If he wished to preserve the elegance and splendor expected of an aristocratic son, he naturally set his sights on Xie Miaoxuan, whose dowry included immense wealth.

Xie Miaoxuan had grown up in Nanhai Commandery and had no understanding of aristocratic distinctions. Her father had also indulged her from childhood, holding her in the palm of his hand. Once she arrived in the capital, she was dazzled by its glittering world.

Compared with the child husband’s imposing, masculine vitality, the fashion of the time favored men with powdered faces and oiled hair.

Dressed all day in flowing robes and wooden clogs, Xun Ming possessed the elegant, free-spirited bearing of an aristocrat. It naturally made her look at him with new eyes. With others fanning the flames, the two soon became involved.

But the good times did not last. After Xun Ming had won Xie Miaoxuan over, he was astonished to discover that she was a fool who had handed all her family’s wealth over to the senior branch for management. The longer he spent with her, the more clearly he realized that there was no benefit to be gained from her. Naturally, he shifted his attention elsewhere.

Could it be that the senior branch of the Xie family had arranged this entire performance from the beginning, simply to provoke Xie Miaoxuan into losing her senses and committing an act such as drugging her cousin—so that she would ultimately suffer the consequences herself?

The influence of the senior branch of the Xie family was plainly visible everywhere.