Lu Jingning's rare display of vulnerability left Qin Xuan somewhat at a loss. "I promise, after my cousin enters the household, I won't let any other woman in. In this life, it will only be the two of you."
One wife and one concubine were considered few in families like theirs.
His father had three concubines, and even the esteemed Scholar Lu, besides his principal wife, had two maids accompanying him in his youth.
Therefore, Qin Xuan believed his promise was enough to appease Lu Jingning's grievances.
Little did he know, Lu Jingning had witnessed such polygamous arrangements, seen her mother shed silent tears, and thus yearned all the more for the ideal of a lifelong monogamous partnership depicted in books.
Alas, these were but extravagant hopes.
"Then, can my husband promise me one thing?" Lu Jingning asked.
"Speak."
"My husband must study diligently and earn a noble title for me through his own merit," Lu Jingning said with utmost seriousness.
"Why are you so insistent on me studying? In the future, I will be a Prince, and you will be the Princess Consort. You will also have a noble rank and be immensely honored," Qin Xuan inquired.
"This noble title is not one you earn for me, but one that is inherited. In anyone's eyes, this would simply mean I married into a good family. But if you earn it for me, it will show that I married a good man," Lu Jingning stated calmly.
Was there a difference?
Qin Xuan felt there wasn't. The slight guilt he felt moments ago vanished with Lu Jingning's request.
"If my husband does not agree, even if my cousin enters the household, I will not serve her tea," Lu Jingning said plainly.
"You!"
If the principal wife refused to serve tea to a concubine, it signified her refusal to acknowledge the concubine's status.
"My husband should think carefully. You know me, I am very stubborn and respond to reason, not coercion," Lu Jingning stood up, looked down at Qin Xuan, and slowly walked into the inner chamber.
Lu Jingning lay on the bed, feeling all her strength drained away.
The maid who had served her since childhood was worried. "Miss, are you alright?"
Lu Jingning let her tears flow freely, spreading across the still brightly colored dragon and phoenix quilt from their wedding.
Alright?
What was "alright"? What was "not alright"?
In the eyes of outsiders, she was undoubtedly well-off. Her husband's family treated her well, her husband was handsome and accomplished, everything was good.
But only she felt it was not good. Their kindness towards her was not sincere.
They needed her to showcase the future prosperity of the Prince's mansion. With her father, an Imperial Tutor, supporting Qin Xuan, the mansion's prospects would be even brighter.
She wanted to refuse, but she knew that even if she refused, Qi Mingzhu would still enter the household.
Therefore, she could only make this demand.
This way, once the elders learned of it, they would feel gratified, believing she was genuinely looking out for Qin Xuan's best interests.
Qin Xuan stormed off to the Princess Consort's chambers. "Grandmother, she has gone too far. I spoke to her kindly, telling her that in this life, I would only have her and my cousin. Yet, she is still not satisfied. She is unhappy with the future title of Princess Consort and is forcing me to study, to take examinations and earn a noble title for her. She even said that if I don't agree, she won't serve tea to my cousin when she enters."
The Princess Consort secretly praised Lu Shi, thinking she had some skill.
Xuan'er was currently infatuated with Mingzhu and naturally couldn't bear for her to be wronged. By using the matter of studying to constrain him, even though he was angry now, he would eventually agree.
However, Lu Shi would be too pitiful in the future. By doing this, Xuan'er would no longer feel any guilt towards her; instead, he would grow to resent her even more. One could only imagine how bitter a woman's life would be if she was despised by her husband.