In the twenty-ninth year of the Zhenxuan era, Xie Lan, the eldest son of the Xie family and a newly appointed chancellor, defied the opposition and married Qing Ling.
His wife was radiant and lovely, her laughter as bright as silver bells. She was infatuated with him, calling him "my husband" one day and "my dear Lan" the next.
But she was frail, so he searched the world for renowned physicians and kept himself in check. Under pressure from his mother to produce an heir, he was still so restrained that he even limited their time in bed.
Then one day, he came across his wife's daily journal.
"That set of gold-and-agate jewelry from the Qiyu Pavilion is gorgeous. Let me think of how to compliment Xie Lan tomorrow and coax him into buying it for me..."
Xie Lan pictured his wife narrowing her eyes as she praised him. He ordered someone to buy the jewelry, then read on.
"Xie Lan is such a hypocrite. He says I'm too noisy, yet he's stayed in my room several nights in a row. I'm exhausted. After today, I'll have to 'fall ill' again."
Xie Lan narrowed his eyes and slid his long fingers farther down the page.
"I ran into Cui Tan today. He said I was as amusing as ever, just like back then, and much better than cold, lifeless Xie Lan. Thinking back, I regret not marrying Chun Feng when I had the chance."
"Regret it?"
Qing Ling married the most refined and upright gentleman in the Xie family.
Some people envied her; others looked down on her.
"How did a sickly girl from a poor family, orphaned by both parents, manage to ensnare Young Master Xie?"
Qing Ling had no way to explain herself. It was true that she had been blinded by his looks and deliberately set out to attract him. Half a year into their marriage, she already had regrets.
Xie Lan was far too stiff and dull. He thought her noisy and ill-mannered, constantly keeping her in line and making her feel constrained at every turn. No matter how much passion she had to give, it would have frozen over by now.
So Qing Ling claimed to be ill and moved into a separate room, enjoying the peace and quiet. She only showed her face now and then when she needed something.
She would sweet-talk him:
"My husband has a face like fine jade and unmatched grace. I want to wear my finest clothes and jewelry so I won't embarrass you."
"My husband is peerlessly clever. An old friend of mine is in trouble today. Helping them out would be no trouble for you, would it?"
Although Xie Lan felt his wife was unfit to appear in public, he never refused these small requests, all for the sake of the Xie family's reputation.
Theme: Love should be spoken aloud.
