The Double

In May, as late spring had just passed, the weather grew scorching hot without delay.

The sun beat down fiercely upon the land of Yanjing. Street vendors sought refuge under the shade of trees. In such sweltering heat, the young masters and ladies of wealthy households had no patience to venture out and endure the harsh sun. Only the laborers and the poor, carrying chilled rice wine soaked in well water, tirelessly weaved through the grand gambling houses and tea gardens. They hoped that those parched and weary would spend five copper coins for a bowl, so they could buy an extra bag of rice, simmer two more pots of porridge, and endure three more days of hardship.

At the eastern corner of the city stood a brand-new residence. Its plaque hung exceptionally high, inscribed in the center with four gleaming golden characters: "Zhuangyuan Jidi" (Top Scholar in the Imperial Examinations). This was the mansion and the imperial plaque bestowed by the Hongxiao Emperor upon the newly crowned top scholar, representing the highest honor. For any scholar fortunate enough to receive such a plaque, it would be a moment for the entire family to weep with joy and pay tribute to their ancestors.

The mansion was new, the plaque was imperial, and servants bustled about the courtyard in haste. Yet, while the summer heat blazed outside, the house felt chillingly cold. Perhaps ice blocks had been brought indoors to relieve the heat, but the closer one moved toward the walled side of the courtyard, the colder it became.

Outside the last room by the wall sat three people: two young maids in thin pink dresses and a plump, middle-aged matron. Before them, on a stool, lay a plate of red-skinned sunflower seeds and a pot of sour plum soup. They chatted idly as they ate, seeming more at ease than their masters.

The maid on the far left glanced back at the window and said, "The heat traps the smell of medicine in this room—it's unbearable. Who knows when this will end?"

"You little wench, gossiping about your mistress behind her back," the older matron warned. "Be careful, or the master will have your skin."

The pink-clad maid dismissed the concern, "How could that be? The master hasn’t stepped into the lady’s courtyard for three months." She lowered her voice further, "After that scandal, our master has been remarkably loyal. If it were anyone else..." She pursed her lips, "In my opinion, she should have ended it herself to preserve her reputation. Lingering like this only drags others down."

As the matron was about to retort, the other maid chimed in, "But the lady is truly pitiable. She’s so beautiful, talented, and kind-hearted. Who would have thought she’d end up in such a situation..."

Though they spoke in hushed tones, the summer afternoon was too still, and they were not far enough away. Every word, clear and distinct, reached the ears of the person inside the room.

On the bed, Xue Fangfei lay on her back, the tear stains at the corners of her eyes half-dried. Her face, thinned by recent illness, had not lost its charm from exhaustion. Instead, her sickly pallor lent her a heartbreaking, delicate beauty.

Her beauty had always been renowned; otherwise, she would not have earned the title of the foremost beauty of Yanjing. On her wedding day, some idle young masters of Yanjing had hired beggars to disrupt the bridal procession. Her veil had fallen, revealing a face as lovely as a flower, captivating everyone on the streets. Before her distant marriage to the capital, her father, Xue Huaiyuan, the county magistrate of Tongxiang in Xiangyang, had worriedly said, "Ali is too beautiful. I fear Shen Yurong may not be able to protect you."

Shen Yurong was her husband.

Before Shen Yurong achieved the title of top scholar, he was merely a poor scholar. His family resided in Yanjing, but his maternal grandmother, Old Madam Cao, lived in Xiangyang. Four years ago, when Old Madam Cao passed away from illness, Shen Yurong and his mother returned to Xiangyang for the funeral, where he and Xue Fangfei first met.Tongxiang was merely a small county within Xiangyang City. Xue Huaiyuan served as a minor official, and Xue Fangfei's mother had passed away from difficult childbirth while delivering Fangfei's younger brother, Xue Zhao. After his wife's death, Xue Huaiyuan never remarried, leaving the household simply structured with only Fangfei, her brother, and their father relying on one another.

Fangfei had reached marriageable age. Her exceptional beauty attracted marriage proposals from young masters and prominent families near and far—even Xue Huaiyuan's superior expressed interest in taking her as a secondary wife. Naturally, Xue Huaiyuan refused. Having lost his own mother young, he cherished his daughter profoundly. Coupled with Fangfei's gentle wit, he had never stinted on her upbringing since childhood, ensuring she received the finest within his means. Thus, though the Xue family were merely minor officials, Fangfei matured with more refinement than daughters of noble houses.

For this pearl-precious daughter raised in his palm, Xue Huaiyuan fretted over her marriage. While wealthy families offered silks and delicacies, their constraints meant little autonomy. He eventually settled on Shen Yurong.

Though Shen Yurong came from common stock, his brilliant talent and handsome bearing promised future distinction. The drawback was that Fangfei would have to accompany him far away to Yanjing. Moreover, her striking beauty—shielded in Tongxiang by Xue Huaiyuan—might attract ill intentions from Yanjing's innumerable nobles, whom Shen Yurong might struggle to protect her against.

Nevertheless, Fangfei ultimately married Shen Yurong because she loved him.

After marrying Shen Yurong and moving to Yanjing, though her mother-in-law acted harshly and she endured many grievances, Shen Yurong's meticulous care dissipated those dissatisfactions.

Last spring, Shen Yurong achieved the top score in the imperial examinations. He paraded through the streets on horseback, and the emperor personally bestowed a placard for their residence. Soon after, he was appointed as an Imperial Secretariat Writer. By September, Fangfei was with child. Coinciding with Shen's mother's birthday, the dual celebration prompted the Shen family to host a banquet, inviting Yanjing's elite.

That day became Fangfei's nightmare.

She never quite understood what happened. After drinking some plum wine at the banquet, she grew drowsy and was vaguely assisted back to her room by a maid... When startled awake by screams, she found a strange man in her chamber, her own clothes in disarray. Her mother-in-law and a crowd of women stood at the doorway, staring with scorn, disgust, or schadenfreude.

She ought to have been mortified—and she was—but despite her explanations, the scandal of the top scholar's wife caught in adultery before numerous guests spread relentlessly.

She expected to be divorced and expelled, yet Shen Yurong never did so. Stricken by anxiety, she suffered a miscarriage. While confined to bed, she learned that Xue Zhao had rushed to Yanjing over the incident but was robbed and murdered before reaching the Shen residence, his body discarded in the river.

Devastated, she dared not relay the news to Tongxiang. Summoning her last strength, she saw Xue Zhao one final time, arranged his funeral, and fell gravely ill. For three months—three full months—Shen Yurong never visited.

Lying sick, she wondered: Did Shen Yurong harbor resentment, refusing to see her? Or was he deliberately cold-shouldering her to vent anger? Yet the longer she lay there, piecing together servants' fragmented whispers, she gradually grasped certain truths—ones far uglier than she had imagined.Xue Fangfei struggled to sit up from the bed. The bowl of medicine placed by the bedside had long gone cold, emitting only a bitter fragrance. She leaned over and poured the medicine into the pot of begonia in front of the table. The begonia had already withered, leaving only sparse, bare branches.

The door creaked open.

Xue Fangfei looked up and was met with the sight of a golden-woven hem.

The young woman was dressed in luxurious attire, her eyebrows slightly raised with an air of arrogance. Her gaze fell upon the medicine bowl in Xue Fangfei’s hand, and a look of realization crossed her face as she smiled and said, "So that’s how it is."

Xue Fangfei calmly set down the bowl and watched as the visitor entered the room. Two stout maidservants closed the door behind her. The chattering maids and servants outside had vanished without a trace, leaving only the restless chirping of cicadas in the silent air, as if something ominous was about to happen.

Xue Fangfei said, "Princess Yongning."

Princess Yongning smiled, and as she did, a thumb-sized pearl from the South Sea on her hairpin swayed, its lustrous glow nearly dazzling to the eyes.

A single pearl from the South Sea was worth thousands of acres of fertile land. The imperial relatives always possessed the finest things. They lived in luxury, untouched by the hardships of the world, enjoying everything others could scarcely imagine in a lifetime. Yet, they still coveted what belonged to others, even resorting to theft and plunder.

"You don’t seem surprised at all," Princess Yongning remarked curiously. "Has Shen Lang already told you?"

Shen Lang—she addressed him so intimately. A bitter taste rose in Xue Fangfei’s throat, and she barely suppressed it. After a moment, she replied calmly, "I am waiting for him to tell me himself."

Xue Fangfei was not foolish. Xue Huaiyuan had taught her to be clever. Ever since she fell ill, ever since she realized she was under house arrest and her every move was being watched, she had pieced together the events, including the cause of Xue Zhao’s death, and sensed that something was amiss.

She had managed to extract information from the maidservants and finally understood.

Shen Yurong had achieved the top honors in the imperial examinations, a young man who had risen to prominence, his status no longer what it once was. Though Xue Fangfei was talented and beautiful, she was, after all, merely the daughter of a county magistrate. Shen Yurong had caught the eye of Princess Yongning. Perhaps they had already been secretly involved. In any case, Xue Fangfei had become an obstacle, one that needed to be removed to make way for this royal princess of noble birth.

Xue Fangfei recalled the day of the incident, the day Shen’s mother hosted a banquet. Princess Yongning had been among the crowd. In hindsight, she could even remember the smug smile that had played on Princess Yongning’s lips.

The truth was now clear.

"Shen Lang is soft-hearted," Princess Yongning said indifferently as she settled into a chair and looked at Xue Fangfei. "I am not a cruel person either. Originally, I intended to spare you, but you refused to let things go." She glanced at the medicine bowl on the table and sighed. "Why must you do this?"

Xue Fangfei could not help but let out a cold laugh.

Day after day, a bowl of medicine was brought to her. She had long suspected something was wrong and had been pouring it all into the flowerpot. They wanted her to "die of illness," to smoothly pave the way for Princess Yongning to marry into the family. But she refused to comply. Xue Huaiyuan had taught her from a young age never to give up hope until the very end. Besides, why should she? Why should she willingly embrace death while this adulterous pair schemed against her? Never!

Her voice dripping with endless sarcasm, Xue Fangfei said, "Stealing another’s marriage, causing the death of the lawful wife, murdering a spouse and harming heirs—I have truly learned the extent of Your Highness’s ‘kindness.’"Princess Yongning's fury flared up instantly, but within moments she calmed down again. Rising to her feet, she walked over to the table and picked up the pot of withered Haitang flowers. The flowerpot was no larger than a palm, made of fine white porcelain carved with intricate patterns, delicate and lovely. Princess Yongning toyed with the flowerpot, smiling as she said, "Do you know how your younger brother died?"

Xue Fangfei's spine stiffened instantly!

"That brother of yours was quite a character, just a bit too impulsive in his youth." Princess Yongning savored her expression. "He actually managed to uncover something amiss and even found some evidence. He threatened to appeal to the emperor and nearly implicated me as well." Princess Yongning patted her chest as if still shaken by the close call. "He was clever enough to seek out the Magistrate of the Capital overnight, but he didn't know the magistrate and I are on good terms. He informed me immediately." Princess Yongning spread her hands and spoke regretfully, "What a pity. So young, and I could see he had both literary and military talents. If not for this, he might have had a future of earning titles for his wife and descendants. A true shame."

Xue Fangfei nearly ground her teeth to dust!

Xue Zhao! Xue Zhao! She had long suspected there was more to Xue Zhao's death. Xue Zhao had been training in martial arts with a master in Tongxiang since childhood and was clever—how could he have died at the hands of bandits? But she never imagined the truth would be like this! Her brother, outraged on her behalf, must have uncovered the dealings between Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong. Full of righteous fervor, he thought he had found an official to appeal to, never expecting officials would protect one another—and that his enemy was the official himself!

She cried out, "Shameless! Shameless!"

Princess Yongning's willow-leaf eyebrows shot up, and she sneered coldly, "What good does your purity do you? Stuck here day after day without leaving, you probably haven't heard about your father. I came specially to tell you—your father has learned of your disgrace to the family and your brother's death at the hands of bandits. He was so enraged, he dropped dead on the spot!"

Xue Fangfei froze, exclaiming involuntarily, "Impossible!"

"Impossible?" Princess Yongning laughed. "Why don't you go ask the maids and see if it's impossible!"

Xue Fangfei's mind was in turmoil. Xue Huaiyuan had always been indifferent to fame and wealth, serving as the County Magistrate of Tongxiang with integrity his whole life—a truly good man. How could he have come to such an end? A white-haired man seeing off the young, and then dying of rage himself. Xue Fangfei didn't even dare to imagine how Xue Huaiyuan must have felt upon hearing the news.

This was truly a case of "those who commit murder and arson wear golden belts, while those who build bridges and mend roads lie dead with no burial."

Princess Yongning had been speaking for some time and seemed to grow impatient. She casually set the pot of Haitang flowers back on the table and gestured for two maids to step forward.

Xue Fangfei realized what was happening and cried out, "What are you doing?"

Princess Yongning's smile was filled with satisfaction and triumph. She said, "You, Xue Fangfei, are known for your purity and unmatched talent and beauty. Of course, you cannot bear the stigma of adultery. After months of struggle, though Shen Lang treated you as always, you could not forgive yourself. Taking advantage of his absence from the residence, you hanged yourself." She then chuckled lightly, "Well? Does this explanation preserve your dignity?" Her expression shifted again, turning fierce as she added, "If not for Shen Lang's reputation, I would never let you off so easily!"

"How dare you? How dare you!" Rage surged in Xue Fangfei's heart, but before she could move, the two maids seized and restrained her."His Highness and Shen Lang are deeply in love, but unfortunately there is you. Of course, I cannot tolerate you. If you were the daughter of a noble family, I might have to go through some trouble. Unfortunately, your father is merely a minor county magistrate. Among the many prefectures and counties of Yanjing, your Xue family is nothing but a blade of grass. In your next life, before reincarnating, remember to weigh your options carefully—be reborn into a wealthy and noble family."

Xue Fangfei was suddenly overwhelmed with despair. She refused to give up, clinging to life and hoping for a chance to turn things around. She had not chosen to end her own life, but she was no match for the oppression of power or the distinctions of high and low status!

As she looked up, she caught sight of a familiar figure outside the window, vaguely recognizable as the one who had shared her bed.

A glimmer of hope rekindled in Xue Fangfei's heart. She cried out loudly, "Shen Yurong! Shen Yurong, how dare you treat me like this! Heaven will not tolerate it! Shen Yurong!"

The figure outside the window wavered, as if fleeing in a panic to avoid her. Princess Yongning scolded, "What are you still standing around for? Do it!"

The maidservant rushed over, a snow-white silk cloth tightening around her neck. The silk was as smooth as a beauty's skin, a tribute sent annually to the palace by the Zhao family of Songjiang, worth a fortune per bolt. As Xue Fangfei struggled, she thought that even the instrument of murder and arson could be so precious.

Princess Yongning stood three feet away, watching coldly as she struggled like a dying fish, and mocked, "Remember, even if your beauty is unparalleled and your talent unmatched, in the end, you are merely the daughter of a petty official. Crushing you—is as easy as crushing an ant!"

In her struggle, she knocked over the pot of Haitang, which fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. The soil in the flowerpot emitted a bitter fragrance, and the withered branches tumbled out, the painted designs on the pot now damaged.

In the April of the mortal world, all fragrance and beauty had faded.

(End of Chapter)