Volume One, Chapter One: The Husband's Unattainable Love

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Her husband’s first love had returned.

In the capital, March still clung to the chill of early spring.

Jiang Yutang sat quietly inside the carriage, watching her husband, Xie Yihe, secretly meeting with a young woman.

The girl was very young, dressed in a white gown, delicate and pitiable.

At that moment, she stood on the hunting grounds, trembling as she held a longbow, turning to coax her husband.

“Brother Yihe, my hands are so weak…”

A rare tenderness appeared on Xie Yihe’s normally cold face — a look Jiang Yutang had never seen before.

He stepped forward, gently drawing the petite figure into his embrace, lowering his head to whisper something that made the woman’s cheeks flush with a rosy blush.

Then, Xie Yihe began teaching her archery, hand in hand.

Their intimate manner was that of a true married couple.

“Bah, what nonsense about a distant cousin! I see her as nothing but a seductive vixen who came here to ensnare the master!” Inside the carriage, the maid Chun Tao fumed indignantly.

Yesterday, Xie Yihe had brought this woman into the mansion under the guise of a distant cousin, and no one in the Duke’s household dared to object.

Jiang Yutang stared at the two figures not far away and suddenly felt a wave of emptiness, lowering the carriage curtain.

She took a deep breath and closed her stinging eyes.

That woman was not Xie Yihe’s distant cousin at all, but his cherished first love.

It was because of her that, a year ago, Xie Yihe had been willing to sever ties with her maternal Jiang family, paying a painful price to divorce Jiang Yutang, condemning her to become the laughingstock of the entire capital, sinking into disgrace.

Jiang Yutang herself had never expected that the first thing she would do after reincarnation was to spy on this woman and secretly seek her out.

She desperately wanted to know where she, the legitimate daughter of Marquis Zhenyuan, had fallen short.

Why, after ten years of effort, she had never won Xie Yihe’s heart, while another woman, in only one year, could captivate him so entirely that he was willing to sacrifice everything and defy all others.

Once, Jiang Yutang had not understood. Now, it seemed suddenly clear.

Xie Yihe’s heart—

Had never belonged to her from the start.

A wife unloved was nothing but a title in name alone.

“Madam, shall I send someone down to cause a scene, tear that vixen to shreds, and ruin her reputation?” Chun Tao paused, then added, “If you’re worried about the heir’s face, I can find a subtle poison and slip it quietly into that vixen’s food, ending her without a trace.”

Had this been in her previous life, Jiang Yutang would have accepted without hesitation.

Back then, she loved Xie Yihe with a deep, unyielding passion, stubbornly clinging to him, trying to win him back, unknowingly turning herself into a loathsome figure. She ended up branded as wicked and jealous, scorned by all, her family shattered, and met a tragic end.

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Thinking back, it was both laughable and tragic.

Now, none of those things had yet come to pass. Jiang Yutang still had time to change the painful fate she had brought upon herself.

She slowly opened her eyes inside the carriage, her gaze filled only with composure and indifference.

“No need. Let’s go back.”

In her previous life, whenever she had confronted Yun Qianqian, it was always she and Chun Tao who suffered in the end. Later, Jiang Yutang learned that was Xie Yihe’s way of protecting his first love.

Chun Tao was stunned, her heart aching as she said, “But Madam, today is your birthday, and the master promised he would come to accompany you after court…”

Moreover, when Xie Yihe’s life had been on the line, it was Madam who had traveled thousands of miles, kowtowing step by step down three thousand stairs, begging for miraculous medicine to bring him back from the brink of death.

It was also Madam who, despite the slander and opposition from the Jiang family, resolutely married him.

Now, with the Jiang family long gone to the frontier, in the capital, Jiang Yutang had only her husband left.

If he did not care even on her birthday, then no one else would.

Jiang Yutang no longer cared for such things and said faintly, “It’s only a birthday. Without him, I can still live on my own.”

Since she had fallen into a dead end, it was time to turn back and stop the loss.

Chun Tao looked at her in disbelief.

The carriage slowly moved toward the Duke of Anguo’s residence.

Back at Mengyuan Garden, Jiang Yutang began to settle her property.

When love is gone, money is the only thing to hold on to.

Chun Tao made longevity noodles for her and brought them into the main room, setting them on the table.

The noodles were garnished with bright green scallions, steaming hot and fragrant.

“Madam, I made these with my own hands. Eat them while they’re hot—make sure to finish without breaking the noodles!”

Just as she spoke, steady footsteps sounded outside.

Jiang Yutang was startled and turned to look.

The next moment, a tall figure lifted the curtain and entered—it was Xie Yihe!

He wore a long black robe, his face handsome to the point of seeming otherworldly, with beautiful peach blossom eyes that, when focused on someone, made one foolishly believe they were equally loved.

Xie Yihe stepped into the main room and saw the longevity noodles on the round table, his long brows suddenly knitting.

“You don’t need to remind me so pretentiously. I remember it’s your birthday today and have already had someone prepare a gift for you.”

What?

Before Jiang Yutang could respond, he added, “I’m going to bathe now.”

With that, he walked straight toward the adjoining room.

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Chun Tao stared wide-eyed in shock, then looked at Jiang Yutang, who sat in place, dazedly staring at the bowl of noodles before her.

Chun Tao’s heart ached.

“Madam, the master…”

“Take it away.”

Jiang Yutang suddenly lost her appetite.

If a man’s heart had already gone elsewhere, then whatever she did would be wrong.

Chun Tao could only obey.

After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Xie Yihe emerged from the adjoining room, leaving the main room with only Jiang Yutang inside.

The candlelight was bright; the woman slowly moved to the desk and appeared to be leafing through something.

“Why are you still sitting outside?”

Xie Yihe came behind Jiang Yutang. His unique scent of sandalwood engulfed her as he gently embraced her from behind.

Jiang Yutang’s body stiffened instantly.

“I promised I would accompany you today and won’t go back on my word,” Xie Yihe said in a tone almost of condescension.

He lowered his head, gazing at Jiang Yutang’s delicate profile, a hint of desire gradually coloring his eyes. He reached out to pinch her chin, studying her closely.

“One year older. Let me see if you’ve grown wiser.”

Xie Yihe’s so-called intimacy was nothing but play—like teasing a docile kitten or puppy.

His other hand began to wander restlessly, probing inside Jiang Yutang’s collar.

Yet, before it could touch her smooth skin, Jiang Yutang gripped his hand tightly.

Xie Yihe was momentarily stunned. Jiang Yutang turned her head, her watery eyes cold and utterly devoid of the shyness and affection they once held.

“Let’s divorce.”

Jiang Yutang spoke clearly, her voice crisp like pearls dropping onto jade.

Xie Yihe was taken aback, even doubting whether he had heard correctly.

“What did you say?”

Jiang Yutang patiently repeated.

“Xie Yihe, I say, let’s divorce.”