Chapter 4: It Turns Out I Am the Mistress Unfit for the Stage

All living things emit an aura, and malevolent energy is one such form. As a practitioner of the occult arts, Chu Li naturally perceives things invisible to ordinary people.

Fu Heng’s aura was thick with this malevolent energy, a result of countless battles where he had faced corpses and spilled blood. This accumulation forged his fierce aura, yet he remained impervious to ghosts and unafraid of demons.

Typically, seasoned warriors carry such energy within them, but women, being yin in nature, rarely do—unless the young lady in the bridal sedan also came from military life, having long dwelled amid this harsh aura and thus gradually absorbed it.

Could it be that their love was born amidst the barracks?

With a hint of suspicion, Chu Li cast her gaze back to the wedding procession, her eyes settling on the three small, pitifully plain rosewood dowry chests behind the sedan.

Strange—was this girl, like herself, of humble origin with no notable background?

Did Fu Heng have a peculiar preference for daughters of modest households?

Pondering this, Chu Li attempted to divine the girl’s fate from afar. Such curiosity was rare for her; delving into others’ destinies was a taboo in the occult world, but today she could not resist.

After a moment of concentrated divination, she found no trace—her heart plummeted deeply.

As the foremost occult master of the modern Heavenly Dao Sect, Chu Li was confident in her abilities. If she could not decipher this woman’s origin or even discern if there was a predestined bond with Fu Heng, it defied all reason.

There were only two possibilities: either the woman possessed a hidden treasure capable of blocking all prying eyes, or, like Chu Li herself, her fate was extraordinarily noble and blessed by Heaven’s Dao.

The mystery surrounding this woman darkened Chu Li’s heart like a gathering storm, pressing down until she struggled for breath.

At that moment, the surrounding villagers began to whisper loudly, breaking her reverie.

“Do you know who she is? An old soldier wounded in battle said she’s a female general—valiant and commanding, riding into battle no less fiercely than any man. A true heroine. The previous consort was said to be delicate and enchanting, a sly little fox. One strong and one weak, one fierce and one gentle—two utterly different flavors. Our Duke Fu must be quite fortunate.”

“Indeed, Duke Fu knows how to indulge. But I heard she was once a war slave, chosen by the duke himself and brought back to the camp years ago. Perhaps she has served him longer than the duchess.”

“Shh! It’s the wedding day, and you dare gossip about the duke? Remember, Duke Fu’s prowess is extraordinary—one glare could freeze you in place!”

“……”

Standing amidst the crowd, Chu Li shivered, cold from head to toe, her heart trembling.

Someone who caught Fu Heng’s eye before her? She was the one who came later?

“Hey? Why hasn’t Duke Fu come out to welcome the bride?”

Though noble, the duke was not marrying a principal consort, so there was no need to lead the bride into the mansion on horseback.

Still, one would expect at least a door to be opened and a greeting to be offered.

The townsfolk craned their necks, eager to glimpse the war god’s grandeur, yet some thought it unnecessary for the duke to lower himself for a concubine.

“Though a concubine, the duke must value this girl. The whole city is holding a banquet for three days, by imperial decree no less—that’s quite an honor. Didn’t the previous duchess lack such treatment?”

“True. When the last one entered, there was barely even a feast. Strange, isn’t it?”

“Yes, rumors say Duke Fu favored the duchess dearly, but now that seems absurd. This bride in the sedan must be his true beloved. Yet our Eastern Cang values orthodoxy and cannot casually replace the principal consort.”

Favoring a concubine over a wife would bring shame upon the family.

“……”

The villagers’ gossip grew wilder, stabbing at Chu Li’s heart.

Though resolved to leave, hearing such words still stung deeply—her heart ached for Fu Heng.

Before the letter arrived, she believed Fu Heng’s sincerity toward her was genuine, but now it seemed it had all been an illusion. Had she been nothing but a fool all along?

A bare-bones wedding bore great risks indeed.

Had she been naïve to trust in their predestined bond and to covet Fu Heng’s beauty?

When they first met, she had sensed he was her destined match. Coupled with his striking looks, she had succumbed to temptation.

Their wedding had no ceremony, no banquet, not even a proper wedding dress—just a plain red sedan quietly carrying her into the duke’s mansion.

That very night, Fu Heng claimed her.

His promises, his whispered caresses—they lingered vividly.

Chu Li had never minded the lack of formalities, her soul rooted in the modern world with open-minded views. A bare marriage was no matter as long as love was true.

But now, faced with this reality, she could not help but doubt her life.

Her wedding ended in silence, yet Fu Heng lavished the other woman with entirely different treatment.

Banquets held for the whole city? For three whole days? Even the emperor himself would not go to such lengths for a consort.

Fu Heng was merely taking a concubine. If not for her petitioning, the emperor would not have cared. This honor was surely Fu Heng’s gift from the royal family—for that woman!

Memories replayed, fueling her bitter resentment.

When Chu Li first learned Fu Heng’s identity, she wondered if she should report it upwards.

After all, as a duke, his marriages and funerals were matters for the royal court.

But what did he say then? It was his own affair, no need to trouble the emperor.

So when she, the rightful duchess, entered the mansion, it was done in secret, hidden from the world.

She had yet to meet the emperor or enter the palace; the royal family only knew her name but had never seen her.

Now she realized perhaps Fu Heng thought her neither noble nor influential enough to present publicly, so he kept her confined to the back halls.

She herself had been idle, rarely socializing in the capital, sparing Fu Heng the shame.

That must be it!

“Heh heh heh…”

People sometimes laugh when at a loss for words.

The more Chu Li thought, the more suffocated she felt. Her hand clenched into a fist at her side. If Fu Heng were here, she was certain he would drop dead from a single punch.

Now, under these circumstances, she, the principal wife, appeared more like a mistress unfit for public display.

That despicable Fu Heng—how delightfully cruel he was!

Noticing her distress, Qiuyi, her attendant, whispered anxiously, “Mistress, please do not be sad. Those are only rumors and conjecture, not to be believed. I have served in the Duke’s mansion since childhood and can assure you, you are undoubtedly the duke’s first…”

“Qiuyi, please stop.”

Suppressing the ache in her heart, Chu Li silently vowed never to look back again.

Those who look back are dogs!