With a rift in her heart, Song Ming inevitably grew distant from Madam Han.
Madam Han acutely sensed the shift in Song Ming's demeanor, but she attributed it to her pregnancy, which prevented them from being intimate. Before long, she gritted her teeth and had Qiu Yi's appearance arranged.
Seeing the new girl in bed, Song Ming made a painful resolution.
His wife was pregnant, and life could only move forward. If he wasn't satisfied, he could teach her himself. Thus, he sent Qiu Yi back and kindly advised Madam Han to focus on her pregnancy, assuring her he wasn't a lustful man and she shouldn't dwell on such matters.
Madam Han was deeply touched, and the couple seemed to return to their former closeness.
Just as Song Ming thought his domestic affairs were finally secure, Chun Yuan suffered a miscarriage.
While paying respects to Madam Han, she slipped and fell, immediately bleeding. The doctor sighed regretfully; it was a male fetus, three months along.
Song Ming refused to believe it was an accident. He investigated thoroughly and discovered Qiu Yi had smeared lard on the floor. Qiu Yi confessed she had targeted Chun Yuan out of jealousy. Madam Han, heartbroken, proposed selling Qiu Yi, but Qiu Yi instead dashed her head against a pillar and died.
This was Song Ming's first direct confrontation with the feuds among the women in his household. Two lives were lost within a single day. For the first time, he lost his temper and demanded to know why from Madam Han.
Madam Han attempted to make excuses, but Song Ming looked at her coldly, "Madam, have you forgotten which yamen I serve in? Do I need to present all the evidence before you?"
Madam Han shivered and tearfully confessed that she couldn't be sure of the baby's gender and couldn't allow a son born to a concubine to be the firstborn.
"If you didn't want her to have a child, why send her to my bed? Or is the estate so poor it can't even afford contraceptive soup?"
Madam Han claimed that as the principal wife, she had to be magnanimous. Concubines were meant to bear children for the husband, and giving her contraceptive soup would make her appear ungenerous. She also told him this was common practice among wealthy families in the capital.
Song Ming, having been on the battlefield, understood how expendable human life could be. He couldn't comprehend how, in the supposedly peaceful domain of the inner quarters, Madam Han, a delicate woman, could be so indifferent to the loss of life.
He was utterly disappointed in the woman he had once fallen in love with at first sight and never again set foot in Madam Han's chambers.
Madam Han gradually became panicked. Despite all her attempts, she couldn't make Song Ming treat her as he once did. She resorted to finding more women for Song Ming. When he refused them, she resorted to drugging them, turning the household into a mess. Later, during a particularly intense domestic dispute, she fell victim to a plot, giving premature birth to their eldest daughter and becoming unable to conceive again.
Song Ming simply moved to the front courtyard, leaving the inner quarters to their own machinations, adopting an air of asceticism.
He thought Madam Han would finally quiet down, but instead, seeing that Song Ming wouldn't touch any women in the household, she began looking for reasons externally. At first, she suspected Song Ming had a mistress, then discovered that apart from being close to Qing Ya, he had no other women around him.
The seed of suspicion was thus sown.
One day, Censor Zhou hosted a banquet. Madam Han attended in a resplendent robe of imperial Shu brocade. Although Song Ming treated her poorly at home, he still afforded his principal wife the respect she deserved in public, so many ladies gathered around her, showering her with praise.
This was, after all, a tribute item, bestowed by the Emperor only upon a few trusted confidantes.
Pleased by the compliments, Madam Han turned and saw Qing Ya also wearing clothes of the same color.
Qing Ya also sported a pearl necklace from overseas, making her appear even more elegant and noble.
Qing Ya managed a shop for the Empress, which included one that specialized in imported goods. The guests' eyes were drawn to the pearl necklace, and they became curious, rushing to inquire about its price.
Having suffered neglect at home, Madam Han was convinced that Qing Ya had seduced Song Ming. Seeing Qing Ya stealing her thunder again today, she could no longer restrain herself. She stepped forward and said sarcastically, "Some people, though already married, have the audacity to coax other people's husbands into giving them gifts and then have the nerve to flaunt them. If I were her, I'd be so ashamed I'd have already died of embarrassment."
Qing Ya was stunned. "Madam Song, what do you mean by that? Whose things have I accepted?"
"Are you too ashamed to admit what you've accepted? The Shu brocade you're wearing was a reward my husband recently received, and even the color matches mine. Are you so poor you can't afford clothes? If you can't afford them, I'll gift you some, lest you go around seducing..."
Before she could finish, Qing Ya's slap landed.
Qing Ya's style was as always: if action could solve it, there was no need for words.
Madam Han was furious, then her expression turned gleeful. She declared that Qing Ya had assaulted an imperial consort and, ignoring everyone's pleas, insisted on sending Qing Ya to the Grand Court.
Qing Ya snorted, "I'll go myself, but you'd best not beg me to get out."