Chapter 102 – The only wife of the Xie family

Translator: ChuRen/ YuQiChen

Tang Qing rolled his eyes inwardly and maintained a lukewarm demeanor, “Lady Luo, I am insignificant and incapable of uncovering such confidential matters. Moreover, the exam questions are set by the Examination Institute every year, not by the royal family. Going through such lengths to investigate might not yield results and could potentially tarnish Tang Xiaobai’s reputation. He hasn’t even started school yet and may be labeled as someone who steals exam questions.”

Lady Luo was also just a woman of the palace, and she was indeed taken aback by Tang Qing’s mention of “stealing exam questions.”

Tang Qing continued to play mysterious and whispered, “Lady Luo, let’s not discuss this matter further. If it gets out, it might create problems for Tang Xiaobai. One never knows who might be listening behind the walls. Let’s avoid such topics.”

Upon hearing this, Lady Luo Xuanling turned pale, refrained from saying more, fearing that Tang Qing might spread the news about her attempt to find out exam questions, which could potentially harm Tang Xiaobai.

Tang Xiaobai, feeling resentful, shot Tang Qing a glance but dared not utter a word. His half-brother, always so eloquent and never allowed anyone to gain an advantage over him. He was just looking to assert his dominance over Tang Qing, but he was mercilessly rejected.

Tang’s father then asked, “Xiao Qing, how are you getting along with His Highness Xie Qingzhi? Haven’t angered him, have you?”

Tang Qing replied, “His Highness is very kind to me. Father, there’s no need to worry.”

At that moment, Tang Shanshan and Zheng Nian returned from their date, with Zheng Nian escorting Tang Shanshan home. They happened to see Tang Qing upon arrival. These days, Tang Shanshan had been using the excuse of being unsettled since becoming an Omega to stick to Zheng Nian. Although Zheng Nian found the girl a bit too clingy and talkative, unlike the calm and gentle Tang Qing, he found the distance between them just right.

However, being admired by such a pretty girl as Tang Shanshan and having her cling to him satisfied his vanity greatly, so he patiently accompanied her.

Initially, after dropping Tang Shanshan home, he was about to leave, but upon overhearing Tang Qing’s voice, he couldn’t resist following Tang Shanshan inside.

After not seeing each other for a few days, Tang Qing, post-marriage, was not as haggard as one might imagine, tormented by the cruel and insane royal dog. On the contrary, Tang Qing had been sleeping well these days, his skin still flawless as if there were no pores, as white and tender as a peeled egg. His cold and imperial demeanor, along with his delicate features, combined to create an indescribable beauty.

Only when seeing him in person did one realize that compared to Tang Qing, ordinary people like Tang Xiaobai and Tang Shanshan were merely good-looking. Tang Qing was truly worthy of being called the Empire’s number one beauty.

Initially expecting Tang Qing to have a hard time after marriage, and thus feeling more regretful for losing Zheng Nian, seeing Tang Qing’s calm and composed appearance, Zheng Nian couldn’t help but feel a sense of indescribable regret.

He swiftly walked into the hall and asked, “Tang Qing, His Highness Xie Qingzhi didn’t accompany you back today?”

Tang Qing replied calmly, “He had other matters to attend to tonight.”

Zheng Nian, however, insisted, “What could be so important that he couldn’t spare one night to accompany you home so everyone could see?”

Tang Qing glanced at him and replied indifferently, “The Duke has official duties. He often has to go to the palace to meet His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress. It’s normal for him not to have time to come here for your entertainment.”

Seeing Tang Qing’s aloof demeanor, Zheng Nian couldn’t help but speak up, “Tang Qing, why are you speaking in such a tone? Are you still resentful because I called off our engagement?”

Tang Qing was almost amused by this person.

“You’re overthinking it. The decision to call off the engagement was mutual between us. I have no regrets or ill feelings. I haven’t been angry with you, nor have I regretted my decision.”

After speaking, Tang Qing stood up, ready to complete his task and end the evening’s gathering.

Tang Shanshan, knowing that Zheng Nian still had Tang Qing on his mind, saw Tang Qing preparing to leave but didn’t give him the chance. She grabbed Tang Qing’s hand as if he had said something terrible, her eyes filled with tears.

“Elder Brother¹YQ: To answer the questions in your minds. I’d like to associate the title gege with Tang Bo. I don’t wanna give these two devil twins the privilege of calling people gege even though it does mean the same thing and it is also gege in the raws, I’m sorry. I know you’re upset with me. It’s all my fault. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be in this situation with Zheng Nian. But you shouldn’t compromise yourself because of me, enduring grievances and not daring to speak up…”

Tang Qing watched as his half-sister suddenly became dramatic, quickly pulled away his hand, and interrupted, “Tang Shanshan, you and Zheng Nian are truly compatible. I wish you a hundred years of happiness. After marrying His Lordship Xie Qingzhi, I’ve been doing well and haven’t suffered in silence.”

“Elder Brother, I see you like this, and I feel really sad. I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I know you must have had it tough, I really sympathize with you…”

Seeing Tang Shanshan reaching out to grab him again, Tang Qing immediately shook off her hand and walked away.

Continuing this act was simply a waste of time.

As Tang Shanshan was lightly pushed away, she fell heavily to the ground, letting out a cry of pain.

Seeing her fall, Tang Xiaobai rushed forward to help her up, reproaching Tang Qing pitifully, “Elder Brother, Shanshan just wanted to apologize to you. Why did you have to be so rough?”

Tang Shanshan wiped her tears and said, “It’s not Elder Brother’s fault, it’s all my fault, I brought this upon myself.”

This was clearly a staged performance.

Tang Qing didn’t want to waste any more time with these siblings. Without saying another word, he turned and continued to leave.

However, Zheng Nian, ignoring his date, went straight after Tang Qing.

“Tang Qing, you pushed Tang Shanshan down. Why haven’t you apologized to her yet?”

With a strong grip, he held onto Tang Qing, who couldn’t break free for a moment, and impatiently replied, “She couldn’t stand on her own. What’s that got to do with me?”

Zheng Nian, seeing Tang Qing’s firm attitude, angrily retorted, “You should apologize to her. No matter how miserable you are, it’s not a reason to harm a fragile Omega.”

Lady Luo Xuanling pretended to intervene, “Alright, let’s all calm down. Let’s not argue, Shanshan, please stop crying.”

Tang Qing, expressionless, observed the spectacle and chose not to speak further.

Seeing Tang Qing’s silence, Zheng Nian became more aggressive. He was eager to prove that Tang Qing hadn’t been doing as well as he claimed after leaving him.

Zheng Nian then demanded, “What? Did I say something wrong? Tang Qing, although you’ve married into the royal family, you haven’t received the Duke’s favor. You’re just the nominal Duchess, not even an Omega. The Duke won’t even mark you. Why pretend to be so lofty?”

As Zheng Nian finished speaking, Tang Xiaobai and the others secretly rejoiced. Finally, someone had spoken the truth.

As a Beta, no matter how beautiful Tang Qing was, holding the title of the Empire’s number one beauty, he couldn’t satisfy an S-level Alpha like His Highness Xie Qingzhi. The Duke couldn’t fully mark Tang Qing. Ultimately, Tang Qing was just a nominal Duchess.

Tang Qing had experienced similar situations numerous times growing up in the Tang family. The siblings enjoyed pretending to be fragile and pure in front of him in public, waiting for their protectors to mock him. He had become numb to it all.

However, this time, he wasn’t going to tolerate it anymore.

Because his identity wasn’t just that of the Tang family’s young master.

He directly picked up a glass of wine from the table, filled it to the brim, and splashed it suddenly at Zheng Nian who was still talking incessantly. The red wine flowed down his head and clothes, drenching his entire face. His mocking expression froze, appearing somewhat ridiculous.

Tang Qing sneered, gazing at the frozen Zheng Nian, his already beautiful face now more radiant and dazzling.

“By your logic, then I am the Duchess of the Xie family, one of the five Dukes. The only wife. Regardless of whether you think I’m favored or not, as long as I am the Duchess of Xie Qingzhi, I’m your senior. The mouth of the Zheng family’s young master is too foul. I, as your senior, will educate you on how to speak properly.”

Previously, at the Tang family, as he wasn’t valued by Tang’s father, Lady Luo Xuanling would always intervene to shield the siblings, deflecting blame onto Tang Qing. Tang’s father, whether truly ignorant or pretending to be so, would always blame Tang Qing for everything.

But things were different now. Even if Tang Qing was just an unloved marriage tool, his identity as the Duchess was recognized by both the royal family and the Dukes.

Although Zheng Nian knew that what Tang Qing said was true and that in terms of seniority, Tang Qing had risen above him by marrying Duke Xie Qingzhi, he couldn’t control his anger and continued to berate:

“Do you really think you’re a Duchess? Bullying people with your status here? Let’s see how long you can survive under the Duke.”

“You’re just a Beta who can’t even stand on the stage. The Duke has never shown his face at the Tang residence, doesn’t take you seriously at all. Do you really think you’re part of the royal family?”

The next moment, as if struck by some horrifying mental blow, Zheng Nian’s face turned pale, and he spat out blood, falling to his knees.

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  YQ: To answer the questions in your minds. I’d like to associate the title gege with Tang Bo. I don’t wanna give these two devil twins the privilege of calling people gege even though it does mean the same thing and it is also gege in the raws ↩︎