"If compared to Second Brother, I’m naturally no match. But I am far better than many noble sons. Who says I cannot play the zither? I know how to appreciate music, chess, calligraphy, painting, the Qiang flute, and the xiao. Brewing and tasting tea, while not my passion, is not something I’m entirely ignorant about either. When I was younger, I disliked these pretentious pastimes and learned little of them. But Mother said that noble sons must dabble in these arts. So I forced myself to learn a bit, just enough to scrape by. Why bother mastering them? Such things are mere embellishments—they won’t help me win a battle; they’re of no real use." "If you were unwilling to study, did the Marchioness not intervene?" Dıscover more novels at 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝕟𝕖𝕥 "Mother’s expectations for me were quite low—so long as I grew up healthy, that was enough. After all, there’s Eldest Brother and Second Brother..." When Xie Xun mentioned Xie Zhang, he couldn’t help but think of that tragic scene. A dull ache spread through his chest, but he didn’t want to sadden Fengyu as well. He lightened his tone and said with ease, "Mother was unlike the typical noblewomen—independent and unconventional. That’s precisely why Father fell in love with her at first sight." "I deeply admire the Marchioness too." Fengyu had heard many rumors about the Marchioness. In her youth, she had been crowned the most beautiful and carefree girl in the Capital City. "A daughter of the Lin Family, raised and groomed to become the wife of a high-ranking noble or even an Empress. When the Marchioness married the Marquis, many found it inconceivable. Lin Family daughters rarely married into military families. Becoming the Marchioness Zhenbei carried far greater challenges than being a nobleman’s principal wife." Before Xie Xun understood the stirrings of love, he’d overheard a few women discussing his future marriage. At the time, he had no woman in mind and only thought that someday he’d marry someone like his mother. A woman who could uphold the family name yet remain sensible—a perfect match in the eyes of all men. "I think the upbringing of noblewomen defies nature. Elders teach us to obey our husbands after marriage, earn their affection, and grow old alongside them. Yet they also teach us to be sensible, unjealous, and to accept our husband’s concubines. They tell us to strive for lifelong companionship with our husbands, yet also to embrace their concubines. How many women in this world can achieve both? The Marchioness treated my brother-in-law and Second Brother as her own, regarded the two concubines as sisters, and raised you three brothers so well. For this alone, the Marchioness is the most extraordinary woman in my eyes." The subject of concubines and polygamy did not provoke much opposition in Xie Xun, likely because of his upbringing and environment. He had grown up cherished, though his father was somewhat strict. His mother, the two concubines, and his brothers had showered him with love. Xie Zhang had also fulfilled his role as an elder brother akin to a father figure. In the Marquis Mansion, there was no cruelty from a principal mother toward children, nor were there scenes of jealousy or feuding among wives and concubines. Xie Xun had no idea how his father had managed to balance the relationships between his mother and the two concubines. The bond between his mother and the two concubines had always been harmonious. Xie Xun vividly recalled that when he was very young, his father was often preoccupied with military campaigns and would return home only once a year. His visits were fleeting, and each time he came back, he would always stay in his mother’s courtyard. As a child, Xie Xun had been too naive to understand propriety and often ran to his mother’s courtyard. When his father was home, Xie Xun would barge in without hesitation, and every time, he would find his parents loving and peaceful. In his memory, his parents rarely quarreled. The two concubines never seemed jealous of his father’s preference for his mother. When his father was away, they didn’t wallow in loneliness or despair. In his memories, they were like sisters—always cheerful and content. In the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, there were no conflicts where an illegitimate son outshone the legitimate one, causing resentment or power struggles. Even when Xie Zhang shone brightly, Xie Xun had long accepted that the Marquis Zhenbei title rightfully belonged to his elder brother. Thus, Xie Xun harbored no resistance toward polygamy. In fact, in his youth, he even thought that brothers should be united—why should they turn against each other? Only united brothers could bring harmony to the family. He couldn’t fathom why brothers in other families would fight tooth and nail over a title. He had once naively believed that the wives, concubines, and brothers of noble families in the Capital City were all as amicable as those in the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion. This belief persisted until he entered the Imperial College. There, he learned that illegitimate sons and legitimate sons, principal wives and concubines, were fundamentally different. Yet Xie Xun didn’t care. Other families were their business; the Marquis Mansion was his. Fengyu had deliberately brought up the topic of the Marchioness. While calmly brewing tea, she said in an even tone, "Zhixu, I am not the Marchioness, and I will never allow my husband to take concubines. Whether he is the Marquis Mansion Heir, a border-guarding Prince, or the Emperor himself—I will not permit it."