Yun Fei's first week in the clan passed like silk over steel.
She smiled when expected, learned names faster than anyone anticipated, and moved through the compound like she'd been born there. Elders praised her manners. Aunties complimented her wardrobe. Even the sharp-tongued servants found themselves offering her fresh plum tea before she asked.
But I knew better. Behind every polite word, she was measuring the clan—every branch, every elder, every possible pressure point.
It wasn't hostility. It was habit.
One afternoon, after a quiet tea session with Changjian and a sharp verbal chess match with Ruiqing, Yun Fei found me outside the spirit herb garden, arms crossed, hair pinned up with a crimson jade clasp.
"Your Third Uncle Tianjian has good business instincts," she said without preamble. "But he's stretched thin. The Clear Sky logistics chain can be tightened if you cut the old River Crane intermediaries."
I blinked. "You're giving me trade advice now?"
"I married into this clan. I plan to keep it strong."
"And if that strength helps your long-term influence?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't it help both of us?"
I shook my head, laughing. "You're really not going to play innocent, are you?"
"I did that once. It didn't end well."
Later that evening, I found my mother arranging soul-calming incense in the meditation hall. She looked up before I even spoke.
"You came to ask what I think of your wife."
I paused. "That obvious?"
"You're not hard to read. She is."
"Well?"
Mother gave a long breath. "She's sharp. Controlled. And dangerous."
I frowned. "Dangerous?"
"Not in a bad way. But she's not a girl who will let herself be used. She's not here to be passive, Changsheng. She's here to win."
I nodded slowly. "So was I."
A flicker of a smile touched her lips. "Good. Then maybe you'll keep each other sharp."
There was a long silence between us. Then she added, quieter:
"Just don't let her outthink your heart."
I didn't answer right away.
Back in our shared courtyard that night, Yun Fei sat beneath the plum tree, writing something in neat brushstrokes. Clan names. Branch family strengths. Resource routes.
"You're building a map," I said.
"Of course," she replied. "If I'm going to live here, I'd like to know where all the levers are."
"And if someone ever tries to use you again?"
She didn't look up. "They'll regret it."
She didn't look up when I sat beside her.
The plum blossoms overhead rustled gently in the evening breeze. Yun Fei's brushstrokes were clean, almost elegant. But her shoulders were a touch tenser than usual.
"You're overworking again," I said.
"I've barely been here a week. If I don't learn the structure now, I'll always be three steps behind."
I watched her dip the brush, press the ink to the parchment again. "You don't have to outmaneuver my entire clan. This isn't your old home."
"No." Her voice softened. "But it's still a battlefield."
I leaned back on my hands, letting the quiet stretch between us. "You don't trust anyone easily, do you?"
She hesitated. "You don't either."
"Fair."
We sat like that for a while. No pretense, no jokes. Just the quiet weight of understanding between two people who had chosen each other for reasons bigger than love.
"I asked my mother about you," I said finally.
Yun Fei's brush paused. "And?"
"She said you're sharp. Controlled. Dangerous."
A faint smile curved her lips. "She's right."
"She also said you're not here to be used." I turned my head toward her. "You're here to win."
She met my eyes. "And you're fine with that?"
"Depends on who you plan to win against."
Yun Fei finally set the brush down, folded the parchment. "Not you."
"Good." I reached out and took her hand. She didn't pull away.
"But I won't play the docile wife either," she said after a moment. "I'll support you. I'll protect our future. But I won't disappear behind your name, Changsheng."
I studied her expression—how calm it looked, how carefully she held it. But her fingers curled tighter around mine.
"I don't want you to disappear," I said. "I married you because I thought you were strong. Just… don't shut me out."
Her eyes flickered—like something inside her softened, just for a breath. "That depends on you."
She stood slowly and tugged on my hand. "Come inside."
"Do you always hesitate after someone drags you into their political map?"
I laughed as she pulled me to my feet.
Inside, the room was warmer. A low flame flickered in the corner brazier. Yun Fei let go of my hand only to begin loosening her robe, untying it with practiced grace.
"You're not the only one adjusting," she murmured.
I stepped closer. "Want help?"
She turned halfway toward me, bare shoulder catching the firelight.
"I'll allow it," she said. "Just don't think you're in charge."
I smirked. "Wouldn't dream of it."