A year later, the Grand Secretary resigned his post and retired, maintaining secret correspondence with the Grand Tutor. Coincidentally, a letter was misdelivered to the Prince’s manor. Wang Jian unexpectedly intercepted the correspondence and was ecstatic, believing he had finally found leverage over the Grand Tutor, puffing up with pride. He personally carried the letter to the manor to blackmail the Grand Tutor, demanding ten thousand taels of gold.

The Grand Tutor Wang flatly refused. Wang Jian became furious, shaking his finger and railing at him with vicious words. As the argument escalated, Yuanfeng, clad in an imperial robe and wearing the Mian crown, burst into the main hall, with Xiao Cui trailing close behind—the young couple romping about in a manner most unbecoming.

Upon seeing this, Wang Jian’s face changed dramatically, and he roared, "Insolent child! Dressed in the Dragon Robe! Do you intend to rebel?" He launched into a torrent of angry curses, then stormed out, leaving the seat without a word.

Seeing his son act so recklessly and without understanding the gravity of the situation, the Grand Tutor Wang wept internally, blaming Xiao Cui, "You temptress! Are you trying to wipe out my entire clan?" He seized a broadsword and a heavy staff, intending to strike her down.

Xiao Cui merely laughed, "Venerable Sir, there is no need for distress. I am here. Axes, saws, hooks, and blades—I will willingly bear them all, and I swear I will not implicate any of you. Look at you, so fierce and aggressive; do you intend to silence me by murder?"

The Grand Tutor Wang had only been momentarily overcome by anger. After Xiao Cui’s rebuke, he immediately calmed down, let out a long sigh, and let the matter drop.

When Wang Jian returned, he indeed drafted a memorial, exposing Yuanfeng’s alleged rebellion. The Emperor read the memorial, feeling half-convinced, and immediately dispatched subordinates to verify the claims. After investigation, the supposed Dragon Robe and Mian crown turned out to be nothing more than a pile of tattered cloth and a few stalks of sorghum leaves.

The Emperor was furious, berating Wang Jian for wrongly accusing an innocent man. He then summoned Yuanfeng for an audience. Seeing his simple and charming demeanor, and his simple-minded nature, the Emperor laughed, "Can a man like this actually become the Son of Heaven?" He ordered Wang Jian to be jailed and exiled to Yunnan.

From that day forward, the Grand Tutor Wang looked at Xiao Cui with newfound respect, secretly suspecting she was not human. He instructed his wife to probe her intentions. No matter how intensely questioned, Xiao Cui merely smiled and remained silent. Finally, when pressed too hard, she covered her mouth and laughed, "I am the daughter of the Jade Emperor. Mother, did you not know?"

Several months later, the Grand Tutor Wang was transferred to the capital. In his fifties, he still had no grandchildren. Xiao Cui had been in the household for three years, yet she and Yuanfeng slept in separate beds every night, never having shared marital intimacy.

His wife grew anxious. Using the pretense that the bed space was insufficient, she took Yuanfeng’s bedstead and secretly instructed him to sleep with Xiao Cui. Several days passed, and Yuanfeng complained to his mother, "Why haven't you returned the bed you borrowed? Xiao Cui presses down on me every night, making it hard to breathe; and she pinches my thigh—it hurts so much." The maids, upon hearing this, could not help but smile.

One day, Xiao Cui was bathing at home, and Yuanfeng, seeing this, wished to join her. Xiao Cui smiled and forbade it. Instead, she fetched a large jar, filled it with hot water, and instructed Yuanfeng to strip and enter. Yuanfeng obeyed and stepped inside, feeling only suffocating heat. He cried out loudly, "It’s too hot! Let me out quickly!"

Xiao Cui paid him no mind. She took a thick quilt and covered Yuanfeng’s head. A moment later, Yuanfeng stopped struggling and went still, his breath ceasing. The maids, seeing this, were terrified and quickly informed the mistress. Xiao Cui, however, remained smiling, completely unfazed by the crisis.

The mistress rushed in to check, weeping and cursing, "Audacious, wild servant girl! How dare you kill my beloved son?" Xiao Cui laughed, "Such a simpleton, better gone than present." The mistress grew even angrier, threatening to report her to the authorities and demand a life for a life.

As they were arguing, a maid rushed in to report, "The young master is awake!" The mistress rejoiced and rushed forward. She saw Yuanfeng breathing faintly, drenched in sweat that soaked the bedding. Soon, the perspiration faded, and Yuanfeng opened his eyes. He looked around at his family members as if they were strangers and said, "Recalling the past now, it feels like a dream."

The mistress saw that his speech was clear and logical; he had clearly been transformed, no longer foolish. She tested him repeatedly and found it to be true. Overjoyed, she felt as if she had found a priceless treasure.

That night, Yuanfeng and Xiao Cui shared a bed, entwined in boundless joy and affection.

A year later, the Grand Tutor Wang was impeached by the faction allied with Wang Jian and dismissed from office, remaining at home. In the manor was a jade vase, a priceless gift from the Circuit Intendant of Guangxi. To secure his reinstatement, the Grand Tutor Wang planned to sell the vase to raise silver for bribing his superiors.

Xiao Cui was also an expert in antiques. One time, while handling the vase, she accidentally dropped it, shattering it into dust. The Grand Tutor Wang became enraged and scolded her harshly. Xiao Cui was displeased, leaving with a sullen air. She told Yuanfeng, "While I have been in your house, I have helped the Grand Tutor resolve countless crises. Now, for breaking one jade vase, I am subjected to endless insults and no respect whatsoever. This is truly heartless. I… I am leaving."

Yuanfeng urgently asked, "Are you leaving? Don't leave me."

Xiao Cui confessed plainly, "To tell you the truth: I am not human, but a fox spirit. My mother once suffered a calamity from lightning and received the Grand Tutor’s protection; I also have a five-year bond with you, Young Master, which is why I came here to repay the favor and fulfill my destiny. Since marrying you, I have endured countless verbal assaults. The only reason I haven't left is that the five-year term was not yet complete. Now that I am treated with such harshness, how can I possibly stay?" With that, she left in a huff, vanishing without a trace.

When Xiao Cui departed without saying goodbye, the Grand Tutor Wang felt a sense of guilt and was consumed by regret. Yuanfeng missed his wife so terribly that he was heartbroken, refusing to eat or drink, his body wasting away. The Grand Tutor, worried about his son's health, considered finding him another suitable wife to ease his sorrow. Yuanfeng refused, remaining morose. He hired skilled artisans and painters to create a portrait of Xiao Cui, which he hung in his bedroom, praying before it day and night.

Two years later, Yuanfeng occasionally went out. He arrived at a village under the clear light of the full moon. He was in a pavilion garden, an ancestral property. As he rode past the outer wall on his horse, he heard laughter emanating from within. He stopped to listen, then climbed the wall to peer inside. He saw two young women playing in the garden; the moonlight was dim, making their features indistinct.

He heard one woman in green speak, "You impudent maid, you should be thrown out the door!" A woman in red laughed, "This is my garden pavilion. Who exactly should be thrown out?"

The woman in green retorted, "Shameless thing! You who could not be a proper wife, who were cast out, dare to claim ownership of property?" The woman in red shot back, "Being driven from my husband's home is surely better than remaining unwed and unwanted at your age."

Yuanfeng strained to listen. The voice of the woman in red was melodious and strikingly similar to Xiao Cui's. Overjoyed, he cried out, "Is that you, Xiao Cui?"

The woman in green was greatly startled, clearly not wanting to see a stranger. She laughed, "I can’t be bothered arguing with you; your man has arrived." She quickly slipped away.

Presently, the woman in red appeared—it was indeed Xiao Cui. The couple reunited, and Yuanfeng could not contain his joy. He vaulted the wall into the garden, throwing his arms around Xiao Cui and clinging tightly to her. Xiao Cui looked at Yuanfeng intently and sighed upon seeing his gaunt, skeletal appearance, "Two years apart, and you have grown so thin."

Yuanfeng pleaded, "Where have you been all these years? I… I think of you every day. Come back with me."

Xiao Cui replied, "I know of your undying affection, Young Master, but I have no face to see your family again. Just now, while playing with Elder Sister, I encountered you by chance; our fate is sealed by Heaven, inescapable. I have been living here all this time. If you miss me, you may visit anytime. As for returning with you, never mention it again."

Yuanfeng insisted, "If you won't return, then I won't leave either. I will live with you from now on and never be separated."

Xiao Cui pondered, "While that may be so, what shall we tell your parents?"

Yuanfeng assured her, "No matter. I will send someone home immediately with a letter to inform my parents of everything. They are easygoing people; they surely won't be angry." He immediately wrote a letter and ordered his attendant to carry it back to the manor.

When the parents received the letter, they worried about their son living alone without care. They specifically sent two maids and an old servant to attend to the couple's daily needs. The maids were familiar faces who had served Xiao Cui for years and were easy to manage; the old servant was a dutiful retainer, diligent and kind, unlikely to cause complications.

From then on, the couple settled in the garden. Xiao Cui often urged Yuanfeng, "When we were at home, the Grand Tutor resented me for my failure to conceive. Now that your parents are aged, and I still cannot bear children, perhaps you should choose a better match to continue the lineage. Miss Zhong, daughter of the Grand Historian, comes from a renowned family, a perfect match in status and talent for you."

Yuanfeng declared, "My heart belongs entirely to you; never speak of finding a second wife again."

Xiao Cui smiled and said no more, thinking to herself, My bond with my husband lasts only five years. When the time comes, it will be farewell forever.

A year later, Xiao Cui's appearance and voice began to change, becoming vastly different from before; her eyebrows, lips, and the corners of her eyes were entirely unlike the portrait. Yuanfeng asked, "Why is this happening?"

Xiao Cui smiled and asked, "In your opinion, which of us is more beautiful—the me of today, or the me of the past?"

Yuanfeng answered, "The me of today is beautiful, certainly, but I preferred the former you."

Xiao Cui remarked, "I suppose I have grown old."

Yuanfeng countered, "You are barely twenty; how can you be old?"

Xiao Cui smiled without answering, took the portrait, and set it on fire. Yuanfeng tried desperately to stop her, but the painting was reduced to ash before he could intervene.

Several days later, Xiao Cui brought up the topic of a second wife again. Yuanfeng could not withstand his wife's soft pleading and nodded in agreement. Thus, they engaged Miss Zhong and brought her into the household, celebrating the union.

On the wedding night, when the veil was lifted, he saw that her appearance and mannerisms were an exact replica of Xiao Cui's. He was secretly astonished and hurried to the pavilion garden, but Xiao Cui had already vanished, leaving no trace. **He found a piece of fine red silk there, and opening it, discovered a jade pendant—he knew it was a relic left by Xiao Cui. His beloved had departed, and there would be no chance to see her again.

He immediately took the new bride home. Although he never forgot Xiao Cui for an instant, thankfully the bride's appearance and behavior were so similar to Xiao Cui's that it offered some consolation. Only then did he realize: Xiao Cui had known about the marriage to the Zhong family long ago. That is why she transformed herself into Miss Zhong, to soothe his longing in the days to come.