He Ying discovered one thing: she not only possessed vanity, but a rather strong one at that.

The He family was merely an ordinary official family. During the era when they were close to Yuan Shikai, Yuan had not yet truly risen to prominence, so there hadn't been any particularly extraordinary dealings between them. Her youth had been spent in quiet obscurity.

In He Ying's view, growing up and getting married was simply a continuation of the same life her parents had lived. The only thing that made her relatively happy was that the man she married, Chen Ke, was someone she had met several times in brief, fleeting encounters. Chen Ke was not a delicate scholar but a tall, imposing man with thick eyebrows and large eyes on a square face. In the North, this was the standard for handsome. At least He Ying thought Chen Ke was quite good-looking.

At a cocktail party for foreigners where she hadn't eaten, Chen Ke—the handsome young man she had seen before—had proactively come forward to show concern and even explained how to eat the food. He Ying knew her aunt, He Qian, was a woman of fierce character; forget missing one meal—even if she hadn't eaten for three days, He Qian would never show a sign of hunger before others. But He Ying had indeed been hungry then. Chen Ke's frank concern had truly won her great favor.

After following Chen Ke, life could not be described as simply good or bad. White rice and flour could fill the stomach, but coarse grains and wild vegetables could also stave off hunger. The key was that Chen Ke always cared for her, and it was a care built on the foundation of a shared life. Such is daily life; in this regard, He Ying was very content with her marriage.

He Ying didn't care about the ultimate outcome of the revolution; she cared about whether she could live a good life with Chen Ke. Whether it was drawing blueprints, going to school, traveling with the army, or staying home to raise their child—as long as she was with her husband, it was enough. By Chen Ke's side, although she had seriously studied many things to make him happy and give herself something to do, this knowledge and vision were not what she truly loved. She simply wanted to live with her husband and child. Even if the People's Party's revolution were a grand success, He Ying felt no particular difference in her heart.

However, only upon following Chen Ke back to Beijing this time did He Ying understand the psychological pleasure that power could bring to a woman.

During these few days when she returned to her family home to visit her parents, the He residence immediately became a bustling hub. As the wife of Chen Ke—and a wife who had already borne a child—in traditional views, He Ying had secured a solid position.

The high officials and dignitaries in the capital naturally knew that, even with the title of a rebel, Chen Ke was a leader of a powerful rebel force. As the saying goes, "Killing and burning brings a golden belt." Since even Beiyang was helpless against the People's Party, and Chen Ke had reached some kind of agreement with the foreign devils and gained their recognition, he was absolutely not someone they could afford to offend.

Officials didn't dare visit Chen Ke in person, but it was very common for them to send their wives to visit He Ying. Numerous wives of dignitaries whom the He family could never have contacted before took turns knocking on the door. Regardless of age or seniority, these noblewomen were unfailingly polite to He Ying, praising her in their conversations for her "good fate" and for "marrying into a good family."

He Ying knew very well that these women weren't there to praise her; their praise was directed at "Mrs. Chen Ke." Yet being able to marry a husband who made other families look at her with respect was a very glorious thing in this era. This vanity, which brought a pleasant mood, felt quite good. Even though He Ying knew this mindset might be wrong, and despite the unvoiced envy lurking within the noblewomen's praise, the fact that these high-ranking ladies *had* to be envious made He Ying feel an even stronger sense of pleasure.

Those making courtesy visits couldn't come every day; they left their gifts, spoke for a while, and then departed. Only those with some kinship to the He family were eligible to stay longer. But as things go, since these women harbored strong envy in their hearts, some negative comments were bound to surface.

A distant aunt of the He family was expressive and looked exaggeratedly emotional during their chat. She suddenly sighed, "Child, if your mother were still alive to see you marry into such a good family, who knows how happy she would be."

As soon as these words were out, the other women nearby immediately noticed the problem. He Ying's mother was still alive. And this distant aunt immediately stopped speaking.

"Third Aunt, what is this about?" someone asked.

"It's nothing, nothing," the distant Third Aunt replied with a characteristically feminine tone of cunning. If it had been a man, he might have been fooled. But the room was full of women, and they would never believe it was truly "nothing."

He Ying had followed Chen Ke for so long; in terms of knowledge and vision, she far surpassed these women. Moreover, in a sense, Chen Ke was also He Ying's "teacher." Not only did he teach her scientific, social, and revolutionary knowledge, but the couple also discussed the darker sides of human nature. He Ying could completely understand others' expressions of envy. Furthermore, these words confirmed another matter: He Ying had actually long suspected that her current mother was not her biological mother. But she hadn't dared and couldn't seek confirmation, and her current mother was by no means unkind to her. But after the Third Aunt's remark, He Ying finally confirmed that this matter was indeed true.

The Third Aunt clearly harbored little goodwill. After offering such a provocative line, she then praised Chen Ke for having no parents, saying He Ying wouldn't be mistreated in his home. This was completely inappropriate; He Ying could not accept anyone speaking ill of Chen Ke, let alone publicly.

Saying his parents were not alive carried an extremely malicious implication. Even if Chen Ke's parents hadn't been good to He Qian, that was a private family matter, and family matters were not for others to meddle in.

"Third Aunt, you are worrying far too much," He Ying said in the most moderate tone she could muster. In truth, she really wanted to say it with an extremely venomous tone. But He Ying truly hadn't learned how to speak such words; she had no experience even in cursing people. So she darkened her face and said, "My daughter is about to take her afternoon nap. Everyone, please take your leave."

The women never expected He Ying to use such a reason to drive them away, and they were stunned.

"My Wenqing dotes on our daughter very much. Even when he's out on the march or fighting, he always writes back to ask if she's eating and sleeping on time. We mother and daughter came back with Wenqing on the train, and she hasn't slept well. These past few days I've been soothing her to restore her routine." At this point, He Ying flashed the watch on her wrist. "The time has already come. Everyone, please leave."

In these few days, He Ying hadn't known how many times she had heard, "If you had borne a boy, it would be even better." For the wives of officials, having a son to carry on the family line was a major affair. Though the words were reasonable, He Ying felt uncomfortable no matter how she heard them.

The People's Party consistently advocated for gender equality. Chen Ke had publicly stated many times that "men and women are equal" and "women hold up half the sky"—not only outside, but at home as well. And this wasn't just simple propaganda; the right of women to work and independent property rights for women were the foundations for ensuring their independent status. The People's Party tirelessly promoted these basic works of women's liberation.

Internally, the People's Party implemented property transparency; Party cadres had to disclose their assets. The five thousand taels of silver He Ying's father, He Ruming, had given her were directly under her name. The bank account was in He Ying's own name, and Chen Ke's usual salary was all handed over to her; He Ying controlled the vast majority of the family's assets. This was not the capital city's model of the woman managing the inner household, but a status guaranteed by the People's Party's legal forms.

When the couple talked about this, Chen Ke had joked, "If we ever divorce, then except for a few changes of clothes, I'll have to leave the house with nothing." He Ying had been infuriated by this and hadn't spoken to Chen Ke for a whole day. It took quite an apology from Chen Ke for He Ying to forgive his use of the word "divorce."

Having driven away that group of women, He Ying suddenly realized the boredom brought by vanity. Chen Ke was truly good to her, not just in the ordinary sense of never abandoning her, but in that he always believed He Ying was his complete equal in family life. Most of the young People's Party cadres in the base area were unmarried, but they didn't treat He Ying with the deference due to a "lady of the house" either; they treated her as an equal revolutionary comrade.

When she was with those people, He Ying hadn't yet truly felt the value of such equality. It was only after being "revered" that she discovered these people who approached her with selfish motives were far less reliable and lovable than the comrades who worked together as equals. So that evening, He Ying told her father, He Ruming, that she and her daughter Chen Qianru were "ill" and wouldn't see anyone who came to visit.

He Ruming didn't make a fuss about this; he simply nodded. "I'll go to the Ministry of Civil Affairs tomorrow to request leave. I won't go out on duty these next few days; I'll stay home and help you turn those people away."

He Ying was very grateful for her father's concern. "Father, I've put you in a difficult position."

He Ruming said with a loving smile, "What are you talking about? When Wenqing returns to Anhui, you will surely go back with him. Coming home is never easy. I cannot let you be mistreated."

He Ying's mother also nodded slightly. Looking at her "mother," He Ying suddenly felt an impulse to ask her father what had truly happened to her biological mother. But she reconsidered: those gossiping women simply wanted to cause trouble within the He family. No matter how her father answered, once the matter was out in the open, this originally warm family could never return to the way it was.

*I must never ask this question,* He Ying decided.

Although He Ruming said he would take leave, he did not return early the next day as he had said. Fortunately, the butler was competent; he received the visitors alone and politely sent them all away.

It wasn't until evening that He Ruming hurried back. As soon as he arrived, he pulled He Ying aside. "Child, I've heard some news. It seems the Germans are going to move against the People's Party. I went to investigate further, and everyone's talk was very detailed. You must go tell Wenqing about this."

"The Germans... the foreigners?" He Ying immediately became alert.

He Ruming replied with a dark face, "Yes, the foreigners. From what I hear, the Germans are very dissatisfied with Wenqing's seizure of southern Shandong and are preparing to act. It's not convenient for me to see Wenqing; I'll write a letter about today's events. You hurry and take it to him."

He Ying knew the matter was indeed urgent. That night, she took a carriage to deliver He Ruming's letter to Chen Ke.

The next day, Yuan Shikai received the report. He Ruming had indeed fallen for it; the news of the Germans' impending move against the People's Party had been correctly conveyed to Chen Ke. Zhao Bingjun, the Minister of Civil Affairs who was responsible for the matter, reported He Ruming's performance in detail to Yuan and mentioned that spies had discovered Chen Ke's wife, He Ying, rushing to the People's Party residence at the "Prince Yi Mansion" that night.

"President, Chen Ke thinks he can join hands with these foreigners. I expect he's learned his lesson now," Zhao Bingjun said with great satisfaction.

Yuan Shikai did not reply. He had originally thought it might be better to let Chen Ke be caught off guard by the Germans. But on second thought, Chen Ke was at an age of hot-blooded vigor; if he were ambushed by the Germans, he might instead stake everything on a single throw.

If Chen Ke were given the news in advance, he would at least have a grievance in his heart when he went to negotiate. By then, he would absolutely not have the same momentum he had now. Yuan Shikai knew the methods of nations like Britain and France very well; as long as Chen Ke showed any sign of fear, Britain and France would immediately follow suit with pressure. How would Chen Ke prepare to deal with it then?

Thinking of this, Yuan Shikai said to Zhao Bingjun, "This was well done. But do nothing more for now; we shall wait and see how things develop."