Chapter 1: The News of the Fiancé’s Death
“Miss, please rest assured, I will not look at your feet.”
The man opposite said with utmost seriousness.
He claimed to know some medicine and wanted to help me set my bone.
I quickly spat at him: “Bah! You lecher! Who cares!”
The man’s lips curved into a faint arc: “Oh? So spirited? Then you can just wait to be a lame beauty.”
As he spoke, he mimicked a limping gait.
I was so angry I wanted to smash his head with the steamed bun in my hand.
But—
I couldn’t bear to.
In this desolate wilderness, Xiao Yin and I didn’t have much dried food left.
I had already counted; there were four steamed buns and eight flatbreads remaining.
There’s no one more unlucky in the world than me. I was on a boat to my husband’s family for my wedding, and we were robbed by bandits on the way. I barely escaped, only to injure my foot. And then I encountered this lecher, who also escaped from the passenger ship. He follows me everywhere, and I can’t shake him off.
The sky gradually darkened, and the last wisp of rosy cloud, like a tail that couldn’t be held, slipped away.
The pain in my foot came in waves, and I endured it without a sound. Xiao Yin cried, “Miss, at this critical juncture, what good is reputation… Why not let this young master try…”
Xiao Yin is my personal maidservant.
She is also the only dowry my maternal family, the Zhu Family, sent with me.
A bag of coarse dry food, a bundle of old clothes, and a maidservant – that’s how they unceremoniously sent me out the manor gate.
There was no dowry whatsoever.
My stepmother, the current Madam of the Zhu Family, Lin Yue, waved her hand and said, “Eldest Daughter, have a good journey.”
My father, Master Zhu, as usual, gave a few instructions: “When you reach your husband’s family, do not disgrace the family’s reputation.” After speaking, he and Lin Yue turned and returned to the residence.
I smiled.
Everyone says, it’s better to have a beggar for a mother than an official for a father.
Maternal family?
What is a maternal family?
What maternal family does a girl whose own mother is gone have?
As I was thinking, the man, without my realizing when, hobbled over to me.
He unexpectedly grabbed my foot and twisted it sharply.
With a “crack.”
The piercing pain made me gasp.
He turned his back, tilted his head back, and laughed heartily: “Miss, I truly did not look at your feet.”
Xiao Yin knelt beside me and asked nervously, “Miss, how is it? Is it better?”
I moved my ankle.
This lecher indeed had some skill.
After the bone was set, the burning, swollen sensation slowly receded.
Night fell.
The mountain wind rustled through the verdant pine forest.
The man propped his chin on his hand: “Miss, I have healed you, how will you repay me?”
I thought for a moment and said, “I will give you a piece of news as repayment.”
“What news?”
“On the ship, the servant boy who was with you is in league with the bandits.”
The man’s smile vanished instantly.
His eyes were like they were immersed in ice.
“How did you know?”
“The night we passed through Huizhou, he disembarked to fetch water and was whispering with a scarred man on the shore. I happened to come out of my cabin for some air and saw it. That scarred man was the leader of the bandits who robbed the ship today.”
“You didn’t mistake him?”
“Absolutely not.”
My maternal grandfather was a court painter during the Longqing Era, specializing in portraits. My mother learned some of his skills and was already famous in Dongchang Prefecture. I grew up surrounded by painting and calligraphy. At the age of nine, I could already copy Gu Kaizhi’s 《Records of the Virtuous Women》. My impression of people’s faces is extremely detailed, how could I be mistaken?
I knew that when traveling, it’s better to avoid trouble. I didn’t intend to tell him. But at this moment, I just wanted to be even with him.
I never liked receiving favors for free.
I don’t like owing anyone.
The man left without a word, striding away.
I said to Xiao Yin, “Let’s hurry.”
“Miss, your foot…”
“It’s fine.”
I wanted to hurry to the Cheng Family in Yangzhou Prefecture, present the marriage certificate, and get married as soon as possible.
This marriage was arranged for me by my mother when she was alive.
She said the Cheng Family was a family of farming and studying, diligent and tranquil, not seeking fame or fortune, and it would be a good match.
My mother passed away young, yet she worried about me her entire life.
A clear tear fell on the back of my hand.
The moon shimmered in the teardrop.
“Wait!”
From behind, the man called out.
“Just now, I went to a small town by the official road and bought a horse carriage. Your foot is injured and not suitable for long journeys.”
There was sweat on his forehead. He must have hurried.
“Fifty li to the west is the ferry terminal. I inquired, and there’s a passenger ship heading south passing by tomorrow at the hour of Chen.”
I hesitated, unsure whether to get into the horse carriage.
He said, “Thank you for the information you gave me today, Miss, it was a great help. External enemies are easy to identify, but internal ones are hard to guard against. That servant boy was just a lead; there might be bigger trouble later. I need to take a detour north to handle some matters. Farewell!”
After thinking, I said thank you, and Xiao Yin and I got into the horse carriage.
The man said from behind, “My name is Qin Mingxu, may I ask Miss’s name?”
I flicked the horse whip.
“A chance encounter. Why bother knowing names?”
“We’ll meet again!”
He waved his hand.
The horse carriage started moving.
He seemed to mutter something again.
The wind whistled past my ears, and I didn’t hear clearly.
Xiao Yin said, “Miss, I think I just heard Young Master Qin say that the Cheng Residence is very dangerous and that Miss should take care…”
“Nonsense. He doesn’t even know my name, how would he know I’m going to the Cheng Residence?”
Xiao Yin looked confused, “Then perhaps I misheard…”
By the time we reached the ferry terminal, it was already late at night.
The ripples on the river, reflecting the moonlight, were exceptionally gentle.
Xiao Yin and I sat at the ferry terminal and waited all night. At the hour of Chen the next day, a ship indeed arrived.
We sold the horse carriage on the shore, got some travel expenses, and boarded the ship.
We traveled south.
As dusk fell, we heard someone call from outside the ship: “Yangzhou Prefecture has arrived—”
Southern Metropolitan Region.
Yangzhou Prefecture.
On both sides of the Grand Canal, restaurants, eateries, and shops displayed various signs. The streets paved with bluestone were narrow and dense, like beads on an abacus, plumply squeezed together, weighing the world.
What a prosperous scene.
Xiao Yin and I walked and asked our way, and within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, we found the Cheng Residence.
A grand gate.
Red lanterns hung on both sides.
Two tall stone lions, one on the east and one on the west.
Over ten officials in Canal Troops uniform, armed with swords, stood at the entrance.
I was surprised: Mother said the Cheng Family was a family of farming and studying, why were there so many officials outside the manor?
Xiao Yin smoothed my wrinkled clothes, her face timid.
I walked forward slowly. The officials seemed not to see me. Instead, a doorkeeper arrogantly strode over, sized me up, and asked, “Who are you? What are you here for?”
I pondered for a moment and said, “Please inform the Old Madam that the Zhu Family from Dongchang Prefecture has arrived.”
Father had written a letter to the Cheng Family.
The Old Madam should know I had arrived.
Upon hearing the words “Zhu Family from Dongchang Prefecture,” the doorkeeper seemed to understand, as if he had been instructed from above.
He said with a fake smile, “This way, please—”
He did not lead me through the main gate but descended the stone steps and led me around the residence for more than half a circle. In a moment, we arrived at a dark, narrow door, where he said, “Please enter—”
Xiao Yin tugged at my clothes and whispered, “Miss, what does this mean…”
What does it mean?
The side gate is where concubines enter the residence.
The Cheng Family is treating me as a concubine.
I said to the doorkeeper, “I wish to see your Old Madam.”
“The Old Madam has gone to a temple with the Eldest Young Mistress to offer incense. She will likely not return today.” The doorkeeper cupped his hands: “Miss Zhu, you must be tired from your journey. Please enter and rest.”
If I entered this door now, I would be implicitly accepting the status of a “concubine” without question.
I smiled faintly and said to the doorkeeper, “Since the Old Madam has gone to offer incense, please convey this message: I will not be entering the residence today. I will go to the Yamen first to state my case.”
“Go to the Yamen for what?”
“According to the 《Great Ming Law》, treating a wife as a concubine is punishable by one hundred strokes. My maternal grandfather and the Old Master of the Cheng Family were old acquaintances. In the sixth year of Longqing, Madam Cheng and my mother acted as guarantors, the betrothal gifts were exchanged, and the marriage certificate was issued. Now, with the marriage certificate in hand, the Cheng Family is treating a wife as a concubine, so it is only right to ask the local magistrate to judge.”
The doorkeeper’s expression changed.
He entered the manor gate.
After a while, he came out and reluctantly led me through the main gate.
We passed through winding corridors, pavilions, and towers.
He led me to a courtyard, said “Please,” and left.
“The Cheng Residence is truly treating us poorly,” Xiao Yin said aggrievedly.
I hugged my luggage and pushed open the door to a bedroom, saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
Xiao Yin doesn’t know that even now, my heart is still trembling.
There is no one left in this world to fight for me.
I can only fight for myself.
My fiancé—the Second Young Master of the Cheng Residence, Cheng Huaishi—what kind of person is he?
Was this trip to Yangzhou Prefecture right or wrong?
With many questions and the fatigue of the journey, I fell asleep.
In my dreams, my emotions were deep and lingering, circling the Grand Canal.
“Miss, Miss, wake up!”
Xiao Yin was shaking me.
I opened my eyes and saw that the sky was just beginning to lighten.
“What is it?”
Xiao Yin’s words were choked with sobs: “Miss! I just accidentally overheard some maids and servant boys in the Cheng Residence talking. The Second Young Master, your fiancé, has died in Huizhou! They said the Old Madam declared that it was the misfortune brought by Miss that killed the Second Young Master, and they want to beat us, the mistress and servant, to death. Miss! What are we to do…”
