Third Maiden Shen… I cannot return you to…
Pei Huaijin had always been composed and steady, unshaken by unexpected events. Never did he imagine that the first time he would experience sheer terror would be on his wedding night.
After a brief, suffocating silence, the person beneath him let out a startled cry and pushed him away with force.
He practically tumbled off the bed, scrambling to retrieve his own clothes from the disarray on the floor. After dressing hastily, he picked up her garments and handed them through the bed curtains. She did not take them—likely refusing to look at him. He, too, dared not glance toward the bed. Leaving the clothes behind, he fetched an outer robe from the cabinet, put it on, and only then opened the door.
Outside, standing at the forefront were Pei Huaian and Shen Yunshu, both clad in wedding attire, their faces etched with anxiety.
Pei Huaijin’s gaze shifted from his seventh brother to Shen Yunshu. For a moment, he was dazed upon seeing her features: her appearance matched that of the woman he had met at Rainbow Bridge… It made sense now.
The sisters shared similar eyes and brows. Moreover, the heavy bridal makeup required to complement the wedding robes had made their faces nearly identical. So when he lifted the bridal veil and saw Third Maiden Shen, it never crossed his mind…
“Elder Brother, you…” Pei Huaian noticed his elder brother’s disheveled hair and hastily donned robes, sensing that something had gone terribly wrong.
Shen Yunshu glanced at Pei Huaijin but refrained from questioning him immediately in front of the servants. Thinking it best to check on Third Sister first, she stepped past him and slipped into the bedchamber.
Pei Huaijin promptly closed the door, blocking the curious stares from outside. Collecting himself slightly, he instructed several servants to inform the elders from the main and third branches of the household, summoning them to Grandmother’s courtyard to discuss the matter.
As the servants hurried off to carry out their tasks, Pei Huaijin looked at his seventh brother. “Let’s talk as we walk…”
Meanwhile, Shen Yunshu entered the bridal chamber. Seeing that all the lamps and candles had been extinguished except for the pair of dragon-and-phoenix wedding candles, she guessed what had transpired.
Pushing aside the bed curtains, she found a white sleeping robe and a vibrant red undergarment discarded to the side. The crimson soft quilt was bundled into a long, trembling shape, curled up like a frightened shrimp. Her heart sank—it was finally clear.
They were too late.
The mix-up during the daytime wedding had swapped their bridal veils. Then, Grand Tutor Pei’s sudden illness had summoned Pei Huaian away in the evening. Of the four maids who had accompanied the bride, two were injured in the chaos, and the other two were preoccupied with guarding the dowry. Looking further back, the meeting at Rainbow Bridge had actually been attended by Third Sister posing as her. Pei Huaijin had seen Third Sister made up to resemble her, but Third Sister’s poor eyesight had prevented her from clearly seeing Pei Huaijin’s face that day. Moreover, Third Sister was also unfamiliar with Pei Huaian’s appearance. A series of coincidences had culminated in this mistaken union tonight…
Shen Yunshu bit her trembling lip, forcing herself to stay calm.
She sat by the bed and gently patted the quilt. “Youran, come out. Don’t suffocate yourself…”
At the sound of her voice, the quilt trembled even more violently.
“Elder Sister,” a tearful voice emerged from beneath the covers, “I’m too ashamed to face you.”
“It’s not your fault,” Shen Yunshu coaxed softly. “If the sky falls, I’ll hold it up for you. Please come out now.”
She coaxed for a while before finally persuading Shen Youran to emerge from under the quilt, only for her to throw herself into her arms, trembling and weeping. Shen Yunshu pretended not to see the red marks on her younger sister’s body, comforting her while helping her dress.
At this point, reversing the situation was impossible. The foreseeable outcomes were either to let the mistake stand, with the two sisters swapping grooms, or to break up one pair, allowing only one couple to remain intact.
If they were to separate them, Shen Youran and Pei Huaian’s marriage would likely be doomed. Yet even so, since Pei Huaijin and Third Sister had already been physically intimate, she, as the elder sister, could not continue her marriage with Pei Huaijin without reservation.
Moreover, if Third Sister lost her chastity and her marriage prospects, how would she face the world in the future?
But if they were to let the mistake stand, given Third Sister’s temperament and capabilities, being the eldest daughter-in-law of the main branch would be a struggle, and her future life would likely be difficult.
She had originally intended for Third Sister to marry into the Pei family for a life of happiness, but now she had placed her in a dilemma. How could she make amends for this mistake?
In Chunxuan Hall, the eldest son of the main branch, Pei Yuanji, and his wife Zhu Shi, the third son of the third branch, Pei Yuanzhou, and the two grooms of the day, Pei Huaijin and Pei Huaian, had all gathered in the hall. Their expressions were grave, and after dismissing the servants, they began to discuss the day’s events and how to handle them.
Zhu Shi, being frail, nearly fainted upon hearing the news, her vision darkening.
Pei Yuanji had initially wanted her to rest in her room and skip the discussion, but as it concerned their son’s lifelong matter, Zhu Shi forced herself to attend despite her discomfort.
Clutching her constricted chest in anguish, she lamented, “How could such a mistake happen? Did no one notice anything amiss beforehand?”
“Enough. What’s done is done. Blaming others won’t help,” Old Madam Pei glanced at her daughter-in-law from the main branch, then swept her gaze over the others, her eyes lingering painfully on her two grandsons. She sighed and said, “Let’s hear what everyone thinks should be done.”
Pei Huaian was the first to lose his composure, his face crestfallen as he cried, “What else can we do? Swap them back and pretend this never happened…”
“No,” Pei Huaijin flatly refused. Standing in the hall, the pale blue-white glaze of the lotus-shaped lamp beside him cast shadows across his face. “Third Maiden Shen and I have already completed the rites. I must take responsibility for her…”
“Elder Brother, are you saying we shouldn’t swap back?” Pei Huaian stared at him in shock, repeatedly objecting, “That won’t do. I’ve always regarded Eldest Maiden Shen as my sister-in-law. How could I be married to her? I refuse…”
Zhu Shi had always known that Shen Youran was no match for her elder sister and had previously mocked her. Never did she imagine that Shen Youran would become her daughter-in-law. Waves of dizziness washed over her as she protested, “No, my son, that Third Maiden Shen is simply unworthy of you…”
“She is also a legitimate daughter of the Shen family. There is no question of worthiness. If she lacks refinement, I can teach her gradually in the future,” Pei Huaijin replied. In matters of a woman’s chastity, things like family background, character, and virtue paled in importance. He had already been with her, sharing an intimacy reserved for husband and wife, and he could not push her onto his seventh brother.
“Seventh Brother, I must apologize for this matter,” Pei Huaijin finally turned his gaze to Pei Huaian, vividly recalling how before his wedding, the two brothers had squeezed onto one bed sharing heartfelt thoughts. His seventh brother had confessed falling in love with Third Maiden Shen at first sight, even suffering lovesickness. Yet today, he had to take his brother’s beloved. “Third Maiden Shen… I cannot return her to you.”
“Why should you decide this?” Pei Huaian, seeing his elder brother’s resolute expression and uncompromising tone, became so agitated his voice cracked. “Who gave you the right to refuse? Did you ask for my consent? Did you ask Third Maiden Shen’s wishes?”
“Enough quarreling,” Pei Yuanzhou intervened to calm his son. “An’er, speak properly with your elder brother…”
Pei Huaian fell silent, standing aside sulking.
The old madam seized the moment to ask Pei Yuanzhou: “Third Son, what are your thoughts?”
When Pei Yuanzhou first heard of this matter, he too was greatly astonished. But since the situation was beyond remedy, it couldn’t be dismissed with his son’s plea to “pretend it never happened.”
“In my view, both young ladies from the Shen family are excellent matches. Whichever marries into our family would be suitable…”
“So Third Brother agrees to exchange the brides?” Zhu Shi sneered. “If Eldest Miss Shen were given to Little Seven, you’d naturally be delighted…”
She looked down on Third Maiden Shen, her words dripping with disdain.
Old Madam Pei bypassed her to seek the eldest son’s opinion: “First Son, what do you say…”
Pei Yuanji frowned and slowly exhaled: “Third Brother is right. They’re both daughters of the Shen family, legitimate-born. Even if Third Maiden Shen doesn’t compare to her elder sister, the difference can’t be significant. I believe we should proceed as is…”
“What do you mean ‘proceed as is’?”
As Zhu Shi attempted further objection, Pei Yuanji cut her off: “Since we’ve already wronged the young lady, we should take responsibility. Do you want your son to become an unfaithful man?”
Zhu Shi muttered, “But Little Seven said he doesn’t mind…”
Pei Yuanji said sternly, “How can we take a youth’s words seriously?”
Overhearing this, Pei Huaian bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on: “Why can’t my words be trusted? I insist on marrying Third Maiden Shen! If you’re worried about future awkwardness, I’ll take her to live in Quanzhou…”
“You’re still young. Matters you disregard now might bother you later,” Pei Yuanji looked at his nephew’s childish temperament, unwilling to scold him harshly, and could only advise patiently. “Besides, how is Eldest Miss Shen inferior to the third maiden? With such a fine young lady as your wife, why are you acting wronged?”
Zhu Shi suddenly remembered something and nudged Pei Yuanji’s arm: “Little Seven previously said he doesn’t like older girls…”
When she had proposed matching him with seventeen-year-old Meng Wanxin, he had used this very excuse to refuse. And Eldest Miss Shen was currently eighteen, a year older than Meng Wanxin—no wonder he remained unwilling.
But Pei Yuanji dismissed this: “Two years older is nothing significant. Third Brother, what do you think?”
By now Pei Yuanzhou had fully accepted the bride exchange and said calmly: “I maintain my position—any daughter from the Shen family would be fine…”
After he spoke, all eyes turned to Old Madam Pei seated at the head of the hall.
After listening to their discussion, Old Madam Pei had reached a decision in her heart: “Since that’s the case, then…”
Just as the matter was about to be settled, Pei Huaian grew anxious and began to protest again: “Grandmother, I don’t want the Eldest Maiden of the Shen family…”
“Grandmother,” Pei Huaijin spoke up at that moment. Though his voice was not as loud as Pei Huaian’s, his tone was steady and resolute, drawing everyone’s attention to him. “What I meant earlier was only that Third Maiden of the Shen family cannot be returned to Seventh Brother. I did not agree to the marriage exchange. The Eldest Maiden of the Shen family and Seventh Brother are still innocent of each other, and she may not accept the idea of a marriage exchange. This matter must be discussed with her to know her wishes…”
“That makes sense.” The eldest grandson and Third Maiden of the Shen family had already consummated their marriage, but there was still room for reconsideration between the youngest grandson and the Eldest Maiden of the Shen family.
Old Madam Pei initially intended to summon the Eldest Maiden of the Shen family, but after a moment’s thought, she felt it was inappropriate. A young maiden’s pride is delicate, and as a newlywed, it would be awkward for her to discuss such matters face-to-face with elders. So she said to Pei Huaijin, “Then you go back and ask the Eldest Maiden of the Shen family what she thinks.”
“Yes.” Pei Huaijin bowed to the elders and turned to leave the hall.
Seeing this, Pei Huaian clamored, “Why only ask the Eldest Maiden of the Shen family? Then I’m going to ask Third Maiden of the Shen family too!”
With that, he also strode out.