After Xie Xiaonan left, Qiao Ling also quickly disappeared, leaving only the cowering attendant in the corner of the room and the woman lying on the ground with ink smeared all over her face. Shen Jiaqing put away his short blade and straightened his slightly disheveled robe. Seeing Wen Lisheng still staring at the door, he asked curiously, “Lizi, what are you looking at?”
Wen Lisheng remained silent at first, gazing outside the door for a long while before letting out a faint sigh. “I think I’ve caused trouble.”
Shen Jiaqing didn’t seem to mind. “So what if you caused trouble? I’d like to see who dares lay a finger on you.”
Wen Lisheng found it difficult to explain.
She had seen the young man she had mistaken for a thief walking ahead, with Qiao Ling and another person following behind. The three of them had left one after another. Although she didn’t know his identity, it was clear that his status was higher than Qiao Ling’s.
In her memory, whenever Qiao Ling appeared, he was always by Xie Xiaonan’s side. If there was someone under Xie Xiaonan with a higher status than Qiao Ling, they must be even closer to Xie Xiaonan. No wonder he had that purple jade engraved with the character “Xie”—it probably wasn’t stolen but given to him by Xie Xiaonan as a reward.
In that case, not only had she snatched the purple jade, but she had also said some unflattering things about Xie Xiaonan in front of him. What if he went back and reported it? That would be disastrous.
Thinking of Xie Xiaonan’s arrogant, icy eyes, Wen Lisheng felt a heaviness in her chest.
Seeing her standing motionless, Shen Jiaqing snatched a lantern from one of the attendants nearby and said to her, “Let’s go, we should head back too.”
Her wandering thoughts were pulled back to reality. Glancing at the woman still lying on the ground pretending to be dead, she thought she couldn’t let her off so easily. She decided to follow Shen Jiaqing and leave first.
The room was a half-buried underground chamber, with a window positioned high up, partially above ground level. The roof was ingeniously connected to a stone bridge, and from the outside, the entrance was extremely well-hidden. An ordinary person would never have guessed it was a window.
Shen Jiaqing said he hadn’t recognized it at first either, but when he saw a faint light inside, he gave it a kick to test it. Unexpectedly, it broke, and he fell through.
Wen Lisheng had initially wondered how he had found her. After all, her argument with Zhuang Ying and being dragged here were both unexpected events, and Shen Jiaqing couldn’t have known about them.
Later, when she asked, she learned that Shen Jiaqing had been planning to sneak into the Mei family courtyard at night. Unable to sleep, he had taken out the Thousand-Mile Firefly to look for her. To his surprise, the firefly led him further and further away, and it was only when he arrived here that he vaguely guessed something had happened to her.
It was all a stroke of luck.
As soon as the two of them stepped out, they encountered a group of people hurrying toward them with lanterns. At the forefront was the head of the Mei family, Mei Xing’an.
Upon seeing them, Mei Xing’an strode forward, masking his earlier urgency. “Is Miss Wen unharmed? I just received a report that someone had kidnapped you and brought you here. What exactly happened?”
Wen Lisheng glanced at Shen Jiaqing, guessing that he must have alerted these people before kicking the window. She hadn’t expected them to arrive so late and couldn’t help feeling indignant. “It’s in the underground room right here. Master Mei, you should go and see for yourself!”
Mei Xing’an nodded. “It’s already late at night, and Miss Wen must be tired from the fright. Why don’t you rest first? I’ll capture the culprit now and bring them to you tomorrow for handling.”Shen Jiaqing also yawned, making the decision for Wen Lisheng, “Then let it be so.”
The two walked a distance under the escort of guards, arriving at Wen Lisheng’s residence before bidding farewell.
Upon returning to her room, Wen Lisheng found Yu Gui lying on the floor, motionless with her eyes closed.
Startled, she hurried forward to pinch Yu Gui’s philtrum, only to find her breathing normal upon touch—she seemed to be in a deep slumber, as if someone had knocked her out and sent her back.
Wen Lisheng lit a lamp and, with great effort, lifted Yu Gui onto a narrow couch. She then asked the maid waiting outside the door to prepare hot water.
After a day of being chased by dogs and kidnapped by people, she was utterly exhausted. The moment she submerged in the water, the weariness seemed to wash away, leaving her limbs and body warm and comfortable.
Under the bright lamplight, white mist filled the room. Wen Lisheng raised her hands, noticing that her delicate wrists appeared even fairer after soaking in the hot water. However, two distinct red marks were visible on them, still faintly painful to the touch—left by the fierce pickpocket from earlier, whose strength had been immense.
The mere thought of him made her head and wrists ache simultaneously.
In her previous life, Wen Lisheng had never encountered this person. Could he be one of Xie Xiaonan’s hidden guards?
It was said that when Xie Xiaonan came to Yiguan County this time, he brought a group of top-tier experts with him. On the surface, only Qiao Ling accompanied him regularly, but in reality, those lurking in the shadows handled most of the daily affairs. Perhaps the person she had mistaken for a pickpocket earlier was one of those hidden guards.
Wen Lisheng let out a long sigh, feeling something was off.
In her previous life, she had hardly interacted with Xie Xiaonan, meeting him at most once a year. Why was it that on the second day of her rebirth, everything seemed to involve him?
Moreover, many things were different from her previous life.
Wen Lisheng pondered for a long time until drowsiness overwhelmed her, and she drifted into a deep sleep.
Perhaps because her mind was too burdened before sleep, she dreamed incessantly that night.
She dreamed of that festive day filled with the sounds of gongs and drums. Dressed in resplendent red wedding attire, a phoenix crown, and a ceremonial robe, she sat in the bridal sedan. Everyone around her, from her personal maids to the servants scattering celebratory coins, wore beaming smiles. Everyone was overjoyed.
Only Wen Lisheng remained expressionless from start to finish, without a trace of the shyness or joy befitting a bride.
Because she had never met her betrothed.
At that time, Xie Xiaonan had already raised the banner of rebellion. Wherever his forces passed, city gates were breached, and flags bearing the Xie surname were planted. His army was invincible, the royal family retreated step by step, and the Liang Kingdom was gripped with fear.
Yiguan County occupied an excellent geographical position. Wen Puchang said that Xie Xiaonan’s sword would one day pierce the gates of Yiguan County. Since Wen Lisheng had angered Xie Xiaonan in her youth, Wen Puchang found her a reliable husband to marry, ensuring that even if the sky fell, it wouldn’t crush her.
He chose the eldest son of the Sun family in Yiguan County, whose uncle served in the military in the capital with a respectable rank. If trouble arose, they could pack up and flee to the capital for protection—a decent escape plan.
However, despite Wen Puchang’s meticulous planning, a mishap occurred at the critical moment.
No one expected Xie Xiaonan to breach the city gates on the very day of her wedding, blocking the bridal procession and stopping her sedan right in its path.The servants and attendants abandoned the bridal sedan and scattered in all directions. Summoning her courage, Wen Lisheng lifted the sedan curtain and met Xie Xiaonan’s gaze.
At that moment, Xie Xiaonan sat tall on his horse, his composed demeanor tinged with a hint of arrogance. His long hair was tied up, adorned with a red tassel. Beneath his silver armor lay embroidered robes, and a sheathed long sword hung at his waist. Under the blazing sun, his face was as cold as frost.
He seemed born with the bearing of an emperor, his presence overwhelmingly imposing. Wen Lisheng dared only to meet his eyes for a moment before she was forced to lower her head, unable to look directly at him again.
No one spoke a word. Even Yu Gui stood frozen in place, unsure how to react.
Xie Xiaonan remained silent as well, simply watching quietly. After a moment, Wen Lisheng stepped out of the bridal sedan. Her mandarin duck and red gold embroidered shoes touched the ground, and her lavish wedding gown trailed behind her. Under the gaze of the crowd, she lowered her head and walked to the side of the road, where she slowly knelt down. She placed her palms together on the ground, bowed, and pressed her forehead against the back of her hands.
Seeing this, Yu Gui hurriedly knelt as well, pressing her head to the ground and remaining motionless.
Wen Lisheng had occasionally heard that the military lacked women and often took beautiful girls as spoils of war for amusement, treating them as playthings in the camps. Her mind held only one thought: she prayed that Xie Xiaonan would not hold any past grudges.
Otherwise, she would truly have to take her own life on the street to preserve her purity.
Fortunately, Xie Xiaonan paid her no mind. He simply ordered, “Dismantle it.” In an instant, the bridal sedan was violently torn apart and discarded on both sides of the road. Once the path was cleared, Xie Xiaonan led his army away.
Wen Lisheng knelt on the ground for a long time. When she finally stood up, her legs trembled with weakness, unsure whether it was from exhaustion or fear.
After the crowd dispersed, the street fell into utter silence. With no other choice, Wen Lisheng had to proceed to her husband’s home with Yu Gui. Since she had already been married off, there was no turning back halfway. Otherwise, her father’s efforts would have been in vain.
Dragging her heavy and luxurious wedding gown for two streets, she finally arrived at the Sun family’s residence. From a distance, she noticed that the Sun family’s entrance bore no resemblance to a wedding celebration. Although red lanterns and double happiness symbols were hung on the doors, there was no music, no welcoming matron, and no guests coming and going. Only two attendants stood guard on either side of the gate.
A surge of anger rose within Wen Lisheng. She thought to herself, The Sun family is far too careless. After all, I am the legitimate daughter of a prefect, and marrying into the Sun family is already a step down for me.
As she approached the gate, the attendants glanced at her and then stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter. “Please come in, miss,” they said.
Yu Gui fumed, “Miss, the Sun family is too disrespectful! Even though we arrived without a bridal sedan, they didn’t even come out to welcome you personally. Are they looking down on our lord?”
Wen Lisheng also felt irritated. She frowned and thought to herself, Let this misfortune end quickly. My legs are about to give out after walking two streets!
The attendants led her through the main gate, across a spacious courtyard, and into a breezy main hall. The surroundings were eerily silent, devoid of any festive atmosphere or even the slightest human sound—utterly strange.
Wen Lisheng began to sense that something was amiss.
At the far end of the main hall was a pair of arched doors. Through them, Wen Lisheng vaguely glimpsed a crowd of people outside, and a sense of foreboding washed over her.
As soon as she stepped through the arched doors, Wen Lisheng caught sight of a large courtyard similar in scale to the previous one. On both sides of the courtyard knelt a dense crowd of people, all bowing their heads and trembling in fear. In the center, on the path paved with blue stone bricks, lay a headless corpse dressed in wedding robes. Its severed head had rolled to the side, and the sight of blood covering the ground was horrifying.Wen Lisheng was so frightened by the sight that her soul nearly left her body. A scream escaped her lips, and she nearly collapsed to the ground, saved only by Yu Gui’s quick support from the side.
An attendant stepped forward, knelt on the ground, and said, “Young Master, she has been brought.”
Only then did Wen Lisheng notice that on the other side of the courtyard, Xie Xiaonan had removed his silver armor. His snow-white robes were stained with blood, and his slender, pale fingers, adorned with a crimson jade thumb ring, were leisurely wiping a long sword with a silk cloth.
He looked up, his gaze crossing the distance to meet Wen Lisheng’s. His handsome features suddenly softened into a smile. “My apologies. I’ve made you a widow before we could even marry.”
Yet there was not a hint of remorse in his voice.
A knock on the door jolted Wen Lisheng awake from her dream. Still trapped in the lingering fear, she sat up in bed, panting heavily.
It felt too real—not like a dream at all, but more like an incredibly vivid memory.
She rubbed her temples and said to Yu Gui, “Go see who it is.”
Yu Gui complied and returned moments later, saying, “Miss, someone just delivered a message. The wife of the Mei family’s fourth brother was killed last night. The Mei family is now requesting your presence in the main hall of the east courtyard.”
Wen Lisheng had no idea who the fourth brother’s wife was, but since they were summoning her to the main hall, it was likely related to yesterday’s events. Slowly, she climbed out of bed.
Along the way, she took a moment to quietly mourn her betrothed—the one she had never even spoken to, whose life had ended on their wedding day.