The vermilion wheel carriage passed slowly by the man and woman. Seeing the distinctive red wheels, the woman lowered her head and stepped back as a sign of respect.
Once the carriage had passed, she looked up and noticed the man beside her was still staring after it. “Young Master Zhou,” she said considerately, “it is getting late. Thank you for coming to my aid today.”
“Do not mention it, Miss Luo. Anyone would have stepped in to help in such a situation.” Zhou Yuzhi snapped back to attention. “It is late. Let me escort you back.”
A vermilion wheel carriage was a privilege reserved only for those of a marquis’s rank or higher. He wondered which family that young lady belonged to; her beauty truly rivaled the moon and outshone the flowers.
“I am in your debt, Young Master Zhou.” The woman’s smile was gentle and as soft as water, appearing not to notice the man’s brief distraction.
***
As the night mist began to rise, Zhou Yuzhi returned home. A servant immediately came to inform him that he was needed in the main hall.
When he entered, Father Zhou and Mother Zhou were seated at the head of the room, their expressions grave. He stepped forward and bowed. “Father, Mother.”
Father Zhou didn’t waste time with pleasantries. “I have just received news that the second branch of the Yun family has returned.”
Zhou Yuzhi blinked. The second branch of the Yun family?
“The engagement between you and the daughter of the Yun family’s second branch, Yun Qiya, was settled by your great-grandfather while he was still alive.” In Father Zhou’s memory, Yun Qiya was still a five or six-year-old child, as adorable as a celestial attendant.
“Two years ago, you became the Third-Place Scholar. Your future is limitless. While the Yun family holds a title of nobility, Yun Qiya’s father has achieved very little.” Seeing that Zhou Yuzhi remained silent, Father Zhou continued, “The Old Marquis is already aged. Once the marquisate is inherited by the first branch, how much benefit will the second branch actually see?”
Zhou Yuzhi understood his father’s implication. However, he had received imperial favor and the honor of being named the Third-Place Scholar; he could not allow his reputation to be tarnished by the handled of this engagement.
“Do not worry. I will find a way to resolve this engagement so that your reputation remains spotless.”
“I will follow your guidance in everything, Father.”
Seeing that their son was not clinging to the marriage, Father Zhou and Mother Zhou breathed a sigh of relief.
After Zhou Yuzhi left, Father Zhou snorted to Mother Zhou, “I told you that you were worrying over nothing. What does a little childhood sentiment matter now?”
Mother Zhou sighed but said nothing. She remembered that when they were children, her son had clamored every day to play with “Little Sister Yaya.” He would even tuck pastries into his purse just to save them for her.
Truly, human hearts were fickle—especially those of men.
Father Zhou lay in bed that night, unable to sleep. He tossed and turned, pondering how to break off the engagement without making the Zhou family appear untrustworthy.
He fretted until the middle of the night without coming up with a perfect plan. The next morning, he woke up with dark circles under his eyes. Before he was even fully conscious, a servant reported that the Old Marquis of the Yun family had sent a calling card.
He snapped awake instantly. Straightening his clothes as he walked, he ordered the main gates to be opened and went to the entrance personally to greet them.
At the gate, he found several large chests lined up on the ground. The Old Marquis, Yun Boyan, and Yun Zhongsheng were all present.
Father Zhou sucked in a breath. What was the Yun family doing? Were they here to force the marriage?
Father Zhou looked down on Yun Zhongsheng, but he didn’t dare offend the Old Marquis or Yun Boyan. Wearing a forced smile, he ushered the three men into the main hall for tea.
He peeked at their expressions; they seemed quite serious. Was it really a forced marriage?
*My son is in danger,* he thought.
In the short time it took to drink a cup of tea, a thousand excuses to break the engagement flashed through his mind, yet he didn’t dare speak them in front of the Old Marquis.
“Your son is both talented and compassionate, a rare and fine young man,” the Old Marquis began.
Father Zhou waved a hand and smiled. “You flatter him.” *At least you have the sense to realize it.*
“The engagement between the two children back then was merely a joking remark between elders.”
Father Zhou nodded inwardly.
“The Zhou and Yun families have been close for generations. Even if we cannot be joined by marriage, we remain old family friends. As such, let us set aside that joking remark from the past.” The Old Marquis signaled for the servants to carry the wooden chests into the center of the room. “Your son’s coming-of-age ceremony is approaching. These are gifts from me, his elder.”
Wait, what?!
It finally clicked for Father Zhou. The Yun family wasn’t here to force the marriage; they were here to break it off.
These chests were compensation for the broken engagement.
No, wait—on what grounds?
His son had the talent and the looks; he was more than a match for the daughter of the Yun family’s second branch. What right did the Yun family have to reject him?
Just a few hours ago, Father Zhou had been agonizing over how to end the engagement, but now that the Yun family had taken the initiative, he felt a sudden, stifling sense of frustration.
He had been snubbed. His son had been snubbed!
***
“The capital is truly a wonderful place.” Yun Qiya had been wandering the streets for nearly two hours with Helu before finding a teahouse highly recommended by a street vendor to rest her feet.
The teahouse had two floors. The first floor was a large hall filled with a variety of people, mostly merchants or commoners. The second floor was more refined, with small private rooms separated by screens, offering a much more elegant atmosphere.
The guests in the private room to her right sounded like scholars; she could occasionally hear them debating classics and literature. The room to her left seemed empty, as it was perfectly silent.
Downstairs, the storyteller was recounting the tale of a Painted Skin Demon flaying a heartless scholar. Yun Qiya listened with great interest. “This is a good story. Finally, it’s not just another beautiful female demon obsessing over a heartless man.”
When the storyteller reached the part where the heartless scholar knelt on the ground, weeping and begging for mercy, the crowd downstairs erupted in cheers. Qiya and Helu joined in, clapping enthusiastically.
“The Painted Skin Demon cleverly employs a beauty trap, and the heartless man sheds tears at the Earth God Temple. If you wish to know what happens next…” The storyteller knew exactly how to tease his audience. Seeing everyone waiting for the conclusion, he slowed his pace.
The regular patrons understood the cue. They reached for their purses and tossed copper coins onto the stage.
*Clink.*
Something bright and shiny landed on the stage.
It was silver!
The storyteller’s eyes lit up as he glanced toward the second floor.
There, leaning against the railing of a private room, was a young lady in a fine silk dress, looking down with a smile. The silver must have come from her.
The storyteller’s eyes sparkled even more. *What a beautiful young lady.*
He bowed deeply toward her from afar, picked up the reward, and offered several cheerful blessings before continuing the story.
This wasn’t just ordinary money; it was the care and concern of his benefactors. If he didn’t offer a few extra blessings, how could he face his patrons?
The storyteller stopped teasing the crowd and described the heartless scholar’s miserable end in great detail, allowing the listeners to vent their frustrations.
“The capital is wonderful. Even the stories are so novel and interesting.” Yun Qiya felt satisfied. She reached for a pastry, only to find the plate was empty.
Helu said, “Miss, I’ll have the waiter bring another tray.”
“No need.” Qiya stopped her and whispered, “The pastries here are a bit expensive. I just tipped the storyteller; I need to be careful with my spending.”
Save where you should, spend where you must. Her mother’s birthday was approaching, and she wanted to save enough to have a pearl shirt made for her.
“It is a bit pricey.” Helu immediately sat back down and poured a cup of hot tea for Qiya. “Miss, the price of pearls in the capital is too high. How about we check the shops in the West City this afternoon?”
“No. I asked Eldest Aunt, and she said the pearls in the West City can’t compare to the quality in the East City.” She began counting on her fingers, trying to remember which friends or elders in the capital she hadn’t visited yet.
Since she hadn’t been back in years, most elders would give her a red envelope upon meeting her. That would be another source of income.
And if that still wasn’t enough…
Yun Qiya’s eyes darted around. Her father’s private savings were still money, after all.
Suddenly, the scholars in the neighboring room began to argue for some reason. The shouting soon turned into the sounds of a physical scuffle.
The scholars of the An Dynasty were capable of both writing elegant prose and engaging in a brawl; they all possessed a good deal of strength.
“Helu, let’s go.” Seeing the screen being shaken by the people in the next room, Yun Qiya stood up and pulled Helu toward the exit.
They could fight all they wanted, as long as no blood splattered on her.
Unfortunately, the scholars of the An Dynasty were indeed possessed of abundant martial virtue. Just as she stepped out of the room, someone came tumbling out of the neighboring room like a ball, crashing right into the back of her knees.
“Ow!” Yun Qiya hopped three times on one leg to steady herself, retreating to the doorway of the empty room on her left. She looked at the human ball sprawled before her and said, “A fight is a fight, but please try not to involve the innocent.”
“Miss, my apologies!” The man scrambled up and gave her a deep bow. “Please forgive my rudeness. Once I finish this fight, I shall make it up to you.”
With that, he rolled up his sleeves, tucked his wide hem into his belt, and charged back in.
“Miss, are we still leaving?” Helu turned to ask.
Yun Qiya looked at the other private rooms. Curious heads were poking out from every single one of them.
“Let’s watch for a bit longer.” Yun Qiya stepped back two paces. It was only then, as she turned her head, that she realized the room to her left was actually occupied.
The person was wearing a light green robe and had a sickly, pale complexion. He was wrapped in a thick fox fur cloak, and with his head turned away, his features were hard to see.
She didn’t know how long he had been sitting there, but he hadn’t made a sound.
With such a fight going on outside, was he really not the least bit curious?
Qiya noticed her left foot had stepped into the entrance of his room. She quietly pulled it back. “My lord, please forgive my intrusion.”
Anyone who could wear such a beautiful fox fur cloak was surely someone of power and status. She wasn’t about to offend someone unnecessarily.
The room remained silent. After several moments, the man inside finally spoke slowly. “It is no matter.”
Seeing that he didn’t mind, Yun Qiya relaxed and pulled Helu over to enjoy the spectacle.
*Crash!*
That was the sound of the screen in the right-hand room falling over.
“Note it down, note it down! One ‘Magpie on a Branch’ screen, eight taels of silver!”
Two waiters huddled in a corner, quietly keeping a tally.
The man who had joined the fray earlier tumbled out again. He wiped his face with his sleeve and charged back in once more.
“Tsk.” Yun Qiya shook her head. “Their fighting experience is lacking. If it were me, I would have grabbed the other person’s belt as I went down. That would have turned the tide.”
“Miss, they are scholars.”
“That’s true.” Yun Qiya rubbed her chin. “Although the scholars of our Great An have abundant martial virtue, they also have abundant moral virtue.”
Losing a fight was one thing, but pulling someone’s belt off was a bit too embarrassing to talk about.
“See that tall, thin one? His movements are flashy, but he hasn’t actually hit a single person.” Yun Qiya noticed a waiter holding a tray of sunflower seeds while keeping score in the corner. She beckoned him over. “Sir, how much for the sunflower seeds?”
“Miss, twenty copper coins a plate.”
“Give me two plates.”
“Coming right up!”
Yun Qiya gave one plate to Helu. “The Left and Right Imperial Guards should be arriving in about fifteen minutes.”
The Imperial Guards were responsible for patrolling the capital and handled brawls specifically.
*Crack.*
Yun Qiya cracked a sunflower seed. They were roasted quite well.
The man sitting in the private room shifted his gaze and slowly turned to look at her.
Yun Qiya was sensitive to the gaze of others. She immediately turned her head to meet his eyes.
What a “sickly beauty” he was—the kind that inspired pity. It was a shame he seemed so dejected, like a pearl covered in dust, lacking any spark of life.
She was just about to politely ask if he wanted some sunflower seeds when the man suddenly covered his mouth with a handkerchief and began to cough.
Yun Qiya grabbed Helu and silently backed away several paces with lightning speed.
One of the core principles of self-preservation when out and about: always maintain a safe distance from anyone who is coughing.
What if he passed his illness to her?
There were still so many delicacies and beautiful clothes waiting for her in this world. She cherished her little life very much.