Yun Kingdom.
In the study of the Grand Tutor’s residence[1]In imperial China, the Grand Tutor, or Taifu, was a prestigious court title traditionally associated with advising or educating a ruler or imperial heir. Its exact authority varied by dynasty, and … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736434_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736434_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
Zhu Qinglan handed the freshly brewed tea to her husband, who sat in the armchair. “Master, the Young Heir[2]A Young Heir, or Shizi, was the designated successor to a prince’s noble title. This position did not necessarily make him an heir to the imperial throne. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736434_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736434_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); is coming today to discuss the marriage. Given his lecherous nature, I’m sure the girl’s looks will leave him completely smitten. But I can’t help worrying that we won’t get past the Prince of Huai’an and the Princess Consort[3]A Princess Consort was the principal wife of a prince, holding a noble status distinct from that of an empress or imperial consort. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736434_1_3').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736434_1_3', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. After all, they’ve always wanted our Zhen’er[4]The suffix -er is an affectionate or familiar addition to a Chinese name, often used by family members or close acquaintances. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736434_1_4').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736434_1_4', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); for their daughter-in-law.”
Xie Chunnian took the teacup and shot her a sidelong glance, displeased by her needless worry. “We brought that wild girl back, performed the rites at the ancestral shrine, and entered her name in the clan genealogy[5]In traditional Chinese clan culture, ancestral rites honored deceased family members, while clan genealogies recorded ancestry and recognized lineage membership. These practices could formally … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736434_1_5').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736434_1_5', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });. She is our daughter in every legitimate sense. Even if the Prince of Huai’an and the Princess Consort are unhappy about their future daughter-in-law being changed, what can they do to us?”
Seeing how confident her husband was, Zhu Qinglan felt a little more at ease.
As for this bride-swapping scheme, they weren’t to blame. If anyone was, it was the Prince of Huai’an, whose ambition knew no bounds!
Even while living in his fief[6]A fief was a territory associated with a noble title or granted to a noble by a ruler. The authority exercised over such territories varied across historical periods and political systems. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736434_1_6').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736434_1_6', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, he still coveted the throne!
And it wasn’t just his ambition. That fine son of his, Si Linglang, was no better. Aside from his notorious womanizing, preying on men and women, and debauchery, he had also secretly fathered a child with a woman years ago, without even the formality of a matchmaker[7]In traditional Chinese marriage customs, a matchmaker acted as an intermediary between families during marriage negotiations. A union formed without proper arrangements or ceremonies could be … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736434_1_7').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736434_1_7', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
Though the existence of that illegitimate child had never been made public, they had long since obtained reliable information. There was no doubt the child existed!
Who would willingly marry a daughter they had lovingly raised to a man like that?
They had no choice but to go to great lengths to find a woman who had been adopted as a child and was breathtakingly beautiful. They claimed she was their long-lost daughter and brought her home, intending to marry her to the Prince of Huai’an’s heir in place of their Zhen’er, as a way to deal with the Prince of Huai’an’s efforts to draw the Grand Tutor’s residence to his side!
As something occurred to her, Zhu Qinglan furrowed her brow again. “Master, that wild girl’s adoptive father is still around. I can’t help feeling he’s a bit of a loose end…”
A cold glint appeared in Xie Chunnian’s shrewd eyes. “I’ve been too busy these past couple of days with that girl’s return to the family to deal with him. In a few days, I’ll have someone get rid of that hunter. Then she’ll be a true orphan, once and for all.”
On the roof—
Through a gap between the tiles, Wuli watched the two people talking in the study. A surging hatred consumed her. Her beautiful eyes brimmed with fury, bloodshot veins in them seeming ready to turn into poison-tipped arrows and claim the lives of that wicked couple!
In her previous life[8]In Chinese rebirth fiction, characters may return to an earlier point in their lives while retaining memories of events they have already experienced. This allows them to make different choices and … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736434_1_8').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736434_1_8', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, she had been tricked into coming to the Xie family. On this very day, she had met Si Linglang, the Prince of Huai’an’s heir.
The Prince and Princess Consort of Huai’an had originally wanted Xie Yuzhen as their daughter-in-law. Today, Si Linglang had come to discuss the marriage at his parents’ behest. But under the scheming of Xie Chunnian and Zhu Qinglan, that unscrupulous couple, she had been pushed in front of him.
Her natural, peerless beauty had captivated the lecherous Si Linglang. When he learned that she was the recently recovered second daughter of the Grand Tutor’s household, he had chosen her as his Heir’s Consort[9]The Heir’s Consort, traditionally called Shizifei, was the formal wife of a prince’s designated heir. Her recognized position differed from that of a concubine or mistress. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736434_1_9').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736434_1_9', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); without hesitation.
She knew nothing of the Prince of Huai’an’s household, and knew even less about Si Linglang’s character. Newly arrived at the Grand Tutor’s residence, she had been swept up in the emotion of reuniting with her family. Without a shred of caution, she accepted the marriage Xie Chunnian and Zhu Qinglan arranged for her.
Over the ten years of their marriage, Si Linglang oppressed men, preyed on women, and lived a life of debauchery. His mistress, Xiao Qinghe, brought her illegitimate son into the household and openly taunted and tormented Wuli. Her parents-in-law, the Prince and Princess Consort of Huai’an, not only made things difficult for her and subjected her to physical punishment, but also used the fact that she had borne no children as a pretext to have the illegitimate son adopted as her legitimate son[10]In traditional Chinese patrilineal households, children recognized as belonging to the principal wife could hold a different family status from children born outside the formal marriage. Registering … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736434_1_10').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736434_1_10', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });…
It was only when the boy, acting at his birth mother’s behest, caused her to contract a venereal disease that, gravely ill and on the brink of death, Wuli learned the truth: Xie Chunnian and Zhu Qinglan were not her birth parents at all. From the moment she was brought into the Grand Tutor’s residence, she had been caught in a plot to marry her off in someone else’s place!
Crueler still, she now realized that her adoptive father had not left without a word in her previous life to avoid disturbing her life. That selfish, vicious couple had done away with him!
By her reckoning, Si Linglang would soon arrive at the Grand Tutor’s residence. Wuli suppressed her hatred and forced herself to stay calm. Gritting her teeth, she took out a thin bamboo tube containing sleep-inducing incense powder. With a decisive breath, she blew the powder through the gap between the tiles and into the study.
After the couple collapsed, she did not enter the study. Instead, she used her lightness skill[11]Known as Qinggong in Chinese martial-arts fiction, lightness skill refers to techniques that allow practitioners to move with extraordinary agility, speed, or jumping ability. The extent of these … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736434_1_11').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736434_1_11', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); to speed west toward Golden Crane Courtyard, where Old Madam Xie[12]Old Madam is a respectful form of address for a senior woman or matriarch of a household, reflecting her age and family standing rather than necessarily indicating an official rank. jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736434_1_12').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736434_1_12', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); lived—
In her previous life, for the sake of maintaining the dignity of being the Grand Tutor’s legitimate daughter, she had hidden her talents and devoted herself to learning etiquette and propriety from titled ladies[13]In imperial Chinese society, certain wives and mothers of officials received formally recognized court ranks, often associated with the term Mingfu. Such titles conferred ceremonial status and … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736434_1_13').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736434_1_13', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); and noble young women. She had foolishly played the dutiful daughter and virtuous wife in everyone’s eyes, afraid people would call her coarse and ill-mannered. She had never once dared use the lightness skill her adoptive father had taught her. Looking back now, she wanted to stab herself twice!
Before a quarter of an hour had passed, cries rang out from Golden Crane Courtyard:
“Fire! Fire!”
“Help! Someone!”
“Put it out! Quick, put it out!”
Soon, people from every courtyard in the Grand Tutor’s residence came out at the sound. When they learned there was a fire in Old Madam’s courtyard, they were alarmed and hurried over to help put it out.
As soon as she had set the fire, Wuli had returned to the study. While the whole residence was in chaos fighting the flames, she moved the unconscious Xie Chunnian and Zhu Qinglan to her own courtyard.
Only after hiding them did she appear at Golden Crane Courtyard.
The fire had already been put out.
She wasn’t surprised. She had only set fire to the curtains in Old Madam Xie’s bedroom, and with dozens of people in the residence working together to extinguish it, it hadn’t been difficult.
What she needed was the commotion—the kind that would draw everyone there. Otherwise, she would have had no chance to move Xie Chunnian and Zhu Qinglan amid the confusion.
Old Madam Xie had been frightened and had already been taken to another courtyard to recover.
The servants, still shaken, carried basins and buckets. Amid them, a striking young woman paid no heed to how frightened and exhausted they looked. Instead, she snapped at them with imperious fury. “Why are you all standing around? Look at the place! Are you planning to leave my grandmother living in ruins instead of getting the courtyard repaired at once?”
The servants hurried off again in fear.
Wuli stood at the courtyard gate, her gaze cool as she watched the haughty young woman.
This was Xie Chunnian and Zhu Qinglan’s daughter, Xie Yuzhen!
The servants dispersed, and Xie Yuzhen soon spotted Wuli at the gate. Putting on airs of nobility, she came over. After surveying Wuli’s understated appearance, she let the disgust show in her eyes and scolded, “We have an honored guest coming today. Didn’t anyone tell you to dress properly? If you embarrass the Grand Tutor’s residence, don’t blame me for being hard on you!”
Wuli stared expressionlessly at her perfectly made-up, delicately tapered face. “Mean-spirited” was the best description of her.
In her previous life, after Wuli married Si Linglang, Xie Yuzhen had also gotten her wish and married the man she loved, Prince of Heng Si Wujun.
But Xie Yuzhen had used shameful means to force the Prince of Heng to marry her. Afterward, he neglected her. Then, when the Prince of Heng was implicated in the treason of his maternal grandfather, Duke Weining[14]Duke is commonly used to translate Gong, a high-ranking hereditary noble title in traditional Chinese systems. Its precise standing relative to other titles depended on the dynasty or fictional court … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3736434_1_14').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3736434_1_14', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });, and stripped of his title, he vanished without a trace. In a single night, Xie Yuzhen went from being the Princess Consort of Heng to a destitute woman. The Xie family, eager to protect itself, ruthlessly disowned her, and she eventually starved to death on the street…
Mocking Xie Yuzhen’s fate in her previous life, Wuli didn’t hold back. “My father and mother will see to our honored guest. What reason does an unmarried girl have to dress herself up? The Grand Tutor’s residence isn’t a brothel. Are the women of the household supposed to sell smiles and fawn on guests?”
“What did you say?” At her words, Xie Yuzhen’s face immediately darkened, anger gathering in her almond-shaped eyes.
Just then, the steward, Xie Fu, came running over, wiping sweat from his brow. “Miss! The Young Heir is here!”
Xie Yuzhen glared at him in annoyance. “So he’s here. Why are you making such a fuss?”
Xie Fu caught his breath and hurriedly said, “But Master and Madam are missing! The servants said they were discussing something in the study, but I searched the main courtyard and couldn’t find either of them!”
Xie Yuzhen frowned. Only then did she realize that her parents hadn’t appeared at all despite the fire at Golden Crane Courtyard.
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