Zhuang Hui was seized by two stout and strong maidservants—one covering her mouth, the other twisting her arms behind her back. The two dragged and shoved her, forcing her into an empty courtyard nearby whose gate had been opened at some unknown time.
Zhuang Hui, a young lady raised in comfort and privilege, was no match for them. She could only watch helplessly as the courtyard gate was closed, and they even locked it from the outside.
If she were a typical girl from ancient times, she would either be too terrified to speak or would remain silent out of concern for propriety and reputation, forced to assess the situation and find a way to save herself.
But Zhuang Hui was a modern girl who had traveled back to ancient times.
So, when faced with danger, her first thought was her own safety, not matters of propriety, reputation, how others would view her if the incident were exposed, or whether she could still marry in the future.
Thus, as soon as she turned around and saw no one was there, she rushed to the door without hesitation. She pounded on it loudly while shouting at the top of her lungs, “Help! Help! Fire! Fire!!”
In this critical moment, she remembered that shouting “fire” was more effective than shouting “help.”
Even though this empty courtyard in the northwest corner was the most secluded spot in the Tang Family’s estate, where people seldom ventured, the two maidservants outside the door were startled by her shouts.
Shouting so loudly, and shouting “fire,” could easily be heard and attract attention!
Was this stepdaughter of the Changping Marquisate insane? How could she act so recklessly? Wasn’t she afraid of being seen in such a pitiful state in public, of losing face, or of ruining her reputation?
For women, reputation was more important than the heavens, even more important than life itself. Didn’t she know that?!
For Zhuang Hui, while safety came first, face and reputation were also very important.
But this was a sudden danger, and in the urgency of the moment, her modern mindset took over—she simply hadn’t thought of it yet!
The Tang Family’s maidservants dared not let the situation escalate. They could only pound on the door from the outside and threaten harshly, “You little wretch, if you keep shouting, I’ll come in and strip you naked! Don’t you care about your own face? What about the Zhao Family’s? Your mother is heavily pregnant—aren’t you afraid that if this gets out, she’ll be so enraged she’ll die along with the child?!”
Zhuang Hui immediately fell silent. She swallowed some air too quickly and couldn’t help but hiccup.
But inside, she was seething with rage. Zhuang Mingxiang was the person who had treated her best in both lifetimes, her most cherished one. How dare this wretched old hag curse Zhuang Mingxiang to die along with her child? Zhuang Hui wanted her dead right now!
Hearing Zhuang Hui fall silent, the maidservant thought she had finally become afraid. She spat lightly and said, “Hmph, you know what’s good for you! You’re nothing but a burden who followed your mother into the Marquisate, not a true marquis’s daughter. You’ve wasted your youth and still haven’t married. You should be grateful to marry our young master—after all, you’ll become the young mistress of the Guogong Mansion!”
In her fury, Zhuang Hui grew exceptionally calm. Thinking about the maidservant’s words—marrying their young master and becoming the young mistress of the Guogong Mansion—she finally understood why she had encountered this calamity today.
So, the Tang Family’s despicable scheme was truly aimed at her, not at Zhao Changting.
Currently, the Tang Family is managed by Second Madam Tang, so this menial servant woman must have been sent by Second Madam Tang’s orders. The “young master” she mentioned should be Tang Wei, the foolish son of the Tang Family’s second branch, who rarely goes out or receives guests due to brain damage from a high fever in childhood.
Zhuang Hui knew little about Tang Wei, as he was only briefly mentioned in the book, and she had never met him in real life before.
So she truly never imagined that Second Madam Tang would scheme to have her marry Tang Wei!
Indeed, although Tang Wei became foolish later in life, a fool is still a fool. Thus, it would be impossible for him to marry a girl from a family of equal status.
Moreover, since the eldest branch of the Tang Family holds the hereditary title, he would even struggle to marry a good concubine-born daughter from a noble family.
As for marrying beneath his station, unless forced, families who cherish their daughters would not willingly marry their daughters to a fool either.
Of course, there would certainly be families eager to climb the social ladder, but Second Madam Tang probably felt that marrying her foolish son to someone unworthy of him was beneath them. So, she wanted to marry him to someone like Zhuang Hui, who also comes from a noble family and is beautiful?
This was truly absurd. Zhuang Hui was almost torn between laughter and tears. Was Second Madam Tang completely lacking in sense?
Old Madam Tang surely didn’t know about this; otherwise, she wouldn’t have allowed such a complete enmity with the Zhao Family to form.
But unfortunately, at this moment, Old Madam Tang was too far away to help.
She could only save herself.
Zhuang Hui gave up on shouting for help, fearing that the Tang Family servant women might actually dare to strip her clothes.
Compared to being forced to marry a fool, Zhuang Hui could actually accept the humiliation. Even this incident wouldn’t affect Zhao Jingzhi too much. However, she didn’t dare gamble on whether Zhuang Mingxiang would be angered or even suffer a miscarriage.
She didn’t want anything to happen to Zhuang Mingxiang or the child in her womb.
Since the courtyard gate was clearly impassable, Zhuang Hui turned around, hoping to find another way out within the courtyard. Just like the room she had used to change clothes earlier, she had easily climbed out through the rear window because it wasn’t too high.
As she turned, she saw a tall, chubby boy of about fifteen or sixteen, bouncing toward her from the Upper Chamber like a five- or six-year-old child.
Perhaps because he was fair, plump, and smiling broadly, he didn’t seem too unpleasant.
But this must be Tang Wei, right?
Thinking of Second Madam Tang’s schemes behind him, Zhuang Hui’s expression darkened. She took two steps back, leaning against the door, and instinctively raised her hands in a defensive posture.
Although Tang Wei was foolish, even a child’s mind of five or six could sense Zhuang Hui’s resistance. He stopped in his tracks, looked Zhuang Hui up and down, and asked, “Are you the fairy sister?”
What nonsense about a fairy sister? Zhuang Hui ignored him.
Tang Wei looked her up and down again, then clapped his hands and laughed. “Auntie Xue really didn’t lie to me. There really is a beautiful fairy sister here to see me. Fairy sister, my name is Tang Wei. What’s your name?”
So it was indeed Tang Wei.
There was no reasoning with a fool, so Zhuang Hui simply followed his lead and asked, “Who is Auntie Xue?”
Tang Wei: “Auntie Xue is my wet nurse. Fairy sister, are you here to be my wife?”
Zhuang Hui: “…”
“Why aren’t you speaking? Aren’t you here to be my wife? No, you’re so beautiful—you must be here to be my wife!” As he spoke, Tang Wei’s expression suddenly changed, and his voice rose with anger. “Do you look down on me? Do you despise me because I’m a fool and refuse to be my wife?!”
He spoke while stomping forward with an imposing manner.
Even though Zhuang Hui had the psychological maturity of an older person, facing such a tall, fat fool who was completely out of her league still frightened her. Afraid that Tang Wei might actually do something to her, she hurriedly said, “No! Not at all! I don’t look down on you!”
Tang Wei stopped in his tracks, his face lighting up with a theatrical smile. “You don’t look down on me? You don’t despise me?”
Zhuang Hui: “No! Absolutely not!”
Tang Wei jumped for joy. “Then you’re willing to be my wife?” Just beyond the door, the two maids who had overheard the conversation couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
They didn’t say anything, but one raised an eyebrow at the other, who nodded back—everything was understood without words.
Hearing the laughter, Zhuang Hui spoke in a clear voice, “First, tell me why you want a wife?”
Outside the door, the two maids laughed again, and then Zhuang Hui heard their footsteps slowly fading away.
Of course, encountering such a hilarious joke, they would naturally slip away to gossip about it in private.
Tang Wei replied, “Everyone has a wife, and I want one too.”
With the mental capacity of a five- or six-year-old child, and with no other way to handle him except to humor him, Zhuang Hui forced a smile and took the initiative to walk toward Tang Wei. “Do you even know what a wife does before you ask for one?”
Seeing Zhuang Hui approach, Tang Wei looked delighted. “Of course I know! Auntie Xue said a wife is someone who can sleep with me and give me little babies!”
Zhuang Hui walked up to Tang Wei, avoiding his gaze as she searched for an escape route.
This was an empty courtyard, likely unused for any other purpose, so it was bare and open at a glance. There were only courtyard walls, not too high, with two sections featuring diamond-shaped window openings. She could probably climb up by stepping on the base.
But it would be relatively difficult, not as easy as jumping through a window.
Zhuang Hui wanted to check the rear windows inside the Upper Chamber, so as she walked forward, she responded to Tang Wei, “You keep mentioning Auntie Xue. Do you like her a lot?”
Tang Wei followed her steps. “Yes, Auntie Xue is very good to me. I like her a lot.”
Zhuang Hui: “Then why don’t you ask Auntie Xue to be your wife?”
Tang Wei grabbed Zhuang Hui’s arm, startling her so much she almost yanked it away.
But Tang Wei was just studying her carefully again, then said, “Auntie Xue is old and not as pretty as you. I don’t want her as my wife! I want you to be my wife!”
Zhuang Hui thought to herself: He’s quite picky. Is he really a fool or just pretending?
Tang Wei didn’t let go, pulling Zhuang Hui toward the Upper Chamber. “Come on, let’s go sleep and make little babies. Auntie Xue already told me how to do it.”
Zhuang Hui couldn’t hold back any longer and forcefully pulled her arm free. “No!”
The smile vanished from Tang Wei’s face again as he glared darkly at Zhuang Hui. “Why not? Didn’t you—”
“You haven’t proposed yet, and we’re not married either, so of course not!” Zhuang Hui interrupted him.
Tang Wei actually knew this procedure. Second Madam Tang had repeated it to him many times before, saying that when he grew up and could take a wife, she would arrange a proposal for him, and then he could get married.
Thinking about it, he really hadn’t proposed to the fairy sister yet, nor had he married her.
“Then… what should I do?” Tang Wei asked Zhuang Hui, looking troubled.
Zhuang Hui glanced back at the courtyard gate and suggested tentatively, “First, come with me to see my mother, and then propose to her.”
Although Tang Wei was simple-minded, he had been given strict instructions. Upon hearing this, his expression immediately changed: “No! Auntie Xue said you can’t leave this door. If you go out, you’ll run away, and then I won’t have a wife anymore!”
As he spoke, he reached out to grab Zhuang Hui again.
What a pity—such a decent child had been corrupted by the Tang Family!
However, through this exchange and the fact that she hadn’t seen anyone else on the way to the Upper Chamber, Zhuang Hui had roughly gauged Tang Wei’s mental capacity and temperament, as well as the fact that there seemed to be no one else in the courtyard besides them.
This was a good thing. Tang Wei was relatively easier to coax. If there had been maidservants or even the Auntie Xue Tang Wei mentioned present, she would have had to rely on others to rescue her today, with no chance of saving herself.
Wait, no—if there had been others around, she probably wouldn’t have lasted until help arrived.
“I won’t run away!” Zhuang Hui pushed Tang Wei’s hand away and quickly added before he could say anything else, “But since you don’t want to go see my mother now, we can do it later.”
“How about we pretend to propose marriage and pretend to get married? Once the formalities are done, we can enter the bridal chamber.”
No one had instructed Tang Wei on how to respond in such a situation, as no one had anticipated Zhuang Hui making such a suggestion. With no one to ask and finding the idea interesting and fun, Tang Wei clapped his hands and said, “Okay, let’s pretend to propose marriage first, then pretend to get married. But how do we do that?”
Zhuang Hui replied, “I’ve seen it done before. I’ll teach you.”
…
After Zhuang Hui left, Zhao Jingzhi, Yingtáo, and the others waited anxiously.
A quarter of an hour wasn’t long, but when the time passed and Zhuang Hui was nowhere to be seen, Zhao Jingzhi’s eyes reddened with worry: “Sister Yingtáo, will Sister Hui be alright?”
Yingtáo was also frantic with anxiety and dared not wait any longer. She immediately made a decision: “Earlier, I saw the young lady heading northwest. Second Young Lady, let’s split up. You take Huamei and go check that direction, while I go find Fourth Madame.”
Zhao Jingzhi nodded: “But how do we get there?”
She was short and a little plump—there was no way she could climb over the wall!
Yingtáo replied, “We can’t worry about that now. We’ll just go through the door. If Second Young Lady Tang tries to stop you, just push past her.”
Zhao Jingzhi said, “Alright, she won’t be able to stop me, and she won’t dare to force it!”
Once the decision was made, Yingtáo stepped forward, reached the door, and pulled it open.
Tang Wanqiao was still outside, and because Yingtáo opened the door so suddenly, she was caught off guard, a look of panic flashing across her face.
Seeing this, Yingtáo and Zhao Jingzhi’s hearts sank, fearing that Zhuang Hui had indeed encountered trouble.
If something had happened, they had to act quickly to rescue her!
As Zhao Jingzhi had said, when she put on a stern face and lost her temper, Tang Wanqiao didn’t dare to stop her.
But Yingtáo felt that Tang Wanqiao hadn’t really intended to stop them in the first place.
Unfortunately, she had no time to dwell on this now. Worried about Zhuang Hui, she left the small courtyard with Zhao Jingzhi and immediately split up, hurrying to the rear courtyard to find Fourth Madame.
Zhao Jingzhi didn’t dare to delay either. Accompanied by her personal maidservant Huamei, she headed toward the northwest corner.
Zhao Jingzhi was both worried and anxious. Although Huamei was the same age as Yingtáo, she had never experienced anything like this before. At this moment, both of them were at a loss, only knowing to rush forward in a panic.
The two coarse maids who had earlier seized Zhuang Hui were huddled under a large tree not far from the courtyard gate, chatting. Spotting Zhao Jingzhi and her maid approaching from a distance, they deliberately walked forward a stretch before turning right, effectively avoiding them.
Zhao Jingzhi and Hua Mei noticed nothing amiss and continued along the path ahead.
Only after the pair had moved farther away did the two coarse maids peek out from behind the corner of the wall. Watching Zhao Jingzhi and Hua Mei’s hurried, flustered retreat, the taller maid sighed, “Honestly, this Changping Marquisate—just a stepdaughter brought in by a merchant-born marquise, yet even the proper young lady treats her so closely!”
The shorter maid chimed in, “Just lucky, I suppose! Lucky mother, lucky daughter—otherwise, our mistress wouldn’t have taken a liking to her, would she?”
The taller maid chuckled, “Exactly, truly fortunate—soon to become our Third Young Mistress!”
Tang Wei was the eldest son of the second branch, but if ranked alongside the three sons of the main branch, he would be third in line.
The shorter maid also laughed. Though no one else was nearby, she deliberately lowered her voice, “Hey, do you think our Third Young Master knows how? What if he only knows how to tear off clothes but not what to do afterward?”
The taller maid’s face was full of mischief, “He definitely will! The mistress and Auntie Xue will surely teach him!”
At this, the two maids exchanged glances, each covering their mouths as they snickered quietly.
Meanwhile, Zhao Jingzhi and Hua Mei had walked farther and farther toward the northwest corner but still found no sign of anyone.
Being in the Tang Family’s estate and uncertain of Zhuang Hui’s situation, Zhao Jingzhi dared neither call out for her nor ask the Tang Family’s servants for help in the search. After searching twice without success, she was on the verge of tears.
Just then, Hua Mei suddenly pointed ahead and exclaimed, “Miss, look! It’s the heir!”
Zhao Changting was being led by a young maid with newly grown hair, heading in their direction.
Zhao Jingzhi looked up and saw her elder brother. Tears immediately welled in her eyes, and without another thought, she called out tearfully, “Elder Brother!” and ran toward him.
Zhao Changting quickened his pace, stepping forward to steady Zhao Jingzhi by her arms, “A Zhi, what’s wrong?”
Zhao Jingzhi glanced at the young maid who had led Zhao Changting over, “Step away!”
Once Hua Mei had pulled the maid aside, Zhao Jingzhi tearfully explained the situation, “…Hui Sister said that if she didn’t return within a quarter of an hour, we should come find her. But I’ve searched everywhere here and still haven’t seen her. Elder Brother, could something have happened to Hui Sister?”
If something truly had happened, and it was because of him, he would owe her a debt of gratitude.
Zhao Changting’s expression grew grave. Just as he was about to speak, his years of martial arts training had sharpened his senses beyond the ordinary, and he detected hurried, chaotic footsteps. He turned first to look at the wall beside him.
Zhao Jingzhi, however, noticed nothing and tugged anxiously at his sleeve, “Elder Brother, what is it?”
Before Zhao Changting could reply, Zhao Jingzhi also heard it this time—footsteps just on the other side of the wall, followed quickly by the heavy panting of a woman and the strained “ai-ai” sounds of someone exerting great effort.
What was happening?
Why were there such sounds?
Zhao Jingzhi and Zhao Changting both looked up simultaneously toward the top of the wall, about two or three meters ahead.
First, a pale, slender hand gripped the top of the wall, followed by an equally pale, slender wrist, then a forearm. And after that—why did the corner of the drooping sleeve look so familiar?
Zhao Jingzhi suddenly remembered: “Sister Hui?!”
In the next moment, Zhuang Hui’s other hand also grabbed the top of the wall. With a forceful push of her feet, her face appeared, and then her entire upper body lay flat on the wall.
“A Zhi?!” she exclaimed joyfully upon seeing Zhao Jingzhi, then immediately called out, “Zhao Changting, you’re here too!”—so overjoyed that she was saved.
Zhao Jingzhi rushed forward at once, laughing and crying with happiness: “Sister Hui, what are you doing? Climbing the wall? Why didn’t you use the door?”
Zhao Changting also stepped forward, his ears perked up, his gaze fixed intently on Zhuang Hui.
A delicate young lady from Jingcheng, who had fallen ill for several days upon their first meeting in early September and appeared fragile and weak, now stood abruptly on top of the wall, her hair ornaments askew and her clothes soiled.
What was she doing?
What had she done?
“You liar! Liar… wuwu, it hurts so much… Mother, a bad person tricked A Wei wuwu…”
A strange male voice, choked with tears, sounded from inside the wall. Before Zhuang Hui could answer Zhao Jingzhi, she let out a startled “Ah!” as Tang Wei grabbed one of her feet and pulled her downward. Clinging desperately to the wall with both hands, she kicked and struggled fiercely: “Let go! Get away! Get away from me!”
Seeing this, Zhao Changting immediately leaped onto the wall. But before he could intervene, he saw the fair and chubby Tang Wei, who had been kicked several times in the face by Zhuang Hui, release his grip in pain and fall to the ground.
However, due to the excessive force, Zhuang Hui lost her hold on the wall and was about to tumble inside.
In this critical moment, Zhao Changting acted without hesitation. His large hand grasped Zhuang Hui’s shoulder and underarm, lifting her upward and pulling her into his embrace. Holding her securely, he effortlessly jumped down to the inner side of the wall.
“Big brother! Sister Hui!” Zhao Jingzhi shouted from outside the wall, jumping up and down in an attempt to see.
As Zhao Changting landed, Tang Wei lay sprawled at his feet, obstructing his way. He casually extended his foot and nudged the boy aside.
Only after Tang Wei was pushed away did he notice the boy’s pained expression, his face covered in cold sweat, his body curled uncontrollably, and his hands desperately shielding his lower body—as if he had been injured in a vulnerable spot and was in great pain.
“You…” Zhao Changting naturally knew this foolish cousin from his second uncle’s family. But as soon as he spoke, he realized that if Tang Wei had indeed been injured, the one who had hurt him must be Zhuang Hui?
He first glanced around the small courtyard, which was otherwise empty, then lowered his gaze to the person he still held in his arms, not yet having released her.
On this late autumn day, her face was flushed with exertion, beads of sweat glistening on her forehead and the tip of her nose. Her large eyes, still filled with lingering fear, were fixed on Tang Wei on the ground. Her eyelashes fluttered like feathers, as if she had just finished practicing two sets of martial arts.
Though her hair ornaments were slightly disheveled and her appearance somewhat disheveled, she looked not only healthy but… exceptionally radiant.
Author’s Note:
This chapter’s summary is dedicated to the eldest brother who doesn’t yet realize he’s falling in love—everyone has a wife, don’t you want one too?
The next chapter will be VIP. Thank you for your support all along. For the VIP chapters, I’ll prepare some red packets for readers who leave comments. Please continue your support!
A quick mention of upcoming new books: the urban sweet romance “After Mistaking Him for My Boyfriend” and the historical sweet romance “Marrying His Elder Brother (Rebirth).” You can find them all by clicking into my column.