Outside the An Manor, two red sedan chairs waited in the bright morning sun.
The grand carriage for the Eldest Son’s bride sat near the front gate, carried by eight strong porters. Behind it, a huge line of workers stood beside Yimei’s new wedding chests, filled with shimmering silk, gold coins, and rare jade.
The smaller, plain carriage meant for the second son sat further down the lane with only four porters, accompanied by a few bare wooden boxes.
An Yulan sobbed bitterly as she was forced into the smaller carriage, her plain red dress looking dull and cheap. She glared through the red window curtain at Yimei, her heart burning with endless anger and jealousy.
Just as Yimei stepped toward the grand carriage, Master An walked over to her.
"Yimei," he said, his voice flat but quieter than usual. "Come with me to the study for a moment."
Qinqin looked worried, but Yimei nodded calmly. "Yes, Father."
Inside the quiet study, Master An stood near the window, looking out at the courtyard. For the first time, he looked tired, the hard lines on his face softening just a little.
He turned around to look at Yimei. Draped in the heavy gold-and-red silk with the pearl crown resting on her head, she looked dignified, strong, and every bit like a noble lady.
Master An let out a long, quiet sigh.
"Yimei," he began softly, looking down at his hands. "I know... I know I was never a good father to you."
Yimei remained still, her dark eyes looking at him without any anger or emotion, simply waiting.
"When your mother was alive, I was not a good husband to her either," Master An continued, his voice carrying a rare trace of regret. "I let Madame run this house, and I looked away while you were ignored and left with cold meals and plain clothes. I only cared about family pride and business."
He stepped closer, reaching into his sleeve to pull out a small, velvet bag filled with heavy silver coins. He held it out to her.
"I cannot change the past," Master An said quietly. "And today, the family rules forced this swap upon you. But you handled everything with calm wisdom. You are much smarter and stronger than I ever realized."
He placed the bag of silver into her slender hands.
"Take this extra silver. Keep it for yourself. The Bai family is large, and life in a new household is never easy," he said, looking straight into her eyes. "Father only wishes for you to be safe and happy in your new home. Go now, and build a good life for yourself."
Yimei looked down at the silver in her hands, then back up at Master An.
She bowed deeply and politely. "Thank you, Father. Yimei will remember your words."
When she stepped back out into the bright courtyard, Qinqin quickly helped her adjust her heavy golden sleeves. Yimei pulled down her sheer red veil, stepping lightly into the grand eight-bearer sedan chair.
Outside, the trumpets blew loudly, and firecrackers exploded in a roar of red smoke and popping sounds.
"The wedding processions depart!" the matchmaker called out.
The eight porters lifted Yimei’s heavy, comfortable carriage with ease, and the long line of servants carrying her rich dowry boxes stepped into motion behind her. Behind them, Yulan’s small, bumpy carriage followed quietly in the dust.
Inside her quiet, red-draped carriage, Yimei held the velvet bag of silver in her lap, a small, confident smile touching her lips.
She was leaving the cold An family behind forever. Up ahead lay the Bai Manor, a crippled husband, and a brand-new game to win.
Inside the main hall of the Bai Manor, the air was heavy with the smell of sweet tea and bitter malice.
Red silk hung from the high wooden beams for the double wedding, but the women gathered inside the reception hall were not there to offer warm blessings. They sat around low mahogany tables, their gold bracelets clinking as they traded sharp, poisonous smiles. This family was a nest of vipers everyone constantly fighting for Old Master Bai’s favor, testing for weakness, and plotting to snatch a larger share of the family fortune.
At the head table sat Madame Bai, the main wife of the Patriarch. Her face was calm, her posture as straight as iron. Beside her sat the concubines: Lady Chen (First Concubine), wearing a dress far too bright for her standing; Lady Lin (Second Concubine), who sat quietly with a smooth, fake smile; and Lady Mei (Third Concubine).
Further down sat the wives of the Patriarch’s younger brothers Madame Liu and Madame Zhang along with their daughters.
Madame Liu set her teacup down with a deliberate clack, turning to Madame Zhang with a loud, dramatic sigh.
"Ah, what a pity today is," Madame Liu said, her voice carrying clearly across the room. "The An family originally agreed to send their precious, legitimate daughter to our household. But the moment she heard she was assigned to our eldest nephew, Zhengyu, she threw a massive fit!"
Madame Zhang covered her mouth, acting shocked. "A fit? Why?"
"Isn’t it obvious?" Madame Liu sneered, casting a sharp look toward Madame Bai. "Who wants a husband who spends his days trapped in a wooden wheelchair? A man who can’t even stand up to greet his own bride? So the An family tossed us their useless concubine’s daughter, An Yimei, instead!"
Lady Chen adjusted the gold hairpin in her hair and smirked proudly, fanning herself.
"That only shows the An family has good eyes," Lady Chen boasted, her voice dripping with arrogance. "The legitimate daughter saw the difference clearly. She begged to marry my son, Wenliang, instead! At least my Wenliang can stand on his own two feet! When my son drinks his morning tea, he stands tall like a proper scholar reading his books. What can Zhengyu do except sit in the dark and waste household money?"
Lady Lin lowered her eyes, hiding a small, secret smile behind her silk sleeve as she quietly watched the two main sides tear at each other.
Madame Zhang laughed softly. "Lady Chen speaks the truth. A cripple in the house is just an extra mouth to feed, no matter how much Old Master tries to favor the eldest branch. Sending him a poor, illegitimate girl from a side courtyard is already giving him too much respect!"
The greedy cousins seated nearby giggled loudly, shooting cruel, mocking glances at Madame Bai. They waited eagerly for the main wife to break, to weep, or to lower her head in shame before the Patriarch arrived.
Instead, Madame Bai’s eyes snapped cold and sharp as steel.
She slammed her teacup onto the table so hard the hot liquid splashed over the rim, cutting through the laughter like a blade.
"Have you all forgotten your manners, or did your mothers simply fail to teach you any?" Madame Bai’s voice rang out, cold, powerful, and dripping with disdain.
She turned her dark, sharp eyes straight onto Lady Chen, her lip curling into a condescending smile.
"Chen, you talk so proudly of your son standing tall," Madame Bai said smoothly, her words slicing through the room. "Yes, Wenliang stands tall, usually while staggering out of the local gambling den or standing at the tavern counter begging for another cup of cheap wine! He stands for hours pretending to read books, yet he has failed the basic preliminary exams three times in a row! Is that the ’proper scholar’ you are boasting about?"
Lady Chen’s proud smile instantly froze, her face flushing bright red with humiliation. "Madame, you—!"
"And as for you, Liu," Madame Bai turned her razor-sharp gaze to her second brother-in-law’s wife, not letting anyone interrupt her. "You pity my Zhengyu for sitting in a chair? My son may sit, but he carries himself with more dignity and honor than your own sons ever will while standing up! Before you worry about who my son marries, perhaps you should worry about your own branch’s mounting debts at the eastern market!"
Madame Liu’s jaw snapped shut, her face turning as white as paper. Lady Lin quietly sipped her tea, carefully keeping herself out of Madame Bai’s sights.
Before anyone could utter another word, the heavy wooden doors of the main hall were pushed open. A young servant boy hurried inside, bowing frantically.
"They are here!" the boy announced loudly. "The wedding processions have reached the front gates!"
Madame Bai slowly stood up, smoothing her dark silk robes with absolute grace, her chin held high. She looked at the quieted, humiliated women around the room with cool superiority.
"Come," Madame Bai said coldly, her sharp voice commanding the room. "Let us go out and welcome the brides. And try not to embarrass this family any further before Old Master steps out."
Madame Liu, Madame Zhang, and the concubines swallowed their anger, forced to follow behind her as they all walked out toward the courtyard unaware that the girl stepping out of the front carriage was about to flip the power dynamic in this vicious family completely upside down.