Old Madam Nian was heartbroken. Manager Liu had been by her side since she was young, traveling far and wide with her through countless hardships. For decades, through wind and rain, he had accompanied her every step of the way.
To Old Madam Nian, Manager Liu was more than an employee. He was half a member of the family. In the turbulent world of commerce, he was also one of the few people she could entrust her back to without reservation. When the entire family decided to relocate southward to the capital, she had secretly made plans. Once they settled down in the capital, she would no longer let Manager Liu tire himself with long journeys. She would let him oversee one or two quiet shops in the capital, reserve a spacious courtyard for him in the Nian residence, and allow him to spend his days enjoying his grandchildren and living out his retirement in comfort. That would be her way of repaying the loyalty they had shared through all those years. Who could have known…
Seeing the old matriarch like this, Qiangwa became even more sorrowful. “When Manager Liu died, he was still saying he’d failed the master’s trust…” As he spoke, he glared angrily at Nian Xiuzhu.
Embarrassed, Nian Xiuzhu still wanted to argue, but a tug from her husband finally silenced her.
Tears streamed down Old Madam Nian’s face. “It was my fault. I was too rash.”
If she had never entertained the idea of settling in the capital, they would not have organized such a massive relocation, and this tragedy would never have happened. But Ding’an was simply too close to Yuncheng. When Yuncheng fell, panic seized her. She feared Ding’an would become the next city to be slaughtered.
Nian Chujiu silently stepped forward and picked up the prayer beads that had rolled to her feet.
Ding’an truly could not be returned to. It would become a second Yuncheng. Mountains of corpses. Rivers of blood. Ruins everywhere.
Her grandmother’s decision to leave Ding’an was the right one. The problem was that no one had anticipated the Gu family’s shamelessness, which had pushed things into the impossible situation they now faced.
At the same time, Nian Chujiu knew this was not the only devastating news the Nian family would have to bear.
For this migration to the capital, the Nian family had split generations of accumulated wealth into several sea and land routes to avoid attention and reduce risk. A large shipment of medicinal herbs traveled overland through the “Yunlong Corridor.” Other caravans took different trade routes carrying silks, porcelain, furniture, books, and valuables. The truly irreplaceable assets, however, including gold, silver, antiques, copies of land deeds, and, most importantly, the account books, were entrusted to the old matriarch’s most trusted relatives and managers and transported by the supposedly safer sea route.
This arrangement had been made with painstaking care to avoid placing all their eggs in one basket. Yet Nian Chujiu knew that the fleet traveling by sea had also suffered catastrophic losses. News of those losses would begin arriving in the coming days.
The Nian family was about to face enemies on all sides.
That evening, Old Madam Nian summoned the core family members for a discussion.
Nian Xiuzhu was not invited. It wasn’t because married daughters had no right to participate, but because the matriarch knew her daughter was short-sighted, focused only on immediate gains, and unable to see the bigger picture. Moreover, her words and actions were often petty and irritating.
Once everyone had gathered, the younger generation stood quietly behind their elders.
The discussion centered on two matters: First, they had to immediately send word to every merchant convoy to turn back to Ding’an. Second, they needed to prepare to leave the capital urgently. The capital was no longer a place where they could remain even one more day.
Several of the young men who knew of Nian Chujiu’s ambitions all turned their eyes toward her.
But Nian Chujiu sat completely still, lost in thought.
It wasn’t until Nian Weiqing interrupted the old matriarch, looking slightly embarrassed. “Mother, Jiaojiao may have another idea.”
Only then did Old Madam Nian realize her granddaughter had been quietly pondering the entire time. “Jiaojiao,” she said softly, assuming her granddaughter was still upset over the faithless Gu Jiangzhi. “Don’t be afraid. Tell Grandmother what you’re thinking. Are you still unable to let that Gu boy go?”
Nian Chujiu knew she had misunderstood and was about to explain when her grandmother continued gently: “Let me tell you something. You think he’s so wonderful because you’ve seen too little of the world. Gu Jiangzhi only has a handsome face. What else does he have? I guarantee you countless men in this world are a hundred times better than him!”
Yin Ying, eager to steer the conversation that way, nodded quickly.
“Exactly. Jiaojiao simply hasn’t met enough people. Take Zhe-ge from the Li family, for example. He’s excellent. Earlier, he personally came to find me and said he was willing to marry into the Nian family to help us through this crisis. He said he’d already discussed it with his parents, and they agreed. Now it all depends on whether Jiaojiao is willing.”
Li Zhe, courtesy name Suyan, was from a branch of the Li family and a grandnephew of Li Chunshan, the husband who had married into the Nian family. He was diligent in his studies, upright in character, and steady in temperament. Among his peers, both his appearance and talent ranked among the best. Most importantly, he was already twenty-one years old, yet still unmarried and had never even been formally betrothed. Wasn’t that perfect?
Old Madam Nian’s eyes lit up. “Really? That child truly is outstanding.”
Moreover, Li Zhe had grown up before the Nian family’s eyes. They knew his character thoroughly. The Li family’s agreement was not only timely assistance but also a signal of closer ties between the two families—a win-win arrangement. Even the young men eagerly chimed in.
“Suyan is way better than that second-rate Gu dog!”
Seeing everyone staring at her, Nian Chujiu couldn’t help but smile helplessly. “Brother Suyan is indeed an excellent man.”
The entire room breathed a sigh of relief. They all thought she had agreed. But then came the twist.
“However, Grandmother, Brother Suyan has always cared for me like a real elder brother, and I’ve always regarded him as my own brother. How can siblings marry each other?”
Everyone froze.
Yin Ying rubbed her forehead. How had she forgotten that? In truth, Li Zhe had wanted to become a son-in-law of the Nian family for a long time. Even before Gu Jiangzhi had become a marriage prospect, the Li family had already expressed their intentions.
Yin Ying herself had preferred Li Zhe as a future son-in-law. After all, he was a child she’d watched grow up. But her daughter had asked the exact same question back then: “How can siblings marry each other?”
Now Yin Ying sighed helplessly. “Jiaojiao, what other choice do we have? Setting aside that deadly blind-match selection, even if we started searching seriously now, where would we find a marriage more suitable and reliable than Li Zhe at this critical moment? Why not agree first and get through this crisis?”
Nian Chujiu stubbornly shook her head. “Even so, we can’t drag Brother Suyan down with us.”
In her previous life, among the large group that had entered the capital full of hope alongside the Nian family, only Nian Xiuzhu and her husband had managed to save themselves through scheming and by distancing themselves from the Liang faction. Everyone else, whether bearing the surname Nian or Li, had been thrown into gloomy prisons. The Li family avoided execution, but they were ultimately exiled to a bitterly cold frontier. Endless hard labor. Bone-cracking winter winds. Of those sentenced there, fewer than one in ten survived even three to five years. And Li Suyan was the only survivor. If this marriage were merely to overcome the current obstacle, it would be better to burden someone else than sacrifice one of their own.
Having made up her mind, Nian Chujiu suddenly rose to her feet. She walked to the center of the room and solemnly knelt before all her relatives.