They did not see anyone until they reached Yongshou Temple Bridge, which was hidden by the night. A young servant stood anxiously on the bridge, looking left and right as if waiting for someone.
This person was Cheng Gui, Young Master Cheng Kaishou’s personal servant.
“Where is your young master?” Xu Miaoxue asked him directly.
Cheng Gui looked around nervously. After making sure no one was following Xu Miaoxue and Ali, he led them toward a quiet corner.
“Miss Xu, we finally waited for you. Our young master knew you would come after him, so he asked me to wait here.”
“Where is he?” she asked.
“He said he has thought of a perfect plan. You won’t need to marry anyone. Please follow me. I’ll take you to see him.”
Cheng Gui had followed Cheng Kaishou since childhood and was his most trusted servant. Cheng Kaishou was afraid of being dragged back by Madam Jia, so asking Cheng Gui to wait here made sense.
As soon as Xu Miaoxue heard “perfect plan,” she felt angry. What good idea could a well-behaved scholar have? She only wanted to see Cheng Kaishou immediately and scold him badly. She did not think too much and followed Cheng Gui.
But the road became more and more hidden. They turned again and again into a narrow alley. Xu Miaoxue began to feel uneasy. Under the moonlight, she saw that Cheng Gui’s legs were shaking, as if he felt guilty and scared.
Alarm bells rang in her head. She turned to run, but two big men were already blocking the alley entrance.
A dark shadow fell over her. Before she could turn around, someone covered her mouth and nose. She fainted almost instantly.
While unconscious, Xu Miaoxue had many strange dreams. They were not complete dreams. She felt like a fugitive, running through different dream scenes, always escaping.
Something was chasing her. She only knew she had to run, but she did not know what it was.
She stepped into empty air and was swallowed by waves, sinking into the deep sea. In the shining water, she saw a stage far away where a play was being performed.
She wanted to see it clearly, but she was about to drown.
The water slowly thinned. The sounds of the stage faded away. She felt someone touching and moving her.
Then she heard a familiar voice giving orders:
“Make the makeup lighter. Keep it clean and gentle. Old Master Zeng doesn’t like heavy makeup.”
Xu Miaoxue suddenly woke up, like surfacing from the sea.
Madam Jia was holding her chin, examining her makeup. When Xu Miaoxue suddenly opened her eyes, Madam Jia was startled and pushed her away in disgust.
“Stop staring. Keep staring and I’ll dig your eyes out.”
Xu Miaoxue struggled instinctively, but her hands were tied behind her back.
Madam Jia stood proudly like a winner and said coldly,
“Xu Miaoxue, did you really think you could control my son and make him save you? Give up that dream. Even Cheng Gui knows what is truly good for him. If you have any conscience at all, think about how the Cheng family raised you. Behave yourself and marry into the Zeng family. Otherwise, your suffering will only increase.”
So that was it. Xu Miaoxue finally understood.
Cheng Gui usually obeyed Cheng Kaishou, but he was loyal and feared that Cheng Kaishou would ruin his own future. That was why he agreed to Madam Jia and lured Xu Miaoxue out.
Judging by Madam Jia’s proud expression, Cheng Kaishou probably did not reach his teacher either. That gave Xu Miaoxue some relief.
—Did it really?
People are good at lying to themselves.
Xu Miaoxue knew very clearly that she was pretending to be noble.
Was it enough that Cheng Kaishou was safe? Of course not.
Stopping him was one thing. Speaking harshly was another. But he should have saved her.
Deep in her heart, she had a small hope—hoping that he would save her, even just once.
A tear slid down the corner of her eye. The makeup artist softened and froze, not knowing what to do, and looked to Madam Jia for instruction.
Madam Jia snatched the powder puff and wiped the tear away roughly.
“Stop pretending to be pitiful! I already did my duty by raising you, you useless burden!”
Cheap powder was slapped onto her face, trying to cover the rotten smell of her ruined life.
Xu Miaoxue closed her eyes and ignored Madam Jia, letting herself be handled. She felt ashamed—especially to appear weak in front of Madam Jia. As long as she did not open her eyes, it felt like she could protect her last bit of dignity.
She pretended to be deaf, blind, and mute.
Her life was already broken anyway. How much worse could marrying Old Master Zeng be? The old man was fine. Old men died early. After guarding widowhood for a few years, she could become a rich widow.
So that would be the final ending of her life.
What she wanted to do could not even be called an ideal, let alone justice. She only wanted to fix the regret of the Qifan Incident years ago. But now she was going farther and farther from her goal.
An ant swinging its fists could not change anything.
Her calm now carried a quiet despair.
She was dressed like any other bride and tightly bound, then pushed out of the room. The wedding sedan chair waited in the front courtyard.
They walked under the covered corridor.
Madam Jia knew Xu Miaoxue was clever. She would only relax after personally watching her enter the sedan chair. But just as they were about to pass through the hanging flower gate, the steward came running in panic and shouted:
“Master! Madam! Old Master Zheng is here—and he brought a mysterious important guest called ‘Sixth Master’!”
Something snapped loudly in Xu Miaoxue’s mind.
Him? Why was he here?
Xu Miaoxue suddenly struggled violently.
Madam Jia was shocked. The guests had come too suddenly. The corridor was close to the main hall. She was afraid Xu Miaoxue would make noise and embarrass the family. In a panic, she ordered the servants to drag Xu Miaoxue back and rushed toward the main hall herself.
She was very confused. They always tried to please Boss Zheng, but he never looked at the Cheng family properly. Why would he visit in person today?
And a mysterious guest? What mysterious guest?
She and Master Cheng arrived one after the other. They exchanged a look, both completely confused.
Inside the main hall, a young gentleman sat in the main seat. His eyebrows were straight, his expression cold and distant. He wore a simple blue robe with a silk belt. At first glance, he did not look flashy.
But Zheng Tong, who was covered in gold and wealth, stood beside him bowing and smiling, not even daring to sit.
Master Cheng hurried forward.
“Oh! Boss Zheng, sorry for the poor welcome. This honored guest is—?”
“This is the Sixth Master,” Zheng Tong said. “He is a distinguished guest invited from Guangdong by Elder Lu. All coastal businesses in Guangdong must first get Sixth Master’s approval.”
Madam Jia shuddered. She smelled great opportunity. If these nobles let even a little wealth slip through their fingers, the Cheng family could rise. If not for her status, she would have knelt to serve him personally.
She glanced sideways and saw Master Cheng standing there stiffly, not knowing how to react. She quickly nudged his arm.
Master Cheng recovered and smiled widely.
“Sixth Master, an honor to meet you. I am Cheng Yongming. This is my wife, Madam Jia. Your visit truly brings glory to our humble home. Quickly—serve tea for Sixth Master and Boss Zheng.”
The Sixth Master nodded lightly, lifted the tea cup, brushed aside the foam, smelled it, then put it down.
“Sixth Master, is the tea not to your taste?” Zheng Tong’s face changed slightly. He glared at Master Cheng. “Master Cheng, how could you even fail at serving tea?”
“As for tea,” Sixth Master said calmly with a faint smile, “I only drink Yashan Ruicao Kui.”
His tone was gentle, but his request was extremely difficult.
There was a poem that praised this tea. Ruicao tea was tribute tea, rare and precious. It was first sent to the palace, then to nobles. A small family like the Chengs likely had never even seen it.
But since an honored guest had spoken, how could the host refuse?
Master Cheng glared at Madam Jia.
“Why aren’t you going to prepare Ruicao tea?”
Madam Jia felt bitter. Ruicao tea—she spoke as if they had it at home! But she could only force herself to agree and ordered the steward to take silver and buy it immediately.
They did not have enough cash, so they used the freshly received bride price from Old Master Zeng. After great chaos, they finally bought a small amount before the tea cooled.
Sixth Master took one sip and frowned.
“Fake.”
Madam Jia’s face turned pale. She was about to speak when Master Cheng suddenly slapped her hard across the face.
“You useless woman! You can’t even handle such a small matter! How dare you serve fake tea to Sixth Master and Boss Zheng!”
Master Cheng knew very well that real Ruicao tea could not be bought so quickly. He scolded his wife first to smooth things over, so outsiders would not continue pressing the issue.
Madam Jia was slapped in front of so many people and servants. Tears flowed, but she dared not complain. In hosting matters, any mistake was always the woman’s fault. This had always been so.
She swallowed her grievance and forced a smile.
“It is my fault. I will change the tea at once.”
Seeing that the Cheng family had no solution, Zheng Tong tried to ease the mood.
“Sixth Master, Ruicao tea only produces a little each year. Not every family can buy it. It seems Master Cheng and Madam Cheng were deceived.”
“Enough,” Sixth Master said impatiently, waving his hand. “I did not come today to drink tea.”
“Then the Sixth Master came to…?” Zheng Tong finally asked the question he had been holding in all day.
The Sixth Master himself was already a mystery. Today he suddenly asked to visit the small Cheng family. Why? The Cheng family was just a minor salt yard owner among hundreds.
The Sixth Master casually glanced at a small side window. Spring wind carried faint grass scents into the room, mixed with soft cries, like a wild cat passing by.
Madam Jia’s heart tightened. She knew exactly what that noise meant.
Why hadn’t the servants dragged Xu Miaoxue away yet?!
Xu Miaoxue was pressed against the wall under the window in a miserable position. Her hands tightly gripped the window frame, refusing to let go. The servants were afraid of making noise in front of the guests, so they covered her mouth and tried to pry her fingers loose.
No one knew where she got such strength. She simply refused to let go.
Most of the time, Xu Miaoxue was slippery and flexible, like a loach that could be shaped by others. But sometimes, her true nature appeared—an unmovable stubbornness that even nine oxen could not pull back.
She only did what she believed in, no matter the cost.
She knew things had priorities. At this moment, listening to Sixth Master’s words was the most important thing.
A man as calculating as him would not come to the Cheng family for no reason. What he was about to say must be related to her.
She hated others deciding her fate without her knowing. Even if she was meat on a chopping board, she wanted to know how she would die.
She also had a strange feeling—this powerful man who controlled everything might have come for her, a small-time liar. If she missed this moment, she would miss something very important in her destiny.