Much of Xi Cai’s good reputation came from that poem.
In these turbulent times, as long as a woman followed the rules, watched her words and actions, and came from a distinguished family, all she needed was a talented scholar to write a famous poem praising her. Then she would become an outstanding young lady among the nobility, a model whom everyone in the capital admired and praised.
As for Xi Cai, she had a clear understanding of herself. Compared with her lively younger sister, Xi Xiao, she was much calmer. The reason for her calm temperament might very well have been that she was simply lazy.
And as for being virtuous, she honestly did not know what that was supposed to mean. When she saw someone in trouble and was willing to lend a hand, she considered it a natural human instinct. Yet the world she lived in was so harsh that even this simple act of kindness had become something people praised as an example of noble character.
After hearing herself praised so often, Xi Cai had been forced to live up to the image others had created for her. Even Xi Xiao described her as a virtuous elder sister. Of course, when Xi Xiao said that her elder sister was virtuous, she might actually have meant that Xi Cai was too softhearted.
Softhearted?
That depended on whom she was dealing with.
Xi Cai lowered her head and looked at her hands. Her fingers were delicate and smooth, untouched by hard labor and beautifully cared for. But when she clenched them into fists, her knuckles stood out sharply. The pair of green jade bracelets set with silver on her wrists jingled together, giving her a surprisingly imposing air.
In any case, the marriage had been settled.
The Grand Tutor passed the Xi family’s agreement to the Marquis of Yanling, and the marquis’s residence soon sent servants to complete the formal betrothal rites.
Before long, the streets and alleys were filled with gossip. Some people envied Xi Cai for her good fortune, while others sighed over her unfortunate fate.
The wedding was scheduled for the sixteenth day of the eighth month. There were barely two months left, so preparations had to be made quickly.
The entire Xi household became busy. Their usually quiet residence was suddenly filled with carriages and visitors. Rolls of fine silk, brocade, and beautiful gold and jade ornaments were brought through the gates one after another. Even the little wind chimes hanging beneath the eaves seemed to shimmer with reflected light.
Although the marriage was far from a simple matter of love and affection, Xi Jiyuan and his wife refused to shortchange their daughter.
Madam Xi took charge of the main hall every day, drawing up lists of wedding gifts, checking the dowry, and personally overseeing every detail.
Xi Cai was also frequently dragged over to try on clothes. The garments ranged from long to short, light to padded, and every style and measurement had to be carefully adjusted.
The Xi family was taking the wedding preparations very seriously. Yet amid all the activity, something felt wrong.
After thinking about it carefully, Xi Cai finally realized what it was.
From beginning to end, the Marquis of Yanling had never shown his face. She did not even know what he looked like.
Xi Xiao was disgusted by his behavior.
“He has absolutely no sincerity! He actually sent servants to handle the betrothal gifts. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were marrying the marquis’s household steward instead of the marquis himself.”
“He’s in poor health. I’ve heard that he becomes breathless after walking only a few steps. We shouldn’t be too demanding of him.”
Xi Cai held a hairpin with dangling ornaments against her hair to see how it looked. The little golden bird’s wings seemed to flutter, casting flickering golden light along her neck.
She could not help admiring it.
“How beautiful!”
Xi Xiao could not understand why her elder sister was being so considerate.
“If he’s bedridden all year, he’ll develop bedsores. They’ll rot and spread! What if they reach his face, too?”
Xi Cai was startled.
“We haven’t seen him, but Father has. If his body were in such a terrible condition, Father would never have agreed to this marriage.”
Xi Xiao remained pessimistic. She cupped her face in her hands and sighed.
“Do you think he’ll smell bad? I’ve heard that when someone’s illness becomes severe, their body gives off a stench like rotting flesh.”
Her words made Xi Cai feel slightly sick. She thought that if the marquis really smelled that terrible, she might not even be able to endure being around him for half a day.
“Elder Sister, will you have to share a bed with him?” Xi Xiao asked miserably. “If he’s already on the verge of death, he probably won’t even be able to fulfill his duties as a husband, will he?”
Xi Cai looked at her but did not answer.
She had thought about that question herself. However, the possibilities were so frightening that she had decided to put the matter aside for the time being.
Madam Xi, who had been checking the shoes in the outer room, finally came inside. She had overheard their conversation and was already getting a headache.
Although she was not fond of the Marquis of Yanling, she still needed to be fair and tell Xi Cai what she knew. At the very least, her daughter deserved to have some idea of what awaited her.
“I saw the marquis from a distance when the late emperor passed away and the court held the mourning ceremonies,” Madam Xi said. “He did look rather pale and weak, but he was still a handsome man. Besides, he’s a marquis. He has people to help him wash, dress, and attend to his daily needs. His rooms are filled with servants and fragrant incense. How could he possibly be rotting away and stinking?”
Xi Xiao was unconvinced.
“Didn’t they say he was too ill to attend court regularly? Who knows what he’s like when he’s at home?”
Madam Xi fell silent for a moment before answering.
“It is true that his illness keeps him away from court much of the time. However, when something important happens, he still cannot be excluded from the discussions. Take the Qiang people’s recent disturbances, for example. The court still needs his involvement. As for the severity of his illness, he is the one who reports it to the imperial court. Perhaps he exaggerates his condition a little or deliberately makes himself seem more important. We cannot rule that out.”
Xi Cai held the hairpin in her hand and turned to look at her mother.
“Could he be pretending to be ill?”
Madam Xi smiled.
“Whether someone is truly sick can usually be seen at a glance. It would be difficult to fool every official at court.”
So the marquis really was ill. The question was how serious his condition had become and how much time he had left.
That was precisely why the Xi family needed someone who could enter the marquis’s household and discover the truth firsthand.
Xi Xiao was still worried.
“Mother saw him more than a year ago. Who knows how much worse he has become since then? What if, on the wedding day, they bring a rooster out to represent him instead of having him welcome the bride himself? Our Xi family’s daughter must never suffer such humiliation!”
She turned toward Xi Cai and tried to persuade her.
“Elder Sister, since he refuses to show himself, why don’t we visit him first? You have to know your opponent before you can win a battle. Even if you’re going to fill a bottomless pit, you should at least know exactly what you’re getting yourself into!”
Unfortunately, Xi Cai had no interest in the suggestion.
“I haven’t even finished embroidering my sachet. I don’t have time.”
Xi Xiao stared at her in disbelief.
“You’re going to marry this man, yet you don’t even know what he looks like or whether he smells pleasant or awful. Don’t you care at all?”
Xi Cai shook her head.
She genuinely did not care. She was not marrying the marquis because she wanted to spend the rest of her life happily with him.
If his illness was not too serious, the situation might become troublesome for her. But if he was gravely ill, that would be a blessing. It would help her escape from her predicament sooner.
Watching her elder sister remain as calm as a mountain, Xi Xiao could not help admiring her composure. With her own impatient and restless temperament, she doubted she would ever learn to be so steady.
After Xi Cai had tried on all the clothes prepared for the four seasons, there was nothing else for her to do. She left the main courtyard and returned to her own small residence.
The path was shaded by lush greenery, with trees stretching overhead along the way. When she arrived, she found Gong Xi and Yu Wu sorting through her old clothes.
Once a young woman married, she was expected to wear newly made garments. The clothes she had worn as an unmarried girl could be given away as rewards to servants or donated to people in need.
“These are all so lovely,” Yu Wu said regretfully. “Look at the fabric and the embroidery. It would be such a waste to give them away.”
Xi Cai glanced over.
“Choose two pieces to use as examples. Keep the rest. I can still wear them.”
Of course, she could still wear them. But the styles worn by married women were different from those worn by unmarried girls.
Gong Xi explained, “When a girl is unmarried, her skirts are tied high at the waist, and her loose, flowing sleeves make her look graceful and carefree. After marriage, her robes need to fit properly to give her a dignified appearance. Her skirt ribbons won’t be able to flutter about as freely anymore.”
Only then did Xi Cai begin to feel a little sad.
When she was still an unmarried girl, she could wear her hair in a soaring celestial-style bun and run through the flower gardens, her long ribbons and flowing garments fluttering higher than the wind beneath the eaves.
After marriage, she would have to arrange her hair in a lower, more restrained style, replace her dangling hair ornaments with simple hairpins, and narrow her wide sleeves so that they would not get in the way when she tended the fire in the kitchen.
No matter how wonderful the years of being an unmarried girl had been, the time had come to say goodbye to them.
She lowered her hand and gently touched the brightly colored garments. In the end, she could only sigh and let them go.
“Jiaojiao likes wearing trousers and rarely wears skirts. Forget it. You can choose what you want first. Donate whatever remains.”
Gong Xi went outside and called in the maids who served in the courtyard. Each of them chose a garment or two. By the time they had finished, there was hardly anything left.
Seeing how happy everyone was, Xi Cai smiled as well.
She slowly walked beneath the flowering crabapple tree. Dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves as she tightened the embroidery hoop in her hands and carefully threaded her needle through the plain silk fabric. With delicate stitches, she continued embroidering a young orchid whose slender shoots had only just begun to emerge.
Just then, she heard approaching footsteps.
She recognized them immediately and raised her eyes.
As expected, a man wearing a dark blue robe was walking through the corridor. His broad sleeves flowed like clouds, and the jade pendant at his waist struck softly against its ornaments, producing a clear, delicate sound.
When he reached her, he stopped.
Even the breeze seemed to fall still.
He stood before her, elegant and upright, his eyes carrying a sense of warmth and familiarity. There was also a gentleness and focused attention in his gaze that seemed unique to him.
Xi Cai smiled.
“What brings you here?”
His name was Xie Qiao, the son of her paternal aunt, Xi Lihua. He served as the Left Vice Director of the Shangshu Department and was considered one of the most promising young men of their generation.
Technically, cousins from different branches of the family were not as close as those who shared the same paternal line. However, years of warfare had left very few members of their extended family alive. After the Great Sheng dynasty was established, the two households began visiting each other frequently.
Xi Cai and Xie Qiao had known each other for at least seven or eight years.
Xie Qiao was six years older than she was. When Xi Cai was still a little girl who rolled up her trouser legs and ran into the flower beds, he was already a handsome young man in the prime of his youth.
Over the years, Xie Qiao had also experienced many hardships, both in his official career and in his marriage.
His rise and fall in the political world was a long story. His marriage, however, was easier to explain.
He had once married a woman who held the title of County Lady under the previous dynasty. Her family had maintained a close relationship with the Xie family for many years. In addition, Emperor Taizong had shown mercy toward the women of the former imperial court, granting them leniency and protection.
To protect the County Lady, Xie Qiao’s father had arranged for his son to marry her.
Unfortunately, no one could ever predict the emperor’s intentions, and imperial policies changed frequently.
One day, news arrived that officials were going to settle old accounts and punish people connected to the previous dynasty. The County Lady was so terrified that she died of fright.
At that time, she and Xie Qiao had been married for only six months.
Afterward, Xie Qiao never married again. He had remained alone for four years.
He was still as gentle, refined, and courteous as ever, but there was now a trace of exhaustion and caution in his eyes. Perhaps he had come to believe that everything in this world was fragile, and that love and affection were things he could no longer reach.
A man like Xie Qiao, who excelled in almost every way yet carried a sense of brokenness within him, was naturally attractive to a young woman beginning to understand matters of the heart.
Even now, Xi Cai considered him the ideal kind of man.
That did not mean she wanted to marry him. Rather, Xie Qiao represented a certain type of man she admired. Perhaps even when she grew old, remembering him would still stir a faint sense of regret and tenderness in her heart.
Xie Qiao was always careful and proper in his words and actions. He spoke slowly.
“I heard you’re about to leave your maiden home and get married, so I came to see you.”
Mentioning this sudden marriage in front of him made Xi Cai feel slightly embarrassed. However, she quickly composed herself and answered openly.
“Yes. The wedding date has been set for the sixteenth day of the eighth month.”
Xie Qiao nodded.
He knew about the conflict between the Xi family and the Marquis of Yanling. He also understood that Xi Cai’s future would not be easy.
However, since both families had decided to form this marriage alliance, they must have carefully considered its advantages and risks. Any warning he offered might be unnecessary and would only make her more anxious.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to remain within the proper boundaries of their relationship.
“If you encounter any difficulties in the future and feel uncomfortable troubling your father and mother, you can come to me. You call me your elder brother, so I have a responsibility to help you.”
A little warmth rose in Xi Cai’s heart.
Fortunately, aside from her parents, there was still someone she could turn to if she ever found herself in trouble.
She smiled brightly.
“All right. Thank you, Brother. Hearing you say that makes me feel much more at ease.”
Xie Qiao’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment before moving to the embroidered orchid between her fingers.
He then took a small box from his sleeve and placed it beside her.
“Is this for me?” Xi Cai asked curiously.
She opened the box and found a collar clasp made of creamy white jade encircled by pure gold. It rested quietly on a deep blue cushion.
The jade was smooth and warm in appearance, without any elaborate carvings. The thin golden ring glimmered faintly in the light, making the clasp look both simple and dignified.
A breeze brushed against the wide sleeve of Xie Qiao’s robe. His voice remained calm.
“It’s a small gift, but it represents my sincere wishes for you. May it hold your good fortune in place and accompany you through peaceful years, without storms or troubles.”
The jade clasp felt cool against Xi Cai’s palm.
She held it carefully and looked up at him.
“You’ve gone to so much trouble, Brother. I really like it. I’ll put it away in my jewelry box later. Thank you for adding such a lovely gift to my dowry.”
Xie Qiao took a step back and gave a slight nod. His courtesy was complete, and it was time for him to leave.
Xi Cai gathered her sleeves and bowed to him. He returned the bow before turning and walking back the way he had come.
His jade pendant struck softly with each step. The delicate sounds gradually faded into the breeze until they could no longer be heard.
Only after he had left did Xi Cai open her hand again and carefully examine the jade clasp.
She could not explain why, but a faint sadness suddenly settled over her heart.
Beside her, Gong Xi sighed in admiration.
“Young Master Xie really is thoughtful. The clasp is so simple and elegant that it will match almost any robe.”
Xi Cai finally came back to herself.
“Exactly. My own younger brother, the Third Young Master, still hasn’t given me anything for my dowry. I’ve loved and spoiled him all these years, only for him to treat me like this!”
Her casual complaint distracted her from thinking too much about the jade clasp.
Some feelings could never be spoken aloud. They could only be hidden deep within the heart. If she allowed herself to fall too deeply into them, she would have to pull herself back out before it was too late.
People always had a fixed idea of women who possessed exceptionally good reputations. They seemed to believe that such women all had the same faces and the same hearts, moving through their carefully defined circles and following the same path of virtue and propriety.
But Xi Cai occasionally entertained wild thoughts of her own.
After seeing Xie Qiao just now, a ridiculous idea had suddenly occurred to her.
If everything went according to plan, and she eventually remarried after her first marriage ended, would there perhaps be a chance for something to develop between her and Xie Qiao?
The thought had barely formed before she reconsidered it. Suddenly, it seemed laughable.
He was far too good a man.
Perhaps she should abandon the idea and leave this beautiful possibility untouched.
The jade clasp in her hand had gradually warmed to her body temperature.
Xi Cai let out a soft breath, raised her hand, and fastened it onto the collar of her robe.