Yan Qing heard her words and paused. “A rumor?”
“Sixth Miss, so you really haven’t heard yet.” The maidservant said kindly. “Word throughout the estate is that the Shi family intends to break the engagement with Sixth Miss and marry Fifth Miss instead.”
Yan Qing recalled what Shi Ting had told her: whatever happens, don’t overthink it, don’t worry, just trust him.
Even though hearing this news shocked her deeply, she kept her expression calm. “Who did you hear this from?”
“Fifth Miss has been making a commotion throughout the estate — everyone knows.”
“Then why did you tell me?” This maidservant belonged to Yan Qi’s household and ought to have no particular stake in her affairs.
The maidservant answered with a touch of shyness, “The last time Sixth Miss helped someone who had fallen in the courtyard, many of us saw it happen. I think Sixth Miss is a good person.”
Yan Qing smiled softly. “Well then, I’ve arrived. Thank you for telling me.”
The little maidservant quickly said she dared not accept the thanks, then turned and hurried away.
Murong and Jing Zhi heard the movement and came out to meet her, and saw Yan Qing turning her wheelchair through the gate by herself.
“Miss.” Murong had returned to the Yan Mansion after seeing Yan Qing to the Military Police Division and had been anxiously waiting ever since. “What did Director Shi say?”
“He said he will help me.”
Jing Zhi said, “Miss, I’ve already found out — the Yan and Shi families are changing the marriage arrangement so that Fifth Miss marries instead.”
“I just heard that from the maidservant on my way back.”
“On the surface, breaking the engagement seems to be what you wanted all along, Miss. But the whole estate is already spreading talk that the Shi family found Sixth Miss unsatisfactory and went to great lengths to end the engagement. That kind of talk won’t take long to spread all over Shun Cheng.” Jing Zhi felt no pleasure at seeing a wish fulfilled. In this era, a woman whose engagement was broken suffered severe damage to her reputation — it essentially meant she would have no hope of marrying into a good family again.
For women whose engagements were broken, the luckier ones might become concubines to wealthy households. The worst off never married at all. There were even those who, proud of their virtue and unable to bear the disgrace, threw themselves into a well.
Murong was anxious as well. “Miss, what should we do? The rumors are already beyond containing.”
“Let them talk.” Yan Qing was remarkably composed. “People’s mouths belong to themselves — we can’t control what they say.”
“But if they’re allowed to go on spreading these falsehoods, how will Miss ever find a husband in the future?”
Yan Qing suddenly recalled what Shi Ting had said: he liked her; he would not let her marry anyone else.
“Miss, the Master is coming.” Murong glanced toward the courtyard.
Old Master Yan was a changed man from his usual confident, spirited self. Even his walk lacked its former vitality. He entered Yan Qing’s courtyard with his brow deeply furrowed.
Yan Qing sent Murong and Jing Zhi away first, then personally brewed a pot of ginseng tea for Old Master Yan.
Old Master Yan sat there, heaving sigh after sigh, not knowing how to begin.
“Father.” Yan Qing set a cup before him. “You don’t need to feel guilty. With the safety of the entire Yan family at stake, you had no choice. I understand, and I don’t blame you.”
“Qing’er.” Hearing her say this, Old Master Yan felt even more stricken. “It is Father who has failed you. I promised I would always protect you. I never imagined things would come to this. That Madam Shi — she is simply outrageous.”
“Father, I never liked Shi Guang to begin with. Now that the engagement is broken, I’m actually relieved.”
“You foolish girl — even if it was our own family who brought it forward, the outside world will only hear that the Shi family ended the engagement. What humiliation for a woman to have her engagement broken. I’m afraid finding a good match for you now will be near impossible.” Old Master Yan sighed. “You grew up without your mother, and with your legs unable to walk, life has already been hard enough for you. I never thought that heaven would be so unkind as to add further hardship on top of that.”
“Has the Marshal already agreed?”
“I will go to the Marshal tomorrow.” Old Master Yan sighed again. “Madam Shi promised me that as long as I comply with her terms, she will destroy all the evidence, and no one will be able to connect the medicinal herbs to the southwestern warlords and trace it back to me. But doing this means wronging you.”
Though the Marshal had pledged the marriage verbally, he had done so partly under the pressure of circumstance. He valued Shi Guang and naturally hoped he would marry a woman of talent, beauty, and distinguished family. As long as Old Master Yan went to him — and with Madam Shi’s persuasive words on top of that — the Marshal would surely agree without hesitation.
Madam Shi’s scheme not only secured a healthy, legitimate daughter for Shi Guang’s bride, but also avoided making a true enemy of the Yan family. With evidence against the Yan family in hand, she also held the perfect means of keeping them in check. In the future, when Shi Guang inherited the position of Marshal, the Yan family would have no choice but to support him with everything they had.
“Father, who in Shun Cheng doesn’t know that you love me most? I could never fail to find a husband.” Yan Qing comforted him. “And Grandmother must have put pressure on you too — please don’t take it out on her. She only wanted what was best for the Yan family.”
Old Master Yan felt greatly consoled hearing those words. “Qing’er, you’ve truly grown up. You’re even trying to comfort your old father now.”
He looked at her with deep and tender affection. “Don’t worry. Even if I cannot find a family like the Shi family, Father will not shortchange you. I will do everything in my power to find you a worthy husband.”
Yan Qing smiled and moved the teacup closer to him. “I trust you, Father. Have some tea.”
Old Master Yan drank a mouthful, and the weight pressing on his heart seemed to ease somewhat. He silently swore to himself that he would find Yan Qing a good match — he would absolutely not let her be wronged.
~
After hearing Old Master Yan’s request, the Marshal agreed without hesitation, and received him with an even warmer welcome than usual.
It so happened that the monk whom Old Madam Shi had invited was currently conducting a sutra lecture at the Shi estate. Old Madam Shi, eager to break the ill fortune bearing down on the Marshal, had the monk choose an auspicious date, and after consulting the stars and numerology, the monk settled the wedding for the eighth day of the ninth month, which fell on the first of October.
With the date set, the two families began attending to the formalities. The groom’s side prepared betrothal gifts, the bride’s side prepared a dowry — the scale of these preparations would reflect the bride’s standing in her husband’s household, and would be the talk of every street and alley in Shun Cheng.
When Old Master Yan returned to the estate, he summoned Madam Yan and the concubines to discuss the matter together. After all, this was a joyous occasion for the household, and with the Marshal’s Mansion as the counterpart, the Yan family naturally could not afford to lose face.
Madam Yan had barely stepped out the door when Yan Qin came rushing in furiously.
“Mother, I won’t do it — I won’t do it.” Yan Qin burst through the door in tears. “I don’t want to marry that Second Young Master Shi. I don’t even remember what he looks like.”
“What are you saying?” Madam Yan’s face turned cold. “Do you have any idea how many people in Shun Cheng would envy this match? Shi Guang — who is he? He will one day be the lord of all Bei Di. I worked so hard to secure this marriage for you, and you have the gall to be so ungrateful.”
“I refuse, no matter what.” Yan Qin wept in frustration.
Madam Yan said, “I know you have feelings for Director Shi Ting. But he is nothing more than the director of a small Military Police Division. Shi Guang commands vast armies and holds real power — the two are as different as heaven and earth. How can they even be compared?”
Yan Qin only wept.
“Daughter, this match was originally meant for Sixth Girl. Now that you’ve taken it from her, she must be furious. In this household, with the Master doting on her, you can’t get the better of her. But once she’s married off and you are the Young Madam of the Marshal’s Mansion — won’t you be able to deal with her however you please?”
“But I simply don’t want to marry Second Young Master Shi.” Thinking of Shi Ting, Yan Qin felt only misery.
“Not wanting to won’t get you out of it.” Madam Yan’s patience had run out. “The date has been fixed. Over the coming days, stay home and study etiquette and the proper conduct of a wife. The Shi household is not an ordinary family — every word and action must be flawless.”
Knowing her daughter’s temper, Madam Yan called in two attendants. “For the next while, keep a close watch on Fifth Miss. She is not to set foot outside the courtyard.”
The two attendants hurried to comply.
“Mother, you’re going to lock me up?” Yan Qin was incredulous. “Don’t think I won’t make you regret it.”
Madam Yan replied flatly, “If you have the nerve, then go ahead.”
She knew her daughter well. Yan Qin had no such resolve — the threat was nothing more than bluster.
Madam Yan then turned to the two attendants. “Go out and spread word that the Shi family rejected Sixth Miss because she is crippled — that Sixth Miss is weak, incompetent, and of questionable conduct, and was forcibly thrown out of the engagement.”
“Yes, Madam.”
Madam Yan smiled coldly. Having Yan Qin married into the Shi family was not enough. She also intended to ruin Yan Qing’s reputation entirely, so she would never be able to marry into a good family.
Jing Zhi was outside and overheard a few fragments of the slander, and nearly came to blows with the person spreading it.
She stormed back to the courtyard, her face red with anger, and told Yan Qing everything she had heard.
“Miss, the rumors are terrible. They’re saying — they’re saying Sixth Miss’s conduct is questionable, and that even the Marshal himself didn’t hesitate to fall out with the Yan family rather than go through with the engagement.”
Yan Qing was performing acupuncture on herself. Upon hearing this, she smiled faintly. “Those words came from Madam’s courtyard, I take it.”
“Miss, if this keeps up, no one in Shun Cheng will truly dare to marry you.” Jing Zhi said with deep worry.
“Spending the rest of my days in the Yan household keeping Father company in his old age is perfectly fine too.”
“Miss, you really do take things in stride.” Jing Zhi threw up her hands in helpless admiration. She sat down to help her insert the needles, and at the sight of the needle marks on her legs, her heart ached. “Miss, these needle marks will fade eventually, won’t they?”
“They will. Don’t worry.”
“Good. Miss’s legs are so lovely — it would be a shame to have them marked like this.”
Yan Qing pressed in a needle and asked, “What’s going on with Yan Qin?”
“Fifth Miss doesn’t want to marry and has been making a scene in the courtyard every day — refusing to eat, threatening to hurt herself. But Madam knows she doesn’t have the will to go through with it and hasn’t bothered to take it seriously. She’s just had the attendants keep the courtyard gate locked so Fifth Miss can’t leave.”
“If Second Young Master Shi ever learned that neither of the Yan daughters was willing to marry him, I wonder where he’d put his face.” Yan Qing said, and laughed. “Some people are simply too full of themselves — as if everyone in the world ought to adore them.”
While they were speaking, Murong came in holding a letter. “Miss, your letter.”
Yan Qing saw the handwriting on the envelope and felt a quiet delight stir inside her, though on the surface she remained perfectly composed.
“The two of you, go on and attend to other things.”
Jing Zhi and Murong knew perfectly well who the letter was from. The two shared a knowing smile and slipped out.
When Yan Qing saw them pull the door shut behind them, she lost no time in tearing open the envelope. The familiar handwriting leapt up before her eyes — like the man himself, refined and distinguished, like a grove of fine bamboo.
—