The one who came to seek Yan Qing’s hand in marriage was not Shi Guang, but the seventh son of the Shi Family — Shi Ting, Director of the Military Police Bureau.
The news spread like wind scattered seeds, traveling throughout every corner of the Yan Mansion and every street and alley of the city.
Those who had once laughed at and looked down on Yan Qing all fell silent, for none of them could have imagined that after being jilted by the Shi Family, she could turn around and marry into that very same family — not as a concubine, but openly and honorably as the Seventh Young Mistress.
Though the Director held no direct political power, the Military Police Bureau he commanded enjoyed enormous prestige among the people. Moreover, Shi Ting was the Marshal’s own son, his status plain for all to see, and no one dared show even a hint of contempt.
For a time, the Yan Mansion was filled with both joy and sorrow.
The most resentful of all was naturally Madam Yan. She had schemed and plotted to marry off Yan Qin, and had assumed that this illegitimate daughter would henceforth be unable to secure a decent match. She never expected that Yan Qing would continue to shine, and that the generous betrothal gifts she received would be no less lavish than those given for Yan Qin.
Just as Madam Yan sat restless and uneasy, Master Yan strode in with heavy steps. Catching sight of his dark, brooding expression, her eyelids began to twitch wildly.
Behind Master Yan followed a bookkeeper wearing a melon-skin cap and round spectacles, who stumbled in and immediately dropped to his knees with a thud.
“Master Fang, what is the meaning of this?” Madam Yan forced herself to appear calm.
After sitting down, Master Yan tossed several sheets of paper before Fang Younian. “I asked you to investigate Zhao Ziming’s background. How did you carry that out?”
“Master, I have been wronged! That Zhao Ziming concealed himself far too deeply.”
“Why is it that others could discover his dealings with the warlords of Xi Nan, yet you could not?”
Seeing the situation, Madam Yan hurried forward to mediate. “Master, Steward Fang did his best. That Zhao Ziming came prepared — we cannot blame Steward Fang for this.”
“You. Kneel.” Master Yan’s furious roar sent Madam Yan to her knees at once.
Footsteps sounded at the door as the Old Madam of the Yan Family slowly entered, supported by her maidservant. At the sight of the Old Madam’s arrival, Madam Yan’s eyelids twitched ever more fiercely.
“You ungrateful wretch.” Master Yan first helped the Old Madam to her seat, then strode to stand before Madam Yan and struck her hard across the face.
Madam Yan let out a cry of pain and crumpled to the ground, while the nearby Fang Younian trembled so violently he could barely keep still.
“I have long wondered why Madam Shi’s scheme with Zhao Ziming to frame me went so smoothly. It turns out that the most dangerous enemy is the one within your own household.” Master Yan shook with rage. “You joined hands with an outsider to harm our Yan Family. What exactly were you thinking?”
Madam Yan cried out her innocence. “Master, I didn’t — Old Madam, I didn’t, truly I didn’t.”
“There is no need to quibble. Fang Younian has confessed everything.” Master Yan glared at her with fury. “Fang Younian accepted bribes from Madam Shi, and your condition was that Madam Shi would redirect the marriage to Yan Qin once the matter was done. Is there a single word of untruth in what I’ve said?”
“Master, Madam Shi promised me she would not harm our Yan Family. She only wished to prevent Shi Guang from marrying our sixth daughter. She said that after the matter was settled, she would redirect the marriage to Yan Qin and cause our family no loss whatsoever. I had no idea she would go back on her word and still use this matter to threaten you.” Madam Yan’s tears and mucus flowed freely as she wept. “Master, Old Madam — I harbor no ill will toward the Yan Family. This family is the very foundation of my existence. If I destroyed it, would I not be destroying myself?”
“What a misfortune, that my Yan Family has raised two ingrates.” Master Yan’s fury did not abate. “Fang Younian — for a trifling favor, you betrayed the household you have served for decades. Have the dogs eaten your conscience?”
He pointed a furious finger at Fang Younian. “Out of consideration for the fact that you served the old master, I will not send you to prison. But from this day forward, you and the Yan Family are to have no further connection whatsoever.”
Fang Younian knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly, filled with nothing but regret.
“And as for you.” Master Yan turned to Madam Yan. “We are both getting on in years, and our children have all established their own households. I have no wish to write a letter of divorce and send you back to your family. However, for the trouble you have caused, there must be a reckoning.”
Master Yan turned to bow respectfully toward the Old Madam. “Mother, I leave it to you to decide how she is to be dealt with.”
The Old Madam was silent for a moment, then tapped her walking stick. “At this point, I have no desire to let outsiders see our family’s disgrace. Since the matter has already been resolved, there is no need for too severe a punishment. Let her go and face the wall in the Citang for three months. During those three months she is not to set one foot outside it. The affairs of the inner courtyard shall be handed over to Er Yitai to manage.”
Madam Yan grew agitated at once. “Mother, the inner courtyard cannot be entrusted to Guo Yanrong — that woman is petty-minded and lacks ability…”
“Enough.” The Old Madam’s voice turned sharp as she cut her off. “Whatever Guo Yanrong’s shortcomings may be, she is still a hundred times better than an ungrateful wretch like you. A mother who brings no peace, and a daughter who brings shame upon us in the Shi Family — truly, you two are sent by heaven to be the ruin of this household.”
Madam Yan dared not make another sound under this torrent of rebuke.
“Very well. That is settled. If you dare argue further, I shall confine you for a year or two.” The Old Madam rose from her seat, assisted by her maidservant.
“Second son, we will accept the Shi Family’s betrothal gifts. You must also hasten the arrangements that follow. That the Shi Family is willing to marry our sixth daughter at a time like this — that is her good fortune.”
“Understood, Mother.”
Word of Madam Yan’s confinement to the Citang spread quickly throughout the Yan Mansion.
“I hear Madam has been confined to the Citang on a vegetarian diet for three months — I wonder what it is all about.”
Family disgrace was not to be aired in public. Everyone knew she had been punished, but none knew the reason.
In truth, even without Master Yan saying anything, Yan Qing could guess seven or eight parts of it. When Madam Shi had laid her trap for Master Yan, a man who had been sharp-witted his entire life would not have been so easily caught — unless someone inside the family had been working against him. And Madam Yan had done this for one reason alone: she wanted Yan Qin to marry into the Shi Family, believing that becoming the Second Young Mistress of so powerful and prestigious a household would set Yan Qin on the path to glory. What she had not considered was that with Yan Qin’s temperament, it would be no easy matter to thrive in a household as strict and powerful as the Shi Family. The wealth and honor she had envisioned for her daughter would in truth be nothing but self-inflicted suffering.
Yan Qing harbored no hatred for Madam Yan. On the contrary, she ought to be grateful to her — if not for Madam Yan and Madam Shi, it would be she herself who was married to Shi Guang right now.
Several days passed, and the Shi Family sent people to request Yan Qing’s birth date and hour. This was an indispensable step in any proper betrothal — after the inquiry of name came the propitious omen, whereby the names of both parties were sent together to a master for divination, confirming that their birth signs did not clash before a wedding date could be fixed.
Though there were those in this era who preferred the modern form of marriage — a simple registration and a banquet — in families of standing, all six traditional rites were observed without exception. The degree of care with which a man’s family conducted the wedding proceedings reflected directly the bride’s standing. The more meticulous the process, the more clearly it showed that the bride was cherished by the groom’s family; the simpler the rites, the easier it was for others to mock.
Early one morning, Master Yan had someone deliver a basket of fresh yellow peaches. Bei Di was well known throughout the country for its peaches and apples, and its yellow peaches and honey peaches in particular had earned a national reputation.
“Miss, these peaches still have their leaves on — you can tell they were just picked. They must be especially sweet.”
Yan Qing glanced at them with a smile. “Wrap them up.”
Jing Zhi and Murong exchanged knowing smiles. “Are you sending them to Director Shi, Miss?”
“I hear he has been very busy lately. These peaches are a little something fresh for him to enjoy.”
When they arrived at the Military Police Bureau, it was indeed a scene of busy activity. Bai Jin was walking out carrying several documents when she looked up and saw Yan Qing.
“Sister-in-law!”
Bai Jin’s greeting made Yan Qing’s face flush crimson.
“Sister-in-law, you’re here to see Seventh Brother, aren’t you? He’s in his office.” Bai Jin glanced at the paper bag cradled in Yan Qing’s arms. “Yellow peaches?”
“Help yourself.” Yan Qing handed the bag over.
Bai Jin fished out a peach and wiped it on her sleeve before taking a bite.
“Aren’t you going to wash it first?” Yan Qing asked in surprise.
“No need — just wipe off the fuzz and you’re good. We men aren’t so particular.” Bai Jin spoke with the peach held between her teeth. “Come on, Sister-in-law, let me push you over.”
Shi Ting was at his desk working through official matters when a knock came at the door. Without looking up, he said, “Come in.”
It was only when a bag of peaches appeared on the desk before him that he looked up in surprise. At the sight of the person standing there, delight flooded instantly into his eyes. “What brings you here?”
“I heard you’ve been so busy you can’t even catch your breath, so I came to see if there was anything I could help with.”
“The case is mostly wrapped up — we’re just waiting on the interrogation results now.” Shi Ting rose and came around the desk to stand before her. “Did you miss me?”
Yan Qing had no words for him. The Director was as self-assured as ever.
“Why didn’t you let me know in advance that you were going to my family to deliver the betrothal gifts?” Yan Qing asked with a slight frown.
“That would have ruined the surprise.” He crouched down before her so that his earnest, intense gaze met hers at eye level. “Thank you for trusting me.”
Through everything that had happened, she had not said a word or come to seek him out, because she carried within her an unshakeable faith in him — she believed that no matter what came to pass, he would clear the path ahead of her through every obstacle.
“If not you, then who?” Yan Qing’s eyes curved into a smile. “You started arranging all of this from the day I came to the Military Police Bureau to ask for your help, didn’t you?”
He took her hand and raised it to his lips. “For me, this battle was one where I had to burn my bridges and leave myself no retreat — otherwise I could only watch helplessly as you married someone else.”
“And you won.”
“I don’t like to gamble. But when I do, I never lose.”
Yan Qing laughed. The hand he was holding gave a gentle brush against his chin. He had indeed been pushing himself hard these past few days — stubble had begun to grow along his jaw.
“How many days has it been since you shaved?”
“One.”
“One day, and it’s already this long? It gives you a certain rugged look, I’ll admit, but it still takes away from Director Shi’s handsomeness.” Yan Qing looked around the office. “Do you have a razor here?”
“I do.” Shi Ting rose and retrieved a box from his drawer. Inside lay shaving cream and a sharp razor blade.
“Let me shave it for you.”
“You know how to shave someone?”
“I do it often.” Yan Qing picked up the razor with practiced ease, and explained to the somewhat puzzled Shi Ting: “A forensic examiner who doesn’t know how to shave isn’t a good forensic examiner.”
Shi Ting smiled ruefully. “But I’m alive…”
“Don’t worry. I have steady hands.”
—
*The second wave of wishes comes true — the betrothal gifts delivered, the engagement set!*
*With the engagement done, can the wedding be far behind? And once they’re wed, will standing up still be an issue?*
*Eighth Brother: Five words float through the sky — this is nothing to worry about.*
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