The Pei family’s selection was Yin Jiuling, the legitimate daughter of Yin Xiao, Director of the Imperial Academy and Grand Secretary.

This young lady had an elegant and dignified appearance with outstanding temperament. From childhood she studied with her father and learned household management from her mother—a true daughter of a great family.

Yin Xiao had only this one daughter and wanted to keep her by his side a few more years, which was why her marriage had been delayed. Otherwise it wouldn’t have been Pei Xiao’s turn.

Pei Xiao hurried into the main hall.

Pei Yu introduced the person beside him: “This is my son—still not fully accomplished. Mingting, come greet your Uncle Yin.”

Pei Xiao steeled himself and stepped forward to bow respectfully.

He was already handsome, but because Xie Zhifei was too outstanding, his brilliance was overshadowed. Standing alone, Young Master Pei was also quite distinguished and imposing.

Yin Xiao controlled the Imperial Academy and had seen all sorts of talented young men. The one before him had good bearing, good appearance, and good temperament—very pleasing to his eye.

From the corner of his eye, Yin Xiao glanced at his eldest son, Yin Qi.

Yin Qi imperceptibly closed his eyes once toward his father.

Physical appearance was secondary. The key was the Pei family’s status and the person behind Pei Xiao.

Now, who in the capital didn’t know that Young Master Pei of the Monastic Registry Office was close friends with the Crown Prince?

Young Master Pei could come and go freely in the Crown Prince’s Duanmu Palace.

The movements of the Yin father and son couldn’t escape Pei Yu’s notice.

Seeing there was hope, Pei Yu’s words grew increasingly warm toward the Yin family. Before he knew it, they had chatted until mealtime.

Pei Yu invited the Yin father and son to dine in the side hall.

Throughout the meal, host and guests were all pleased—only Pei Xiao sat on pins and needles, his thoughts drifting far away.

After seeing off the Yin father and son, the couple called their son before them.

Lady Ji smiled: “That young lady—Mother already looked her over for you. She’s quite beautiful, and speaks and acts with great propriety. After marrying her, she’ll definitely be virtuous.”

Pei Xiao ground his teeth and said in a muffled voice: “What use is virtue if she’s not someone I like?”

Lady Ji didn’t hear clearly: “What did you say?”

Pei Xiao spoke as if swallowing bitter medicine: “Mother, I don’t want to marry yet.”

“If you don’t want to marry, what do you want to do?”

Pei Yu’s face darkened. “Want to ascend to heaven? Is there some fairy waiting for you up there?”

There was no fairy in heaven, but there was one at the別 estate.

Thinking of that one, Pei Xiao decided he should tell his parents his true feelings. If he didn’t speak now, it would truly be too late.

Just then, he heard his father sigh softly:

“Son, you’re the Pei family’s eldest legitimate son. You’ll inherit the family business in the future. If you marry this Yin family girl, you’ll have peace and ease for life, and your mother’s back, bent for over ten years, can finally straighten.”

These words stabbed into Pei Xiao’s heart like a knife.

Why couldn’t Mother straighten her back for over ten years? Because she hadn’t given birth to a son with medical talent.

In a family of hereditary physicians, even the gatekeeper knew some basic medicine, yet he, the eldest legitimate son, got headaches from reading medical texts and felt dizzy smelling medicinal herbs.

Because of this, how much grief Mother had suffered behind the scenes, how many tears she’d shed—it couldn’t be told in three days and three nights.

“Son, once the Yin family girl enters our home, Mother will hand over the household management to her.”

Lady Ji smiled so wide her mouth couldn’t close.

“As soon as Miss Yin gets pregnant, Mother will have her read medical texts. We’ll cultivate the child from the womb—I refuse to believe we can’t raise a little medical immortal. I’ve inquired—that Miss Yin quite enjoys reading medical texts and can even take her own pulse.”

Pei Xiao looked at the light in his mother’s eyes and swallowed back all his words.

In a family of hereditary physicians, a man who couldn’t practice medicine was equivalent to trash.

Trash should be thrown away.

Not only had he not been discarded, he’d grown up smoothly to this point with everything he wanted. How could he bear to break his parents’ hearts?

…

At the estate.

Han Xu looked at the two people before her—four eyes—and finally spoke slowly.

“The one pushing marriage is my second uncle. He says a family head without descendants is a major taboo. If something happened to me, the Han family would fall into chaos again.”

Her voice was low. “Actually, he’s right. It’s just that falling on me—how could I take a wife, and where would descendants come from?”

When she was still in her mother’s womb, a fortune-telling blind man said—

If this child is male, the Han family will prosper for another thirty years. If female, the Han family will face a bloody disaster.

The infant was born with a loud cry—a baby girl.

For the Han family’s sake, Father wanted to strangle her on the spot. It was Seventh Brother who snatched her up and held her tightly in his arms, desperately pleading, that saved her small life.

From then on, she became the Han family’s Twelfth Master.

The Han family was a large clan. Father was the fortress master of Han Family Fort. Above him were three brothers, below him another three brothers.

The Han Family Fort’s succession didn’t depend on legitimate or common birth, only on ability.

Whoever had the greatest ability could become fortress master.

Father was legitimately born with three abilities: first, his martial arts skills were formidable; second, he was sophisticated in dealings; third, he had many brothers and friends.

Father had one wife and three concubines. Seventh Brother was Father’s legitimate eldest son, ranked seventh in the clan, hence called Seventh Master.

She and Seventh Brother came from the same mother’s womb.

Seventh Brother was ten years older than her.

When young, Father was busy escorting caravans, Mother was busy managing the large household—no one had time to look after her, but Seventh Brother did.

Not only did he look after her, he taught her martial arts.

In everything else, Seventh Brother indulged and accommodated her. Only in martial training was Seventh Brother stricter than the instructor—if she slacked off even slightly, the small whip would strike.

After striking her, Seventh Brother would apply medicine while sighing with heartache.

“Twelve, don’t blame Seventh Brother for being harsh. Your life is harder than others’. Brother can’t protect you forever—you must protect yourself.”

The whip strikes didn’t hurt—these words hurt.

When slightly older, Seventh Brother taught her hand by hand to walk like a man, speak like a man, adopt a man’s bearing and mannerisms…

But her eyes always fixed on other girls—their braids were pretty, their skirts were pretty, the rouge on their lips even prettier.

She wanted to ask Seventh Brother: I’m clearly female-bodied, so why must I be a man?

But she didn’t dare ask.

Father and Mother treated her as nothing, but Seventh Brother gave her the best of everything.

If she asked too much, Seventh Brother would be hurt.

Gradually, she forgot whether she was male or female.

Except for not being able to stand and urinate like Seventh Brother, in all other behaviors and mannerisms, she was almost identical to him.

Everyone praised her—of all the Han family, only Twelfth Master wasn’t afraid of hardship in training or studying. In the future, she would definitely be an upstanding good man.

At fifteen, she had her first moon blood.

She would never forget that day—it was the thirty-fifth day after Mother’s death.

Seeing the blood in her pants, thinking she had some terminal illness, she cried while telling Seventh Brother. Seventh Brother’s expression changed dramatically.

He was silent for a full half cup of tea before sighing: “My Twelve has finally grown up.”

Seventh Brother called for Seventh Sister-in-law.

While shocked, Seventh Sister-in-law taught her hand by hand how to handle it and what to pay attention to. From that day, Seventh Brother gave her a human-skin mask he’d prepared long ago.

Seventh Brother also told her that once he took control of the family, he would let her return to being a woman and marry into a good family with dignity.

What bloody disaster—it was all the fortune teller’s nonsense.

When that day came, he would have Jining Prefecture’s finest embroiderer make her wedding clothes, and the dowry would be a hefty one hundred twenty sets.

Finally, Seventh Brother said he would personally carry her to the wedding sedan.