Chapter 1: The Wedding The person he wanted to marry wasn't him at all...

The frost is heavy and the leakage is deep, but the spring in Kyoto is shallow.

Duke Cheng’s Mansion, Zhuoxinzhai.

It was already some time after nightfall, and snowflakes like jade beads were flying through the courtyard. Some fell on the branches that had just sprouted, and soon condensed and piled up, looking as crystal clear and lovely as jade branches. Others fell on the crimson wedding satin hanging in the yard, wetting it into a patch of deep and light red.

Fortunately, the ceremony was completed.

At present, the newlyweds are already sitting in the tent in the room, and no matter how windy or rainy it is outside, it cannot shake them at all.

The door creaked shut, and the noisy laughter that had been lingering in the room disappeared, separating the inside and outside into two worlds.

Shen Lianxiu's heart was still beating violently.

She put down the round fan she had been holding in her hand, as if she had finally made up her mind, and then she dared to turn her head to look at the person next to her.

After just one glance, she immediately turned her head back, and subconsciously stroked the green sandalwood bracelet on her wrist, feeling very nervous.

The man sitting next to her was very handsome.

During the complicated ceremony of the day, Shen Lianxiu should have had many opportunities to look at him, but she never dared to and kept her eyes down.

It was a chilly spring day, and she felt a little hot immediately after seeing this. She picked up the round fan on her knees and fanned herself a few times.

But after a moment, she put down the fan again. This time she frowned, held her breath unconsciously, and then suddenly raised her hand in front of his eyes and shook it vigorously.

Those eyes that should have been as bright and clear as glass seemed to be lost in thought, without any reaction at all.

Shen Lianxiu was worried and shook it again.

Perhaps feeling the breeze from her palm and the rustle of her clothes as she moved, he suddenly asked, "What's wrong?"

His voice is also warm and clear, which matches his appearance very well.

Shen Lianxiu was already feeling guilty, so without warning, she quickly replied, "No, it's just... your eyes..."

The expression on his face did not change. Although the topic was somewhat inappropriate, he did not get angry. Instead, he smiled and answered word by word: "I can't see it."

Of course Shen Lianxiu knew that it was gone, but she was just feeling guilty and wanted to test it out.

But as his voice fell, Shen Lianxiu suddenly found himself a little funny.

If he could see clearly, he should have let her go home long ago. Why wait until now?

If he hadn't been unable to see, she wouldn't be sitting here right now.

The man in front of her was named Zhou Linjin, the son of Duke Cheng, and should have been her brother-in-law.

About half a year ago, Shen Lianxiu and his sister Shen Wuyu returned to their hometown Shouzhou to celebrate the birthday of an elder in their clan. At that time, Shouzhou was hit by a flood. As a wealthy local family, the Shen family provided porridge to the villagers for several days. It happened that Zhou Linjin came to Shouzhou to provide disaster relief and saw Shen Wuyu providing porridge on the street. He fell in love with her at first sight. After making detailed inquiries, he immediately asked his family to come to the Shen family to propose marriage.

This is really a good marriage for the Shen family.

Although the Shen family is a family of officials and has some foundation, it is not prominent. Now it can only rely on Shen Lianxiu's father, Shen Ji, who holds a sixth-rank idle position in the capital to barely support the family.

The Zhou family is completely different. Duke Cheng of Zhou Chang had made great military achievements and earned this title by suppressing a rebellion many years ago. He still guards the area today. Although his son Zhou Linjin did not inherit his father's legacy, he was extremely talented in studying. He had already become famous when he was in the Imperial College. Later, he studied under a great scholar of the time. At the age of seventeen, he passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi. He made a big splash at the Qionglin Banquet. With his elegant appearance and beautiful manners, he was as unattainable as the bright moon in the sky.

The Shen family immediately agreed to this good thing that they couldn't even dream of.

But just two months ago, Shen Wuyu, who was about to get married, suddenly disappeared.

Chen Lianxiu didn't know what was going on with Chen Wuyu. She only knew that her family kept it a secret and didn't dare let the Zhou family know. She secretly went out to look for her for more than half a month, but there was still no trace of Chen Wuyu.

In this case, the Shen family has no choice but to cancel the engagement.

Just when the Shen family was about to cancel the engagement, Zhou Linjin went blind.

Chen Lianxiu's stepmother Chen stopped Shen Ji who was about to go to Zhou's house to break off the engagement.

She had a wild idea and came up with a plan to conceal the truth.

"I'm doing this for our Shen family," Chen said. "It would be such a shame if this marriage was called off. After all, this is the Duke Cheng's Mansion! Zhou Linjin is blind anyway. He only met Second Lady once and never heard her speak. Asking First Lady to marry him in her place is essentially the same."

Shen Ji asked at the time: "What if he regains his sight?"

"If she can see again, then she can see again. She's his now. Can he still give her back?"

Shen Ji agreed to this, and they couldn't help but let Shen Lianxiu disagree.

Originally, Chen had promised Shen Lianxiu to a wealthy businessman in his forties from another place as a concubine, and the date had been set. Just a few days before Shen Wuyu's wedding, Chen said that since she was a concubine, she should go out simply so that she would not hinder Shen Wuyu's marriage.

If Shen Wuyu hadn't disappeared and Zhou Linjin hadn't gone blind, Shen Lianxiu would probably still be on her way to get married.

Compared to marrying a wealthy businessman in his forties as a concubine, Zhou Linjin is much better.

So even if Shen Ji and Chen Shi didn't care whether Shen Lianxiu agreed or not, Shen Lianxiu didn't resist, nor could she resist.

She was just afraid, what would she do if the truth was revealed one day?

Shen Lianxiu always felt that it would not be as simple as Chen said, but other than that, no one could give her an accurate answer.

Occasionally she would think about when they were distributing porridge in Shouzhou. She was there every day, but she felt unwell for half a day, so she asked Shen Wuyu, who never came to distribute porridge, to take her place for half a day. It was during this half day that Zhou Linjin met Shen Wuyu. It should be said that this was fate.

If she was still there at that time, Zhou Linjin might not have come over, and even if he saw her, he might not have fallen in love with her as he did with Shen Wuyu.

It's a pity that Shen Wuyu didn't get such a good match destined by heaven.

On the wedding night, candles shone brightly on the lantern tree. In front of the hall, there were two large red wedding candles as thick as children's arms. The flickering candlelight made Shen Lianxiu's mind even more confused. Although she knew that Zhou Linjin would not recognize her voice at all, she still lowered her voice and asked carefully, "Will it be okay?"

Zhou Linjin remained undeterred. He patiently said to her, "I don't know either. The doctor said it might get better, or it might stay like this for the rest of my life."

Chen Lianxiu breathed a sigh of relief quietly, and at this moment something suddenly touched her hand. It was not very cold, but not hot either. She shuddered in fright, and then she realized that it was Zhou Linjin's hand that reached out, gently held her hand, and then held it in his palm.

"Do you dislike me?" he asked softly, blinking his lifeless eyes.

Looking at the person under the lamp, Zhou Linjin had a face with delicate features and was handsome and impressive. Shen Lianxiu bit her lip. It didn't matter if he was blind. Just looking at his face was enough.

So she shook her head.

After a while, when Shen Lianxiu saw that Zhou Linjin had no reaction, she remembered that he couldn't see at all, and quickly said, "I don't mind."

"I'll try to get better."

"It's okay even if your eyesight isn't good." Shen Lianxiu finished speaking, then realized that what he said was wrong and added, "What I mean is, even if your eyesight is not good, I will..."

She was too embarrassed to continue.

Zhou Linjin smiled and said, "I understand."

Chen Lianxiu couldn't help but let out another quiet sigh, which was noticed by Zhou Linjin this time. He asked again, "Are you nervous?"

It was natural to be nervous on a wedding night, but Chen Lianxiu was even more nervous, and there were other things mixed in. She didn't dare to say anything to Zhou Linjin, and only said, "A little bit."

Just as she finished speaking, Zhou Linjin let go of her hand. He couldn't see Shen Lianxiu, so he could only judge based on the sound of her voice. He said in her direction, "It's late, it's time to rest."

Chen Lianxiu said "Oh", her mind was a mess. She thought of the picture albums her stepmother brought her a few nights ago, and her face turned red. Fortunately, Zhou Linjin couldn't see her embarrassment.

"Can you help me to the soft couch next to you?" Zhou Linjin's voice interrupted Shen Lianxiu's thoughts, "You sleep on the bed, and I'll sleep there."

Shen Lianxiu was stunned for a moment, and then felt a sense of relief.

She didn't ask Zhou Linjin why he had gone to sleep on the couch alone, nor did she ask him how long he would sleep. She just stood up immediately, took his hand, and led him over, reminding him as they walked: "Be careful."

Zhou Linjin sat down on the couch and smelled the light sandalwood scent on her body. His heart gradually calmed down and he said to her, "Go to sleep."

Chen Lianxiu didn't care that he couldn't see her. She nodded and walked back with ease. After sitting down on the edge of the bed, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She rubbed her sore shoulders and waist for a while, and looked at Zhou Linjin over there. He had already lay down with his back turned.

The distance between the bed and the couch was actually not far. They were in the same inner room. After thinking about it, Chen Lianxiu decided to lower the silver-red bed curtain, even though Zhou Linjin could not see her at all.

The candlelight outside illuminated the tent brightly. Chen Lianxiu raised her hand to her forehead, slightly blocking the candlelight.

No matter how good Zhou Linjin was, she knew that the person he wanted to marry was not her, and she was not ready to spend the wedding night with him.

Anyway, I managed to get through today.

As for what to do next, that will be tomorrow's business.

Chen Lianxiu didn't want to rush into making things a fait accompli, so that even if Zhou Linjin regained his sight, he wouldn't be able to get rid of her. After all, that would be a reluctant thing, and neither Zhou Linjin nor she would have a comfortable life.

She just thought, if the two of them could continue like tonight without consummating their marriage, and wait until the day when his eyes can see again, could they part ways amicably?

This seems to be the best outcome.

But after that, where should she go? Or was Zhou Linjin just tired today? Would they still have to consummate their marriage tomorrow?

No one could give her an answer, as if she was the most insignificant person. When she was useless, she was married to a man in his forties as a concubine. When she was useful, she was captured and used as a substitute for her sister. No one cared about her.

Chen Lianxiu sighed softly, turned over and fell asleep.

The author has something to say:

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This book has been open for pre-collection for a long time, and it is finally open [let me check it out] The manuscripts are still sufficient [let me check it out]

Bring the advance collection of the next book, which is also ancient Chinese. There are more ancient Chinese pre-collections in the column, don’t miss it [poor]

Seven Strings

Xu Tang is a noble lady envied by everyone in the capital. Since she married Zhou Yucheng, her husband has risen to prominence.

While Xu Tang enjoyed the wealth and glory brought to her by Zhou Yucheng, she also took care of the Zhou family for Zhou Yucheng. Although Zhou Yucheng was always indifferent, they were able to live in harmony with each other until old age. Unexpectedly, a minor cold eventually caused Xu Tang to lose her life inexplicably.

After her death, she saw that Zhou Yucheng had not remarried for many years after her death, nor had he taken a concubine or maid. He had only patiently taught and raised their children for many years.

Just when Xu Tang was extremely pleased, she saw a scene she had never imagined in her life.

Zhou Yucheng's old house caught fire.

He welcomed a beautiful wife into his home. After a period of back-and-forth, entanglement and sadness on both sides, Zhou Yucheng, who had always been as cold as a flower on the mountain, finally couldn't stand it anymore.

Xu Tang watched helplessly as his children were sent away. His young wife dug up unfounded stories from more than ten years ago to prove Xu Tang's fault. She successfully moved Xu Tang's tablet from the Zhou family and his grave was relocated elsewhere.

Xu Tang was so angry that he was reborn back to his childhood.

At that time, she was the little daughter of the Xu family, cute and adorable, while Zhou Yucheng was a poor boy living in her home, alone and suffering from bullying and ridicule.

In the past, Xu Tang was the only one who would talk to him more, secretly protect him and prevent others from bullying him, but now she will no longer have a good face.

Anyone who wants to pluck this flower from the high mountain can do so, but she can't afford it.

Zhou Yucheng's daily meals became leftovers, and many ink spots appeared on his books while he was studying, but he endured it all silently.

Until he found that the snacks that were placed on his table before appeared in someone else's place, Xu Tang, who always liked to chat around him, no longer looked at him.

Zhou Yucheng panicked for the first time.

After tossing and turning all night, he quietly stopped Xu Tang who was about to go play with others and asked in a trembling voice, "Why...isn't Third Sister talking to me now?"

*The text does not represent the entire plot and character settings