Qin's father, Chai Zhengguan, was the illegitimate son of the Marquis of Pingnan. Thirty years ago, he went to Wuyang to serve as a magistrate. By chance, he saw Qin's mother, Qin Huiniang, and was immediately captivated by her beauty. After learning about Qin Huiniang's background, he proposed marriage, hoping to take her as his concubine.
The Qin family was a well-known wealthy businessman in Wuyang, specializing in the comb business. The Qinshun Comb Shop they opened and the Ruyi Comb Shop, which was famous in the capital, were the two best comb shops in the Daming Dynasty, one in the south and the other in the north, each occupying half of the world.
Qin Huiniang's parents had only one son and one daughter. They loved their daughter very much and were unwilling to let her become a concubine.
Chai Zhengguan said that his wife was in very poor health, so she did not come with him to Jiangnan... The implication was that his wife would not live for many more years.
The difference between a noble concubine and an ordinary concubine or an inferior concubine is that a noble concubine has the opportunity to be promoted as a successor after the death of the principal wife, while an ordinary concubine or an inferior concubine will never have this opportunity.
Qin Hui Niang's father saw that Chai Zhengguan was a handsome man, born into a noble family, and was a Jinshi. Most importantly, he was the Tongpan in charge of merchants like them. He couldn't afford to offend him, so he had to agree.
The Qin family was wealthy, and they had only one daughter, so their dowry was a vast affair, with goods, shops, fields, and the silver in the bottom of the box amounting to nearly 100,000 taels of silver.
In the absence of the legal wife, Qin Hui Niang became the head lady of the Chai Mansion in Wuyang. She lived a happy life and gave birth to Qin the following year, naming her Chai Qingyan.
As Chai Qingyan grew older, Chai Zhengguan rose from the position of Tongpan (Wuyang County Magistrate) to Tongzhi (Tongzhi). During this time, Chai Zhengguan returned to the capital several times, but he never brought her and her back with him.
When Chai Qingyan was eleven years old, Chai Zhengguan returned to Beijing to take up a post, and she and her daughter had to leave Wuyang and go to the capital.
Arriving at the Chai residence, Chai Zhengguan's wife, Shen, was not only alive but also healthy and much healthier than Qin Huiniang. In fact, Qin Huiniang learned the truth after two years of following Chai Zhengguan, but she had no recourse but to shed tears in secret, not even daring to tell her parents. Perhaps due to her depression, she never gave birth to another child.
Shen was particularly powerful. She controlled Chai Zhengguan's other concubines and illegitimate children very well, but she was relatively kind to Qin Huiniang and her daughter.
Two years later, Qin Hui Niang died of a cold. Before she died, she took out some of the Ruyu Shengji Ointment her father had given her, something that even Chai Zhengguan didn't know about.
She asked Chai Qingyan to secretly go to the Nanyang Princess's residence and give the Ruyu Regenerating Cream to the Nanyang Princess. Chai Zhengguan's brother Chai Zhengliang inherited the title of Pingnan Marquis and married the Nanyang Princess.
Qin Hui Niang knew that no matter how much money she gave, it would not be as effective as this magic medicine.
Please ask the eldest prince to take charge of Madam Chai Shen, ensure that Chai Qingyan grows up smoothly in the Chai Mansion, protect her dowry, and help her find a good family to marry into.
It was a coincidence that Princess Nanyang's grandson Chai Jun was pregnant with smallpox. Princess Nanyang accepted the ointment and agreed to Qin Huiniang's terms.
Thanks to the Ruyu Regenerating Cream, Chai Jun didn't even get a single pockmark, which made Princess Nanyang very happy.
After Qin Huiniang's death, Princess Nanyang and Chai Zhengliang severely criticized Chai Zhengguan and Shen Shi, saying that if Chai Qingyan died in an accident or if they tried to take her dowry, they would be sent to serve in the border areas.
Shen was furious and punished Chai Qingyan in private, but she did not dare to go too far in public, nor did she dare to force Chai Qingyan to use her dowry. However, the loyal slaves around Chai Qingyan were replaced, and the slaves even taught her some bad things.
At that time, Chai Qingyan was already thirteen years old and understood many things. Although she looked like a piece of wood on the outside, she was very smart and could not be corrupted at all.
Princess Nanyang followed her promise and arranged a marriage for Chai Qingyan. The young man was a student from a poor family. He passed the imperial examination at the age of 22 and also became a scholar. He was good-looking and was a good match for Chai Qingyan, the daughter of a fifth-rank official.
Chai Qingyan was extremely happy when she found out.
Chai Zhengguan, however, refused openly, saying that when Chai Qingyan was a child, she had her fortune told by a high monk in Jiangnan, who advised her against early marriage, as it could lead to bloody disasters. The princess couldn't refute his reasoning; she couldn't let her daughter suffer a bloody disaster.
When this word got out, it became known that Chai Zhengguan's second daughter should not marry early, as having a child early would result in two deaths.
Chai Qingyan cried for several days but the marriage never took place.
Chai Zhengguan had four daughters: one legitimate daughter and three concubines. Their ages were roughly the same, ranging from one to two years apart. He had arranged marriages for the other three girls, but not for Chai Qingyan.
When Chai Qingyan was seventeen, she was spotted by Princess Beiyang's second son, Wang Yi, while out and about. He was immediately struck by her beauty and declared he would marry her. He also said that since Chai Qingyan was already seventeen, it was not considered an early marriage.
When someone from the Princess Beiyang's residence came to propose marriage, Chai Zhengguan and Shen Shi quickly agreed. The two families discussed it and decided that since both of them were old enough, they would get married in six months.
The one chosen was Princess Beiyang's son, so no matter whether he was good or not, Princess Nanyang had no right to interfere.
Chai Qingyan gradually learned that Wang Yi was a brutal and extremely strong man, beating and maiming numerous servants and soldiers without regard for gender. At the age of fourteen, he even killed someone in a fight over a young prostitute, only to have a servant take the blame. Princess Beiyang, however, was very discerning, believing only the legitimate daughters of prominent families were worthy of her son. Year after year, his conditions gradually declined. Even those families with better financial resources who cherished their daughters were unwilling to marry him, while the Princess's household, which wanted to marry their daughters to him, was not impressed. Consequently, Wang Yi, at twenty-one, remained unmarried...
Chai Qingyan went to her father, Chai Zhengguan, to ask for help. Not only did Chai Zhengguan refuse to cancel the engagement, he even reprimanded her. He said Wang Yi wasn't that bad, just had a bad temper, and that he would improve as he got older. He also said Chai Qingyan's fate was bad, and that he had been worried she wouldn't be able to marry. Finding such a good family was a blessing, and she should be content...
Chai Qingyan was helpless and secretly went to ask her uncle Chai Zhengliang for help.
Prince Consort Chai said awkwardly that the marriage had already been decided and he was only the uncle, so there was no way he could ask them to cancel the engagement. He also said that Wang Yi was not that bad and that the rumors were not to be believed.
Chai Qingyan knew that Prince Consort Chai and Princess Nanyang must have a solution, but they were just unwilling to give their all to help their half-brother's concubine's daughter and offend Princess Beiyang's Mansion.
A major incident a few days before the wedding deeply irritated Chai Qingyan. Wang Yi had killed someone in a dispute over a red card. Although he blamed the incident on his guards, the enraged emperor still ordered him to be beaten with fifty sticks, a scene that became known to everyone in the capital.
Chai Zhengguan was filled with righteous indignation, and suddenly felt the responsibility of a father, so he ran to the Beiyang Princess's residence to cancel the engagement. The engagement was not canceled, and the Beiyang Princess's residence added an additional 10,000 taels of silver as a betrothal gift.
Chai Qingyan didn't want to marry Wang Yi, so she was so desperate that she tried to hang herself. Just as she was about to kick the stool over, she suddenly understood the whole story...
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