First meeting
The morning dew had barely dried, and the air was filled with the scent of grass, trees, and earth after the rain. The steam rising from the food stalls along the long street dispelled some of the morning chill.
A woman dressed in a thin red shirt stood in front of the stall, her slender fingers pinching a white steamed bun, occasionally glancing into the distance. The stall owner looked at this woman, who had come to the long street so early, with some curiosity.
"Young lady, is it that these white steamed buns don't suit your taste?" The woman looked away and shook her head. The cries of the market vendors were quite common on the long street.
"I was a little distracted." The woman took a few copper coins from a pale white pouch at her waist and placed them on the stall.
"The steamed buns are delicious, could you give me more?" The steam from the pot made the girl's face slightly flushed, adding a touch of color to her pale complexion.
"How many do you want? I'll pack them for you," the stall owner said warmly to the woman as soon as he saw the copper coins.
"Let's pack three more." The woman took a bite of her soft steamed bun, her hand unconsciously touching the jade bracelet on her wrist, her eyes constantly watching the people passing by in the distance.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from ahead on the street. The woman breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to see a group of soldiers chasing a man wielding a sharp blade.
The surrounding vendors huddled together on one side, fearing they might become innocent bystanders; the atmosphere on the long street was tense.
A man wielding a short blade and covered in wounds ran quickly towards the woman. Sensing his malicious gaze, she frowned and backed away. His eyes then fell on the rough wooden hairpin in the girl's hair, and his eyes lit up.
Taking a fleeting moment to glance back at the man holding the arrow not far away, the man nodded slightly. Then, without hesitation, he grabbed the woman's arm and restrained her tightly.
The cold dagger was pressed directly against her pale neck. The woman nervously swallowed, her eyes fixed on the man holding the arrow, as if trying to read something from his face.
"Don't move and you won't die!" The man with the knife behind her was extremely nervous, his whole body trembling, but he didn't forget to tightly grip the woman's arm to prevent her from moving even an inch.
"Wei Shu, I demand a way out, or I'll drag her down to hell with me!"
The man's dagger was pressed tightly against the woman's neck, as if he disagreed and was about to spill blood all over the street in the next second. The people on the street scattered and hid.
The steamed bun vendor quickly gathered up his coins and hid behind his stall, only his eyes peeking out as he watched the chaos unfold.
"Is that so?" The man named Wei Shu smirked, a mocking smile playing on his lips. Though he possessed the handsome features of Pan An, the murderous intent in his eyes gave him a chilling air. He lowered his hands and slowly walked towards the man.
The footsteps, heavy with the scent of death, pounded into the woman's heart. Though doubts arose, she dared not move. She recognized the man approaching.
A rumored madman, cold-blooded and ruthless, is also her betrothed—General Wei Shu of the Imperial Guard. Could it be that he is unhappy with the arranged marriage and wants to kill her?
"Don't come any closer, or I'll kill her!" The man's dagger swiftly slashed across the girl's neck, blood flowing down her pale skin. The stinging pain made the girl panic, but she suppressed her unease and looked at Wei Shu.
Wei Shu narrowed his eyes, looking at the woman in front of him who was trying to remain calm but whose face was pale. Her scarlet silk top paired with a green floral long skirt made her face look as white as snow.
The originally rough hairpin in her hair looked as if it were made by a master craftsman. Their gazes locked in mid-air, and Wei Shu suddenly felt a softening in his heart, his expression momentarily gentle before returning to its sharp edge.
Unexpectedly, the outfit he had deliberately chosen to embarrass her actually amazed him. The surrounding crowd whispered among themselves, and many cast pitying glances at the woman.
"Daring to threaten this person is simply a death wish."
"Will that young lady survive? She's bleeding from her neck."
Wei Shu snapped out of his reverie, completely unaffected by the whispers and murmurs. Holding his arrow, he stared intently at the woman being held hostage. He noticed that she had long since lost her earlier panic.
There was no fear on her face, and the wound on her neck didn't make her flinch. Wei Shu knew that perhaps she had caught his earlier moment of leniency, and he immediately felt bored and wanted to end the plan hastily.
"I suppose you don't know what happens to those who threaten me!" Wei Shu drew his bow, pointed an arrow at the woman, and sneered, "This lady, let's see if Heaven will let you live!"
"Wei Shu, you're a complete madman!" As the man slashed his dagger towards the woman's neck, an arrow flew past, and the woman immediately closed her eyes, feeling the gust of wind brush against her neck.
At that moment, she breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she had made the right bet. She also understood that Wei Shu's earlier soft-heartedness was a show of force.
"Guards, take him away!" Wei Shu stood ten meters away from the woman, glancing thoughtfully at the woman who had breathed a sigh of relief. He then waved his hand, summoning the Imperial Guards who had formed a circle around him to take the man away.
"General Wei, thank you so much for saving my life today!" The woman's neck wound was particularly glaring; she deliberately walked up to Wei Shu and blocked his path.
He said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Wei Shu, I will take revenge for what happened today. Anyway, we have plenty of time in the future!"
The woman gritted her teeth and spoke each word with resentment in her eyes. Her face was pale and her fingertips trembled slightly. She pulled out the wooden hairpin from her hair and threw it to the soldier next to Wei Shu. "This is a token. I hope the general will accept it."
Jiang Jin's jet-black hair cascaded down, and a gentle breeze carried the scent of jasmine to Wei Shu's nose. For the first time, Wei Shu truly took this pawn seriously. Jiang Luo's daughter was somewhat unexpected, and he hoped she would continue to be so.
"Let's go!" Wei Shu smiled contemptuously, ignoring Jiang Jin, and led the Imperial Guards away from the long street in a grand procession. Seeing that the situation had calmed down, the common people cautiously peeked out to observe the scene on the street.
The steamed bun vendor seized the opportunity to slip the woman a steamed bun, then hid behind his stall.
"My lady, are you alright? How did you get hurt!" The maid who rushed over quickly put down the pastries she was holding, carefully took the woman's hand, and draped a cloak over her. Then she carefully examined the woman's injured neck.
"Abei, I'm alright." The woman leaned against Abei as if all her strength had been drained and whispered, "Let's go back to the manor."
Ah Bei carefully helped the woman into the carriage. After the curtain fell, the woman finally breathed a sigh of relief and carefully examined her wound with a bronze mirror.
"My wife, is this...?"
"Walls have ears, let's talk about this back at the manor." The carriage drove down the long street, the woman sitting upright, wiping the bloodstains on her neck, lost in thought.
Three days ago, my father was kept behind by His Majesty to discuss important matters. This should have been a joyous occasion, a sign of imperial favor, but my father returned home sullen. My mother, wanting to comfort him, prepared chicken soup and took him to the study. However, after what they discussed, my mother also became uneasy and then had herself summoned to the study.
"Second Aunt, you're not young anymore, your father..."
This was the second time her father had shown such a conflicted and reluctant expression. The first time was when her maternal grandfather's entire family was exiled. At that time, she knew that disaster was likely to befall them, but her father ultimately did not speak out. Jiang's mother, who was weeping beside her, spoke up, her eyes full of pleading as she looked at her father.
“My lord, although Ajin is not my biological daughter, she has been raised by me since she was a child. When she was sick, I stayed by her side every day. Except that she was not born from my womb, she is no different from my own daughter. I will never allow you to push her into the fire pit.”
As if struck by a sudden thought, Jiang's mother grabbed her father's arm and pleaded, "My lord, why not say that A-Jin is ill and cannot marry, or that there are other women in the family!" Jiang's mother held Jiang Jin tightly, seemingly trying to keep her in this way.
"Nonsense! Will Second Sister still be able to get married then? Third Sister is weak and Fourth Sister is in such a state that if they marry that man, they'll be corpses the next day. You don't care about others, but do you think you can ignore Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister?!"
Father Jiang looked dejected. "Do you think I wanted to let Second Sister enter the Wei family? This is His Majesty's will. Do you want to defy the Emperor? Second Sister is the only suitable woman of marriageable age in the family."
"Father, Mother, your daughter is willing," Jiang Jin whispered, nestled in her mother's arms.
"Ah Jin, what nonsense are you talking about? Do you know what kind of person Wei Shu is? He's a man who makes everyone in the court tremble with fear! Do you know what marrying him means?!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang's mother wished she could cover Jiang Jin's mouth and then beat her hands hard with a bamboo stick to stop her from talking nonsense.
“Father is loyal to His Majesty and never participates in factional strife. General Wei is the Grand General of the Imperial Guards and His Majesty’s confidant. It seems His Majesty trusts Father greatly to have such an idea.” Jiang Jin looked at his father with firm eyes, but his heart sank deeply.
"Since it is His Majesty's will, even if General Wei is cruel and ruthless, he will certainly not harm me. My life is not in danger, and Father can fulfill his duty as a subject." Jiang Jin knelt on the ground, his words earnest, without the slightest hint of reluctance on his face.
"Good, as expected of my daughter!" Father Jiang looked at his daughter with great satisfaction.
"Second Madam, when you go to the long street tomorrow morning, wear this wooden hairpin, a red top and a green long skirt, and General Wei will naturally meet you."
"My lady has arrived." Abei's voice interrupted Jiang Jin's reverie. The old woman who had been waiting at the door helped Jiang Jin down from the carriage.
"Second Mistress, the Master and Madam have brewed some calming tea for you and are waiting for you in the main hall." The nanny immediately noticed the wound on Jiang Jin's neck and quickly ordered a servant to bring medicine for the injury.
"Granny, I'll go pay my respects to my father and mother first. Please bring the medicine for my injuries and the calming tea to my courtyard."
Despite her injuries, Jiang Jin went to the main hall. As soon as she entered, her mother anxiously pulled her around, looking her over.
"My lord, how could Wei Shu treat A Jin like this?"
Jiang's mother looked at the wound on Jiang Jin's neck with heartache. The bleeding had stopped, but the obvious wound still revealed Wei Shu's heartlessness.
"Mother, it's just a minor injury, nothing serious, it'll be fine in a few days." Jiang Jin's face was a little pale, and her rosy skirt was stained with mud, but she still mustered her spirits and forced a smile to reassure her mother.
"Ah Jin!" Jiang's mother hugged Jiang Jin with a mixture of guilt and helplessness, gently stroking her already thin back. "It's all because we, as parents, are useless that we let you marry into the Wei family."
"Alright, the imperial decree for the marriage will be issued tomorrow. Second Mother, you should stay home and recuperate these next few days." Father Jiang sighed, looking at Jiang Jin with deep remorse.
"General Wei will not make things too difficult for you because of His Majesty's sake. Prepare more dowry for Second Sister later."
"Yes, then I will go back to my room first. Father and Mother, you don't need to worry about me. I will take good care of myself while I am alone in the Wei residence."
Jiang Jin lowered her eyes to conceal her contemplation, gave a meticulous bow, and led Abei out of the main hall.
"My lady, the nanny has already brought the medicine and calming tea to the courtyard. It seems the master has also sent a lot of jewelry and fabric." Abei followed Jiang Jin back to the courtyard and saw the neatly arranged medicine and jewelry.
"My lady, let's have some calming tea first." Ah Bei carefully applied a small amount of medicine to Jiang Jin's wound with a bamboo stick.
"This General Wei is so presumptuous. If my wife doesn't do what he wants in the Wei residence, will he beat her?"
Ah Bei gently blew on the medicine as he carefully applied it to Jiang Jin, afraid of hurting her again.
"It's alright. Marrying Wei Shu is better than marrying a nobleman in name only. Besides, I don't want to implicate other powerful families. No need to apply the medicine anymore. I'm a little tired. Draw some water and I'm going to take a bath."
Jiang Jin sat weakly on the wooden stool. The bloodstains beside her, though wiped with a handkerchief, still smelled faintly.
"Yes." After preparing the water for Jiang Jin, Abei turned and closed the door. Looking at the familiar rooftop, Jiang Jin relaxed, her tense nerves from the morning easing. Only after washing away the smell of blood did she lie contentedly on the couch.
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