Chapter 1: God’s Bride Miss Zhu, I am here to marry you.
In March, the willows along the Huai River sway in the wind, the banks are crowded with people, and in the distance, BMWs rumble by.
Zhu family's Zangxuan Pavilion.
Zhu Lanxiang handed her the hydrangea and said calmly, "The auspicious time has arrived."
Zhu Hao followed her instructions and walked to the balcony with the hydrangea in her arms. She looked down and saw that the room was deserted. Only a few idle people came there to laugh at her and make a fool of herself.
She did not feel depressed, but rather had a clear self-esteem. Her mother died of complications during childbirth because of her, and her father passed away a few years later. Her husband, who was to be married off just after she reached the age of 15, also died suddenly and inexplicably. The neighbors in Huaicheng regarded her as a disaster, and her aunt was eager to get her married off as soon as possible so that she could legitimately drive her out of the Zhu family and completely swallow up the family wealth.
Who in Huaicheng dares to accept her bouquet?
Zhu Hao turned sideways, holding the hydrangea in both hands, and the warm breeze blew gently, making the silver bells inlaid on the hydrangea ring.
In the distance it seemed as if there were actors approaching, and the sound of harp and stringed instruments gradually entered my ears.
Zhu Hao made up his mind and threw the hydrangea high up.
The hydrangea fell into the air, and a golden silk ribbon at the end was blown away by the strong wind. There was the sound of silver bells and the music of stringed instruments in the ears.
Suddenly, there was a crash, and all the surrounding sounds stopped abruptly. The warm breeze died, and dark clouds suddenly appeared, covering the sun. Even the audience couldn't help but gasp.
Zhu Hao turned around and saw a group of strangely dressed pilgrims stretching out from the pavilion for several miles. The believers wore green masks with fangs and wore narrow-waisted and wide robes, and her embroidered bouquet fell into the arms of the statue surrounded by the believers.
The deity sits cross-legged on a sedan chair carried by eight men, his arms slightly clasped, his palms pressed together as if blessing the people. He wears a turquoise robe and a jade crown on his head. Although his entire body is carved from jade, it cannot conceal his handsome appearance.
"This...it's not unfair to call her a disaster star. She didn't dare to catch it, but instead threw the embroidered ball at the fallen immortal statue."
"Ah, if you ask me, the wife of the Zhu family is indeed pretty, but her fate is a bit too difficult..."
"The former brought death upon her parents and husband, destined for a lonely fate! The latter murdered her virtuous brother, a truly inhumane act! A star of disaster paired with a fallen immortal! Wow! A perfect match!"
Someone hurriedly covered his mouth tightly, "Shhhhh, what nonsense are you talking about? Lord Fallen Immortal is still here! Lord Fallen Immortal is also an immortal! Don't offend him! Besides, he is the guardian god of Huaicheng, you can't say such things! How this year's harvest will be depends on the immortal!"
There was a sound like rubble scraping across stone bricks. Everyone turned around and saw a crack on the immortal's face.
Zhu Lanxiang was also filled with anger upon seeing this. She pushed Zhu Hao into the attic and said, "You, you, you, you disaster girl! You say you, it's fine that no one dares to marry you, but you can throw a bouquet into the arms of that damn Fallen Immortal. You two... I think you two are truly a match made in heaven!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a roll of thunder exploded beside his ears, and in an instant a thunderstorm came over Huaicheng.
"Pian Pian has done everything Auntie wishes, and she never refused the invitation to marry. However, throwing the ball into the arms of the deity wasn't intentional. Didn't Auntie tell Pian Pian that marriages are decided by fate, and that I should marry whoever the ball lands on?" Zhu Hao pointed at the statue outside the building, its face blemished but its demeanor increasingly transcendent. "So, in Auntie's opinion, is Pian Pian really going to marry the immortal?"
Pianpian is her nickname, and calling herself that makes Zhu Hao seem very well-behaved.
Zhu Lanxiang's face turned pale. She was supported by the maids and walked out of the attic. When she reached the spiral staircase, she said, "It would be great if he could really marry you!"
Another loud thunder rolled by, just brushing against the eaves of the building. Zhu Haohechi's skirt was blown up by the strong wind. She turned around subconsciously, and her eyes met the eyes of the statue carved out of green jade. The statue's own powerful aura pressed her down so much that she could hardly breathe.
She didn't dare to look any further, and hurriedly lifted her skirt to follow Zhu Lanxiang's steps. When Zhu Lanxiang saw her catch up, she said, "I don't believe that there's no one in the huge Huai City who dares to marry you. Even a beggar on the street is still a man. When I find him, you must obey your aunt and marry him."
Zhu Hao, with his chest heaving rapidly, said in a gentle voice, "Yes, the man my aunt has chosen is a good one."
Zhu Lanxiang was quite quick in her work and found her a "good man" within three days. His family had numerous properties, but he was over eighty years old.
She invited Zhu Hao to the main hall, where various snacks had already been prepared on the table. Zhu Hao did not receive such treatment on ordinary days. She hurriedly grabbed a piece of date cake and put it into her mouth, trying her best to restrain herself and eat elegantly while chewing.
"Pianpian, even though Mr. You is nearly 80, he's still very capable. Besides, although I'm just a concubine now, his wife has passed away, leaving behind two sons. They say Mr. You always likes girls. If you marry him and give birth to a girl, wouldn't you be able to rise to prominence? Becoming his principal wife is just a matter of Mr. You's words."
Logically, she should have said "It's up to my aunt", but she couldn't help herself, "Eighty? Let's not talk about Mr. You's age, just think about how old Mr. You's eldest son is. He might be old enough to be my father, not to mention Mr. You..."
Zhu Lanxiang smashed the cup in her hand to the ground, and the hot tea splashed with broken porcelain. A few drops of steaming tea happened to splash on Zhu Hao's wrist. She was in so much pain that the date cake fell from her hand. The date cake, which she had bitten a few times, rolled on the ground and was actually crushed by Zhu Lanxiang.
Zhu Hao thought it was a pity. Just as she was about to reach out for the second piece, Zhu Lanxiang ordered the maid to collect all the food on the table, not even leaving her half a cup of tea.
"How dare you, little brat, talk to your elders?" Zhu Lanxiang raged. "A few days ago, you cracked the statue of the deity, and your family had to shell out twenty taels of silver to repair it. Business in the Zhu family's cloth workshops has always been bleak, so be kind! That's a full twenty taels! Mr. You is just a little older, but the rest... he has all the money and the house. Besides, how many houses in Huaicheng are worthy of being called 'mansions'? Mr. You's ancestor is an official in Beijing! How can such an honor be unfair to a mere orphan like you?"
Zhu Hao choked. "So, Aunt sold me to the You family as a concubine for twenty taels? I'm only eighteen, and you want me to marry an old man who's nearly eighty? Besides...it wasn't Mr. You who became an official in Beijing. He just benefited from your father's fame. What's there to brag about? Twenty taels, I hope Aunt will give me some time. I can earn it."
At your old age, you still want to take a concubine? Sooner or later, you will die drunkenly under the pomegranate skirt.
"You have to marry even if you don't want to! Is money so easy to make in this world these days? Don't be so arrogant, you little girl! You've been weak since childhood. I don't know how much money your family has spent on your medical treatment and medicine! The twenty taels that the You family paid for you are enough for you to drink a pot of wine." Zhu Lanxiang shouted to the outside of the hall, "Xiao Liuzi! Er Goudan! Tie up the young lady! Don't let her leave the woodshed except for eating, drinking, defecating or urinating until the You family sends the steward to take her away!"
Zhu Hao was shoved into the woodshed by the slaves, and the door was locked in an instant. Now, her chances of escaping the Zhu family were less than 20%. Zhu Lanxiang had sent servants to guard the woodshed entrance day and night to prevent her from escaping. Even when Zhu Hao approached the slaves outside, they never responded.
The only thing she could do now was to maintain her energy and look for an opportunity. The maid always brought her only leftovers, but Zhu Hao ate them all as if they were delicacies.
Just two days later, the You family sent a matchmaker to greet Zhu Hao. By the time she left the house, the water beneath the eaves had nearly reached her ankles. It was strange to say, Huaicheng should have been sunny and clear in March, but ever since Zhu Hao's embroidered ball matchmaking, Huaicheng had been experiencing five days of torrential downpours. If the rain hadn't subsided today, Huaicheng would have been in danger of being flooded.
Zhu Hao was tied up by the servants and sent to the You Mansion in a sedan chair. Fortunately, the sedan chair did not go directly to the You Mansion, but temporarily stopped at a small shop in the west of the city. There was a makeup girl in the shop to put on makeup for her. Moreover, it was not only Zhu Hao who married into the You Mansion, but also another girl of the same age as her named Fang Xuyin.
After burning incense and bathing, the two went into the inner room to change into wedding clothes. Zhu Hao did not see any sadness on Fang Xuyin's face, but rather seemed to be looking forward to it.
Fang Xuyin took off her frayed dress. When she looked up, she met Zhu Hao's strange gaze. She said indifferently, "Don't look at me. I'm different from Miss Zhu. I wasn't forced to come here by my family. I voluntarily married into the You Mansion as a concubine."
Zhu Hao couldn't imagine it, "Voluntarily? Whether to be a concubine or not is another matter. Do you know who we are marrying?"
"Of course." Fang Xuyin folded her skirt and shirt, dimples on her cheeks showing through a faint smile. "Isn't it Mr. You? So what if he's over 80? My mother is seriously ill. They promised me twenty taels of silver. Although it's not enough to cure my mother's chronic illness, it can prolong her life. As long as I can please Mr. You, I can receive some rewards and monthly salary. Sooner or later, my mother and I will be able to get through this."
"I'm sorry." Zhu Hao instinctively twisted her skirt with her hands. "You must feel bad for looking at me like that just now. I haven't experienced other people's suffering and I'm just making assumptions."
"How could it be? Besides, how much better off is Miss Zhu's situation than mine?" Fang Xuyin took her hand, and Zhu Hao suddenly felt something hard rubbing between her palms. She heard Fang Xuyin whisper in her ear, "Miss Zhu was sent here tied up. To prevent you from escaping, the servants of the You family might have tied you up and put you in the sedan chair. I entered the You Mansion voluntarily, so they naturally won't search me. This is the dagger I carry with me. It's only the size of a palm, so you can hide easily. If you want..."
The two of them suddenly heard footsteps approaching, and Fang Xu fell silent in time.
"Have you two ladies packed up? The auspicious time is approaching, so please don't keep Mr. You waiting."
The two looked at each other and nodded, their minds clear as day, needing no further words. Zhu Haoyan, still feeling warm, gave Fang Xuyin a little over thirty of the fifty coins he had hidden in the bottom of his boot.
Zhu Hao and Fang Xuyin changed into their wedding attire and left the inner room one after another. The matchmaker followed Fang Xuyin's sedan chair ahead. The You family consisted mostly of men, so Zhu Hao hid the dagger in her lapel. The servants only had to pry into her sleeves before tying her up with hemp rope and putting her in the sedan chair. After all, she was Mr. You's chosen concubine, so they wouldn't offend her too much.
By noon, there were few tourists lining the streets. Although it was just welcoming a concubine into the house and could not be considered a "marriage" with three letters and six betrothal gifts, it was indeed too late. It was even more unclear what kind of auspicious time the You family had set.
The long procession marched through the streets and alleys, and perhaps for fear of disturbing the neighbors, the music played by the musicians was not celebratory, but just a few quiet tunes.
Fang Xuyin's sedan chair was at the head of the procession. Because Zhu Hao had been frisked and bound before boarding, hers naturally fell to the back of the procession, while most of the servants and musicians had already moved to the front. Zhu Hao used her shoulder to push aside a corner of the curtain. Fortunately, the wedding cover was thin, allowing her to make out the rough outlines through it. She roughly counted and found no more than ten servants on either side of the sedan chair.
Zhu Hao originally wanted to escape by saying she had gone to the bathroom, a poor excuse, but it was hard to refuse. She was about to call for the sedan chair, but before she could say anything, the sedan chair stopped on its own.
She couldn't move, but she could hear the rain outside the sedan still falling. Apart from that, the surroundings were quiet.
"How did you get rid of the sedan chair?"
There was only the sound of the wind whistling, and no one answered her.
Zhu Hao tried to break free with brute force, but before she could exert any force, the hemp rope suddenly loosened. Zhu Hao had doubts in her heart, but she didn't wait for her to think carefully. She moved the dagger to her sleeve, then lifted the veil to her forehead, and then Zhu Hao supported herself against the wall of the carriage and lifted the curtain to get out.
Her feet touched the ground, and the wind and rain felt cold against her skin, and everything that was happening before her was so strange and bizarre.
The servants on either side of the wedding sedan stood in silence, hearing her exit but seeing no movement. It was unknown where Fang Xuyin's sedan had reached; looking out into the distance, they could only see her and a few of the You family's servants. Zhu Hao lightly tapped a nearby male servant with her fingertips, and with a deep, thud, the man collapsed to the ground.
Zhu Hao was frightened and took three steps back. When he looked up, a man holding an umbrella suddenly appeared at the end of the long street.
The umbrella just happened to hide his face, and Zhu Hao suddenly caught a glimpse of a few wisps of mist on the soles of his boots, but in the blink of an eye, they disappeared again.
He swirled the umbrella in his hand, and the raindrops hanging from the edge of the umbrella scattered in an instant. Although Zhu Hao was far away from him, she could clearly hear him say, "Miss Zhu, I have come to marry you."
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