In the sixty-third year of the Qingyuan reign of the Wei Dynasty, it was March and it was drizzling. The new green of the city was shrouded in a layer of mist, and the drizzling sound moistened the land.
The roof tiles of Xu's house in the capital were washed by rain and were bright, showing a layer of uniform luster. These are half-moon tiles shipped from Yunzhou. It is said that when there is a moon, the moonlight shines on the roof, like a firefly. The firing process of this tile is complicated and the price is not cheap. A full roof of tiles is the result of decades of hard work for an ordinary family.
However, the Xu family in the capital, whose silk and satin business spread all over the country, had a house of tiles at most, which was a drop in the bucket. Lord Xu was the current Prince's tutor, and had two sons. The eldest son, Xu Zhiheng, was single, but at a young age, he was already a Hanlin scholar, and everyone in the capital praised him. Xu Zhiheng also had a wife. When he was 18 years old, he married He Yan, the legitimate daughter of the second master of the He family, a military general. He Rufei, the eldest son of the first master of the He family, was the current general Feihong, and the marriage between a civil and a military officer was considered a good match.
"Madam, what do you want?" The maid, who was as delicate as a flower in a thin shirt, handed over a cup of hot tea and said crisply.
"I'm going out for a walk." He Yan replied and drank the tea in one gulp.
"But it's raining outside..."
"Nothing, I'm holding an umbrella."
The maid looked at the young woman in front of her. The Xu family was a family of scholars, and the women were all dressed elegantly. Grandma Xu was the same, but the emerald green feather gauze shirt she wore always looked out of place. In fact, Grandma Xu was very beautiful, with distinct and heroic features, and a pair of eyes like washed lake water, clear and distant... Unfortunately, she was blind.
Grandma Xu was not born blind. Three months after she married into the Xu family, she suddenly fell ill and had a high fever for two days and two nights. When she woke up, she was blind. The Xu family invited many doctors, but they were still helpless. Later, Grandma Xu rarely went out. It is inconvenient for a blind person to go out.
He Yan walked to the pavilion by the pond in the yard.
She married into the Xu family for a year and became blind in three months. In the remaining nine months, she learned to live without her eyes and adapted well. She only occasionally missed the days when she could see. For example, now, she can hear the sound of ripples in the pond when rain falls, and feel the red carp in the pond fighting for food, but she can't see anything.
The invisible spring is the best spring, just like the invisible people.
Perhaps she went blind too early, so that she couldn't even remember Xu Zhiheng's current appearance clearly. What she could remember was the Xu Zhiheng she saw when she was fourteen years old. The young man in blue clothes smiled warmly and extended his hand to her. The Xu Zhiheng now would not extend his hand to her. Although he treated her kindly and politely, He Yan could sense that there was something between them.
But she won't say it.
After many years of military life in her youth, she learned how to deal with men as a man, but she didn't know how to be a woman. So she could only watch Xu Zhiheng and his aunt He's tender affection, which made her sad and bored. She simply stopped seeing them later, and these heartbreaking scenes were omitted, which gave her a lot of leisure time.
She sat quietly in the pavilion, and suddenly thought of her youth, the days when she followed the army. It was also a spring day like this, with misty rain, she sat among the soldiers, smiled and drank a bowl of strong liquor, feeling her whole body warm.
The heat instantly swept through her whole body. He Yan held onto the railing, waves of sweetness surged in her throat, and she spat out a mouthful of blood.
Someone's footsteps were approaching.
He Yan asked: "Xiao Die?"
There was no answer. The footsteps stopped. He Yan frowned slightly: "He family?"
After a moment, the woman's voice rang out, "Madam, you have good hearing."
A strange feeling surged in her chest, and her intuition over the years made her subconsciously take a defensive posture. He had always been gentle and considerate, and she had only spoken a few words to her in the mansion. Suddenly, she came here with such a complacent tone, which made He Yan feel uneasy.
But she was also very surprised. She was not a competent mistress and was more like a decoration in the mansion. She could not stop He from inviting her as a concubine. A blind man was not a threat to He. He had no need and no reason to deal with her.
"What is it?"
He Wanru stroked the hairpin on her temples, which was given to her by Xu Zhiheng yesterday. Suddenly, she remembered that the person in front of her couldn't see it, so she withdrew her hand with some regret and said, "Madam, you are pregnant."
He Yan was stunned.
"The doctor who examined you a few days ago took your pulse and found that you were pregnant."
He Yan was at a loss, but she felt a little happy. Just as she was about to speak, she heard He sigh again: "What a pity."
pity?
The smile on He Yan's face faded, and she asked, "What's a pity?"
"It's a pity that this child can't be kept."
He Yan said in a sharp voice: "He, you are so brave!"
Her eyebrows were raised, her eyes were sharp, and although she was blind, her expression was so charming that He Wanru's hair stood on end for a moment. But after a moment, she calmed down and said, "I'm not the only one who said this, General He."
As soon as He General said these three words, He Yan's scalp went numb. She asked, "What do you know?"
"I know everything I should know, and I also know everything I shouldn't know. General He, with such a big secret, how can the He family and the Xu family dare to tolerate you?"
He Yan was speechless.
Before the emergence of the military commander Feihong, the He family, like all other noble families in Wei, was on the verge of decline. Nineteen years ago, two sisters-in-law of the He family gave birth at the same time. The eldest grandmother of the He family gave birth to He Rufei, and the second grandmother of the He family gave birth to He Yan.
The title should have gone to He Rufei, but He Rufei was born weak and the doctor said he would not live past the age of three. When He Rufei died, the title of the He family was taken back, and the entire family was left with nothing.
The He family discussed it and made a daring decision to let He Yan replace He Rufei. He Rufei then lied and said it was He Yan who was born weak and was sent to the temple to be raised.
He Yan grew up with the identity of He Rufei. Although she was born in the second house, she grew up in the first house. She thought of herself as a boy since she was a child and liked to practice martial arts. At the age of fourteen, she joined the Fuyue Army without telling her family. Gradually, her reputation rose in the battles and she was even personally conferred by His Majesty, given the title of Feihong General, and had the opportunity to enter the palace to meet the emperor.
It was at this time that He Rufei, who had been sent to the temple to "recuperate", returned.
He Rufei did not die, and even lived to the age of 18. He looked agile, healthy and handsome. Then everything returned to its original place.
He Rufei met His Majesty and became a general, and He Yan was still He Yan. Everything was not as difficult as imagined. In order to prevent the situation today, the He family had already stipulated that He Yan would wear a mask in the past, and no one had ever seen He Rufei's appearance. And He Yan, arranged by the He family, married the current Hanlin scholar, the young talent Xu Zhiheng.
Xu Zhiheng was handsome and gentle, considerate and polite, and his mother-in-law was also kind and never harsh. For a woman, this was the best possible marriage. He Yan had thought so until today. The mask of warmth was torn off, and the bloody truth was more chilling than the most difficult battle she had ever encountered on the battlefield.
"The bowl of poison that blinded you was sent to you by the elders of your clan. Only the dead can keep secrets. If you are alive, you are a huge threat to them!"
"When you took the medicine, the eldest master was watching you in the next room."
"If you die, the He family and the Xu family will only breathe a sigh of relief. You only have yourself to blame."
He Yan laughed loudly.
Blame her?
Why blame her?
Should she be blamed for taking over He Rufei's identity for the sake of the family's interests? Should she be blamed for being obsessed with martial arts and joining the army? Should she be blamed for fighting and killing enemies on the battlefield? Or should she be blamed for being personally appointed as General Feihong by His Majesty, so that He Rufei could receive her credit?
Blame her, blame her for being a woman. Because she is a woman, she cannot use her own name to build a career in an upright manner. Because she is a woman, she deserves to pave the way for the He family and sacrifice for the men of the He family. In the final analysis, she overestimated the humanity of the He family and underestimated the selfishness of the He family.
And Xu Zhiheng...she must have been blind to think he was so good.
"What are you laughing at?" He Wanru asked with a frown.
"I'm laughing at you," He Yan said towards her, pausing every word, "I'm laughing at you for being ridiculous. I died because of a secret. Do you think you can still live after knowing this secret?"
He Wanru sneered: "You are still stubborn even when you are about to die. Someone -"
The guards quickly appeared and surrounded He Yan.
"Kill her!"
Willow branches can be used as weapons. They are soft and tough, like a woman's hand. They are lightly swaying branches with new buds, like a precious sword embroidered with flowers, which can brush away the opponent's sword.
He Wanru had also heard of General Feihong's name. She knew that the woman was brave and good at fighting, not like an ordinary girl. But only when she saw her with her own eyes did she know that the rumors were true.
He Yan was already blind, but she could still fight ten people at once. She kicked away the guards in front of her, as if she was going to break through the siege of this gloomy mansion and ride back without anyone being able to stop her.
But suddenly, she fell from mid-air like a wild goose shot by an arrow, and the blood she spat out splashed in the grass like stars among wild flowers.
That cup of tea...the cup of tea that Xiaodie handed her.
She lost her sight, and now all her five senses, becoming a truly blind person, fighting a desperate battle.
They really made foolproof preparations to kill her.
"A bunch of idiots, take advantage of now!" He Wanru said anxiously.
He Yan wanted to raise her head, but there was a sharp pain in her knee with a "pop" sound. The person behind her hit her leg hard. Her legs went limp and she was about to kneel down, but the next moment, she was punched on the back again.
Fists fell all over her like raindrops, hitting her body, and her internal organs were aching.
They would not hurt her with a knife, leave no trace of evidence on her body.
Someone pulled her hair and dragged her to the edge of the pond, and roughly pushed her head down. The cold water covered her eyes, nose, mouth, and neck. He Yan could no longer speak. Her body fell heavily, but she struggled to look up. The water surface was getting farther and farther away from her. The sky seemed to be daylight. For a moment, it was like returning to her hometown. She vaguely heard the songs sung during the march, the letters from her companions read in their hometown accents, and He Shi's panicked crying.
"Someone, my lady is drowning—"
She wants to go home.
And she was homeless.
－－－－－－－A side note－－－－－－－
My dears, it's been a long time since we last met! I'll post the beginning first to take up space, and then I'll start the series after I've saved some manuscripts. I'm rubbing my hands in anticipation~ (Our Yanyan is such a poor girl, I hope everyone will take good care of her/(ㄒoㄒ)/～～)