Chapter 1, Section 1: The Eldest Sister of the Yu Family
The eastern market of Chang'an is bustling with activity.
"Shopkeeper, have you seen a fifteen-year-old boy in your shop? He was wearing a dark green round-necked robe today, and he was about this tall..."
Yu Mingshu, dressed in a simple cotton tunic with a low collar, had her hair tied into a braid with only a light blue ribbon. Standing in such an appearance outside the tavern, she inevitably attracted disdainful glances.
She leaned forward nervously, gesturing with her left hand above her head, trying to describe her brother's height to the shopkeeper.
The afternoon sun was scorching and the weather was humid. The shopkeeper, who had little patience, grabbed a broom and shooed the customer away: "Go away, I've never seen any boy you're talking about. Get out of here and don't get in my way of opening the shop to serve customers!"
This was the seventh time Yu Mingshu had been kicked out of the shop; she was used to it by now.
At the alley entrance stood an old man with a white beard, waving at her across the long street: "Miss Yu! Your brother has skipped school again?"
The afternoon sun was blinding. Yu Mingshu shielded his eyes from the blazing sun with his right hand, looked in the direction of the sound, and saw the sign with a Tai Chi diagram in front of the stall. He hesitated for a moment before jogging over.
"Master, why don't you tell my fortune and find out where Yu Dan went when he died?"
The old man smiled so broadly his eyes disappeared, raising one hand with his five fingers spread wide.
Yu Mingshu turned and left.
The old man grew anxious and, leaning on the table, shouted at her, "Young lady, don't go! We can talk! How about three hundred coins? Three hundred coins for a divination, you won't lose out!"
Yu Mingshu didn't stop, and fled even faster.
Just a month ago, she wasn't surnamed Yu; her surname was Ming, her given name was Shu, and she held a Master of Arts degree from the most prestigious university. She had also secured a position at a key provincial high school in her hometown.
For this reason, her father, who had not been in contact with her for many years, even invited her back to her hometown to pay respects to their ancestors, and made her stand in the center of the first row with a group of cousins.
The incense was a bit strange; Ming Shu was so overwhelmed by its smoke that she fainted on the spot. When she opened her eyes, she found herself transported to this unfamiliar dynasty, becoming Yu Ming Shu, the eldest daughter of the Yu family.
The Yu family, a once-famous minister a century ago, is now a fallen family whose members are nowhere to be found among prominent families.
Yu Zhui was the only Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the Yu family in a hundred years. He was highly regarded by Yang Congen, the tutor of two emperors. He embarked on his official career carrying the hopes of the entire family and should have had a bright future, but unfortunately he died young.
As the eldest daughter of Yu Zhui, Yu Mingshu had a sickly mother to care for and a younger brother who disliked studying. At a young age, she became the pillar of the Yu family...
The maid Luo Yan ran from the other end of the long street and met her mistress on the street between Shancai Lane and Mingyu Pavilion.
Luo Yan, who had been running fast, stopped to catch her breath before saying, "Miss, we've searched several shops in the south, but we haven't found Sanlang."
"There are only so many entertainment venues in Chang'an City, where else could he hide?" Yu Mingshu looked around, his gaze sweeping over Mingyu Pavilion without lingering for a moment, before fixing his eyes on the entrance of Shancaifang.
Luo Yan hesitated and said, "There's a bookstore up ahead, but it's a bit small, so I didn't go in. Do you think Sanlang might be in the bookstore?"
Yu Mingshu gave a mocking smile, "The study at home isn't enough for him, and the books in the academy's collection aren't good enough for him either. He insists on skipping classes to read books in the bookstore. Do you think that's possible?"
…
The windows on the second floor of Mingyu Pavilion were wide open, and sunlight shone directly into the store, making the pearls and jade ornaments on the display stand sparkle.
With a fawning smile, the shopkeeper introduced the jade to the customer: "This piece of black jade is delicate and warm in texture, pure and without any impurities. Black ink is also an extremely majestic color, most suitable for a heroic man like Marquis Anyuan."
Today's guest, however, was a picky one. He wouldn't listen to his boasting and instead examined the few pieces of jade pebbles on the tray, his brow furrowing and relaxing at different times.
Yu Dan, whom Yu Mingshu had spent so much time and effort searching for, was now sitting in the reception area on the second floor of Mingyu Pavilion. He had devoured all the pastries on the tea table and kept refilling his teacup. Looking up, he saw that his companion had not yet chosen a stone.
Yu Dan tapped the tea table listlessly and sighed, "If you want any beautiful jade, just give the order and they will send rare treasures to the Marquis of Anyuan's mansion for you to choose from. Why bother coming to the shop to select them yourself?"
"We're just killing time. If we don't go into a jewelry store to look at jade, are we supposed to go to a bookstore to look at poetry collections?" He Zheng looked around for a long time before finally choosing a piece of white jade. He held it up to the sunlight and examined it carefully. "Yu Dan, come and take a look at this one, what do you think?"
Yu Dan was a head shorter than him and had to crane his neck to see the white jade in his hand. Before he could examine it closely, his gaze suddenly swept downstairs and caught sight of a familiar figure.
What are you doing here, sister?
Yu Dan's expression changed drastically, his eyes fixed on the ground floor. He saw Yu Mingshu look up at the opposite side, and then lead Luo Yan toward the gate of Shancaifang.
As the name suggests, Shan Cai Fang is a gambling den.
The gatekeeper's face turned very ugly when he saw two frail women rushing in aggressively.
The two sides seemed to have argued for a few words. The servant, having run out of patience, picked up a wooden stick as thick as an arm from inside the door and made a move to chase the man away.
Yu Dan couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he hurriedly informed He Zheng: "My elder sister is coming after us, I'm going down to check."
"No, she's here to arrest you! If you go down now, you'll be walking into a trap!" He Zheng shouted at the disappearing figure, but no one responded.
Looking down, he saw that Yu Dan had already reached the bottom of the building and was running towards the woman across the street.
Outside the Shancaifang gate, Yu Mingshu stared at the wooden stick in the servant's hand, feeling a little apprehensive.
Most gambling den owners have some connections. This isn't a modern society governed by the rule of law. The other party has already drawn weapons and is about to attack someone. Who knows if someone might get killed...
But what if Yu Dan is really inside? What if he casually incurs a huge debt of tens of thousands of strings of cash? What if the debt collectors come to the Yu family and violently demand repayment? Even if Yu Dan is handed over, will the debt collectors let her and her mother go?
Yu Mingshu became increasingly frightened as he thought about it, but he mustered his courage and decided to venture inside again.
"Sister!" Yu Dan rushed over and stood in front of Yu Mingshu.
Yu Mingshu and Luo Yan were both stunned. They looked Yu Dan up and down, then turned to look in the direction he had come from.
"Where did you come from?"
"It's right next to Mingyu Pavilion."
"What are you doing at a jewelry store, you penniless wretch!"
Thinking of his own pathetic search for people from house to house, Yu Mingshu was furious. He grabbed Yu Dan's ear and scolded him in the street.
"You still have the nerve to call me 'sister'? Do you know how long I've been looking for you? Tell me how many times this has happened this month? You skipped school without a word, and the people from the academy have all come looking for you at home! You think Mother's illness isn't serious enough? You want to drive her to her death before you're satisfied?"
Yu Dan's face was contorted in pain as he clung to Yu Mingshu's arm, repeatedly whining, "It hurts, it hurts! Sister, let go! Let's talk this out..."
Yu Mingshu switched hands, grabbed his collar and walked back, saying, "I don't have the time to reason with you. Go home and explain to your mother yourself."
Yu Dan rubbed his ear, which had just been freed, and thought to himself that his sister's strength was astonishing. It felt like she was going to tear his ear off. It hurt terribly!
It wasn't until his toes lifted off the ground and he was being dragged away that he suddenly realized, "No! He Erlang is still waiting for me upstairs!"
Yu Mingshu silenced him with just one sentence.
"Don't force me to beat you up in the street."
…
The Yu family's residence was hidden in Yong'an Ward in the southwest of Chang'an City. The neighbors were mostly peddlers and laborers, and occasionally many merchants from the Western Regions could be seen. The sounds of hawking, arguing, and the crowing of roosters and barking of dogs intertwined to form a natural background music. It did not look like a scholar's residence at all.
The Yu family's external environment was harsh, and the interior decoration was also "simple." Fortunately, the usable area was quite large, which made up for the shortcomings of the residence.
Since Yu's father passed away and the official residence was taken back by the court, Wu Qiuniang traveled to more than a hundred wards in Chang'an to buy this "good quality and cheap" house so that her son could stay in the capital to study.
According to Wu Qiuniang, since their family's wealth was limited, they should spend their money wisely. Chang'an was so big; as long as they had a place to stay, it didn't matter where they lived.
Yu Mingshu translated this set of rules: It doesn't matter if it's in the fourth, fifth, or sixth ring road, as long as you can get a Beijing hukou (household registration), it's a good house.
If you were to ask Wu Qiuniang why she was so determined to stay in Chang'an, it would undoubtedly be for the sake of her son's education.
The sentiments of the past and present are always the same. The Great Liang Dynasty also had its share of problems, such as uneven educational levels and varying degrees of difficulty in the imperial examinations across different provinces. Students from the Chang'an Imperial Academy always found it much easier to obtain official titles than students from other prefectures.
Unfortunately, Yu Dan did not understand his mother's good intentions. Since entering Chang'an Academy last year, his grades have been declining. At first, at least his attitude was good; he was never late or left early, nor did he violate school rules.
By the beginning of spring this year, this guy had completely gone astray, skipping classes three times a month. Even when he did skip classes, he had no interest in studying and consistently ranked last in the monthly exams. Yu Mingshu felt that he was not far from being expelled from school.
Pushing open the door, I saw a woman dressed in red and green walking out of the yard. I recognized her; she was Aunt Wang, my neighbor who lived on the back street. She loved to visit people and chat about gossip and everyday matters.
When Aunt Wang saw Yu Mingshu, her smile brightened considerably. "Mingshu's back? Sanlang has been found, hasn't he?"
For some reason, Yu Mingshu found the smile somewhat eerie. Out of politeness, she returned the smile: "Found you, Auntie, are you here to keep my mother company again?"
"Oh, I just can't stay still, I always have to visit people around!" After saying that, Aunt Wang waved her hand and said goodbye, "I'm going back first today, you guys keep going."
"Take care, ma'am."
Watching the woman leave, Yu Mingshu dropped her fake smile, turned around and shoved Yu Dan, "Aren't you going in? Your mother is waiting for you."
Yu Dan went into the house with a world-weary look on his face.
Yu Mingshu went to the corridor and stopped his mother's maid, Qingque, and asked her in a low voice, "Aunt Wang has been very attentive lately, coming to our house every few days. What has she been saying to Mother?"
Qingque looked strange and hesitated for a long time before whispering in her ear, "It seems they've come to arrange a marriage."
"Play matchmaker?" Yu Mingshu frowned. "Play matchmaker for whom?"
Qingque raised her voice slightly: "Of course it's for you, young lady!"
"Playing matchmaker for me? That's too early!"
Qingque smiled helplessly: "Seventeen? Is it too early? Aunt Wang's own daughter got engaged at fourteen, married after her coming-of-age ceremony, and has been married for three months now. She has already been diagnosed with pregnancy."
Yu Mingshu felt a chill run down her spine, and goosebumps appeared on her arms. "Don't tell scary stories in broad daylight."
Qingque sighed and said, "This servant will go and prepare the medicine."
A note from the author:
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[The text is as follows]
In the twelfth year of the Qianning era, the emperor betrothed his beloved daughter, whom he had lost and then regained, to Huan Yue.
The princess's wedding was a city-wide celebration, but the prince consort Huan Yue harbored a deep hatred for Chu Qinghe from that moment on.
In the three years since their marriage, Chu Qinghe and Huan Yue have met only a handful of times.
She knew Huan Yue hated her, and she knew she had thwarted Huan Yue's ambitions in politics. She thought they would spend their lives in a state of superficial harmony...
She awoke from Huan Yue's arms when the assassins forced her to the edge of a cliff. The familiar man beside her asked in an unfamiliar tone, "Who are you?"
This was the first time Huan Yue had gazed at her with eyes free of hatred.
On a whim, Chu Qinghe smiled and said, "Your ideal woman."
…
It is said that true love is revealed in times of adversity. It is rumored that after experiencing a life-or-death ordeal with the princess, the prince consort Huan Yue changed his personality. The man who was once as indifferent as a high mountain cypress became a famous model husband in the capital overnight.
He would draw the princess's eyebrows when the morning glow streamed through the window, and he would also try to win her smile by dancing with a sword under the moon. In the midst of a snowstorm, his umbrella would always tilt to the side. When the princess was drunk at a banquet, there would always be a hand with distinct knuckles that lifted her head full of jewels.
Huan Yue hated deception more than anything in his life.
The moment he learned the truth, he thought he should hate her.
But as he gazed into the princess's bright eyes, the flickering red candlelight reflected in Chu Qinghe's eyes, and a sudden warmth filled his heart...
Perhaps she wasn't lying.
Princess Qinghe was indeed the woman he longed for.
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