Chapter 1: Forgotten Past, Childhood Sweethearts, and Forgot Identity (Author's Note: A Warning!)...
In late winter, the rain, carrying a chill, fell in fine, dense drops, quickly soaking the ground.
As dawn approached, a young man who looked like a scholar packed his boxes and opened a corner door. He deliberately slowed his steps but did not slow down.
Faster, faster!
Pei Yu gripped the basket on his back tightly, his brows furrowing with worry as he thought of the frail "jade hairpin" that had fallen to the ground yesterday.
The mud and water soaked Pei Yu's few decent clothes, and he finally stopped in front of a desolate stone house.
Pei Yu patted his chest to calm his racing heart, then raised his hand and knocked on the wooden door.
Pei Yu panicked, gave a short bow and apologized, then took a few steps back before suddenly rushing forward and smashing open the already fragile wooden door with his body.
The loud noise finally woke the girl in bed.
She slightly opened her eyes and turned her face towards the outside of the room.
"Aheng." Pei Yu stood outside Chen Shuheng's room, wanting to go in, but stopped and called out urgently.
The next moment, a faint light came on in the dark room.
"Yulang, come in." The voice that came out was like a little oriole with broken wings, faintly covering a cough, and then quickly disappeared.
Only after receiving Chen Shuheng's permission did Pei Yu dare to step into the door.
This was the first time he had entered Chen Shuheng's boudoir after he became aware of the difference between men and women.
The sickly girl had delicately furrowed brows, a pale face, and was barely able to support her weight. Her hand, which had been holding a lamp, hung limply by the bedside, revealing her fair, snow-white wrist.
"Why are you here?" Chen Shuheng covered her lips, suppressing the itch in her throat, and smiled sweetly, instantly brightening the room.
Pei Yu hurriedly stepped forward, placed his five fingers on her clothes, and put her hand, which was hanging by the side of the bed, back inside. Then he pulled the blanket up a little: "You're already sick, don't catch a cold."
Hearing this, Chen Shuheng smiled and stretched her hand out from under the covers: "Then I'll just get sick. My mother has long since passed away, and there's no one to care about me anyway."
In the tenth year of the Jinghe era, her mother brought her, who was only three years old at the time, to this place as a refugee. After her mother passed away, she had no blood relatives left here.
Pei Yu's eyes quickly reddened, and she rudely grabbed Chen Shuheng's wrist, tears streaming down her face: "Nonsense! How can no one care about you? Ah Heng, are the people standing in front of you not human beings?"
The boy's tears were scalding hot, just like his burning affection.
Pei Yu's reprimand startled Chen Shuheng, and she looked at Pei Yu.
For a fleeting moment, Chen Shuheng almost wavered in her resolve.
"Aheng." The two stared at each other for a long time, but Chen Shuheng remained silent. Pei Yu's tears gradually subsided, and his emotions grew stronger. He opened his mouth and spoke, then mustered his courage.
I love you.
Tears welled up in Chen Shuheng's eyes. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but the itching in her throat made her cough uncontrollably.
Pei Yu didn't even bother to hear her reply and hurriedly stepped forward to gently pat Chen Shuheng's back.
After a long while, Chen Shuheng finally stopped coughing and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "Did Yulang come to say goodbye to me today?"
Pei Yu nodded, then took out most of the silver from the basket he had been carrying. Some of it was travel money given to him by his elders in the clan, and some was loose silver he had saved by copying books.
Next, he placed a piece of jade of excellent quality in the middle of the silver.
"Aheng, take these with you. Use them to get medicine and medical treatment. If there's any left over, use them to build a better chair for Aunt Chen." After saying that, Pei Yu was still worried and immediately gave Chen Shuheng some more instructions.
It was nothing more than telling her to take care of herself, to wear more clothes in the cold weather, and not to wallow in self-pity, things like that.
Chen Shuheng listened quietly, nodding occasionally. When she coughed, Pei Yu would step forward and gently soothe her disordered breathing.
Pei Yu didn't get up until it was almost dawn.
"Have you remembered everything I said?" Pei Yu's gentle face turned serious for the first time.
"I'll remember." Chen Shuheng nodded obediently, which softened Pei Yu's heart again.
He unconsciously reached out, wanting to stroke Chen Shuheng's black hair, but ultimately restrained himself out of courtesy.
"I'm leaving." The boy looked longingly at his beloved before stepping outside.
Pei Yu opened the door, and a slightly chilly wind blew in, ruffling his mud-stained long robe.
Chen Shuheng quietly watched his thin back, an indescribable feeling of sorrow overwhelmed her, and she suddenly had an impulse.
"Pei Yu!"
Pei Yu turned around, only to see the barefoot girl rushing towards him.
Pei Yu was shocked and quickly closed the door, wrapping his arms around the girl's slender waist.
Their hair was intertwined, their clothes were touching, and a faint fragrance flushed Pei Yu's face, causing his limbs to stiffen and become sluggish.
While he was lost in thought, someone cupped his face, stood on tiptoe, and gently touched him with their cool lips.
An overwhelming feeling welled up from the bottom of Pei Yu's heart, filling his entire being.
Immediately afterwards, he was gently pushed out of the room.
"Yulang, Aheng wishes you a bright future."
Pei Yu turned around, but only a shadowy figure remained in the room behind him.
"Definitely. Ah Heng, wait for me." The boy raised his voice slightly, then left the stone house.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Chen Shuheng looked out the door, her eyes red, but she didn't shed a tear.
After a while, she stood up, took out some thick clothes that were presentable, and went out with her tearful appearance. The direction she went was Pei Yu's house.
“Pei Yu has left. He said he would come to marry me after he passed the imperial examination, but I did not agree. This is probably the token of love he left for me. Please rest assured, Uncle and Aunt, I have not given him any token.”
Chen Shuheng spoke calmly. If it weren't for the tear stains on her face, Pei's parents would have almost doubted that she had no feelings for Pei Yu at all.
Pei's mother took the jade pendant, and Pei's father examined it. After they confirmed that it was genuine, Pei's mother handed the silver ingot to Chen Shuheng.
"Shuheng, you are a sensible and good child, but you are not suitable for our eldest son. Your aunt is very grateful for your letting go and wishes you to find a good husband in the future." Madam Pei smiled gently at her. Although she was very distressed about the fifty taels of silver, she still did not break her promise and handed the money to Chen Shuheng.
Buying out a troublesome matter for fifty taels is always worthwhile.
"You're too kind. I also wish you and your wife all the best in finding a good wife." Chen Shuheng smiled, took the money, and walked away without stopping at all.
Such a decisive move was interpreted by Pei's parents as Chen Shuheng being deeply in love with their son and too heartbroken to stay there.
"Fortunately, money can move people's hearts, and it made Chen Shuheng leave on her own." Pei's mother felt a wave of fear. She knew her son's temper. He would never give up if Chen Shuheng could give him even a glimmer of hope.
Now that's good. As long as Chen Shuheng gives up voluntarily, and their son is on the list, the Pei family will have a chance to turn things around.
The first thing Chen Shuheng did after receiving the money was to repair her mother's tomb.
She bought things her mother had never been willing to buy before she died, as well as a lot of paper money.
“Mother, you are so foolish. When I asked you to exchange the money for saving my life, you refused. Instead, you demanded that Uncle Pei not object to my marriage into the Pei family.”
You knew your days were numbered, and you feared that after you were gone, no one would protect me. But look, many keep their promises in life, but break them after death; such is the common saying, "People are forgotten after they're gone."
I'm not as naive as you; I know what I want.
This is their retribution for leaving you with chronic illness and abandoning me.
Chen Shuheng knelt before the tomb, burning paper money as she stroked the rough characters on the new tombstone. Her tone was calm, but the emotions in her eyes were turbulent and intense.
“Not just them, but all those who forced you to flee, those who forced you to die, I will not let go of them.” Chen Shuheng knew that her mother’s death was not so simple.
Pei Huaien's mother saved her, leaving her with an irreversible illness. However, her mother insisted on taking the medicine. Because she was worried about her mother, she secretly checked her pulse. Her mother had about ten more years to live, but she didn't live that long. Her mother died when she was eight years old.
As the paper money gradually burned out, Chen Shuheng stood up. She took one last look at her mother's tombstone, her heart filled with tenderness: "Mother, I am leaving now. If you are watching over me from heaven, please bless me with a bright future and that all my wishes may come true."
The cold wind extinguished the last embers of the paper money, as if in response to Chen Shuheng.
"Miss, are you all ready?" An elderly woman dressed in fine clothes asked Chen Shuheng respectfully, but a hint of disdain appeared in her eyes.
What is there to fuss about someone from a poor place? This is just the old woman's way of mocking Zhu Xuanning and venting her frustration at waiting for seven days.
Zhu Xuanning glanced timidly at the old woman, nodded, and said softly, "Aunt Fu, it's all packed."
The relatives from the small town were indeed stupid and couldn't understand the veiled meaning in her words, what a waste of such a beautiful face.
Madam Fu sneered inwardly, but her face remained respectful: "Yes, Miss, let's set off then. Master has been waiting for a long time, and all the nobles in the manor are eager to see you."
Zhu Xuanning was still timid as she followed Mama Fu into the carriage.
Madam Fu rolled her eyes, but did not refute Zhu Xuanning's behavior.
The driver glanced at the two people who had boarded the carriage, and only started the journey after they were settled.
Three days later, news spread throughout the small village that "Chen Shuheng" had gone up the mountain to collect herbs, fallen off a cliff, and disappeared without a trace.
At this time, she had already embarked on her journey to Kyoto.
A note from the author:
Everyone has different triggers, so I can only list what I consider to be triggers. If you feel uncomfortable or find anything offensive in the first chapter, you can just exit now.
The childhood sweetheart is the female lead's ideal man, and he will have some screen time later on. The male lead's screen time also increases later on, with the male supporting character's scenes serving as a setup in the beginning.
The female lead's core goal is to seize power and take revenge on those who caused her to lose her mother at a young age. However, she is also an ordinary person and still experiences feelings of attraction when she is among the nobility. In addition, she is exceptionally beautiful and there is a slightly forceful plot involving a non-pure male supporting character (the plot above the neck, but not the rest).
The female lead is not the male lead and is considered pure, while the male supporting characters are either pure or impure.
That's about all I can think of for now. I'll add more later if there's anything else I need to mention.
Babies, please be gentle with your spray! [pity][pity]
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