Chapter 1.1

How could something like this happen to her? How could fate play such a cruel joke on her? Most unbelievably, she had softened under the tearful assault of Matchmaker Lin, allowing the situation to spiral out of control! It was absurd, it was laughable! Even more incredulous was how the days had passed in a blur, leading to their smooth arrival in Fulin County, Quanzhou, by carriage.

Li Yuhu paced back and forth in the limited space of the upper room of the inn, not daring to let her gaze linger on the bridal outfit on the bed. Heavens! She had hoped for a turnaround, but the truth was that she would ultimately have to impersonate the noble daughter of the Du family and marry that sickly man from the Qi family tomorrow!

Typically, for a marriage journey as long as hers, they would settle in an inn upon arrival, allowing the groom’s side to formally come and fetch the bride.

In terms of temperament, she couldn’t even match a tenth of Du Bingyan’s elegance! Heavens! It was only upon arriving in Quanzhou that she discovered the Qi family wasn’t just wealthy—they were immensely rich! Due to the lack of male heirs for generations and their early deaths, the vast estate was managed by the women of the family. Although the Qi family was matriarchal, the household rules were extremely strict and had to be rigorously followed! Just the sight of the intimidating Old Madam Qi was enough to make anyone cower in fear. Any news about the richest Qi family was enough to make Li Yuhu want to flee back to Yangzhou!

Initially, she was moved by Matchmaker Lin’s tears because she pitied her situation; moreover, she also thought that Du Bingyan shouldn’t live her life as a widow. Since the Qi son was said to not have long to live, she thought it might be better to wait for his death and then return to Yangzhou, solving a problem for Bingyan, who had already become her friend! Furthermore, under Matchmaker Lin’s repeated assurances, she believed that Bingyan would be safely sent back to Yangzhou and that the general wouldn’t trouble an innocent girl.

No matter what, compared to the frail Bingyan, she had a strong body and enough martial skills to protect herself, unafraid of being bullied by the Qi family. If the Qi family were really that troublesome, she couldn’t bear to let Bingyan marry into it. This was loyalty between friends. And she firmly believed that the “Master Qi” was so ill that she didn’t have to fear any losses. So, after some simple consideration, she decided to agree to Matchmaker Lin’s request and impersonate Bingyan to marry into the Qi family; after all, the man wouldn’t live through the year, so what was there to be afraid of?

However, if the Qi family’s rules were as terrifyingly strict as rumored, that would be another story! She couldn’t help at all! Li Yuhu was born to a common family and had never lived the life of a young lady of a wealthy family. She didn’t have the manners and demeanor of a noblewoman, which only highlighted her crudeness. Just looking at the exquisite fabrics Bingyan embroidered was enough to make Li Yuhu feel ashamed! She couldn’t even do basic embroidery, which would surely expose her in the future! In her seventeen years of life, she only knew how to practice martial arts; her father would never spend money to hire someone to teach her embroidery! He would rather she excelled in martial arts to help earn money for their martial arts school. She only had a rough literacy, learned from secretly listening in on school classes occasionally! How could she manage to deal with the many people in a wealthy family? She hadn’t learned any of these things! Could she survive this year?

The more she thought about it, the more panicked she became, and tomorrow was the wedding day! Could she impersonate Bingyan’s noble demeanor? With her rough and careless ways, she looked like a boorish woman!

Although she had six close maidservants accompanying her, assuring her they would do their best to help her play the role of Du Bingyan, her heart still couldn’t settle! This was the first time in her life she had ever done something deceitful, completely against her straightforward and honest nature! Just the thought of having to pretend to be elegant starting tomorrow made her skin crawl!

If she could, she would really want to run away! But she had already promised them, how could she back out at the last moment?! So, at this moment, she could only fret alone in the deep night and then decide to direct all her frustration toward that Master Qi!

If he was going to die, he should die quickly, instead of lingering on and ruining a woman’s life! Even if he couldn’t consummate the marriage, a widow still couldn’t remarry, which was simply harmful!

Li Yuhu slammed her fist on the table, her pretty face filled with determination! She knew who was responsible for this whole mess!

It was that sickly Master Qi!

Tomorrow, the richest family in Quanzhou—the Qi family—would welcome a new bride! This was, of course, a grand event for the Qi family. A month ago, the Qi family had already started preparing the new house, sending all kinds of goods at top speed. In the past few days, everything had fallen into place, and they began to decorate the house, hanging red lanterns and double happiness characters, making the always solemn and enormous Qi mansion full of festive joy, even more lively than the New Year! Three days ago, people from the ten counties around Quanzhou, who had any connection with the Qi family, brought gifts and crowded the front door, forming a constant stream of visitors.

To entertain the guests, the Qi family not only set up a hundred tables inside their large house but also set up thousands of tables in a tent on the square outside the mansion, grandly feasting the county’s people.

This grand gesture was not only to showcase the Qi family’s wealth but also to use the lively atmosphere to ward off the illness plaguing the third young master, hoping he would recover soon! The Qi family could no longer bear any more bad news!

The doting grandmother of the third young master built a magnificent independent courtyard on the southern side of the mansion, where exotic birds and animals were kept, along with artificial hills and flowing water, and planted with hundreds of flowers and plants, naming it the “Jichang New Garden.”

The entrance had a long couplet: On the right, “Behind closed doors, as in deep mountains, flowers can laugh, birds can sing, all are lively by nature.” On the left, “Opening a book feels like traveling to the past, how many heroes, how many endeavors, all turned into words.”

This new garden had been ready for a year, always prepared for the third young master. Under the strict orders of the old madam, no one was allowed to enter easily, fearing bad luck, only letting the third young master enter to read and rest during his leisure time.

Tonight, the servants had moved all of the third young master’s daily items into the “Jichang New Garden,” and the new house was mostly set up, just waiting for the bride to be welcomed after tomorrow’s ceremony!

“Speaking of the four great joys in life, they are: a long drought being quenched by sweet rain, meeting an old friend in a foreign land, the wedding night in the bridal chamber, and achieving success in the imperial examination. Tomorrow, you will experience one of these joys. Could you share your thoughts with me, so we may celebrate together?”

Walking along the path of the “Jichang New Garden” and passing through a grove of osmanthus trees, there was a three-zhang square paved with pebbles. On this open space sat a white stone table and stone chairs, all intricately carved from marble. Two men were sitting there, drinking fragrant tea, one in black and one in white. The one in black had a rugged yet elegant demeanor, while the one in white appeared refined and graceful. Both had leisurely smiles on their faces.

The man in black brewed a pot of fresh tea, raising an eyebrow as he awaited the reply of the man in white.

At the four corners of the marble table were inlaid luminous pearls, which, together with the moonlight, illuminated the surroundings and the two distinctive, handsome faces.

The man in white had a beautiful and pale face, but it was an unhealthy kind of pale, making his sharp eyebrows and deep, inscrutable eyes stand out even more. He was tall and slender, but his frame was square, making his white robe look elegant rather than loose on him.

He was none other than the third young master Qi, the rumored sickly remnant of the fifth generation of the Qi family! At twenty-four, given that his two elder brothers had both died before reaching twenty-five, no one believed he would survive this winter! In the frost-laden late March of early spring, and in the deep of night, he should have been in bed, sleeping soundly for the sake of his health. Yet, here he was, without even adding an outer garment, sitting in a secluded corner of the garden with his personal doctor and sworn brother, chatting and drinking tea in the night breeze! If the old madam knew, it would be a grave offense! He hadn’t yet left a descendant for the Qi family, so how could he be so careless with his precious life?!

“Why do I feel like there’s a hint of amusement in your smile?” Qi Tianlei spoke lazily, with a touch of helplessness. In the end, he still couldn’t escape his fate of being treated like a stud horse! And the cold he had dragged on through the winter had ironically led to this “fortunate” event!

Liu Ruoqian, the man in black, laughed heartily and cupped his hands in a mock gesture of humility, “How dare I! Currently, I am merely a guest of the Qi family, and besides flattering and fawning, I dare not say a word out of place.”

Glancing around at the many large characters engraved on the surroundings, Qi Tianlei looked up at the starry sky. He hadn’t expected his lifelong marriage to be arranged like this! Under the tearful pressure of the old madam and his mother, as the useless male of the Qi family, he at least had to strive to produce an heir!

“You could have prevented things from coming to this point,” Liu Ruoqian put away his playful tone, understanding his brother’s discontent.

“Could I? That was out of my hands,” Qi Tianlei sighed. “Ever since my elder brother drowned in the lake during a fight over a famous courtesan at the age of twenty, my second brother and I have been treated like incapable children, restricted even in our eating. When my second brother was bitten by a snake and died on his twenty-fifth birthday three years ago, I haven’t even had the freedom to get out of bed! No one believes I am healthy! Do you remember how you laughed when the old madam hired you for a hefty sum three years ago to be my doctor?” The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt, and Qi Tianlei, normally gentle, nearly roared in frustration.

Liu Ruoqian, laughing and choking, spat out, “Oh! I saw a stunningly beautiful young lady…”

“Go to hell!” Qi Tianlei unceremoniously grabbed a cup of tea and splashed it at him, but Liu Ruoqian easily dodged the flying tea with a swift movement.