Early in the morning, Gu Jianli had been waiting outside the pawnshop for a long time. She clutched a double butterfly tassel hairpin in her hand. It was hard to tell if her delicate fingers were pale from gripping it too tightly or from the cold weather.
In the dead of winter, the streets were desolate and frigid. Yet, there she was, her beauty and grace standing out in the bleak surroundings. A gust of cold wind swept through, pressing her thin robe against her slender waist, making her look even more delicate and charming. Her presence drew the gaze of every passerby.
“Creak—”
The heavy wooden door of the pawnshop opened from the inside. Gu Jianli, holding the last keepsake from her mother, took small steps over the threshold. Despite her reluctance, her father was waiting for life-saving medicine.
People in the streets started to talk.
“Prince Wuxian is the only king of a different surname in our Great Ji. He used to be so glorious. But now… Tsk tsk. He was stripped of his title, his house was raided, and he was thrown into prison. If it weren’t for the Empress Dowager’s birthday amnesty, he would have been…” The man made a throat-slitting gesture.
Another person chimed in with a sly smile, “He’s just hanging on by a thread. It doesn’t make much difference if he dies sooner or later.”
They mocked, seemingly forgetting that when Prince Wuxian had returned victorious, they had knelt in joy, calling him a war god.
“What a pity for the Double Li of Anjing…” The man sighed.
Prince Wuxian’s two daughters both had “Li” in their names and were renowned for their beauty. Together, they were known as the Double Li of Anjing, admired by all men in Yong’an City.
“I heard that the elder sister, Gu Zaili, has been childless for three years since her marriage. With this situation, who knows if she’ll be cast aside. As for the younger sister, Gu Jianli, she was engaged to the third son of the Guangping Marquis’s household. This marriage initially seemed like a noble family seeking to elevate themselves by marrying into Prince Wuxian’s family. But now, it seems this marriage might be off as well.”
Another person questioned, “That can’t be. This marriage was bestowed by the emperor!”
…
Gu Jianli didn’t hear their gossip, nor did she care. She had heard enough over the past three months. After exchanging the hairpin for money at the pawnshop, she went to the pharmacy to get the medicine. Ignoring the unfriendly glances, she hurried home.
The Gu family of four now lived in a small, simple farmhouse lent by a loyal servant. The courtyard was so small that it was smaller than her former boudoir. There were only two rooms; her father, stepmother, and stepbrother shared one, while Gu Jianli lived in the other, which had once been the kitchen. The courtyard was cramped and barely had any space to move.
As Gu Jianli reached the alley, she heard a loud argument from home. Her stepmother Madam Tao’s coarse voice was particularly grating. Gu Jianli clutched the medicine tightly in one hand and lifted her skirt with the other as she rushed home.
“You Guangping Marquis’s family are all cowardly and despicable! No wonder you’ve fallen so low. Back then, you were eager for our girl to marry into your family, and now you come to kick us when we’re down! Bullying my husband while he’s bedridden—you’ll get your comeuppance!” Madam Tao cried and howled.
Hearing Madam Tao’s words at the gate, Gu Jianli’s heart sank. Could it be that the Guangping Marquis’s family was here to break off the engagement?
Gu Jianli’s eyes narrowed slightly, then darkened. She bit her lip, leaving a crescent-shaped mark on her pale pink lips.
Many people had gathered at the small courtyard gate to watch the commotion. The gate was closed, so they couldn’t see inside, but they were straining to listen. When they saw Gu Jianli returning, they stepped aside to let her through.
As soon as Gu Jianli opened the courtyard gate, the crowd craned their necks to look inside.
Madam Tao, who was sitting on the ground, scrambled up and grabbed a basin of dirty water nearby, throwing it out the gate. “What are you all staring at? If you keep watching, I’ll gouge your eyes out!”
She cursed a few more times and grabbed a broom by the door, shooing people away until they scattered down the alley.
The visitors from the Guangping Marquis’s household included Steward Song, followed by two servants carrying two boxes wrapped in red silk.
Gu Jianli looked at the red silk on the boxes, somewhat puzzled.
Steward Song gave Gu Jianli a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes and bowed. “Greetings, Second Miss Gu.”
Gu Jianli still remembered the fawning expression on Steward Song’s face the last time she saw him.
“Second Miss Gu, this old servant is here to deliver the betrothal gifts. Three days from now is an auspicious day. A bridal sedan chair will come to fetch you then. This old servant wishes you and Fifth Master a long and prosperous life together, filled with many children and grandchildren!”
Gu Jianli’s head shot up, her enchanting autumn eyes filled with shock.
Even when she lowered her head, she was as beautiful as a painting. When she looked up, her beauty was even more breathtaking.
Steward Song was stunned. He had heard of the famous Double Li of Anjing but had always thought that Gu Jianli, at fifteen, hadn’t fully blossomed and was inferior to her sister. Today, he realized how wrong he had been. In a few more years, when Gu Jianli’s inherent allure as a woman fully emerged, she would be even more captivating.
With the Gu family fallen to such a state, Gu Jianli had long prepared herself for the engagement to be broken. She had thought that the people from the Guangping Marquis’s household were here to cancel the marriage. She never expected them to be delivering betrothal gifts for Fifth Master Ji.
Fifth Master Ji…
Gu Jianli’s hand at her side trembled slightly.
She had never met Fifth Master Ji, but she knew of him. In the entire Great Ji Dynasty, there was no one who didn’t know of Fifth Master Ji. He was a fiend with bloodstained hands.
In disbelief and fear, Gu Jianli took a step back and asked, “What does this mean?”
Steward Song’s voice softened, and he lowered it, “Second Miss Gu, let me be honest with you. Given your family’s current situation, it’s only a matter of time before the emperor investigates further, which could implicate all nine generations of your family. How could our Third Young Master still dare to marry you?”
Gu Jianli’s face paled slightly. She suppressed her inner turmoil and asked, “Why not just break off the engagement and be done with it?”
“But this marriage was bestowed by the emperor.”
Gu Jianli was puzzled. They couldn’t break off the engagement but could substitute the groom? Isn’t that also defying the imperial decree?
Steward Song smiled. “Fifth Master’s name is Mingzhao, and Third Young Master’s name is Mingshao. Somehow, a drop of ink smudged the imperial decree, covering the left half of the character.”
“Privately altering an imperial decree is still a capital offense…” Gu Jianli’s voice trembled slightly.
As she looked at the smile on Steward Song’s face, she suddenly understood.
—It was probably an order from the palace.
Madam Tao returned, rushing into the small courtyard in two steps. She pulled Gu Jianli behind her, put her hands on her hips, and pointed angrily at Steward Song. “Everyone knows that Fifth Master Ji won’t survive this winter. His coffin is already prepared! They want to drag our second daughter to accompany him in death! If our second daughter dies, it won’t implicate your family, and you’ll save face. What a great plan! If the Guangping Marquis’s family doesn’t dare defy the decree, the Gu family does! Go back and tell those opportunists that today we renounce Ji Xuanke, that bastard!”
As Madam Tao howled, she laughed and cried.
“Cowards! All of them!”
Gu Jianli gradually calmed down from her initial shock. She crouched down and opened the boxes.
Two pieces of cloth, a bag of rice, a bag of flour, and fifty taels of silver.
If the Gu family were still in their former glory, whether it was proposing to Fifth Master Ji or Third Young Master Ji, there would have been much more than these meager offerings. It was clearly an intentional insult.
Yet Gu Jianli felt an unusual sense of calm. She caressed the silver, thinking: If only this man had come two days earlier, she wouldn’t have had to pawn her mother’s keepsake.
This life-threatening marriage—Gu Jianli nodded.
“Please inform Steward Song that I agree to this marriage.”
“No! You fool!” Madam Tao angrily pulled Gu Jianli up. She took a big step forward, blocking her stepdaughter, and rolled up her sleeves, ready to lash out.
“Mother,” Gu Jianli called softly.
Madam Tao was stunned, unable to react for a moment. She had been married into the Gu family for seven years, knowing her two stepdaughters didn’t like her. This was the first time she had heard this form of address. Over the past three months, she had lost all her dignity, desperately holding on like a madwoman. Now, her heart filled with a bittersweet emotion.
Steward Song’s expression changed several times. He was very surprised that Gu Jianli agreed so readily. After a moment’s hesitation, remembering the old madam’s instructions, he forced a smile and said, “That’s the right decision. Given the current situation, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring. It’s better to take what we can get today.”
Gu Jianli remained indifferent, her expression distant, not intending to respond.
Steward Song felt awkward.
Taking advantage of Madam Tao’s moment of confusion, Steward Song quickly left with the two servants.
The small courtyard suddenly fell silent. Madam Tao held back her tears and said, “Why do this? The Guangping Marquis’s family did this on purpose to humiliate us, hoping we’d defy the decree and reject the marriage. With the death sentence hanging over our heads, we don’t care about adding the charge of defying the imperial decree! I know you’re desperate for money to save your father, but there are other ways to make money. Why exchange your life for it? If you embroider handkerchiefs, I can sell them at the shop to earn money…”
Gu Jianli lowered her eyes, her voice soft yet stubborn, “They say the evidence and witnesses are conclusive, but I don’t believe my father is that kind of person. It’s not the Guangping Marquis’s household forcing us to defy the decree; it’s the palace. If we defy the decree and break off the engagement, we’ll be falling into their trap. We won’t live to see my father’s name cleared. Living for fifty years or fifteen years, it’s still living. I’d rather die alone than have the entire Gu family live with this stigma.”
Gu Jianli sniffled, holding back her tears with all her might.
“Besides, these cheap medicines won’t cure my father’s injuries. We don’t even have money to buy inferior medicine. Father’s health can’t wait for us to make money by embroidering handkerchiefs. These fifty taels of silver can at least provide temporary relief.”
Madam Tao opened her mouth but couldn’t say a word. She knew she was simple-minded and hadn’t seen through the complexities of the situation.
Suddenly, there was a commotion on the wall, as if bricks were falling. Gu Jianli and Madam Tao looked towards the sound and saw a head slowly emerging over the wall. It was Zhao Erwang from the Zhao family down the street, climbing up the wall.
“I heard your family needs money to save a life?” Zhao Erwang’s greedy eyes swept over Gu Jianli. “Spend a night with me, and I’ll give you 300 wen. Deal or no deal?”
“I’ll smash your filthy head!”
Madam Tao bent down, picked up a stone, and threw it at Zhao Erwang, chasing after him and cursing.
The stone hit Zhao Erwang’s head, making him scream as he fell off the wall. He ran away, shouting, “If you change your mind, come find me anytime!”
Gu Jianli’s pale pink lips closed slightly, a very faint sigh escaping them. A light smile played at the corners of her mouth as she said softly, “Staying wouldn’t lead to a good outcome anyway.”
Madam Tao felt a jolt in her heart and stopped thinking about chasing Zhao Erwang. She turned back to look at Gu Jianli. Even in the shabby coarse clothes of a peasant family, she hadn’t lost an ounce of her beauty. Her mother had been a calamity, and now she and her sister were both blooming beauties, even more dazzling than their mother.
—A face that could bring disaster to a nation.
Her face was a curse.
Madam Tao felt a chill start at her feet and quickly spread throughout her body. She vaguely understood that no matter how fiercely she tried to protect this child, she might no longer have the strength to do so.
I’m so happy you are the translator for this!!