Imperial Examination
Twofold Heart
While recovering from an illness in Jiangnan, I had a brief, passionate affair with a scholar.
When it was time for me to return to the capital, I left him a hundred ounces of gold and a letter.
“My mother doesn’t approve of our marriage. It’s better if we part ways.” Two years later, he earned honors in the imperial examinations.
When we met again, his face was clouded with a dark, brooding intensity.
“Was the ‘mother’ you spoke of actually your mother-in-law?”
The Sprouting Chronicles
Zhao Qingzhu and I were betrothed through an exchange marriage.
The agreement was that his older sister would marry my older brother, and I would marry him.
He was a scholar, which meant his education was a money pit.
My family had to tighten our belts to provide for him, and the entire village laughed at us for being fools.
But five years later, he passed the imperial examinations with top honors and became the most sought-after bachelor around.
Suddenly, everyone was saying I was no longer worthy of him.
