Chapter 3

Chapter 3

If I moved the dowry, it would look as though I meant to break openly with the Ye family. Then they would have an argument to use against me.

For all its grandeur, the Ye family had long been in decline. In peacetime, generals had no battles to fight, and old military glory could not produce new income. The family’s rank remained, but its revenues did not.

The First Branch upheld the residence’s reputation, while the Second and Third Branches pursued their own schemes. Their accounts were nothing like the splendor outsiders saw.

With chest after chest of silver and silk before them—and endless social obligations to pay for—how could they not covet my dowry? Without that temptation, the play I had prepared would be far less interesting.

Chunxue wiped her tears. “But after such humiliation, are we simply letting them go?”

I was humiliated, of course.

But humiliation alone was useless.

I had never married Ye Zhaonian merely for his handsome face.

The Wei family was at the height of its power. When both the Crown Prince and Ye Zhaonian asked for my hand, Father had allowed me to choose.

“Wuzhen, you may choose the man you like. But remember, marriage is not a river you must drown in. If the water turns foul, climb onto the bank.”

I had thought only that the Eastern Palace was too deep and Ye Zhaonian the safer choice.

He had military achievements; the Wei family had prestige. I would marry him, become an ordinary noblewoman, manage the household and raise our children. That would have been enough.

Only last night had I learned that such simple peace was no more than flowers in a mirror and the moon reflected on water.

If the wager had no value, I would not keep paying into it.

After returning to the Wei residence, I concealed my visit to the Eastern Palace. I told Father only what the Ye family had done.

He was silent for a long time. At last, he ordered the steward, “The young lady is ill. From today onward, she receives no visitors.”

On the first day, Madam Ye sent her personal matron.

“My mistress says the young madam is still young and thin-skinned. It is understandable that a small grievance drove her home. But what married couple never has quarrels?”

“The general knows he was wrong. Please return soon, Young Madam, before outsiders laugh at the family.”

The steward merely lowered his eyes and repeated, “Our young lady is ill and sees no visitors.”

The Ye family sent someone again on the second day.

“The young madam is the lawful wife. Why stoop to arguing with a rough woman from the army?”

“If this grows into a scandal, only the marriage between the general and his wife will suffer.”

By the third day, their message had become far less courteous.

“Madam Ye says the Wei family is noble, and its daughter should know better. A new bride running home on her second day will only make people question the Wei family’s upbringing.”

“The general has offered her every possible way back. If she still refuses, it is the Wei family’s dignity she will damage.”

For three days, they came. For three days, the steward turned them away.

On the fourth, Ye Zhaonian finally appeared.

I did not see him, and Father did not receive him either. My eldest brother went to the front hall, where he served excellent tea and several plates of pastries. He treated Ye Zhaonian with the same flawless courtesy as before.

I sat behind a screen and listened to Ye Zhaonian’s hoarse voice.

“Elder Brother, I was a bastard that day. She has every right not to see me.”

My brother smiled and pushed the teacup toward him.

“We spoiled Wuzhen from childhood. She cannot bear grievances. These past few days, she has read the letters you once wrote her every day. She says nothing, but perhaps she has been waiting for you.”

Ye Zhaonian’s eyes brightened. “Truly?”

My brother nodded.

“A man who moves through the world is bound to have a few close female friends. The problem was that you left in too much haste on your wedding night and wounded her pride. That is what caused all this trouble.”

Relieved by his courtesy, Ye Zhaonian seemed to have found a kindred spirit.

“Elder Brother understands. Yilan suffered beside me on the northern frontier and took blades meant for me more than once. I cannot treat her like an ordinary woman.”

Realizing the implication, he hurriedly added, “Of course, in my heart, Wuzhen alone has always held the place of my lawful wife.”

My brother chuckled. “That is something you should tell her yourself.”

“I want to, but she refuses to see me.”

My brother lifted his cup and gently blew across the tea.

“A young woman only needs to be coaxed a few more times. I saw her accept an invitation to Princess Xuanyi’s flower-viewing banquet yesterday.”

“Whether you bring her home then will depend on you.”

Understanding dawned, and joy entered Ye Zhaonian’s voice.

“As long as Wuzhen agrees to see me, I will apologize properly.”

“There will be many guests that day. If the misunderstanding can be cleared and the two women reconcile, would that not become a celebrated tale?”

My brother’s smile faded slightly. “How thoughtful of you, Brother Ye.”

Reassured, Ye Zhaonian rose to leave with a spring in his step.

I emerged from behind the screen. The smile had vanished from my brother’s face.

“Did you hear clearly?”

“I did.”

“Have you given up on him?”

I laughed. “My heart was never his. What is there to give up?”

I had merely lost a wager.

The Wei family remained, and so did the Crown Prince. I still possessed the capital for a reversal.

My brother asked, “Why have you ignored the Crown Prince’s letters? Give him a little sweetness. It may bind him more securely.”

I smiled. “Brother, you understand officialdom. But affairs of the bedchamber may be beyond you.”

He raised a brow. “Oh?”

I sat gracefully and lifted my tea.

“A man who receives sweetness does not necessarily treasure it more—especially a man like Pei Yuanjin.”

“He was born above everyone else and has always received whatever he wanted. If I answered his letter today and accepted his invitation tomorrow, he might decide I was nothing extraordinary after all.”

Had I chosen him in the first place, none of this would have happened.

But a wrong choice was still wrong. I would have to take a more winding road before my path became smooth again.

My brother leaned back and burst out laughing.

“I scheme in the imperial court, and you scheme in the inner household. They are much the same.”

I laughed too. “They have always been the same.”

At court, one fought for the Emperor’s favor; in the household, for a husband’s. In the end, was either struggle about anything but power?

Three days later, I attended Princess Xuanyi’s flower-viewing banquet.

Chunxue worried the entire journey.

“My lady, the Ye family has suppressed the truth. No one outside knows what happened. Today they will surely throw the blame on you.”

I sneered. “If they had not suppressed it, how could today’s performance take place?”

Plenty of people in Changan were waiting to laugh at me.

Unfortunately for them, I had not come to accept a gracious way down.

I had come to send them to hell.

Princess Xuanyi and I had known each other since childhood. The moment I entered the flower hall, she beckoned from the seat of honor.

“Wuzhen, come sit beside me.”

Every gaze turned.

Several ladies offered false concern.

“Is Madam Ye feeling better?”

“Every new bride feels unwell for a few days. It will pass.”

“How many women could ever hope to marry a man like General Ye? Do not truly quarrel with him.”

Before I could answer, Xuanyi arched a brow.

“The matter has not even been explained, yet all of you diagnose it better than the imperial physicians.”

The women’s smiles stiffened, and they fell silent.