chapter 1
Ningan Marquis Manor, with its vermillion lacquered gates, gilded bronze studs, and imposing stone lions.
I swaggered right in.
The Marquise, having heard the news, rushed over. At the sight of me, her face turned deathly pale, and the hand clutching her prayer beads trembled even more violently.
After instructing the servants to summon the manor physician to tend to me, she hurried off as if chased by evil spirits.
With a smile at the corner of my lips, I made my way back to my room, well acquainted with every step.
Cuiju, the maid who usually attends me, arrived with the manor physician. The physician put on a show of taking my pulse, only to declare that I had suffered a fright and needed rest.
Once the physician was dismissed, only Cuiju and I remained in the room.
She kept stealing glances at me, wanting to speak but holding back.
I didn’t mind, and instructed her to prepare a bath and fresh clothes for me. Her round apricot eyes darted about, and finally she replied, “Yes, Shizi Consort.”
After washing and dressing, I sat in my room feeling refreshed.
The door was flung open with a bang. Xiao Yu, the Heir of Ningan Marquis, burst in, his face stricken with panic. His trembling finger pointed at me: “Waner, you… you’re still alive?”
I chuckled, “Husband, what are you saying! Am I not standing here before you, perfectly well?”
“But the manor guards said you were attacked by refugees on your way up the mountain to pay respects to Buddha,” suspicion flickered in his eyes, “and… your body was never found?”
“Mm, I got separated from the guards on the road and ran into some refugees. It was a bit frightening.”
I strolled over to the dressing table and gazed at the pale yet still lovely face in the bronze mirror.
“But I fought desperately and managed to escape, only to tumble down the hillside and lose consciousness. See, just a minor injury.”
As I spoke, my fingertip inadvertently revealed a small scrape at my sleeve.
Xiao Yu stared fixedly at the faint wound, terror deepening in his eyes as he instinctively retreated half a step: “Impossible! Father-in-law clearly said…”
“Oh? What did Father-in-law say?”
My forehead burned hot. I raised my hand and gently brushed my fingertips across it, the heat cooling instantly.
Through the mirror, I locked eyes with him: “Or is it, Husband, that you didn’t want me to come back alive?”
Xiao Yu froze, realizing he’d let something slip, then forced a smile uglier than a cry:
“Father-in-law said it’s good that you’re back! It’s good that you’re back! The Bodhisattva must have blessed you! But… you’ve suffered so much, you must rest well, and… and not catch a chill again.”
He didn’t wait for my reply, and like his mother, fled in haste.
Ha! Coward!
The footsteps outside the courtyard faded into the distance. “Don’t worry,” I said to my reflection in the mirror, “I won’t let you wait too long.”
The “me” in the mirror slowly curled her lips into a cold, bewitching smile, a chilling contrast to that pale, delicate face.