Chapter 9
The courtyard erupted into chaos.
Once Hongyu and I had been pinned down, Xia Huairou strolled forward and took the bridal veil straight from Hongyu’s hands.
She did not even deign to look at me. Instead, she mocked Third Sister.
“Third Sister, I don’t mean to criticize, but good fortune was being fed into your mouth, and you couldn’t even open it.
“If you won’t marry him, all the better for me.”
The mistress looked so pleased that her eyes all but vanished in her smile.
She took the veil herself and placed it over Xia Huairou’s head.
Holding her hand, she said, “Only yesterday I was angry with your father over this. Jiang Qihe has such a promising future, and he’s only visited once. He’s never even seen that ungrateful fourth girl. Why not simply give the marriage to you? If your father hadn’t feared the concubines calling him biased, that ungrateful third girl would never have had a chance.”
Seeing what had become of me, Third Sister could not help fearing for herself.
“Mother,” she pleaded, “Fourth Sister has suffered enough. She even has to put together her own dowry. Besides, others may not know who is beneath the veil, but surely Heaven and Earth do?”
Switching brides amounted to deceiving the emperor. But Father and the others knew that, once I married out, I would be beyond their control.
If Jiang Qihe rose in the world, I might even take revenge on them.
Rather than face disaster later, they would use this chance to crush me now.
“Third Sister,” I called softly. “Look closely. This is how vicious she is. Some things must stay buried inside you. If she finds out, what’s happening to me today will happen to you tomorrow.”
Father had never risen beyond passing the provincial examination.
Did she think the mistress could bear to see her marry well?
So keep quiet. Whatever happened, do not let her find out.
Now that I had openly broken with her, the mistress stopped pretending. She came forward and patted my cheek with a sinister smile.
Two older servants held my arms. I could not move.
Her nails scraped my face. “Fourth girl, how you wound your mother’s heart.
“But never mind. I am generous. I have already found you an excellent marriage.”
I stared wide-eyed as her crimson lips moved.
“General Li and your father agreed long ago. Whatever happens, he will keep you here to accompany my daughter as her dowry concubine.
“If you must blame someone, blame your mother for giving you such a lowly fate.”
Xia Huairou protested sweetly, “Mother, stop wasting words on her. The auspicious hour has come. Don’t keep my Jiang waiting.”
The mistress casually selected two older servants to guard my courtyard. Then everyone escorted Xia Huairou out to the bridal sedan as though she were the center of the world.
The women locked me in my room.
Outside, gongs and drums thundered. The guards sat by the door, idly discussing how much wedding money Master Xia might give them.
Hongyu glared at the closed door, her eyes red.
“Miss, I’ll fight them!”
When I did not answer, she turned to find I had already taken off my wedding robe.
“Miss, don’t do anything foolish!”
I was looking for my fire lighter. Her shout nearly made me burn myself.
I piled every candle in the room onto the bed.
Under her puzzled gaze, I asked, “Once we set this fire, we’ll be people without household registration.
“Hongyu, will you come with me?”
She understood at once. Moving the wardrobe aside, she uncovered a dog-sized hole in the wall.
“What are we waiting for, Miss? Let’s go!”
A dog-sized hole. What a blessing.
Once, I had used it to sneak out to see Li Wujin. Now I would use it to find a way to live.
Thank goodness the Xias cared so little for me that they did not even know my room had a hole in it.
Hongyu and I took each other’s hands and lit every candle.
Only after the flames spread and the guards began shrieking, “Fire!” did we crawl outside.
We hastily blocked the hole with rubble. We had barely gone any distance when the building collapsed.
They wanted to sell me to Li Wujin?
Then I would burn it all.
Let the dogs tear one another apart.