Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I had been feeling uneasy, but when I saw Siyuan was even more enthusiastic than I was, I knew this match had to be fairly reliable.

Behind the screen sat one of the rising stars under Prince Hongyang’s command: Qi Wei.

He was twenty years old, steady, and decent-looking too.

Siyuan was dragged away, leaving only the two of us in the pavilion.

He said his family was poor, and that he had an elderly mother and two younger sisters at home. I asked whether he had heard about my background.

We fell silent together.

But there was one other thing I was worried about.

Over the years, my features had grown out a little. With my brows and makeup done, I only looked about twenty percent like Prince Hongyang now. But he was still Qi Wei’s superior, after all. I was afraid the sight of me might leave him with some sort of mental scar.

I had the maid take away the screen.

The man across from me had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and he sat with perfect posture. After seeing my face, he seemed a little nervous. Considerately, I said, “Marriage is meant to be a lifelong union. My lord, you may go back and think it over carefully. There is no need to force yourself.”

We exchanged bows and parted. Prince Hongyang asked what I thought, and I joked, “A talented young man like that? Don’t tell me Your Highness had him tied up and dragged here.”

Prince Hongyang gave a cold snort.

“Having this prince act as matchmaker is a blessing for those brats. Who would dare be unwilling?”

Then, sounding worried, he added, “His family background is a little thin. If you don’t like him, we’ll find another.”

I shook my head.

“That part doesn’t matter. It’s not as if they’re destitute. Besides, I can keep accounts and run a few small businesses. I can make sure we live well.”

Those words made us both think of someone at the same time, and the air went quiet for a moment.

I didn’t want to make too much of a fuss and have people think I was being picky. I also trusted that Prince Hongyang was doing this for my own good. And so the result of this matchmaking meeting was that Qi Wei and I became engaged.

A year later, after all six betrothal rites were completed, when the spring flowers were in bloom, I married him.
Life after marriage was much better than I had imagined.

The Qi family could not compare to the princely manor, but they were not penniless either.

Qi Wei’s mother was strong-willed, but she was not unreasonable. She had been widowed young and had raised three children by running a tofu shop. She had had no choice but to become formidable.

Guo Mei’er and Tao Mei’er were twins, both nine years old. Their father had died on the battlefield as soon as they were born. At first, my mother-in-law had not wanted Qi Wei to join the army, but she felt Prince Hongyang was trustworthy, so she agreed to let Qi Wei go and try his luck.

Half a month after our wedding, Qi Wei returned to the military camp. On ordinary days, my mother-in-law and I managed my dowry shops and the tofu shop, while Guo’er and Tao’er would come help as well.

Qi Wei had two days of leave each month. He would come back for a family meal, then leave again the next day. Tao Mei’er teased him, saying that before her eldest brother got married, he never came home on his days off, which made my mother-in-law chase after her to smack her.

Two peaceful years passed just like that. I thought I had somehow stumbled upon the kind of good husband’s family one might not meet in a thousand years. Even in my dreams, I woke up smiling.

Until the New Year, when I went to Prince Hongyang’s Manor to pay my respects. The Princess Consort pulled over a maid and said she was my sister, that from now on we were all one family, and smiled as she introduced her to me.