Chapter 1

All the city was talking about it: Master Liu’s youngest daughter was to marry the bandit chief of Mount Qingcheng outside the city.

Everyone had something to say, but most of it was gratitude.

They thanked Master Liu for sacrificing his own daughter to secure peace for all of Lucheng.

Only I sat in my room, watching the red cloth in Nanny’s hands. I tilted my head. “Nanny, what’s that?”

She looked up at me. Her eyes reddened before she could speak.

Sticking her needle into the cloth, she reached out to stroke my head. “Your bridal veil, miss.”

That was when I first learned I would not have to spend my whole life in this tiny courtyard.

On my wedding day, Father came to my room.

“Yinyin, you must please your husband from now on. Do whatever he asks. Everyone in Lucheng will remember what you’ve done for them.” Those were his last words as he stood behind me, smiling at my reflection in the bronze mirror.

He also said, “Yinyin is such a good, obedient girl.”

He had never said those things before. He hardly ever smiled at me, either.

I felt a little sad, and a little happy.

He and my sisters gave me lots of things.

My second sister, who always scolded me most fiercely, gave me her favorite set of jewelry. She held my hand and cried for a very long time.

I had always hated them most. Yet seeing them cry like that made me sad too.

It was noisy outside. With red-rimmed eyes, Nanny covered my face with the veil.

She led me out of the courtyard, out of the Liu residence, and into a bridal sedan chair. I had never ridden in one before.

I didn’t know how long they carried me. By the time hunger drove me to eat the apple I was holding down to its core, they finally set the sedan chair down.

Startled, I hurriedly hid the core in my sleeve.

Just then, firecrackers burst outside, gongs and drums clamored, and a hand reached in through the curtain.

“My wife.” When I still didn’t move, a voice called to me through the noise.

I quickly put my hand into that enormous hand, nearly the size of both of mine, and let him lead me slowly outside.

His thumb brushed gently across my hand. Then he laughed.

It wasn’t a particularly lovely laugh, but it eased the tightness in my chest.

Nanny had spent a whole month teaching me all the complicated wedding rites. I performed them perfectly, without a single mistake.

At last, someone led me into a room and sat me on a bed.

All the noisy people suddenly disappeared. Only Nanny remained. She sighed with a smile. “Miss, didn’t I tell you not to eat the apple?”

My headdress was so heavy I could barely lift my head. At her question, I lowered it even farther.

But I’d been so hungry.

Pouting, I took the apple core from my sleeve. I’d hidden it the whole way. “I kept it out of sight,” I whispered.

Nanny sighed softly and took it from me. “May your mother’s spirit watch over you and keep you safe.”

It was only an apple. Even Mother had to be brought into it.

“I won’t sneak any food next time.” As always when I was caught stealing a bite, I apologized and promised at once.

A long while later, someone else came in. He held a long rod and slipped it under my red veil.

The next moment, he lifted the veil into the air, and it fluttered to the floor.

What fun.

I looked up, smiling, and saw a man nothing like Father.

Nanny had told me that the man who lifted my veil was the one I should call Husband.

“Husband.” My eyes crinkled as I called him sweetly.

Father had said I must please my husband, be good to him, and do everything he said.

Of course I knew that.

Ever since I was little, no one but Nanny had wanted to live with me.

But Husband did. Husband was a good man.

His hand froze in midair around the rod. One thick eyebrow rose a little.

He bent down until his whole face was right in front of mine. “That happy?”

I nodded hard and smiled. “I get to live with you now.”

Husband laughed.

He was a very big man, and his laugh was very big too.

Turning to Nanny, he said, “You may go. We don’t need you here.”

Nanny looked at me, grinning so broadly my eyes had narrowed to slits, then at Husband, who had already sat down beside me. Her face was full of worry for me.

I leaned forward to tell her, “Go to bed, Nanny. Husband will keep me company tonight.”

Perhaps I’d said something wrong. Both their expressions turned rather strange.

Even Husband’s earlobes went a little red. It was quite cute.

I couldn’t help poking one with my forefinger. I giggled. “Your ears are red.”

Husband caught the finger I was using to pinch his ear. His face grew stern, and his voice dropped as he spoke to Nanny. “Why are you still here?”

I nodded too, then yawned.

“I’m going to sleep with Husband now.”

A faint blush rose over Nanny’s old face as well. She looked at me just as she had that day outside Father’s study, when I’d insisted on sneaking the insects I’d caught into his room and waiting for him to come home and praise me.