Only on my wedding night did I discover that I had not married the second son of the marquis’s residence—the man I had been introduced to before the match.
I had married the sickly eldest son, who had spent most of his life confined to bed.
The idea had come from Miss Liu, who entered the household on the same day as I did and was now the Second Young Madam.
Smiling sweetly, she asked, “I heard you and Eldest Brother fell in love at first sight, Sister-in-law. Are you happy now that you are married?”
Everyone expected me to cry, make a scene, and expose how the grooms had been switched.
Instead, I lowered my eyes and calmly served tea to my new parents-in-law before I spoke.
“A maiden treasures her reputation above all else. I did not dare look closely at my future husband that day. Only today have I learned what a true gentleman looks like.”
My parents-in-law’s worry turned to delight, and they praised me as virtuous and noble—the finest of wives.
What none of them knew was that I came from a merchant family.
I believed in fair trades, and I never forgot a debt.
For the little matter of deceiving me, I judged that a few lives would be payment enough.
