Chapter 49
Chapter 49
At that moment, everything in the world seemed to cease to exist. I was pulled into an Illusion Mirror by Cao Yu-shi, witnessing the revolving lantern of her life play out before my eyes.
Shadows of men appeared one after another against the windows of the inner room-some middle-aged, some young. They constantly probed and tested, only to retreat in dejection at the sound of Cao Yu-shi reciting her Commendation Document.
In that instant, I suddenly understood what she meant by those words: “That is my life! My immunity! My… fig leaf!”
At some point, the sound of her recitation vanished.
It was replaced by the heavy panting of a man, the wailing of a woman, the crying of an infant…
My head buzzed, and a ringing sound pierced my eardrums like needles.
After a sharp, explosive crack, everything before me turned stark white, and the entire space fell silent.
Then, a woman’s monologue abruptly began.
“My name is Yu An. I am from Jing City. My family was poor, and I was sold into the Cao household as a slave at the age of five.
“The Cao Family has practiced medicine for generations. The head of the house, Lord Cao, was highly respected-not only for his brilliant medical skills but also for his kind heart.
“He bought me for twenty copper coins to look after the daily life of his four-year-old grandson, Cao Houde.
“Cao Houde lost his mother at a young age and was frail and sickly. I didn’t just take meticulous care of him; through constant exposure, I even learned some pharmacology.
“I was capable and beautiful. By my teens, I had blossomed into a graceful young woman.
“Cao Houde liked me very much. When he was fourteen, the family arranged for him to study abroad. Before leaving, he held my hand and said, ‘Sister Yu An, wait for me to return from my studies. I will definitely take you as my wife.’
“That year, I was fifteen.
“Fifteen… the age for dreaming.
“I counted the days on my fingers as I waited. By the end of the following summer, I hadn’t received news of the young master’s return. Instead, the head of the house, Lord Cao, fell ill.
“I was reassigned to Lord Cao’s room to nurse him.
“Lord Cao was over sixty then, his face already showing the marks of old age. He coughed up blood incessantly. No matter how much medicine was poured into him, it was all in vain. I couldn’t help but feel sad; after all, if he hadn’t spent the money to buy me back then, I likely would have starved to death long ago.
“I served him with all my heart, but one night, after I finished feeding him his medicine, he suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“The medicine had temporarily eased his discomfort. His eyes roved over me with greed as he murmured, ‘Such a vibrant life! How wonderful!’
“I was terrified. I struggled and fled from Lord Cao’s room. For the rest of the night, I was plagued by nightmares, feeling as though something terrible was about to happen.
“Sure enough, the next morning I was told that I had been chosen as Lord Cao’s ‘auspicious bride’-a new wife taken to ward off his illness. I was officially elevated to the position of the Cao household’s Fourth Concubine.
“Could I resist?
“Did I have the power to resist?
“I was nothing more than a slave Lord Cao had bought for twenty copper coins!
“He was my master. If he wanted me dead, I would have to bash my head against a pillar immediately, without a single word of complaint.
“That night, I was dressed up and sent into Lord Cao’s room, which was decorated with festive red lanterns and silks.
“Lord Cao wore a bright red groom’s robe. Looking rejuvenated, he pulled my hand into his, stroking it constantly and rubbing his sagging, aged face against mine. He even threw an arm around my shoulder, kissing my cheek and whispering in my ear, ‘Little An, the Cao Family has miraculous medicine. I can give you a child to rely on.’
“He pushed me down onto the bed and climbed over me with desperate urgency. My heart was like dead ashes. I squeezed my eyes shut as tears flowed, feeling like a prisoner waiting for a slow execution.
“But to my surprise, Lord Cao became so overexcited that he suffered a sudden death right on top of me.
“The medicine he had taken only added to the strain on his already hollowed-out body, accelerating his demise.
“The wedding meant to bring health turned into a funeral, and I became a widow.
“I was ordered to stay in my small courtyard on the west side, eating vegetarian meals and chanting sutras to observe mourning for Lord Cao.
“In the third year of mourning, a Commendation Document praising my chastity and virtue was delivered to my hands. The Cao Family erected a tall Chastity Arch for me. For the rest of my life, I was crushed beneath that arch-never to marry again, never to have children of my own, until the day I died of old age.”
In truth, if my days had continued like that, it wouldn’t have been so bad.
For a girl who had been sold at the age of five with a straw tucked into her hair, having my own small courtyard and no worries about food or clothing was something I hadn’t dared to dream of before.
I stayed quietly in my little courtyard, rarely venturing out and doing my best to avoid contact with any men.
But the tree seeks peace while the wind never ceases.
One night, Third Master got drunk and barged into my room. He pressed closer to me step by step, murmuring repeatedly, “Little Madam, Little Madam, I’ve thought about you for so many years. Just give in to me tonight!”
Third Master was the father of the young master, Cao Houde.
I never could have imagined that Third Master, who spent his days feeling pulses and treating the sick with such high medical ethics, would harbor such filthy thoughts about me in private.
I was backed into a corner with nowhere to retreat. In my panic, I remembered that Commendation Document.
It was the testimony the Cao Family had requested for me, honoring my widowhood and my loyal, chaste character.
I flipped open the Commendation Document and read it aloud, word by word, right in front of Third Master.
Every sentence on that Commendation Document felt like a slap delivered squarely to Third Master’s face.
He was a man of status after all; in the face of filial piety and righteousness, he backed down.
Yet his wicked heart remained unchanged. Every few days, he would burst into my room and try to lay hands on me.
I followed the same pattern, using the Commendation Document to force him away every time.
What I didn’t expect, however, was that the young master would finally return from his studies abroad.
On the day of the welcome banquet, he was ordered by the family elders to kowtow to me in front of everyone and call me ‘Grandmother.’
I knew what they intended. They were afraid that we wouldn’t be able to restrain our childhood feelings and would do something to disgrace the family name.
Cao Houde stiffened his neck, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at me fixedly, as if I were a traitor who had broken a promise.
He was forced to kneel before me, yet he never managed to utter the word ‘Grandmother.’
After the banquet, I returned to my courtyard and sat on the edge of my bed in the inner room, staring blankly for a long time.
A thousand words filled my heart, but in the end, they only escaped as a sorrowful sigh.
But I never expected that very night, Cao Houde would sneak into my room. He held me, kissed me, and swore an oath in my ear: as long as I went with him, he would abandon everything in the Cao Family and take me far away.
He wanted to take me abroad to see the vast world outside.
I pushed him away with all my strength and looked down at my small feet.
With these Three-Inch Golden Lotuses, I struggled even to cross the high thresholds of the Cao Family home. How could I possibly talk about leaving the country or going abroad?
Even if I were willing, could Cao Houde truly bear the infamy of eloping with his grandfather’s concubine?!
I couldn’t let such a thing happen!
And so, I brought out that Commendation Document once more. In front of Cao Houde, I read it word by word: “Cao Yu-shi of Jing City, aged sixteen, taken as a concubine to Lord Cao…”
Cao Houde looked at me in disbelief, as if he were looking at a complete stranger.
He shook his head violently. Clearly, the contents of the Commendation Document had dealt him a harsh wake-up call!
He backed out of my room step by step and then bolted away.
I thought he would never come back, but a few days later, his temperament suddenly changed. Every morning, he would come to my courtyard to pay his respects. He would sit there properly, drink a cup of plain tea, and tell me about the interesting things that had happened during his years away.
I had no guard against him. After all, he was the boy I had once admired in my youth!
Until one night, when Third Master barged into my room again. I opened the drawer to grab the Commendation Document, only to find it… was gone…