The sound of the door being pulled open jolted Madam Chen awake – no, she could no longer be called Madam Chen now. She was Chen Ali, a disgraced woman bearing her husband’s surname Chen and her maiden surname Li, addressed only by her common name.
The bed beside her was empty, and the charcoal fire had long gone out, leaving a chilling cold to the touch.
Chen Ali sat up abruptly.
“Dan-niang,” she called out, her voice tinged with panic.
When their family was convicted and all three clans were raided, some of the women in the clan couldn’t bear the sudden tragedy and took their own lives by hanging. Although Chen Dan-niang had been quietly following her all along, she couldn’t help but fear – fear that Chen Dan-niang might have done the same…
She looked up at the wall.
A bow hung on the pale, earthen surface.
“Mother.”
A clear voice came from outside the door.
Someone leaned in from the doorway, bringing in a wave of cold air.
Chen Dan-niang, dressed in a coarse old cotton-padded jacket, smiled brightly, her eyes crinkling at the corners.
“It’s snowing.”
The rustling sounds soon woke people in the other rooms of the large compound.
One family after another came out, watching Chen Ali and Chen Dan-niang sweeping the snow in the yard.
The snow lay thickly, and mother and daughter already had a layer of sweat on their foreheads.
“Third Sister-in-law, let me help,” a man offered. He was about to step forward when the woman beside him pulled him back.
“The firewood at home hasn’t been chopped yet,” the woman said with clear displeasure. “Go chop the wood.”
The man looked embarrassed.
“It can wait a moment,” he said.
The woman glared at him.
“A moment’s misdeed, and now we’re stuck chopping wood for a lifetime,” she retorted with bitterness.
The man lowered his head and fell silent.
People emerged from the rooms around the large courtyard, glanced over, and then went about their own business without anyone stepping forward to help sweep the snow.
Chen Ali and her daughter seemed not to notice, continuing to sweep earnestly -clearing the doorway, the yard, and even the chicken coop in the corner without missing a spot.
“Dan-niang, rest if you’re tired,” Chen Ali said.
Chen Dan-niang shook her head, piled the snow under a tree, studied it for a moment as if struck by an idea, then ran off.
“Dan-niang?” Chen Ali called out. “Don’t play with the snow barehanded – you’ll freeze.”
“It’s fine,” Chen Dan-niang replied, rolling the snow into a ball.
“Nineteenth Sister!”
A voice called from outside the gate.
Chen Ali turned to see a young man hurrying in, a shovel in hand.
“Shi’liu-lang,” she greeted with a gentle smile.
Chen Shi’liu-lang first bowed respectfully to Chen Ali, then straightened the shovel in his hands.
“Aunt, Sister, please rest. I’ll take care of sweeping the snow,” he said.
Chen Ali didn’t stand on ceremony and stepped aside.
“Have you finished clearing your own yard?” she asked. “And has your mother’s health improved?”
Chen Shi’liu-lang answered each question in turn, skillfully sweeping away the lingering snow in the yard and at the doorway.
“Brother, come help me build a snowman!” Chen Dan-niang called from the other side.
“Don’t pester your brother – it’s freezing out,” Chen Ali quickly interjected.
But Chen Shi’liu-lang was already smiling and heading over. He soon helped Chen Dan-niang build a chubby snowman in the yard, and the two of them found radish roots and twigs to decorate it.
“It looks so lovely!” Chen Dan-niang laughed, clapping her hands.
“Alright, now hurry inside,” Chen Shi’liu-lang said, his heart aching at the sight of her reddened face and hands from the cold.
Chen Dan-niang nodded with a bright smile.
Someone passed by outside the courtyard gate, glanced at the snowman in the yard, and curled their lip in disdain.
“After bringing ruin upon everyone, they still carry on so cheerfully. Truly heartless,” the person remarked.
Chen Shi’liu-lang’s face flickered with anger, and he stepped forward as if to argue, but Chen Dan-niang quickly pulled him back.
“Brother, this is some frostbite ointment,” she said, pressing something into his hand. “It’s from Yichun Hall in the capital.”
Frostbite ointment from Yichun Hall was specially supplied to the northwestern armies and was notoriously expensive – even in the capital, it was hard to come by.
Chen Shi’liu-lang showed a flicker of surprise but quickly understood.
“Someone sent it to me,” Chen Dan-niang explained, not saying who.
Chen Shi’liu-lang didn’t ask further, but tried to hand it back to her.
“I am not afraid of the cold – you keep it,” he said.
“Cousins wash with cold water every day and their hands get frostbitten. Give it to them to use,” Chen Dan-niang insisted.
Chen Shi’liu-lang didn’t decline further. With a smile, he bowed to Chen Ali.
“Aunt, I’ll take my leave now,” he said.
Chen Ali nodded quietly.
“Brother, please tell Grandfather I’ll go find him after dinner to practice archery,” Chen Dan-niang said.
Chen Shi’liu-lang replied with a “Good,” then picked up his shovel and walked out.
Due to the cold, few people were out in the fort, but there were still some, hunched against the chill, venturing outside.
“This cursed weather and still having to check the fields – what misery,” they grumbled. Spotting Chen Shi’liu-lang, they stopped. “Shi’liu-lang, why bother helping them?”
“It’s them who brought us to this state,” one said even more angrily.
Chen Shi’liu-lang looked at them.
“A clan is a clan,” he said. “When it prospers, all prosper; when it falls, all fall. Why complain only in hardship and not in glory?”
Their expressions immediately soured.
“Are we not allowed to criticize him for causing disaster and dragging the whole clan down? The Chen clan’s prosperity didn’t come from him alone, yet it was destroyed by his hands.”
“Because of this stain of crime, the futures of the clan’s younger generation are all ruined. Are we supposed to be grateful to him?”
“Never mind all that, Shi’liu-lang. Your engagement was broken off, and now your hands that once held brushes and books are holding shovels and working in the fields. All that studying was for nothing.”
They spoke with bitter resentment.
Chen Shi’liu-lang lowered his gaze.
“Studying isn’t just for passing imperial exams,” he said. “How can it be called ‘for nothing’?”
He looked up again as he spoke.
“Besides, Uncle’s actions were Uncle’s. How can you resent Aunt and Dan-niang for them?”
“Forget it, we can’t compare to your kindness and generosity, Shi’liu,” the others said, waving him off.
Chen Shi’liu-lang took a step forward but then paused, turning back.
“Moreover, if it weren’t for Aunt and Dan-niang, would we even be here today?”
Chen Shao’s crime was rebellion – an offense that implicated three generations of his clan. By right, they should have been exiled to Lingnan or the northwest as military conscripts, left to die like the Gao family.
Though out of consideration for the Empress Dowager, the Gao family had been spared the punishment of three generations, with only Gao Lingjun’s immediate line penalized, that one lineage had been uprooted and utterly destroyed.
In contrast, the Chen clan had only had their properties confiscated and were sent to reclaim farmland. Moreover, the assigned location was near Qu-zhou. Husbands, wives, and children all remained together. They may have been moved out of their grand estates and fine houses, lost their shops and fertile fields, and stripped of their silks and official caps, but here in the farmlands, they still had enough to eat and wear. Compared to those exiled who might lose half their number on the journey alone, their situation was worlds apart.
Put this way, the outcome was indeed a stroke of great fortune amid misfortune. The others fell silent for a moment. Could it be… because of Chen Shao’s wife and daughter?
Chen Shi’liu-lang said nothing more and walked away with his head bowed.
Outside Chen Shi’liu-lang’s home, the yard had already been swept clean. Old Master Chen was practicing a martial arts routine in the courtyard.
“Your father went up the hill to check the bamboo,” he said.
Chen Shi’liu-lang quickly acknowledged with a “Yes” and set down his shovel.
“I’ll go right away,” he said.
“Eat first before you go,” Fourth Madam Chen said as she stepped out.
A few daughters came out to set out food for him.
“Mother, Dan-niang gave us this frostbite ointment,” Chen Shi’liu-lang said, handing her the salve as he picked up a steamed flatbread. “I’ll go relieve Father so he can come back.”
Fourth Madam Chen called after him several times, but Chen Shi’liu-lang was already striding away, so she gave up.
“Where did this frostbite ointment come from?” she murmured, looking down at the salve in her hand.
“Mother, it’s from Yichun Hall,” one of the daughters leaned in to look, her eyes brightening with relief. “At least our hands won’t freeze so badly now.”
Once young ladies of noble families who had never touched kitchen work, they now had to wash their hands to prepare meals, sew clothes, and mend bedding. Hands carefully nurtured for over a decade had grown rough within a mere month or so, and with the cold weather, they were red, swollen, and cracking from frostbite.
The words “Yichun Hall” caused Fourth Madam Chen’s expression to shift. She handed the ointment to her daughters and walked over to Old Master Chen.
“Father, what do you think this means?” she asked quietly.
Though Yichun Hall was nominally owned by the Cheng family of Jiang-zhou, everyone knew it had once belonged to the Empress.
This ointment, so difficult to obtain, had arrived promptly with the onset of winter. It was absolutely impossible that it could have been sent without the Empress’s permission.
“A gesture of goodwill,” Old Master Chen said. “She has always looked out for your third sister-in-law and Dan-niang in this way.”
“The Third Brother’s branch can rest a little easier, then,” Fourth Madam Chen remarked.
Old Master Chen finished his movements and straightened up. Fourth Madam Chen quickly handed him a towel.
“Your third brother could face death with such resolve,” he said, “likely because he knew someone would take care of matters after he was gone.”
Fourth Madam Chen nodded, letting out a soft sigh.
“Grandfather!”
A voice called from outside the gate.
Fourth Madam Chen looked up to see Chen Dan-niang poking her head around the doorway, smiling brightly.
“Dan-niang, come in quickly! Your sister made mutton soup today – have a bowl to warm up,” she beckoned with a kind smile.
While other families in the clan now held bitter resentment toward Chen Shao’s wife and daughter and avoided them, as their aunt and uncle, their anger was directed at Chen Shao himself, not his family. They hadn’t shunned his wife or child.
Chen Dan-niang shook her head.
“Thank you, Aunt,” she said. “I’ve already eaten. I came to see Grandfather.”
As she spoke, she held up the longbow in her hand.
Old Master Chen nodded with a gentle smile, putting on his heavy coat.
“… Dan-niang truly is remarkable, keeping up day after day,” he praised as he walked out to meet her.
“Of course – I keep my promises,” Chen Dan-niang replied.
“There’s an old veteran in the neighboring village. I’ve asked someone to arrange for him to give you some pointers.”
“That’s wonderful! Thank you, Grandfather.”
The cheerful voices of the old man and the young girl gradually faded into the distance as they walked away.
“It’s truly unexpected how Dan-niang hasn’t changed at all,” one of the Chen daughters remarked.
Fourth Madam Chen turned back to see her daughters looking outside.
Yes, it really was unexpected.
Her father had been executed for plotting against the Crown Prince, and she herself had once been the Crown Princess. When such a huge disaster struck, some of the women in the clan couldn’t bear it and hanged themselves. Yet she, who bore the most direct connection to the crime, remained calm as ever – eating, drinking, laughing, playing, and joking just as before.
“Even if the heart is bitter, it doesn’t have to be shown,” Fourth Madam Chen said.
“But forced cheerfulness can’t really hide it,” her daughters countered. “Dan-niang really does seem perfectly fine in her heart.”
“How could she be fine?” Fourth Madam Chen sighed. “Her life is essentially ruined.”
Her expression grew even more sorrowful as she spoke.
But it wasn’t just Chen Dan-niang’s life that was ruined – their entire family, her own sons and daughters, had been destroyed too.
Even with the Empress’s goodwill and care, life wasn’t just about eating and drinking.
It wasn’t only about their children, but their future descendants. When she thought of descendants, a deeper grief washed over her. Her sons and daughters had all had their betrothals broken off; if they couldn’t even marry, how could there be descendants?
Fourth Madam Chen could no longer hold back and covered her face, ready to weep. But just as she raised her hand, someone coughed softly outside the gate.
“Is this the home of Chen Si-lang?”
Fourth Madam Chen looked up and saw two women and two men standing outside the gate. When they met her gaze, they smiled and bowed.
“We are from the Liu family of Tai-zhou.”
The Liu family of Tai–zhou?
Fourth Madam Chen was taken aback. Which family was that? What could they want with them?
“To explain, our family has come specifically to propose a marriage match with your Chen Shi’liu-lang,” the man said with a smile.
A marriage proposal!
Fourth Madam Chen was stunned.
Now that everyone avoided the Chen family like the plague, someone was actually coming forward with a marriage proposal – and from the looks and manner of these visitors, this was no ordinary family.
What… What was happening?
…
“The Liu family of Tai-zhou?”
Fourth Master Chen, who had been called down from the hills, frowned slightly.
“They’re a military family. Liu Nianchun, the current garrison commander of Qin-zhou Route, is from their clan.”
“That’s not a low-ranking family at all,” Fourth Madam Chen said in surprise.
Even back when Chen Shao was still in power, although they couldn’t propose marriage matches with Chen Shao’s own children, this Liu family would have been a well-matched household for their fourth branch.
Now, however, it was a family far above their station.
“They mentioned a daughter of a man named Liu Kui from the Liu family. This Liu Kui was recently promoted to Commissioner of the Northwestern Route,” Fourth Madam Chen said, looking at the name card in her hand.
Fourth Master Chen looked astonished.
“Is his daughter blind?”
Fourth Madam Chen shook her head.
“Deaf?”
“No.”
“Foolish?”
“Or lacking in virtue?”
Fouth Master Chen asked in rapid succession. Fourth Madam Chen shook her head with a wry smile.
“No, none of that. They say she’s seventeen this year, skilled in both literary and martial arts. They even brought a portrait,” she said, glancing at the scroll placed to the side.
“A portrait isn’t necessarily reliable,” Fourth Master Chen said.
Fourth Madam Chen looked at him.
“But this portrait bears the signature of the renowned Master Fan from the capital,” she replied.
Fourth Master Chen’s eyes widened immediately.
Master Fan! He was a famous artist known for painting beauties. A master of his stature couldn’t be hired by just anyone, and he certainly wouldn’t collude with someone in a scheme.
What was going on?
To go to such lengths for a marriage proposal to their family? If this were before, it might have been understandable, but now…
“The Liu family said their master once saw our son while in the capital and had been inclined toward a match ever since. However, feeling their status was too low, they dared not overreach, yet they never forgot the idea. When they heard Shi’liu-lang’s engagement had been broken off, they hurried to propose,” Fourth Madam Chen explained.
Is… is that how it was? It sounded almost like something from a stage play.
Fourth Master Chen was stunned.
“I can’t help but feel this matter is strange,” he said, rising to his feet. “I’ll go ask Father.”
…
Outside the snow-covered winter village, human presence was scarce. A long arrow flew past, startling a flock of birds gathered on a tree branch into chaotic flight.
Chen Dan-niang’s laughter rang out.
She glanced back, saw Old Master Chen speaking with Fourth Master Chen, and stuck out her tongue playfully. Then, she steadied her bow, aimed at a straw target in the clearing, and drew the string with focus.
Suddenly, she heard Old Master Chen burst into laughter beside her.
“Si-lang, this matter is indeed unusual.”
Old Master Chen spoke, smiling as he stroked his beard.
Fourth Master Chen immediately grew tense.
“I’ll go and decline the Liu family’s proposal right away,” he said. “They’re staying in town and waiting for a reply.”
“Hold on. Go into town to meet them, but not to refuse – to agree to this marriage proposal,” Old Master Chen said.
Fourth Master Chen was stunned.
“Si-lang,” Old Master Chen looked at him, expression solemn but unable to fully conceal a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. “In the future, the Chen family will rely on Shi’liu-lang.”
Could this marriage proposal really improve Shi–liu’lang’s prospects? But after all, he was the descendant of a disgraced official. Even if he married into an official’s family, what chance was there for him to restore the Chen family’s standing?
“Si-lang, do you know who this Liu Kui is?” Old Master Chen asked.
“He’s from Tai-zhou…” Fourth Master Chen began, but his father cut him off.
“When your brother was still in power and contending with Gao Lingjun for control of the northwestern army, do you remember the case of the northwestern deserters?” Old Master Chen prompted.
Fourth Master Chen nodded, his expression dimming. Those former rivals had ultimately fought to the death.
“That deserter was the sworn brother of the Empress,” he said.
“And Liu Kui was the man who captured the Empress’s sworn brother, which triggered the entire deserter case,” Old Master Chen finished for him.
It’s him!
Fourth Master Chen was astounded.
“Liu Kui was also the one who led others in providing testimony during the Maoyuan Mountain incident to demand justice for the Maoyuan Mountain brothers,” Old Master Chen continued.
So that’s it!
Fourth Master Chen suddenly understood.
“Then… then he… his connection to the Empress…” he stammered, a vague idea already forming in his mind.
Everyone knew how highly the Empress regarded her sworn brothers, so those who had close ties to these brothers would naturally also…
Could this matter be…
Looking at Old Master Chen’s silent confirmation, Fourth Master Chen’s expression finally stirred with excitement.
So that was it. Marrying into the Liu family would not only bring support from the in-laws, but also backing from the Empress herself. Even if Shi’liu–lang himself had no opportunity, his children with the Liu daughter would surely have a chance.
This was an opportunity to restore the Chen family!
The third branch, represented by Chen Shao, was condemned as traitors and could never recover. But the Chen family still had the fourth branch. They could lift up the fourth branch and allow the Chen clan to flourish once more.
So the fact that their “disgraced family” was clothed and fed wasn’t the real form of support – the true favor was right here!
Fourth Master Chen could no longer hold back – his eyes grew hot with unshed tears.
“Why would she do this…” he said, his voice trembling.
She had always been the Chen family’s benefactor. She had saved the old master and had even, intentionally or not, assisted Chen Shao in his political struggles against Gao Lingjun. Yet the Chen family had never repaid her kindness. Instead, they had obstructed her time and again – in the deserters incident, and when they opposed the adoption arrangement…
The Chen family had never stood with this woman; in fact, they had often been in opposition.
So why…
“From now on, treat your third sister-in-law and her family well,” Old Master Chen said, not elaborating further. He turned and walked away, a smile on his face. “Dan-niang.”
Chen Dan-niang looked back at him and smiled.
“Grandfather,” she said, holding up her bow. The wind had roughened her face, but her smile was bright. “I can hit the bullseye now.”
Fourth Master Chen looked at Chen Dan-niang, his expression a mixture of complexity and deep emotion, and nodded slowly.
Chen Shi’liu-lang’s marriage was swiftly settled. After the exchange of names, divination, and the six rites, by the time the second snowfall arrived, a bride was welcomed into the family with the blowing of horns and beating of drums.
When the bridal procession appeared at the fort, it caused a sensation across the entire settlement and the surrounding areas.
“Come quickly and see!” someone called out loudly. “The Chen family is taking a bride!”
People in the town shook their heads dismissively.
“What’s so special about the Chen family taking a bride? Probably a wife bought from who-knows-where.”
“Not at all! He’s marrying a very wealthy bride!” the man shouted. “Her dowry already circles the entire fort!”
Circles the entire fort!
That would be an enormous dowry!
“Must be at least a hundred thousand guan!” someone yelled.
A hundred thousand guan!
Good heavens, that’s insane!
Anyone who could provide a dowry of a hundred thousand could marry their daughter even into a prefect’s household! Who in their right mind would give their daughter to the descendant of a disgraced official?
Immediately, the crowd surged toward the fort in a commotion.
Amidst the clamor of gongs and drums, banners fluttering, and fireworks exploding one after another, each blossoming into brilliant clouds in the sky, both adults and children craned their necks, unwilling to look away even as they grew sore.
“Mother, look! These fireworks are just like… just like the ones from Lady Cheng… the ones from the capital,” Chen Dan-niang said happily, standing before Fourth Master Chen’s house.
Someone jostled through the crowd, causing mother and daughter to sway.
“Move aside. The bride is about to enter. Sister-in-law, you two should step back for now,” the woman said.
Chen Ali smiled softly without replying, taking Chen Dan-niang’s hand and moving aside.
As the bride entered, everyone surged toward Fourth Master Chen’s house, eager to see the dowry filling the courtyard.
“Dan-niang, let’s go back,” Chen Ali said, taking Chen Dan-niang’s hand.
Chen Dan-niang nodded.
Just as they turned to leave, someone called out to them.
“Third Sister-in-law, come quickly! Please come!”
Seeing Fourth Madam Chen, Chen Ali looked puzzled.
But Fourth Madam Chen didn’t wait for an explanation. She took Chen Ali’s hand and pulled her through the crowd, leading her into the house.
People in the courtyard looked on in surprise as Chen Ali was ushered in.
Fourth Madam Chen said nothing, but with tears in her eyes, she gently pushed Chen Ali toward the mountain of dowry goods.
“Third Sister-in-law, look… please look at these,” she whispered, her voice choked.
These?
Chen Ali glanced over, confused – there were bright red chests adorned with colorful ribbons and silk balls. Suddenly, her eyes widened. She took a step forward and raised a hand to cover her mouth.
These… these are…
“The dowry originally prepared for Dan-niang will be sent in full to the Cheng family tomorrow.”
“‘We must ensure she is married with the utmost honor and grandeur.'”
The trunks bearing the Chen family’s mark, which had seemed never to have been opened, blurred before Chen Ali’s vision.
Why go to such lengths to return this gift?
Why such thoughtfulness?
This foolish, kind-hearted lady!
“Third Sister-in-law, it is you who have saved our entire Chen clan,” came Fourth Madam Chen’s tear-choked voice beside her.
For a drop of kindness, she returns a flowing spring; for a single thought of goodwill, she revives a withered tree.
Chen Ali raised her hand to cover her mouth, as if all the tears she had held back since leaving the capital were now pouring forth uncontrollably.
…
The clamorous noise and the ceaseless popping of firecrackers caused the woman in a small Taoist temple at the foot of the mountain to pause her murmured chants.
“What’s happening? So much noise?” she asked.
A young novice turned her head back from the doorway.
“Eighteenth Young Lady, it’s your family celebrating a joyful occasion. Didn’t you know?” she said.
As the words left her mouth, the nun’s blank expression shifted slightly.
“Family?” she said. “I have no family.”
The novice pursed her lips.
When the Chen family was condemned across three generations – including in-laws -this Chen daughter was divorced by her husband’s family to avoid implication. Yet the Chen family also refused to take her back. They sent her dowry to the temple so she could shelter here.
What kind of unlucky person must she be to end up unwanted by everyone?
“What family? When the state has fallen, when heaven has fallen – who still has a family? No one has a family!”
The woman before her spoke, agitation rising in her expression.
“Heaven has fallen! Heaven no longer sees!”
There she goes again, here she goes again.
The young novice hopped outside, pulled the door shut, and locked it. Just as she finished, she heard inside the room – first wild laughter, then loud weeping, crying and laughing in turn, utterly deranged.
“Heaven’s way is unjust! Heaven is unjust!”
“I can’t accept it! I can’t accept it!”
There are many unbearable things in this world. If everyone could have everything as they wished, wouldn’t they all be immortals? The novice shrugged, tucked her hands into her sleeves, ignored the madwoman inside, and looked back up at the distant fireworks blooming in the sky.
