The morning was bright and clear, with the joyous atmosphere from the previous day lingering in the air. The residence of Fourth Master Chen was packed with relatives.
Ever since the family had fallen into disgrace, every branch of the clan had kept their distance from the Old Master Chen’s household. It was the first time in a long while that so many had gathered under one roof.
“Who would have thought they could secure such a marriage alliance.”
“Her family is from the Commissioner of the Northwestern Route – generations of military officers with a future as bright as brocade.”
“After the incident, I thought everyone would shun our family. Who expected such a family to seek marriage ties? Aren’t the Lius afraid of ruining their own prospects?”
“They say the Lius were utterly captivated by Shi’liu-lang at first sight, so smitten they couldn’t forget him. They count this match as a stroke of fortune from three lifetimes and fear nothing.”
“Pah! That sounds utterly ridiculous – like something from a play!”
“It’s not my words; it’s what the Liu family’s father wrote in his own hand in the letter.”
Amidst the lively chatter and laughter, the newlyweds were conspicuously absent from the ceremonial greetings. Just as whispers began that the bride might be looking down on the family, Fourth Madam Chen ushered a few people inside.
It was Chen Shao’s wife and daughter. The once-bustling room fell into an abrupt silence.
“Third Sister-in-law, please take a seat over here.” Fourth Madam Chen seemed not to notice the shift in atmosphere and courteously gestured with a smile.
Chen Ali reached out and took her hand.
“Don’t do this,” she said in a low voice. “I understand her kindness, and I know your goodwill as well. But given my status as a convicted person – a crime decreed by the Son of Heaven and bound by the laws of the court – receiving such preferential treatment could stir gossip if word spreads. That would be harmful both to her and to our family.”
Fourth Madam Chen patted her hand.
“Sister-in-law, do you truly think that by avoiding this, others would remain unaware?” she whispered. “This marriage alliance has caused such a stir – how many people already see the situation clearly in their hearts? Moreover, do you not know her by now? When has she ever been one to fear idle talk?”
Indeed, sometimes the way this woman acted was almost childlike – she did as she pleased, hardly considering how others might view her.
If she chose to give, then accepting it openly and graciously was the finest way to repay her.
A faint smile touched Chen Ali’s lips. She nodded and, following the guidance, took her seat.
“Let Shi’liu-lang and his wife come in,” Fourth Madam Chen said.
Upon hearing this, everyone was once again taken aback.
Had they been waiting for this family all along?
It was true that Shi’liu-lang had always been kind to Chen Shao’s wife and daughter, but what about the bride? After all, these were Chen Shao’s wife and daughter.
All eyes turned toward the entering Shi’liu-lang and his wife.
The bride was eighteen, tall and slender. Though dressed in new attire, her movements still carried the brisk efficiency of someone from a martial background. Under the gaze of so many strangers, she showed not a hint of timidity.
And why should she be timid? Backed by a dowry of a hundred thousand guan, she could walk sideways through the Chen household and no one would dare provoke her.
Following the order of seniority, they soon arrived before Chen Ali.
The room fell silent once more, everyone watching to see if the bride would show any displeasure.
“Greetings, Aunt,” the bride called out sweetly instead, performing a proper and respectful bow.
Chen Ali promptly stepped forward with a smile to help the bride rise, while accepting a pair of socks handed to her by her daughter standing nearby.
“I have nothing else to offer you,” she said warmly. “These are made by my own hands -I hope you won’t find them unworthy.”
The bride quickly received the socks with both hands and bowed once more.
“Aunt, your craftsmanship is truly exquisite,” she said earnestly, examining the socks with undisguised delight and admiration.
Then she turned her gaze to the daughters standing beside Chen Ali.
“These must be my elder sisters,” she said, bowing again.
Chen Ali’s daughters hurriedly returned the courtesy.
“And this must be the younger sister,” Lady Liu said, her eyes settling on Chen Dan-niang as she extended her hand.
Chen Dan-niang quickly reached out to exchange a polite gesture, addressing her as “Sister-in-law.”
Lady Liu then presented her with a gift of meeting.
It was a small lantern, painted with figures and scenes – nothing particularly extraordinary, and hardly matching the status of a young lady who brought a dowry of a hundred thousand guan.
Yet Chen Dan-niang’s eyes lit up.
“Sister-in-law, I love lanterns most of all!” she exclaimed happily.
Lady Liu handed it to her with a gentle smile, saying nothing more.
Chen Ali watched thoughtfully.
After the family introductions, the banquet began.
The feast was sumptuous, with exquisitely prepared dishes that moved many of the guests – who had gone months without seeing such rich fare – almost to tears.
“Things are finally looking up now, blessed by that hundred-thousand-guan dowry. Life can truly improve from here.”
“But it’s not ours, after all.”
“If the fourth branch has hope, then naturally, better days will come for us too.”
“I heard that the Liu family father-in-law has found a post for Shi’liu-lang in the northwest.”
“A military appointment?”
“What’s wrong with a military appointment? He can always transition to a civil official later.”
Inside and out, the mood was lively and joyful, filled with eating, drinking, and merrymaking.
In the inner chambers, Chen Dan-niang observed Lady Liu’s bridal room with curiosity.
“Are you used to living here?” she asked.
This low earthen house must be the first of its kind for a daughter of the Liu family to reside in.
“When I was young, I lived with my father in the northwest – in one of the remotest garrison forts. Ever lived in a dugout dwelling?” Young Madam Liu asked with a gentle smile.
Chen Dan-niang had never even heard of such a thing and shook her head.
“Then are you used to living here?” Lady Liu looked at her and inquired.
Though she herself had experienced hardship as a child, the young lady before her had been raised in silks and delicacies until now.
The bitterest suffering in this world is perhaps when everything turns upside down overnight – plunging from a life of divine luxury into desolate wilderness. The hardship without is nothing compared to the torment within.
Chen Dan-niang smiled. She lowered her head, then lifted it again.
“I’m used to it. I’ve grown accustomed to everything,” she said. “Because… I am still myself.”
What did she mean by that? Lady Liu looked slightly puzzled.
“You can just tell Lady Cheng that, Sister-in-law,” Chen Dan-niang added, her eyes crinkling into a smile.
Lady Liu was taken aback, then flustered.
“N-no, it’s not like that,” she stammered. “I asked because I wanted to know myself…”
Chen Dan-niang remained smiling.
“Then do you know who this Lady Cheng I mentioned is?” she asked.
Had she not known, she should have asked in return, not denied it directly.
Lady Liu was dazed for a moment, then laughed.
“Truly a family of scholars – even younger than me, yet sharper in mind,” she said with a chuckle. “I can’t win against you in words, so I’ll say no more.”
With that, the two let the topic drop. She did not speak further, and Chen Dan-niang asked no more.
“You must surely know how to draw a bow and shoot arrows?” Chen Dan-niang thought of something and asked.
Lady Liu nodded with a hint of pride.
“My father could loose ten arrows in succession,” she said. “Naturally, I am no worse.”
Chen Dan-niang clapped her hands happily.
“That’s wonderful! Then in the future, you can instruct me, and I won’t have to trouble Grandfather anymore,” she said.
Lady Liu looked at Chen Dan-niang with a gentle smile, her mind echoing the words of the female official Su Xin:
“Please take care to stay by their side and keep her happy.”
Others had been rather surprised by this marriage alliance – some even pitied her for marrying into a family of a disgraced official, and to such a distant place as Qu-zhou. It almost seemed as though she herself had committed a crime and been punished.
“What do they know?” her father had snorted. “When has Her Majesty the Empress ever misjudged anyone? Not to mention that the Chen family was originally no ordinary household. Even if they were ordinary, Her Majesty has the power to turn stone into gold. Need I say more? Just look at your Uncle Xu Sigen – once a deserter, and now look how well he’s doing! A mere horse keeper, yet even I have to bow deeply when he sees him…”
“Liu Kui, watch your words! I’ve told you – I am not a deserter!” Xu Sigen had glared before turning to her with a kindly expression. “Girl, don’t feel wronged. Don’t think your father had no choice and reluctantly married you off. Her Majesty never misjudges people. Your husband and your future life are certain to be good.”
Remembering this, Lady Liu pressed her lips together in a slight smile.
When she first saw her husband last night, though he was a few years older, he was dignified in appearance and gentle in demeanor – clearly a man of learning and propriety.
Yes, though the Chen family had fallen into disgrace, children raised in such a household could never be ordinary. If misfortune hadn’t struck their family, how could someone like her have ever gained such a husband?
Moreover, entering the family in this manner, every member understood the situation perfectly. They would surely treat her well. With such a generous dowry, there would be no worries over food and clothing. Truly, when she thought about it, this was an excellent match indeed.
“Gladly,” she replied with a soft smile and a nod.
With the marriage of the Chen family’s Sixteenth Young Master, it seemed as though joy had washed over the entire Chen household, bringing a dramatic shift in fortune. The first noticeable change was the increase in families coming to propose marriages.
Older, unwed children in the family – who had been waiting for years – suddenly found themselves receiving inquiries. Even the children of Chen Ali’s household were no exception. What mattered most was that those inquiring were no longer families of low standing as before; instead, they were either official households, local gentry, or wealthy merchants. This filled the Chen clan with delight.
“This is all thanks to Shi’liu-lang,” everyone said, becoming even more attentive and frequent in their interactions with the fourth branch of the Chen family.
In reality, daily life had not changed much, but everyone’s spirits had lifted considerably.
“A few of the families are quite suitable,” Chen Ali remarked as she sat with Fourth Madam Chen, discussing their children’s marriage prospects.
“I don’t want my daughters to marry too far away. With Da-lang and Er-lang not at home, they have no brothers to rely on for support. Given our family’s current situation, I wouldn’t feel at ease letting them leave.”
Fourth Madam Chen nodded in agreement.
“Then we’ll look for matches nearby. Now that Shi’liu-lang has the support of his father-in-law, we can have Da-lang and Er-lang return from the military service camp to farm here, while Shi’liu-lang goes in their stead,” she suggested.
Just as Fourth Madam Chen had said, once this marriage alliance was settled, even if no words were spoken, people understood the situation perfectly in their hearts. While they dared not yet hope for their sons’ careers, at least their children’s marriage prospects now seemed promising.
Chen Ali felt a glimmer of relief, but soon sighed again.
Other children could be managed easily enough, but there was Chen Dan-niang…
As the daughter of a disgraced official, coupled with her former identity as the Crown Princess’s candidate, she was treated like a widow – yet worse off than ordinary widows, for even widows could freely remarry.
Chen Ali sat in her room watching the young girl, soon to turn thirteen, walk across the courtyard.
“Dan-niang,” she called out involuntarily.
Chen Dan-niang turned and smiled at her mother. “Yes, Mother?”
“What did you need?” she asked, stepping inside, a bow in one hand and a quiver in the other. “The house is tidied, I’ve read a scroll, practiced a page of calligraphy, and now I’m going out to practice archery.”
Chen Ali wasn’t sure what to say.
“It’s nothing,” she replied, then asked, “Will your sister-in-law accompany you again today?”
“Sister-in-law has gone out with Sixteenth Brother,” Chen Dan-niang said. “She’s already taught me the essentials – I just need to practice more.”
Chen Ali stood up.
“I’ll walk with you partway. I’m heading to your aunt’s house,” she said.
The mother and daughter walked out together. As the end of the year approached, sporadic firecrackers sounded around them, and the faces of passing adults and children carried a little more cheer, a marked improvement from the gloom and weeping that had filled the air just a while ago.
“No matter how hard life gets, we can still get through it,” Chen Dan-niang suddenly said. “Mother, it’s good that we didn’t choose to end our lives back then.”
Chen Ali’s heart ached. She reached out and gently stroked her daughter’s shoulder.
“Dan-niang, if you’re hurting inside, don’t hold it back,” she said, her voice choked with emotion.
This child hadn’t shed a single tear since it all happened – an unnatural response that left Chen Ali deeply uneasy.
“Mother, there is some sadness in my heart,” Chen Dan-niang said. “But it isn’t the kind of sadness that needs to be endured.”
What kind of sadness was it, then?
Chen Ali looked at her daughter. This was the first time since the incident that Chen Dan-niang had spoken about it.
“Father made a mistake, and Father admitted to it. As Father’s daughter, it’s right that I bear the weight of his wrongdoing,” Chen Dan-niang said earnestly, her voice still carrying traces of childlike innocence. “So this is a sadness I accept willingly, not one I must endure.”
Chen Ali nodded, smiling through a bittersweet ache.
“My good child,” she murmured.
Chen Dan-niang smiled again.
“I know what you’re worried about, Mother,” she said, turning to look at Chen Ali with clear, bright eyes. “I’m all right, Mother. I understand this was Father’s mistake, and we are here to make amends for it. I did nothing wrong. We did nothing wrong. We don’t need to feel inferior or ashamed to face others. How others see us is their affair – what matters is that our consciences are clear.”
Chen A’Li was taken aback. Could one truly think that way?
Yes… one could indeed think that way. Wasn’t that girl the same?
“You’ve truly grown to be like her in your archery practice,” she remarked with a soft laugh.
Who was “she”? Chen Dan-niang understood but only smiled without answering.
“Dan-niang, she has shown you great care,” Chen Ali began hesitantly. “How… how do you feel about that?”
After all, Chen Shao’s crime was one the imperial family could hardly tolerate. Yet, as Empress, she had shown them such consideration. What might Chen Dan-niang – a child who deeply revered her father – think of this?
Would she believe her father was innocent? See others as insincere? View it as charity or pity? Or even feel that her father’s death was unjust…
“She likes me very much,” Chen Dan-niang answered immediately, with a hint of casualness.
Chen Ali was momentarily stunned.
“I like her, and she likes me. I treat her well, and she treats me well – isn’t that how it should be?” Chen Dan-niang continued, adjusting the bow on her shoulder.
So that was it.
Chen Ali paused for a moment. Yes… it was just that simple.
She couldn’t help but smile.
“I admire her, and I want to be someone like her,” Chen Dan-niang went on.
Hearing this, Chen Ali’s smile froze, and her heart skipped a beat.
Wanting to be like Lady Cheng was not unique to Chen Dan-niang in their family – there was already one who was locked away in a temple, driven to madness.
“Dan-niang, someone like Lady Cheng… not everyone can become that,” she said after a moment’s thought. “She had the rare fortune of meeting a renowned teacher and learning so many extraordinary skills. People are different – it’s not something one can compare to…”
Before she could finish, Chen Dan-niang cut in with a laugh, linking her arm through Chen Ali’s.
“Mother,” she said playfully, “you’ve misunderstood. I mean I want to be a person like Lady Cheng.”
She emphasized the word “person.”
“A person – not the fame, not the skills.”
“Someone like her – fearless, unburdened, free-spirited. Someone who lets others laugh or criticize as they will, yet holds her own heaven and earth within her heart.”
Chen Ali stopped walking and looked at her daughter.
Chen Dan-niang seemed puzzled by her sudden halt.
“We’ve reached your aunt’s house,” Chen Ali said, smiling at her. She reached out and gave her daughter’s arm a gentle pat. “Go ahead and practice your archery.”
Only then did Chen Dan-niang glance around and let out a soft, amused laugh. She waved at her mother, then turned and strode away with purpose.
Chen Ali watched her retreating figure, the smile still lingering on her face. The worry in her eyes had faded, replaced by clarity.
So it was true – people were indeed different from one another, and thus their choices, their paths, and what they gained were never the same.
…
With a sharp thrum, the long arrow struck the center of the target, its fletching trembling from the impact.
Chen Dan-niang lifted her sleeve to wipe the sweat from her forehead and lowered her bow. Suddenly, she heard a rustling sound from the withered grass by the roadside under the trees. Immediately, she drew a blunt-tipped arrow from her quiver, nocked it, and let it fly.
Instead of a dog’s bark, a loud shout echoed through the air.
Startled, Chen Dan-niang hurried toward the sound and saw a figure looking up from the slope below.
It was a boy around twelve or thirteen years old, dressed in fine silk robes and wearing a thick hat. His face was fair as jade, with phoenix-like eyes and long brows. In his hands, he was holding up his trousers – clearly in the middle of…
Their eyes met, and both of them let out a cry.
Chen Dan-niang quickly turned and ran.
“Help! Someone come quick! There’s a female ruffian up here!”
The boy’s hoarse, cracking voice – still in the midst of changing – rang out from the foot of the hill, loud enough to make one’s ears buzz.
“I thought it was the big yellow dog from the village… It often hides and tries to bite me while I’m practicing archery…”
Chen Dan-niang hadn’t run away. Instead, she waited in the clearing, watching as several servants rushed over following the shouts. Her face flushed as she tried to explain.
“The arrow I shot was blunt-tipped – it wouldn’t have hurt anyone.”
“Nonsense! Utter nonsense! You… you voyeur! You were clearly peeking at me!” the boy yelled from behind the servants, wrapping his cloak tighter around himself.
Chen Dan-niang’s face grew even redder.
“I wasn’t,” she said, bowing slightly in apology. “I apologize for startling you, Young Master.”
The servants looked over the young girl. She wore an old cloth jacket and a plain skirt -clearly from a poor family in the village by her attire. Yet her features were delicate and bright, and her posture, demeanor, and speech carried an air of refinement beyond her humble dress.
“Arrest her! Take her to the authorities!” the boy shouted.
Chen Dan-niang felt a wave of helplessness. She had heard of voyeurs being reported to the authorities for peeping at women from other households, but she had never heard of a woman being called a voyeurs and taken to court.
The servants couldn’t help but suppress their laughter.
“To the authorities, to the authorities,” they echoed, winking at Chen Dan-niang as they spoke.
Understanding their intent, Chen Dan-niang blushed again, bowed in apology, and turned to run.
“She’s getting away! She’s getting away!” the boy yelled.
The servants made a show of chasing a few steps before stopping.
“Chase her! Go after her!” the boy insisted.
“Young Master, we should really hurry along now,” the servants urged.
Just as the boy was about to speak again, the sound of hoofbeats approached from below.
“Er’shi’jiu-lang!” a man’s voice called out.
Without looking back, the boy turned and ran down the slope.
“Seventeenth Brother! Seventeenth Brother! Come quickly!” he shouted. “There was a girl peeking at me!”
At the foot of the slope sat a young man in a horse-drawn carriage. He, too, was dressed in fine, luxurious silk robes, his complexion fair as jade, handsome and refined in appearance.
Hearing the boy’s words, he flicked open a folding fan with a flourish. On it was written a large, bold character: Wang.
“Perfectly normal, perfectly normal,” Wang Shi’qi-lang said. “People like us attract attention wherever we go. Er’shi’jiu, you’ve only just started traveling – you’ll need to get used to it slowly.”
As he spoke, he closed the fan again and raised an eyebrow.
“So, how did she look?”
The boy frowned thoughtfully, recalling that brief glimpse…
“I didn’t see much else, but her eyes were very striking,” he said earnestly.
Wang Shi’qi-lang smiled.
“Then she must be quite lovely. If a person’s eyes are beautiful, then they are beautiful. Take your own eyes, Er’shi’jiu – yours are exquisitely shaped.”
The boy nodded in understanding.
“…But she seemed fierce. She was holding a bow and shot an arrow at me,” he said, lifting the long arrow he was still clutching in his hand.
Wang Shi’qi-lang, who had been smiling leisurely a moment earlier, immediately straightened up in his seat.
“She knows how to use a bow?” he exclaimed, his voice rising sharply. His previously carefree and elegant demeanor instantly shifted to one of alarm. Reaching out, he pulled the boy into the carriage. “Quick, let’s go! Hurry!”
The boy looked at him in surprise and confusion.
“Seventeenth Brother, we haven’t caught her yet! You have to come with me to capture her!” he insisted.
“And hand ourselves over to her? Absolutely not! A girl like that – no matter how beautiful – should not be provoked. You don’t understand. Back in the day, it took all sorts of efforts from me, even resorting to disfiguring myself, just to force that girl to let me go. Otherwise…” Wang Shi’qi began.
Before he could finish, one of the servants nearby cleared his throat loudly.
“Seventeenth Young Master, please remember Master and Madam’s warnings,” he reminded sternly.
The past involving that girl was a forbidden topic, not to be mentioned lightly. Speaking of it could invite immense trouble.
Wang Shi’qi shuddered and snapped back to his senses.
“Go, let’s go, quickly!” he urged.
The carriage sped forward, and the servants quickly mounted their horses to follow.
“But…” The boy couldn’t help but lift the carriage curtain to glance back at the earthen slope, tightening his grip around the blunt-tipped arrow in his hand. “I don’t even know who it was that took advantage of me!”
As he spoke, his voice rose again in frustration.
“Where even is this place? Where did that peeper run off to? Which family is she from?”
The servants looked back.
“Young Master, this area should be official farmland under Qu-zhou’s jurisdiction. The villages around here are mostly settled by military farming households,” one of them replied.
Military farming households – well, that made things easier. They were either former convicts or relocated civilians, all officially registered with the authorities.
The boy felt slightly reassured and snorted, glaring at the receding slope.
Just you wait and see where you can hide! You think you can take advantage of me and just run off? Not that easy!
