Glory

Seeing Song Yifeng remained silent, he ran to the main gate, first listening at the entrance. Hearing no further conversation, he finally opened the door and stepped out. After scanning the area outside and confirming that the onlookers had dispersed, he returned to report to Song Yifeng, who then led him out of the house.

The residents of the small alley had always held great respect for Song Yifeng, the young Recommended Man, greeting him with deference whenever they crossed paths. Today, they still offered their salutations, but their gazes were no longer filled with reverence—instead, they were curious and scrutinizing.

After finally exiting the alley and standing at its entrance, Song Yifeng felt somewhat lost.

Although household matters were typically handled by Yu Shi, Song Yifeng was not entirely oblivious. He knew that renting a property required finding an Agent. When they had purchased this residence initially, they had dealt with a local Agent named Zhao.

The problem was that Agent Zhao only managed properties in this immediate area. Yet, Song Yifeng could not rent a place nearby, and he was unfamiliar with Agents in other districts. At this moment, he found himself uncertain of where to turn.

"Guizi," he began, intending to ask if Guizi had any ideas, when suddenly a graceful figure came into view. The person drew nearer but stopped at a distance, her clear, lovely face filled with concern as her eyes remained fixed on him.

A warmth spread through Song Yifeng’s heart, and he moved to step forward, but halted mid-stride.

Cui Zijin lived two alleys away from his home. Whenever he passed through the lanes on his way to the prefectural school, he would go by her residence. But now, he was still at the mouth of his own alley. If he approached Cui Zijin to speak, it would surely be noticed by others.

He was already at the center of attention and could not afford to provide more fodder for gossip.

Cui Zijin seemed aware of this as well, which was why she had stopped far away.

Noticing that he had seen her, Cui Zijin gave a slight nod in his direction before turning away with her elderly maidservant.

Song Yifeng waited until the mistress and servant had walked some distance and were sufficiently far ahead before following them. He trailed them all the way to Cui Zijin’s alley and waited until they had entered the courtyard. Only after Guizi had looked around and confirmed that no one was nearby did Song Yifeng step into the Cui residence.

The maidservant was waiting at the gate. Seeing Song Yifeng and his servant enter, she closed the door and led them into the main hall.

Noticing Cui Zijin quietly watching him without speaking, Song Yifeng smiled wryly and asked, "You’ve heard about my situation, haven’t you?" Though phrased as a question, his tone held certainty.

Men like Song Yifeng could be mired in filth and full of cunning, yet they demanded that the women in their lives be pure and saintly—untouched lilies. A woman could be brilliantly talented, clever, and sharp-witted, but she must also be innocent and kind-hearted.

Thus, even before setting her plan in motion, Ye Yaming had decided to craft a persona for Cui Zijin.

She was the daughter of a disgraced official. Her father had been implicated in a case, thrown into prison, and later exiled to Jianzhou. While being transported and passing through Lin’an, he fell gravely ill and died there.

Her mother had passed away from illness two years earlier, leaving her as the only child. After her father’s imprisonment, relatives had coveted the family’s assets and hastily arranged a marriage for her. When news of her father’s death arrived, they grew even more brazen. She acted decisively, selling off the family property and traveling to Lin’an with her elderly servant to retrieve her father’s remains.

After burying her father, she had no desire to return to the capital and instead rented this residence in Lin’an, living a quiet life with her old servant.

Coincidentally, the persona Ye Yaming had created for Cui Zijin closely mirrored her own actual experiences.However, her father did not die in Lin'an but elsewhere. After burying her father, she came to Lin'an to seek refuge with her aunt. But misfortune struck along the way—she was ambushed and knocked unconscious, only to awaken and discover she had been sold to a brothel. The two servants accompanying her had either died, been resold by the bandits, or fled, but she never saw them again.

She endured three years in the brothel before finally leveraging the infatuation of a scholar enamored with her beauty to buy her own freedom with her savings. She left that sordid place and married him as a concubine.

After marriage, she finally reconnected with her aunt. Her aunt, who had no children of her own, was living miserably in her husband’s household. Upon learning of her niece’s plight, she chose to divorce, making way for a concubine who had borne sons and daughters. Her husband’s family allowed her to leave with her dowry and even provided her with a sum of money.

Having spent three years in the pleasure quarters, Cui Zijin knew she might be recognized if she ventured out, making it inconvenient to pursue any endeavors. With savings of her own and her aunt’s resources, the two were not short of funds and decided to leave Lin'an.

They planned to head south and settle in a small town where living costs were low and the locals were honest and simple. Even if they couldn’t find work, their savings could sustain them for a decade or two.

There, Cui Zijin could remarry suitably, free from the shadow of her past. But haunted by their previous ordeal, neither dared to travel alone. Fearing that guards from a Security Company might harbor ill intentions, they also avoided hiring one.

Thus, Cui Zijin agreed to work for Ye Jia.

Before moving here, she had adopted the appearance of an unmarried woman.

When Zijin married her former husband, she was just sixteen. Three months later, she was cast out by his principal wife. Now, not yet seventeen, with her innocent looks devoid of any worldly or married air, she had no trouble deceiving Song Yifeng.

Wary of being recognized, Cui Zijin seldom went out, which aligned perfectly with her persona. The day she encountered Song Yifeng, she had fallen ill and was on her way to the medical clinic to see a Herbalist. Caught in the rain without an umbrella, she received Song Yifeng’s help.

After escorting the drenched Cui Zijin and her maid home, Song Yifeng noticed on her table a collection of poems by a poet he greatly admired—a volume not available in the market. Sensing his interest, Cui Zijin offered to lend it to him for copying.

When he returned the collection after copying it, she lent him another. They discussed poetry and literature, and from there, moved on to life ideals, each growing fond of the other.

In Song Yifeng’s eyes, Cui Zijin was a chaste and serene woman. Had she not heard of his troubles and been concerned for him, she would never have ventured near his home.

This showed she cared for him. Even after learning of his betrothal, its dissolution, and the public scorn he faced, she still held him in her thoughts.

The thought filled Song Yifeng’s heart with a bittersweet mix of emotions.

Seeing that Cui Zijin remained silent without denying anything, Song Yifeng anxiously said, "I didn’t mean to hide my betrothal from you. Ye Jia has engaged in misconduct, dealing in Illicit tea, and I intend to break off the engagement. I planned to tell you after it was settled."

Though they admired each other, they had never voiced their feelings. Now, hearing his words, Cui Zijin was deeply moved. Her beautiful eyes gazed at Song Yifeng, filled with affection, before tears welled up slowly.

Song Yifeng knew she was touched by his sincerity.

Cui Zijin lowered her head, wiping her tears with a handkerchief, her voice soft and tearful: "Then, are you alright?" After a moment’s silence, Song Yifeng confided in her about his current predicament.Cui Zijin's face showed a hesitant expression upon hearing this.