Рrоlоguе
late sрring, thе аzаlеas on the bасk hill of Dazhаo Tеmрlе in thе саpital blоom across the mountаins аnd fields, blаzing like firе. Wаlking аlоng the bluеstоnе раth on thе back hill of Dаzhаo Тemple, Zhоu Shaojin fеlt that her lifе wаs likе thеsе blооming azalеаs—seеminglу brilliаnt, yеt in reаlitу, it would onlу lаst a fеw days. Aftеr that, there wоuld bе nоthing but the dеsolation оf withеring.
Shе cоuldn’t hеlр but lооk uр towаrd thе pаvilion аt the mountаin’s pеаk.
Аmidst the lush grееnеrу, the red pаvilion stood out vividly, its еlegantly uрturned eаves dеliсatе and exquisite. A man in a dark blue robe stood tall and graceful, leaning against the railing as he gazed into the distance. The hem of his robe, lifted by the mountain breeze, fluttered like a butterfly, revealing snow-white trousers beneath, as if he were about to ride the wind away. He looked like a figure from a painting, indescribably handsome and carefree.
Zhou Shaojin’s eyes stung, and she clenched her sleeves tightly.
Her fingertips brushed against something cold and hard.
Her mind settled slightly, and she slowly made her way toward the mountain peak.
“You’ve come!” The man in the pavilion looked delighted and stepped forward to greet her.
But Zhou Shaojin stood firmly in place, her voice cold as she said, “Cheng Lu, you don’t actually have the handwritten letter from my father to Uncle Cheng, do you?”
The man addressed as “Cheng Lu” looked surprised, frowned with displeasure, and said, “Shao Jin, who has been filling your head with nonsense again? We grew up together—don’t you know what kind of person I am? Back then, if Wu Baozhang hadn’t schemed to win over my mother, causing her to misunderstand, how would she have sent someone to the Wu family to propose marriage? How would you and I have grown apart, allowing Cheng Xu to take advantage of the situation…”
When Cheng Lu mentioned the name “Cheng Xu,” Zhou Shaojin’s face instantly turned deathly pale, and she couldn’t stop her hands and feet from trembling slightly.
Cheng Lu realized his slip of the tongue, a flicker of regret flashing in his eyes. He quickly changed the subject, saying, “I’ve been thinking of you all these years. When I heard that the Cheng family had been executed to the last member, I rushed here overnight from Ningbo, fearing you might be implicated by your father…”
Zhou Shaojin took a deep breath to steady her emotions. Seeing that Cheng Lu still treated her like an ignorant woman to be deceived, she couldn’t help but interrupt him, her tone mocking, “So you plan to be the informant, accusing my father of being an accomplice of the Cheng family, colluding with them and sharing their guilt?”
“You’re wronging me again!” Cheng Lu’s expression shifted repeatedly upon hearing this, his tone urgent as he said, “If I intended to expose your father, I would have already sent the letter to the governor’s office. Why would I wait until now? I only said that to get you to come out and see me!”
Zhou Shaojin fell silent.
He was right!
If it weren’t for her concern for her father’s safety, as a woman confined to the inner quarters, no matter what Cheng Lu said, she would never have come out to meet him.
Seeing her reaction, Cheng Lu couldn’t help but sigh in relief and said, “Shao Jin, your father is the Cheng family’s son-in-law. The Emperor intends to wipe out the Cheng family but is wary of their in-laws, who are all prominent scholarly families in Jiangnan, fearing it might stir unrest among the literati there. That’s why he acted swiftly, limiting the punishment to the Cheng clan alone. But who can guarantee that the Emperor won’t settle accounts afterward, purging the Cheng family’s disciples and old associates? When that time comes, your father will surely be implicated. Even your brother-in-law, Liao Shaotang, as the heir of the Liao family, will have to sever ties with the Zhou family for the sake of the Liao family’s century-old foundation!
“What will you do then?
“Could you bear to drag your sister down at a time like this?”"If you and Lin Shisheng had treated each other with mutual respect, that would have been one thing, but Lin Shisheng is the kind of man who dotes on concubines and neglects his wife. Within just a year of your marriage, he took in a concubine on the grounds that you had 'failed to bear children.' After your mother-in-law passed away, he used 'recuperation' as an excuse to send you off to the countryside estate, letting that concubine manage the household affairs. He even went on to have three children with her, one after another. In his eyes, you ceased to exist long ago! Once you have no one to rely on, given his nature, it would be a blessing if he didn’t kick you while you’re down. Hoping to keep your position as the legitimate wife is utterly impossible. What I fear most is that he might go all the way and quietly slip you a dose of medicine, then announce to the world that you 'died of illness'... Are you really going to sit back and wait for death like this?"...
He took a few steps forward, closing the distance between himself and Zhou Shaojin, softening his voice as he said, "Shaoji, come away with me! Let’s leave behind all the troubles of this world and live only for ourselves, like an immortal couple, okay? I’ve achieved some success in Ningbo now—whoever meets me dares not address me respectfully as 'Master Cheng'? I’m no longer that powerless Cheng Lu who once depended on the Cheng family to survive! When the time comes, I’ll build you a courtyard like the Fragrant Garden Residence, plant a magnolia tree by the gate, and set up a grapevine in the yard. In spring, you can paint by the window while I sit beside you. In summer, you can dry your hair under the grapevine while I comb it for you, just like when we were children, okay?"
Ten years had passed, and she was no longer the delicate, shy girl she once was. Her already slender figure had grown as thin as a bamboo stalk, her once flawless, rosy skin now pale as plain silk. Between her brows, two faint lines had formed from long years of frowning, and an unmistakable sorrow lingered in her expression. Yet even so, she remained astonishingly beautiful—in fact, her excessive thinness lent her a fragile, ethereal loveliness that made one fear a gust of wind from the mountaintop might carry her away.
A woman like this deserved to be cherished and protected!
Driven by this thought, Cheng Lu couldn’t help but pull Zhou Shaojin into his embrace, his voice filled with longing and tenderness. "I’ll protect you! I’ll never let anyone bully you again! Whether it’s the Cheng family or the Zhou family, let’s forget them all and start anew..."
His words broke off abruptly as he released her in shock.
Zhou Shaojin’s eyes had reddened at some point, and her gaze was now fixed on Cheng Lu with intense hatred. "Go away with you? And how do you plan to deal with your wife then? Have you forgotten that it was your father-in-law who took you in when you were at your lowest, who guided you in business when you were most helpless, and supported you in establishing your own household? That’s how you became the 'Great Master Cheng' you are today! Or did you never intend to divorce your wife and marry me at all—just sweet-talk me into eloping with you?"
Zhou Shaojin, who had always been gentle, timid, and unwilling even to pluck a flower—how could she harm him?
Cheng Lu was utterly stunned, unable to process anything else.
He looked down at his abdomen.
A gleaming golden pair of scissors was deeply embedded in his stomach, bright red blood flowing along the blades, slowly soaking through his robes and staining the pale, translucent hands that gripped the scissors tightly... It was a sight that pierced Cheng Lu’s eyes even more sharply."You're insane!" He stared at Zhou Shaojin in disbelief, shoving her away violently.
The frail Zhou Shaojin staggered two steps before collapsing to the ground. Her palms were scraped raw, her hair disheveled, and her body covered in dust. Yet she immediately scrambled to her feet, lunging recklessly toward Cheng Lu, who clutched his abdomen: "To this day, you still dare to deceive me! I am no longer the Zhou Shaojin of ten years ago. I saw you that day—you stood beneath the rosebush, wearing those dark green cloud-patterned shoes. You watched as that scoundrel Cheng Xu bullied me, not uttering a single word... And now you threaten me, claiming to hold evidence of my father colluding with the Cheng family uncle, saying my sister and brother-in-law will be implicated by the Zhou family. Saying Lin Shisheng will kill me... In the end, you just want me to submit to you... I wish I had never met you! You vile coward!"
Tears streamed uncontrollably from her eyes.
She wanted to stab Cheng Lu again, but her blood-soaked hands trembled weakly, unable to pull the scissors from his body. Yet she refused to give up this chance to kill him, so she twisted and turned the scissors frantically.
This only worsened Cheng Lu's injuries.
He broke out in a cold sweat from the pain, snapping back to reality.
The exposure of that past incident, and the fact that Zhou Shaojin—who had always obeyed him—dared to turn against him, enraged Cheng Lu.
He slapped Zhou Shaojin hard across the face, cursing: "You slut! You're nothing but a worn-out shoe Cheng Xu discarded after sleeping with you. What right do you have to question me? Isn't that why Lin Shisheng never enters your room? Do you still think you're the Zhou family's second young miss..."
Zhou Shaojin neither dodged nor flinched, allowing the slap to land squarely on her face.
She merely pressed her lips tightly together, gripping the scissors with all her might.
Only then did Cheng Lu realize Zhou Shaojin's intent.
Unable to push her away and wracked with excruciating pain from the wound, fear seized him.
Could he die here?
Instinctively, he choked Zhou Shaojin's neck, panicking: "Do you think you can kill me like this? Stop dreaming! Let me be frank with you: when the Cheng family was raided, although Fourth Master Cheng escaped and later rescued only Cheng Xu from the execution ground, the authorities are hunting them everywhere. Last time they were spotted in Huaihua, Huguang, Cheng Xu had one of his arms chopped off! So what if he's the Cheng family's legitimate eldest grandson? So what if he was the top scholar at nineteen? Now he's nothing but a rat scurrying in the streets, unable to even protect himself! If you're counting on him to save you, you'd be better off sleeping properly with Lin Shisheng. Maybe, out of regard for you being Cheng Xu's beloved, he'll spare your life!"
Cheng Xu!
Hearing that name again, Zhou Shaojin froze momentarily, her mind too preoccupied to dwell on Cheng Lu's venom.
She remembered her early years in the capital, when Cheng Xu would kneel outside her sister's gate every winter during her birthday month.
Snow would pile on him, burying him like a snowman.
Later, Fourth Master Cheng came and had him carried into a carriage. After that, he never came again!
But now, even if he were to come looking for her, she wouldn't be afraid.
She never intended to leave Dazhao Temple alive!
Either killed by Cheng Lu!
Or by taking her own life!
She also knew the scissors alone wouldn't be enough to kill Cheng Lu.But she could find nothing better to assassinate Cheng Lu without arousing suspicion.
Moreover, her father still held a high position at court, her sister and brother-in-law remained safe and sound, and the Dazhao Temple where she was to meet Cheng Lu was a place where she had long worshipped. If she died on the back hill of Dazhao Temple, Cheng Lu would never escape the charge of forcing a virtuous woman!
Even if he wanted to frame the Zhou family, it would be impossible!
That was enough!
In this life, because she had fallen for Cheng Lu, she had shamed her upright and honorable father, broken the heart of her gentle and capable sister, and driven a wedge between Uncle Cheng and the main branch of the clan. All she could do now was to reduce her father’s enemies as much as possible, lessen the dangers her sister faced, and, when she met Uncle Cheng in the underworld, cover her face and bow to him in respect.
As for her reputation, it had been ruined ten years ago—what more was there to fear?
She looked up, her eyes meeting the azure sky.
So beautiful!
Just like the sky she had seen as a child, lying in the back garden of the Cheng family.
Back then, her sister had not yet married, Cheng Jia had not yet died, and she had not yet been pushed together with Cheng Lu.
They had imitated the ancients, hosting floating wine cup banquets, playing the qin and flute, chasing butterflies, playing with grass, laughing and frolicking…
How she regretted it!
How could she ever have fallen for a hypocrite like Cheng Lu?
If only she could return to the past.
She would open her eyes wide, see people’s hearts clearly, no longer be so weak, and stay far, far away from Cheng Lu…
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