Qingping Lane, Old Tutor Xie's Mansion.
A blue-curtained carriage slowly came to a stop. A servant arranged the footstool and lifted the curtain as Xie Fang stepped out of the carriage with a relieved expression.
Xie Fang was the legitimate son of the Xie family's second branch, but today upon his return, he went directly to the third branch.
Third Madam Yang had been waiting for him for quite some time. As soon as Xie Fang took his seat, she couldn't help but ask, "How is it? Did Young Master Lu suffer any injuries?"
Yang was the mother of Sixth Miss Xie Hualou.
It was no wonder she was worried about Lu Zhuo's condition, having specially asked her nephew to check on him in the streets. After all, too many men of the Lu Family had died on the battlefield. Although there were no reports of Lu Zhuo being seriously wounded after this recent defeat, as his future mother-in-law, Yang still felt uneasy and needed confirmation.
Xie Fang smiled and replied, "Aunt, there's no need to worry. The young master sat upright on his horse, looking dashing and spirited. He was just a bit weary from the journey, showing some fatigue."
Yang let out a deep sigh of relief.
With his task completed, Xie Fang took his leave.
Yang instructed a young maid to see her nephew out. Sitting in the hall with her trusted matron, now that there were no outsiders around, Yang finally confided her true feelings: "He's finally back. I was truly afraid that good things would face many obstacles."
Her daughter had officially become engaged to Lu Zhuo in March. Then in May, the seventy-one-year-old Old Tutor Xie suddenly fell ill and now could only stand with assistance.
At that time, Yang was greatly alarmed. If Old Tutor Xie were to pass away, the third branch of the Xie family would have to observe a three-year mourning period, during which no weddings could be held. Hualou was her most beloved daughter and had secured the most advantageous marriage. If they were delayed for three years, her young maiden would become an old maid by the time she married—that would be utterly disheartening.
Over these past few months, Yang had prayed to Buddha every day, beseeching the bodhisattva to ensure Lu Zhuo's safe return to marry her daughter Hualou, and begging the Buddha to grant Old Tutor Xie another three to five years of life, or at least long enough to see her daughter through her wedding without disrupting this splendid match.
Now that Lu Zhuo had returned safely and Old Tutor Xie seemed to be holding up reasonably well, with only half a month left until the wedding, there should be no further mishaps.
In high spirits, Yang went to her daughter's boudoir.
Sixth Miss Xie Hualou was doing needlework. With her wedding approaching, she felt reluctant to part with her family and wanted to make pairs of socks for her grandfather, father, and mother in these remaining days.
"Hualou, Young Master Lu has returned to the capital! Safe and sound, as handsome as ever!" Yang sat beside her daughter, beaming with joy.
Hearing her fiancé's name, Xie Hualou blushed deeply, her face blooming like a peony.
Looking at her daughter like this, Yang's heart swelled with pride.
Among the three sisters-in-law, both the eldest and second sister-in-law had given birth to sons. Only she had been unlucky, bearing three daughters in a row. Left with no choice, Yang devoted herself to cultivating her three daughters. The eldest and second daughters had both married into prestigious families. Her youngest daughter, Hualou, possessed peony-like beauty and the talent of a top scholar. Her reputation for both looks and intellect outshone all others in the capital—even the so-called "fox spirit," Fourth Miss of the Wei Family, was universally acknowledged to be inferior to her daughter.
Her youngest daughter had indeed lived up to her high expectations, being chosen by the Duchess of Yingguo to be her eldest grandson's wife—the future mistress of the Duke's Manor.
"This time, Lu Zhuo has achieved great merits. Beyond the court's rewards, it's like adding flowers to brocade for you newlyweds—a double blessing."
"Mother, please don't say such things. I haven't married him yet," Xie Hualou said shyly, turning away with her needlework.
Knowing her daughter was easily embarrassed, Yang smiled and refrained from teasing her further.After Lady Yang left, Xie Hualou set down her embroidery needlework and gazed out the window, her cheeks still flushed with lingering shyness.
Though she had never met Lu Zhuo in person, she had heard tales of his dashing appearance during the Dragon Boat Race. The thought of marrying such an outstanding man filled her heart with contentment.
Yet at that very moment, the Duke of Yingguo's Manor was thrown into chaos.
When the unconscious Lu Zhuo was carried back to his chamber and his silver armor removed, everyone discovered that his undergarments were soaked crimson with blood. The old wound near his heart, which had never fully healed, had torn open again. The Duchess of Yingguo rushed over upon hearing the news, but at the sight of the grievous injury, her heart wrenched with such pain that she too fainted on the spot.
Lu Zhuo's mother and three aunts wept and fretted in distress, while his cousins were equally distraught.
The manor had immediately sent for the military physician who had been treating Lu Zhuo all along, as he was most familiar with the young lord's condition.
The physician arrived in haste, but upon examining Lu Zhuo, he erupted in frustration, disregarding the Duke's presence: "I've warned repeatedly that the Young Lord must rest and recuperate! Yet he stubbornly ignored my advice, recklessly pushing himself while relying on youthful vigor! Now look—his vitality was already severely depleted, his wounds healing slower each day, and today he's lost so much blood... I've exhausted my skills. You must seek another physician!"
It wasn't that he didn't want to save Lu Zhuo—what decent person would wish to see such a fine young man meet an untimely demise?
But the military physician truly had no solutions left. Continuing under his care would only delay proper treatment. Perhaps renowned physicians from the capital or Imperial Physicians from the palace, with their superior skills, might still save Lu Zhuo.
The Duke immediately dispatched messengers to the palace, requesting Emperor Yuanjia to assign two Imperial Physicians.
The military physician remained, and when the Imperial Physicians arrived, he stood by to explain Lu Zhuo's condition.
Upon hearing the details, both Imperial Physicians grew profoundly grave.
They managed to stop the bleeding, yet for three consecutive days, Lu Zhuo remained unconscious. They had to force his mouth open to administer medicine and broth.
With the wound on his back, he could only lie prone or on his side. Attendants carefully shifted his position every couple of hours.
The dressing was changed three times daily, but the healing progressed too slowly—the edges of the wound even began showing faint signs of decay.
News of Lu Zhuo's coma soon reached the Xie residence in Qingping Lane.
Amid this unforeseen crisis, the cheerful atmosphere that had accompanied the wedding preparations vanished from the faces of both masters and servants in the Xie household. Xie Hualou's father, Third Master Xie, not only personally visited his prospective son-in-law but also sent stewards daily to the Duke of Yingguo's Manor to inquire after Lu Zhuo, hoping for immediate news of his improvement.
Yet by the seventh day, Lu Zhuo still hadn't awakened. The once tall and graceful Young Lord, handsome as an immortal, had withered to skin and bones. Rotten flesh around his wound had to be cut away once.
Even Lady Yang felt physical pain just hearing her steward's reports.
Simultaneously, her heart grew heavier. With Lu Zhuo so critically ill, could he possibly recover?
On the eighth day, Lu Zhuo remained unconscious, his condition worsening further.
When Lady Yang visited her daughter, she found the girl's eyes swollen from crying.
No words of comfort came to Lady Yang. Of course she prayed for Lu Zhuo's recovery—for him to come gloriously and marry her daughter into the Duke's Manor as the Young Lady. But faced with stark reality, her heart ached with the cruel thought: Lu Zhuo might truly be dying, just like his father, second uncle, and third uncle—loyal servants of the nation who all met untimely ends.Lu Zhuo was dead, so what about her daughter? Was she to remain a widow betrothed to a deceased man for life?
In the pitch-black winter night, Lady Yang lay awake in torment. She nudged her husband beside her. "Are you asleep?"
Lord Xie the Third sighed.
Lady Yang knew then that her husband was also troubled.
"What if—what if Lu Zhuo truly cannot be saved? What will become of our Hualou?" As soon as she spoke, tears streamed down Lady Yang’s face.
Lord Xie the Third said with a pained heart, "What can we do? Since the betrothal has been settled, even if Lu Zhuo dies, she must still marry into his family."
The Xie Family was not like the Zhou Family. Every daughter of the Xie Family must uphold propriety and integrity; they could not break their word.
Hearing this, Lady Yang wept even more bitterly.
Was Lord Xie the Third’s heart not equally heavy? But the family patriarch had the final say. Even if he wished to fight for his daughter, the old master would never agree.
Just as Lord Xie the Third prepared to comfort his wife, hurried footsteps echoed from outside. A maid cried out in anguish, "My lord, my lady, please rise quickly! Old Tutor Xie—he is failing!"
Lord Xie the Third felt as if struck by lightning. When he regained his senses, his face was already streaked with tears. Wailing, he scrambled out of bed, hastily threw on an outer robe, and rushed toward Old Tutor Xie’s courtyard in a daze, forgetting even his wife still in bed.
Lady Yang sat frozen on the bed.
As a daughter-in-law, she had few opportunities to meet Old Tutor Xie alone. Apart from formal greetings, they rarely spoke. With little interaction, naturally, there was no deep affection between them. Like tonight, after the initial shock of Old Tutor Xie’s dire news, a flicker of hope unexpectedly surged in Lady Yang’s heart.
If Old Tutor Xie died, the family would observe a mourning period, and the marriage with the Lu Family would inevitably be delayed.
If Lu Zhuo’s health improved during this time, Lady Yang would gladly marry off her daughter. But if Lu Zhuo never woke again, as long as the Lu Family was as upright and principled as they appeared, they ought to take the initiative to call off the marriage, rather than force her beautiful daughter to marry into widowhood for a dead man, right?
Lady Yang bit her lip, harboring the unfilial hope that Old Tutor Xie was truly beyond recovery.
By the time Lady Yang arrived at the main courtyard, she heard her husband’s mournful cries even before entering.
Lady Yang secretly rejoiced, though she was soon moved by her husband’s weeping. Remembering Old Tutor Xie’s esteemed reputation, her own tears began to fall.
The next morning, the Xie Family sent word to the Duke of Yingguo’s Manor to announce the funeral.
On the Lu Family’s side, they were discussing moving the wedding date forward by a few days to conduct a Marriage to ward off misfortune for Lu Zhuo.
Medicine had proven futile; the Marriage to ward off misfortune was the last resort the family could conceive.
Given their circumstances, the Duchess of Yingguo had already resolved that she and her husband would visit Old Tutor Xie to discuss the matter. If the Marriage to ward off misfortune succeeded, Xie Hualou would be the Lu Family’s benefactor, and the entire family would ensure she suffered not the slightest grievance. If it proved ineffective, once Lu Zhuo was laid to rest, she would take charge and send Xie Hualou back to her family, not delaying the young maiden’s life.
Unexpectedly, just as the Lu Family finalized their plans and before the Duke and Duchess of Yingguo could pay their visit, the Xie Family came to announce the funeral.
Now, the Duke and Duchess of Yingguo had even more reason to visit and offer condolences.
Arriving at the Xie Residence, the Duchess of Yingguo saw the younger generation of the Xie Family weeping together. Xie Hualou knelt among them, clad in white mourning attire, crying as if her heart would break, her eyes swollen like walnuts.
Wherever she looked, white mourning clothes filled her sight.
The Duchess of Yingguo suddenly recalled her three deceased sons, and then thought of her critically ill eldest grandson at home. She staggered unsteadily.
"Madam!"The Duke of Yingguo steadied his wife in time. Seeing this, the eldest lady of the Xie family quickly arranged for the Duchess of Yingguo to rest in the side hall. As she needed to oversee the funeral arrangements, she assigned Lady Yang to attend to the duchess.
The Duchess of Yingguo did not remain unconscious for long. When she awoke and saw Lady Yang, her aged eyes welled with tears as she said, "My dear niece-in-law, please accept my condolences."
Lady Yang dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief and replied tearfully, "Father passed away peacefully without suffering. Aunt, you must take care of yourself and not grieve too deeply."
The duchess’s tears were not for Old Tutor Xie, but for her own ailing grandson.
With the Marriage to ward off misfortune being urgently needed, though ill-timed, the Duchess of Yingguo grasped Lady Yang’s hand and spoke with difficulty: "My dear niece-in-law, Shoucheng has been unconscious from his long illness. We are truly at our wits’ end. Could Hualou be married over as soon as possible, so the joy might dispel the sickness around Shoucheng? I know the old tutor has just…"
Before she could finish, Lady Yang knelt down and interrupted tearfully, "Aunt, if Father were still alive, it would be Hualou’s duty to bring joy to the heir. But heaven has dealt us this unforeseen blow. Father raised us with such care—how could we hold a wedding during mourning? And Hualou… her grandfather doted on her most. Last night, the child cried until she fainted. Even if we sent her to marry, how could she bring any joy with tears in her eyes?"
"Aunt, it is not that we are unwilling, but we truly cannot defy propriety."
For the sake of her beloved daughter, Lady Yang, without consulting her husband, alone refused the Duchess of Yingguo.
Watching Lady Yang’s incessant sobs, the duchess’s tears gradually ceased.
Asking the bride to marry during intense mourning to bring joy to the grandson was, in itself, an impropriety on the Lu Family’s part. If the Xie family agreed, the Lu Family would be deeply grateful; if they refused, the Lu Family would bear no resentment.
Though Lady Yang had not spoken the two words explicitly, her meaning was clear.
The Xie family, being a scholarly lineage, would not act against righteousness. Very well—the Lu Family would take the blame.
That very afternoon, the Lu Family returned the marriage contract and Xie Hualou’s birth chart, accepting full responsibility without a word of reproach toward the Xie family.
Since the Lu Family urgently needed a bride for Lu Zhuo’s Marriage to ward off misfortune, and Xie Hualou’s filial duties prevented her from marrying, after consulting with his two brothers, the eldest master of the Xie family agreed to annul the engagement. They also returned the betrothal gifts and Lu Zhuo’s birth chart that the Lu Family had previously sent.
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