In the fourth month of the ninth year of the Zhenguan era, on the day of Jiachen, late spring, when duckweed first begins to grow. The weather was mild, the sun bright, and the spring scenery lush and vibrant.
Auspicious deities for the hour of Si: Jade Hall, Noble Person, Joyful Deity. Avoid raising beams, building houses, construction, burials, taking office, or traveling. Suitable for weddings, taking in a son-in-law, seeking wealth, opening markets, moving into a new home, meeting noble persons, and... scheming to end one's own life.
Wei Shufen sat cross-legged under the apricot tree in her family’s courtyard, allowing the serving girl to undo her twin buns and fashion them into a fashionable half-up hairstyle, then adorning her with the gold and silver hairpins laid out on a tray atop the nearby felt rug. Seated around her, watching and chatting, were her mother and younger sister, along with several distinguished stewardesses from Cheng Yaojin’s household who had come for the betrothal, and—somewhat oddly—the de facto matchmaker, Aunt Cui.
The term "de facto matchmaker" was used because this marriage had indeed been brokered entirely by Aunt Cui. Yet outside the portable screens where the women gathered, the official county matchmaker, accompanied by the letter-bearing young men from the Cheng family, was performing the grand "betrothal ceremony" with the Chancellor Wei Zheng. Dressed formally and bearing the marriage documents, they exchanged bows and polite refusals with the bride’s family.
In the courtyard, the Drum and Wind Ensemble played. Both families were high-ranking officials of the third rank or above, so the Ministry of Rites and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices had dispatched heralds to officiate. Their well-trained voices occasionally carried over the screens:
"...Your esteemed eldest daughter is virtuous and renowned, possessing all four virtues. We wish to form this noble alliance. Humbly, through the matchmaker..."
"...Our first daughter is just of age, yet unversed in the rites. The Duke of State has deigned to consider this match—how could we dare refuse respectfully..."
The betrothal ceremony’s tables, mats, and incense burners were set up in the front courtyard, where a group of men had gathered. According to Zhou rites, it should have been held west of the main hall, but... the Wei residence currently lacked a "main hall."
Their home in Pingkang Ward had been granted in the early Zhenguan years. The plot was sizable and conveniently close to the imperial city, making it easy for her father to attend court and handle official duties. However, the buildings were old, and the main hall had collapsed, requiring reconstruction. Over the years, most of the family’s income had been saved for wedding expenses. Her parents had repeatedly considered rebuilding the main hall, but each time they calculated the costs, they shook their heads and held back.
Thus, in the center of Chancellor Wei’s front courtyard, there remained only a perfectly square and level foundation, waiting for the day its master might suddenly come into a windfall and afford the timber, tiles, and labor to begin construction... A pipe dream.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Truly, we of the eastern gentry uphold the Sage’s teachings! Look at Lord Xuancheng’s frugality and simplicity—where else in the court could you find another like him?"
Aunt Cui beamed, sitting on the cushioned mat, lavishing praise left and right, even more excited and delighted than the ladies of the household. Watching her radiant, festive attire, Wei Shufen found herself hating her a little less.
Aunt Cui was not unattractive, a woman in her fifties who had once married into a powerful family and served as the mistress of a high official’s household. But during the chaos at the end of the Sui dynasty, the men of her husband’s family perished, leaving her to return with her young children to seek refuge with her distant cousin Cui Mangan. Cui Mangan was now a prominent figure of the Boling Cui clan, and with so many relatives seeking shelter under his roof, it was impossible to care for all of them thoroughly. For the sake of her children’s livelihood, Aunt Cui gradually took up matchmaking for those wishing to ally with the Cui, Lu, Zheng, and Wang families, earning a reputation among Chang’an’s elite.
Though successful as a matchmaker, it was rare for her to openly attend the six rites in this capacity. The reason was simple: she was a widow.It was only because Madam Pei, the wife of Wei Shizhong, was well-read and reasonable, not minding the ill omen of a widow, that she insisted on inviting Aunt Cui to join the betrothal ceremony—well, actually, because the word "betrothal" clashed with the host's name, everyone in and out of the household had renamed today's ceremony the "engagement ceremony."" The meaning was the same: once this ritual was completed, the eldest daughter of Wei Shizhong would henceforth be a married woman, the first-rank wife of the Duke of Su. Even if her natal family committed the grave crime of treason, she would no longer be implicated.
Conversely, if Wei Shufen herself committed the capital crime of treason, it would not implicate her parents or siblings—her husband, General Cheng, would bear the brunt of it.
Very well, very well.
Wei Shufen slightly curled her lips and raised her head, allowing the serving girl to insert a large phoenix hairpin into the front of her bun. These dazzling, pearl-dripping, luxurious new ornaments were mostly part of the betrothal gifts sent by the Cheng family. She couldn’t see how she looked adorned in them, but the women of the Cheng family and Aunt Cui all clapped and exclaimed, praising her noble bearing and celestial beauty in turns. Though her mother and younger sister had red-rimmed eyes, when asked, they nodded repeatedly, acknowledging General Cheng’s sincerity in marrying her.
The Cheng family had indeed shown utmost sincerity—cartloads and bushels of gifts worth fifty thousand bolts of silk.
According to Aunt Cui, General Cheng himself genuinely admired Wei Shufen. Though they had only met twice, he couldn’t stop praising her as "an amusing—ahem, talented and beautiful young lady." When discussing the betrothal gifts earlier, it had been agreed upon to pay thirty thousand bolts of silk for the second daughter of the Wei family. Upon hearing that the eldest daughter was willing to marry him, the general was so delighted that he generously increased the offer to fifty thousand bolts, unconcerned about how Wei Shufen’s reputation had recently been tarnished by her own actions...
Of the fifty thousand bolts, thirty thousand had been delivered before the betrothal ceremony, as the Wei family urgently needed to send them to the Cui family in March to secure a bride for their eldest son. The spectacle from last month was still the talk of Pingkang Ward:
Two messengers on horses with green silk bridles led a grand procession of betrothal gifts from the Duke of Su’s mansion in Huaide Ward, marching eastward toward Wei Shizhong’s residence in Pingkang Ward. The Drum and Wind Ensemble cleared the way, followed by three beautiful maids guarding the ceremonial carriage, bundles of black and red silk, and jade tablets carried by four horses. Behind them came porters shouldering colorful satins, bolts of brocade, heaps of copper coins, pigs and sheep, grains and oils, game and delicacies, pastries and fruits, cheeses and condiments, sauces and spices... Half the city turned out to watch the spectacle, and naturally, the news that "the eldest daughter of Chancellor Wei is marrying General Cheng as his second wife" spread throughout the capital.
Wei Shufen hadn’t been home to receive the gifts that day. Until today, she had been hiding in the Purple Void Monastery, deluding herself that this marriage was just a nightmare. Perhaps when the sun rose tomorrow, she would wake up.
Before this, at the Xing Sheng Nunnery, she had promised her mother to marry into the Cheng household. Her mother had wanted to take her home immediately, wiping the slate clean. But Wei Shufen had insisted on returning to Chai Yingluo’s side, saying, "At least let me bid her a proper farewell and express my gratitude." Considering how much trouble her daughter had caused the Chai family, Madam Pei couldn’t refuse and allowed her to return with Jing Xuan and the others.
And then, Wei Shufen wept herself dry in Chai Yingluo’s arms.
When the Master of the Purple Void Monastery learned of the situation, she only sighed deeply and said, "You’ve suffered much." At those words, Wei Shufen’s tears burst forth like floodgates opening—she couldn’t even remember when she finally stopped crying. It felt as though she had wept until the seas ran dry and the heavens and earth withered away.She did not regret her decision. If this marriage could please both her father and General Cheng while giving her the chance to save Prince Wu Yuan-gui—or at least do something for him—then it was worth it. Yet this realization did nothing to ease the pain and tears that overwhelmed her.
Chai Yingluo was still doing her best to help, concocting an excuse that her master, the Medicine King Sun Simiao at Great Peace Palace, had been greatly impressed by the medical prescriptions Wei Shufen had compiled and written. He insisted she temporarily stay at Purple Void Monastery to complete the compilation of remedies for women, children, and the elderly, as an aid in treating the Supreme Emperor’s illness. Who would dare refuse when it concerned the Emperor’s health?
Somehow, she had also managed to collude with the diviners from either the Ministry of Rites or the Bureau of Astronomy, ensuring that the auspicious dates for the wedding between Duke of Su, General Cheng, and the daughter of Wei the Palace Attendant all fell after the fourth month. Though the Cheng family was eager for their new mistress to enter the household and manage social affairs, and the general himself could not help but fume in frustration, the date for the wedding and consummation was ultimately postponed significantly. "This is all I can do for you," the female Daoist said with a bitter smile to Wei Shufen.
At fifteen years old, Wei Shufen had never known anyone—aside from her own parents—who had shown her greater kindness than Chai Yingluo. Yet she could not even utter a single word of thanks. Clutching the Daoist’s sleeve, she sobbed for a long while before shamelessly making one more request:
"I want to see Fourteenth Young Master one more time... Just once before I marry him. Then I’ll be content for the rest of my life..."
(Note: The last paragraph about the update schedule is not part of the novel text and has been omitted from the translation.)
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