Chapter 4
Zhao Qingzhi dreamed of her previous life. A thin sheen of sweat covered her forehead, and her hands clutched the quilt tightly.
In her previous life, the Song family had broken off her engagement on the tenth day of the fifth lunar month, in the fifth year of the Zhengde era of Great Zhou. Early the following morning, on the eleventh, she accompanied her mother to Yisong Hall.
The Old Madam sat in the seat of honor, leisurely eating pastries, with the First Madam, Madam Sun, and Zhao Ziyou seated beside her.
After the customary greetings, Zhao Ziyou affectionately took Zhao Qingzhi’s hand and led her to a seat. “Third Sister, come sit over here. Speaking of which, it’s really my fault that your engagement was broken off. I suddenly had the idea to invite all our sisters on a spring outing, but then it started pouring. Second Sister and Fourth Sister insisted on going home. Otherwise, I certainly would have come looking for you. No matter what, I shouldn’t have let you stay alone at an inn outside the city.”
Hearing this, Zhao Qingzhi gently shook her head. “It was the weather’s fault. Elder Cousin didn’t want that to happen either.”
The Old Madam set down her teacup, wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and slowly began to speak. “At least you’re sensible enough not to blame your elder cousin. Your broken engagement with the Song family has caused quite a stir among the prominent families. The Song family’s Old Madam has already made her position clear. Last month, when you went on that spring outing, you spent the night outside the city, damaging the Song family’s reputation. Besides, Young Master Song himself sent a letter requesting that the engagement be dissolved. There’s no point in continuing to argue about the matter.”
Zhao Qingzhi pressed her lips together without replying. Deep down, she refused to believe that Song Ziyou would so easily believe those rumors. Yet she also understood that, with things having reached this point, it was impossible for her and Song Ziyou to marry.
“This is the letter Young Master Song sent back.” The Old Madam handed the letter to Matron Yang, who passed it to Madam Xu with a stern expression.
Madam Xu wished she could tear the letter to pieces, but she didn’t dare act rashly. She opened it and glanced at its contents with undisguised disgust.
The Old Madam cast a glance at Zhao Qingzhi. This granddaughter was not her biological granddaughter, and she had never liked her. Previously, because Zhao Qingzhi had been engaged to marry into a marquis’s household, she had refrained from subjecting her to family punishment. But things were different now.
“Let Qingzhi have a look too.” A trace of mockery and cold amusement flashed through the Old Madam’s eyes.
Hearing this, Madam Xu handed the letter to her daughter.
Zhao Qingzhi accepted it and saw a line of writing: “Our wedding day will come; wait for me a hundred years.” However, her sharp eyes noticed that the character for “hundred” had been written with unusually heavy ink, as though someone had altered it.
Madam Xu looked toward the Old Madam and pressed her lips together before speaking. “Mother, the Song family is simply inventing an excuse to condemn her. Qingzhi had two maids accompanying her at the time. She only stayed at the inn outside the city because the sudden downpour made it impossible to return. Surely those circumstances are understandable.”
“So what? The Song family insists on ending the engagement, and your father-in-law has already made it clear that no further arguments are permitted. Our Zhao family is a distinguished ducal household. We have our dignity to consider.” The Old Madam shot Madam Xu a glance.
“Exactly. Although the Song family holds a marquisate, our family is a ducal household as well. It wouldn’t be appropriate to keep pursuing the matter.” Madam Sun turned toward Zhao Qingzhi. “Qingzhi, don’t be sad. Your eldest aunt is just as indignant about this as you are. I’ve heard that the Song family is already making arrangements for Young Master Song to marry a commandery princess. We can’t afford to fall behind! I’ve invited all my nephews from my maiden family here today. You can choose whichever one you like.”
Zhao Qingzhi abruptly raised her head and stared at Madam Sun. She was both heartbroken to hear that the Song family was arranging another marriage and frightened by the prospect of Madam Sun choosing a husband for her. “Eldest Aunt, what do you mean by this?”
“Why, I’m helping you choose a husband.” As Madam Sun spoke, she walked over to the Old Madam. “Mother, my sister-in-law is waiting outside with her sons and daughters.”
Hearing this, Madam Xu hurriedly rose to her feet. “Mother, Qingzhi’s engagement has only just been broken off. She’s still grieving. There’s no need to rush this matter. Besides, my husband hasn’t returned from court yet.”
Madam Sun replied, “Sister-in-law, with Mother making the decision, Second Brother won’t have anything to say when he returns. Besides, Mother is only doing this out of concern for Qingzhi.”
For once, Zhao Qingzhi abandoned her usual submissive behavior in front of the Old Madam. She stood up, took two steps forward, lifted her skirt slightly, and knelt. “Grandmother, your granddaughter is unwilling. Please withdraw this decision.”
The Old Madam’s expression turned extremely ugly, and she gave a cold snort. “Marriage is a matter for one’s elders to decide. What right does an unmarried girl like you have to interfere? Besides, having your engagement broken off makes you no different from a discarded wife. You should be thanking Heaven that the Sun family is willing to accept you and showing them nothing but gratitude. How can you be so ignorant?! Matron Yang, go and invite the Sun family inside.”
At once, Matron Yang hurried off to summon them. The curtain was lifted slightly, and a large group of people entered, smiling as they greeted the Old Madam together.
“Rise, rise, all of you.” The Old Madam smiled. “This is Qingzhi. Take a look and see which young man of the Sun family would be a suitable match for her. I’ll personally settle the marriage today.”
“Grandmother!” Zhao Qingzhi anxiously shuffled forward two steps on her knees and pleaded, “Grandmother, Qingzhi is unwilling. Please show mercy.”
Ignoring the pain in her swollen knees, Madam Xu also knelt. “Mother, your daughter-in-law begs you.”
Hearing this, Zhao Ziyou stepped forward and knelt as well. “Grandmother, since Third Sister is dissatisfied with the marriage you’ve arranged, why must you force her? Please show mercy, Grandmother.”
Zhao Qingzhi looked at Zhao Ziyou with gratitude. Fighting back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes, she stubbornly gazed at the Old Madam.
The Old Madam’s expression changed, and she snapped angrily, “She dares to be dissatisfied with me? She ought to take a good look at herself and see what she’s worth now!”
Madam Sun hurried over and helped her daughter to her feet. “Ziyou, Mother knows you have a kind heart, but your third sister is defying your grandmother’s wishes. That’s disobedience and unfilial conduct. Don’t get yourself involved.”
Only after seeing her legitimate granddaughter rise did the Old Madam angrily say, “Madam Xu, I’m doing all of this for your daughter’s sake, yet you mother and daughter refuse to appreciate my kindness?”
Madam Sun’s eldest sister-in-law immediately chimed in, “Exactly! We only came today out of respect for the Old Madam. Otherwise, how could a discarded woman like her possibly be worthy of becoming a daughter-in-law of our Sun family?”
Hearing his mother’s words, Sun Youcai laughed. “Mother, I certainly don’t want a woman like that. I heard she spent the night outside the city. Who knows whether she was secretly fooling around with some wild man?”
Zhao Qingzhi bit down hard on her lower lip, and tears spilled from her eyes.
“How dare you speak like that?” Seeing her daughter being insulted, Madam Xu sprang to her feet in fury.
The Old Madam glared at Madam Xu. “Madam Xu! How dare you behave so outrageously in my presence?! If Qingzhi dared to do such a thing, she shouldn’t be afraid of people talking about it.”
A sense of despair unlike anything Zhao Qingzhi had ever experienced suddenly overwhelmed her. She slowly raised her head and said, “Grandmother, it was Eldest Cousin who invited me on that spring outing. She even sent a carriage to pick me up. But when I arrived, Eldest Cousin was nowhere to be seen. Then it began to rain heavily, leaving me no choice but to seek shelter at an inn. I went because Eldest Cousin invited me, not because I intended to meet anyone else.”
Madam Sun gave a cold snort. “Oh? Qingzhi, are you blaming Ziyou now?”
Zhao Ziyou stepped forward. “Mother, please don’t blame Third Sister. What she’s saying is true. I was indeed the one who invited her. Although I don’t know what happened after Third Sister checked into the inn, I believe her. She would never have gone out at night to meet some man.”
Hearing this, Madam Sun’s eldest sister-in-law stepped forward. “Oh, my foolish niece! Someone could sell you off, and you’d still help them count the money! You didn’t see what happened afterward, so how can you believe her so readily?”
The Old Madam turned toward Zhao Qingzhi. “Do you acknowledge your mistake?”
By this point, Zhao Qingzhi had already resolved that she would rather die than submit. No longer as meek as before, she declared, “Qingzhi is completely innocent and will not tolerate malicious slander from others. Grandmother, you are the matriarch of the Zhao family. Why would you allow outsiders to humiliate your own granddaughter?”
The Old Madam snorted coldly. “You have absolutely no manners! Not only do you refuse to admit your mistake, but you even dare question me? Matron Yang, bring me my whip! Teach this ignorant, ungrateful girl a lesson!”
“Mother, please don’t!” Madam Xu hurriedly gathered her daughter into her arms.
“Old Madam, this Miss Zhao has such delicate skin. It would be a shame if she were beaten and injured. Why not betroth her to me instead?” A thin, wiry man named Sun Youneng stepped forward with a lecherous expression. He glanced at Zhao Qingzhi with a sly smile. “I guarantee that within half a month of our marriage, I’ll have her properly trained. I’ll teach her never to talk back to her elders again.”
Hearing this, Madam Sun’s eldest sister-in-law turned toward Madam Xu. “Second Madam, my youngest son has taken a liking to your daughter. If you and your daughter agree to the marriage, we’ll overlook everything that just happened.”
Zhao Qingzhi’s heart had turned cold with despair. Wiping away her tears, she realized that pleading any further would be useless. She helped her mother to her feet and declared, “If you insist on marrying me into the Sun family, I’ll dash my head against the ground and die right here at Grandmother’s feet.”
“Outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! What is your second branch trying to do?” The Old Madam rose to her feet and slammed her walking stick heavily against the floor.
“Old Madam, even if someone offered this woman to our family for free now, we wouldn’t take her. She’s nothing but a discarded woman. What respectable family would want her? Let her remain an unmarried old maid for the rest of her life!” Madam Sun’s eldest sister-in-law exclaimed angrily. “I’d like to see who would dare marry her once word of this gets out!”
The Old Madam pointed at Zhao Qingzhi. “Go! Go and apologize to Madam Sun!”
Madam Sun hurriedly interjected, “Mother, my sister-in-law wouldn’t dare accept an apology from Qingzhi. My maiden family is no longer what it once was. Although my father used to be the prime minister, he passed away long ago, and my elder brother hasn’t amounted to much. It’s only natural that Qingzhi would look down on my family.”
The Old Madam flew into a rage. “She looks down on them? She ought to look at her own standing! The daughter of a concubine-born son dares to act so arrogantly in front of me? I’ve made my decision. Qingzhi will marry the Sun family’s second son, and I’ll personally choose the wedding date.”
Madam Xu was just about to kneel and beg again when Zhao Qingzhi stopped her, crying, “Mother, Father isn’t the Old Madam’s biological son. Even if you and I knelt here until we died, she wouldn’t so much as blink. Why must you keep kneeling?”
After speaking, Zhao Qingzhi turned toward the Old Madam. “The Duchess may choose whatever date she pleases. Once you’ve chosen it, Qingzhi will come to Yisong Hall and hang herself from the rafters of this very room.”
The Old Madam was so furious that her hands trembled and her breathing quickened. She grabbed a piece of fruit from the table and hurled it at Zhao Qingzhi. “Well, well! So you’ve been pretending to be meek and quiet all this time! What well-bred, refined young lady? You’re certainly sharp-tongued and skilled at arguing!”
Caught off guard, Zhao Qingzhi was struck on the shoulder by the fruit. Enduring the pain, she stared stubbornly at the Old Madam. She had always been gentle on the outside but strong-willed within. When it came to something she was unwilling to do, she would rather die than bow her head.
The Old Madam pointed at Zhao Qingzhi and snarled viciously, “Matron Yang, take the whip and beat her hard!”
Having received the order, Matron Yang’s eyes gleamed with cruelty. She stepped forward, raised the whip, and brought it down across Zhao Qingzhi’s shoulder. Despite the pain, Zhao Qingzhi neither moved nor made a sound. When the second lash came down, Madam Xu rushed forward and took the blow for her daughter.
“Mother!” Zhao Qingzhi embraced her mother as tears streamed down her face. A crushing sense of helplessness filled her entire body.
Just as Matron Yang raised the whip for a third strike, a woman rushed into the room. Panting heavily, she hurriedly bowed and reported, “Old Madam, the Duke has returned! He has instructed the Old Madam to bring the entire family to the front hall to kneel and receive an imperial decree from the Empress Dowager.”
Upon hearing that the Empress Dowager’s decree had arrived, the Old Madam immediately had Madam Sun support her as she hurried outside. When she reached the doorway, she glanced at the mother and daughter still embracing each other, a flash of viciousness passing through her eyes. “Wipe away those tears and come outside! Once we’ve received the decree, I’ll deal with you two unfilial wretches!”
Madam Xu took out her handkerchief and wiped away her daughter’s tears. Supporting each other, the mother and daughter walked outside.
“When we get back, we’ll ask your father and brothers to think of a solution,” Madam Xu whispered, trying to comfort her daughter. Her heart felt as though it were being twisted by knives. The daughter she treasured more than anything was treated as worthless in the Old Madam’s eyes. To think she actually intended to dispose of her by marrying her into the Sun family! If Qingzhi really did marry into that household, the First Madam would have complete control over Madam Xu’s greatest weakness. From then on, their family would be entirely at her mercy.
“Members of the Zhao family, kneel and receive the Empress Dowager’s decree!” Chief Steward Wu called out loudly.
The Duke led the entire family in kneeling.
Zhao Qingzhi supported her mother as they knelt at the very back. The Zhao family had received numerous imperial decrees before, most of them bestowing rewards upon her grandfather, so she assumed this one would be no different. But when she heard the eunuch read out her name, she raised her head in astonishment.
“Zhao Qingzhi, daughter of the Zhao family, possesses both outward beauty and inner wisdom. Her literary talents are widely renowned. When she entered the palace earlier this year, she greatly pleased this Empress Dowager. Therefore, I hereby decree that she shall be bestowed in marriage upon Prince Jing as her princess consort…”
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