Chapter Three: Quite a Few Subtle Thoughts

Jiang You’an arrived together with several other young women. After following the proper formalities to pay respects, she sat down to the side, her heart full of hope.

From time to time, she glanced at Shen Heping, but he always avoided her gaze, which puzzled her deeply.

Hearing Madam Shen incessantly praise Lu Yun Zhu, and seeing Lu Yun Zhu’s shy, bashful expression, Jiang You’an suddenly understood everything.

Shen Heping had never come to propose to her; he had, at some unknown time, already become entangled with Lu Yun Zhu.

A chill suddenly swept through Jiang You’an’s heart.

After sitting for a short while, the matriarch dismissed them and sent Shen Heping and Lu Yun Zhu off to stroll through the garden.

It was winter; the garden’s trees were withered and bare, offering little beauty—only people to look at.

Lu Yun Zhu was clearly pleased with Shen Heping, speaking to him coquettishly, a smile unfading on her face.

At the lake’s edge, Lu Yun Zhu stumbled and soiled the hem of her skirt. She excused herself to change clothes, leaving Shen Heping to wander alone.

Standing by the lake, Shen Heping recalled how Lu Yun Zhu had appeared shy and timid before him, and a smug smile twitched at his lips.

Just as he was indulging in this thought, a cold voice sounded behind him.

“Mr. Shen, you’ve found yourself a higher branch to cling to. Why didn’t you inform me beforehand?”

Shen Heping stiffened, glanced around, then frowned as he looked at Jiang You’an, his eyes flickering with guilt, anxiety, and impatience.

After holding back for a long moment, he finally said, “You, You’an, don’t blame me.”

“Think back to when you were just a humble scholar facing hardship and constant exclusion. It was only by joining my father’s household and receiving his support that you achieved what you have today. He’s been gone less than a year, and now you turn your back on us?”

“I deeply appreciate my teacher’s kindness, but You’an, I have no choice. People strive to climb higher. You… are an orphan. Marrying you brings me no benefit. Think about it yourself—if you were me, what would you choose?”

Jiang You’an sneered. “Our marriage, though only a private verbal agreement without formal documents, was sealed with exchanged tokens. Do you intend to break your promise?”

Back when Shen Heping earned the favor of Minister Jiang, Madam Jiang, struck by his talent and appearance, took a liking to him. Since Jiang You’an’s elder sister was married far away and Madam Jiang could not bear to send her youngest daughter off, she planned to bring Shen Heping in as a son-in-law.

At Madam Jiang’s mention of this, Shen Heping had eagerly come to present the token to Jiang You’an.

Now that the Jiang family had fallen, he was eager to avoid her.

Aware of his guilt, Shen Heping grew angry and ashamed. “You have no family, no dowry, and yet you want to force me to marry you?”

“If I truly wanted to force you, I would have already taken the token to your home,” Jiang You’an’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Of course, I could still do that now.”

Seeing her calmly pull out the plain silver hairpin, Shen Heping panicked. “Jiang You’an, know your place! When your father was alive, I could have been a son-in-law to your family. Now that he’s dead, what right do you have to marry me? You’re not even fit to be my concubine!”

Furious, Jiang You’an clenched her fists, a slow smile curling at her lips. “You’re right, my status is low. But as the saying goes, the barefoot fears not the one wearing shoes. Push me too far, and I’ll expose everything. Even if it ruins me, I’ll bring down Shen Heping’s reputation in the process!”

In a fit of rage, Shen Heping reached to snatch the hairpin. Jiang You’an lifted her foot and delivered a fierce kick to his stomach, sending him stumbling into the lake.

Drenched and disheveled, Shen Heping cursed loudly.

Looking down at him from above, Jiang You’an said coldly, “If you want the token back, pay me in silver. Five hundred taels. Not a single coin less, or I’ll make sure you regret it.”

She turned and walked away. After returning home, she could no longer hold back her tears and wept bitterly.

There was no real affection between her and Shen Heping. The arranged marriage had only been at her parents’ insistence, and before it was finalized, her family suffered a calamity.

Later, when she sought out Shen Heping, he comforted her, promising to marry her.

She hadn’t been eager to marry him; it was merely her dwindling refuge. With that refuge cut off, where could she go?

She once had her parents and sister; now she was alone. She truly didn’t know what to do.

She cried until nightfall, exhausted herself to sleep, only to be haunted by nightmares—visions of her father being taken away, her mother hanging herself, and her sister disappearing on the way back to the capital after marriage.

Her sobs resumed. Lu Xuanheng came to her bedside and saw her small frame curled up, tears still staining her sleeping face.

He stood silently in the dark, watching for a moment before sitting beside her to wipe away her tears.

Jiang You’an murmured, “Mother,” and he gently patted her back, soothing her like a child.

Gradually, she calmed down. In the darkness, he sighed.

Lu Xuanheng sat by her side for a long time, leaving only as dawn broke.

When the morning light brightened, Jiang You’an awoke, her eyes swollen but her gaze now steady and determined.

She tidied herself and declared she would go visit her parents.

Her mother had hanged herself, and when her father was executed, there was no intact body to return. Jiang You’an took a few of her father’s garments and buried them with her mother at the foot of a hill outside the city.

Snow had fallen that day, blanketing the modest grave.

Kneeling before the tombstone, she spoke to her parents as if at home. “Father, Mother, look—the first snow has fallen. In past years, I loved playing outside when it snowed, but you always worried I’d catch cold and stopped me. Now you can’t stop me anymore. But don’t worry—I’ve grown up and will take good care of myself.”

She smiled softly, then added with a hint of complaint, “Father, Mother, you had poor judgment to trust Shen Heping. I had hoped marrying him would give me some security and perhaps help investigate the truth. But he’s nothing but a despicable man who has completely forgotten the kindness my father showed him. If only I had seen his true colors sooner.”

“Don’t worry. Even without him, I will uncover the injustice done to Father. I will find Sister as well. Please bless me, Father, Mother.”

As she prepared to burn paper offerings, Jiang You’an brushed away the snow and found several bills beneath it.

They looked quite fresh, likely left within the past few days. Yet she hadn’t come here in nearly two months.

Had someone else been visiting her parents?

She couldn’t think who it might be. Snow began to fall harder, and after speaking a little more, she left.

Back at the mansion, Jiang You’an gathered her resolve and took clothes from the wardrobe to prepare.

Autumn Orchid asked, “Miss, what are you doing?”

Jiang You’an, lowering her head as she carefully ironed, replied, “In a few days, there will be a banquet at the Marquis of Jingning’s residence. I need to get ready.”

“But you never liked going to those banquets before.”

While the Jiang family stood, she was a favored guest at all such events. After their fall, she became the subject of ridicule and no longer attended.

“There will be many young men and women there. I must go and look for an opportunity for myself,” Jiang You’an said, her eyes calm yet resolute. “I cannot continue to depend on the Lu family. I need to secure my own marriage first, then plan for what comes next.”

Two days later, on the day of the banquet, Jiang You’an set out with the Lu family’s young women.

Lu Xuanheng was preparing to go to the military camp when he saw them mounting the carriage at the door.

He asked Xiuzhu, “Where are they headed?”

“To a banquet at the Marquis of Yong’an’s residence. All the young ladies of our family are going.”

His gaze lingered on Jiang You’an, who usually dressed plainly but today wore a pink dress, her hairpin carefully matched—a clear sign she had made an effort.

“She’s quite the schemer,” he snorted coldly, his face darkening as he turned and left.