The Mystery of One's Origins — A Betrothal

How ironic—so that ugly woman named Yan’er is to enter the grand gates of the Mo family! Not a chance! Had the old man taken leave of his senses? Mo Nanzhu’s face twisted with rage, a cold murderous glint appearing in his eyes. “Steward, look into that woman’s background,” he ordered without turning his head.

“Yes... yes, young master.” To tell the truth or not? Steward Zhang knew all too well his young master’s temper, but he truly wished he didn’t have to reveal the facts. “I’ve already made inquiries for you, young master…” Ah, but keeping silent would only make things worse—when young master lost his temper, there was no peace to be had in the entire Mo household. “There are only two young ladies in the Yan family, each born to a different wife of Old Master Yan. Our new madam-to-be is the eldest daughter, with the single given name ‘Er.’ She has no particular talents and rarely leaves the house. I’ve heard she’s rather delicate and pretty. The second young lady is called Wushuang, and I know a bit about her—she’s fond of martial arts, but after ten years of study, all she’s learned is showy but useless moves…”

“Who did I tell you to investigate?” Mo Nanzhu narrowed his eyes. “Why are you telling me about people irrelevant to me? Speak of the one who matters!” The more troubled he felt, the more the old man rambled off-topic!

“Yes, yes… but, young master, I truly know nothing of the eldest daughter of the Yan family. She seldom leaves home, and I doubt anyone in Suzhou even remembers there is such a young lady in the Yan family.” He wasn’t exaggerating; what he said was close to the truth.

“You may go.” Mo Nanzhu rubbed his throbbing eyes; he must have spent too long poring over accounts.

He couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

Silence fell. Mo Nanzhu turned around with graceful composure—no one there? Hmph, that old man’s legs are still quick, not even a word of farewell. Next time, he’d have to send the steward on more errands. With a cold, indifferent smile, his mind drifted into contemplation again. He should go speak to his own father. Lost in thought, Mo Nanzhu gazed at the pavilion in the garden.

The Yan family, some years ago, had been a renowned wealthy household in Suzhou. But their business was too inflexible, and in recent years, they’d suffered heavy losses. Only recently, he’d heard they could no longer make ends meet. It seemed they were truly desperate enough to marry off a daughter in return for a little rice. Hmph! Mo Nanzhu sneered with disdain. Did they think selling their daughter would bring them what they wanted? Suddenly he stood up.

“Where’s the old man?” Mo Nanzhu entered the inner courtyard.

“Young master, the master is in the study. Shall I have Xiaocui escort you there?” The maid Xiaocui hurried forward to ingratiate herself. She was reckoned the prettiest in the household, and the master had hinted a year ago at sending her to the young master’s rooms, but he had yet to be formally betrothed, so she could not move in. Now, at last, the day had come—though she wondered what sort of woman the new young madam would be.

“Hmph.” With a snort, Mo Nanzhu headed straight for the study.

Bang—

The door to the study was kicked open without mercy. Old Master Mo lifted his head with a leisurely air; he knew his eldest son would come. “What is it? Such lack of manners!”

“What’s going on?” Mo Nanzhu demanded as he stepped forward.

Old Master Mo stroked his beard, his expression melancholy. He hadn’t wanted things to turn out this way. That girl had originally been intended for his second son, but… Ah! “You should know that girl from the Yan family was betrothed to your younger brother, but your useless brother ruined everything. If only he’d listened to me and stayed in business, rather than chasing dreams of being a hero…”

“What? She was engaged to my brother? Since when?” Mo Nanzhu was entirely unaware of this—why had his parents never mentioned it?

“Yes. Your mother was from the Yan family, a sister to the Yan family’s madam. When your mother fell on hard times in her youth, it was the Yan family who took her in and cared for her. Our own family wasn’t always prosperous—Old Master Yan lent me a hand, shared some of his business, and only then did the Mo family thrive. Your mother, alas, was not blessed with long life… As our fortunes grew, the two families grew distant due to business rivalries. If not for the Yan family’s ruin, they wouldn’t have let their daughter marry in now. It was your brother, Nanyuan, who was engaged to Yan’er; you were away in the mountains learning martial arts and never met her. Nanyuan and she were close, so the two children were betrothed. By the time you returned, the families were estranged, and the matter was never mentioned again. Then Nanyuan left for Shaolin to study, and there was no more talk of it. But when your brother finished his studies, rather than returning to help me, he insisted on wandering the world as a hero? Never mind—I still have you.” Old Master Mo laid out the story in one breath. He was afraid this son, too, would refuse; after all, in business, reputation was everything, and there was even a pledge token exchanged back then.

“Then…”

“No more discussion! The matter is settled!” Old Master Mo’s tone brooked no argument.

“What about Ruirui?” Mo Nanzhu closed his eyes, unwilling to bring up that woman who had hurt him so deeply, yet whom he could not forget.

“Rui? Ruirui?” The old man was taken aback. Yes, what about her? She was the girl Nanzhu cared for. Ah… everything was in chaos. “Forget Ruirui—your brother is nowhere to be found, and the wedding is in a month. Where am I supposed to find him? Even you don’t know where he is—what can I do? The marriage will go forward! You’d best make your preparations.” The old master’s face was resolute.

“Hmph! Aren’t you afraid I’ll run away too, so you can’t find me?” Mo Nanzhu narrowed his eyes, his tone almost threatening.

“You dare! If you all leave, what use is an old man like me?” The old master immediately changed his tone. “Your mother died young. If not for you boys, I’d have joined her long ago. Do you think I don’t want to go? I…” He wiped his old face with a dry hand, unconvinced.

“…Fine, but on one condition! Give me a new residence.” If they wanted him to marry, so be it—once the bride was brought home, he would be master in his own house. Hmph.

Without waiting for the old man’s reply, Mo Nanzhu turned and left. He was sure the old man would agree. Now he needed to see for himself what sort of bride the Yan family was giving him…

“Young miss, time to get up. Master had a wedding gown made for you—he wants you to have a look,” Xiaoyu prattled on as she entered. She knew her mistress was terribly lazy. But she had to pass on the master’s words.

“…”

“Young miss, what do you think our future master looks like? Aren’t you curious?” Xiaoyu set down the red silk and came to the bedside.

“…”

“Sigh…”

Swish—she’s up, miss! Xiaoyu parted the bed curtains, raising her voice to an exaggerated pitch.

Yan’er squinted as the sudden light stabbed her eyes. “Mm, I’ve been awake for a while, just too lazy to move. Why are you in such a hurry?” Yan’er stretched languidly.

“Ow!” Yan’er cried out, “I haven’t moved in so long, even a stretch throws out my back.” With that, she flopped back onto the bed, blinking. The world stilled for a moment. “Xiaoyu, how about we go out for a walk today?”

“R-really? Truly?” Xiaoyu could hardly believe her ears. Other maids sometimes left the house with their mistresses, but she, in all her years here, had been out only a handful of times. How pathetic! She was beginning to forget what the world outside was like.

“Of course! I’m about to be married. If I don’t go out now, I won’t have another chance.”

“Ha… Miss, you’re so funny!” Xiaoyu couldn’t help but laugh. No chance to see the world, indeed—her mistress had never wanted to in the first place.

“What are you laughing at? Go get me washed and dressed.” Yan’er rolled her phoenix eyes.

“Yes…” Xiaoyu hurried to fetch clothes, pressing Yan’er before the brass mirror and carefully arranging her hair. Staring at her mistress in the mirror… ‘Beautiful’ hardly did her justice. Her fair, rosy face, kept so smooth and luminous from years of idleness indoors, was like water itself. She had the same petite, oval face as the first madam, and beneath her willow brows were those mesmerizing phoenix eyes—truly enchanting, the kind that could steal a man’s soul with a glance. Her pert little nose was something Xiaoyu had always envied, but her own mother had not passed it down to her. Ah!

“Miss, let me dab some rouge on your lips.” Xiaoyu smiled as she watched her young mistress, who could tease a man with nothing but the curl of her lips.

“Stop daydreaming, Xiaoyu—let’s go!” Yan’er seized her hand and strode out.

Ah, she hadn’t finished her reverie and they were off already. Yan’er’s laziness was truly without equal!

They lived in the east of the city. So they’d head west—less chance of getting lost. How clever! Suzhou’s bustling splendor, Yan’er thought, was surely no less than the capital’s, though she’d never been there. She trusted her instincts. “Hey, Xiaoyu, come look—what are they selling over there?”

“Miss, those are sugar figurines—they heat sugar, mold it on a bamboo stick, and let it cool.” She’d heard about them from Second Miss’s maid, Ziyun, and always wanted to try one.

“I really want to taste one—they must be so sweet…” Yan’er patted her stomach. She hadn’t eaten much yet…

“Then let’s buy one, miss. Shall we try it?” Xiaoyu was delighted—at last, she’d get her wish.

Yan’er rolled her eyes at her. “You think I don’t want to? I… I… I didn’t bring any money.” Her voice grew softer with each word. How humiliating, a well-born young lady unable to afford a sugar figurine. She could cry.

“Well, well, what a beauty! Tsk tsk… I’ve lived in this Suzhou prefecture for decades and never seen such a lovely girl,” a leering voice suddenly sounded behind Yan’er.

Yan’er shot him a disdainful glance. It was clear at a glance he was a rich wastrel, and she couldn’t be bothered with such people. Truly, she couldn’t be bothered.

“What do you want, you filthy rogue! Don’t you dare bully my young miss!” Xiaoyu stood protectively in front of Yan’er, hands on her hips.

“Out of my way! What are you doing showing your face before me?” The man slapped Xiaoyu aside and came closer to Yan’er. “Now here’s a woman with flavor… I wonder what you’re like in bed… Ha ha ha…”

Yan’er stared at him wide-eyed. It wasn’t that she wasn’t afraid—she’d just never encountered anything like this before, and her legs were shaking. What to do? What to do?

“Listen, my mistress is already betrothed. Don’t get ideas!” Xiaoyu clambered up from the ground and shouted, betting the Mo family name would deter him.

The man gave her a contemptuous glance. He feared no one—he was the magistrate’s only son, and Suzhou prefecture was his playground. He could have anyone he wanted. Hmph!

When the rogue didn’t respond, Xiaoyu grew anxious. “Our future master is Young Lord Mo—the heir of the Mo family. You’d best stay away from her!” She was at her wit’s end, grasping at the last straw.

“Oh? Excellent! So this is the eldest daughter of the Yan family? No wonder I’ve never seen her—Old Yan has been hiding a beauty at home. No wonder she rarely appears in public. So it is a beauty, after all.” Having said his piece, the rogue turned and left.

Yan’er and Xiaoyu were stunned. Wasn’t he about to harass her? Why did he leave?

--Author’s Note--

Dear readers, most historical romances these days seem to involve time travel. I simply feel that following trends for their own sake goes against the purpose of writing fiction. There is no time travel in this book. Instead, I want to depict the heroine’s journey from innocence to maturity through experiences of love. Her personality and psychology will grow and change with the plot, with many turning points along the way. I hope you, dear readers, will read carefully and follow her story.