Chapter 1

I was past nineteen and still unmarried. My parents could not bear to let me go.

With twenty fast approaching and old-maidhood practically upon me, Father finally relented.

“Miaoli, perhaps… we could wait a little longer?”

Wait for what?

My elder sister had married into a marquis's household only three years ago. She already had two children.

On the day I threw an embroidered ball to choose a husband, one glance from my balcony was enough. I picked Xie Hui, Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

The ball sailed out and landed straight in his arms.

Delighted, I waited for him to come and propose. Instead, he tossed it aside and told his friends, “The Jiang family's second daughter has been shut away for years. They say she's arrogant and unruly. Forget it.”

Forget it?

He caught my ball, and now he thought he could sneer at me?

I would not stand for it.

Nothing in this world annoyed me more than “forget it.”

So I sold myself into the Xie household as a maid.

When Father found out, he promptly requested a posting elsewhere—and fled the very next day.

01

I finished Father's letter and let out a long sigh.

He had secured a position as prefect outside the capital. Three years away. If his record was decent, he might even be promoted, and then he would return.

He added just one line at the end: Deal with your own troubles. If nothing's wrong, don't bother me.

Mother had a little more conscience. She stuffed a thick wad of banknotes into the envelope, along with a few words of advice.

“If you can't stand it anymore, run.”

“Miaoli, Master Xie is young, handsome, and so good-tempered. Why not leave the poor man alone? I can find you a live-in husband. If one isn't enough, try two. Three at most.”

No, thank you.

I wanted to see Xie Hui humiliated and speechless.

I fed the letter into the kitchen stove. The flames curled around it, and it was ash in moments.

The banknotes, however, I folded carefully and hid beneath my shoe's insole.

Just then Auntie Li came over. She had made a fragrant bowl of shredded-chicken soup, scattered a handful of bright green scallions over it, and told me to take it to Xie Hui.

“A-Li, Master Xie hasn't been in a good mood lately. Deliver it and come straight out. Understand?”

I nodded and carried the soup into the study.

He sat behind his desk, frowning over official papers.

Deep-set eyes. A high, straight nose. A sharply defined jaw.

I could not help looking twice.

He really was extraordinarily handsome, like an immortal descended to earth.

No wonder the whole balcony had erupted when my ball landed in his arms.

But he had caught it and then changed his mind. Even an immortal did not deserve forgiveness for that.

Three months earlier, I had celebrated my twentieth birthday.

My marriage had become the family's foremost concern.

I never let a grudge go unpaid. Over the years, that had offended quite a few sons of powerful families in the capital.

Father hurried me off to an academy in Jiangnan to keep me out of trouble. He thought four years of study might curb me a little.

Instead, no sooner had I returned than I knocked out a minister's son's front tooth.

The fellow had tried to flirt with me. Not knowing who I was, he grabbed my wrist and demanded I feed him a pastry.

One punch, and I fed him his own tooth.

Even with right on his side, Father found himself on the defensive.

He hurriedly confined me to the house and dared not let me out again.

After that, few people in the capital had seen me. All they knew was that the Jiang family had a second daughter who remained unmarried.

Mother arranged several meetings with prospective husbands. Unfortunately, I had a sharp tongue and a fondness for teahouse gossip.

Every matchmaking meeting became a cross-examination over scandal.

The moment I met a man, I would ask, “I hear your father had you with his own daughter-in-law. So do you call your elder brother Brother, or Father?”

“I hear your mother keeps a lover outside the house. How much does he cost a month? Is he expensive? Your father still doesn't know, does he?”

“Your father's mistress is also the Wu family's mistress. You didn't know?”

After driving them half mad, I dusted myself off and went home.

02

Mother fretted. Father sighed. My sister covered her face.

The whole family's supply of sharp tongues and curiosity had apparently ended up in me.

Mother often scolded, “One day that mouth of yours will talk away your last chance of marriage.”

I never got angry. I just grinned.

“Perfect. Saves me having to marry.”

That was what I said. In truth, I did want a husband.

There were simply too few men worthy of me.

If they were not stupid, they were dull. If they were not dull, they were sanctimonious frauds.

Occasionally, one or two looked promising. Then they opened their mouths, revealed their true selves, and failed to survive three remarks from me.

So my sister had an idea. With candidates pouring into the capital for the examinations, why not hold a bridal-ball ceremony? At least we might trick an outsider into marrying me.

I was tempted.

Who could have imagined that the man who caught my ball would be Xie Hui, the newly appointed Deputy Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?

He had been transferred from Bianzhou and looked like a celestial being.

I liked him. Very much.

I waited in my room.

And waited.

He never came.

My maid returned and reported what he had told his friends.

“The Jiang family's second daughter has been shut away for years. They say she's arrogant and unruly. Forget it.”

Forget it?

He caught it, and now he thought he could sneer at me?