Volume One, Chapter 11: Let’s Move!

“Third Miss, you’ve finally returned!”

As Xie Shu alighted from the carriage, Steward Chen hurried over anxiously, nearly slipping on the water pooled on the stone steps at the gate.

“I’m fine. No need to worry,” Xie Shu assured him. The steward was advanced in years; had it not been for Ning Rongsheng’s silver tongue the day before, he would never have softened to the point of letting her in.

Since learning of the commotion Xie Shu caused at the Marquis of Cheng’en’s residence, he had berated himself repeatedly, slapping his own face and telling the servants, “It’s my fault, all my fault! I’m too old—losing all sense of order!”

After Wen Ying left the mansion, the matters in Xie Shu’s household fell upon Lv Liu, two years her junior and raised alongside her from childhood. Lv Liu stopped Steward Chen’s hand and gently admonished, “Even among ourselves, we were momentarily flustered and forgot the rules. How could you, Steward? Besides, Third Miss had already instructed us to wait quietly for news inside the mansion.”

After several reassurances, the steward’s worries eased somewhat.

Still, the news that Xie Shu was summoned to the palace caused great concern among the household. Everyone waited restlessly in the front hall, unable to sit or stand properly.

Xie Shu steadied Steward Lin and gave Lv Liu a signal. Lv Liu hurried over to help escort Steward Lin back to the rear courtyard.

“Today is a busy day at the mansion; I won’t trouble Master Lin to stay,” Xie Shu said, glancing at the fox fur coat. Though she could have asked Lin Sheng to return it, after some thought, she let go of the thought of untying its ties.

Instead, she called a footman to fetch some fine Pu’er tea cakes. “The winter chill is harsh. Master Lin, thank you for escorting me back. These fresh tea cakes will warm you nicely. Please don’t refuse.”

Lin Sheng was a rough man but well accustomed to fine things in the Jingzhao Prefecture’s offices. At a glance, he recognized the tea as top quality. However, by local custom, he dared not accept gifts without Zhou Xunli’s approval.

“This gift is also for Master Lin to present to Lord Zhou, as a token of my gratitude,” Xie Shu added, seeing the hesitation on his face.

Upon hearing this, Lin Sheng quickly took the gift with a bashful smile. “No trouble at all. It’s nothing.”

As dusk darkened the sky, Xie Shu’s gaze swept over the servants tending the mansion. Usually, the Third Miss was approachable and mild, rarely punishing anyone despite occasional indulgences. Yet now, she carried the commanding air of a young lady coming into her own, her sharp eyes cutting like blades, daring none to meet her gaze.

“Except for Steward Chen and the servants in the outer courtyard, you all have two hours to pack your belongings and the household goods. Tonight, we move as a family to the Marquis of Cheng’en’s residence,” she said, turning and heading back to Chunxiao Garden.

The servants exchanged uncertain looks, but when the mistress gave orders, they obeyed. Many had served the General Zhenyuan’s household for years; many of the men were commoners the general had taken in from the battlefield, loyal and steadfast despite having no family.

But Ning Rongsheng’s ability to place a hidden dagger among them was not his alone; surely, those behind him had long regarded the Xie family as a thorn in their side.

Passing through a corridor and then a moon gate, Lv Liu finally caught up and asked puzzled, “To the Marquis of Cheng’en’s residence?”

Xie Shu quickened her pace, exhausted. She calculated that she needed to wash and rest a while first.

Seeing Xie Shu’s hurried steps, Lv Liu ran up and asked, “Third Miss, why are we moving to the Marquis of Cheng’en’s residence?”

“The emperor has arranged a marriage for me. Tonight, the ancestral hall there will open to welcome me in,” Xie Shu replied simply, unwilling to reveal the whole truth to Lv Liu, who only tended to her daily needs and was not privy to the capital’s intrigues.

After all, Lv Liu was an ordinary person; knowing too much would do her no good.

“A marriage! Then... what happened this morning at the Marquis of Cheng’en’s gate... was it true?” Tears welled in Lv Liu’s eyes as she wiped them fiercely with her sleeve. She scolded, “That Ning heir actually did such a despicable thing! And our Miss had even saved him before! Last night, he forced me to fetch a doctor and then rushed me to the kitchen to prepare medicine, saying it was dangerous and feared someone might harm you.”

“I-I... who would have thought it was he wanting to harm Miss!” Lv Liu sobbed, growing angrier the more she recalled last night’s events. She was even madder at herself for not protecting Xie Shu better, for trusting such a villain’s words.

Having never faced storms before, Xie Shu’s heart softened at Lv Liu’s distress and she quietly explained, “Don’t cry. He didn’t succeed. But with so many witnesses seeing him carry me back to the general’s mansion, if I refuse to marry him, I won’t be able to marry anyone else.”

Hearing this, Lv Liu’s heart ached more for her lady.

It was meant to be a plea to the general’s mansion, yet it had cost her entire life.

Everyone in the capital knew the Marquis of Cheng’en was a good-for-nothing heir who cared only for pleasure, and his wife was a provincial shrew of lowly birth. Even if Ning Rongsheng was somewhat handsome, no respectable family would willingly marry their daughters there!

The Marquis’s household was all bluster and pretense, thinking their noble title made them desirable.

“Third Miss, we won’t marry. Even if it’s the emperor’s decree, when the general and eldest miss return, let them decide for you!” Lv Liu, who admired General Xie and Miss Xie greatly, believed they could protect Xie Shu.

A girl’s marriage determines her whole life; one wrong match could ruin everything.

Xie Shu touched Lv Liu’s forehead. In her past life, she had also believed her father, brothers, and eldest sister would return safely and protect her.

But fate had other plans.

This time, she refused to be the vine clinging for protection.

This time, she would be the one to protect her family.

“Lv Liu, I sought this imperial edict myself,” Xie Shu said, pulling Lv Liu into a tight embrace and patting her back gently. “I’m not going to marry there. I intend to bring chaos to the Marquis of Cheng’en’s household, to make their home unsafe.”

“Ah?”

Lv Liu stopped crying. Memories of Xie Shu as a child surfaced—catching shrimp and fish, molding mud into balls, shooting arrows to make the noble children of the capital cry.

Over the years, forced by Miss Xie’s eldest sister to learn etiquette, Lv Liu had forgotten what a mischievous troublemaker the Third Miss really was.

“Third Miss, you mean to do this on purpose?” Lv Liu asked, wide-eyed.

“Yes. I’m going to the Marquis of Cheng’en’s residence to take revenge.” Xie Shu wiped the corner of Lv Liu’s eye and her pale face lit up with a mischievous smile. “You just come with me and cause trouble.”

When they were children of ten or so, Xie Shu was a notorious little scamp in the capital, always leading the mischief, with Lv Liu right behind her.

When those two caused a ruckus, no adult could stop them.

In her previous life, by fate’s twist, Xie Shu had married Lv Liu off early to save her life. Sadly, by the time Lv Liu’s husband passed the imperial exams and took office in the capital, Xie Shu had already met a tragic end.

This life, Xie Shu still planned to marry Lv Liu off early—her intended was truly kind to Lv Liu. But since he had not yet come, for now Lv Liu would accompany her in one last spree.

Back at Chunxiao Garden, Xie Shu soaked in a hot bath and changed into clean clothes. Just as she finished her makeup, Lv Liu brought the fox fur coat and asked, “Miss, should we return this garment now?”

“Leave it be. I’ll find a good day to return it myself.” In the gilded bronze mirror, her stunningly beautiful face appeared, and the image of a tall figure, the warmth of his hand at her waist, suddenly surfaced in her mind, making her cheeks flush.

Xie Shu picked up her powder box and dabbed her face. What was she thinking?

“Oh, right. Send for Xiao Anzi. Have him find the little beggars under the South Bridge and have a good talk with them. And gather a few storytellers from the teahouses.” A calculating gleam crossed her face in the mirror. Though people said the emperor had grown weary of the Xie family, with this decree, no one could say for sure. “His Majesty has granted us the Zhenyuan Marquisate’s great favor. We must make sure the whole capital knows.”

Xie Shu had known since childhood that borrowing power by association worked best when done early.

Lv Liu hurried to arrange for Xiao Anzi to leave the mansion.

Xiao Anzi was Steward Chen’s little grandson, only eight years old but extremely clever.

After a short rest, Lv Liu knocked on the door to summon her. Rubbing her eyes and stretching her arms, Xie Shu felt her body waking fully. After a cup of clear wine, warmth spread through her. She called out to Lv Liu, “Let’s go! Today is a great day—time for drums and gongs!”