Chapter One: A Bride Substituted, A Husband Exchanged

“Something terrible has happened! The Second Young Master has eloped with the Third Young Lady!”

“The Third Young Master is arriving with the bridal sedan at any moment, and the entire household is in utter chaos.”

“The Old Madam requests the Second Young Lady to proceed to the main hall at once—”

One after another, three messengers arrived at the main hall, from a young maid to a middle-aged housekeeper, and finally to Old Madam’s personal attendant, Nurse Li. Each voice was more frantic than the last, as if the sky itself were collapsing.

Shen Ruojin, dressed in a deep red wedding gown, sat before her dressing table, calmly drawing her brows in the bronze mirror. She spoke unhurriedly, “Why the panic?”

Her captivating phoenix eyes, their outer corners slightly upturned, gave her an air of both strength and allure. Her already striking features were made even more radiant. As she finished drawing her brows and casually cast a glance at the anxious maids and nurses, they fell silent, awed into stillness.

While the entire Marquis of Linyang’s household was thrown into disarray, only the maids in the Second Young Lady’s courtyard remained composed, tending to their duties as usual.

Beside her, Maid Shijian, having just heard that the prospective brother-in-law had eloped with the younger sister, was about to explode in anger. Yet witnessing her mistress’s composure, she forcefully swallowed her indignation and changed her tone, “So what if the brother-in-law eloped with the sister-in-law? It’s hardly the end of the world!”

Nurse Li pressed urgently, “Oh, my Second Young Lady, you know very well that the Third Young Master—His Highness from the Northern Commandery’s Prince’s Manor—is infamous in the capital as a scourge. Today, he’s come in person to claim his bride, and if he finds the Third Young Lady and the Second Young Master missing, he’ll tear our marquisate apart! How is that not the end of the world?”

Though Shen Ruojin was a legitimate daughter of the marquisate, she bore her mother’s surname, Shen.

On this day, two daughters of the household were to be married: the Second Young Lady, Shen Ruojin, a legitimate daughter of the second branch, was to wed Pei Jing, the provincial top scholar who had taken first place in both the county and metropolitan exams this year. The Third Young Lady, Mu Yunwei, an illegitimate daughter of the main branch, was to marry the notorious troublemaker of the capital—Prince Qin Lang, the Young Lord of the Northern Commandery.

In terms of status, Prince Qin Lang was of far nobler birth, a scion of the highest rank.

Pei Jing, on the other hand, was a poor scholar, though his brilliance had made him a favorite to become the next principal graduate after his double wins in the examinations. When he brought a keepsake from Shen Ruojin’s late mother as a token to propose, the elders agreed to the match, and for him, it was a significant step up.

Shen Ruojin, following her mother’s dying wish, accepted the marriage.

Coincidentally, the Little Prince from the Northern Commandery also proposed. Such an illustrious son-in-law knocking on their door was an opportunity the Marquis of Linyang could not refuse. By chance, both weddings were set for the same day, hoping for double happiness. Who could have foreseen that the auspicious day would turn to disaster?

Now, the entire household was in a frenzy.

Nurse Li, unable to wait any longer, urged, “Second Young Lady, the Old Madam and the Master are both waiting for you in the main hall…”

“Let’s go,” Shen Ruojin said, replacing her eyebrow brush in the cosmetic box. She rose gracefully with the support of her maids, the luxurious train of her wedding gown sweeping over the red carpet as she passed through the corridors.

Nurse Li hurried after her, gathering the others along.

…

Half a cup of tea later, in the main hall.

Old Madam Mu, having waited anxiously, was flushed with anger, dabbing at her brow with a handkerchief. On seeing Shen Ruojin enter, she adopted a stern, matriarchal air. “What took you so long?”

“If I had come too quickly, Old Madam, you might not have had time to prepare your excuses. Wouldn’t that have been unfortunate?”

Shen Ruojin offered a proper curtsey to the assembled elders and seated herself as if by right.

Her manners were impeccable, and she had never forgotten her lifelong maxim: “No matter where you go, never shortchange yourself.”

Old Madam Mu was momentarily speechless. “What kind of talk is that? And did I give you leave to sit?”

Among the four young ladies of the house, she doted on Mu Yunwei and liked Shen Ruojin least.

There was no particular reason; Shen Ruojin’s mother had died young, and fortune-tellers claimed the girl’s fate was too strong, doomed to bring misfortune to her elders. Meanwhile, Mu Yunwei was said to be a lucky star destined to bring prosperity to the family. Several events seemed to confirm this, and the old lady became convinced, disregarding even the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate birth.

The previous night, Mu Yunwei suddenly refused to marry Prince Qin, insisting on marrying Pei Jing instead. The Old Madam thought her beloved granddaughter was possessed and immediately called for an exorcist.

The ritual proved inconclusive, and then Mu Yunwei said something astounding: She claimed to have been reborn. She said Pei Jing, though currently a poor scholar, was actually a lost royal prince who would one day inherit the throne and rule the empire. As for Qin Lang, despite the current power of the Northern Commandery, disaster awaited—his family would soon be ruined, exiled, and without his title, he was doomed to die young.

Mu Yunwei insisted, “Shen Ruojin is not destined to be empress. If she marries Pei Jing, she’ll bring disaster to our marquisate. But I am different—I am Pei Jing’s fated match. If I marry him, I’ll be empress, and our family will become the most illustrious in the land!”

Old Madam Mu half-believed, half-doubted, but somehow Mu Yunwei managed to elope with Pei Jing, who had eyes only for Shen Ruojin.

Now, with this mess on her hands, the old lady could only try to cover it up.

Seeing Old Madam Mu’s demeanor, Shen Ruojin guessed most of the situation; the elopement was likely known to her in advance.

Unusual circumstances always hide a deeper plot.

She decided to observe quietly and see what scheme they would hatch.

Old Madam Mu, meeting Shen Ruojin’s gaze, showed a flash of guilt before composing herself. “Enough, there’s a more pressing matter at hand.”

The grandmother adopted a magnanimous air. “Yunwei and Pei Jing have suddenly fallen ill, too sick to leave their beds or complete the ceremony. The wedding banquet is already prepared, guests are gathering at the gates, and there’s no way to postpone the date. At this point, there is but one solution, desperate as it may be.”

Shen Ruojin accepted a teacup from her maid, gently lifting the lid to skim the floating leaves. “If it’s not a solution, then Old Madam, there’s no need to speak of it.”

“You…” The old lady was rendered speechless.

“Ruojin, is that the way to speak to your grandmother? Is this what the Shen family taught you?”

Mu Gaoyuan frowned, cutting off the confrontation between mother and daughter.

Shen Ruojin’s mother had died when she was seven, after which her grandmother’s dislike had only grown. Her maternal grandfather’s family had taken her in. Raised personally by General Shen and a household of military men, her upbringing was unconventional. Sent back in her marriageable years to learn the ways of the capital, she now seemed proper and well-mannered, but beneath the surface, she remained a misfit in the Marquis of Linyang’s residence.

Shen Ruojin raised her eyes. “The Shen family taught me to protect our own with our lives, never to use them as pawns.

The Shen family taught me never to do to others what I would not accept myself.

The Shen family also taught me—one can swallow anything in life, except humiliation.”

Mu Gaoyuan was left speechless by her retort.

Old Madam Mu’s anger flared at the mention of the Shen family. “The Shen family! Since your heart lies with the Shens, why did you ever return? Oh, I nearly forgot—three years ago at Beiyang Pass, the Shen family was wiped out…”

Something snapped inside Shen Ruojin. She placed her teacup on the nearby table, and with a surge of inner strength, shattered it into splinters.

The porcelain cup crashed to the floor, shattering with a loud clang, hot tea splattering everywhere.

Old Madam Mu’s words died on her lips.

An oppressive silence fell over the main hall.

Three years ago at the Battle of Falling Moon Pass, the Emperor himself led the army but suffered a crushing defeat. Her four uncles and nine elder brothers died on the battlefield, defending their country and sovereign. Shen Ruojin, raised on the frontier, was sent back to the capital, forbidden ever to return to war.

The Shen family, once renowned for loyalty and valor, was now survived only by her grandfather, the nearly seventy-year-old General Shen, who still guarded the frontier.

Everyone knew that “the Shen family is wiped out” was a taboo that Shen Ruojin could not endure.

Mu Gaoyuan knew this well; he didn’t even dare mention the destroyed table, hastily changing the subject. “Enough. Must we bring this up on your wedding day? And you, Ruojin, your uncles and cousins are watching from the heavens. Only if you marry well can they rest easy.”

Before his words had faded, a servant burst in. “Master! The procession from the Northern Commandery’s Prince’s Manor has arrived at the gates!”

Mu Gaoyuan was alarmed, immediately ordering, “Shut the doors and bar them with as many men as you can muster. Stall them for as long as possible!”

“It’s no use, Master, we can’t hold them back!” The servant’s voice trembled. “Prince Qin has already blasted the doors open!”