Suddenly, Yunling nudged Mu Wan, excited. “Miss, isn’t that Sixth Young Master Li? He’s here!”
Mu Wan followed her gaze. In fact, she and Li Yichen had never met. She was only twelve when her mother arranged this marriage, living in the capital while Li Yichen stayed with his family who were stationed at the frontier. Later, when she accompanied her mother to the frontier, he was traveling to study, and by the time he returned to the capital for the imperial examination, Mu Wan had gone back to her mother’s hometown to observe mourning. They had kept missing each other.
When she saw the figure in the distance, however, she immediately knew it was Li Yichen. He carried the scholarly elegance of a literati combined with the tall, upright bearing of a military descendant. His features were sharp and defined, and his demeanor was cool and lofty, resembling the reserved brightness of the moon.
No wonder the precious young ladies of the capital’s high society were so drawn to him, and no wonder her mother had arranged this match early on. He was indeed a rare young talent.
Mu Wan rose and offered a slight bow in greeting, but Li Yichen merely gave her a nod in return. His gaze swept over her without any visible emotion, and he stopped at a distance of five or six meters from her, as though he had come out simply of obligation to fulfill the task of meeting her, but had no intention of engaging in conversation.
There was a short silence, and it was LI Yichen’s cool voice that broke it first, “Eldest Miss Mu, I owe you an apology…” but before he could say more, a servant boy rushed up in a panic, exclaiming, “Young Master, Second Miss Mu is in trouble!”
The man who had been so indifferent when facing his fiancee suddenly changed his expression. “What happened?” he asked anxiously, and without even offering Mu Wan a proper farewell, he hurried down the mountain.
Yunling stomped her foot in anger. “What kind of act is Second Miss playing now?!”
Mu Wan raised an eyebrow, finding the situation somewhat odd. She knew that Shen-shi mother and daughter would certainly cause more trouble, but logically speaking, they shouldn’t dare to be openly seen being involved with Li Yichen, especially now that she had returned. Feeling a bit curious, she said, “Let’s go and have a look.”
When they reached the foot of the mountain, Mu Wan and Yunling saw a crowd of people gathered in small groups. Clearly, something had happened. Yunling went ahead to inquire and soon returned with news: Mu Rou had indeed run into some trouble.
It turned out that while Mu Rou was participating in a poetry contest with a few girls from her poetry club, she had caught the attention of Lord Wu, Empress Dowager’s younger brother, who harassed her. In her panic and resistance, she fell into the water.
Mu Wan frowned. She had heard of Lord Wu’s infamous reputation, even while she was far away in her ancestral hometown. As the Empress Dowager’s brother, he was the current State Uncle1, but he was known for being lustful, indulgent, and depraved, with numerous women having fallen victim to his predatory behavior. His victims included commoners, wealthy and poor alike, and even the daughters of minor officials.
The problem was, as the younger brother of the Empress Dowager, Lord Wu was untouchable. Even if he was impeached by censors or even apprehended by the magistrate’s office, he always got away with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. In the end, it was usually the accusers who suffered dire consequences, while Lord Wu remained untouchable.
Although Mu Wan wasn’t fond of Mu Rou, she didn’t wish to see such a terrible thing happen to her.
Yunling quickly asked one of the nearby girls, “Lord Wu didn’t succeed, did he? Did Sixth Young Master Li save her?”
“Lord Wu didn’t succeed, but it wasn’t Sixth Young Master Li who saved her. Lord Wu didn’t care about giving face to Sixth Young Master Li at all—it was Marquis Zhenbei who showed up,” the girl said, her eyes lighting up as she glanced around cautiously before adding, with a hint of schadenfreude, “Lord Wu was so terrified that he didn’t dare say a word and left in disgrace.”
“Too bad you came late and missed the famous Marquis Zhenbei. He was so imposing, ahhh!”
Her remark was met with excited squeals from the nearby girls. It quickly became apparent that the crowd hadn’t gathered to discuss the incident itself, but to gush over Marquis Zhenbei.
Of course Mu Wan had also heard of Marquis Zhenbei. If Li Yichen’s reputation was well known in the capital, then the name of Marquis Zhenbei, Xie Heng, resounded throughout the Great Ying Country.
He was the youngest son of the late Duke Zhenguo, and also the full-blooded younger brother of the former Empress. According to protocol, he was the true State Uncle.
However, for Marquis Zhenbei, the title of State Uncle was probably the least notable of his accomplishments. What people truly feared and respected were his extraordinary skills and his cruel, ruthless methods.
It was said that he went to the battlefield at the age of fourteen and had been leading troops deep into enemy territory by sixteen, winning numerous battles against overwhelming odds.
Three years ago, when the Chi Ling Tribe took advantage of the chaos in the court to launch a full-scale attack on the border, not only did the court refuse to provide support to Duke Zhenguo defending the frontier, but traitors within the court seized the opportunity to eliminate political rivals. As a result, Duke Zhenguo, his two elder sons, and the Xie family’s elite soldiers all perished in battle. Only the youngest, Xie Heng, was brought back barely hanging on his breath.
But then some in the court had the audacity to shift the blame, accusing Duke Zhenguo of being overly ambitious in order to chase glory, which they claimed led to Great Ying’s disastrous defeat and destabilized the nation.
At that time, eighteen-year-old Xie Heng, still not fully recovered from his grievous injuries, rose from his sickbed to drag out the traitors responsible and, in front of the entire court, slowly tortured them, forcing confessions one cut at a time, eventually uncovering the mastermind behind the plot.
He then personally set out to wipe out each and every family involved in the conspiracy. It was said that none of the men involved died peacefully—all were brutally tortured to death.
Although treason was indeed a crime that warranted exterminating the entire clan, Xie Heng’s extreme ruthlessness still filled many people with dread.
Later, after being appointed as Commander of the Mingjing Bureau, responsible for overseeing officials, he made no effort to hide his ruthless methods, further cementing his fearsome reputation. Even the notorious Lord Wu, usually so arrogant, had to keep his tail tucked between his legs in front of Xie Heng.
However, while men feared Xie Heng, many young women openly admired him. After Duke Zhenguo’s death, Xie Heng, still underage, inherited his demoted title, becoming the new Marquis of Zhenbei. Handsome, powerful, and influential—whoever married him would instantly be elevated into the position of a second-rank titled madam2, making him the perfect dream figure.
Why a dream? Because everyone knew that Xie Heng already had someone dear in his heart.
Mu Wan’s ears perked up with the sound of gossip. She had been away from the capital for three years and had clearly missed quite a lot of juicy stories.
Just then, Yunling snapped out of her daze and blurted, “Oh no, I almost forgot the important matter!” She hurriedly interjected, “So, since Marquis Zhenbei scared away Lord Wu, who ended up saving Second Miss Mu?” Please, let it not be Sixth Young Master Li!
Even so, Yunling didn’t hold out much hope. With so many eyes watching and such a perfect opportunity, how could Mu Rou miss it?
Surprisingly, a girl nearby spoke with admiration, “That Second Miss of the Mu family is really upright. Even though she was barely holding on, when Sixth Young Master Li wanted to jump into the water and save her, she resolutely refused, saying she couldn’t betray her elder sister. In the end, it was an old maid who could swim that pulled her out.”
Yunling was incredulous, unsure of what tricks Shen-shi mother and daughter were playing, but Mu Wan understood clearly—it was because Mu Rou had found a better option.
The girl next to them sighed, “It seems like Sixth Young Master Li really is going to marry that useless, good-for-nothing eldest daughter of the Mu family after all…”
The so-called good-for-nothing Mu Wan sighed as well, “Indeed. It seems Sixth Young Master Li does have a special feeling for Second Miss Mu.”
The girl, feeling as though she had found a kindred spirit, nodded sneakily. “I think so too, but this isn’t something we can talk about openly since it concerns both of their reputations. Still, I hope they can get a happy ending. If Sixth Young Master Li is going to marry a merchant’s daughter, better to marry a beautiful and intelligent one than a domineering and brainless one.”
Mu Wan passed a handful of melon seeds to the girl and sighed, “That’s right, but who can we complain to? The marriage was arranged long ago. No matter how great Second Miss Mu is, she can’t compare to the good fortune of her elder sister… alas!”
The girl eagerly took the melon seed, nodding so vigorously. “Who can argue with that!”
Mu Wan nonchalantly remarked, “But speaking of good fortune, the girl in Marquis Zhenbei’s heart must be the truly fortunate one, right? So, who is she?”
Yunling: “…”
‘Miss! For the sake of gossip, you’re even spreading rumors about yourself now!’
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Translator’s note:
Hello everyone, I’m happy to announce that AerialRain now has gotten additional helps, which allow us to take two more projects! Let us introduce you to His Secret Guard and Marrying the Short-Lived Villain, both having historical settings. We are still adjusting our schedules here, so the two new titles will have irregular schedule for the time being. Hope you all enjoy them!
For new readers, you may also want to check my other titles:
My Son is a Reborn Villain (Modern, finished)
Greetings, Ninth Uncle (Historical, finished. My most read title)
Three Years After Falling off a Cliff (Historical, ongoing)
My Whole Family Are Villains (Modern, finished)
Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt (Modern, ongoing)
Daughter of the Dao and Devil Venerables (Cultivation, ongoing)
The Healer Demands Payment! (Cultivation, ongoing)
After Transmigrating into a Cannon Fodder Real Daughter, the Plot Changes (Modern, ongoing)
Wake Up Male Lead, You Belong With The Female Lead! (Cultivation, ongoing)
Enjoy!
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Click this page for advanced chapters TOC.
- State Uncle (国舅): A title given to the maternal uncle of the current emperor, alternatively, it could also be given to the younger brother of the current empress dowager.
- Titled Madam (命妇): women who were granted titles by the imperial courts. Generally wives or mothers of high-ranking officials or female members of collateral imperial clans. Like male counterparts, female titles also come with ranks and stipends.
Woo hoo! I love more stories from you! The translations are well put together with good context for the clueless (like me) and the wording seems to flow like water. I literally check the main page everyday for story updates and the stories you pick are all wonderful I enjoy all of them! <3
Thank you~
Oooo, no wonder! Hurray for more team members! It only benefits us readers 😁
😁
Also, I’m liking this eldest miss. She’s hilarious! But slightly confused, she transmigrated? But the synopsis said reborn.
She died of overworking in her previous life and then reincarnated in ancient times. Her half-sister, meanwhile, reborn. It will be explained in a few chapters
I love novels where multiple characters are reborn/transmigrated. They all think they have the golden finger.