Chapter 4 — Leaving the Capital, Zhaowei

In an instant, my arm was trapped in his iron grip. His eyes, usually so composed and aloof, finally shattered, revealing a raw, desperate lack of self-control.

"This time, having solved the major case and achieved great merit, His Majesty will certainly grant me a favor. All I need to do is beg the Emperor for an imperial edict granting our marriage..."

A loud ringing filled my ears. Everything before me seemed to twist, struggle, and scream. I watched the lips of Pei Yanzhuo part and close, uttering one absurd sentence after another. Without a moment's hesitation, I raised my free hand and struck him fiercely across the face. Slap! Pei Yanzhuo's face was knocked sideways by the sheer force of the blow. A heavy, suffocating silence instantly fell over the room. At last, those terrifying, suffocating words finally stopped. Gathering every ounce of my remaining strength, I yanked my arm free from his grasp and stumbled backward two full steps.

"Pei Yanzhuo, I have already married someone else!"

The moment those words dropped into the quiet air, Pei Yanzhuo's expression froze entirely. A stray lock of hair fell across his temple, shadowing the upper half of his face and making his expression dark and utterly unreadable.

"Impossible."

"Are you simply making up such a preposterous lie just to escape from me?"

Pei Yanzhuo slowly raised a hand, his fingers gently brushing the corner of his bleeding lip.

"Who is this husband of yours?"

I clenched the fabric of my sleeve tightly, refusing to look away or cower.

"Shen Qingyan."

As soon as the name left my lips, the tight frown between his brows slowly, almost imperceptibly, began to relax. It was as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. He repeated the name aloud, a heavy undertone of deep contempt lingering in the final syllable.

"Zhaowei, if you are going to brush me off with a casual excuse, you ought to at least pick someone believable."

"That Shen Qingyan is so utterly destitute he even has to rely on charity just to buy paper and ink for the imperial examinations."

"How could someone of such lowly, impoverished origins ever be worthy of you, and how could you possibly lower yourself to marry him?"

If this had happened in the past, I certainly would not have. Back then, relying on my illustrious Marquis Estate background and striking appearance, my pride had soared to the skies, and I had been stubbornly determined to marry into supreme wealth and power. When my marriage prospects were discussed, I would not deign to look at any suitor unless his family possessed vast estates and immense nobility. I had even successfully set my sights on the grand and powerful Prince of Ning's estate. But the very day my true parentage was exposed, Prince Ning's household called off the engagement overnight without a moment's hesitation. The wealthy young scions who had once constantly courted me suddenly fell completely silent. My elder sisters, heartbroken and distressed to see me struggling so bitterly in the marriage market, traveled far and wide in search of a decent match for me. Once, my eldest sister brought me along to a prestigious spring poetry gathering. The invitation had been sent long in advance, but the moment we reached the threshold, the host's maidservant coldly blocked my path.

"The eldest young lady of the Pei family is, of course, entirely welcome to enter."

"However, as for this young lady... by whose household is she even claimed nowadays?"

A chorus of soft, malicious whispers immediately erupted all around us. Standing there in the open courtyard, my face burned with humiliation. My eldest sister flushed with anger and instantly turned around, determined to drag me away from the wretched place. Yet, at that exact moment, a young man stood up from the banquet inside and spoke out bravely in my defense.

"A poetry gathering is meant for discussing literary talent and philosophy, so since when did it become a place to judge people by their family lineage and social status?"

"If only those from illustrious, high-ranking families are permitted to enter this banquet, then all the humble scholars seated here today ought to be chased out right along with her."

That was the very first time I laid eyes on Shen Qingyan. He wore a simple, plain blue outer robe that had been washed until the fabric was slightly faded at the seams. Yet, his back was held straight and proud, and his gaze was clear, upright, and unyielding. He did not possess the delicate, pampered elegance of aristocratic young lords like Pei Yanzhuo; rather, he resembled a sturdy green bamboo standing deep within a quiet mountain forest—clean, principled, and utterly upright, bringing a profound sense of calm to anyone who looked upon him. Only later did I discover that despite his impoverished background, his literary reputation had already spread far and wide across the capital. The poetry gathering that very day had been personally issued an invitation by the host's son, who had specifically requested his presence as an honored guest and even stepped out to welcome him in person.

"Brother Shen is entirely correct."

"Since today is a gathering dedicated to poetry, we certainly should not judge a person merely by their background."

Only then did the maidservant lower her head and retreat in embarrassment. Upon returning to the manor, I immediately sought out the legal mother. She was sitting by the table, reviewing the various marriage inquiry cards and horoscopes people had sent over for me. Finding none of them satisfactory, she was frowning and letting out long, weary sighs. Seeing me walk in, she hurriedly tried to tuck the slips of paper away out of sight. I dropped heavily to my knees and spoke in a clear, resolute voice.

"Mother, I wish to marry Shen Qingyan."

The legal mother froze in absolute shock.

"I have indeed heard of this Shen Qingyan; his character and literary talent are undoubtedly exceptional."

"However, the Shen family is genuinely and terribly poor."

"You have grown up in the luxury of a Marquis Estate your entire life; how could you ever endure such bitter hardship?"

I lowered my head and let out a faint, self-deprecating smile.

"So what if I cannot?"

"Those aristocratic young gentlemen from high-ranking families, the moment they saw me fall from grace, only knew how to stand idly by with cold, mocking indifference."

"Yet this young man, born of a lowly and impoverished background, was the only one willing to step forward and speak a fair word for me."

"Furthermore, I am no longer the privileged noble daughter of a Marquis Estate household. What right do I even have left to be picky about family backgrounds and social standings?"

The memory faded. I fixed my gaze on Pei Yanzhuo and sent the words at him like arrows.

"The Shen family is indeed of humble origins."

"Yet compared to those arrogant young nobles from wealthy estates, he possesses a far purer and more righteous heart, and he has never once looked down upon me or disdained my misfortunes."

I paused for a brief second, letting the weight of my words sink in.

"He has never once accused me of being seductive or behaving improperly, nor has he ever despised me for supposedly ruining his good reputation."

He would certainly never scold me for lacking proper etiquette or self-respect simply because I once offered him a handmade scented sachet.

"Pei Yanzhuo, everything you ever bestowed upon me was nothing more than humiliation, distress, and agonizing dilemmas."

"And now you stand here claiming to have deep feelings for me? Don't you find that the least bit laughable?"

The color drained from Pei Yanzhuo's lips, fading to a stark, sickly white, while the light in the depths of his eyes shattered completely into nothingness.

"Did you truly marry him?"

I looked straight ahead and answered firmly, "Yes."

"He treats me exceptionally well."