Chapter 7 — The Sedan Chair That Doesn't Wait

On the day Xiao Lin Yan married me, red silks were draped across ten miles of road, and the eight-bearer bridal sedan chair made for a truly grand spectacle. Seated in my chambers, concealed beneath a crimson veil, I felt a tumult of nerves and excitement. That very same morning, Shen Qing had remained awake throughout the night. Before the dawn had even broken, he had already donned his wedding robes. He had ordered his attendants to prepare the dowry gifts and depart ahead of him, while he himself planned to ride on horseback, leading a grand, imposing procession back to our home village. He wanted everyone to witness that, despite rising to the top of the imperial examinations, Shen Qing had not forgotten his promise of marriage from years past. It was a cruel coincidence. I had waited for Shen Qing for three long years. Little did I know that the day he finally decided to claim me as his bride would be the same day I wed another.

His attendant, perhaps having overheard the whispers of the village women about my impending marriage, had rushed back to deliver the news to Shen Qing, then scrambled back to intercept me. He was breathless, his chest heaving with exertion. Just as Xiao Lin Yan and I had completed the ceremonial bows and he was helping me into the carriage, the attendant’s shrill, jarring voice cut through the air. He sounded both frantic and panicked.

"My lady, please stop!" he cried. "Have you forgotten my master? He has thought of you day and night, longing only to make you his wife. Why could you not have waited a little longer? The Shen household was prepared to bring you home in an eight-bearer sedan! How could you forget the devotion he has shown you for three years? How could you abandon him to marry another?"

As soon as these words fell, the villagers gathered around began to murmur amongst themselves. Though they were simple folk, they understood the basic truths of life. "Disgusting! What kind of devotion is that?" one scoffed. "Leaving a young woman to wait in solitude for three years without an offer of marriage—does he expect her to wither away rather than wed someone else?" Another chimed in, "Exactly! He wasted her youth for no reason, and now he has the gall to spout such nonsense."

Just then, Shen Qing arrived in a frantic rush. Upon hearing the news of my wedding, he must have driven his horse relentlessly, for he had left all his servants behind. His hair was disheveled, and his appearance betrayed his utter desperation. When he locked eyes with me and Xiao Lin Yan, both dressed in matching nuptial finery, the final thread of his composure seemed to snap. Shen Qing was truly undone. He no longer cared for the dignity of a scholar-official nor his own appearance. His voice trembled, laced with profound sorrow, as he asked, "Are you truly going to marry him?"

He recalled the chilling indifference I had shown him over the recent months. He had always assumed I was merely playing hard to get, trying to provoke his attention. It turned out that from beginning to end, he was the only one trapped in his own delusion. His eyes turned bloodshot with pain. "Moon of the Night, have you forgotten? You once promised you would marry me. And I promised you that I would come with an eight-bearer sedan to claim you. See? I have come now." By the end, his eyes were brimming with tears. I lifted my crimson veil, offering him only a faint, hollow smile. "Master Shen, look for yourself. The Xiao family has also come to collect me with an eight-bearer sedan."

These words struck him like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky, leaving him stunned and reeling on the spot. His face was a mask of disbelief. He cast aside the haughty airs he had once worn, and for the first time in front of so many, he humbled himself to a desperate degree. "Moon of the Night, it is all my fault. It was I who made you wait in misery for three years. I was greedy and unsatisfied; I wanted both the security of a successful career and the certainty that you would forever belong to me. It is my fault. But the love I hold for you has always been true. I stayed awake all night, preparing the sedan, coming myself to fetch you."

A neighbor immediately interrupted him, "What nonsense is this about an eight-bearer sedan? We aren't blind—we haven't seen a single shadow of one!"

Shen Qing was rendered speechless. He had indeed spent time meticulously preparing that grand procession. He had genuinely intended to marry me. It was only upon hearing that I was to wed another that he had abandoned his own retinue and ridden here alone in a blind panic. He did not answer. He simply pushed through the crowd with unsteady footsteps, reaching out as if to grasp me. I retreated a step, avoiding his touch. The tears Shen Qing had been trying to suppress spilled over; he looked as though he were the one who had been abandoned. His voice choked with sobs, he pleaded, "Moon of the Night, why could you not wait for me? Do you not know that, from start to finish, you were the only one I ever intended to bring into my home?"

His words were moving enough to stir the sympathy of those watching, causing more than a few guests to sigh in pity. I reflected that perhaps his words were sincere. After all, we were childhood sweethearts who had known and cherished one another since our youth. This time, he truly had come to fulfill his promise. Yet, looking at his red-rimmed eyes, I felt nothing. For the first time, my heart did not ache, nor did I feel the slightest inclination to soften toward him.