Chapter 8 — Wedding Hall, No Groom

As each second slipped away, the air in the hall grew heavier and more oppressive. Just as everyone began to whisper that the spectacle would end in quiet anticlimax, Xiao Huai abruptly rose from his seat. His voice was hoarse, raspy as though he were expending every ounce of his remaining strength just to force the words past his lips.

“I bid… six thousand silver taels.”

The moment those syllables fell, the vast banquet hall plunged into a stillness so profound that the dropping of a pin could be heard. A collective intake of sharp, shuddering breaths immediately followed. He had actually done it. Right in front of Shen Shuyan, he had truly bought back her late mother’s most cherished heirloom, all to present it to another woman! I looked at him, maintaining a mask of polite and immaculate grace, while the depths of my eyes remained locked in an abyss of freezing, impenetrable frost.

“General Xiao is truly generous.”

I spoke at a measured pace, each word falling clear and sharp like precious jade striking stone.

“Since the General is so earnestly kind, this set of Twelve Months of Floral Deities shall be presented to you as a gift.”

With a subtle flick of my wrist, little Tao carefully wrapped the exquisite tea set in fine silk. Xiao Huai stepped forward, producing a heavy stack of bank notes with a trembling hand. In that fleeting second, our fingers inevitably brushed against one another. His skin scorched like a blazing hearth, while mine felt as cold as winter ice. He jerked his hand back instantly, as if he had been severely burned by an open flame. I retrieved the notes without so much as a passing glance, handing them over to Uncle Shen who stood faithfully behind me, before offering a shallow, elegant curtsey toward Xiao Huai.

“Many thanks, General Xiao, for your vast and boundless generosity, pulling me out of such a dire predicament. This humble maiden shall engrave this profound debt upon her heart.”

The phrase dire predicament was articulated with deliberate, piercing clarity.

Xiao Huai staggered backward, his lips parting and trembling as though he desperately wished to say something, yet no sound managed to escape his throat. He accepted the brocade box from the hands of his attendant and, resembling a crushed and thoroughly defeated soldier, stumbled out of the hall in utter disgrace. Watching his frantic, hurried retreat, the entire hall erupted into a chaotic storm of animated discussion and breathless gossip.

“He has lost his mind! Utterly unhinged! To discard his dignity and pride entirely for the sake of a woman!”

“Six thousand taels! Just to purchase a tea set to please Liu Yunwei? Even the official stipend of the grand Defender of the State cannot withstand such reckless extravagance many times over!”

“This time, the Manor of the Grand Tutor and the Grand General’s estate are severed completely. There is not a single thread of goodwill left between them!”

Amidst the roaring waves of public mockery, I stepped forward into the very center of the assembly hall, raising the thick stack of bank notes high in my hand.

“Esteemed ladies and respected madams.”

I raised my voice, commanding the room until absolute silence fell once more.

“Today’s Treasure Appreciation Banquet has yielded a grand total of nine thousand three hundred silver taels. Shuyan has resolved that not a single coin shall be retained; every last ounce of this silver shall be donated directly to the Hall of Benevolent Mercy, designated specifically to support the grieving families of the brave soldiers who perished heroically on the northern frontier.”

The proclamation landed like a sudden clap of thunder within the magnificent hall. Stunned silence gripped the crowd, every pair of eyes fixed upon me in sheer disbelief. I swept my gaze across the gathering, my eyes clear, steady, and resolute.

“Our loyal soldiers fought valiantly for the nation, shedding their blood and dying upon the desolate battlefield. As the children of the great Ung dynasty, the peaceful and tranquil lives we enjoy today are entirely built upon the heavy burdens they bore for us. Though Shuyan is merely an insignificant woman of ordinary standing, I nonetheless vow to dedicate whatever meager strength I possess to comfort the families of these true heroes.”

With those final words, I solemnly placed the stack of bank notes into the hands of the official emissary sent directly by the Imperial Eldest Princess herself. The noble woman grasped my hands with visible emotion, offering her gratitude again and again.

“The boundless benevolence of Miss Shen shall not be forgotten. On behalf of all the young orphans and widowed wives, this old servant extends her deepest and most sincere thanks to you!”

At that singular moment, the entire venue fell into a reverent hush. All the malicious rumors that had recently circulated regarding my alleged destitution and the forced sale of ancestral properties instantly evaporated, replaced entirely by profound respect and admiration. I had utilized Xiao Huai’s six thousand silver taels to forge an immaculate reputation for myself, one that shone brilliantly across the entire capital city. Meanwhile, he had spent that exact same sum to purchase an everlasting infamy that could never be washed away in a thousand lifetimes. This battle belonged to me—I had won cleanly, decisively, and thoroughly.

When Xiao Huai finally crossed the threshold of the general’s mansion, the night had already deepened into a profound stillness. Clutched tightly in his hand was the brocade box, yet it felt as agonizingly heavy as a thousand mountains, making every single step he took a grueling and torturous endeavor. The household servants, upon catching sight of him, reacted as though they had encountered a terrifying specter, hastily lowering their heads and scampering away into the shadows. He could feel it vividly—the hidden gazes directed at him were filled with a mixture of dread, contempt, and malicious glee. He had transformed into the ultimate sinner of the estate, the grandest laughingstock throughout the capital. Cutting through the silent courtyards, he marched directly toward the Pavilion of Listening Rain, the secluded sanctuary where Liu Yunwei resided. Warm light still spilled through the paper lattice windows, casting a soft golden glow that represented the sole remaining comfort he could conjure in his heart. Pushing the door open, a delicate fragrance of medicinal herbs mixed with fine incense rushed over him. Liu Yunwei sat gracefully before her dressing table, draped in a light, translucent sleeping robe, evidently having waited up for him for quite some time. Hearing the movement, she whipped her head around, her face instantly lighting up with radiant joy. But the moment her eager eyes fell upon the brocade box clutched in Xiao Huai’s grip, they blazed with feverish intensity; all her fragile melancholy vanished entirely, replaced by a consuming, almost greedy ecstasy.

“Big Brother Huai! You have returned! Did you… did you truly manage to secure it?!”

Unable to contain her impatience, she dashed forward, wrapping her arms tightly around his sleeve as her fingers reached out to snatch the brocade box. Xiao Huai stood motionless, allowing her to take it without resistance. His entire body felt as rigid as stone, his internal organs numb and withered like cold ashes. Liu Yunwei reverently placed the box upon the table, gingerly lifting the lid. When the stunning, pristine tea set of the Twelve Months of Floral Deities shimmered into view, she released a long, deeply satisfied sigh.

“It is so breathtaking… even more magnificent than the rumors claimed…”

She caressed the smooth, jade-cold rim of a teacup with obsessive adoration, utterly reluctant to let go.

“Thank you, Big Brother Huai! I knew it! Within your heart, you cherish me the most!”

She lifted her head, her triumphant face wearing a confident smile as she anticipated being pulled into his embrace and smothered with tender comfort. But what met her gaze instead was a face drained of all color, etched with profound exhaustion and hollow emptiness.

“Big Brother Huai, what is wrong with you? Why is your complexion so dreadful? Could it be that Shen Shuyan gave you a hard time again?”

Liu Yunwei’s smile stiffened uncomfortably, a sharp edge of irritation creeping into her tone. Xiao Huai stared at her—within her eyes now, there remained only a desperate possessiveness and calculating greed, completely devoid of the ethereal innocence and purity that lived in his fading memories. For the very first time, he realized how utterly alien the woman standing before him truly was. Word by word, he recounted every single detail of the events that had transpired at the Treasure Appreciation Banquet. From the suffocating stares of disdain that had hemmed him in, to the moment he gritted his teeth and bid six thousand taels, and finally—how Shen Shuyan had taken every single copper of that silver, combining it with the rest, and donated it entirely to the Hall of Benevolent Mercy to aid the families of fallen soldiers on the frontier. By the time his deep voice fell silent, the triumphant glee on Liu Yunwei’s face had completely dissolved. In its place rose a terrifying shock, sheer disbelief, and ultimately, a boundless, raging fury. She slammed the teacup she was holding down onto the table with a crisp, shattering crack that echoed like a bolt of lightning.

“How dare she! How dare that bitch do such a thing?!”

Liu Yunwei’s voice was as sharp and vicious as a flashing blade, stripped entirely of its former delicate fragility.

“She is intentionally humiliating me!”