Chapter 17: Old Debts

Few people in the world had ever seen the Princess of Yongjia, yet based solely on the attention bestowed upon her by the Imperial Palace and the Prince's Manor, the conclusion was drawn that she was a true favored daughter of Heaven.

In fact, from childhood to adulthood, Yuetang had indeed received an abundance of love from her uncle, aunt, father, and brothers.

Even when there was occasional estrangement, Yuetang could understand. After all, both palms are made of flesh; she had survived, while her second brother had passed away without even getting the chance to see this world.

Before the age of six, burdened by the destiny of a "Calamity Maiden," she always had to think more deeply than her peers.

After the age of six, she began moving to Bieye to live. It was true that she was surrounded by loyal and reliable people and that all her affairs were handled without worry; she only needed to study and practice her arts on schedule, and in her leisure time, use her identity as a commoner granted by Prince Duan to go out and observe the lives of the people. It appeared leisurely and stable, but ultimately, she had to stand on her own and learn to grow up.

The teachers sent by the Palace to teach her said that, as a child of the imperial clan, she bore an inescapable responsibility to her family and country.

By taking a matrilocal husband, her future children could be entered into the imperial clan registry. The inner palace was deep and treacherous, and no one could guarantee that imperial favor would last forever; she had to take advantage of the time when the bond between the Emperor and Prince Duan was still strong to bear a child and secure the succession of her title.

Prince Duan fell silent for a long time, finally muttering a few words about her being a "silly girl" before leaving.

Three months later, Prince Duan arrived at Bieye again. He said that the Imperial Uncle had indeed agreed to her taking a matrilocal husband, and had indeed agreed to establish her eldest son as the heir to the title of Prince Duan in the future.

But then, Prince Duan asked a hesitant question: which family's son did she intend to find?

Since the age of six, Yuetang had distanced herself from the officialdom. She had heard many names, rumors, and anecdotes regarding the powerful and wealthy, but she had never met a single one of them, leaving her with no way to choose.

Even if she were interested, would the scions of these high-ranking families be willing to become her subjects under her skirt?

If she looked further down the social ladder, she would encounter classes that neither she nor Prince Duan were familiar with.

Among those raised in ordinary circumstances, there would certainly be those who could withstand the temptation of wealth and those with the composure to remain unswayed by honor or disgrace, but Yuetang could not afford to gamble.

And she could not possibly gamble.

The late Emperor's many favors toward the Prince Duan Manor were a blessing for the manor, but they could easily become a misfortune.

Over the past many years, too many people had attempted to flaunt the name of the Prince Duan Manor in public; this time, however, it concerned her husband—the future second master of the manor. One mistake could lead to massive future consequences.

She had long since decided: "I will find an exceptionally talented youth from the common people. I will marry him in my capacity as a commoner, and once the child is born, I will grant him wealth and status, and then leave the child but let the husband go."

As long as the problem could be solved, the methods used did not matter at all.

Moreover, with the various noble families in the imperial court secretly vying for power, marrying a man from the common people and then "leaving the child but letting the husband go" was the cleanest approach.

Once again, Prince Duan was shocked into defeat.

Yuetang was in no hurry. At this stage, she knew her father and the Imperial Uncle would both agree.

During another routine meeting between father and daughter, Prince Duan indeed arrived with a handwritten letter from the Emperor.

The Emperor told her to marry using the fake household registration that Prince Duan had previously arranged for her.

The current Princess actually intended to marry a commoner and bear children; as her uncle, he could absolutely not bear such a loss of face.

Yuetang smiled.

Later, she sent Wei Zhang out to scout for candidates.

She was one year away from turning sixteen.

Both her brothers were dead, and she herself carried a calamity.

Though she had always been fearless—daring to venture into dense forests alone with a quiver of arrows during the autumn hunt—she was still afraid that the old monk's curse might actually come true, and that she wouldn't live to see sixteen.

At that time, the spring imperial examinations had just concluded, and many failed scholars were gathered at the guild halls. Many of them came from humble backgrounds, having exhausted their entire family's resources to afford the journey to the capital; having failed the exams, they did not know how they would afford to return home.

Consequently, many would post notices for hired labor outside the guild halls.

Wei Zhang staked out the area outside the guild hall for half a month. When he found A-Qi, the man was standing with his arms crossed, competing with a group of frail scholars for a position as an accountant.

He was tall, and his muscular build clearly marked him as someone trained in martial arts. Yet, his manner of speech and temperament were convincing enough to make one believe he was indeed a scholar.

Some, unable to stand how popular he was, came over to make things difficult for him. Wei Zhang blended into the crowd, scanned the shirtless man from head to toe, and then led him away.

Yuetang, who was pretending to be a destitute young lady in a village house, also scanned him from head to toe before questioning his origins.

He said he came from the North, that his grandfather had once been an official, but after retiring to live in peace, the family had settled in the North.

Because he did not want to abandon his books, he continued to have the family's children study for the imperial examinations.

He showed Yuetang his travel permit.

The permit was genuine, but his background still needed verification.

Yuetang first kept him there under the guise of providing sponsorship.

Then, Wei Zhang took several guards to A-Qi's hometown. The information they gathered was identical to what he had said; the travel permit was a genuine document recorded by the local government, and they even located his family's ancestral graves.

This was very good.

The further from the capital, the better.

Yuetang had always been a decisive person.

She asked, "A-Qi, have you promised yourself to a good match?"

He said no.

So Yuetang said, "You are quite handsome, and I have taken a liking to you. Why don't you stay with me as a matrilocal husband? I have three hundred acres of land; you can be the landlord, and I will listen to everything you say."

To her surprise, he refused.

He refused with such intensity that it seemed he would die rather comply.

Yuetang thought it over and still felt that, whether in physique, facial features, temperament, or character, he was extremely suitable to be her son's father.

So she tried to persuade him once more.

This time, she succeeded only in driving him away.

Yuetang gave up hope and turned to look for someone else.

It was then that he returned.

He paced back and forth in front of her seven or eight times, his long arms swinging, before finally gritting his teeth and saying, "Marriage is fine, but since we do not know each other, I must stay and spend some more time with you before we proceed."

If it hadn't been for the fact that the pawnshop in town was run by one of Yuetang's retainers, she would have believed him.

The pawnshop said he had pawned even his longevity lock.

So, was this a change of heart? It was clearly a way to find a place to stay.

Since he had his own motives, it actually placed less of a burden on Yuetang.

Thus, she chose the nearest auspicious day and arranged the wedding hall. Aside from drinking a cup of wine before entering the hall, he didn't have to worry about anything else.

Between the marriage sheets, she whispered in his ear, "Don't be afraid. Once I give birth to a son as healthy and handsome as you, I will let you go."

That night, Yuetang believed she was following the manual to the letter, acting with utmost tenderness.

Yet the next day at noon, having woken up drunk, he still broke through the window and ran away.

The following month, Yuetang discovered she was pregnant.

Eight months later, just as Yuetang was lying in Bieye, taking a stroll to nurture her pregnancy, Wei Zhang suddenly arrived to report that the son-in-law had returned again...

Yuetang changed her clothes and makeup and returned to the village house.

Fortunately, the village house where she had been staying was originally the living quarters for the shadow guards used to provide her with cover; the traces of daily life were already there, leaving no flaws.

He brought a pile of fox furs, sable furs, gold, silver, and jewels, along with bird's nest and shark fin, and stared at her large belly in a daze for a long time.

Only after Yuetang rubbed her belly and called out "Husband" did he find his breath and come to his senses.

Yuetang asked him why he had come back again.

He stammered and said nothing, finally saying with a dark expression that there were urgent matters, but since she was about to give birth, he would wait until after the birth to speak.