Chapter 2: Shiver

“I know you are reluctant to part with A-Jiang, but our Wang family has 139 members in total. Within this fortress, there are also hundreds of tenant farmers.”

Madam Xie did not react in the slightest to her son’s low growl.

She did not even lift her eyelids; her voice remained slow and calm, as if she were discussing a trivial, everyday matter.

“Not to mention, this fortress is the foundation our Wang family has built over hundreds of years. Outside the walls, nearly a thousand bandits are like ravenous wolves, treating our Wang clan as a piece of meat they can devour at will.”

“I am an old woman, nearly sixty. If I may be so bold, I have already enjoyed all the glory and wealth this world has to offer. Even if I were to die this very moment, I would have no regrets.”

“But what about you, my son? You are in the prime of your life, the age to carve out a great career. How can you lose your life at the hands of crude, base bandits?”

“And your nephews—they have already lost their father and have only you as their uncle. If even you cannot protect them, what will become of them?”

Madam Xie stopped there.

Everything that needed to be said had been said; she knew how her son would choose.

Between one person and an entire clan, the weight of each was clear at a glance.

“Besides, Yang Chong is no ordinary man; he is destined for a great future. If A-Jiang follows him, it may not necessarily be a life of suffering.”

The capital is in chaos, the world is in turmoil—it is a disaster, but also a golden opportunity for heroes to compete for supremacy.

Yang Chong’s grandfather was a Pillar of State General who guarded the border with an army of one hundred thousand.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, although the Yang family were Han subjects, they were highly valued by the imperial family.

Emperor Wu once bestowed the surname “Buliugu” upon the Yang family, and they vaulted into the ranks of the eight great noble families of Great Zhou.

During the reign of the late emperor, when the policy of Sinicization was promoted, the Yang family reverted to their original surname.

Yet, one can imagine the glory and reverence the Yang family holds in Great Zhou.

Now, the Emperor is young, and the powerful Grand Chancellor has launched a coup; the Great Zhou is on the verge of collapse.

Warlords across the land are rising in rebellion, and the Yang family is the most powerful and prestigious among them.

Yang Chong is the eldest legitimate son of the Yang family; beyond his status, his personal capabilities are formidable.

He leads the army himself, conquering cities and expanding territory for his family.

One day, when the Northern Territory changes dynasties and the Emperor bears the surname Yang, Yang Chong will at the very least be a Prince.

If A-Jiang follows him, she would be the favored concubine of a Prince.

Perhaps, in the future, she could rise even higher.

And the Wang family? They have long since fallen. The once-illustrious Langya Wang clan can no longer even stay in the capital and has been driven back to their ancestral home in Yizhou.

Before Wang Lin, the head of the Wang family, was driven out of the capital, he was merely a *Fengyi Lang* of the lower sixth rank.

This position was a sinecure, holding no real power.

And even that, Wang Lin could not keep!

The Wang family is truly finished.

If they do not find a way out, they will be reduced to commoners, or even destitute paupers.

Madam Xie’s desire to attach themselves to Yang Chong is not just about “borrowing troops”; she wants to place a bet in advance.

Once the Yang family seizes the empire amidst this chaos, the Wang family will have a chance to return to the center of power!

It is only because she has no daughter of the right age—if she did, she suspects she would not be as beautiful as the Jiang woman.

Otherwise, Madam Xie would have sent her own daughter to Yang Chong long ago.

As for a daughter-in-law? That matters even less!

Since she is not her own flesh and blood, Madam Xie would not feel a shred of heartache.

If the offering of beauty succeeds, she will have her son write a letter of divorce, then have the Xie family adopt the Jiang woman as a foster daughter to form a convenient alliance with the Yang family.

If the offering fails, she will simply have the Jiang woman fall ill and pass away, then find a better match for her son.

Madam Xie has never thought highly of the Jiang woman, convinced she is a vixen who bewitches men with her beauty.

Now that such an opportunity has arisen, whether it succeeds or not, she can “dispose” of the Jiang woman.

“It is a pity that General Yang did not bring his family with him on this trip to Yizhou. I hear he has several concubine-born sisters and sisters-in-law. If we could make the eldest son an in-law of the Yang family, that would also be excellent for the Wang family!”

Although the Wang family has fallen, they are still a clan.

A noble surname is useless when it is useless, but when it is useful, it can have miraculous effects.

Madam Xie gently fingered her prayer beads, thinking to herself.

Wang Lin did not speak. His fists were clenched tight, his face flushed red, and veins bulged on his temples.

He was angry, he was helpless, he was struggling, he was hesitating... Finally, he slowly raised his head.

Wang Lin looked at Madam Xie: “Mother, if this matter... does not succeed, I beg you to spare A-Jiang’s life!”

Madam Xie’s fingers, which were turning the prayer beads, paused slightly. “Very well!”

...

The young girl, Wang Lin’s only legitimate daughter, Wang Heng, had been squatting under the window until her legs went numb, yet she still could not understand what her grandmother and father were saying.

For one, it was a secret conversation; neither mother nor son spoke loudly, and there was a window between them.

The voices were very soft, and Wang Heng could only hear fragments.

For another, Wang Heng was still young—six years old by count, but only five by actual age.

Moreover, because she was a daughter, Wang Lin’s expectations for Wang Heng were not high; he did not have her start her education at three like he would have for a son.

Usually, it was her mother, the Jiang woman, who read some introductory books to her, such as the *Taigong Jiajiao* or the *Classic of Poetry*.

The Jiang woman doted on her daughter, and her teaching and discipline were never harsh.

In the last two or three years, the capital had been in turmoil, and people were panicked.

Last year, the entire Wang family fled, and the elders like the Jiang woman were busy with family affairs, leaving them no time to specifically educate their daughter.

Of course, there was also Wang Heng’s own temperament; she was not exceptionally clever, and she possessed a certain naive charm.

“What on earth are Grandmother and Father talking about!”

“Sending A-Jiang away? Where are they sending Mother?”

“Mother is A-Jiu’s mother. This is Mother’s home; where else would they send her?”

Wang Heng’s fair, delicate little face was filled with question marks.

Unable to figure it out, Wang Heng simply stopped thinking about it.

Rubbing her chubby little hands against her sore, numb calves, Wang Heng tiptoed away from the main hall.

She reached the steps, put on her shoes, and the little girl forgot all about the cat, retreating from the courtyard in the direction she had come.

“Nine Young Lady! Nine Young Lady! Why did you run over here?”

Just as she rounded a covered walkway, a seven or eight-year-old maidservant rushed over.

“Bai Zhi!”

Seeing her maid, Wang Heng was very happy.

“Oh my, how did you get so dirty? Nine Young Lady, were you playing with that fat cat again?”

“The Mistress has already said that the cat is wild and untamed, always running around everywhere; it’s very filthy.”

“Besides, it’s hard to tame and prone to scratching and biting. If it hurts you, Nine Young Lady, you’ll have to drink bitter medicine!”

The maid’s name was Bai Zhi, and she had been specially chosen by the Jiang woman from the Wang family’s hereditary servants to serve her daughter.

She was nine years old this year, three years older than Wang Heng.

Although she was still just a child, she was steady and sensible.

She served Wang Heng with all her heart.

As Bai Zhi spoke, she took out a handkerchief and gently wiped Wang Heng’s little hands and face.

“The cat isn’t dirty! And it doesn’t scratch people! It’s just not well-behaved. I gave it meat to eat, but it still wouldn’t let me pet it!”

Wang Heng corrected her in a milky voice, not forgetting to complain.

Bai Zhi:...

She wiped her little mistress’s face and hands clean, put away the handkerchief, and incidentally glanced at a small bamboo basket hanging from Wang Heng’s waist.

The basket was very small, only the size of an adult’s palm.

It was tiny, yet woven with great intricacy, and had two long straps made of bright silk.

The basket could be carried on the back or slung across the shoulder.

At this moment, the two straps were joined together, slung across Wang Heng’s shoulder.

The length of the straps allowed the basket to rest right at Wang Heng’s waist.

With a reach, she could touch the things inside.

Although the basket was small, it was divided into compartments, like a plum-blossom snack box, split into five or six sections.

Each section held a few small snacks: fruits, pastries, dried meat, dried fruit, and so on.

Bai Zhi looked closely and saw that the basket was already half empty.

Well, the little lady hadn’t just been feeding the cat; she’d been feeding herself quite a bit, too.

“Nine Young Lady, let’s go back. If the Mistress doesn’t see you, she’ll be worried!”

She didn’t mention the cat again; Bai Zhi knew that even if she nagged repeatedly, her little mistress wouldn’t listen.

In the future, she would just have to keep a closer watch and try not to leave the Nine Young Lady’s side.

But—

Sigh, the journey from the capital to Yizhou last year was not peaceful either.

The Wang family’s party included masters, servants, and soldiers.

A grand procession of hundreds of people, the caravan stretching for dozens of yards.

Such a display could indeed deter rioters and petty thieves, but it also attracted bandits and rogue soldiers.

Along the way, they encountered several raids; servants died or fled.

When they finally arrived at the Wang family fortress, not to mention the other branches, just on the Nine Young Lady’s side, the original four first-class maids and four second-class maids had been reduced to only two first-class and one second-class.

Returning to the fortress was not eternal peace, either.

Famine!

Rioters!

Bandits!

Officials!

Whether through forced extortion or voluntary offerings by the masters... the Wang family’s servants had endured another “calamity.”

By now, Wang Heng, the daughter of the family head, had only two senior maids left by her side: Bai Zhi and Bai Yao.

And even these two could not just guard Wang Heng.

Other branches, or the Mistress herself, would occasionally have tasks for them.

Otherwise, the Nine Young Lady wouldn’t be running around alone.

Sigh, this Wang family really had reached a predicament where they were stretched too thin.

As a servant, Bai Zhi might not be able to articulate such thoughts, but she could feel the decline and decay of the master’s house.

After sending Wang Heng back to the Begonia Courtyard where the Jiang woman resided, Bai Zhi was called away to help by the Third Branch.

“Nine Young Lady, you go find the Mistress first; I’ll be right back!”

“...Mm! Go ahead!”

Having her people “borrowed” away was something Wang Heng was already used to.

She waved her hand, not minding, and walked straight into the main room.

“Mother!”

Wang Heng ran in with a *thump-thump-thump*. She wasn’t too fat, but she wasn’t thin either.

Because of the spring chill, she was wearing thicker clothes with fur trim, making her look like a fluffy little ball.

Wang Heng was like a cat, rolling right up in front of the Jiang woman.

The Jiang woman looked to be about twenty years old, with cloud-like hair, arched eyebrows, red lips, and white teeth—a fairy-like appearance and a jade-like face.

She was like a jade statue, or a fairy from a painting, not at all like a mortal.

Beyond her breathtaking beauty, the Jiang woman possessed a cold, fragile air.

A slight furrow of her brow made one feel an involuntary ache in their heart, a desire to cherish her.

Now, she was a married woman with a daughter, yet her beauty had not faded; instead, it carried a mature charm.

“A-Jiu is back? Did you go play with the cat again?”

The Jiang woman was kneeling on a low couch; hearing the movement, she knew it was her daughter without looking.

She raised her head and saw Wang Heng running toward her.

Although Bai Zhi had already cleaned her up, the sharp-eyed Jiang woman still noticed some dirt on her daughter’s skirt and sleeves.

Although her daughter was a bit lively and spent her days chasing a cat, she was not a mischievous child who would act out. If there was dust on her clothes, it wasn’t because she had gotten it there herself, but because she had brushed against something.

And besides that cat that only knew how to beg for food, the Jiang woman couldn’t think of anything else.

“Mm, the cat is so bad! I specifically saved some roasted lamb for it, but it wouldn’t listen and ran away after eating the meat!”

“Mother, I chased the cat so hard, and I accidentally ran into Grandmother’s courtyard. Oh, right, I heard Grandmother and Father talking.”

“But the things they said were so strange. Grandmother wants to send Mother to find a sheep!”

Cuddled in her mother’s soft, fragrant embrace, Wang Heng spoke in a milky voice.

The Jiang woman had been listening with a smile at first, but as she listened, she realized something was wrong—

Send Mother to find a sheep?

What sheep?

Wait, the Master was hosting General Yang today.

General Yang, “Yang” (Sheep)?

Send Mother? A-Jiu’s mother was her, the Jiang woman.

Thinking of Madam Xie’s cold, arrogant face, and then thinking of the beautiful maids and even concubines the Wang family had sent out during this time, the Jiang woman suddenly understood. It wasn’t “sending A-Jiang to find a sheep,” but rather, they intended to send A-Jiang to Yang Chong!

The Jiang woman’s body could not help but tremble with a chill...

PS: It’s been a long time since I’ve written a historical romance, and I don’t know how it turned out. If you have any opinions, please leave a comment, mua! (*╯3╰)

(End of chapter)