Chapter 3

The carriage wheels rumbled along the official highway leading to Jiankang. No matter how one looked at it, the Third Young Lady did not appear to be suffering from an unrecovered chill. No matter how much Nanny Zhang wanted to prevent her from returning to Jiankang, she had no way to account for it before Manager Zhu, who had been sent by the Eldest Master.

Manager Zhu had traveled abroad with the Eldest Master for many years; he was steady and experienced in his dealings, and naturally, he saw through the hidden subtleties and conspiracies within this matter. However, he acted as if he knew nothing, neither saying a word nor casting an extra glance. As long as he could deliver the Third Young Lady safely back to the ancestral home in Jiankang, his duty would be fulfilled.

As for the smokeless wars between the women of the inner household, they were neither his responsibility nor his concern.

Including the servants, women, and luggage, the group filled a total of five carriages. Shen Yuanyu sat in the first carriage with Luan Niang. This carriage appeared plain and unremarkable, but only after Shen Yuanyu sat inside did she discover that the window curtains were woven from Shu embroidery worth dozens of taels per bolt. This single bolt of Shu embroidery alone was enough to sustain an ordinary farming family for an entire year.

Shen Yuanyu also spotted the Shen clan emblem in an inconspicuous place within the carriage. The book classics representing civil governance and the sword representing martial prowess indicated that the ancestors of the Shen clan were proficient in both civil and martial arts. The four cold stars surrounding the book and sword signified that within three generations, there had been four eminent officials who had reached the pinnacle of service, holding first-rank positions.

This was the foundation of the Lanling Shen clan—a lineage of successive high officials and noble families, held in equal standing with the Langya Wangs, the Chenjun Xies, and the Qiao Guo Huans as the four great super-first-class clans of the Great Jin.

At this time, people were divided into nine ranks, with a distinction between the hereditary nobility and the commoners. The imperial court selected officials through the Nine-Rank System; whether one could hold office depended not on virtue or talent, but on the prestige of one's family lineage. "The high-born families enjoy the glory of hereditary succession, while the commoners and the poor have no path for advancement!" The scholar-gentry almost monopolized all political resources; they were exempt from corvée labor, and marriage was judged by pedigree. Between the nobility and the commoners, there was a gap as wide as the heavens...

These pieces of information flowed through Shen Yuanyu's mind one after another...

As the eldest legitimate daughter of the Shen clan's primary branch, her status was incomparably noble due to her family's prestige. Since the scholar-gentry did not intermarry with commoners, she originally could have married into a high-ranking family. Unfortunately, her predecessor had been sent to the manor to reflect on her mistakes because she had intentionally harmed her grandmother.

She had stayed in Niushou Village for a full year.

She was now fourteen years old; in another year, she would reach the age of hair-pinning and be married off. Scholar-gentry clans like the Shens were invariably prosperous in offspring. The Shen family alone had five primary branches, and the collateral and branch lineages were too numerous to count, with a saying of "five internal branches and eighteen external branches." They were divided between the East and West manors, and since her family members were so numerous, their relationships were extremely complex, their hearts treacherous, and their struggles intricate. She had to return to the ancestral home early to make her preparations.

Shen Yuanyu spent the journey lost in thought. Only Luan Niang sat in the carriage with her. Luan Niang, however, looked at this Third Young Lady—whom she had watched grow up but who had become somewhat unfamiliar in such a short time—and felt hesitant to speak.

Today, after being washed and dressed, she seemed like a completely different person; her entire temperament had changed. Not only was Nanny Zhang stunned, but even she, her former personal maid, was dazed. Furthermore, she had been sickly before, but upon hearing that Manager Zhu from Jiankang was coming, she had become spirited and radiant in just one night. What exactly was going on between her and Nanny Zhang that she didn't know about?

Meanwhile, Nanny Zhang, sitting in the carriage behind, was even more suspicious and heavy-hearted. She had clearly drunk that medicinal bowl with the "extra ingredients," so how could the illness have recovered so quickly, leaving her so full of life? How was she supposed to explain this to Concubine Bai when she returned?

Niushou Village was sixty li from Jiankang; if the carriage traveled quickly, they would arrive in three hours. Shen Yuanyu and the others had set out at the hour of the Dragon (7:00 AM), and they had now traveled about a quarter of the way. Although it was an official highway, it was bumpy and uneven. The carriages of that era did not have pneumatic tires, and Shen Yuanyu felt as if her intestines were being shaken apart.

Manager Zhu was a meticulous and capable man. He stood respectfully outside Shen Yuanyu's carriage and said, "The journey has been tiring. Would the Third Young Lady like to stop for a moment to stretch?"

Shen Yuanyu had been hoping for this. "That would be wonderful!"

Thus, the group halted the horses and carriages. Luan Niang helped Shen Yuanyu step down from the carriage to get some fresh air. Because it had just snowed a few days ago, there were almost no pedestrians on the official highway. Even so, Shen Yuanyu still wore a light veil over her face. Jiankang was located in the Jiangnan region; although it was winter, the vegetation had not withered. Beneath the white snow, traces of green were visible everywhere. As Shen Yuanyu stepped out of the enclosed environment, a cool breeze brushed her face, and she felt an instant sense of refreshment.

Manager Zhu and the servants and grooms brought from the manor also dismounted, gathering together to chat and laugh. Luan Niang helped her walk a few steps along the road when she suddenly felt the ground beneath her feet tremble slightly.

Her expression changed slightly, and just as she was about to ask, she heard the thunderous sound of galloping hooves echoing in her ears. Manager Zhu was resting on the carriage pole; seeing this, his face changed drastically. Such a commotion surely meant a large cavalry troop was charging toward them.

This place was only forty li from the capital, Jiankang, and the cavalry was galloping from the direction of Jiankang. It was not easy for Southerners to raise horses, and ordinary merchant caravans were exceptionally careful to conserve horse power. Being this close to Jiankang, it couldn't be bandits; it could only be the imperial army.

Regardless of who was coming, it would be inappropriate for the Third Young Lady to encounter them like this. Manager Zhu hurriedly instructed Luan Niang, "Quickly, help the Third Young Lady into the carriage!" He simultaneously ordered the driver to pull the carriage to the side of the road to clear a path for the cavalry to pass.

Shen Yuanyu leaned on Luan Niang's arm and barely made it to the carriage when a yellow stallion burst into everyone's sight. The rider was slender and lithe, wearing a crimson cloak, appearing to be a woman. The horse swept past like a gust of wind, and the rider clung tightly to the horse's back, clearly possessing excellent horsemanship.

Before the crowd's gasps could escape their throats, the woman flashed past the Shen family members like lightning. Shen Yuanyu saw that although her posture was beautiful, her expression was one of frantic urgency, as if she were being pursued.

The woman had already galloped past, but she suddenly spotted the clan emblem on Shen Yuanyu's carriage. She couldn't help but let out an "Eh?" "A carriage of the Shen clan's direct line?" Her gaze fell like a venomous snake upon Shen Yuanyu, who had not yet had time to duck into the carriage. She let out a charming laugh: "Truly, Heaven has not abandoned me!"

With that, she abruptly pulled on her warhorse. Amidst the horse's neighing, it reared up on its hind legs. In the next moment, she had already turned the horse's head. This sharp turn was exceptionally beautiful, but before Shen Yuanyu could applaud, the woman had already descended like a red cloud, lunging straight toward Shen Yuanyu.

Manager Zhu shouted loudly, "Protect the Young Lady!" He had brought eight guards this time. As soon as they heard the hoofbeats, these guards had alertly positioned themselves to protect Shen Yuanyu in the center. They were all experts, more than capable of handling an ordinary sudden situation.

Who could have known that this woman in red was no ordinary person! She lunged down from the galloping steed without the slightest fear of falling and breaking every bone in her body or becoming paralyzed.

*Clang!*

The guards had already drawn their swords and sabers, and one of them swung his blade toward the woman. The woman drew a short sword only a foot long from her waist. While mid-air, she used the short sword to parry the guard's blade, using the momentum to perform a flip, passing through the guards' encirclement and landing gracefully in front of Shen Yuanyu.

Seeing this series of cinematic, perilous movements, Shen Yuanyu's mouth hung open for a long time.

By the time she reacted, the woman's short sword was already pressed against Shen Yuanyu's neck. The bone-chilling coldness caused a fine layer of goosebumps to rise on her neck. Having lived two lives, this was the first time she had fallen into a thief's hands and become a hostage. For a moment, Shen Yuanyu's mind went blank, and her legs felt weak.

"Let go of my Young Lady at once!"

"You dare touch someone from the Lanling Shen clan? You are far too bold!"

...

"All of you, stay still! If anyone dares to move, I'll kill her!" the woman shouted sharply. Her voice carried a certain spiciness, yet it was crisp and resonant, like an oriole emerging from a valley—extremely pleasant to the ear.

Only then did everyone see the woman's features clearly. She appeared to be in her twenties, with almond eyes and peach-blossom cheeks. Her eyes were watery and bright, and her every smile and frown possessed twelve parts of charm, having a beauty that could overturn the world. She possessed a naturally moving grace that was distinct from the daughters of the scholar-gentry.

The guards were stunned; they hadn't expected this culprit to be so beautiful and enchanting!

Shen Yuanyu, however, sighed inwardly. What kind of disaster was this falling from the sky?

"Lady, let's speak reasonably. Please, do not take my Young Lady's life..." Manager Zhu was sweating profusely. Before he could finish his sentence, another dozen horses came galloping over, surrounding everyone.

The riders on the horses were all dressed in light armor. The leader was a youth of eighteen or nineteen. His warhorse was exceptionally magnificent, and his attire was extremely luxurious; his armor was made entirely of gold, with exquisite and complex patterns engraved upon the plates. At this moment, the rising sun cast its light down, and the youth's entire body shimmered with a magnificent and brilliant radiance.

It was enough to blind the eyes!

A face as elegant as the clear wind and bright moon, features so exquisite they were flawless, dark and deep eyes, and an air of elegance and nobility unique to high royalty—what a beautiful youth.

Even in this critical moment where life was at stake, Shen Yuanyu still felt her heart skip a beat, losing herself for a moment.

The woman in red let out a cold laugh. "Second Young Master, you have finally caught up!"

The youth gave a bright smile, revealing a row of snow-white teeth. As if he hadn't seen Shen Yuanyu held in the red-clad woman's hands, his burning gaze stared unblinkingly at the woman, a flash of cold lightning passing through his ink-jade eyes. Though he was smiling, the smile did not reach his eyes, instead giving off a sense of distant aloofness.

"Qin Qiaoqiao, you are surrounded by my men. You cannot escape even if you had wings! If you surrender peacefully, this Young Master can make an exception and spare your lowly life! Otherwise, do not blame my precious sword for having no eyes!" His voice was languid, yet it carried a piercing intensity like the clashing of metal.

Qin Qiaoqiao?

The Shen household members were in an uproar. This Qin Qiaoqiao was truly famous, her name known far and wide. She was a renowned courtesan of the Qinhuai River. Not only was her beauty peerless, but she was also exceptionally talented, her pipa playing famous throughout the Jiangzuo region. Unfortunately, she guarded her chastity like jade; countless high officials and nobles had spent fortunes wanting to experience her grace, yet until now, no one had succeeded.

Consequently, her fame in the streets was no less than that of the dissolute scholars from the four great prominent clans.