Volume One, Chapter Five: Fiancée Wang Yuanya
Huang Suqiu, furious, delivered a sharp smack directly to Li Jize’s head.
“You brat! What auntie? I’m your mother!”
“Mother?”
Li Jize was stunned, staring at the plain woman before him for a long moment. Then, the memories of the original owner flooded back.
He felt embarrassed! This simple woman in front of him was indeed his own mother.
At first, Huang Suqiu was anxious and indignant, but upon seeing her son, she instinctively gave him a slap.
Then, as reality dawned on her…
She was gripped by a sudden fright!
Her son didn’t recognize her? Could it be that he had truly become mentally impaired?
With this thought, Huang Suqiu grabbed Li Jize’s arm, frowning as she cautiously asked, “Jize, do you still remember the way home?”
“The way home?”
Li Jize pondered carefully. Seeing this, Huang Suqiu’s heart sank, her nose tingling and eyes reddening.
How many times had he traveled the route to court and back home? Why would he need to think about it?
Her son was probably truly…
“Maybe it’s this way!” Li Jize searched his memory and finally shrugged. “Ah, whatever! Not going back to that lousy home is fine by me!”
The thought of having a father who “sold his own son” made Li Jize utterly unwilling to return to the Li household.
Besides, his rebellious cause was just beginning. How could he carry it out right under the nose of Li Jin, that unfilial father?
Under Huang Suqiu’s astonished gaze, her “foolish son” saw the rain starting and refused to head home.
Instead, he wandered the streets aimlessly, searching here and there, uncertain of what he sought.
Witnessing this, Huang Suqiu was so heartbroken she wiped away tears several times in secret.
Her son…
Her son truly could no longer remember the way home!
Had he really lost his mind?
Lost in such anxious thoughts, Huang Suqiu watched as Li Jize finally stopped before a shop, beaming with satisfaction.
She turned to look and her heart leapt.
A firecracker shop?
Her foolish son had indeed become a fool! Childlike at heart, he wanted to play with fireworks.
…
Meanwhile, as Li Jize, the military engineer-turned-revolutionary, busied himself with preparations for his uprising…
At the Wang residence, rain drizzled softly outside. Inside the cozy hall, incense burned gently.
A young maiden in a blue dress, with fair skin and stunning looks, sat slumped, mouth agape, drooling as she nodded off.
She clutched a copy of the “Book of Burning,” clearly having fallen asleep reading it.
Of course…
Had anyone else been present, they would have been shocked and terrified upon seeing that book.
The “Book of Burning” was a subversive text in the Great Qi—filled with criticisms of the current regime and grievances against those in power.
In a feudal society, possessing such a book was unthinkable.
As the maiden slept soundly, a sudden sound of a door being pulled open startled her awake.
She jolted upright, quickly hiding the book within her clothes and then fumbling nervously to pull out a crumpled item, pressing it against the left side of her delicate face.
A transformation!
The girl known as Zhong Wuyan, a peerless beauty turned frightful, appeared.
The visitor was none other than her father: the Imperial Physician Wang, who that day had saved Prince Li Jize’s life at court.
Wang Zhisheng, his real name, had married his childhood sweetheart. After she died in childbirth, he resolved to abandon his scholarly pursuits and become a doctor, gradually rising to prominence in the Imperial Medical Bureau with his daughter by his side.
He was now a man of achievement.
Yet, what truly troubled Wang Zhisheng was his precious daughter, Wang Yuanya.
A woman’s virtue was said to lie in her lack of talent.
But Yuanya had loved reading since childhood, later learning medicine under her father’s tutelage. Then, inexplicably, she had gone mad.
Her obsession with books had driven her to wander Great Qi, and upon her return, her once-flawless beauty was marred. She stayed home all day, refusing to go out, acting strangely.
At this age, girls were expected to marry.
Matchmakers came calling, but upon seeing Yuanya’s appearance, they fled overnight in fright.
Soon, the entire capital mocked Wang Zhisheng’s household for having a “double-exceptional talent” daughter:
Exceptional in looks—exceptionally ruined, and exceptional in talent—exceptionally gifted.
“Father, you’re home! Why didn’t you stay at the Imperial Medical Bureau today?”
Wang Yuanya stood up, speaking sweetly as she adjusted the book hidden in her sleeve.
Wang Zhisheng looked at the half of his daughter’s face that remained untouched. To be honest, just that half was still quite attractive.
Caught under her father’s gaze, Yuanya felt awkward and shrank back, softly asking, “Father, why do you look at me like that?”
“Cough, cough…”
Wang Zhisheng cleared his throat, hands behind his back. Finally, he sighed, “Yuanya, your father has found you a suitable husband. Soon… well, soon you will be married.”
Yuanya froze, then her gentle demeanor vanished instantly. She widened her eyes and shouted, “What? Marriage? Who’s brave enough to try and marry me?”
Huh?
Wang Zhisheng was taken aback, staring at his daughter in confusion.
Yuanya quickly transformed her expression like a Sichuan opera mask change, then coquettishly murmured, “Daddy! I don’t want to marry! I’m still young! I want to stay with you always.”
Wang Zhisheng: “…”
When a beauty does this, it’s called acting cute. But when my daughter does it, why do I feel sweat breaking out on my back?
“This time, there’s no escaping!”
“Wh-why?”
Yuanya’s voice began in a high pitch but fell to a low tone under her father’s gaze.
Wang Zhisheng sighed, clasped his hands, and faced the direction of the capital.
“This time, the Emperor himself has personally arranged the marriage! If you refuse, it will be considered defiance of imperial decree. Our entire Wang clan of nine generations will be doomed.”
“What?”
Yuanya was stunned. Her refined image vanished as she paced, stroking her chin thoughtfully.
She muttered, “The Emperor of the capital actually knows me? And wants to arrange a marriage for this young lady?”
Obviously…
Wang Zhisheng had no idea that his daughter was showing disrespect towards the Empress.
He only focused on the last words. With a knowing smile, he gently cleared his throat, “Cough, cough… Daughter, don’t think so highly of yourself! Maybe the one the Emperor is interested in isn’t you, but your future husband.”
“My future husband?”
Yuanya caught on and pursed her lips with a hint of disdain, “Pfft! Father, no need to belittle yourself! In all of Great Qi, there are fewer than five men worthy of your daughter’s attention!”
“Oh?”
Wang Zhisheng chuckled, stroking his beard meaningfully. “Then he must be one of those who capture your favor.”