Chapter : 01
Is Chu Yun a Useless Waste?
The spring chill was biting, and the cold wind poured in through the half-open door, triggering a fit of coughing from the woman lying ill in bed.
The man standing by the bedside seemed not to hear it.
He continued on his own: “Cousin, you are now a wife of the Meng family. You should understand the principle that when one prospers, all prosper; when one falls, all fall.”
“If you are willing to take one hundred thousand taels from your dowry to help the Meng family survive this crisis, I… I can consider giving you a child.”
After saying this, Meng Zhuo felt somewhat uncomfortable.
He had always prided himself on being a gentleman, and using his wife’s dowry to bribe a eunuch was, after all, somewhat undignified.
But the Meng household had been plotted against this time, with an old case from three years ago being dug up. If they could not give sufficient tribute to the eunuch Cai arriving from the capital, his father’s official position would almost certainly be lost.
The woman behind the gauze curtain remained silent the entire time.
Meng Zhuo assumed she was still sulking over him taking both a wife and a concubine at the same time, and could not help growing irritated.
“Back then, you fell into the water and your clothes were soaked in public. It was I who, disregarding past grievances, married you. Now, although I have taken Sisi as a concubine, in the inner household, you are the wife and she is the concubine. She can never surpass you. Why must you be so petty and quarrel with her?”
Finally, there was movement behind the curtain.
Meng Zhuo thought Chu Yun had listened to him, and pressed his advantage: “Eunuch Cai will arrive in less than a month. As long as you are willing to produce the money, I can consummate our marriage tonight.”
Suddenly, a porcelain pillow flew out from behind the curtain.
It struck him squarely on the forehead, and blood immediately began to flow.
“You son of a bitch, Meng Zhuo! Do you think that thing between your legs is cast of gold? You want a hundred thousand taels just to sleep with me? Why don’t you take a piss and look at your own reflection first!”
Meng Zhuo was stunned by the blow.
And stunned by the curses.
He could not believe that such vulgar words had come from the mouth of his gentle, refined, and delicate cousin.
It was only when blood trickled down his forehead that Meng Zhuo realized what had just happened.
Furious, he shouted: “You’ve gone mad! How dare you strike me!”
The moon-shadow gauze bed curtain was suddenly pulled open with force.
Meng Zhuo saw the person who emergedâcloud-like hair, flower-like features, skin fair as snow. It was indeed his fragile, helpless cousin.
Seeing not a trace of guilt on her face, Meng Zhuo’s blood rushed to his head, and he raised his hand to slap Chu Yun across the face.
But “Chu Yun” shot him a single cold, piercing glance that froze Meng Zhuo in place.
Those apricot-shaped eyes, usually as soft as water, now gleamed with a savage, bloodthirsty light. The intimidating aura emanating from her made it hard for Meng Zhuo to breathe.
This look gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Two years earlier, he had been sent to transport grain to the border city. On the way, he was ambushed by the desert bandits and nearly died at their hands. Fortunately, young General Xie, stationed at the frontier, led his troops to the rescue and annihilated them.
At that time, young General Xie had walked through a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood to reach his side. His first words were not to ask about Meng Zhuo’s safety, but to coldly inquire about Chu Yun’s condition.
Meng Zhuo recalled the physician’s words and answered truthfullyâthat his cousin had been burdened with worry, and her health had never been good.
No sooner had he spoken than Xie Zhaoshen fixed him with that same ferocious glare, as if Chu Yun’s poor health were somehow his fault.
And now, “Chu Yun” was looking at him with that very same gaze.
It made him break out in a cold sweat, his raised hand frozen in midair, not daring to bring it down.
Zhaixing, who had been waiting outside, heard the commotion and, fearing her young mistress had been wronged, immediately pushed the door open and stepped in front of “Chu Yun”: “Master, please speak calmly. Whatever you do, don’t raise your hand!”
With Zhaixing’s intervention, Meng Zhuo seemed to find a way to back down.
The slap that he dared not land on Chu Yun’s face instead landed with a *smack* on Zhaixing’s cheek.
But the very next moment, a sudden pain shot through his abdomen.
He had been kicked to the ground by “Chu Yun”!
Meng Zhuo’s instinct was not wrong. The person before him was not Chu Yun, but Xie Zhaoshen, who had just returned victorious from the border.
The Chu and Xie families had long been close friends. He and Chu Yun had grown up together, and had even once been betrothed.
But the two had never seen eye to eye. He detested Chu Yun’s affectation and scheming nature, while Chu Yun detested his defiant, wild arrogance.
The engagement had come about through a twist of fate.
Xie Zhaoshen had already braced himself for the chaos that would follow their marriage.
But before they could wed, Chu Yun’s father, the Grand Tutor Chu, died suddenly. Chu Yun was taken in by her aunt in Jiangzhou, while he was dispatched to the border to fight the enemy.
On the eve of their parting, Chu Yun suddenly insisted on breaking off the engagement, saying many hurtful things, even claiming she feared he would die on the battlefield and leave her a widow.
Proud as he was, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t angered. That was why, on his return journey to the capital, he had deliberately detoured through Jiangzhouâto see for himself how Chu Yun was faring, whether she had… any trace of regret.
At this moment, Meng Zhuo, sprawled on the ground, was livid with rage. Pointing at Xie Zhaoshen, he shouted: “Vicious, jealous, coarse, and barbaric! You dare to harm your husband! I, I will divorce you!”
Xie Zhaoshen closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Very well. He had seen that Chu Yun was not doing well.
Not only had he seen itâhe had also experienced it firsthand.
Xie Zhaoshen licked his left canine tooth, tempted to give Meng Zhuo another kick. But as soon as he moved, his limbs felt weak, his throat itched, and he broke into a violent coughing fit.
As he coughed, he covered his mouth with his sleeve. When he pulled it away, there were flecks of blood.
Xie Zhaoshen’s eyes darkened. Chu Yun had always been more delicate than others since childhood, yet after three years in Jiangzhou, she had deteriorated to the point of coughing blood.
Chu Yun’s lack of judgment was despicable enough, but the Meng family, who had mistreated her, were even more detestable.
Xie Zhaoshen looked at the pathetic wretch Meng Zhuo, and a bloodthirsty glint reappeared in his eyes.
Should he flay him?
Or tear out his tendons?
Meng Zhuo, meeting his gaze, felt a chill run through his entire body. Though still furious, he scrambled away on all fours and fled.
Xie Zhaoshen did not give chase. He sank into a chair, trying to steady his breathing.
Zhaixing hurried to his side, her voice choked with tears: “Miss, you’re coughing blood again.”
Xie Zhaoshen narrowed his eyes. “Again?”
Zhaixing looked at her young mistress in confusion, then recalled the kick she had landed on the master. Sensing something amiss, she asked, “Miss, what’s wrong with you?”
Xie Zhaoshen made up a lie on the spot: “I had a high fever and my mind is muddled. I’ve forgotten everything from these three years in Jiangzhou. Tell me about it.”
Zhaixing’s tears began to fall again as she kept saying how ill-fated Chu Yun was.
“Get to the point! Especially about that fall into the water.”
Xie Zhaoshen interrupted impatiently. Chu Yun had always been prone to crying.
Back then, she used to trail after him, looking as if she were being bullied by him. This little maid truly was Chu Yun’s servantâshe cried just as much as Chu Yun did.
Zhaixing felt that her young mistress had become unusually fearsome today. With a stifled sob, she began to recount the events of the past three years in Jiangzhou.
Three years ago, Chu Yun’s father, Grand Tutor Chu, was implicated in Prince Cheng’s case of regicide and treason. Chu Yun had run around tirelessly, trying to clear her father’s name. But before she could achieve any result, Grand Tutor Chu hanged himself in prison, leaving Chu Yun utterly heartbroken.
With the dead man’s sins considered settled, His Majesty chose not to pursue the matter against the Chu family.
But the Chu clan, fearing further repercussions, all began to distance themselves from Chu Yun.
Just as Chu Yun was at her wit’s end, her aunt in Jiangzhou stepped forward of her own accord, taking her in and offering her shelter at the Meng household.
For three years.
Chu Yun, terrified of causing her aunt any trouble, spent generously from her own money to help the Meng family in every way, assisting her uncle in navigating official circles and currying favor on all sides.
As she spoke, Zhaixing began to sob: “But that madam Meng has a honeyed tongue and a serpent’s heart. Half a month ago, she had someone push Miss into the lake. And ‘coincidentally,’ Meng Zhuo happened to be there to ‘rescue’ her. Miss was drenched in public, and her reputation was ruined.
On top of that, Miss’s health had never been strong. After falling into the water, she developed a high fever that wouldn’t subside.
Before she even regained consciousness, Madam Meng used the pretext of ‘warding off evil with a wedding’ to force Miss to marry Meng Zhuo. I tried to go and rescue Miss, but the household’s matrons locked me in the woodshed.”
Zhaixing was furious, but Xie Zhaoshen was even angrier.
Chu Yun had always been full of schemes when it came to outwitting himâshe had no end of tricks. How had she ended up in Jiangzhou as a docile pushover, letting herself be kneaded and molded at will!
“Is Chu Yun a useless waste? Being bullied like this and not even putting up a fight! Even if… even if…”
Even if she had just sent him a single letter?
