Chapter 1

In the scorching heat of July, umbrellas were high in the air, and the earth resembled a boiling pot. The leaves of the willow trees were covered in dust and curled up, and the cicadas were constantly chirping on the branches, making a loud and cacophonous noise, but they couldn’t stir up even a breeze.

On the official road from the south to the north of Jiangling City, six guards dressed in green shirts and grey trousers each sat on a high-headed horse, surrounding a beautifully decorated carriage, and riding through the hot waves towards Mount Ganquan to the north.

The carriage was wrapped in indigo silk on all four sides, and the latticed windows were covered by a deep blue gauze curtain that made it impossible to see what was inside.

On the left side of the carriage was an old coachman from the Su family, and on the right side was a maid dressed in green who held a bright yellow oil-paper umbrella. She leaned her head to the side, as if talking to someone inside the carriage.

“Madame, Miss, we are almost in the city.” “We’ll arrive at Lingquan Temple in half an hour.”

After hearing a response from inside the carriage, Chun Mei turned her head. Her left hand was still holding the umbrella handle, so she could only raise her right hand to wipe off the sweat on her forehead. She couldn’t help but sigh, “This summer is really hot.”

Unlike the steaming heat outside the carriage, it was much cooler inside, with an ice block that had not yet melted placed on the small yellow flower-wood carved table, giving off a hissing sound of cold air.

The redwood seat, originally covered with several soft silks, was also covered with a smooth rattan mat, which reduced some of the heat.

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Speaking of which, the Zhou family was also a wealthy merchant on par with the Su family in Jiangling City. A few months ago, they sent a matchmaker to ask for the hand of the second Miss Su, who has not yet married. The engagement was only settled last month, but unexpectedly, a few days ago, they suddenly came to break it off.

Now Su Mi has had her marriage proposal rejected twice in a row, and her reputation has been ruined. It will be even more difficult for her to find a good husband in the future. How could Mrs. Yu not be worried?

“Mother, I’m not angry at all. I’m happy to stay with you for the rest of my life if I can’t get married.” Su Mi pouted and spoke, reaching out to squeeze Mrs. Yu’s hand.

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Mrs. Yu glared at her, feeling both warm and distressed in her heart.

“By the way, is sister coming back to Jiangling tomorrow?”

“Yes.” Mrs. Yu thought for a moment, let go of her hand, and counted the days on her fingers according to the letter: “According to the date in the letter, she should be able to arrive tomorrow. Her body has always been weak, so I asked her to take it slow on the way and not to be jolted too much.”

“Okay.”  Su Mi replied listlessly, lowering her head to fiddle with the ice on the table.

Looking at Su Mi’s innocent and inexperienced demeanor, Mrs. Yu hesitated for a moment, afraid that she might not understand, but decided to speak frankly: “Mi’er, actually, Xian’er’s letter meant that she wants you to marry your brother-in-law. Originally, when you were already engaged, I didn’t consider it, but now…”

At these words, Su Mi’s hand paused slightly as she touched the ice, and she murmured softly, “I don’t want to marry my brother-in-law.”

On the day Su Xian got married, her brother-in-law, Li Xiuyuan, wore a wedding gown and held a red silk, but he stared at her from head to toe. That naked aggression still made her feel uncomfortable when she thought about it.

“Mi’er, the Li family is also one of the richest families in the capital, and your sister is the legal wife. If you go there, they will not mistreat you in the future.” This was what Mrs. Yu was thinking. Now that her youngest daughter’s reputation was ruined, it was unlikely that she would become a legal wife if she got married. It would be better to let her go with her sister and take care of each other.

“Mother, I really don’t want to get married.” Su Mi still did not look up. Her voice was soft, but she did not give in at all.

Since childhood, her only blood sister has been Su Xian. Although there was an older brother above her, he had only been adopted by Mrs. Yu from the second concubine in the past two years to carry on the family line.

Her sister was kind and gentle, and she remembered all the things she did for her before she left the house. If she really married into that family, she would not only make Su Xian feel uncomfortable in the future, but she would also feel suffocated herself.

Mrs. Yu glanced at Su Mi and opened her mouth but didn’t say anything. This daughter of hers was different from her eldest daughter. Although she seemed gentle on the surface, she was actually very stubborn and always had her own ideas. Oh well, anyway, she was going to Lingquan Temple to pray for good fortune in her marriage. If there were better options in the future, she could avoid this trouble.

As they chatted, the mother and daughter fell silent for a moment. Just then, the carriage suddenly came to a stop, and Su Mi, whose elbow was resting on the table, hit the edge of the table, causing a dull pain in her chest.

“Chun Mei, what’s going on?” Su Mi furrowed her brows slightly and rubbed her chest, pretending to adjust her clothes with her delicate hands.

“Miss, we have arrived at Ziteng Street in the city. The gate of the government office ahead is blocked. It seems that a high-ranking official has arrived.”

“A high-ranking official?” Su Mi unconsciously repeated.

As the carriage gradually moved forward towards the government office, the noisy and bustling sounds outside grew louder. Su Mi tilted her head slightly and hid behind the window, using her slender, pinkish finger to open the thin veil and look outside.

Jiangling City was the capital of Jiaozhou, and its government office was magnificent and imposing. In front of Ziteng Street, two seven-foot-high stone lions stood diagonally opposite each other at the gate of the government office. The plaque hanging above the gate read “Jiangling Government Office” in four characters.

At the gate of the government office, two rows of yamen runners held water and fire sticks to separate a stone slab area that extended all the way to the main street. The space left for pedestrians and carriages on the road was just enough to pass through, so it was no wonder that the traffic was slow.

On the gray-blue stone slab area, facing Su Mi’s side, was a blue official sedan chair with a dark red roof, black cover, and wide and spacious interior.

“Mi’er, what are you looking at? Be careful not to get sunstroke,” Su Mi’s mother warned her.

“It’s okay, mother. I just opened a small gap,” Su Mi replied with a light laugh. As she looked back outside, the sedan curtain seemed to be lifted by the young servant on the left, and then a man appeared.

The man in the sedan chair bent down and walked out, his tall figure towering over the others. He wore a golden woven collar and a python robe, and a blue and white jade tassel hung from his waist. As soon as he emerged, a servant in front of the sedan chair opened an oil-paper umbrella to shield him from the blazing sun.

He had broad shoulders and a slender figure, and his movements were slow and steady. When he moved, his python robe seemed to carry a sense of pressure, causing the officials at the gate of the government office to bow their heads even lower, as if they were afraid of offending him with their actions.

He really looked like a high-ranking official.

As Su Mi withdrew her hand, the moment the curtain fell, the man stepped onto the stone steps in front of the gate of the government office. His face turned slightly and fell into Su Mi’s eyes, which had not yet shifted.

With his high and straight nose, sharp jawline, and handsome and delicate features, he looked like a figure in an ancient sculpture.

Su Mi only took one look, but this description immediately came to her mind. It turned out that he was not only a high-ranking official but also a handsome man.

However, she naturally couldn’t recognize this official rank. Although the Su family was also a famous wealthy merchant family in Jiangling City, those who held official positions still looked down on them deeply and didn’t have much interaction with them.

Otherwise, her cousin from the Yu family, who had a prearranged marriage with her, wouldn’t have rushed to break off the engagement as soon as he passed the imperial examination.” Chun Mei, let’s take a detour,” Su Mi said, looking towards the front of the carriage.

“I don’t know how long this roadblock will last, maybe we still have to wait for these high officials to finish their business before leaving. It’s better to take the narrow road.”

“Yes, miss.”