Chapter 12

The guests had left, and the Zhao family’s courtyard suddenly fell into silence.

This meant that Zhao Yanping would be coming in soon.

Sitting on the bed, A-Jiao trembled from head to toe in nervousness.

People had gossiped that she came from a brothel, assuming that even if she were still pure, she must have seen men and been well-versed in matters of love. But in truth, A-Jiao had only learned poetry, music, dance, and other refined arts. Indeed, living in the Huayue Brothel, she often overheard all kinds of lewd banter at night, but she had never actually seen anything with her own eyes.

During the madam’s preparations for her “first night,” she had explained to A-Jiao that men preferred virgins, paying a hefty sum just to witness their innocent and timid reactions. If she acted like an experienced woman, the customer would lose interest. The madam also told her that only after her purity was taken would she be taught the true secrets of the bedroom.

So, A-Jiao had absolutely no experience in serving men.

She clenched her hands tightly and kept her eyes fixed on the door. When Cui Niang left earlier, she had only left the door slightly ajar—anyone entering would just need to push it open.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when, all of a sudden, a pair of large hands pushed the door open!

A-Jiao’s heart jumped, and she quickly lowered her gaze in a panic.

Zhao Yanping stepped inside. His eyes immediately fell on A-Jiao, sitting on the bed and wringing her hands, her face dusted with an unnatural layer of white powder.

He remembered what she looked like without makeup—her skin was like smooth jade, far more pleasing than the face now masked in powder.

Closing the door behind him, Zhao Yanping walked up to the bed and handed her a towel, wrung out but still damp. “Wipe your face.”

He was tall and broad-shouldered, his entire body carrying the strong scent of alcohol. Standing in front of her like a mountain, his deep and commanding voice made it impossible not to obey.

A-Jiao quickly stood up, murmuring a soft “thank you” as she took the towel.

The eastern room was spacious enough, and her dowry, including a dressing table, had already been placed against the western wall beside the wardrobe. Seeing that Zhao Yanping had turned to pour himself a cup of tea, A-Jiao hurried over to the dressing table. Instead of sitting down, she bent forward slightly and wiped away the thick layer of powder from her face, revealing her naturally fair complexion.

Her lips had also been painted a striking red by the matchmaker earlier—far brighter than their natural rosy hue. As she hesitated with the towel near her mouth, she recalled something she had heard before—some men enjoyed the taste of a woman’s lip rouge. She decided to leave it on for now and see if Zhao Yanping liked it. If he didn’t, she would never wear it again, saving herself the trouble and expense of buying lip color.

A-Jiao felt fortunate to have married a man who had once saved her life. She hoped to win his favor because only then would her life in the Zhao family be easier.

After wiping her face, she glanced at the towel in her hands before turning to the window.

Zhao Yanping wasn’t watching her remove her makeup, but the moment she looked his way, he seemed to sense it. He glanced back at her, expressionless, and instructed, “Take that to the front courtyard and give it to Cui Niang. You’ve been sitting in here long enough—if you need to use the latrine, go now. Then come back and sleep.”

A-Jiao’s face flushed. The official had hit the mark—she did need to relieve herself.

Meanwhile, outside, the eavesdropping Old Madam Zhao was startled. Fortunately, her grandson had sent A-Jiao to the front courtyard. If she had come to the back to wash the towel, the old woman would have had to find another hiding spot. The shock left Old Madam Zhao covered in sweat, but when she thought of her grandson’s indifferent tone, her brows furrowed. She adjusted her position slightly, preparing to continue eavesdropping when A-Jiao returned.

In the front courtyard, Cui Niang and her brother were still cleaning up—there were ten tables, leftover food, and dishes to wash. The siblings were busy but cheerful, as the official taking a concubine was a joyous occasion.

When A-Jiao handed the towel to Cui Niang, Cui Niang’s brother, Guo Xing, saw her for the first time—and was so stunned he couldn’t look away.

“What are you staring at? Careful, or Grandmother will twist your ear off!” Cui Niang stepped in front of her brother and threatened him in a hushed voice.

Guo Xing rubbed his ear and, recalling the Old Madam’s formidable reputation, quickly refocused on his work. Still, he couldn’t help but envy the official—such a beautiful young woman was something he could only dream of.

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A-Jiao took her time outside and washed her hands before returning. When she stepped back into the room, Zhao Yanping was already lying down, his figure partially obscured by the white gauzy bed curtains. His brand-new robes were draped over the clothes rack, and beside them, a sheathed official’s blade rested against the stand. A-Jiao’s heart clenched with unease.

She remembered his instructions and secured the door latch. The table still held a lit oil lamp, along with a pair of red candles, though these were much thinner and shorter than those used in formal weddings. A-Jiao stared at the modest red candles for a moment before walking over and blowing out the oil lamp.

The small candles gave off a dim light. A-Jiao glanced at the bed canopy, then lowered her head, preparing to remove her wedding robes when a low voice suddenly came from inside the canopy—

“Come in.”

The voice was deep and authoritative.

A-Jiao’s heart pounded. Was the official going to personally remove her wedding attire?

She didn’t even know how she made it to the bedside. Just as she lifted the bed curtain, a strong hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her inside!

A-Jiao let out a startled cry, but she didn’t fall onto the bed—his hands firmly steadied her shoulders. Then, with a gentle motion, he turned her over and laid her flat on the mattress.

Through the dim candlelight, she saw his solemn face and sharp, penetrating gaze.

Supporting himself above her, Zhao Yanping lowered his voice and said, “Old Madam is eavesdropping outside. Let’s trick her into leaving first.”

A-Jiao, completely tense under his presence, still didn’t fully grasp what he meant when he asked, “Back at Huayue Brothel, did you ever hear the other women… call out?”

Heat surged up A-Jiao’s neck. Of course, she had heard them—almost every night.

Feeling utterly conflicted, she nodded hesitantly.

“Then call out a few times,” Zhao Yanping instructed. “Make her leave.”

How was she supposed to do that?

Seeing her struggle, Zhao Yanping explained, “If you don’t, she’ll stay outside all night.”

At last, A-Jiao understood—he wasn’t planning to touch her tonight. But the Old Madam expected otherwise.

A sinking feeling settled in her chest. Did this mean that, while Old Madam Zhao had insisted on taking her in, Zhao Yanping himself had no interest in her?

Countless thoughts flashed through her mind. Above her, the official was still waiting for her to comply. A-Jiao turned her head away, covered her face with one hand, and imitated the voices she had heard in the brothel—softly calling out, “O-official…”

Her voice was so faint that even with him this close, Zhao Yanping could barely hear it. There was no way Old Madam Zhao, separated by an entire wall, would catch a word.

“A little louder,” he reminded her.

A-Jiao bit her lip and slightly raised her voice.

“Officer, officer, don’t rush…”

“Officer, be gentle, you’re hurting me…”

“Officer…”

Her face burned so red it seemed like blood might drip from it. But since Zhao Yanping didn’t stop her, she had no choice but to continue mimicking those women who desperately pleased men, her eyes brimming with tears. She wondered—would the officer think she had truly made such sounds before? Was it because he despised her that he refused to touch her?

A-Jiao felt miserable. She had thought that once she entered the Zhao family, she could simply serve the officer dutifully and live a peaceful life. But reality turned out to be completely different from what she had expected.

Grievance and unease welled up inside her like a rising tide. She gradually lost control of her emotions and stopped calling out, instead burying her face into the pillow and sobbing.

Outside, by the wall, Old Madam Zhao was in shock. Her grandson, who had refused to take a wife for years, had actually figured things out on his first night with his concubine? She found it hard to believe. But when she heard A-Jiao crying from being “tormented” by him, her suspicions finally eased. The old lady’s eyes curved into a satisfied smile. She listened for a little while longer, then, feeling reassured, happily returned to her room to sleep.

The sound of a door opening and closing softly came from outside. Knowing that his grandmother had gone to bed, Zhao Yanping finally moved to sit beside A-Jiao.

He had dealt with his grandmother, but looking at A-Jiao, who was still curled up and crying, he frowned and asked in a low voice, “Are you crying because you were forced to become my concubine against your will, or because I refused to touch you?”

A-Jiao heard him clearly and quickly stifled her sobs. Her little face, still full of sorrow, remained hidden against the pillow as she choked out, “With my lowly status, being able to marry the officer is already a blessing. I’m grateful, how could I possibly be unhappy?”

Zhao Yanping understood then—she was crying because he had rejected her.

He hadn’t intended to keep this from her. He retrieved a clean handkerchief from beside the bed and placed it in her hand. “Stop crying for now and listen to me.”

A-Jiao sniffled, took the cloth, and covered her face with it. Slowly, she sat up, lowering her head in front of him.

Seeing her so aggrieved, Zhao Yanping felt a twinge of guilt. But he had a vow he could not break.

“You may not have heard about my family’s situation,” he began. “When I was seven, because our family was too poor, my widowed mother remarried an old landowner, a man old enough to be her father, just to support me and my younger sister, Xiangyun.”

A-Jiao stopped crying, startled, and looked up in shock.

Zhao Yanping’s face was obscured by the dim light of night. “When I was nine, my uncle, deep in debt and unable to survive, took advantage of my grandmother taking me to the market and sold Xiangyun to a trafficker. Since then, she has been missing.”

His words were plain, his tone calm, as if recounting someone else’s story. Yet A-Jiao felt her heart ache unbearably. Tears welled up again.

A-Jiao had also been sold by her relatives. She might not fully understand what it felt like to be his mother, forced into an unwanted marriage, but she could imagine the fate of a Zhao family girl. If she was lucky, she might have been sold as a servant; if not, she could have ended up in a brothel. But even as a servant, she could have been beaten, humiliated, or worse—losing her innocence without any hope of a good future.

Zhao Yanping’s sister might have suffered an even worse fate than she had.

And Zhao Yanping himself—at such a young age, he had endured the pain of losing his loved ones one after another. He lost his mother to remarriage, then his sister to human trafficking. No wonder he was so cold.

“I never wanted my mother to remarry. I would rather have gone to work as a servant in a wealthy household. But because I was a boy, meant to carry on the family line, my grandmother wouldn’t allow it. She would rather persuade my mother to marry than let me serve others. And because I was a boy, even though Xiangyun wanted to go to the market, Grandmother only took me, secretly buying me sweets while leaving her at home alone.”

A-Jiao heard the self-reproach in his voice and said sympathetically, “It wasn’t your fault. It’s just… this world is cruel, and the poor suffer the most.”

Zhao Yanping let out a dry laugh and looked at her. “But I can’t forgive myself. I swore before the Bodhisattva: if Xiangyun is alive, I must find her. If she is dead, I must see her body. Until I find her, I will never marry.”

A-Jiao froze. So that was why he refused to take a wife?

Tears still clung to her face—she, too, was someone with a bitter fate. Zhao Yanping, seeing this, felt another pang of guilt. He said, “You and I had no prior connection. But because I refused to marry, rumors spread that I had some hidden illness. My grandmother wanted to dispel these rumors, so she insisted I take you as a concubine. That night, when you tried to leave your home to end your life, I happened to come across you. Later, when your aunt humiliated you again, I was afraid you might try to take your own life once more. After much deliberation, I agreed to Grandmother’s arrangement.”

A-Jiao lowered her head and murmured, “Actually, you didn’t have to. I… I had already thought it through. I wouldn’t have done anything foolish again.”

Zhao Yanping raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Is that so? Then I must have overstepped and disrupted your plans.”

A-Jiao quickly waved her hands. “No, no, that’s not what I meant. Living at my uncle’s house was unbearable—each day felt like a year. Even if the officer hadn’t taken me as a concubine, I would have been grateful just to serve you as a maid, repaying your kindness for saving my life.”

Zhao Yanping said, “What happened at Huayue Brothel was just a small matter. You don’t need to feel indebted to me. Now that you’re already a concubine of the Zhao family, sending you back would only harm you. For now, you’ll have to stay and play along to keep Grandmother deceived. But don’t worry—I’ll find someone suitable for you. One day, you’ll meet a man who truly cherishes you.”

A-Jiao didn’t believe he would ever find her a so-called “suitable man.” If such a man existed, it was him—Zhao Yanping.

A man so loyal and righteous, a good elder brother, a protector.

If only she could enter his heart, even if she remained a concubine, he would surely treat her well.

A-Jiao longed to tell him that she only wanted to belong to him.

But sensing that he had no interest in romance at the moment, she swallowed the words back down.