Chapter 47: Stealing a Wife (Part 1)

"Indeed. May I ask who you are...?"

Hearing her reply, the man in black looked over.

His gaze was icy. To be honest, throughout Jiang Wu’s life, almost every man who met her for the first time would, to varying degrees, reveal emotions akin to astonishment. Yet, the person before her looked as though beauty and ugliness held no distinction to him; his expression remained entirely impassive.

Oh, perhaps there was just a tiny hint of the respect one might afford a distinguished guest.

"Madame Liang," he began. "Lord Chu happened to catch sight of you earlier and specifically instructed his subordinates to escort you through the city gates."

Lord Chu? Chu Ling?

Jiang Wu had not expected that Chu Ling not only noticed her but also deliberately arranged for someone to welcome her.

How could she possibly impose upon him like that?

"No..."

Before Jiang Wu could voice her refusal, the official standing nearby hurriedly chimed in, "Since it is Young Master Chu's command, Madame, please follow this way."

Clearly, these guards did not dare to slight anyone whom Chu Ling had mentioned.

Jiang Wu glanced at the queue of people waiting in line, who were casting curious glances in their direction. Unwilling to linger, she nodded in agreement.

"In that case, many thanks, Officer."

With Chu Ling's word, Jiang Wu did not even have to pay the toll and passed through smoothly.

After the carriage drove into the city and came to a halt, she lifted the carriage curtain once more. "Please convey my gratitude to Lord Chu on my behalf, young master."

Because of the grace shown to the princess, Chu Ling had already been far too courteous.

Though grateful, Jiang Wu also felt a budding sense of caution. If possible, she did not wish to have too many entanglements with this man.

Such a high-ranking official—if he was pleased, you could hardly count on him to promote you; and if he was displeased, disaster might strike in an instant.

It was best simply not to offend him.

The man in black before her gave a cold nod and asked, "Madame is here to visit Young Master Jiang, I presume?"

Jiang Wu deduced instantly that the Young Master Jiang referred to was none other than her younger brother, Jiang Geng.

"Indeed."

With that, the man in black gave directions to her coachman.

"Thank you, young master," Jiang Wu thanked him hastily.

The man in black merely gave another nod.

After bidding farewell, the carriage moved forward a couple of paces, but when Jiang Wu looked back, the man had already vanished without a trace.

The country girl clicked her tongue internally, realizing she had gained yet another slice of worldly experience.

***

Following the directions given by the man in black, the coachman soon arrived at the Jiang residence.

Putting everything else aside, Jiang Wu went first to visit her mother.

Her mother's room was thick with the scent of traditional medicine. Her mother lay in bed, looking haggard and worn.

Jiang Wu handed her veil to the maid beside her and hurried to the bedside. "Mother."

Hearing the voice, Madame Jiang opened her eyes, and the moment she saw the person by the bed, tears instantly began to stream down her face.

Before Jiang Wu could ask anyone else about her mother's condition, seeing her cry like this immediately filled her heart with panic.

"Mother, what is wrong? It's fine, it's fine, your daughter is here."

Normally, she might feel annoyed from time to time, but seeing her mother in such a state made her heart ache intensely, so she hastened to offer gentle comfort.

To her surprise, upon hearing these words, Madame Jiang's eyes only grew redder.

"A'Wu, Mother has failed you." Guilt was faintly visible in her eyes.

Before Jiang Wu could react, someone walked in from outside. "Oh, Mother, A'Wu is already here. Please stop crying. Look, you've frightened her."

Jiang Wu looked over and saw that the newcomer was her eldest sister.

She had learned beforehand that among her sisters, both her eldest and third sisters had also come to the capital, and it seemed their husbands had even managed to secure some official posts.

It truly verified the old saying: when one person achieves enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven.

If her brother's marriage fell through, she had no idea what this entire household would do.

Of course, these were only her prior thoughts; right now, she could not spare the mind for anything else.

She watched as her eldest sister sat down beside her, taking her hand with a smile. "A'Wu, you needn't worry. Mother is simply suffering from the unaccustomed climate and has been missing you terribly."

Jiang Wu had a considerable age gap with this eldest sister, who had married off early, so the two usually maintained a rather distant relationship.

Suddenly greeted with such warmth, she felt somewhat unaccustomed to it. Fortunately, hearing that her mother was indeed only suffering from homesickness and the local climate, as Liang Qian had said, she felt a slight sense of relief.

Without leaving a trace, she withdrew her hand from her eldest sister's grasp and turned back to her mother. "Is it really just the climate?"

Madame Jiang had stopped weeping by now. She cast a sideways glance at her eldest daughter with still-reddened eyes before softly uttering a yes.

Jiang Wu breathed a sigh of relief, though a trace of reproach crept naturally into her tone. "Oh, really! If it was just the climate, you should have made it clear instead of letting me worry all the way here."

Madame Jiang's gaze flickered slightly as she remained silent, leaving the eldest sister to chime in from behind. "Mother just missed you, didn't she? Isn't it best that everything is fine?"

Jiang Wu offered nothing more than that single complaint; naturally, nothing being wrong was the best outcome possible.

She instructed the servants to bring fresh water so she could wipe her mother's tear-stained face and hands.

Madame Jiang's emotions had stabilized, and Jiang Wu originally wanted to speak with her mother in private, but since her eldest sister lingered, she had no choice but to give up. Standing up, she retrieved several herbal plasters from her bundle and spoke with a smile.

"It turns out Liang Qian guessed correctly. He said Mother might be suffering from the change of climate and specially asked me to bring these plasters. Don't let their rustic appearance fool you—they are remarkably effective."

Whether they were effective or not, Jiang Wu actually had no idea, having never traveled far from home.

Yet since Liang Qian said they were useful, and this was a gesture of his sincerity, Jiang Wu naturally had to speak a few kind words.

"We have put you and your husband to trouble."

"What trouble could there be?" Jiang Wu brought the plasters over, instructed her mother on how to use them, and smiled. "Liang Qian said that once he finishes his current workload, he will come to see you as well."

Before Madame Jiang could respond, the eldest sister, who had been standing nearby without leaving, blurted out in surprise, "What is *he* coming for?"

Jiang Wu acutely detected that this remark carried no trace of warmth or polite convention, but rather a genuine and intense reluctance.

Jiang Wu gave her a sideways glance.

Realizing she had spoken out of turn, the eldest sister quickly covered her mouth and offered an awkward, ingratiating smile. "No, A'Wu, what I meant is that with the mountains so high and the roads so distant, Mother isn't suffering from any serious illness, and your brother-in-law is busy. Traveling to the capital is no easy feat."

Traveling to the capital to visit indeed wasn't easy for Liang Qian, as he had to go through layers of official reporting.

And Jiang Wu felt rather displeased by this.

She suspected that her eldest sister had risen in status and was now looking down on Liang Qian. After all, wasn't her own brother-in-law holding some sort of official position now?

She didn't stop to think—could someone who attained a position through connections ever compare to Liang Qian, who had earned his through his own examinations?

Jiang Wu chose not to argue, merely responding with a cold demeanor.

Now that her mother was well, and having endured a long and exhausting journey, she took her leave to go and rest.

***

The next day, under the guidance of her third sister, Jiang Wu finally had the leisure to properly tour the residence.

She got along much better with her third sister.

Yesterday, her mind had been consumed entirely by worry for her mother; afterwards, she had slept through the night without getting a good look at the place. Touring it now in the broad daylight, her jaw dropped in sheer astonishment.

"This mansion... surely our family didn't buy it, did we?"

While the Jiang family had some savings, a residence as massive and well-renovated as this was certainly beyond what they could afford.

Her third sister smiled. "Of course not. It belongs to Jiang Geng's prospective father-in-law. He said it was his nephew's former residence, and since no one was living in it anyway, he transferred ownership to us at a very low price."

Look at that—it wasn't even given away outright, but transferred at a nominal price, preserving their dignity every step of the way.

Jiang Geng had truly found himself an exceptional father-in-law.

"Whose family is this father-in-law, exactly?"

Her previous letters had never made it entirely clear.

"The current Prime Minister."

Jiang Wu's eyes widened once more.

She knew he was a high official, but she never imagined he was an official of *that* magnitude.

Wait—Jiang Wu's mind began to churn. She vaguely recalled Liang Qian mentioning before that the current Prime Minister was none other than Chu Ling's paternal uncle.

If this marriage actually went through, the two families would become relatives by marriage.

Goodness gracious, this was simply extraordinary.

Jiang Wu spent a good while earnestly digesting the news. Although she had no idea what part of the green, wet-behind-the-ears Jiang Geng these people had taken a fancy to, she had to admit that with such a father-in-law to pave the way, Jiang Geng's future would be infinitely smoother.

No wonder Liang Qian always said scholars in storybooks abandoned their faithful wives after passing the imperial examinations—the temptation was indeed far too great.

Thinking of Liang Qian, a smile inevitably bloomed on Jiang Wu's face, which her third sister promptly caught. "What are you smiling about?"

Jiang Wu shook her head and said it was nothing.

Her third sister did not press further, simply moving on to another topic. "Look at how important marriage is to a person. Better to be a noble lord's concubine than a commoner's wife; it can alter an entire life and allow the whole family to share in the prosperity. Wouldn't you say that's the truth?"

Jiang Wu held no particular opinion on this, nor did she harbor any aversion to it. After all, the logic was undeniable. When she chose Liang Qian back then, it wasn't because she loved him so deeply, but rather because, in a world where it was so difficult for women to survive, she wanted to choose someone who would make her path a little less arduous.

Therefore, character came first, and having a compatible mindset was equally important.

Liang Qian had turned out to be the most suitable choice.

No matter what one sought, marriages entirely devoid of purpose were rare. Though Jiang Wu's heart was currently filled entirely with her husband and daughter far away in her hometown, she lacked the energy to debate with her sister, who seemed completely immersed in the glow of wealth. Thus, she merely nodded in agreement.

Hearing this, her third sister smiled triumphantly.

Dinner was a family affair. Jiang Geng ate and lodged at the Imperial Academy, so Jiang Wu had yet to see him. Her mother did not attend either, leaving only her father, her two sisters, and her brothers-in-law at the dinner table.

Her father inevitably resorted to his old, repetitive lectures, but this time, even her two brothers-in-law chimed in repeatedly. Unlike in the past, they both adopted that arrogant air of idle pontification over state affairs that Jiang Wu detested the most.

*Fortunately, I chose someone like Liang Qian,* she thought to herself.

Later that evening, when writing her letter to Liang Qian, she poured all these thoughts into it. Naturally, she also assured him that her mother's illness was not serious and told him not to make the trip.

Officials from outlying regions traveling to the capital were a genuine hassle. Jiang Wu planned to spend a few days with her mother and then head straight back, rendering it unnecessary for Liang Qian to come. However, she did ask him to send two of Mingzhu's personal trinkets, or perhaps have a portrait of Mingzhu painted and sent over.

She missed her daughter so intensely that every day felt like an agonizing trial.

When she had free time, her sisters invited her to go out to the northern suburbs for some leisure.

"A'Wu, cooping yourself up at home all day is boring. Since you've finally made it to the capital, you should go out and see the sights. Your sisters will take you."

Jiang Wu had come here solely to keep her mother company; as for the outside world, while she might have felt some curiosity before, her longing for her daughter and Liang Qian had left her with zero enthusiasm now.

If she hadn't just arrived, she would have wanted to pack up and leave immediately.

Jiang Wu refused, but the two of them refused to give up.

"Really, there's a competition out in the suburbs today. It's terribly lively, and all the participants are talented young gentlemen."

Hearing that only made Jiang Wu even more reluctant to go. She was a married woman; what business did she have looking at talented young gentlemen?

Exhausting every trick in their book, the two sisters still failed to drag her along and ultimately had to drop the matter.

Jiang Wu remained at home attending to her mother or resting in her room, entirely unaware of how anxious her two sisters truly were.

***

Every year during the capital's martial tournaments for young nobles, Chu Ling never participated.

Although he was the same age as those men, the rate at which he had climbed the ranks placed him on an entirely different echelon. Thus, none of his peers dared to call him brother, and in his daily life, he interacted more often with the fathers and grandfathers of these very youths.

Today, however, he made a rare appearance, leaving everyone present both astonished and tense.

Chu Ling's appearance was for the archery competition.

Instead of stepping onto the field immediately, he took a seat in the waiting area for a moment.

The Jiang sisters were seated in the women's gallery. From the very moment they caught sight of Chu Ling, cold sweat had begun beading on their foreheads.

This was especially true whenever they noticed Chu Ling's gaze drifting toward their direction from time to time; it made them so terrified that they didn't even dare to raise their heads.

"What do we do?"

"How should I know? Who could have predicted that girl would be so stubborn and refuse to come no matter what?"

The two of them muttered anxious complaints to each other under their breath. When they looked up again, Chu Ling was gone. Before they could even release a sigh of relief, they saw a man in black walking toward them.

"Are you the two young ladies of the Jiang family? My lord requests your presence."

They exchanged glances, seeing the same trepidation reflected in each other's eyes, but they had no choice other than to follow.

The man led them to a quiet courtyard not far away.

When they arrived, the figure standing with his back to them was currently drawing his bow and shooting.

A dark belt accentuated the man's narrow waist and broad shoulders; his frame was imposing without possessing any sense of clumsiness.

Having already assumed his shooting posture, he did not turn his head to look at the newcomers. Instead, the moment he sensed their approach, he released the tense bowstring.

With a *swish*, the arrow that left the string struck dead center in the bullseye.

This gave the two women behind him another start, as if the arrow had been aimed straight at their own heads.

"My lord, the people have been brought," the man in black stepped forward at the right moment to report.

Chu Ling lowered the hand holding the bow, took a couple of steps to the side, and began casually selecting the next arrow from the quiver.

Without waiting for him to speak, Jiang Wu's eldest sister hurriedly stepped forward. "Lord Chu, I am terribly sorry. We truly wanted to bring her out, but she adamantly refused to budge. We couldn't very well tie her up and drag her here, could we?"

Her tone was exceptionally nervous.

Come to think of it, they were indeed in the wrong.

Everything the Jiang family possessed now was not due to their own foolish younger brother, but rather thanks to the man before them.

As for his objective, he had made it crystal clear on the very first day: what he wanted was their long-married sister.

A few days prior, he had given them a strict mandate to bring Jiang Wu out today.

Yet since Jiang Wu was unwilling, what could they possibly do?

"There is no need to tell me what I can already see for myself," Chu Ling finally drew an arrow from the quiver. "This is the first time, so I am merely issuing a warning."

He drew the bow once more, his voice dropping a few degrees into an even greater frost.

"I do not feed people of no value."

***

Jiang Wu received a letter from Bai Su, inviting her to meet.

Holding the letter, Jiang Wu's eyes brimmed with irrepressible joy.

Meeting Bai Su would fulfill the very last wish she had harbored upon coming to the capital.

It was hard to explain why, but Jiang Wu always felt a lingering sense of responsibility toward that young girl. After all, since she was the one who had taken her in off the street, she needed to see to her future properly.

Words on paper lacked reality; perhaps once they met face-to-face, she could finally set her mind at ease.