Chapter 1: I’ve Changed My Mind
“What kind of person is that youth?”
“Very composed. He sat for an hour without changing his posture. He only took a sip of tea at the very beginning, likely out of politeness, and didn’t drink any more after that… In fact, that first sip barely touched his lips. It wasn’t shyness, more like caution. He’s deep-thinking, highly vigilant, and even harbors a hint of hostility.”
“Seems like a clever one, at least somewhat shrewd… How old is he?”
“Fourteen.”
“I recall he should be about that age.”
“But his demeanor is too steady. He looks older than he is.”
“Is he just an ordinary person?”
“Yes… His aura is unremarkable. He clearly hasn’t even undergone marrow cleansing. Although his potential isn’t apparent, at fourteen, even if he started cultivating anew, his prospects wouldn’t be great.”
“Even if he had prospects, could he compare to the head disciple of the Eternal Life Sect?”
“Madam, is that marriage contract real?”
“The token is real, so the contract naturally is too.”
“How could the old master have… arranged such a match for the young lady back then?”
“If the old master were still alive, you might be able to ask him… Open the door. I’ll go see him.”
With a creak, the door slowly opened. Clear sunlight spilled from the courtyard into the room, illuminating every corner, brightening the madam’s radiant face and the half-jade pendant tightly clutched in her hand. The old nanny who had been speaking with her stood in the corner, shrouded in shadow—hard to spot unless one looked closely.
Supported by the old nanny, the madam walked out of the room, moving as gently as a willow swaying in the breeze. The expensive gold hairpin in her hair and the jade ornaments on her person made no sound, which seemed somewhat eerie.
In the courtyard, tree shadows dappled the ground. Among the lawn stood over a dozen massive trees that would take several people to encircle. No servants or maids could be seen along the stone paths, though many figures were faintly visible kneeling in the distance. The silent atmosphere was thick with a murderous tension, like the trees standing rigidly toward the sky or the cold weapons displayed throughout the hall.
The master of this mansion was Xu Shiji, the Eastern Divine General of the Great Zhou Dynasty, renowned for his military exploits. The general governed his household like his army—always strict and quiet. Because of the day’s events, all the maids had been driven to the side garden, making the atmosphere here even more oppressive. Even the spring breeze blowing over the courtyard walls seemed as if it might freeze solid.
Madam Xu crossed the courtyard, stopped before the side hall, and looked at the youth inside, raising an eyebrow slightly.
The youth wore an old Daoist robe washed white, with a tender face, neat features, and bright eyes. He had an indescribable quality, as if he could see the hidden truths in many things, like a mirror.
At his feet sat a bundle of luggage. It looked ordinary but was packed with extreme neatness, completely free of travel dust. The bamboo hat tied to it was polished clean.
What made Madam Xu raise her eyebrow wasn’t these details, but the fact that the tea on the table had long gone cold, yet the youth remained calm, showing no trace of impatience. He possessed a composure and patience rare for his age.
This was a difficult person to deal with.
Fortunately, such people were often very proud.
…
…
After entering the General’s mansion and exchanging a few words with the nanny, no one had paid him any further attention. Sitting in the side hall for an hour was naturally a bit boring, but Chen Changsheng had grown accustomed to solitude since childhood and didn’t find it hard to endure.
He silently recited the sixth volume of the Huating Sutra’s commentary section to pass the time while waiting for someone to come. He planned to return the marriage contract and settle the matter, as he had many things of his own to do afterward.
He had indeed only taken one sip of the tea on the table, just moistening his slightly dry lips. But it wasn’t out of caution or vigilance, as the nanny had guessed. Rather, he felt that as a guest, drinking too much tea might lead to needing the restroom, which would be impolite. Besides, although the teacups in the General’s mansion were all precious Ru kiln porcelain, he still wasn’t used to drinking from others’ vessels.
In this regard, he had a bit of a cleanliness obsession.
He stood up and performed a junior’s bow to the lavishly dressed madam, guessing she was Madam Xu of the General’s mansion. Thinking he could finally resolve this matter, he reached into his chest to retrieve the marriage contract.
Madam Xu gestured for him to wait, sat gracefully in the main seat, and accepted the tea brought by a stewardess. Looking at him calmly, she said, “You haven’t visited the Heavenly Book Mausoleum yet, have you? Or the Naihe Bridge? Or you could go to the Detached Palace to see the ivy—the scenery is excellent.”
Chen Changsheng thought this was small talk. He didn’t think it necessary, but since an elder had spoken, he couldn’t neglect etiquette. He replied briefly and respectfully, “Not yet. I’ll go see them in a few days.”
Madam Xu paused, the tea bowl lid in her hand hovering mid-air, and asked, “So you came straight to the General’s mansion as soon as you arrived in the capital?”
Chen Changsheng answered honestly, “I dared not delay.”
“I see.”
The madam looked up and gave him a cold glance, thinking that this ragged youth from a remote backwater, not even drawn by the capital’s splendors, had come straight to discuss the marriage—such eagerness was truly laughable.
Chen Changsheng didn’t understand the meaning of “I see.” He stood up again, reaching into his chest to retrieve the marriage contract and return it. Since he had made up his mind, he didn’t want to waste more time.
But his action caused another misunderstanding. The madam looked at him, her expression growing colder, and said, “I will not agree to this marriage. Even if you take out the contract, it’s meaningless.”
Chen Changsheng hadn’t expected to hear this and was momentarily stunned.
“Years ago, the old master was saved by your teacher, and this marriage was arranged… It sounds like a beautiful story, doesn’t it?”
Madam Xu looked at him coldly and continued, “…But that’s a story only found in plays. It can’t happen in the real world. Who would believe it except for foolish women lost in romance?”
Chen Changsheng wanted to explain that his intention was to break off the engagement, but hearing these condescending words and seeing the undisguised contempt and coldness in Madam Xu’s expression, he found it hard to speak. His hand was still in his chest, touching the edge of the stiff paper—one sheet was the marriage contract personally written by the Grand Tutor, the other bearing a young girl’s birth date and time.
“The old master passed away four years ago, so this marriage no longer exists.”
Madam Xu looked at the youth before her and continued, “I know you’re clever, so let’s talk like clever people. What you should consider now isn’t continuing this match, but what compensation you might receive. What do you think of my proposal?”
Chen Changsheng withdrew his hand from his chest without taking out the contract, letting it fall to his waist, and asked, “May I ask why?”
“Why? That’s not a question a clever person would ask.”
Madam Xu looked at him expressionlessly and said, “Because your teacher, though skilled in medicine, is still just an ordinary Daoist, while this is the General’s mansion. Because you’re a poor youth who can only afford worn-out Daoist robes, while my daughter is the young lady of the General’s mansion. Because you’re an ordinary person, and the General’s mansion is no place for ordinary people. Is my explanation clear enough?”
Chen Changsheng’s hand tightened slightly, but his voice didn’t tremble. “Very clear.”
Madam Xu looked at his still-youthful face and decided to apply more pressure. She knew well what clever, proud youths could least tolerate. Soon, he would surely take the initiative to break off the engagement.
She set down her tea bowl, stood up, and said, “The tea on your table is pre-Ming Butterfly tea, costing five taels of silver for one tael. The bowl is from the Ru kiln, more precious than gold. The tea’s gone cold, and you didn’t drink it—that means you weren’t meant to have it. You’re just a weed root in the mud, not porcelain but rubble. Trying to change your life by clinging to my General’s mansion? I’m sorry, but while that might please you, it displeases me greatly.”
The madam’s voice was calm, not deliberately overbearing, yet it crushed him to the ground. She didn’t intentionally look down on him, but she seemed to gaze at an ant on the ground from the sky.
All these emotions were conveyed clearly to Chen Changsheng.
This was naked humiliation, especially the remark about changing his life by clinging to the General’s mansion. For any proud youth, it was an unbearable accusation. To hold their head high and leave with dignity, many would likely choose to argue angrily, then tear up the marriage contract, throw it at the madam’s feet, and even spit on it.
And that was exactly what Madam Xu wanted to see. If the marriage contract weren’t so special, why would she have to go through all this trouble today?
The side hall was silent, with no sound.
She coldly watched Chen Changsheng, waiting for the youth’s anger.
But things took a turn she hadn’t expected.
Chen Changsheng looked at Madam Xu calmly and said, “Actually, you’ve misunderstood. I came to the General’s mansion this time to return the marriage contract. I was here to break off the engagement.”
The hall fell utterly silent.
Wind came from the garden, rustling the old bamboo branches under the eaves.
The madam was slightly surprised and asked, “Say that again?”
She didn’t notice her own voice was tense yet relieved, caught off guard by the unexpected turn. Whether the youth was saying this to save face or truly meant it, it was what she wanted to see.
Chen Changsheng looked at her seriously and said, “Actually… I came to break off the engagement.”
In the corner of the side hall, the old nanny, who had seemed to vanish for a long time, even showed a change in expression.
Madam Xu’s expression remained unchanged, but her hand gently rested on her chest.
For an instant, the entire General’s mansion seemed to feel lighter.
But then Chen Changsheng’s expression turned serious.
He said, “But now… I’ve changed my mind.”
The spring breeze in the mansion turned cold again, and the atmosphere grew oppressive once more. In the dark corner of the side hall, the wrinkles on the old nanny’s face, deep as countless ravines, seemed suddenly washed away by a flood.
Madam Xu suddenly felt she had done something wrong.
She forcibly suppressed the inexplicable unease rising in her heart and tried to make her voice sound gentler. “Since you’ve thought it through, why say such things out of spite? How about…”
But she was shocked to find that the youth wasn’t listening to her at all.
Chen Changsheng picked up his luggage from the floor, slung it over his shoulder, and walked straight out of the hall.
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Author’s note:
Ah, I’m with many readers right now, and it’s hot. Thank you all for your hard work and support. This story begins with strength, and I suddenly feel full of confidence. I want to write interesting people. Chen Changsheng will surely be the most interesting person I’ve ever written. We should all be interesting people. Here, I won’t repeat that passage from Wang Xiaobo.