Chapter 2: He Has Arrived

Mu Gaoyuan said incredulously, “Blown open? How is that possible? The marquis’s residence has an outer and an inner gate, both reinforced with black iron. Even in the event of bandit unrest, they could hold for several days. How could they have been blown open so easily?”

Shen Ruojin found it strange as well.

Wiping away his sweat, the gatekeeper said, “It certainly wasn’t easy. Prince Qin—he, he brought more than a hundred personal guards and used a battering ram.”

“A… battering ram?”

Mu Gaoyuan could no longer remain seated.

Who went to his future father-in-law’s house to fetch his bride with a weapon meant for breaching cities?

The title of “Demon King of the Capital” had certainly not been given to Qin Lang for nothing.

“I’ll go out and have a look. Mother, speak properly with Ruojin. Ruojin, you’re a grown woman now and must learn to be sensible. We cannot allow our marquis’s residence to become the laughingstock of the entire capital.”

As he spoke, Mu Gaoyuan strode outside.

The eldest master of the marquis’s residence had died unexpectedly while on a mission beyond the frontier, leaving behind a wife, a concubine, three daughters, and a son. These days, Mu Gaoyuan alone handled all the household’s external affairs.

Marquis Mu was frantic with worry, so anxious that sores had broken out in his mouth. He had originally thought that shutting the gates would buy them some time. Instead, Shen Ruojin refused to cooperate, while Prince Qin was even more impossible to deal with. Neither person, inside or out, was easy to handle.

Shen Ruojin said nothing, merely sighing inwardly.

This Prince Qin was rather interesting.

Behind her, Shi Jian said angrily, “How much more sensible does our young lady need to be? If this had happened three years ago, she would already have taken up her sword, chased that adulterous pair who eloped a hundred miles, and hacked them to death.”

The marquis’s female relatives gathered in the main hall fell silent, each of them trembling like a frightened cicada.

The birth mother of Mu Yunwei, Auntie Yun of the main branch, slid from her chair and knelt before the Dowager Lady Mu. Weeping, she said, “This concubine failed to educate her daughter properly. Now that this terrible mistake has been made, I only beg Second Miss to consider the greater good and help the marquis’s residence through this crisis…”

The conversation was abruptly pulled back on course.

The Dowager Lady Mu nodded. “That’s right. One must consider the greater good. The Shen family surely taught you the same. Ruojin, if word of today’s affair reaches outsiders, the younger generation of this household will have great difficulty making good marriages. It will be difficult for you to find another suitable husband later as well. Your grandmother has thought of a solution that benefits everyone. Today, you can take Yunwei’s place in the bridal sedan and marry into the Prince of the North’s residence…”

Shen Ruojin laughed in sheer exasperation. “Mu Yunwei eloped with my betrothed, and Grandmother wants me to take her place. How exactly is that a solution that benefits everyone?”

Listen to that. Just listen to it. Was that even something a human being would say?

Auntie Yun wiped away her tears and hurriedly added, “Prince Qin, Qin Lang, is known as the most handsome man in the capital. His father is the Prince of the North, who commands the northern armies and leads three hundred thousand troops. His mother is the eldest daughter of the wealthiest family in Jiangnan. He has power, money, and a beauty rarely seen beneath the heavens. If Yunwei had not been foolish and fallen ill, how could such an excellent husband have been given to you?”

Shi Jian retorted, “Prince Qin is the foremost wastrel of the capital, a libertine who roams among a hundred flowers. The romantic debts he owes could stretch ten miles beyond the city. Auntie Yun, you haven’t mentioned a word of that!”

Auntie Yun was momentarily speechless before saying softly, “Which son of a prince or marquis isn’t passionate?”

The Dowager Lady Mu sighed with an expression of deep understanding. “Who can say otherwise? Which son of a prince or marquis wasn’t reckless in his youth? Once he marries, with a wife to keep him in line and several children of his own, a man naturally gains attachments in his heart. Then he becomes steady and responsible.”

Shen Ruojin did not believe a word of it. Her phoenix eyes narrowed slightly. “Entrusting your hopes to a man becoming steady and responsible after marriage? You might as well go burn incense at a temple.”

Auntie Yun said, “Perhaps other women can only go to a temple and pray for a satisfactory husband, but you, Shen Ruojin, are different. You are no delicate young lady from an inner chamber. You have strength and ways of your own. You can certainly bring Prince Qin to heel. When that happens, everything inside and outside the prince’s residence will be yours to command. Wouldn’t that be even more impressive than being a general?”

Auntie Yun had once been a kept woman, and clearly knew how to flatter both men and young ladies.

Shen Ruojin had grown up in the Grand General’s residence. Her maternal grandfather, uncles, and elder brothers were all generals. As a child, she had often declared, “I’m going to become a great general too.”

Now, she was the only surviving bloodline of the Shen family, and could not be allowed to suffer any misfortune. Her maternal grandfather would no longer permit her to go to war.

Becoming the young princess consort of the Prince of the North would indeed restore the Shen family more quickly than marrying a provincial graduate—or even a palace graduate.

But Shen Ruojin was not seeking a little authority over the household or the wealth before her eyes.

Pei Jing had been the one to break this engagement first. She no longer needed to obey her mother’s wishes.

She would choose another husband. She wanted both power and money.

One day, she would collect the blood debt owed by the Shen family.

With that thought, Shen Ruojin slowly said, “In that case, I suppose it isn’t impossible.”

The Dowager Lady Mu and Auntie Yun exchanged a glance. Believing that they had finally persuaded Shen Ruojin, they immediately began ordering the maids about.

“Why are you all standing there? Hurry and help Second Miss tidy herself up. Where are the bridal veil and red veil?”

Nanny Li went to the back and brought over a red veil embroidered with intertwined flowers. She stepped forward to place it over Shen Ruojin’s head.

Shen Ruojin raised a hand. “Wait.”

The Dowager Lady Mu’s nerves tightened at once, though she maintained a kindly smile. “What else would you like to say, Ruojin? Your grandmother is listening.”

Shen Ruojin spoke with pointed meaning. “I am taking another bride’s place today for the sake of preserving the marquis’s residence’s reputation. I am making such a great sacrifice. Surely everyone here ought to compensate me in some way?”

The Dowager Lady Mu swallowed her anguish and said, “Half of the dowry originally prepared for Yunwei can be given to you.”

“Elder Lady!” Auntie Yun cried out in alarm.

If half of the dowry prepared for Yunwei went to Shen Ruojin, what would Yunwei be left with? Pei Jing was merely a penniless scholar, not even able to afford a house. Wouldn’t Yunwei suffer terribly if she followed him?

Shen Ruojin said mildly, “Only half?”

“All of it, all of it! Is that enough?” The Dowager Lady Mu steeled herself and glared at Auntie Yun, signaling her to be quiet. Was this really the time to worry about money?

If they delayed any longer, the entire marquis’s residence would lose face. How would they continue to establish themselves in the capital?

Shen Ruojin did not answer, merely giving a faint smile.

“I’ll add another ten percent to Second Miss’s dowry. No—thirty percent!”

Madam Sun, the widowed wife of the main branch, had originally not wanted to involve herself in the matter. But she still had a young daughter of marriageable age, so she immediately spoke up.

Shen Ruojin remained as unhurried as ever and said slowly, “We’ve spoken for quite some time. I’m a little thirsty. Where is the tea?”

“The tea is here, young lady. Please drink.”

Shi Jian immediately went to fetch her a cup.

Shen Ruojin took her time sipping the tea, watching the women of the marquis’s household grow frantic with desperation while remaining utterly helpless against her.

In the main hall, the household’s women agonized over exactly how much silver they would have to surrender before Shen Ruojin was satisfied.

Outside the hall, once the battering ram appeared, nothing could stand in its path. Not a single gate, nor a single person, could stop Prince Qin from advancing.

The marquis’s guards and servants were powerless to resist. Driven back repeatedly by the prince’s well-trained personal guards, they were soon drenched in sweat.

Autumn twilight came early. The afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the courtyard, illuminating the scarlet wedding silks and auspicious characters throughout the residence. Flowers bloomed in profusion before the hall as the groom, dressed in a crimson wedding robe, passed through the splendid decorations.

He was barely twenty, with a tall, slender figure and an easy, graceful bearing. His features were extraordinarily handsome. His left hand rested behind his back, while his right toyed with an invaluable glazed glass embroidered ball set with eight treasures. Every so often, he placed it on his fingertip and spun it rapidly.

With languid steps, he crossed through the crowd. His alluring eyes were full of tender feeling even when he did not smile. Men and women, young and old, could not help blushing and growing warm beneath his gaze. The glowing sky itself seemed to lose its brilliance the instant he appeared.

Guests gathered in groups of three or five, whispering among themselves.

“As expected of the Demon King of the Capital, Prince Qin!”

“Strange things happen every year, but this year has been especially remarkable! He actually blasted open his father-in-law’s gate to fetch his bride. I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“Don’t laugh so loudly. Take pity on Marquis Linyang—the man is nearly crying from panic…”

That was what the guests said, but every one of them laughed even louder.

Mu Gaoyuan spun around in agitation, blocking the way while attempting to reason with him. “Young Prince, you mustn’t do this, Young Prince…”

Qin Lang casually tossed the eight-treasure glazed ball into the air. Amid the crowd’s startled cries, he caught it on a single raised finger without even looking up, then let it spin playfully at his fingertip.

The young prince cast Marquis Linyang a sidelong glance and said with a half-smile, “I don’t care whether the person is ill, has run away, or is dead. If alive, I want to see the person. If dead, I want to see the body.”