A Willing Mistake, My Lady – Chapter 1

The Stepfather’s Scheme

A spine-chilling approach.

The dim candlelight flickered. In the main hall of the Jiang Manor, a man around forty sat stiffly upright. Not far in front of him stood a vibrant, beautiful girl in the cardamom years of her youth¹.

            

Her vibrant appearance carried a touch of fresh elegance, like a flower bud yet to bloom—even a bud still heavy with dew.

A figure far surpassing her peers made her the center of attention wherever she stood.

“Father, for what matter have you called Chenyu here so late?” The girl’s voice was round and melodious². In her tone, there was a trace of impatience, though not easily detected.

            

“Didn’t Daddy just return from Yangcheng? I thought I hadn’t given you your gift yet, so I had Nanny Wu call you over. What? Had you already gone to bed?” Wu Daoyuan examined his stepdaughter by the candlelight. This little girl was growing more lovable by the day, not at all like her bland, unappealing³ mother.

“Chenyu thanks Father for his concern.” The girl deliberately thickened her voice, unwilling to reveal its natural, lilting cadence.

“Come, let Daddy help you put it on!” He stood and stepped forward, his tall frame casting the girl in shadow.

            

His large hand casually landed on her delicate, rounded shoulder. His other hand made a pretense of measuring the hairpin against her hair.

“What Father buys must be of the highest quality. If my sisters invite me out, your daughter will certainly wear it to show off.” Jiang Chenyu watched their shadows cast on the window paper, looking as though they were embracing. Disgust and humiliation filled her heart, and she involuntarily took two steps back.

Wu Daoyuan slipped the pearl hairpin into her thick, waterfall-like hair. The large hand resting on her shoulder dropped away right on cue.

            

“Chenyu is a sensible girl. Daddy only has you as a daughter, so naturally, I want to dote on you!” He clasped his hands behind his back, adopting the hypocritical air of a respectable elder.

“Come, sit here. Daddy has something to discuss with you!” He patted the seat beside him.

Jiang Chenyu cursed this beast in human clothing a thousand times over in her heart, but she compromised and walked toward the Luohan couch⁴. She couldn’t let him see her guardedness, lest he grow desperate and lash out like a cornered dog.

            

“What does Father need?” she asked calmly, sitting an arm’s length away.

“Ah, you are now a grown woman of sixteen. Since your mother passed, Daddy has raised you with the utmost care to see you blossom so beautifully.” He took the opportunity to pat her thigh twice.

Jiang Chenyu’s hairs instantly stood on end in horror.

            

“Daddy, the fruit on this table looks freshly delivered. Why don’t I have any in my room?” She quickly stood up, walked to the table, and picked up a large, round apple.

“Mother Wu prepared those this afternoon. If you like them, take them all back with you!” Wu Daoyuan swapped back to a face of fatherly affection.

“Did Daddy have urgent business with me?”

            

“Indeed, there is a matter. Do you remember the young master of the Zhang family you were betrothed to since childhood? Weren’t you supposed to marry him after the new year? Who knew that at this critical juncture, that luckless boy would get involved in a massive scandal!” Wu Daoyuan said unhurriedly.

“What happened?” Jiang Chenyu grew anxious. This childhood betrothal was her lifeline. The only reason she could still endure staying beside this wolf was that, after this year, she could marry into the Zhang family and escape this unrecognizable home.

“Ah, it’s quite unfortunate. I happened to visit Danyang County a few days ago, planning to call on the Zhang family. Who knew their front gates would be draped in red silk? Upon asking, I discovered that the youngest Zhang master had hooked up with a girl from a decent family outside. The girl showed up heavily pregnant, demanding an explanation.” A hint of a smile actually touched Wu Daoyuan’s face, though it wasn’t clear in the dim light.

            

Hearing this, Jiang Chenyu’s face turned stark white. She collapsed onto a stool, her fingers digging fiercely into the large apple. Honestly, for a man to speak of ‘hooking up’ and ‘heavily pregnant’ to a young girl was highly inappropriate, but Jiang Chenyu had no time to care about that now.

“But even with a child, why not take her in as a concubine?” she asked, her face pale. She had no feelings for her fiancé, having only met him once when they were young. But two years ago, after sensing Wu Daoyuan’s intentions, she had pinned all her hopes on this betrothal.

“His family did want to take her as a concubine, but the girl has a relative working in the county magistrate’s office. In the end, knowing commoners shouldn’t fight officials, they accepted her. It’s just… it’s hard on you, my daughter!” He put on a look of deep pity.

            

“But you don’t need to be sad. A treacherous, untrustworthy man like that is not worth having. It’s not as if Daddy can’t provide for you. A daughter of my Wu family could stay home her entire life, and Daddy could still afford to keep her.” He spoke nonsense with a look of righteous indignation.

“Daddy, I’m tired. I’ll go back now. Let’s discuss this later!” She lowered her head and spoke weakly, looking utterly devastated.

“It is indeed late. Go back for now. Daddy will check on you tomorrow.”

            

“Your daughter takes her leave.” With that, she turned and exited the main hall.

Wu Daoyuan stared hotly at her curvaceous, graceful back, the corners of his mouth curving upward as unspeakable calculations churned in his heart.

After returning to her room, Jiang Chenyu’s hands and feet were ice-cold, her heart filled with despair. That damned Second Brother Zhang! Why couldn’t he hold himself back? Sure enough, neither the young nor the old were any good.

            

What was she going to do? What was she going to do? With her fate held in another’s hands, how could she escape this trap?

The Jiang Manor was a well-known wealthy household in Qingyuan County. Jiang Chenyu’s maternal grandfather had been a merchant his whole life, building up a substantial fortune. But he only had one daughter. Less than six or seven years after marrying, she was despised by her husband’s family and lived a bitter life.

Later, upon learning of the situation, Master Jiang cast aside his pride, fell out with his daughter’s in-laws, and sacrificed a generous dowry to secure her divorce. He brought his daughter and five-year-old granddaughter back to Qingyuan County.

            

Fortunately, he had been cautious back then, only giving a quarter of his wealth as a dowry, guarding against those noble households who treated merchants like dirt.

Reunited, the family lived comfortably again. But since he had his daughter late in life, she was nearly twenty-four or five, while the old couple was approaching sixty. Seeing their weak-willed daughter, they worried endlessly.

Later, the daughter took a liking to a failed Xiucai scholar⁵—Wu Daoyuan. Fearing that their daughter and granddaughter would have no one to rely on after they passed, Master Jiang agreed to the match.

            

At the time, Wu Daoyuan was highly motivated, studying constantly for the imperial examinations. Yet, after Master Jiang and his wife passed away one after the other, Wu Daoyuan claimed the family businesses needed managing, abandoned his exams, and took over the Jiang family’s trade.

Mother Jiang was a weak, pliant woman; marrying a second time was the most outrageous thing she had ever done. Naturally, she listened to her husband in everything. Thus, Mother Jiang and Jiang Chenyu lived with this live-in husband for six or seven years. Ultimately, her health, worn down by the torments of her first marriage, gave out. And her second husband… simply gave her no peace.

Slowly, she faded away, leaving behind thirteen-year-old Jiang Chenyu.

            

From then on, the Xiucai scholar Wu had absolute authority in the Jiang Manor. He even brought over his own relatives, like Nanny Wu, allowing them to live in luxury, bossing servants around, and enjoying the good life.

He put on a show of treating Jiang Chenyu—the sole Jiang bloodline—well both openly and secretly, prompting the neighbors to praise the Xiucai scholar Wu as a man of deep affection and righteousness who wholly deserved to enjoy the Jiang fortune.

Jiang Chenyu, however, realized her stepfather’s filthy intentions after her mother’s death. Having grown up watching her mother suffer under her grandmother’s torment and her first father’s neglect while his concubines bullied her, Chenyu was sensitive and cautious.

            

After sensing something was wrong, she could only pretend to know nothing and live her life quietly. She only hoped the three-year mourning period would quickly pass so she could marry into the Zhang family and leave this old beast in human skin.

But the news Wu Daoyuan delivered today plunged her into an icy abyss. This marriage had been arranged by her grandfather. Now, how could that wolf ever find her another husband?

He had always publicly claimed that Jiang Chenyu was sickly, a delicate young miss just like her mother. Heavens knew, Jiang Chenyu’s health was excellent; she didn’t need to drink a single bowl of medicine all year round.

            

His intentions were truly sinister.

Tossing and turning in bed, Jiang Chenyu spent a sleepless night. The lifeline that was the Zhang family’s second young master was gone. With things so urgent, where was she supposed to grab another man to take his place?

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Inside a ruined temple outside the city, a young boy in luxurious silk robes lay on a bed of dry straw. His face was as flawless as jade, his eyebrows painted dark, the bridge of his nose high and delicate, and his lips as bright as vermilion.

            

Lying in a daze on the straw pile, he looked entirely out of place in the dim, dilapidated temple.

Shen Hetang felt as if her head were going to explode. She instinctively raised a hand to rub her forehead, struggling to open her eyes. Ruin filled her vision.

Half-collapsed walls, a roof open to the sky—where was this? She was instantly bewildered by the sight.

            

She had just been on her way to report to the police precinct. Shen Hetang had been specially recruited by the force after winning first place in the provincial martial arts competition. Just as she was approaching the station, she encountered a vengeful thug strapped with explosives. Overwhelmed by a surge of responsibility, she had grappled with the man. She had no memory of what happened next; only that earth-shattering boom remained as her final thought.

She stumbled to her feet, raising a hand to block the glaring sunlight. A wide sleeve with dark blue patterns dropped into her line of sight. Startled, she immediately looked down at her clothes.

What was this? A stormy sea raged in her heart. She quickly stepped out of the ruined temple and looked around. Dirt roads, shrubs, horse-drawn carriages, ancient Hanfu clothing?

            

Had she transmigrated? Well, if she hadn’t transmigrated, she’d be in heaven right now. Compared to that, transmigration wasn’t so hard to accept.

She stood rigidly by the official road, staring blankly at the passing carriages and pedestrians.

“Young Master, do you need a ride?” A driver dressed in coarse commoner’s clothes⁶ called out.

            

“Young Master?” Shen Hetang repeated woodenly.

“Yes, I’m asking you!” The driver thought this young gentleman looked like an immortal descending from the heavens, so why was his reaction so slow? Could he be a fool? Thinking this, the way he looked at Shen Hetang shifted.

“Ah… ah… yes, yes. Thank you, brother!” Shen Hetang climbed onto the carriage in a daze, though she had no idea if catching a ride cost silver.

            

At the thought, she lowered her head and searched her body for a money pouch. But besides a single hairpin in her hair, she had nothing.

Remembering that the driver had just called her “Young Master,” she stealthily slipped a hand inside her clothes to check. Then, she let out a sigh of relief. Thank goodness she hadn’t changed sexes; otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to cope.

However, these slender, fair hands had distinct knuckles, and the webbing and palms were rough with thin calluses.

            

She was familiar with calluses. Having practiced martial arts year-round, she naturally didn’t have hands as soft and boneless as water.

“Young Master is heading into the city too, right?” the driver up front struck up a conversation.

“En, it’s on the way,” she replied vaguely.

            

“Are you visiting relatives?” The driver was quite chatty.

“Ah, to tell you the truth, big brother, I was actually on my way to propose marriage. But halfway here, I ran into bandits who robbed me of all my valuables. Now I have no identification and no money. I don’t know what to do!” Shen Hetang’s tone dipped, her expression blank, making her look exactly like someone who had just suffered a terrible disaster.

“How incredibly unlucky! But since you’re going to find your fiancée, little brother, I’m sure your pressing needs will be solved once you get there. Money is a minor thing; keeping your life is what matters.” The honest, rustic farmer was quite good at comforting people.

            

“Big brother is right. I was just overthinking it.” Shen Hetang cupped her hands in a respectful salute.

“I wonder if entry into the city is strictly regulated nowadays? Without a household register or travel pass⁷, how am I supposed to get in?”

“The city guards have been busy repairing the walls lately, so they aren’t checking the gates too closely. Just stay sitting inside. I’m a familiar face on this official road, so they generally won’t make things difficult for me.” The driver genuinely believed Shen Hetang’s story. Perhaps her face exuded an inherent nobility; she simply didn’t look like a criminal.

            

“I never expected the saying ‘after extreme bad luck comes good fortune’ to be true. I’ve truly met a good person!” she said with feigned emotion, her voice brimming with gratitude.

“It’s no big deal. Sit tight, we’re heading in!” Hearing the praise, the honest farmer felt his blood pump with heroism, the whip cracking loudly in the air.

Shen Hetang crouched safely inside the carriage, slowly trying to sort through her thoughts. Finding her memory blank with no clues, she could only give up. She would figure it out once she was in the city. For now, she could only take things one step at a time!

            

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The author has something to say:

Reading guide: Sentences described from Shen Hetang’s perspective use the female ‘she’, because she knows she is a woman.

Sentences described from the perspective of others use the male ‘he’, because in everyone else’s eyes, Shen Hetang’s identity is that of a man.

            

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