A Willing Mistake, My Lady – Chapter 3
by Little PandaBoarding the Pirate Ship
Picking up a wife for free.
The crowd downstairs watching the commotion hadn’t entirely dispersed yet; many were still craning their necks, waiting. Matchmaker Wang walked over and asked, “Has the young lady settled matters on this end? Can we proceed directly to the formal wedding bows1?”
“Of course, right this instant,” Jiang Chenyu replied calmly in a low voice.
“Wedding bows?” Shen Hetang’s eyes went round.
“Naturally. Choosing a day is not as good as hitting upon today2—everything must be settled as quickly as possible.” The corners of her lips curled in a secret smile. Looking at the dazed Shen Hetang, she thought: Since you’ve boarded this pirate ship, don’t even think about getting off.
Having received a definitive answer, the matchmaker immediately initiated the wedding procedures. Shen Hetang was held down by the older women, directly stuffed into a bright red wedding robe, and in a daze, became the groom.
“This Miss Jiang is truly a blessed person, to actually choose such a handsome husband. This will surely make the other young ladies die of envy!” Matchmaker Wang said with a beaming smile as she looked at the newly dressed groom.
She had been doing this matchmaking work for some twenty years, and this was the first time she had seen such a matching pair. The man was like a jade tree with branches of coral, his elegant bone structure forged by heaven; the woman was like a lush peach or rich plum blossom, her beauty radiant and dazzling.3 They were truly the crown jewels of her career.
The matchmaker’s mouth didn’t stop praising them for a single moment, making the already bewildered Shen Hetang almost fall into character.
Looking at the bride opposite her, who had also changed into wedding attire, she even felt as though she were acting on a movie set. She sighed inwardly: the blooming period of ancient women was truly early. A young girl of only sixteen or seventeen could actually combine the budding innocence of youth with a natural, bone-deep allure so perfectly. Good thing her face was hidden by the round silk fan; otherwise, someone might have snatched her right off the street.
“First bow to Heaven and Earth! Second bow to the high hall! Husband and wife, bow to each other!” Under the matchmaker’s direction and amid the cheers of the crowd, the two completed the wedding ceremony. In Jiang Chenyu’s heart, her only “high hall” was her mother. To hell with that blasted biological father and stepfather. She pulled Shen Hetang and symbolically bowed toward the distance.
Now, only one step remained before the wood was made into a boat4. So many people had seen her and her husband bow in marriage with their own eyes. Even if that man returned tomorrow, there was nothing he could do. The raw rice had been cooked5; even if the King of Heaven himself came, he would just have to swallow it.
Thinking of this, Jiang Chenyu felt as though the clouds had parted to reveal the bright sun. Three years of walking on eggshells, of feigning compliance—it was as if all of it finally had an outlet at this moment. She didn’t want to endure it anymore.
Shen Hetang actually felt somewhat guilty. Having no other path to walk, she had taken advantage of someone’s precarious situation to find a place for herself to settle down. Although it could be considered mutually beneficial, she had, after all, concealed the fact that she wasn’t a man.
It was impossible for them to be together in the future, and Miss Jiang’s reputation was destined to be damaged. Sigh, I’ll just take it one step at a time, she thought. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll just take all the blame onto myself to let her keep as good a name as possible.
Following Miss Jiang back to the Jiang Manor, Chuntao listened to her mistress’s orders and arranged a banquet and a bath for Shen Hetang. Finally, fully dressed and groomed, Shen Hetang returned to the bridal chamber.
The interesting thing was that when Nanny Wu heard the young lady had tossed an embroidered ball at the Jinxiangyu Teahouse and found a matrilocal husband, she began pounding frantically on Jiang Chenyu’s door.
“Miss, have you gone mad? How dare you bring a wild man home?! If the Master finds out, he will surely teach you a harsh lesson!” Nanny Wu howled from outside like a slaughtered pig.
Shen Hetang was just about to go open the door when Jiang Chenyu grabbed her arm.
“Ignore her. Tonight is the grand occasion of our wedding night. Even if she smashes this door down, she can’t stop it.” Jiang Chenyu saw that this was practically a done deal, only missing the final step; absolutely no one was allowed to interrupt her now.
“No, Miss Jiang, you and I are fake! In a little while…” What she wanted to say was that tonight’s wedding night was bound to be drawing water with a bamboo basket6—a wasted effort. Whether someone was outside or not, the result would be the same.
Jiang Chenyu didn’t let her finish. Reaching out with a soft, delicate palm, she pressed it against Shen Hetang’s bright red lips.
“Shh! …As long as you don’t say anything, no one will know it’s fake. Chuntao will drag that old hag away shortly.” Right now, Shen Hetang was like her last straw. She didn’t care about the impropriety of men and women touching. Seeing his red lips and white teeth in the candlelight, a face that could make people flock to it like moths to a flame, she didn’t mind at all if they turned this fake play into reality.
It wasn’t that she was fickle and lustful, suddenly longing for spring. Rather, she was terrified that she wouldn’t be able to protect the thing a woman valued most, and that on some random day, that dog would take it cheaply. If that was truly going to happen, she might as well give it to someone else from the very start.
Even if she had a bit of cleverness, in the end, she was merely a helpless maiden confined to her boudoir. Everything she had was controlled by others. If that man truly tore away all pretense, she would have no choice but to endure it.
But even if something really did happen, she absolutely would not commit suicide. This home belonged to her Jiang family; everything here belonged to Jiang Chenyu. Why should she be the one to die? If anyone was going to die, she would drag that dog down to hell with her. Now that she had found Young Master Shen to marry into the Jiang family, it seemed it was the will of Heaven.
Seeing the sudden proximity of the beauty, Shen Hetang straightened her posture. She stood rigid, not daring to lean in, yet stepping back felt too deliberate. She could only stand straight as a scabbard, her eyes fixed on the door.
Sure enough, after a short while, the sounds of Chuntao and Nanny Wu scuffling rang out. The battle seemed quite intense.
“Is this really okay?” Shen Hetang’s phoenix eyes widened, her dark, elegant brows knitting together.
“It’s fine. They are old rivals; this isn’t the first day they’ve fought.” Saying this, Jiang Chenyu walked over to the candlestick, blew out the flame, and then turned to lead Shen Hetang toward the yellow pearwood canopy bed7 in the inner chamber.
It was Shen Hetang’s first time seeing an ancient maiden’s bedroom. The room was spacious and tidy. Though the dim candlelight made it hard to see clearly, the carved pearwood bed in the center still vaguely revealed its exquisite craftsmanship and smooth, polished frame.
Taking off her shoes, she stepped up onto the shallow veranda of the two-tiered step bed. As Jiang Chenyu parted the layers of sheer gauze curtains, Shen Hetang felt like a scholar whose soul had been stolen by a seductive demon spirit—silently letting herself be led until she suddenly snapped back to her senses like trapped prey.
It was a good thing the windows weren’t open. If gusts of cool wind were blowing through, combined with the antique setting and a woman as beautiful as a demon refusing to let her go, just thinking about it felt indescribably thrilling. Even if this prey wasn’t to her exact tastes, it could still quench a thirst.
“Um… Miss… why don’t you and I sleep separately?” she suddenly said, seeing they were right at the edge of the bed.
“Miss? Shouldn’t you be calling me your wife? Besides, there is nowhere else to sleep but here. Do you want to sleep on the floor? Moreover, the moment you entered this room, my innocence was already gone. It’s best if Young Master Shen doesn’t deceive himself.” She let go of Shen Hetang’s hand and sat casually on the bed.
Beside the shallow veranda of the canopy bed sat a dressing table. Two dragon and phoenix red candles burned upon it, lit by Chuntao before they entered. Through the double-layered gauze curtains, Shen Hetang watched as she gently took off her outer robe and slowly removed the jewelry from her head. A waterfall of smooth, dark silk cascaded down to her hips. The scattered strands of hair looked extraordinarily beautiful in the hazy candlelight.
Shen Hetang was never a man to begin with, so she had no habit of averting her eyes to avoid suspicion. As a fellow woman, seeing how the other’s waist was a true waist and her hips were true hips, she felt genuinely a bit embarrassed. The original owner of this body had a figure almost exactly the same as her own in the real world.
With a height of at least 175 centimeters, her waist and legs lacked softness but had plenty of strength. To put it nicely, her figure was tall and straight; to put it harshly, she was a telephone pole. Her entire appeal relied entirely on her face.
Combined with her childhood martial arts training, her bones carried a certain upright righteousness. Toward a petite, exquisitely soft and curvy girl like Jiang Chenyu, she felt a fateful urge to protect her.
Although her eyes were practically glued to the other woman, she was certain she didn’t like women. It was merely that everyone possessed a love for beauty; she was simply admiring a beautiful woman.
Feeling the gaze from behind her staring intently, Jiang Chenyu, who had been bracing herself to secretly seduce him, found her defenses breaking. From her cheeks to the base of her ears, all the way down to her snow-white neck, everything flushed a deep crimson—though the dim candlelight made it hard to see clearly.
Shen Hetang didn’t realize there was anything wrong with currently using a man’s identity to watch a girl undress and remove her makeup.
Only when Jiang Chenyu walked past her holding her makeup removal box did she remember that she was now a man. Staring at someone like this would definitely get her branded as a pervert.
“Um… well… don’t misunderstand. I just haven’t seen this before, so… so…!” She couldn’t even justify her own words. What did she mean, haven’t seen this before?
Seeing her babble such an incoherent explanation, Jiang Chenyu pressed her lips together and chuckled softly. She had burned her bridges to abduct this person home, figuring that whether they became a real married couple tonight or remained a fake one, they had to get through this hurdle no matter what.
“It’s getting late. Husband, quickly undress and come to bed!” she said as she lay down on the inner side of the bed. There was only one red quilt. Normally, cuddling up to sleep with a pretty girl would be nothing at all, but right now she was a man. A man!!! She had no choice but to lie down alone, fully clothed.
Seeing that he made no further moves, Jiang Chenyu, who had been forcing herself to be brave, secretly let out a sigh of relief. Although she had prepared herself for everything, it would definitely be better if they had some time to get to know each other first.
The days of wandering and the unfamiliarity of being alone in a different world caused Shen Hetang to sleep exceptionally deeply that night. Insomnia didn’t plague her at all. The soft, spacious bed and the faint floral scent in the air all served as a soothing medium, allowing her to pass a peaceful night.
The next day, when she opened her eyes, the sky was already bright. Turning her head, she saw that the spot beside her was empty.
“Young Master, you’re awake? Shall this servant help you wash up?” Chuntao happened to walk in carrying a basin of water.
“No need, thank you. I’ll do it myself,” Shen Hetang said naturally.
“Young Master, these are the new clothes Miss ordered me to bring you. If there is nothing else, this servant will take her leave,” Chuntao said, turning to exit.
“Um… where is your Miss?” Sleeping in on her very first day was far too embarrassing.
“Miss is in the small garden.” Chuntao was too embarrassed to say that her mistress had deliberately handed her a blood-stained wedding handkerchief8, pretending to ask her to put it in the jewelry box, all so she could parade the handkerchief around and let half the women in the Jiang Manor see it.
Nanny Wu was so angry her face turned pale, shouting that she had already tipped off the Master yesterday, and today their Miss was in for a harsh reckoning.
Sure enough, when Wu Daoyuan heard that Jiang Chenyu had found herself a husband and even got married yesterday—and what infuriated him even more was that it was a matrilocal marriage—he felt the blood rush to his head. Before dawn, he had hitched a carriage and rushed back to Qingyuan Town.
Shen Hetang changed into her new clothes, washed up, and wanted to go to the garden to greet Miss Jiang.
Who knew that just as she stepped into the small garden, the sight before her would make her breath catch. An old man who had popped out of nowhere was gripping Little Peach by the collar, one hand raised high, about to slap her across the face.
Footnotes
- Bàitáng (拜堂): The traditional Chinese wedding ceremony where the bride and groom perform three formal bows—to Heaven and Earth, to their parents or elders, and to each other.
- A Chinese idiom, zé rì bùrú zhuàng rì (择日不如撞日), meaning 'choosing a date is not as good as hitting upon today'—there is no time like the present.
- A combination of classical poetic idioms. 'Jade tree with branches of coral' (yùshù qióngzhī) and 'heaven-forged elegant bones' (xiùgǔ tiānchéng) describe a man of exceptional, unearthly grace. 'Lush peach or rich plum blossom' (yāotáo nónglǐ) and 'radiant and dazzling' (zhuózhuó qíhuá) are ancient allusions to a bride's breathtaking, blooming beauty, originating from the Book of Songs (Shījīng).
- A Chinese idiom, mù yǐ chéng zhōu (木已成舟), meaning 'the wood has already been made into a boat'—what is done cannot be undone.
- A Chinese idiom, shēngmǐ zhǔchéng shúfàn (生米煮成熟饭), meaning 'the raw rice has already been cooked into a meal'—what is done cannot be undone, often used specifically to refer to a consummated marriage or irreversible physical intimacy.
- From the idiom zhúlán dǎshuǐ (竹篮打水), 'drawing water with a bamboo basket'—a completely wasted effort that yields nothing in the end.
- A bábù chuáng (拔步床), or 'step bed', is a large, elaborate traditional Chinese wooden bed. It features a built-in enclosed platform—like a small room within a room—often containing space for a small cabinet, a nightstool, or a dressing table before reaching the mattress itself.
- A white cloth (xǐpà) used in traditional Chinese marriages to collect the bride's virgin blood on the wedding night, serving as proof of her chastity.
0 Comments