Summary
With her wedding to the heir of the Xie family drawing near, my elder sister—the daughter of Father’s principal wife—went up the mountain to offer incense.
She never expected to encounter bandits on the way.
Protecting her, the young lord fell over a cliff.
His injuries left him barely clinging to life.
The Xies proposed a wedding to turn his luck: perhaps a joyous occasion would drive away his illness.
But my sister was afraid.
She did not want to marry a cripple, much less end up a widow.
Father was caught in a bind.
Let the marriage proceed, and he would condemn his daughter to misery.
Refuse, and he would be branded an ingrate.
After thinking it over for a long time, I spoke softly.
“I’ll marry him.”