Xiaotan in His Heart - Chapter 1

Xie Rongyu, the young master of the Xie family, was the kind of man people likened to an immortal descended from heaven.

He could read at three and began learning martial arts at five. At twelve, he took top honors in the imperial child-prodigy examination and became famous. At fifteen, he passed the provincial examination as its youngest successful candidate. At eighteen, he ranked first in the metropolitan examination, then placed second in the palace examination before the emperor.

Now, at barely twenty, Xie Rongyu already held a prestigious post as a Hanlin Academician. His future was limitless.

But a month ago, Xie Rongyu fell ill.

Though strictly speaking, he wasn’t sick.

He had been poisoned.

At court, the Crown Prince currently held the upper hand, much to the resentment of his rival, the Fourth Prince. In the struggle for power, the Fourth Prince had repeatedly tried to eliminate the Crown Prince’s allies.

And Xie Rongyu was both the Crown Prince’s close friend and one of his most trusted right-hand men.

During an assassination attempt while he was out one day, an attacker flung a packet of poisonous powder directly at him.

Xie Rongyu’s life was spared, but the poison got into his eyes.

He went blind.

While he traveled south seeking treatment, Miss Lin—the woman he had been betrothed to—broke off their engagement.

By the time he returned, she had already married another man.

Unfortunately, Xie Rongyu’s eyes were at a crucial stage of recovery, and the physician had warned that his emotions must remain steady. His original wedding date with Miss Lin was fast approaching.

But where were they supposed to find him another bride?

The Old Madam finally decided to choose a substitute from among the household maids.

As luck would have it, my build was similar to Miss Lin’s.

Even more importantly, our voices were almost identical.

So she chose me.

We maids had all signed contracts of servitude with the household. Whatever our masters ordered us to do, we had no right to refuse.

And now they wanted me to marry Xie Rongyu.

Even if I was only going to be his concubine, that was still an enormous stroke of good fortune!

The Old Madam had barely finished explaining when I happily agreed.

…

Three days later, the Xie estate was filled with beating gongs, hanging lanterns, and festive decorations.

They somehow managed to make the taking of a concubine as grand as a formal wedding.

Xie Rongyu might not have been able to see, but he was sharp-minded and could still hear perfectly well. If they didn’t put on a convincing show, there was no fooling him.

Dressed in red wedding robes, I held one end of the embroidered red silk ball while he held the other, and together we performed the wedding rites in the main hall.

“First bow to Heaven and Earth! Second bow to the parents! Husband and wife, bow to each other—”

Old Master Xie and Old Madam Xie sat in the seats of honor and accepted our bows.

When the Old Madam looked at Xie Rongyu, her face was full of tenderness and heartache.

When she looked at me, she turned her head away in displeasure.

After the ceremony, she took Xie Rongyu’s hand and reminded him, “Your body is still recovering. You shouldn’t exhaust yourself. Go rest early.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Xie Rongyu’s voice was clear and elegant, somehow as light as clouds drifting across the sky.

The Old Madam gave me a light push from behind.

“Why are you still standing there? Help Rongyu back to his room.”

I answered obediently, “Yes.”

Until then, he and I had each been holding one end of the red silk without touching each other.

Even so, I could sense the tension and unease in him.

But the moment he heard my voice, Xie Rongyu seemed to soften completely.

I lifted my red bridal veil halfway, took his hand, and led him to the bridal chamber.