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The First Minister's Substitute Bride
墨書 Inktalez
The early spring night in the capital was wrapped in a damp chill, with the un-dried traces of rain congealed on the bluestone pavement, reflecting fragmented silver light under the warm glow of lanterns. As Su Qing stepped lightly in her embroidered shoes, the hem of her skirt became stained with mottled water marks, much like her current life—beneath the luxurious silk lay dark, moldy spots.
The tassels of Xi Jiao swayed in the night breeze, each pearl reflecting her face, pale despite being covered in rouge. The copper mirror reflected a room filled with red, yet those crimson silks transformed in her eyes into a flowing river of blood, while the crackling sounds of firecrackers echoed like funeral bells ringing in her ears.
"Miss, it's time to get into the sedan chair," Xi Po reminded for what felt like the umpteenth time, nearly jabbing Su Qing's shoulder with the red silk in her hand. She gazed at the unfamiliar yet enchanting visage in the copper mirror; the gold-threaded peony embroidery of her wedding gown accentuated her slender neck, as if it might snap with even a slight pressure. This was supposed to be Eldest Sister's wedding gown. Three days prior, in the family ancestral hall, her father had struck the offering table with a jade pipe: "Lord Lu specifically wanted the legitimate daughter of the Su Family. Your Eldest Sister is gravely ill; your marriage is the best way to preserve the Su Family."
In the shadow of the ancestral hall's beams and pillars, her mother clutched her wrist and wept inconsolably but dared not defy their father even slightly. Su Qing remembered staring at the ancestral tablets enshrined within; those incense-blackened wooden plaques seemed to open their gaping mouths, ready to swallow her whole.
As the bridal sedan passed through Zhuque Street, a familiar sound of hoofbeats suddenly reached her ears from outside. Su Qing's fingertips dug sharply into her palm— that was Lin Jue's Snowy Black Steed! Last year during Lantern Festival, they had ridden this horse through a river of lanterns together; his warm chest had pressed against her back as he said under a sky full of fireworks, "Once the spring examination results are out, I will ask my father to propose to your family."
Suddenly, a corner of the sedan curtain was lifted by the night wind. Across the street, behind a carved window of an inn, she caught a fleeting glimpse of Lin Jue's pale blue garments. Su Qing's silver armor caught on a coral bead on the curtain and tore two silk threads apart. She heard her heart pounding so loudly it hurt her eardrums but dared not make a sound. Xi Po murmured about "the bride sitting steadily," and heavily lowered the curtain again, cutting off her last shred of hope.
The sound of time passing indicated it was three quarters past Xu hour when the sedan unexpectedly turned westward. Supporting the heavy nine phoenix crown that pressed painfully against her neck, Su Qing vaguely recalled what her maid Chun Tao had said that morning: "I heard from a young servant in the front courtyard that Lord Lu specifically ordered to detour through the mass grave site because..."
Xi Jiao jolted violently as foul odors mixed with damp earth seeped through cracks at the bottom of the sedan. Su Qing remembered three days ago outside the ancestral hall when Eldest Sister’s maid knelt on the bluestone pavement crying out: "In the bride price sent by Lu Family, there is a set of treasures once used by an empress from a previous dynasty. But that treasure can be unscrewed; inside is a note that reads 'Those who replace others shall suffer heart extraction!'"
Cold sweat soaked through her inner garments as the sedan suddenly stopped. Outside came the sinister laughter of Lu Mansion's steward: "Please have the bride step over the fire basin." Peering through a gap in her veil, Su Qing saw that what burned in that basin was not sandalwood but paper money soaked in tung oil; flames leaped high, casting an eerie red glow on the steward’s scarred face.
Suddenly, someone lifted a corner of her bridal veil—Lu Jinyu’s long fingers pinched at her waist belt with silver scissors and severed it. The belt fell to the ground with a crisp sound as Su Qing stumbled into an embrace scented with Dragon's Blood Incense. A low chuckle came from above: "Su Qing’s wedding gown is even more splendid than what I gifted to Drunken Spring Pavilion’s courtesan just days ago."
Crows cawed ominously within Xi Tang as guests looked up to see three black-feathered crows perched on the eaves, preening their feathers while facing the plaque reading "Heavenly Match." The red silk in the officiant's hands suddenly tore apart; Su Qing was turned by Lu Jinyu to face an offering table where two spirit tablets were prominently displayed—on one side was inscribed "Spirit of Zhou Wanjun," while on its right stood an entirely blank new wooden plaque.
"Do you see?" Lu Jinyu traced his fingers over the Double Lotus embroidery on her wedding gown. "Three years ago today, Wan Jun wore such a wedding gown when I carried her out from this bridal sedan." Suddenly tightening his grip, Su Qing felt as if he might crush her jawbone. "Unfortunately for her, she lacked fortune and bled to death on our wedding night."
Suddenly, a burst of light erupted from the lamp, and Su Qing saw a Celadon Vase beside the Spirit Tablet, with a half-wilted peach blossom inserted in its mouth. It was the blossom that Lin Jue had picked for her last spring, when he said, "When the peach blossoms bloom next year, I will..."
Lu Jinyu suddenly released his grip, causing Su Qing to crash into the offering table, and the spirit tablet fell with a thud. In a panic, she rushed to steady it, but then heard a more terrifying voice from above: "Do you know why I must marry you?" He leaned down close to her ear, the scent of Dragon's Blood Incense mixed with rust making her stomach churn. "Because Wan Jun, before she died, clutched the poisoned Aromatic Pouch that your Eldest Sister gave her."
Thunder suddenly roared outside Xi Tang as torrential rain poured down. Su Qing gazed at the four-clawed python pattern embroidered on Lu Jinyu's robe and recalled what her Eldest Sister had said three days prior while coughing up blood: "The musk in that Aromatic Pouch was placed there by Father..."
He Jiujiao lay sprawled on the blue brick floor, crimson liquid spreading over Su Qing's embroidered shoes, reminiscent of the rouge she had spilled when she turned fourteen. How gentle Lin Jue had been while wiping her shoes back then! But now, it was Lu Jinyu's Python Pattern Boots stained with wine that were doing so.
"What are you crying for?" Lu Jinyu gripped her chin harder than before. "Your Su Family owes the Zhou Family and me; this is just the beginning." He suddenly tore open his clothing to reveal a gruesome scar on his chest. "Do you see this scar? On the night Wan Jun died, I personally carved out the hearts of twelve imperial physicians who were involved in the poisoning."
Su Qing dug her nails deep into her palm, but Lu Jinyu suddenly chuckled softly: "Don't be afraid; I won't touch your Su Family for now. After all..." His fingertip traced over the birthmark on her collarbone. "Your father said your sister won't survive Qingming. When that time comes, I will ensure your whole family reunites underground."
The sound of the clock chimed midnight as rain poured down on Lu Mansion like daylight. As Su Qing was dragged by Lu Jinyu toward their bridal chamber, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure standing outside the flower-laden door—Lin Jue, soaked to the bone, clutching the Mandarin Duck Sachet she had given him when she came of age.
Inside the bridal chamber, the Dragon and Phoenix Candle crackled loudly. Lu Jinyu suddenly picked up Xi Cheng—not to lift her veil but to untie her inner garment's strings. Su Qing trembled as she grasped his wrist but heard a laughing threat from above: "I advise you to behave, Su Qing; I've recently acquired a new Torture Device designed specifically for serving consorts in the previous dynasty."
The red candle suddenly burst into a huge flame, and in its flickering shadows, Su Qing saw the madness reflected in Lu Jinyu's eyes. He had somehow produced a pair of Silver Scissors, now aimed at the Double Lotus embroidery on her wedding dress: "This embroidery is quite ugly; let me help you change it."
At the moment the scissors pierced her chest, Su Qing heard her heart shatter like Silk Satin tearing apart. Lu Jinyu leaned down beside her ear and chuckled softly: "Do you know why I cut here? Because Wan Jun also had scissors plunged into her heart before she died."
Blood Pearl dripped from the Silver Scissors onto the blue bricks below. The last thing Su Qing saw was Lu Jinyu's robe corner stained with Peach Blossom Petals—the same petals Lin Jue had tucked behind her ear during her coming-of-age ceremony—now becoming the cruelest irony of her fate.
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