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Fourteen years ago, Xiao Yanyan's father received his last escort mission, traveling from Luoyang to Chang'an. This route was one he frequently took, and if all went well, he would return within a month. However, he never anticipated that an accident would occur along the way.
Just a few days after leaving Luoyang, it began to rain heavily. The roads became muddy and difficult to navigate, and the group found themselves trapped in the mountains, forced to seek shelter in a cave until the weather cleared. The first two days passed quietly, but on the third night, A Cheng woke up and felt curious about what was stored in the escort cart. This moment of curiosity would seal his tragic fate.
The cart contained valuable items meant for a certain official in Chang'an, gifts from the clients. Even if they weren't worth a fortune, they were still quite valuable. Just one item could ensure a worry-free life. A Cheng, who had faced his share of hardships and had been following Master Xiao for years, found himself reflecting on his situation. At just over twenty years old, he had yet to save enough money for a wife, which left him with some troubling thoughts. Seeing the treasures in the cart ignited his desire to claim them for himself.
Despite his thoughts, A Cheng managed to restrain himself. Having followed Master Xiao since he was fourteen, he understood the man's character well enough to know that such actions would not be tolerated. However, just as A Cheng was about to return the items to their original place and go back to sleep, Master Xiao woke up.
In A Cheng's own words, they exchanged a few heated arguments before things escalated unexpectedly, resulting in him killing Master Xiao. Whether it was one person or ten, killing was still killing; eventually, he decided to eliminate all the accompanying escorts as well. Under the cover of the rainy night, he buried them in the forest and later retrieved the treasures from the cart in several trips to sell them off and acquire property elsewhere.
As for why he returned a year later to find Madam Xiao and Xiao Yanyan, A Cheng explained it was due to his heart demon haunting him. He claimed that killing Master Xiao had been unintentional; despite enjoying wealth and honor throughout that year, he often felt uneasy. Thus, he thought of bringing Madam Xiao and Yanyan into his life as family to take care of them. Unfortunately, on his journey back, he encountered another stormy night where his heart demon resurfaced, leading him to commit further wrongdoings driven by lust for Madam Xiao.
He sold Xiao Yanyan into a brothel because she had witnessed his entire crime spree. In a moment of panic and not wanting to kill her as well, he made that impulsive decision. Over the years, even while away from home, he kept tabs on her every move and saw her growing more beautiful—resembling her deceased mother more and more—which sparked his desire to take her as a concubine. A Cheng rationalized this by thinking that since he had already caused her parents' deaths due to his heart demon years ago, taking her as a concubine would allow him to treat her well and atone for his past actions.
Of course, these were merely A Cheng's self-serving thoughts—somewhat shameful at that. Feeling guilty about his intentions, he hired someone with double silver coins to feign interest in Xiao Yanyan and propose taking her as a concubine. Although Xiao Yanyan was now free, she too was caught up in her own heart demon; wanting to sever Chang Tai's feelings for her led her to agree to this proposal.
Then came the bizarre wedding that drew attention throughout the city. As the bridal sedan left Luoyang City, Xiao Yanyan suddenly had second thoughts; she realized she liked Chang Tai and immediately halted the procession to negotiate with her suitor about retracting the marriage contract. The man hesitated before revealing that he wasn't actually interested in taking her as a concubine but wanted her to speak directly with A Cheng.
Feeling deceived made Xiao Yanyan furious; discovering that her would-be suitor was an old enemy only fueled her anger further. With her pride intact, she refused to agree and after arguing with A Cheng decisively jumped into the Luoyang River. The events that followed were no longer necessary.
After Yan Niang's death, Chang Tai kept vigil over her body for three days before giving her a proper burial with a tombstone inscribed: "Tomb of my beloved wife Xiao Yanyan," signed "Husband Chang Tai." He then began investigating those mysterious wedding guests until he traced it back to A Cheng who had been living under an alias for fourteen years—solving the mystery surrounding the Xiao family.
"What happened to A Cheng?" Xing Ruyi asked after hearing the whole story with a sigh. "Brother Chang, you didn't kill him, did you?"
"No," Chang Tai gently shook his head. "I turned him over to the government office along with evidence. Although I wanted nothing more than to personally deal with this villain myself, I am bound by law."
"I understand, Brother Chang, what you did was right." Xing Ruyi patted Chang Tai's shoulder. "Actually, Yanniang had some words for me to pass on to you before she left. Yanniang, in this life, she wasn't destined to be your wife, but in the next life, she will surely accompany you for eternity."
Upon hearing this, Chang Tai suddenly shed tears. "No need for the next life; Yanniang is already my wife in this life. Even if I were to marry again in the future, she could only be a concubine, never a wife."
At that moment, Chang Tai was looking at Xing Ruyi, but his gaze felt somewhat strange, making others uncomfortable.
When A Cheng was executed, Chang Tai did not go; instead, he brought wine to Yanniang's grave. By the time Shengzi and the others carried Chang Tai back from Yanniang's grave, he was already intoxicated. No one knew what Chang Tai had said at the grave that half day; they only knew that his eyes were red, as if he had been crying.
After waking up from his drunkenness, Chang Tai fell ill. Shengzi sought Master Liu from Jishengtang for a diagnosis, which concluded that he was suffering from depression. The prescription contained only eight words: a heart ailment requires a heart remedy!
Everyone knew that Chang Tai's heart ailment was due to Yanniang, but now that Yanniang was dead, where could he find this heart remedy? Shengzi was so anxious that he wanted to bang his head against the wall; after thinking it over, he could only seek help from Xing Ruyi.
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