Chapter 1

The Fragile Han Qing Lin

    The region of Da Tang was known to have one of the vastest territories under the heavens,

    Scattered with many small towns across its expansive and remote borders from the capital, amidst complex and steep mountains.

    One such mountain-encircled area held a village far from prosperity, known as Ping Yan.

    The inhabitants of this village range from the affluent to the wandering poor.

    Men and their desires went hand in hand, depending on whether they could fulfill them or not.

    Although merely a merchant and not a great noble, if one had enough money to consider oneself well-off, it's common to take on additional wives to increase evening pleasures, including even those in the remote village of Ping Yan.

    To the south of the village, several houses were lined up, among them was the home of a family led by a merchant with two wives and three children.

    Qing Lin is the eldest daughter of the house. She had a gentle demeanor and a sweet face that, although not comparable to the high-born ladies of the capital, was considered quite charming in Ping Yan. Unfortunately, Qing Lin was seen as weak and invaluable due to her foolishness and lack of intelligence in all matters. Her voice was soft, her speech slow, and her movements were smooth but exceedingly gentle, which annoyed some. This was all because her mother suffered from illness during her pregnancy.

    Qing Lin’s mother, named Jia Ru,

    Saw her husband as her sky,

    The epitome of everything a wife could admire.

    Jia Ru loved her husband immensely, revered him above all else, and acquiesced to his every desire, placing him on a pedestal higher than the gods in heaven.

    Worse yet, she did not love Qing Lin at all, because her pregnancy was so painful and sickly that she nearly died during childbirth.

    Her daughter, Qing Lin, nearly cost Jia Ru her life, disappointing her husband who had hoped for a son.

    To make matters worse, during Jia Ru’s pregnancy with Qing Lin, her husband grew distant, not providing much care as he was preoccupied with his business, traveling constantly.

    He even brought another concubine into their home.

    While Jia Ru was in confinement, her husband still frequented the quarters of his concubine for a month on end.

    A woman, merely an ordinary villager, uneducated and unread, not sharpened by intellect or possessed of any high-minded spirit—her instincts thus crude, Jia Ru’s life revolved around her husband. She blamed all her misfortunes on Qing Lin, bearing a deep resentment towards her daughter. She could not bring herself to love Qing Lin at all.

    Because besides enduring a torturous pregnancy, she felt that it allowed her husband to be unfaithful.

    Jia Ru believed that if she had not been so weakened by the pregnancy, thus losing much of her beauty and becoming so frail, her husband would not have grown weary of her so easily.

    And importantly, if she had given birth to a son instead, her married life would not have turned out this way.

    A son would surely be better than a daughter…

    Thus, Jia Ru's later-born son received all the love and care, while Qing Lin, already a meaningless daughter, was immediately neglected.

    Ever since Qing Lin was born, the family seemed to face an implausible number of business issues. Not only did her existence weaken her mother’s condition, but also hindered her father's business dealings, making them clumsy and less smooth. However, once a son was born, their financial situation improved.

    Her father, named Han Yi Shuan,

    Valued a son who could carry on his legacy far more than a daughter who would eventually be married off like water thrown out.

    During a business negotiation, a pleasant conversation ensued, so he easily promised his daughter to a colleague.

    The aim was to expand his trade connections and increase his revenue opportunities.

    That colleague had a son named Zhang Chuan.

    After agreeing, they allowed their betrothed children to meet and speak frequently from a young age.

    Thus, Qing Lin and Zhang Chuan grew close and fond of each other, meeting daily, waiting only for the right time to marry and start a family.

    Inside the Han family home, in the reception hall of the Jade Bamboo House.

    “Ah! Brother Chuan,” the sweet voice of a young maiden slipped out as her cheeks were playfully kissed by a pronounced nose.

    The young woman tilted her face away, “No, Brother, it isn't proper.”

    “What harm could it possibly do?”

    A deep voice, sounding muffled right by her ear, followed by a warm breath as lips teased, “Let me look at you up close.”

    “Ah!” Qing Lin shrank back, feeling a rush of heat and embarrassment.

    Zhang Chuan, selfish with his fiancée, said, “Since we are to be married inevitably, sooner or later, you will be mine. If it pleases me today, why should it not be so?”

    His voice was heavy, accompanied by the sound of lips pressing a kiss on her slender neck, and the rustle of clothes.

    “Come, I desire you…”

    On a long chair behind a table in the empty reception hallroom, Qing LinChing Lin tried to evade the insistent, scorching hands and the selfish, burning tongue, retreating in a panic.

    One hand quickly lifted to push against his broad chest, while the other tried to restrain the fingers of her suitor, which were tugging at the belt around her waist to reach for her rounded breasts to fondle them.

    The young woman tried to remind her fiancé, her voice stuttering, "But we are not yet married, Brother. You should respect me until the moment we are wed..."

    At these words, Zhang Chuan paused, his consciousness returning.

    The young man withdrew his lips from her neck and pulled his hand back from her blouse.

    He took a moment to calm his desires, then sat back quietly, redirecting his intense gaze elsewhere.

    The atmosphere turned somber, no longer that of lovers.

    "You are right..."

    While Zhang Chuan muttered softly without any apologies, Qing Lin bowed her head and averted her eyes, her face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and nervousness. She felt anxious and hesitant about the event in front of her.

    The young woman hastily adjusted her disheveled clothes with trembling hands, her demeanor fearful. She stole glances at the face of the man she loved, thinking to herself how much she admired his handsome features, liking him even more the closer he was. Yet, she was not ready, lacking any confidence. Her breasts were not particularly large, and she worried that her body might have lost its fragrance long ago—it was too embarrassing. These thoughts intensified her nervousness.

    Usually, Qing Lin would meet Zhang Chuan in the garden pavilion, which was open on all sides and lacked any walls to block the view, preventing any undue advances.

    But today, as they walked leisurely and engrossed in their conversation, she found herself in the reception hall of her quarters.

    Just beyond this room was the bedroom, and she feared that she might commit a grave breach of propriety if she could not control herself.

    The young woman let out a sigh, her heart racing as she tried to calm herself by patting above it, her cheeks deeply blushed, her demeanor timid yet fearful. She glanced up slowly at her fiancé, holding back a deep sense of regret.

    But then she saw him stand up quickly, almost angrily. In a moment, Zhang Chuan turned to her with an inscrutable look, his smile faint and uncertain about his mood, before he said in a soft, soothing voice,

    "I must leave now, but I will come to see you again."

    With that, he walked away indifferently, no longer looking at his beloved.

    At that moment, Qing Lin's face turned pale, feeling guilty at once as her gaze followed Zhang Chuan.

    The room, which had previously echoed with playful banter, now fell silent, leaving a confused woman sitting alone.

    After a while, Qing Lin realized she should apologize to Zhang Chuan. She got up hurriedly and ran out of the house quickly, thinking that she should hasten their marriage, as she was nearly sixteen years old.

    As she stopped in the middle of the courtyard, the young woman looked around but did not see the man she loved, feeling a deep pain in her heart.

    She should not have rejected him…

    After that incident, a whole month had passed.

    In reality, any anger should have dissipated within three days, or perhaps shouldn't have arisen at all, considering they were lovers.

    However, Zhang Chuan had become strangely silent, not visiting to share playful banter as before. Qing Lin felt increasingly anxious, her face clouded with sadness, yet she dared not speak to anyone about it. Even if she considered consulting her mother, she feared only receiving criticism, since Zhang Chuan was the son of her father’s business partner, and they could not afford to be at odds.

    One afternoon, unable to bear it any longer, Qing Lin's heart ablaze as if on fire, she left her home to find Zhang Chuan. She intended to sincerely tell him that she did not despise him and was ready to offer a profound apology, willing to do whatever was necessary.

    The homes of Qing Lin and Zhang Chuan were only at opposite corners of the town. After their fathers had finished negotiating a business deal, Zhang Chuan's father bought a large house in this village.

    Unexpectedly, before she reached her destination, while passing through a flower garden at the edge of the woods away from prying eyes, Qing Lin saw Zhang Chuan's back from a distance.

    He was walking hand-in-hand with another woman.

    Qing Lin's eyes widened, thinking it must be a friend of her fiancé's, but their closeness suggested otherwise.

    Confusion surged in Qing Lin’s heart. She chose to conceal herself by sitting beside the road, hidden by bushes, a numbness creeping into her chest the moment she clearly saw the woman.

    Qing Li!

    The young woman exclaimed in her mind, frozen in shock.

    Qing Li was her half-sister, born of her father’s concubine, only a year younger than herself.

    From behind the bushes, the distance between Zhang Chuan walking hand-in-hand with Qing Li and herself was considerable, but the sight was clear in her line of sight, and the aura of lovers was unmistakably evident in her feelings.

    Yet, Qing Lin denied this clarity.

    She blinked stupidly, lips pursed tightly, shaking her head softly.

    She couldn't understand why Zhang Chuan and Qing Li were together in this secluded garden, especially since Zhang Chuan was her fiancé and Qing Li was her sister.

    Since their father had arranged her engagement to him, Qing Li had always expressed her happiness and encouraged Qing Lin to meet with Zhang Chuan frequently to foster a closer relationship.

    With a heavy heart, Qing Lin pondered whether Qing Li had wanted to meet Zhang Chuan herself, thus pushing her to arrange these meetings at their home.

    After much thought, the young woman finally shook her head and sighed, choosing to see things positively.

    How could it be otherwise?

    He was her beloved fiancé, and she was his wonderful sister. They must have met by chance and were just greeting each other as relatives would.

    Because one was the future brother-in-law and the other the younger sister of the future wife, all were part of one family.

    Slowly, Qing Lin stood up and walked out from behind the bushes, aiming to approach the two who were walking in the distance, to ask them honestly and clear any doubts.

    However, after seeing the two turn a corner, Qing Lin discreetly followed. After a while of intense observation, she saw a small house at the end of the path, surrounded by a profusion of blooming flowers and trees, incredibly beautiful.

    Qing Lin furrowed her brows, remembering that Zhang Chuan had once told her he had a private house being built at the edge of the forest near his family home, which he planned to show her once it was finished.

    This house was to be one of the many homes for their future together.

    Yet…their relationship had encountered problems first.

    Clutching her skirt tightly, Qing Lin resolved to apologize to her lover quickly. As for why he was with Qing Li, she would have to suppress her emotions for the time being,

    Difficult as it might be.

    With that thought, she slowly followed the pair who had now disappeared into the house.

    Qing Lin's heart felt icy hot, as if she might come down with a fever.

    They entered the house together, hands still clasped, not letting go even for a moment.

    Because Qing Lin kept a considerable distance, it took her some time to catch up to the building.

    Trying to peek inside through a small gap in the door, she was about to raise her hand to knock and call out to those inside, but before her hand could touch the door, she suddenly heard voices leaking out.

    "Uhh...Brother Chuan, ah..."

    The sweet voice was unmistakably Qing Li's, stirring a turbulent emotion in Qing Lin's heart, causing her hand to freeze mid-air, unable to knock or call out.

    "Ah...Li'er"

    Another voice, low and quivering, was Zhang Chuan's.

    "Umm...Brother Chuan, it hurts," Qing Li's voice started to sob.

    Zhang Chuan's voice softened, trembling, "I'll be gentle..."

    "Umm..."

    "You are so beautiful, flawless."

    "But I'm not fully grown yet, ah!"

    "I will help you grow with my own hands."

    Sounds of friction resonated, interspersed with moans before the woman asked in a trembling voice,

    "Umm...Is Li'er's bigger than Sister Lin's?"

    "Not now...but who knows about later."

    After these words, the playful squeaks abruptly stopped, but Qing Li's voice seemed to grow firmer,

    "Brother Chuan, have you seen Sister Lin's?"

    Zhang Chuan grunted, displeased, "Why do you bring up Lin'er? Who is bigger doesn't matter when you agree to me. My bride will be you, not a woman who shows disdain towards me."

    After the man's statement, the woman giggled,

    "Really?"

    "Of course!"

    Following that, the sensuous harmony of the voices inside, blending in a way that caused the listener outside to shiver, continued to resonate.

    Qing Lin felt a chilling tremor in her heart, her entire body numb with cold, yet there was a sharp pain that seemed to pierce her bones, a cold sweat drenched her.

    She couldn't believe what she was hearing, so she walked around to the side of the house, aiming for a small crack near the window. Once she found it, she blinked and brought her face close to the narrow gap.

    Qing Lin spied on her fiancé and her only sister through eyes that were beginning to blur, her heart pounding as if it might burst from her chest.

    She watched for a long time. Inside the room, there was a low tea table and what looked like a long daybed positioned in one corner.

    On the daybed, two figures were intertwined in a state of disarray, their clothes partially undone, revealing smooth, pale skin. Their arms and legs were expertly entwined, and it was evident that it was a man over a woman. Their bodies moved rhythmically, merging together, with continuous moaning sounds, and their movements were relentless.

    Amidst the moans and sighs inside, which made it impossible to hear anything from outside, the young woman who was eavesdropping tried her best to hold her breath, her body ice-cold, yet her eyes burned, and her heart was inflicted with pain—a pain so intense it was as if lightning had struck her directly.

    Qing Lin didn't understand. What were they doing?

    The young woman turned and ran away from that place immediately, sobbing as she went through the surrounding blooms, tears streaming down her face like rain.

    She didn't know how far she had run from the heated house when her fragile body, exhausted and breathless, collapsed by the side of a stream.

    No, it can't be!

    Her fiancé still loved her, her sister was still kind and good.

    She couldn't entertain such improper thoughts…

    Qing Lin couldn't come to terms with it, she couldn't accept it, she was dazed, confused, and unwilling to understand anything.

    All she could do was cry and run away.

    Facing it head-on was never in her thoughts.

    She was afraid…

    The young woman didn't know what she was afraid of, perhaps it was the reality she didn't want to accept—that the man she loved had heartlessly changed his affections.

    Zhang Chuan didn't love her anymore…

    Qing Lin sobbed uncontrollably for a long while, feeling overwhelmingly exhausted.

    She didn't know how long she had been running. Now, she caught sight of a pavilion on the side of the road and slowly pushed her weakened body up, walking toward it.

    This pavilion was often used for the village's annual festivals, especially during the Zhongyuan Festival[1], where villagers gathered to float Fang He Deng lanterns[2]. But there was no festival at the moment, so it was deserted, adding to the solitude.

    Qing Lin sat mournfully in the pavilion by the pond, staring blankly ahead through a veil of tears.

    She sat crying like that, her body trembling non-stop, tears continuously streaming down her cheeks.

    Days before, while waiting for her fiancé to visit, she had lost her appetite,

    and today, she had not eaten anything at all, compounded by her reckless running.

    Her body was starting to give way.

    In a moment of surrender to overwhelming grief, her body began to sway. The profound sadness attacking her transformed into extreme exhaustion, her breathing became erratic and labored, as if signaling the nearing end of her vitality. The young woman felt utterly drained, like a wilting flower.

    Soon...her frail body suddenly fell from the edge of the pavilion. A splash echoed from the stream as her body hit the turbulent water, happening in an instant. Everything in her mind went pitch black, and Qing Lin lost consciousness immediately.

[1] Also known as the Ghost Festival or Hungry Ghost Festival; in which ghosts and spirits, including those of deceased ancestors, come out from the lower realm.

[2] Lanterns which can be shaped like lotus flowers, small houses, or other designs, contain candles or oil lamps inside. These are lit to illuminate and are used for floating on water during ceremonies to worship the deities.