Volume One, Chapter Six: To Marry, or Not to Marry?

Su Heng watched as the chests of gold he had brought were carried into the pavilion, one by one. He couldn't help but feel that the Duke’s Mansion had been swindled.

"Young Master Su, our Pavilion Master invites you inside," a disciple of the pavilion said, bowing low.

Su Heng, who had been itching to get to the bottom of this, followed him through several courtyards until they reached a place called the Hall of Clear Hearts. The area was tranquil and elegant, filled with blooming wintersweet.

The person standing on the jade steps with their back to him was surely the Pavilion Master. Yet, the figure appeared as slender as a woman’s. The world had built up the Pavilion Master of Yongming Pavilion to be a figure of legendary, awe-inspiring power, but in person, they seemed so small.

Su Heng bowed and offered a formal greeting, "Su Heng of the Duke’s Mansion pays his respects to the Pavilion Master."

The slender figure turned slowly, a steel mask locked firmly over their face.

"Young Master Su, you certainly possess an extraordinary air."

"You flatter me, Pavilion Master. My position as the heir has yet to be finalized; I am merely a common man." Su Heng continued, "May I ask why you accepted one thousand taels of gold from my family, yet refuse even a penny from the common folk outside?"

"The people I save are honest and kind. Your Su Wannan, however, treats lives like weeds and slaughters the innocent. It is already an act of great benevolence that I deigned to save anyone from your house. Otherwise... you might as well have carried Su Zhizhi’s corpse and your gold back to the mansion."

The chilling voice sent a shiver through Su Heng. On the first day Su Zhizhi returned home, the assassin had claimed Su Wannan killed his wife, and now the Pavilion Master said the same. Could there really be a dark secret behind Su Wannan? Su Heng did not want to dwell on it; he was not yet married, and Su Wannan was the person he cherished most.

He left the Hall of Clear Hearts filled with worry. No, Su Wannan was the kindest woman in the world; it could not be true. The Pavilion Master was human, after all, and prone to mistakes. With this conviction, he departed Yongming Pavilion.

"Stubborn and blind."

The Pavilion Master, having removed the mask, sat with legs crossed, snacking on melon seeds. The Duke’s Mansion was truly a den of the blind. She had suffered so much for nothing, her knees aching from all that kneeling.

"My living ancestor, you’ve finally returned," said Fang Hui, the second-in-command of Yongming Pavilion, who managed all affairs in the Master's absence.

"Old Man Fang, those assassins you sent were like water monsters; they swam through the lake as fast as a carriage on the street."

Fang Hui nodded, "That is only thanks to your guidance, Pavilion Master. Our Yongming Pavilion is full of talented people now. If you need assassins again, just say the word."

Recalling the knife wound on her back, Su Zhizhi felt a surge of irritation. The blade had been taken in vain; the blind fools at the Duke’s Mansion hadn't seen a thing.

Fang Hui asked with concern, "But Pavilion Master, you were lively enough to handle affairs at the pavilion back when you were at the Xuanlin Tower. How is it that you had to be carried into the Duke’s Mansion?"

Su Zhizhi was unimpressed by the word "lively." "Old Man Fang, watch your phrasing."

"Yes, yes, of course," Fang Hui smiled.

Ever since the old Pavilion Master passed away, this new master had begun a sweeping transformation. She not only developed many miraculous medicinal pills but also created incentive systems that drew the most famous physicians in the capital to stay at Yongming Pavilion. Even more miraculously, she seemed to possess the ability to predict the future; every shop, mansion, and industry she invested in turned a massive profit. Wealth poured into Yongming Pavilion like water. The disciples, now paid daily instead of monthly, worked with incredible zeal.

Yongming Pavilion now had money, talent, and prestige, but it lacked power. And power was exactly what Su Zhizhi wanted. Only with power could she change the fates of others. She intended to use the connections of the Duke’s Mansion to infiltrate the royal family, for only there could one possess the kind of power that commanded fear. She would make those blind fools at the Duke’s Mansion kneel and beg for her forgiveness.

Although she treated many commoners for free, she still hadn't been able to rescue the sisters from Xuanlin Tower. In this world, someone had to speak up for the innocent.

"Old Man Fang, did you like the treasures I brought back from the Duke’s Mansion?"

Fang Hui had already exchanged the deeds for gold and deposited them into the Yong’an Bank, the largest in the capital. "Who in this world doesn't like silver?"

"I meant the chestnut cakes I had someone bring you. I made them myself; they are excellent for nourishing the spleen and stomach."

Fang Hui, remembering he had thrown them away, was horrified. "You made them yourself?"

"Of course."

"If I had known, I would have eaten them all, no matter how bitter or terrible they tasted!" Fang Hui regretted his actions deeply.

Su Zhizhi’s expression darkened. "Never mind. If you couldn't eat them, you had your reasons." She could master anything in this world, except for cooking.

Fang Hui noticed the bruise on Su Zhizhi’s hand and felt both heartache and fury. "Pavilion Master, is there anyone in the Duke’s Mansion tired of living? If anyone dares to harm a hair on your head, I will rally every man in Yongming Pavilion and level that mansion to the ground."

Su Zhizhi smiled faintly. "Yongming Pavilion is a part of the underworld; how could we topple a house with such deep-rooted influence? It is not that I will not take revenge, but the time has not yet come."

"True. Back when you were at Xuanlin Tower, I failed to help you leave with dignity, forcing you to hide your identity and escape through that dark secret passage. It was my incompetence."

"Old Man Fang, do not be so sentimental. One day, I will make them walk out with their heads held high."

Xuanlin Tower was a forbidden imperial site; it was a miracle that any woman could leave it at all. If she could, she would have led all the girls out through the secret passage long ago, but the world was vast and desolate—where could they go?

Su Zhizhi picked up a sunflower seed, ready to pop it into her mouth, but paused. "Didn't you say there was something important?"

Fang Hui waited a moment before speaking. "People from the Prince Jin’s Mansion are here."

"Oh?"

"The guards from Prince Jin’s Mansion are all clad in armor and swords. If it weren't for their fear of our reputation, they would have turned this place upside down to find you."

Su Zhizhi lowered her eyes. "Is Prince Jin unwilling to have his half-dead master carried here?"

Mentioning this made Fang Hui stroke his white beard in annoyance. "It is against our rules for the Pavilion Master to leave the pavilion for consultations, yet these guards expect you to go to the mansion yourself. Otherwise, they..."

"Otherwise what? Will they try to kill us all?"

"Not quite. They have been kneeling outside the back gate for three days, begging you to save him."

Su Zhizhi felt a stir of emotion. Prince Jin had been bedridden for a long time; the glory brought by his past military achievements had long faded, leaving him a powerless, empty title. Rumors in the streets painted him as a bloodthirsty demon. To think his subordinates remained so loyal and unyielding.

"Very well. Let’s go meet my future husband."

"What?" Fang Hui nearly collapsed. "What husband? Pavilion Master, didn't you say you were just descending to the mortal world from the Duke’s Mansion to undergo a trial? Are you really going to marry that powerless, short-tempered Prince?"

"Why not?"

"But he is a demon incarnate, known for his cruelty!"

Su Zhizhi smiled faintly. "I am a female demon myself—do you think I fear him?"

She put her mask back on and commanded, "Let's go. First, let's take a look at these persistent guards."

Soon, they reached the bamboo grove at the back gate. Fang Hui, head held high, glared at the guards, unable to forgive them for the prospect of his beautiful master marrying their master. After a long silence, he said huffily, "Get up. Our Pavilion Master has agreed to treat your Prince."

The lead guard, who had not eaten in three days, was so overcome with excitement upon hearing the news that he fainted from exhaustion. Fang Hui, though reluctant, fed him a medicinal pill. When he came to, Su Zhizhi ordered the kitchen to provide him with fine wine and food.

Sitting on a yellow pear-wood stool and eating the delicious meal, the guard asked, "Pavilion Master, do you truly agree to save our Prince? But our mansion cannot afford a thousand taels of gold... we cannot even scrape together one hundred."

So the Prince’s Mansion was truly destitute. Was she, the dignified Pavilion Master of Yongming Pavilion, about to marry a poor, crippled weakling? Or perhaps a cruel, short-tempered pauper?