When a Shrew Marries a Spoiled Brat

When Mu Tinglan was three, her father remarried. He still did his duty as a father, more or less, but his heart had gradually begun to turn toward his other sons and daughters.

Mu Tinglan's maternal grandfather was the prefect of Yangzhou, so she secretly ran away to stay with him. The prefect's residence gained a lovely, charming young lady.

They say that one day, when the young lady went out for a stroll, the wind lifted one corner of her veiled hat, and a wealthy young master caught a glimpse of her. After that, he insisted he would marry no one else and even came to pester her every day. Years later, after Mu Tinglan slapped him, he was still too frightened to take a wife.

Sheng Yu was Yangzhou's number-one wastrel, spending his days teasing cats and walking dogs instead of doing anything worthwhile. One day, he heard that his good friend had been beaten up and vowed to get revenge. But when he arrived with dozens of men ready for a fight, he discovered his opponent was a girl. Blushing, he still put on a tough front: “If you've got the nerve, fight me!” The girl looked delicate and easy to bully, but her slap landed on his face without the slightest hesitation.

From then on, Mu Tinglan and Sheng Yu became sworn enemies. Sheng Yu especially loved teasing the young lady, coaxing her into playing with him even when the handprint on his face had yet to fade.

Sheng Yu and Mu Tinglan became engaged in the sixth month of the thirteenth year of Qianjing.

In the third month of that year, large quantities of Wushi Powder were discovered hidden among the Sheng family's goods. Sheng Yu's uncle, who was in the capital, was exposed as a rebel. In an instant, the Sheng family was no more in Yangzhou, and Sheng Yu became a lowly slave anyone could trample underfoot.

In the seventh month of the thirteenth year of Qianjing, the Sheng family and the prefect's residence broke off the engagement. The young lady still spoke in her soft, sweet voice as she said the words Sheng Yu would never forget for the next eight years: “Let's call off the engagement!”