After the young general Zhao Yan won a great battle, he asked the emperor to arrange his marriage: "Your Majesty, I have long been in love with the daughter of Minister Xie. I beg you to grant my wish."
The emperor gladly agreed, gave him a mansion, and made him Marquis of Subei.
I, his fiancée, was sitting below the dais. In an instant, I became the laughingstock of the entire capital.
The next day, Pei Quan, the young master of the Duke's household, arrived at my home with a matchmaker and countless betrothal gifts to ask for my hand. I accepted.
I was married to Pei Quan for six years, and he treated me wonderfully, cherishing me with all his heart.
Everyone said Duke Pei loved his wife more than life itself.
At a banquet, one of Pei Quan's friends asked him, "Pei Quan, I hear Xie Jiaojiao has become the first woman ever to teach at Bailu Academy. You really went to great lengths for her, even marrying her older sister. Was it worth it? If you love her so much, why not just marry her?"
Pei Quan drained his cup, his voice full of bitterness and regret. "Jiaojiao is innocent by nature and comes from a humble family. The Duke's household has been prestigious for generations, but that makes it a target. I didn't want her caught up in schemes and vile affairs."
"As long as Jiaojiao lives her life in peace, what difference does it make whom I marry?"
So all that talk of a harmonious marriage and a loving couple had been a lie.
And so I decided to leave for a distant land.
From then on, we would never meet again, no matter how far apart we were.
