Republican-era | Crime investigation | Mystery | Romance
In the thirteenth year of the Republic, snow fell especially hard in Tianjin.
Gu Chinien sat in a bridal sedan lined with red silk, her fingertips tracing the gold-thread embroidery along the edge of the curtain. The cold had stiffened her fingers, but it was nothing compared to the chill in her heart. The suona horns pierced the blizzard, making her ears ring. She lifted one corner of the curtain and glimpsed the crowds lining both sides of the street. Who in Tianjin wouldn’t come out to watch the Shen family’s wedding? After all, the bride was the third daughter of the Gu family, said to be afraid even of killing a chicken, while the groom was the warlord Shen, who commanded a powerful army and had killed countless people.
“Have you heard? The Gu family was forced into this. One word from Commander Shen, and the old master of the Gu family dropped to his knees on the spot.”
“Shh! Keep your voice down! Have you forgotten what the eldest young master Shen is capable of? That business association chairman who refused to obey him died suddenly in his own study the very next day.”
“Poor Miss Gu. I hear she’s only seventeen. Once she marries into that family, I’m afraid…”
