When the imperial edict came down, I was watering my father's extremely precious pot of orchid. My father, the Imperial Grand Master Gu Xiu, known as "Gu Xiang", was taken away from the study room by the Imperial Army half an hour ago on charges of collaborating with the enemy and treason. The evidence is conclusive and the case is ironclad. The bright yellow satin unfolded before my eyes, and the high-pitched voice hit my ears word by word. "The treacherous minister's daughter, Gu Shi Qingyan, is specially given to marry Shen Tingzhou, the general of Zhenbei. The marriage will be completed today. I express my gratitude to you." In an instant, the servants in the courtyard knelt even lower and buried their heads in the ground, for fear of getting into the bad luck of me, the treacherous minister's daughter. It's not beheading, it's not exile, it's not being sent to the Jiaofang Department. But a marriage.
