[Marriage before love] [Childhood sweethearts]
Word came from the palace that the Empress Dowager intended to betroth the third young lady of the neighboring Zhongyong Marquis household to the Duke of Wei's household.
Xie Zhao had just returned from the government office when he saw Third Miss Feng climbing over the wall into his home, crying so hard she looked like a pear blossom in the rain. "Second Brother, I refuse to marry that fool from the Duke of Wei's household! Please think of something, quick!"
Looking at his former little sidekick in such a pitiful state,
Xie Zhao steeled himself and told his family that he would never marry anyone but Feng Lingji in this life.
On their wedding night, they slept fully clothed.
Feng Lingji, eyes brimming with tears, praised his noble character.
The next day, he fell for his mother's trick and drank the medicinal wine she gave him. Feng Lingji wept as she rescued him, making Xie Zhao feel even more ashamed.
A little over a month after their wedding, Xie Zhao had become famous at the Crown Prince's residence as a henpecked husband.
When his good friends teased him, Xie Zhao defended himself righteously. "My wife is gentle by nature. If I don't look out for her, she'll only suffer for it."
Another six months passed, and Feng Lingji placed second in the imperial examination. She was worn out by all the exams required to secure a position in the Hanlin Academy.
Xie Zhao took care of the household accounts and managed their social engagements.
He even took charge of several shops that Feng's family had included in her dowry.
Several of the Feng family's married daughters sat together to drink. Feng Lingji looked the best of them all. She downed three large cups, then played drinking games and composed poems with everyone, winning more money than anyone else at the table.
At dusk, their husbands came to collect them. The moment before, Third Miss Feng had been strutting around with great authority. Now she wilted like a frost-struck flower, whining sweetly that she'd been coaxed into drinking too much, that her head hurt and her chest felt tight.
Her husband, the Third Son-in-Law, was so worried that he didn't care who was watching. He was ready to carry her home and call a doctor.
Theme: Live toward the light and keep warmth in your heart.
