After My Father's Master Took a Fancy to Me (The Subordinate's Youngest Daughter)

Qin Yan first met Qing E beneath Tongxin Bridge.

The moon shone like frost, and the lanterns lit the night like day.

The young woman brushed back the loose hair by her temple, revealing a pointed chin like a lotus bud. Her blush spread all the way to her earlobes, a vivid red that seemed to seep into her very bones.

A man stood beside her, her lover, upright as a pine. They were a strikingly handsome couple, a perfect match in looks and talent.

His attendant chuckled. "What a coincidence, we ran into the treasured daughter of Captain Yin. Looks like wedding bells are about to ring."

Captain Yin was Qin Yan's subordinate. He had only ever heard that the man had a son, never a daughter, so Qin Yan couldn't help asking about the young woman's background.

The attendant looked a little awkward. "Her background is complicated. They say her mother was the daughter of one of Captain Yin's subordinates. The captain took a fancy to her and forcibly brought her home. It was a truly disgraceful thing to do, and the Old Marquis severely punished him for it."

Qin Yan's gaze lingered on Qing E's smiling face. He gently turned his slender fingers over a green jade thumb ring and said with a warm smile:

"Taking a subordinate's daughter by force was indeed improper."

If he were the one doing it, he would make sure every detail was proper and every step carefully arranged.

*

Qing E first met Qin Yan beneath Tongxin Bridge, too.

Her lover had broken off their engagement, her father was in prison, and a wastrel was pursuing her relentlessly. With every support taken from her, her future had turned bleak.

Snowflakes drifted down.

Someone held a jade-boned umbrella over her, shielding her from the wind and snow.

The man stood tall and straight, dressed in embroidered robes, every detail neat and proper.

"I am the Marquis of Jingyuan, your father's superior. Whatever troubles you have, I will see them settled."

*

The Marquis of Jingyuan was a good man. He preserved her dignity and helped her escape the attentions of the man who coveted her. Qing E was overwhelmed with gratitude, but had no idea how to repay him.

One day, she happened to hear that the Marquis of Jingyuan wanted nothing for himself, save one regret: he wanted a child, but suffered from a strange affliction that caused him to break out in a rash whenever he touched a woman. As a result, he had neither wife nor concubine, and no hope of having children.

Qing E realized that she was the only woman whose touch did not make him break out in a rash.

To repay his kindness, Qing E knelt before him, her shoulders bowed and knees bent, and begged him to take pity on her.

"Qing E is willing to ease the Marquis of Jingyuan's worries and bear him a child. I only ask that you save my mother."

And so they shared a bed.

Night after night, the Marquis of Jingyuan gave her fertility medicine, gently reassuring her. "Your heart belongs to someone else. I cannot bear to see you waste your youth by my side. Once you have borne me a child, I will let you go."

But spring turned to autumn, and Qing E still did not conceive.

Desperate, she secretly went to see a doctor. He told her, "Madam, judging by your pulse, what you drink every night isn't fertility medicine. It's a contraceptive decoction."

Qing E was thunderstruck. She left in a daze, then turned and found herself meeting his gentle gaze.

He chuckled softly and closed in on her step by step.

"Qing E, I never wanted a child. I wanted you."

P.S.:

1. One couple, both devoted only to each other, happy ending. The male lead is ten years older than the female lead.

2. This story was inspired by Notes from the Thatched Abode of Close Observations, Volume 13, Miscellaneous Records from Huaixi (III): "A man took his slave's daughter as a concubine. The slave was unwilling, but powerless to object. The man was a member of the Banner, and he too had a master. Later, the concubine bore a daughter, who was fourteen or fifteen when her beauty caught her master's attention, and he took her as a concubine as well. She was unwilling, but powerless to object. With a sigh, he said, 'Had this girl never been born, this would never have happened.' His wife replied, 'If you hadn't taken so-and-so's daughter, this girl would never have been born.' He was left dumbfounded and ashamed."

Theme: Pursue positive and upright values.