Love's Debt Comes Knocking - Chapter 8

The wife of Tao Zhen and mother of Tao Yuan is none other than Cui Yue, the eldest daughter of the prestigious Qinghe Cui clan, renowned throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty two decades ago for her exceptional character and beauty.

Within the Tao household, the servants generally refer to her as “Madam,” while outside, scholars and literati respectfully address her as “Madam Cui.”

In August, the golden osmanthus blooms, filling the air with fragrance.

As Cui Yue delights in the scent of osmanthus, the entire Fenqin Courtyard is permeated with a sweet, refreshing aroma during this season.

Along the long, smooth cobblestone path, the maidservant accompanying Madam Cui walks ahead, with Tao Yuan trailing two steps behind, her thin lips pressed together, lost in unknown thoughts.

Passing through one moon gate after another, a century-old osmanthus tree stands silently in the breeze. The maidservant halts and says, “Eldest Miss, please.”

Beyond this point lies Madam’s private domain, where no outsiders are permitted to disturb.

For a moment, the wind stills, and the tree falls silent. Tao Yuan steps forward calmly.

A few bright, golden osmanthus flowers drift down sporadically from the tree. Beneath it sits a low wooden table, and a stunningly intricate and vibrant dress drapes over the graceful figure of a beautiful woman.

Cui Yue is brewing tea.

Her long hair is tied up with a pearwood hairpin. Every gesture and movement carries the dignified elegance of a noblewoman—reserved, graceful, and with a hint of cool aloofness in her smile, proud yet unyielding.

Tao Yuan stops three steps away, gazing intently for a long while until her eyes grow warm and sore. She then folds her sleeves and bows. “Mother.”

“You’re back?”

“Yes.”

“Did he strike you?”

Tao Yuan looks slightly uncomfortable, her eyes fixed on her mother’s slender, pale fingers. “It’s fine, it didn’t hurt much.”

“Didn’t hurt much?” Cui Yue chuckles softly. “Why stand so far away? Come sit closer. Let me take a good look at you.”

“Yes.”

Mother and daughter sit facing each other across the table. Tao Yuan’s posture is rigidly proper, so much so that Cui Yue glances at her and smiles again. “Do you know what you did wrong?”

Her father had asked the same question, to which she replied, “I don’t know,” earning her a strike with the ruler.

Father is father, mother is mother. In her mother’s presence, Tao Yuan replies calmly, “I know. He struck me because he was angry that I trusted others too easily and fell into a trap. Before I am Tao Yuan, I am first and foremost the eldest daughter of the Tao family, the best bargaining chip for forging alliances between clans. I lost my chastity to someone, tarnishing the Tao family’s reputation and ruining his plans.”

“You speak so logically. Since you know, why didn’t you say so?”

“I couldn’t be bothered.”

Cui Yue chides lightly, “You’re asking for a beating.”

Tao Yuan glances at her quickly. “Whether I speak or not, I’ll still be beaten.”

“…”

What happened in the main hall could not escape Cui Yue’s notice. Hearing her daughter speak of “losing her chastity to someone,” the warmth in her eyes fades, and her tone turns cold. “Tao Zheng dared to harm you. Why did you let her return alive?”

The breeze brushes past the fragrant shoulders of the mother and daughter. Tao Yuan replies indifferently, “I wanted to strangle her, but Han Chan stopped me. Besides, Miao Concubine’s people were watching closely, so it wasn’t a good time to act.”

“Incompetent and causing more trouble!”

These words are naturally not directed at Tao Yuan, who remains kneeling silently.

Cui Yue was never one for many words in her youth, yet her daughter turned out even more reticent than her. She studies the blossoming grace in her daughter’s eyes and brows and asks, “Who was it with?”

The question slices through the storm of that night like a knife. The memory of fragmented, fervent kisses seems to fall upon her once more. Tao Yuan stares blankly at the osmanthus flowers trembling in the wind, and after a long while, slowly parts her vermilion lips. “An innocent passerby.”

A passerby?

Though she doesn’t believe this explanation, Cui Yue doesn’t press further.

After drinking half a cup of tea with her mother, Tao Yuan is ushered out of Fenqin Courtyard.

“Eldest Miss?”

Han Chan looks at her with a face full of guilt.

Upon returning home and witnessing it firsthand, she finally understood that the head of the family truly did not care about the fate of the second young lady.

If not for her intervention, they could have easily pinned the label of “losing her chastity and suffering humiliation” on the second young lady, who had “chosen to die by bashing her head to preserve her honor.”

After all, the dead cannot speak.

But the second young lady returned alive to the capital, openly breaking ties with the main branch.

Now, all sorts of rumors were spreading in Luoyang City. Some said that on the day the Wuti City embankment collapsed, the eldest daughter of the Tao family was assaulted by rioters, while others claimed she was defiled by a burly beggar.

Words are formidable, and gossip spreads like wildfire. Han Chan felt too guilty to lift her head.

Tao Yuan turned her gaze toward the tranquil and elegant Fenqin Courtyard, her palms open, sweat seeping through her fingers.

There was a time when she and her mother were not like this. In her childhood, her mother would count the stars in the sky with her and affectionately call her “Sweet Fruit.”

She would call, and her mother would answer.

But as she came of age, her mother distanced herself from her, as if raising a child was merely a responsibility that could be shrugged off once the child grew up.

Tao Yuan envied the mother-daughter bond between Tao Zheng and Aunt Miao. If only… if only her mother had asked a few more questions? Asked if she had been mistreated?

Did she truly not worry or care at all?

A heavy sense of melancholy weighed on Tao Yuan’s chest, though she showed no sign of it on her face. She walked away calmly and steadily.

Born into the Tao family, as a daughter, she felt no desire to be close to her father—she simply couldn’t be bothered. But with her mother, it was the opposite: she longed to be close but dared not.

Marriages among noble families always prioritized interests. Her mother’s marriage to her father was a win-win for both the Cui and Tao families.

Her own marriage would be the same. Wedding someone she did not love, bearing children for them, managing the household, and networking with the wives of other prominent families.

Such marriages were often devoid of love.

Her mother did not love her father, and her father treated her mother with respect and caution.

Lady Cui’s reputation outside the family surpassed that of the Tao family head, so her father took a concubine—the love of his youth.

Aunt Miao, a daughter of a noble family, was deeply in love with her father.

Yet, despite their mutual affection, Tao Zhen still married Cui Yue, and Aunt Miao remained nothing more than a concubine.

Her father was a man who always prioritized interests over emotions, and her mother was outwardly warm but inwardly cold.

Walking back, the wind blew, leaving Tao Yuan feeling lost.

At first, when the incident occurred, she had considered death to defend her chastity. But dying like that would have been too stifling—so stifling it didn’t feel like the daughter of Cui Yue.

Afterward, she thought it might be for the better. Perhaps losing her chastity could grant her a sliver of freedom?

“Still too naive. As the legitimate daughter of the Tao family, what freedom could there possibly be?” Cui Yue smiled as she gazed out the window, though the smile never reached her eyes.

For families like theirs, freedom was reserved for the dead. The living had no such privilege.

The maid by her side had served Cui Yue since before her marriage. Recalling the restrained expression on the eldest young lady’s face as she looked back at Fenqin Courtyard, she felt a pang of sympathy and cautiously said, “Madam, the eldest young lady suffered greatly on this journey.”

Cui Yue’s expression shifted slightly. “How many more years must I coddle her? It’s better to raise her with a cold heart than to let her develop a soft nature, only to have her heart shattered into pieces when she marries into another family.”

Could noble families rely solely on their reputation to endure for a thousand years?

Absurd!

It was built upon the sacrifices of generations, a towering nine-story pagoda. On the day of marriage, who would care whether she was willing or not?

Without her chastity, she was still a Tao. With Tao Zhen’s heartlessness, would he allow his daughter to remain unmarried for life? Don’t be foolish!

On the first day of Tao Yuan’s return, the common folk in the streets and alleys of Luoyang City all pitied this eldest legitimate daughter.

To be fair, Tao Yuan was indeed unlucky. Born into a prestigious family, she was hailed as the foremost talented woman in the imperial capital. Before the age of sixteen, she was renowned for her unparalleled elegance. After sixteen, however, every man she was betrothed to died. None of her four fiancés survived long enough to reach the wedding ceremony.

Her reputation as a husband-killer spread far and wide.

As a result, such a remarkable woman remained unmarried at twenty-six, with no one willing to take the risk.

Who would dare to court death?

Given Tao Yuan’s talent and beauty, there were indeed suitors.

And not just one or two.

But the Tao family’s strategy was to wait for the highest bidder.

Now, however, that plan had been ruined by the second daughter.

In the ancestral hall, Tao Zhen slapped Tao Zheng so hard that her right cheek swelled, nearly knocking out her front teeth.

“You unfilial daughter!”

Tao Zheng knelt on the ground, spat out a mouthful of blood, and grinned at her furious father. “If you injure me, Father, you’ll lose another advantageous marriage alliance.”

Tao Zhen’s face darkened as he waited for her next words.

The second daughter covered her cheek, holding back tears, and kowtowed with her forehead touching the ground. “I am in love with the sixth son of the Xie family. I beg Father to grant my wish.”

The dashing and brilliant Xie Liulang.

At the mention of Xie Liulang, Tao Zhen’s anger gradually subsided. He looked at her coldly. “The sixth son has his eyes on your elder sister.”

“I admit I cannot compare to my sister, but she is no longer a virgin. The Xie family would never accept a defiled daughter-in-law.” A triumphant smile curled at the corner of her lips. “With Father’s capabilities, even a concubine-born daughter should be able to marry a legitimate son, shouldn’t she?”

Xie Liulang was the youngest legitimate son of the Xie family and the most doted upon.

Initially, Tao Zhen had chosen Xie Liu partly with Tao Yuan in mind. Unfortunately, he had been too arrogant, allowing the second branch to seize the opportunity and ruin his plans.

Noble families were proud and stubborn. To ensure the purity of their bloodlines, they only arranged marriages within the five prominent clans and seven great surnames, not even deigning to consider the imperial family. In such an environment, even the emperor took pride in marrying women from influential aristocratic families.

“My sister is ten years older than the sixth son. In terms of age, I am a better match for him. If the family is willing to support me, I am confident I can win him over and become his lawfully wedded wife.”

“Is that what you think?”

Tao Zheng dared not rise, remaining prostrate on the ground. “If one does not act for oneself, heaven and earth will condemn them. I can yield in other matters, but not the one I love.”

She knew her father all too well, and today’s performance undoubtedly made Tao Zhen see his daughter in a new light.

“A concubine-born daughter marrying a legitimate son—you dare to dream.”

Tao Zheng chuckled softly. “I dared to harm my own sister. If I succeed, I will become the daughter-in-law welcomed into the Xie family with an eight-carriage procession. If I fail, it’s just my life at stake. I am your flesh and blood, Father. If you dare to gamble, so do I.”

The ancestral tablets stood solemnly above, the flickering candlelight casting shifting shadows on Tao Zhen’s face.

“Your elder sister may have lost her purity, but she remains the legitimate eldest daughter of the Tao family. Marriage alliances are about mutual benefit between two families. Why do you think the Xie family would abandon the legitimate daughter for a concubine-born one?”

“Because I am pure, and my sister is not. Because Xie Liulang is a man—a man who cares whether his lawful wife is a virgin.”

She smiled innocently. “What man wouldn’t mind if the wife he welcomes into his home has already given herself to another?”

These words inadvertently struck a hidden chord in Tao Zhen’s heart. His face turned cold, and he gazed at his concubine-born daughter for a long time, his eyes dark and unreadable.

“Very well. If you are confident you can handle Xie Liu, the family will give it a try for your sake.”

Tao Zheng prostrated herself and exclaimed, “Thank you, Father!”

In this world, everyone has their own ambitions—some driven by fame, others by profit. Bound by worldly desires and entangled in the complexities of human hearts, no one can truly escape.

Tao Zheng was mistaken about one thing—there truly are men in this world who do not mind marrying a woman who has already been intimate with another man.

And that man is none other than the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Li Chen, who dreams of nothing more than possessing Tao Yuan.

What he offered the Tao family was the position of Noble Consort.

For a thousand-year-old aristocratic family whose influence was so immense that even the emperor had to tread carefully and make concessions, Li Chen considered himself magnanimous and generous. Yet, this grand gesture meant nothing to Tao Zhen.

Tao Zhen rejected the olive branch secretly extended by the emperor, preferring to forge a marriage alliance with the Five Prestigious Families and Seven Great Clans rather than entangle with the imperial household.

Moreover, Li Chen was far too old—a full twelve years older than his daughter.

At such an age, it was obvious Tao Yuan would not be interested.

“Rejected?”

“Rejected. This is reliable news from the eldest young master.”

Tao Yuan indifferently turned a page of her book, her tone laced with sarcasm. “Tao Zheng would stop at nothing to marry Xie Liulang, but why doesn’t she consider whether Xie Liulang would even spare her a glance even if she became his principal wife?”

“Pitiful. After years of bowing and scraping with Madam Miao, they’ve now torn all ties with the main branch. As long as my elder brother lives, they’ll never have it easy. They must have their eyes set on the Xie family’s power.”

Who could deny it? No one had ever noticed how deeply the second young lady had hidden her ambitions.

Han Chan refilled her mistress’s cup with hot tea. “It’s better to have them tear ties openly than to let them lurk like venomous snakes.”

Suddenly remembering something, she lowered her voice. “By the way, Madam Miao has been punished by the madam.”

For the sake of her own future, Tao Zheng had tarnished Tao Yuan’s reputation. A daughter’s debt repaid by her mother—Cui Yue, who had long avoided meddling in affairs, had finally stood up for her daughter.

“Madam Miao’s knees were bruised from kneeling.”

“Is that so?” Tao Yuan drifted off again.

“Young Mistress?”

Tao Yuan rested her chin on her hand, her gaze distant. “A widow, unchaste, and past her prime—Father doesn’t even regard the imperial family highly. What price does he intend to sell me for? Mother has always been strict with me. Did she foresee this day long ago? Even a quiet life seems like an extravagant hope.”

She tossed aside the ancient scroll in her hand. The yellowed pages fluttered open in the wind, scattered like rootless duckweed.

“A life whose end is already in sight—how utterly detestable.”