My Lady Says She Wants to Marry Me - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“The weather is perfect today, and with the sun out, it’s a good day for a spring outing.” Su Wanrou sat in her carriage; she had made an appointment to head out of the city to see the apricot blossoms.

Dressed in a pink-and-white long dress, she leaned her chin on her hand, leisurely watching the bustling streets through the carriage curtain.

“Would Miss like some tea?” Her maid, Liu Qing, carefully handed her a cup of tea that was just cool enough to drink.

Su Wanrou glanced over, took the cup, and sipped elegantly. She leaned back against the carriage wall, softly humming a Jiangnan folk tune. Her mood was cozy and bright; it had been far too long since she had stepped out of the house.

“Miss, aren’t you worried at all?” Liu Qing looked at her mistress, tilting her head in distress.

“What’s the use of worrying? Father is dead-set on marrying me off. What can I do?” Su Wanrou set down her teacup, a flicker of coldness passing through her eyes.

“Sigh.”

Liu Qing couldn’t understand it. Her mistress was so wonderful, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She could care for her younger brother and manage the entire household’s affairs, having solved so many troubles for the Master—and yet, the Master was so desperate to marry her off.

Liu Qing gritted her teeth in rage. Even high officials in their fifties or sixties were within the Master’s range of consideration. It was absolutely sickening. She felt that the Master had changed completely ever since the Madam passed away. If not for the support of the mistress’s maternal family, she might have already been married off as a successor wife to some random stranger. Now, as things stood, no decent family would even come to propose.

Su Wanrou herself was quite open-minded about it; she was actually happy not to marry. This was because her old father had leaked her natal horoscope prediction: “Flowers bloom in the courtyard, yet she rests not within the home; her beauty is celestial, yet she shall never have a husband.”

Once this prophecy was out, her “beloved” father locked her in the estate. The phrase “rests not within the home” (implying a lack of chastity or domesticity) was enough to ruin her reputation entirely. But this suited her fine. She had seen too many unfaithful and fickle men; she had no patience to serve anyone else.

As the scenery outside grew repetitive, she pulled down the curtain. “Wake me when we arrive.” She leaned back and, without realizing it, drifted off to sleep to the rhythmic creak-creak of the wheels.

Nearly an hour later, the carriage arrived. The moment Su Wanrou stepped out, she was captivated by the apricot blossoms covering the mountains. Beautiful—simply too beautiful!

Behind her veiled hat, her eyes sparkled with smiles, and her gloom vanished. She walked with a light step, followed by seven or eight servants, strolling beneath the trees. This entire grove was planted by the Yuming Taoist Temple on Mount Wangcheng, providing a small livelihood for the nearby villages.

“Miss, these blossoms are so lovely.”

“Mm, they are quite nice.” Su Wanrou stood under a secluded tree near a small stone bridge over a stream. The soft pink wasn’t an intense red, yet it was enchanting.

“Shall we stop here, Miss?” Liu Qing asked. Su Wanrou nodded. The servants quickly set up their belongings and arranged a wind-blocking curtain.

“Please sit, Miss.” Liu Qing helped Su Wanrou onto a low stool and lit a small red-clay stove to boil water for tea.

Su Wanrou quietly admired the scenery, unaware that she was the scenery in someone else’s eyes.

On a massive apricot tree leaning against the hillside, where the blossoms grew thickest, a person was lying on a branch. This person had a cold, sharp, and handsome brow—the kind of look that said they were not to be trifled with. Dressed in crisp green robes, they were tucked away in the branches, almost invisible unless one looked closely.

The two of them enjoyed their respective views, neither disturbing the other.

A cool, dry breeze swept through the grove. The trees swayed in unison, sending snow-white petals fluttering down. The fragrance was intoxicating, and the white blossoms were reflected in the water.

Su Wanrou looked up at the petals drifting in the wind. One landed on her hand. She gazed at the rootless petal; it was like her, with nowhere to truly belong.

She turned her hand over, letting the petal fall. At that moment, the wind caught her white veil, revealing her peerless face.

In the tree, Lu Youming’s heart suddenly began to thud wildly.

“Is this what an ancient noble lady looks like? She’s stunning,” Lu Youming thought, staring wide-eyed at the beauty by the bridge. She had never seen such a delicate, melancholic beauty before—someone who tried so hard to hide her sorrow. This was far more captivating than any modern beauty.

Lu Youming was quietly admiring her when, suddenly, the beauty took a wrong step and tumbled straight toward the river.

“Holy crap! Someone save her!” Lu Youming shouted in shock. She slid down the tree with lightning speed and sprinted toward the bank.

With a splash, Lu Youming dove into the river and swam toward Su Wanrou.

Su Wanrou was beyond speechless. She never imagined her luck would be this bad—to actually trip and fall! Heavens, how could I be so clumsy? She couldn’t open her eyes underwater; bubbles rose as she gasped, and her mind began preparing her last will and testament.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her from behind, and her waist was hoisted up. Su Wanrou was wondering who had saved her when she saw the heroic, spirited face of Lu Youming.

Only one thought flashed through her mind: My future husband has appeared. I’m getting married!

Three minutes later, Lu Youming dragged Su Wanrou onto the bank. Liu Qing stared agape at her mistress being carried back. Only one thought occupied the maid’s mind: It’s over!

Trembling, she wrapped a cloak around Su Wanrou and ordered the male servants to leave. She looked at Lu Youming with a complicated expression. “Thank you, brave warrior, for saving my mistress. Might I ask your name?”

Lu Youming glanced at her and said two words succinctly: “Surname’s Lu.”

She wrung out her wet clothes, preparing to leave. She hadn’t saved the girl for a reward. Just as she turned to go, Su Wanrou spoke up: “Benefactor, please stay.”

“What is it?” Lu Youming turned back. The pale beauty looked even more enchanting now, like a “willow swaying in the wind.”

“Liu Qing, wait for me nearby. I have something to say to the Benefactor,” Su Wanrou said weakly.

Liu Qing nodded. She knew what her mistress had to say. She bowed to Lu Youming and stepped away. Since the mistress had had intimate physical contact with an unrelated man, she was destined to marry this “warrior.” Oh, my poor mistress, she lamented.

The two drenched figures stood facing each other. For a moment, neither spoke. The damp breeze shook the trees, sending white petals dancing through the air.

Lu Youming stood straight, her eyes lowered to avoid staring, which made Su Wanrou feel a bit relieved.

“Why isn’t she saying anything? It’s March, and this wind is freezing,” Lu Youming thought, catching a glimpse of the beauty seemingly searching for words. She waited patiently.

Su Wanrou looked at Lu Youming, unsure how to begin. Was she really supposed to say: “You have to marry me”? No matter how she thought about it, it sounded bizarre. But she was discouraged—her future husband looked quite handsome, but how was she supposed to say it?!

On the outside, Su Wanrou looked frail, her small frame shivering in the wind. Lu Youming felt a pang of pity. “Do you need something from me?”

Su Wanrou looked up at her and finally played her trump card: “Benefactor, when will you come to my house to propose marriage?”

Lu Youming’s eyes nearly popped out. What are you saying? Did I hear that right? She poked her ear, fearing she had misheard.

Su Wanrou took a deep breath and said seriously, “We have had physical contact. Now, other than marrying you, my only option is to go up the mountain and become a nun.”

“There’s such a good deal in life?” Lu Youming blurted out in disbelief.

“There is, and you just stumbled into it,” Su Wanrou couldn’t help but retort.

“Cough. Look, if you don’t say anything and I don’t say anything, no one has to know I saved you.” Lu Youming tried to tactfully persuade her not to throw her life away on a stranger. She wrung out her dripping sleeves, mentally criticizing feudal society. Saving a life means you have to get married? That’s so unfair. Feudal etiquette really ruins people.

“Do you think we are the only people in this apricot grove? By tomorrow, this incident will have spread far and wide.” Su Wanrou sighed. She knew the method Lu Youming suggested, but it simply wouldn’t work.

“But I’m just a penniless hunter with nothing to my name. You’re clearly a lady from a wealthy family. How could you marry me?” Lu Youming revealed her “status.” She didn’t think poorly of herself, but their social standings were worlds apart.

“Who told us to have physical contact?” Su Wanrou’s sentence blocked all exits. Since it had happened, there was no escaping it.

Lu Youming and Su Wanrou sighed in unison. Finally, they decided to inform their respective elders first.

Lu Youming, being alone in this ancient world, had no family. Her best bet was to go up the mountain and ask the Taoist priest who saved her about this “Su Family” and see what kind of power they held.