Chapter 4

The doors and windows were tightly locked, and Ling Yun was trapped in this small room. There were no chairs in the room, so he sat cross-legged on the mat, propping his chin with one hand, and began to seriously consider his current situation. Without a doubt, he was now in the Sui Dynasty. Regardless of the reason, this was probably an unchangeable fact. What he needed to think about now was how to survive here.

First, he needed to consider his identity. Although he had taken on this body, he had not inherited any of its memories. The Gao sisters called him Yi Feng, seemingly convinced that the name on the jade pendant was his. But even if he really was called Yi Feng, he had no idea where the Yi Feng family was. Moreover, he was being forced to marry into the Gao family, and there was no way out. Thinking about this arranged marriage, Ling Yun couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated. A fine young man, and he was being forced to live off his wife's family.

Although Gao Qianxue was quite beautiful, what was with the white hair? He guessed it was probably a disease, possibly albinism. Otherwise, with the Gao family's status, it would be unlikely for them to force a stranger into marriage. Even if he had indeed had some physical contact with her when he saved her, the ancients had their own ways of dealing with such situations, like a brother-in-law helping a drowning sister-in-law. The Gao family couldn't be unaware of this. The only explanation was that Gao Qianxue, due to her condition, couldn't find a husband, so they were forcing him to marry her.

If this were in the modern era, the Gao family would be considered a minor aristocratic family, and marrying into such a family wouldn't be too stressful. But what time was it now? The eighteenth year of the Kaihuang era. If his memory served him right, the status of a赘婿 (zhuixu, a man who marries into his wife's family) in this era was quite low. History books mentioned that in the Qin and Han dynasties, a赘婿 was almost equivalent to a household servant. Because he married into the wife's family, he was called a赘婿. Poor people who were pledged to wealthy families and couldn't redeem themselves were often forced to marry into the family. They had low status, were shaved of their hair, and were often sent to serve on the frontier. The government of the Qin and Han dynasties treated赘婿 as criminals, merchants, and corrupt officials, considering them to be of low status and often conscripting them to serve on the frontier.

By the time of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, although the law requiring赘婿 to serve on the frontier was abolished, their status did not improve.

In the Sui Dynasty, the military did not accept赘婿 or entertainers and merchants, as they only wanted sons from respectable families, and赘婿 did not qualify.

Not only was the social status of a赘婿 low, but their status within the family was also very low. When a man married into his wife's family, although he no longer had to shave his head, any sons he had would take his wife's surname and live in her family. He would consider her parents as his own, and any children he had would take her surname and continue her family line. In many places, after marriage, the man would even have to change his surname to his wife's. The wedding ceremony for a赘婿 was also different from a regular wedding, and in some places, a marriage contract had to be signed, clearly stating the obligations of the赘婿, such as the children taking the wife's surname and continuing her family line.

Sigh, in ancient times, most people were unwilling to become a赘婿.

Tomorrow was the day of the wedding, and he might even have to sign a contract of servitude. Ling Yun was extremely depressed, thinking to himself, should he run away? He really wanted to see Gao Qianxue again, feeling that she was not as unreasonable as Gao Mingyue and should be a reasonable person. Unfortunately, the Gao family had rushed the preparations, and according to tradition, the bride and groom could not see each other the day before the wedding.

In another courtyard of the Gao family estate, the soon-to-be bride, Gao Qianxue, was kneeling on a mat. Gao Mingyue, dressed in purple, was kneeling at her side, and several elderly men and women were also kneeling in the room.

"Uncle Qian, is his injury not serious?"

"Yes, Master Yi's injuries looked severe, but none of them were life-threatening. He was treated in time and is now out of danger. His body is quite strong, and with proper rest, he will be fine." Uncle Qian, the old doctor of the Gao family estate, was highly skilled. Ling Yun had several arrow and knife wounds, and after being in the river and the cold wind, he was treated by Uncle Qian and was now fully recovered. "Miss, this Master Yi seems to be no ordinary person."

"Uncle Qian, do you think he really forgot, or...?"

"From his appearance, he doesn't seem to be lying. There have been cases in the past where people with head injuries forgot their past, which is not uncommon. Generally, some people recover their memory over time, while others never do. In most cases, whether or not they recover their memory does not affect their health."

"Gao Yi, how did your investigation in Yangzhou go?" Gao Qianxue turned to ask the warrior Gao Yi.

"I sent people to investigate in various counties of Yangzhou, even to the west in Hezhou and across the river in Jiangzhou, but we found no family with the surname Yi that had a member named Yi Feng. We also investigated the Ling family but found no one named Ling Yun. It's as if he suddenly appeared, and no one had seen anyone with his appearance before."

Gao Mingyue, unconvinced, said, "That's impossible. The guy has a distinguished appearance, and his clothes are not ordinary. The jade he carries is something only a member of a noble family would have. Uncle Qian also said he had trained in martial arts. He must be from a noble family, so why can't we find out his identity?"

"Perhaps he is not from the south. I noticed he has a northern accent, so he might be from the north," the old steward, Gao Bo, said. "It doesn't matter if we can't find out. It's better for him to stay and marry into the Gao family. Gao Yi, have you noticed any unusual people or new developments in Yangzhou recently?"

"Since I returned, I sent people to investigate near the river, but they found nothing," Gao Yi replied.

"This is strange," Gao Bo said, shaking his head with a serious expression. "This suggests that Master Yi is no ordinary person. The people who injured him must have considerable power and are well-hidden. They don't seem to be local officials or guards, or they wouldn't be so cautious."

"Who injured him?" Gao Mingyue asked.

"Either an enemy who can mobilize officials and guards, or someone from outside or higher up," Gao Bo speculated. This made everyone in the hall look grave. Master Yi seemed to be a hot potato.

Gao Qianxue thought for a moment, "Send more people to investigate further and try to find out his identity. If possible, find out who injured him that day. Uncle Qian, please take good care of his injuries."

After Qian Bo and Gao Bo left, Gao Mingyue accompanied Gao Qianxue back to her room. The sisters were alone in the room, and they remained silent for a long time.

"Sister, are you really going to marry him?"

"What, wasn't it you who first suggested he marry into the Gao family and threatened to kill him if he refused?" Gao Qianxue sat in front of the mirror, removing her hairpin and letting her long hair fall. Her hair, a waterfall of white, shone brightly.

"But, Master Yi's identity is quite complicated, and he might not be a good choice," Gao Mingyue said carefully. She didn't quite understand Qianxue's thoughts. She had already investigated the incident of the fall into the river and knew it was not an accident. Although she had sealed the mouths of those who knew, the truth was the truth. "Sister, have you been in pain recently?"

Gao Qianxue combed her hair with a brush, her pale face calm.

"Yes."

After a pause, she continued, "After that incident, I suddenly understood a lot. The past twenty years have been too exhausting. I just want to live a few days of ease, like an ordinary woman." She sighed softly, "Since birth, my white hair and eyebrows have been considered inauspicious. People have always looked at me with strange eyes. But that day, when he saved me from the river, he looked at me without any prejudice. For the first time, I felt like a normal woman. Mingyue, at twenty, I also want to marry and have children, to be a complete woman."

Gao Mingyue felt a pang of sadness and hugged her, "Sister, don't say anymore. If you want to marry, we'll make him marry you tomorrow and have a bunch of children. Don't worry, Uncle Qian is a skilled doctor and will ensure your happiness."

Gao Qianxue smiled slightly and hugged Gao Mingyue, "Do you think I'm being selfish, and that he might hate me?"

"As long as you're happy, who cares? After tomorrow, he will be yours."

The two sisters laughed together. Gao Qianxue clutched her silver hair, thinking, Master Yi, please forgive my selfishness and capriciousness this time. Since you pulled me back from the brink of death and don't find my inauspicious appearance repulsive, and we have already had physical contact, please help me one more time, so I am no longer alone and can be a complete woman. Although your identity is complicated and might involve the Gao family, I am willing to protect you.

She raised her head, her eyes filled with hope, in one more day, I will marry you!

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