As the girl finished her last sip of tea and was about to pay with the copper coins from her sleeve, she overheard someone say, “The entire Baochang Inn was rented out a couple of days ago.”
“Who could afford that?”
“Hehe, the Di family from Luoyang.”
“The Di family, famous for handling the imperial garden’s flowers and plants?”
“Indeed. Their eldest daughter is of marriageable age… her eldest brother came directly to the Jun mansion a couple of days ago.”
“Are these two families about to form an alliance through marriage?”
“Who among the eligible young ladies wouldn’t want to marry the young master…”
“Hey, has this matter been settled?”
“This was told by my distant relative working at the Jun mansion; whether it’s settled or not, how would he know…”
The girl passed by their table, couldn’t help but smile faintly. She had heard about the visit from the Di family’s young master, but since Jun Yian was not at the mansion, the matter was left unresolved.
From a corner of the teahouse, a woman’s sigh was heard: “Having seen the gentleman, how can one not be pleased?” Indeed… having seen the gentleman, how can one not be pleased? Originally a refined phrase not much appreciated by the jianghu, it has now become well-known because of this young master. The gentleman they speak of is none other than the current young master of Cangzhou’s Jun mansion, Jun Yian.
Chapter One: The Hour of the Tiger
Cangzhou. The back garden of the Jun mansion was where the family members resided. The Jun family, being part of the martial world, traditionally paid little heed to gender segregation. However, with the death of the previous head of the mansion just a year ago, and the young master not yet married and seldom at home, the mansion was currently occupied by the concubines of the former master. The steward had ordered several old women to patrol the doors of each room every night.
That night, there was a light rain, and due to the winter, the city was enveloped in a cold mist. A woman’s scream suddenly pierced the night’s silence, like a sharp light cutting through the tranquility, waking up the entire mansion.
