One Wife, Multiple Husbands – Part One

She was firmly attached to a chair in the room, unable to retreat or move, wanting to attract attention but finding that no one could hear or see her. Since dying of consumption and her soul leaving her body, her mind had been muddled, only becoming slightly clear a few minutes ago, concentrating and curiously examining her surroundings. The room was bright, filled with luxurious and magnificent splendor, clearly belonging to a wealthy or noble family. A red double happiness character was pasted on the south wall, below which was an antique wooden table with a pair of red candles burning brightly. Facing her was a moon-shaped door, and beyond that was a dazzling red bridal bed with a gauzy canopy, on which sat a bride covered with a veil, whose slender figure suggested she was quite young. This was the wedding chamber of a wealthy family! But, but, it didn’t seem like a modern setting. She didn’t see a single synthetic fiber product or any hint of modern atmosphere. What was going on? Was she dreaming, or had she wandered into a film and television production group? Creak! The door opened, and a purple-clad young girl entered, heading directly to the bride on the bed. The bride sensed the movement and first lifted a corner of her veil, looking surprised at the purple-clad girl. The purple-clad girl suddenly pounced, pressing the bride down, and the bride’s red embroidered shoes kept kicking, but soon stopped moving. The purple-clad girl got up from the bed, looking at the “corpse” and feeling frightened. She ran out of the bridal chamber in a panic, knocking over a chair in her haste. But no one saw a ray of light bounce from the overturned chair, shooting straight to the motionless bride and entering her body, then disappearing. Time passed quietly, about ten minutes later. A handsome man entered the room, holding a food box. Seeing the bride’s strange posture, he was somewhat surprised. The young lady had always been dignified and gentle, when had she ever been so improper? “Young Miss, today is your wedding day. How can you be asleep? The groom is still entertaining guests in the front yard. If he comes back and sees this, it will be disrespectful.” The man placed the food box on the side table and went to set the overturned chair upright. “Young Miss!” When he raised his voice to call her, the bride still didn’t move, causing him to panic. He rushed over and embraced her, calling out. The bride seemed to sense something, slowly opened her eyes, moving her gaze around to explore, then landing on the man, and uttering a few hoarse words: “Mo… Moqi?” “Yes!” The man thought she was calling him and responded casually, his face showing concern: “Why is your voice so hoarse? Are you catching a cold?” The bride paid no attention to his words, just staring blankly. She raised a delicate hand to touch her face, then slowly moved down, touching her neck, chest, stopping at her tiny waist. Her eyes looked like she was pondering or verifying something. “Young Miss, what’s wrong?” The man noticed scratch marks on her neck, but it was too dark in the gauzy canopy to see clearly, so he leaned in to observe… But at this moment, the bride lowered her head and blocked his view with her hand, her eyes obscure: “It’s the wedding night, and we’re alone in this room. It wouldn’t be good if the new husband sees. Moqi, you should go.” “The groom is still entertaining guests in the front yard and won’t come back so soon. Besides, I’m a servant who takes care of you. Even if the groom sees, he can’t blame me.” Moqi picked up a rose cake from the food box and offered it: “Young Miss must be hungry. You haven’t eaten all day. Have something to eat first.” The bride took the rose cake, still urging: “I know how to eat. You should go quickly!” She indeed felt hungry, raising her hand to eat the rose cake bit by bit. “This marriage was forced by the Ye family. When the groom comes later, Young Miss must not anger him. Let me spend some silver to get information from the Qin family’s servants so we can be prepared.” The bride thought he was quite capable and felt more at ease. Having such a loyal servant to help would make her feel less alone. Moqi stood up, noticed the bride’s messy hair, and reached out to tidy it: “Young Miss, when you share the bridal chamber with the groom later, try to endure it. I heard… I heard a woman’s first time is very painful.” The bride looked at him in surprise: “I know.” Moqi picked up the teapot on the table, found the tea was still warm, poured a cup, and placed it within her reach. His eyes showed a mix of attachment and sadness, and he sighed, walking towards the door. After the man left and closed the door, the bride finally relaxed, knowing how nervous she was. She slightly closed her eyes, filtering through the remaining information in her mind. First, she knew her name was Ye Hui, and her soon-to-be husband was called Qin Yuhang. The woman who attacked her was named Qian Zhengmei, but she didn’t understand what grudge existed between them. The information in her mind was chaotic and incomplete, perhaps because the original soul left too quickly to take everything with her, leaving behind just enough for her to use.