Chapter 3
Chapter 3
The Xu Clan of Xuanwu City was a family of silk and cloth merchants. They owned ten thousand *mu* of mulberry and cotton fields and were among the wealthiest in the region. The family's young lady, Xu Qianqian, was one of Xuanwu City's greatest beauties, skilled in the zither, Go, calligraphy, and painting. She was renowned as an outstanding lady not just in Xuanwu City, but throughout the entire Nujiang Commandery.
From the age of fifteen, she helped her father manage the family business, proving to be clever and resourceful. By mingling with the daughters of high officials and aristocrats, she smoothly integrated the Xu Clan's business into the upper echelons of Nujiang Commandery society.
As a wealthy young lady of exceptional beauty and talent, Xu Qianqian was the woman many a fine young man dreamed of. So how could she possibly have been paired with the impossibly foolish Shen Lang? Even if he was handsome, their statuses were worlds apart.
A year ago, Xu Qianqian suddenly fell gravely ill with an unexpected disease. Her father summoned every physician in the vicinity, but none could cure her.
Just when they concluded that modern medicine could not solve Xu Qianqian's illness, a Taoist priest appeared from nowhere and requested a private audience with the head of the Xu Clan. The clan head, grasping at straws, met with the wandering priest, who told him his daughter was not sick but possessed by a spirit.
If he wanted to save her, the priest said, he must use a ritual to ward off evil, transferring the misfortune and demonic energy to a son-in-law brought into the family through marriage.
At first, the head of the Xu Clan couldn't believe the wandering priest's words and dismissed them. But as his daughter's life grew more precarious, he tearfully announced he would search all of Nujiang Commandery to find a live-in son-in-law. In normal times, many outstanding men would have competed fiercely for this marriage. Even if Xu Qianqian were to truly die, inheriting the Xu Clan's great wealth meant that becoming a live-in son-in-law was by no means a losing proposition.
However, once word spread that the Xu Clan's purpose in taking a son-in-law was to use him as a scapegoat to transfer Xu Qianqian's evil energy, everyone shied away in fear. No one applied for the position. They loved beauty and money, but they valued their own lives more.
Shen Lang was different. Two years prior, a chance encounter with Xu Qianqian had left him seeing her as a fairy descended from the heavens. It wasn't a simple crush; unlike the other young men, he yearned for her constantly, desperately hoping to meet her again.
After being expelled from the academy and returning home, he spent his days writing characters or drawing in the dirt, most often sketching Xu Qianqian's face. The moment he heard she was gravely ill and needed to marry a man to transfer her demonic energy, he rushed to the Xu Clan without a moment's hesitation. Without consulting his parents at all, he told them he wanted to marry her and become her ward against evil.
Upon hearing the news, his parents and younger brother were shocked and immediately went to the Xu Clan to stop Shen Lang, but by then, he and Xu Qianqian had already held their wedding ceremony. Undeterred, Shen Lang's parents and brother tried to bring him home, but they were driven away by the head of the Xu Clan. The clan head did send the steward of the Xu Estate to deliver fifty gold taels to Shen Lang's father, Shen Wan, but his father reportedly threw the money back, saying he would not take money for selling his son, and chased the steward away. But it changed nothing. And so, Shen Lang became the live-in son-in-law of the Xu Clan.
A poor country boy with a handsome face but a dull mind had married into a powerful family. Shen Lang's reason for becoming the Xu Clan's son-in-law wasn't to gain wealth and glory. It was simply to save the woman of his dreams, Xu Qianqian. Of course, the very idea of warding off evil through marriage was so absurd that perhaps he had acted out of sheer fearlessness.
Strangely enough, after the wedding, Xu Qianqian truly did recover, becoming even more beautiful and vibrant. The entire Xu household couldn't hide their joy at this unbelievable reality.
Shen Lang never claimed credit, spending his days studying, writing, and drawing in his courtyard. The Xu Clan, however, had mixed feelings about him. They were happy that Xu Qianqian had recovered, but a dull-witted country bumpkin like Shen Lang was far too unworthy to be her husband.
Soon, the servants and maids of the Xu Clan began to gossip. Whispers of a poor fool who didn't know his place and was dreaming beyond his station reached Shen Lang's ears, and they no longer bothered to hide their blatant contempt.
The meals brought to him grew progressively worse. At first, it was cold rice; later, it was spoiled rice. Although Shen Lang came from a poor family, he had grown up showered with his parents' love, so the food he ate at the Xu Clan was worse than what he had eaten back home.
Not only his meals, but his sleeping arrangements also suffered. He was forced into the woodshed, where he had to sleep on a blanket laid directly on the ground, without a bed. Despite this, Shen Lang blamed no one. When others bullied him, he simply endured it in silence. It was hard to tell if it was because he was foolish and simple-minded or because of his naturally gentle disposition.
Later, when Xu Qianqian learned of Shen Lang's plight, she sternly reprimanded the servants and attendants. She even issued a stern warning that anyone who mistreated or bullied Shen Lang would be severely punished in the name of the Xu Clan.
And so, Shen Lang was moved back into a room in a splendid garden and was served fine food every day. Xu Qianqian would even visit him from time to time to talk, and for Shen Lang, it felt as though he were living in the realm of the gods.
But even months after the wedding, they never shared a bedroom, nor had he ever so much as touched his wife's finger. Still, Shen Lang was perfectly happy just to see Xu Qianqian and hear her voice.
About half a month ago, however, he suddenly fell gravely ill. Xu Qianqian summoned several renowned doctors, but they could neither treat him nor even diagnose his illness. He grew weaker by the day, his breath fading as if it could stop at any moment. Then, today, he finally drew his last, tragic breath, at which point the soul of Shen Lang from Earth slipped through time and took over his body.
His short life was truly like a drama. A foolish tragedy, at that.
Shen Lang sighed inwardly. He felt a great many things for the Shen Lang of this world, who shared his name and appearance and had lived such a life.
As he continued to think about the departed Shen Lang of this world, he suddenly realized there was something else in his mind besides the memories of two people—something foreign. Just as he focused his mind to search through his thoughts, he heard footsteps outside.
"That useless oaf must be dead by now, right? To think he held on for this long!"
"It's a relief if he is. Otherwise, he'd just be a burden to our young lady."
"I know. A useless, poor country bumpkin daring to covet our precious young lady. How could a man with such a lowly fate handle such good fortune? In the end, his greed ate away at his own life."
"But he must have died happy, don't you think? Our precious young lady looked after him so warmly and cared for him so devotedly every day."
"That's because our young lady is too kind. Talking to that simpleton for an hour every day."
Since Xu Qianqian had declared that anyone who bullied Shen Lang would be thrown out of the Xu Clan, the servants and maids hadn't dared to badmouth him openly. But recently, seeing him on the verge of death and barely able to hear, their audacity had grown.
The servants and maids, who were supposed to check on Shen Lang every hour, opened the door with sneers on their faces.
"Go see if he's stopped breathing."
One of the maids who entered pinched her nose and spoke. A second later, she shrieked in surprise, unable to even look at Shen Lang. When she had come to check an hour ago, his breathing had been faint and threadlike, his face pale as death. But now, far from being dead, he was sitting upright in bed. Though he looked weak, he seemed to have a bit of life in him.
"He's... he's not dead?"
the maid blurted out.
"No, unfortunately,"
Shen Lang said.
The servants stared at his face, stunned. After a moment, the first maid to enter came to her senses.
"Quick, go tell the Master and the Young Lady! Shen Lang is alive!"
Hearing this, several servants and maids hurried out of the room.