She had a routine now, tilling the land she had bought, laying traps, and studying. A month had unknowingly passed.
And Han Fei… they sometimes encountered each other in the mountains. Bo Xi would occasionally give him something to eat.
She had heard he was the second son of his family. Both his parents favored their daughter; he and his younger brother barely survived on scraps.
But Han Fei didn't seem to like his little brother much.
If not for the jades hidden in the chest, she might have forgotten she was a princess.
After laying her traps, Bo Xi walked down the mountain toward her land. Soon, it would be time to plant seeds.
Suddenly, she heard a voice crying for help.
Two men were drowning.
At a glance, she recognized one of them—Han Fei.
A crowd was gathering. Someone threw a rope toward the other young man.
Without hesitation, Bo Xi jumped into the water and swam toward Han Fei.
She grabbed him and struggled back. In his panic, Han Fei kicked her, and she felt a sharp pain in her side.
When they reached the shore, Han Fei started coughing violently. Bo Xi patted his back.
The other man was rescued shortly after.
The crowd pointed and whispered.
Bo Xi quickly reacted. She took off her outer robe and draped it over Han Fei. His clothes were soaked, clinging to his body and almost see-through.
Suddenly, Father Han rushed over and slapped Han Fei.
"You jinx! What will we do now? Why didn't you just die?" he shouted, crying as he beat his chest.
Han Fei's cheek swelled immediately. He lowered his head, tears sliding down his face.
"Uncle…" Bo Xi wanted to speak, but no words came out. She simply stepped in front of Han Fei, shielding him.
Father Han seemed to lose all strength and collapsed to the ground.
"Now… who will marry him…" he murmured.
"What are you all doing? Don't you have work?" Chief Han's voice rang out.
"You three, follow me," she said to Bo Xi, Han Fei, and Father Han. Then she turned to her daughter. "Go call your cousin."
They went to the meeting house.
Mother Han soon arrived, her face clearly filled with anger.
After everyone sat down, Chief Han spoke.
"Bo Xi, you must take responsibility. No matter your intention… you saved him, yes, but Han Fei's reputation is already damaged. His marriage prospects will be affected."
Bo Xi was confused, but she understood what was being implied.
"Okay," she said quietly.
"You are a good child. Three days from now is an auspicious date," Chief Han said. "The longer this drags on, the worse it becomes."
Everyone agreed.
Mother Han and Father Han exchanged glances, joyful, but calculating.
"Go discuss the marriage," Chief Han said, waving her hand.
"Come to our house," Mother Han said.
Bo Xi followed them. Villagers stared and whispered as they passed.
The house was small. There wasn't even a chair, so Bo Xi remained standing.
Han Fei had already gone to change his clothes and return to work.
"The bride price is five taels. I won't ask for more," Mother Han said, pretending to be generous.
Bo Xi agreed immediately.
Mother Han secretly felt regret; she should have asked for more.
In truth, she was already overcharging. In this village, two taels were enough to cause envy. Usually, fifty or seventy copper coins were considered plenty.
"I'll send the matchmaker tomorrow," Bo Xi said.
Mother Han nodded, then added with a fawning smile, "Future daughter-in-law, you can see our situation. We can't afford a banquet or sweets."
"I'll arrange it," Bo Xi replied calmly.
If money could solve trouble, she was willing to spend it.
Bo Xi left, changed her clothes, and went to the matchmaker's house.
She paid eighty copper for matchmaking and fifty copper for a pair of good geese.
After explaining everything, she retrieved her empty traps from the mountain and returned home.
She felt dazed.
She was getting married… in three days.
Tomorrow, she would have to go shopping again.
She made some simple food, ate quietly, and went to bed early.
The next morning, she woke up, washed up without breakfast, and headed out, planning to eat in the city.
She took her carriage, thinking it would be easier to buy things there.
What she didn't know was that, the moment she left, she became the topic of gossip.
"Have you heard? That new girl? She paid five taels for the groom," one man said.
"But do you know why?" another man added mysteriously.
"Who doesn't know? She had contact with Han Fei. Everyone saw it," someone else said, rolling his eyes.
Unaware of the gossip, Bo Xi stopped at a stall and bought breakfast. After quickly finishing her noodles, she went shopping.
She bought clothes for herself and Han Fei, lard, rice, lentils, and all the food she could think of. She even bought some sweets. Then she went to a jewelry store and purchased a silver hairpin and a bracelet.
After that, she headed to Fragrance Wan.
The shopkeeper was checking the account books while his workers introduced goods to customers.
Bo Xi discreetly showed her jade. The shopkeeper immediately led her into a private room, bowed, and handed her three hundred taels in banknotes, along with a large bundle of books wrapped in cloth.
She left the shop with a heavy heart.
She had bought more food than she needed, so she stored some in the space. Since she had time, she wanted to hoard little by little.
She ate at the stalls again before returning home. Looking at the piles of goods, she felt exhausted. Some would be sent to her in-laws, while the rest were for herself.
She lay on her bed and picked up one of the books given by the Empress.
As she read, she suddenly sat up.
"What do you mean by Qi? Am I in a cultivation world?" Bo Xi muttered in disbelief.
All this time, no one had ever mentioned anything like that.
Maybe only the nobles knew.
Then she noticed a letter tucked between the books.