Jiang Yue hung her neck on the knotted white silk, and tremblingly kicked off the stool at her feet. The feeling of suffocation gradually spread from her lungs, as if a big hand was holding her tightly, trying to pull away everything in her body. The vitality is squeezed out together.
She was in pain and struggling, and before she became unconscious, it seemed as if someone hugged her legs and picked her up.
Then there was a mess of footsteps, women's screams, and voices mixed together. Someone came up to check her breathing, and said in a slightly regretful tone: "There is still breath."
Then she lost consciousness. When she opened her eyes again, the room was filled with gray, and a row of black shadows sat in front of her.
The shadow in the middle said to light the lamp, and the shadow on the right moved.
Jiang Yue knew who they were, so she quickly endured the pain and got up, knelt down on the bed, and lowered her head: "Grandma..."
She knew that it would be better if she hanged herself. The Yamen would report to the court to set up a chastity memorial for her. If she did not hang herself, her future life would be worse than death.
In fact, speaking of it, Jiang Yue's background is not bad at all. Although she was not born into a family of officials, she was the daughter of the richest Jiang family in Canzhou, Wodong. She has never been hungry since she was born; but if she is good, it only ends at " I can’t get enough of these three words.
The bad thing about this is that she was born in Canzhou.
Canzhou is not suitable for growing livestock, and the terrain is not conducive to settlement. Fortunately, it is located in all directions, with access to the sea in the south and cross-border countries in the north. Therefore, many big merchants have been born since the previous dynasty, specializing in traveling across the mountains and ridges to do business in several countries. In this dynasty, Canzhou Sixty-seven out of ten men in the state stopped studying early and followed their fathers around. There is a saying that it is better to travel thousands of miles than to read thousands of books.
They go away for as little as three to five years, or as long as more than ten years before returning, and there are many who have never heard from them. Their wives cannot bear the long loneliness, and most of them remarry or have an affair with someone else.
There were too many such things, which made people panic. Those respectable businessmen called on all families to teach their daughters to be strict. When choosing wives for their children, they also preferred those who had never read books, never been out of the house, were slow-talking, dull, diligent, thrifty and obedient.
Later, everyone discovered that these women were indeed keeping to themselves, so they followed suit one after another.
Over the past few decades, the culture of "strict discipline in raising daughters" has become more and more popular in Canzhou, and now it has become a morbid condition.
Jiang Yue is eleven this year. She has only met her father twice and her brother once before she was seven years old. She cannot read and cannot count more than five. She wakes up and sleeps intermittently. When sleeping, she lies on her side with her knees bent and is not allowed to move.
The daily schedule is simple and boring. She stands in front of her mother and grandmother in the morning, spins in her room in the afternoon, embroiders in the evening, and has two simple meals a day. Not to mention the gate of Jiang Mansion, she even has a pond in the backyard of her home. She didn't know what kind of fish there were, and the only path she took was the one from her own yard to her mother's yard.
The only "three obediences and four virtues" are memorized.
The year before last, her father died in an accident while taking her brother out to do business. Her mother hanged herself on the occasion of the festival, and all the family property went to her cousin. Her grandmother did not want to see her, and after that, she lost her only chance to leave the hospital every day.
The day she was hanged the day before yesterday was the day of her engagement to the son of the prefect. The son of the prefect was cruel and had already beaten three wives to death. Now he has been imprisoned for three years. No one in Canzhou dares to marry him, but this is not a big deal. Yes, she originally obeyed her parents' orders to be a matchmaker, but firstly, she was not yet full of filial piety, and secondly...
She has actually had a fiancé since she was born, but he was exiled to the west of the country a few years ago.
If she renewed her marriage with the prefect, it would be unfilial and unchaste. Her cousin-in-law told her that she should imitate her mother, and then made a hanging gesture.
Jiang Yue was born in a mortal body and was afraid of death and pain. She was even more afraid of hanging. Because her mother's loyalty was a model for learning and she should set up a memorial memorial, so she and some young girls respectfully paid homage to her mother's death - very pain.
But the husband has the right to remarry, and the wife has no right to marry. The husband belongs to heaven, and heaven cannot escape, and the husband cannot be separated. If she marries a second time, she will violate the gods and be punished by heaven. She could not disobey her grandmother's arrangements and had no choice but to die to preserve her innocence.
As she was thinking, the room lit up, and Jiang Yue raised her eyelashes tremblingly to peek - the row of shadows in front of her from right to left were her cousin-in-law Liu, her grandmother Zhou, and her cousin Xiao Zhou.
Little Zhou is Zhou's distant niece. She was used as a matchmaker by Zhou and married to Jiang Yue's cousin. The two naturally colluded with each other. Even though the Jiang family is now in the hands of Jiang Yue's cousin, Zhou is still living a comfortable life.
Mrs. Liu is the daughter-in-law of Mr. Zhou. I heard that she was married from out of town. Her relationship with Mrs. Zhou and Mr. Zhou is not very good. They say she is charming and restless.
At this moment, Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Zhou were staring at her fiercely. Their thin and mean cheeks made them look like two Yakshas.
Before Jiang Yue could say anything, her grandmother Zhou suddenly raised her hand and slapped her hard on the face with great force.
Jiang Yue was slapped down on the bed, her cheeks swelled rapidly, she was dizzy and speechless.
"You're a little bitch whore, you don't have the eyesight to see things, you won't die clean, you stay in Jiang's house shamelessly just to beg for free rice!"
Zhou has never read a book, and is the eldest old lady in the family. She scolds people unscrupulously and insults them in whatever way they want.
Cousin-in-law Mrs. Liu exclaimed and quickly helped Jiang Yue up, holding her face and looking at her carefully.
The little girl was born beautiful and was eleven years old. According to the way Canzhou raised her daughter, she was raised to be slim and delicate, as white as a peeled lychee.
Her eyes are round and have long eyelashes, and are soft and supple. When she looks at someone, she will lower her eyes shyly, then lower her head and hold her breast. She is beautiful, well-behaved, and soft-tempered. She stutters when talking to people, and she is clean and well-behaved so that people can see her to the end.
It's just that her hair is still yellow, she is a real yellow-haired girl.
They say they are clean and well-behaved, but in reality they are stupid and pedantic. People who don't study and just listen to the Three Obediences and Four Virtues will become like this. This is how Canzhou raises his daughter. If she doesn't study, she won't be naughty. What the elders say will come naturally.
But now the face, which was as clear as lychee meat, was swollen and frighteningly red, making people's hearts beat with fear.
Grandma Zhou raised her hand to hit her. Jiang Yue subconsciously shrank down and held her head, fearing she would be beaten again.
When she lowered her head, the bones in her neck were so thin that they bulged out, and there was a crescent-shaped red birthmark on the last bone.
Mrs. Liu quickly stopped and said, "We can't fight anymore. If we break someone, how can we get on the road?"
Mrs. Zhou's slap fell on Mrs. Liu's face, and she scolded her too: "Idiot, what role do you have to speak to the elders here? If you hadn't rescued her so early, it would have been a big deal. How could you disturb this marriage by shouting and attracting people?"
Originally, the Jiang family could advance further by climbing to the Prefect's Mansion, but now it's all over.
Scholars, farmers, industry and commerce, businessmen were at the bottom. Originally, Jiang Yue was related to Lord Niehou's family. That was when the smoke came out of the ancestral grave. However, the smoke did not last for a few years, and Niehou's family died in exile. Now, Being able to stay close to the prefect is a sign of merit from one's ancestors.
Jiang Yue knew that Ms. Liu was beaten because she helped her, so she rushed to hug her, biting her lower lip and swallowing her tears, she apologized: "Ancestor...grandmother, it's all Nunu's fault, stop fighting……"
When little Zhou saw her daughter-in-law being beaten, her beautiful cheeks were red and swollen, full of tears, and her hair was all messed up, like a pear blossom messed up by a heavy rain, her heart skipped a beat, fearing that her son would act mean to her again, so she quickly stopped Zhou. Let her calm down.
Mrs. Zhou glared at the two of them fiercely before she had another attack. She gritted her teeth and said: "Your talkative sister-in-law saved you and attracted the prefect's wife and others. You are lucky enough not to die. The prefect's wife is heartbroken." Shan, call off the marriage, saying that you are so loyal, and let us send you to the west of the border to find your dead fiancé. A bastard is a bastard, useless at all, even if he has a dog, he still knows how to look after the house and wags his tail."
Now I have been raising Jiang Yue for eleven years without reaping any benefits. How can I not make people angry?
Hearing her grandmother's words, Jiang Yue was overjoyed at first and raised her head suddenly. Then she quickly lowered her head when she realized something was wrong.
If she could find her husband, she would have someone to rely on in her life, but she hesitated. It would be a shame for her to be out in public all this time. Would the other party still want her?
Jiang Yue looked embarrassed, but finally kowtowed and said that she would set off as soon as possible.
Mrs. Zhou and Mr. Zhou snorted coldly before leaving.
After the person left for a while, Ms. Liu patted Jiang Yue on the shoulder.
Jiang Yue turned her head to look at her and saw her eyes were dim with tears. She didn't know why she was crying, but Jiang Yue also felt sad for her and quickly stepped forward to wipe her tears. She gently pressed her cold hands against her cheek and whispered softly. Her: "Sister-in-law, don't cry."
Mrs. Liu gradually stopped crying, gently took her hand, looked directly at her and said sincerely: "Good Yue'er, your grandmother is determined to embarrass you when I go this time. She hates you for disturbing the peace." It’s a marriage in the Prefect’s Mansion, but because of the prefect’s wife’s face, I don’t dare to strangle you at home, so I can only send you to the west of the border.”
Mr. Nie Xiaolang was Jiang Yue's fiancé since childhood. I heard that his family was in the military, and the previous generations had achieved great success and became marquises and prime ministers. They decided to get married because they were related to the ancestors of the Jiang family. Later, the Nie family was defeated, and Nie Xiaolang You were exiled.
"You heard my sister-in-law say that death is not worth it. You have a weak character. It would be best if you could find Nie Xiaolang to protect you. If you can't find him... it's better to live than to die." Ms. Liu took out a bronze medal from her chest and handed it to her. Jiang Yue, "This is a token of your engagement with the Nie family. I got it from your cousin. Mr. Nie Xiaolang is the youngest son of the family. He seems to have only one name. He was exiled to Zhucheng, so I can only help him." It’s up to you.”
But finding a person named Nie in such a big city with an uncertain name is like looking for a needle in a haystack. After all, Mrs. Liu's husband is a few rooms away from Jiang Yue and has limited understanding of her marriage. Mrs. Zhou is completely Quan knew it, but he disliked Jiang Yue and refused to say more.
Mrs. Liu tried to persuade her again and again, but she was actually not sure whether a girl like Jiang Yue, who had been immersed in the "Three True Spirits and Nine Lies" since she was a child, could really live a good life if she really didn't find anyone. However, she had done what she could. After everything he did for her, if Jiang Yue still dies, it can only be said that everyone has his own destiny.
Mrs. Liu encouraged Jiang Yue to hang herself, and then ran to call the female guest in the backyard, crying angrily. Canzhou loved to use this kind of woman as an example. She sang her praises with great fanfare, and the wife of the prefect could not continue the marriage, so she had to After praising her and asking the Jiang family to send her to find a husband, Jiang Yue reversed her fate.
No matter how desperate Jiang Yue was, she knew that Mrs. Liu was helping her wholeheartedly. She quickly went to the ground and kowtowed to Mrs. Liu: "Thank you sister-in-law for your kindness. It's just that women are chaste. They will definitely find a husband during this trip." If you can't find me, please go with him and live up to your engagement."
Mrs. Liu sighed that it was difficult to persuade her, so she had to pull her up, hold her, shave all her hair, and dress her up like a refugee boy before getting her ready to go on the road tomorrow.
After Mrs. Liu left, Jiang Yue was so nervous and uneasy that she didn't feel sleepy until her late afternoon. Early the next morning, she took two pairs of clothes and went to say goodbye to Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Zhou.
Before entering the yard, I heard ghosts crying and howling inside. A young man was howling at the top of his lungs.
"She hit my wife, she hit my wife! If she hits my wife, it's like hitting me, mother, ah! Mother, wow, I don't care, you have to let me fight back!"
Although Jiang Yue had not seen him, she guessed that her cousin was acting mischievously again.
Her cousin Jiang Qi is a well-known playboy in Canzhou. Not only is he the youngest son of the Zhou family, but he is also the only son. He is spoiled to be lawless. However, it is also rumored that due to the strong defense between men and women, Jiang Yue has never been with this estranged son. Cousin Fang has met.
She didn't dare to think too much, she lowered her eyebrows and nodded and walked in to wait for arrangements.
When Jiang Qi saw Mrs. Liu coming back with tears in her eyes last night, the whole house started to go crazy. She rolled on the ground even though she was wearing gold-embroidered clothes. She also kicked Mrs. Zhou and wanted to slap her. Little Mrs. Zhou was fucked by Jiang Qi. Zhou was so anxious that she was still unconscious from anger, and no one had the time to pay attention to Jiang Yue.
After a while, a woman with a fleshy face came out of the yard. She was tall and strong. She bared her lower teeth with a sly smile and said, "Please, Yueniang. My surname is Ding. You can call me Ding." I’m Aunt Ding.”
Jiang Yue's heart was beating fast and she was out of breath, but she couldn't explain why. She bowed obediently and then got into the carriage with her head lowered.
Not long after, the carriage came to the street, bustling with people. She was too young after all, and was gradually attracted by the excitement outside the carriage, forgetting the unreasonable panic.
At this age, Jiang Yue went out for the first time. Taking into account the teachings at home, she could not open the curtain to see, so she put her ear to the car window and listened carefully to the sounds outside. She was fascinated by what she heard and was very satisfied.
The carriage left the city smoothly, instead of taking the official road, it entered the forest path. After walking for a while, it suddenly stopped. Jiang Yue was startled, and her heartbeat started to beat suddenly again, and she had a bad feeling.
At the same time, the car curtain was opened, and Grandma Ding's gloomy face stuck in.
"What a beautiful little lady, with delicate skin and tender flesh," the other party weighed the horse whip in her hand, her eyes following her like a vicious snake, slippery and slimy, and her tone was sinister.
Jiang Yue didn't understand what he meant, but her intuition told her that this person was in danger. She couldn't help but sit back holding the baggage, not daring to look at him, and said in a voice like a mosquito buzzing: "Yes, I'm sorry, you can continue driving."
She guessed that she had made the other party dissatisfied, and apologized quickly.
Her mother had always taught her to think about her own mistakes. Why do others treat you poorly? Why are you the only one annoying people? Isn't the problem your fault?
Jiang Yue therefore developed a good habit of reflection.
Nanny Ding smiled, the folds on her face squeezed together, revealing a set of teeth that were sharper than ordinary people, and Sensen said: "You should indeed apologize. You should have known that you have to pay the price for offending the husband of the prefect's family."
The prefect's wife was tolerant and didn't care about the matter, but the prefect's young master was not easy to deal with. The cooked duck flew into his mouth. How could he be happy?
