01. Elopement
The moonlight illuminating the courtyard with a calming glow when Nie Linzhi propped the window on her room. She coincidentally saw Nie Jingyi flashing by the window seemingly heading toward the back garden with a thick bundle on her back.
Deep among the flowers and trees in the Nie family's garden a young man was already waiting there. His face was handsome, he was tall and well built. His clothes fit firmly to his muscles while shouldering a big bag. He had been with the cold for quite some time now, the breeze of early winter didn't bother him at all even though his body had been soaked by the cold winter night. As long as he could meet his sweetheart, he could blend with the shadows in the dim corner for as long as needed. There was a fire burning in his heart at this moment. Although the fire was weak, insignificant, and could be extinguished at any time it was enough to keep him warm on such a cold night.
Nie Linzhi followed her cousin to the back garden and from a distance her cousin was first hugged by the young man who came out of the shadows. The man took the bundle in her hand, smiling at his sweetheart. Nie Jingyi casted a melancholic gaze across the mansion but missed the place where Nie Linzhi was standing, covering her mouth with widened eyes.
Sweat was forming on Nie Linzhi's forehead, her muscles extremely tense, and her brain was screaming in panic. When the couple kowtowed three times to the south courtyard where the current Nie clan leader - Nie Hoya lived, a raging fire was burning inside of her.
"Nie Jingyi! Are you out of your mind? What are you doing?!"
The couple was startled, while Nie Jingyi trembling and avoiding her eyes, the man shielded her behind him.
"Linzhi, calm down."
Nie Linzhi didn't get a clear look of him before, studying the voice's owner under the moonlight she sarcastically laughed, knowing the man her cousin ran away with was Huan Lin.
"Nie Jingyi! He is Huan Lin! The Huans worked for the Zhangs! They are in the same camp! They are the reason we need this marriage alliance with Hans and you are going to escape the marriage to go with him? What are you thinking?"
"Linzhi please, I can't do this. I can't marry him! You know his reputation, he is violent, arrogant, and unpredictable! Everyone called him the God of war, the embodiment of the grim reaper himself! How do you expect me to be Han Junjie?"
"This is a marriage alliance, he won't hurt you because the two families exchange benefits!"
"You don't know that! Why should I suffer these grievances? What if Han Junjie tortured me because of what grandpa did? What if this is just his plan to take revenge on us?"
Nie Linzhi grabbed her cousin's shoulder, held in her brimming anger. "Listen Jingyi, our family, our clan.. The entire province of Junyu is counting on this marriage. The Zhangs are hell bent to conquer us and the only one who can stop them is Han Junjie. You can't leave." Glancing to her left she added, "Especially with this man."
Nie Jingyi broke free from Nie Linzhi, "You don't understand! Yes, I'm afraid of Han Junjie, but that's not the only reason! Huan Lin and I love each other."
"Love? We're not children anymore, love is nurtured. You can live with him and fall in love later, don't abandon our family for your impulses. It's our heads on the line, Jingyi. Han Junjie's grandmother personally agreed to the marriage. You can't leave!"
The tall man pleaded, "Linzhi.."
"Shut up! You don't have a say on this Huan Lin, you know damn well how complicated this is!"
Nie Linzhi grabbed Nie Jingyi's hand half dragging her to the courtyard, but Huan Lin broke his sweetheart free.
"I saved your face by not calling the guard, Huan Lin. That's the extent of my courtesy. Leave now."
"Just because Zhang Siyuan fooled you, doesn't mean I'll fool Jingyi."
There's a buzz on Nie Linzhi's ears yet a pang in her heart was loud and clear, as if someone had broken a glass next to her ears.
Although he was angry with Nie Linzhi, Huan Lin never thought of adding insult to injury.
Nie Jingyi never found her cousin this quiet, it was evident how badly hurt she was by Zhang Siyuan's betrayal. "Linzhi please, we love each other. Huan Lin will take care of me. We will live a good life."
Finally out of her trance, Nie Linzhi's tone was colder. "Last chance Jingyi, get inside and I'll forget this ever happened."
Nie Jingyi worriedly replied to Lin Huan's glance. "It's too late now, I must leave."
Squinted her eyes, Nie Linzhi followed her cousin's hand to her stomach, she widened her eyes. "Nie Jingyi.. tell me you didn't.."
"I'm sorry."
Massaging her temple, Nie Linzhi held her breath. She was dumb falling in love with the enemy, but Jingyi.. Jingyi was already on a path of no return. Yanking a jade pendant on her waist, Nie Linzhi handed it to Huan Lin and turned her back to the courtyard.
The couple smiled and finally went along the wind.
The youngest generation of the Nie family was only her eldest cousin and future Governor - Nie Feiyu, her younger cousin Nie Jingyi, and herself.
It didn't take a genius to understand that with Nie Jingyi's disappearance, Nie Linzhi was the bride in line.
Her sleepless night was ended by her nanny and maid greeting as they attended her usual morning routine. Bathing, dressing, and heading out to Bunya Temple to pray.
Mrs. Nie was increasingly anxious as her daughter was not showing up, then finally sending her trusted maid to her daughter's courtyard. Only to passed out after her maid told her that people in Jingyi's room were sedated and found a handwritten letter of their young miss's apology.
It was scary what a loyal and seasoned follower could do, Mother Zhou - the maid beside Mrs. Nie ordered only a few people to tend to the Governor's wife, but sent the rest of eight people to escort Linzhi to her courtyard. Linzhi knew that from today onward, people would be vigilant around her.
Mrs. Nie was distraught, only covering her face with a handkerchief and crying endlessly until she passed out.
"Father, let me search the town to find Jingyi. She probably left last night, my men and I can catch up to her."
Governor Nie slammed the study table, so hard the ink grinder broke and black liquid splashing everywhere on the floor.
"Are you crazy?! It's already a miracle that Hans accepted the marriage alliance, but you want to give them a reason to back off by announcing their future daughter in law eloped?"
"But father, Jingyi's safety is the priority here."
"Our power is declining and our enemy is getting stronger, her safety is nothing compared to the survival of our clan."
"But we can't send a random bride if we want to continue the alliance!"
"Don't worry about that."
Back in her room, Nie Linzhi was holding herself from cursing her cousin. Even if Linzhi wasn't sent as Han Junjie's bride, which the probability was low to none, she had no other choice but to marry him because she wasn't engaged with anyone!
Junyu was in critical juncture as two powers were eyeing them, and one of them was the Zhangs, they were less than a week away from Junyu.
What should she do? Made a deal with the arch enemy of their family?
The very man that lost his grandfather and father because of Linzhi's grandfather?! As if!
Or should she have killed him in the bridal chamber later?
Ridiculous! He was a skilled military man and the current warlord commanding the southern region army!
Escaped?
After what Nie Jingyi pulled? Impossible!
"Miss. The Governor asked you to come to the study."
Nie family was the Junyu province's Governor ever since their ancestors pledged loyalty to the royal court at its founding. This was the public record, but Nie Linzhi knew it was because her grandfather fought the founding king's enemy, smoothening the first king's proclamation as king. It was a warring period. Warlords and princely heirs fight against each other to claim the throne and become the new king. Decades later, the fight was still raging. Small or big, devastating civilians and harming innocent people.
In times of crisis and violence, warlords and generals were heroes. They were the backbone of peace and the light of hope to put an end to those greedy people called nobles.
Once upon a time, Nie Linzhi's grandfather made a decision to ignore a call for help from the Han family in hope for them to fall and their Nie family could get that piece of power. Grandfather Nie miscalculated and gained his predecessor a strong enemy instead.
The Han family was a warlord in the southern region and titled Duke Li. The Han family not only lost countless soldiers and a few cities during their time defending the border, but the Duke, and the Duke's son and eldest grandson were also killed.
There's only one city and a river that blocked Junyu and the southern region which many refer to as Han City. No matter how long it took, if only Nie Linzhi's grandfather had sent help the consequences wouldn't be this dire.
That single moment marked the deep enmity Han family had on the Nie family.
Why was this relevant with the elopement of Nie Linzhi's cousin?
Because the reason Nie Jingyi's ran away was a marriage arrangement with the current Duke Li - Han Junjie. The youngest grandson of the previous Duke.
Han Junjie assumed the Duke title at the age of 12 after the Hans men's death. At 26, he was currently the youngest Duke in power, his military exploits not only defending the border from foreign invasion and expanding their territory, but also quelled numerous rebellions from smaller warlords in the southern region since the king fell sick. Anyone with keen eyes knew that Han Junjie had controlled beyond the southern region and with his popularity and strength, he could have proclaimed himself king at any time. He was one of the threats the powerful feared, but with the tense atmosphere in the capital city, smarter people were in a 'wait and see' attitude. They didn't want to move with the risk of making a wrong bet.