It was a hot summer afternoon, during the 30th year of Emperor Li.
The Chen family had barely began their tea before General Liu Huixin marched into their residence, flanked by soldiers of her army. She ordered all the attendants out of the courtyard until it was only the family left.
Soldier's boots crushed the vibrant garden flowers into the ground. Before Chen Yuan could rise from his seat, he was forced to his knees, his wife crying out as she too was subdued.
Huixin casually took the seat where Chen Yuan had been. She picked up a delicate teacup from the table and examined it, the steel ring on her hand making a soft clinking sound against it.
The minister's voice broke through the tense silence. "General Liu, what is the meaning of this?"
The regional military governor (Jiedushi) of the Northern Frontier, General Liu had found evidence that the Assistant Minister of Revenue, Chen Yuan, had been secretly misdirecting imperial funds. She was convinced the Second Prince, her sworn enemy, was behind it. She took this opportunity to return to the capital after five years to take her revenge.
Huixin threw down the documents she had brought before Chen Yuan - grain shipments and tax accounts with the smallest deviations circled in red. His hands trembled as he turned the pages.
"You've been very generous with imperial funds," she said evenly. "A thousand taels to nowhere. Another thousand to a courier who doesn't exist. As soon as an account passes by you, the numbers cease to make sense."
Horror etched itself onto Chen Yuan's face. He had clearly worked hard to cover his tracks. But not hard enough.
"I know the Second prince is behind this." General Liu said, getting straight to the point. "Deliver the documents that tie him to these accounts and I will spare you."
Chen Yuan found his courage for half a breath. "I do not have the documents you seek, General." He lied. "And even if you acquired them, no one would accept-"
Huixin's cold smile made him lose his words. "You're right. No one would believe me."
She turned her attention to the tea set on the table, pouring herself a cup. "But they would believe you. A loyal official, crushed by guilt. A man who comes forward to clear his conscience." She turned back to him. "Then you will testify. Publicly."
"You are putting me in a very difficult position, whether I obey you or the Second Prince. The other party will kill me. General please." He begged. "Leave us out of this, for the friendly bond our families forged over decades, we -"
Huixin cut him off again, she slammed the teacup on the table angrily. "After my parents burned you did not even hesitate before clamouring for my father's position. Now you steal food from the mouths of the poor all to remain in the favour of the Second Prince, yet you speak of a bond between our families!"
The air stood still following Huixin's outburst.
"But!" She continued, rising and spinning on her heel. "I have a compassionate soul, and so I will consider our family ties. Wei Lai!" She called.
Her right-hand man stood by her side at attention. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and a short ponytail.
"I've checked the calendar, the third of next month is an auspicious day... perfect for matrimony." He said, placing a bethrothal contract on the table.
Chen Yuan's wife let out a loud gasp and covered her mouth with hand, remembering the betrothal arrangement that the Liu family and Chen family had entered into at the birth of their children.
"General..?" Chen Yuan asked, genuine fear coating his voice.
Huixin knew that above anything, Chen Yuan doted on his children. If he would not comply, she would hit him where it hurt the most. Chen Ruiyu was Chen Yuan's only son. While she had never met him, she knew that he was a failed scholar with a harsh illness which worsened year by year, causing him to rarely be seen in public.
"General, the Chen family is unworthy of your high status. Please choose someone else who is of the same standing." Chen Yuan's wife tried to reason evenly.
"No worries, Madam Chen, because my standing as a Jiedushi is indeed higher, by the existing laws, your son will become my matrilocal husband. He stays with me." Liu Huixin delivered that last line threateningly, locking eyes with Chen Yuan.
A matrilocal husband would marry into his wife's family. He would move into the her household and take her family name. The perfect position for a man she was technically holding hostage, Huixin thought.
"Matrilocal marriage! You! This is your vengeance!" Chen Yuan yelled, getting up from his position on the ground. "You want to humiliate us!"
Huixin went still. "Vengeance?" she echoed. "You abandoned old alliances the moment it became inconvenient. You bent your spine, moved your household, rewrote your loyalties, all to survive a court that devours its own. This is not vengeance, it is consequence."
Huixin leaned close to Chen Yuan and dropped her voice so no one else could hear. "Your son's condition worsens every year, doesn't it? I may not be able to harm you, but if he suddenly passed away, no one would raise an eyebrow. In fact they would even say it's long overdue, wouldn't they?"
He stared at her terrified, furious, cornered.
"In three days, I want to hear some good news, either you've agreed to testify, or we're about to become in-laws. Do not test my patience."
Chen Yuan opened his mouth once again to protest, but he was cut off by a voice.
"Father, I am willing to become her Matrilocal husband."
Chen Ruiyu entered the garden wearing light green robes and carrying a white umbrella. His footsteps were slow and even. He lowered himself gracefully, kneeling right at the General's feet besides father. The expression on his face was inscrutable.
"Ruiyu!?" Chen Yuan questioned.
"It's okay, Father." He replied softly. "As a failed scholar, and with my illness, my marriage options were already doomed, we should be grateful for the favour of General Lui."
Ruiyu's eyes were cast down, giving him a demure appearance. She lowered herself to be at eye level with him. Her eyes travelled across his face, taking it all in. He had clear skin, full lips and a strong nose.
"So all these years, Minister Chen, you've hidden such a good-looking son at home. I'm sure your marriage options wouldn't be so bad if you went out more." She teased, coldly.
She lifted a hand, it hovered over his temple. Ruiyu could feel the warmth from her palm, just centimeters away. He reached for her hand unthinking.
That was his mistake.
Huixin caught his wrist midair, her grip iron-hard. She did not yank or twist. She simply held him there, close enough the soldiers behind her went utterly still.
With her free hand, she reached up and slid the hairpin from his neatly arranged hair.
Ruiyu's dark hair fell loose across his brow, softening his face, making him look younger, more fragile. Huixin turned the pin once between her fingers, inspecting its craftsmanship, then angled it upward and rested the tip beneath his chin.
"Do not misunderstand me," she said quietly. "I am not marrying you because I value you. I am marrying you because your father values you."
She lifted his chin a fraction, forcing him to meet her gaze. His eyes were cold, steady, unflinching.
The pin traced a slow, deliberate line along the curve of his throat. The metal was cool. The threat was unmistakable.
Behind them, his sister stifled a sound.
"They do not call me ruthless for nothing," Huixin continued. "Fear me properly. It may keep you alive longer."
She withdrew the pin and let it fall onto the stone at his knees.
It rang once, sharp and final.
She rose, and left the Chen family residence, her soldiers following her in perfect formation.
Once they were out of sight. Wei Lai fell into step beside her.
"Are you certain Chen Yuan will comply?" he asked.
Huixin did not slow.
"If he loves his son," she said, voice flat, "he will testify."
She exhaled, the faintest trace of weariness cutting through her composure.
"And if he does not," she added, eyes fixed ahead, "then I will simply take what I came for another way."