The Emperor’s Beloved Ugly Girl

The dark-skinned guard nodded in agreement. “That’s true. And even if the deposed prince is still alive, what can a half-dead paralytic do? It’s impossible for him to go back to the capital in this life. If he finds out that the girl we sent is a replacement, so what? Where would he go to complain?”

The two stopped their conversation and started removing Miss Duan’s wedding dress off of her. Despite Ah Chou’s plea for mercy, they forced her to wear the dress.

When the carriage set out again, Ah Chou was the only one left in the carriage. The originally cramped carriage suddenly became spacious. She stiffly sat in the carriage, her mind buzzing, and the red dress looking out of place with her unkempt hair and dirty face.

Ah Chou thought of Miss Duan’s sobbing, her desperate eyes, the nobility and dignity she held on to, and the empty grave wherein she was hastily buried.

At this year’s Qingming Festival, Duan Rulan, who was the same age as Ah Chou, would forever remain in the foreign land of Tongliao. While Ah Chou, her dowry maid, would wear her wedding dress and marry the half-dead paralytic in her place.

How paralyzed is that man?

Is it the same with Mammy Xiang of the Clothing Bureau, whose leg was broken by a fallen beam and who could only walk by leaning against the wall?

Or is it worse?

……

Ah Chou’s heart was flustered and uneasy. She lifted the curtains and looked at the deserted meadow outside. Thinking of the words the fair-skinned guard spoke to her back at the posthouse, she couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

“From now on, the lives of the three of us are tied together. If we can’t keep our lives, I will kill you first. Live or die. Whatever you do next, think about it carefully!”

……

The first day of the fifth lunar month, the 32nd year of the Jiasheng Reign

Ningguta.

Ah Chou finally arrived at Ningguta. All the way from the capital, she watched the scenery outside the window turn from prosperous to desolate. She already had herself prepared, but she still couldn’t help but sigh at the sight. This place was not as barren as the palace people said, but this wasteland hardly has grass. 

The carriage ride was bumpy throughout the day. With the rain yesterday, the road was difficult to travel on. It was muddy, and the carriage wheel kept sinking. The guards would often curse as they got out and pushed the carriage from time to time. The wedding dress on her body prevented her from helping out. After wobbling through the mud, it was nearly dark when they finally arrived at the place. 

“Has the bride arrived?” As soon as the carriage stopped, Ah Chou heard someone coming close with undisguised mockery in his tone. “Let me see if she’s a beauty!

“I have never seen such a noble lady from such a wealthy family!”

“Lao Jiang, stop talking nonsense,” the dark-skinned guard said. “Is the courtyard ready?”

“I don’t do the cleaning. I’ve already cooked for that paralytic every day. Do I also have to clean up this place? Hah! There’s shit in the room. I don’t even want to enter! I’m just waiting for you to send people over quickly.” Lao Jiang snorted loudly, leaving the carriage aside, sneering. “Hasn’t the bride arrived? Let the bride serve the groom, and save me the trouble of wasting my time here.”