A tiger?
Daili's first reaction was that Qin Shaozong had drank too much, spouting nonsense and making empty boasts under the influence of alcohol.
It was true that there was a saying, "Watch Master Sun shoot the tiger himself," but the phrase implied a resolution rather than an accomplished fact. Besides, that was a tiger, the king of the forest. How could one simply hunt it down on a whim?
How could Qin Shaozong fail to see Daili's suspicion? His temples throbbed slightly. "Does Madam not believe me? It's not as if I haven't successfully hunted a tiger before."
Daili remained silent, merely picking up a shrimp ball and eating it with slow, deliberate chews, offering no answer to whether she believed him or not. Her thick, dark eyelashes fluttered up occasionally, revealing obvious skepticism in her eyes.
"How about Madam makes a bet with me? We'll bet on whether I can hunt down a tiger this year," Qin Shaozong suddenly proposed.
She didn't answer immediately, and Qin Shaozong didn't rush her, simply sitting opposite and watching her.
The woman's snow-white cheeks puffed out slightly, only subsiding after several rounds of chewing. A sudden itch arose at the tips of Qin Shaozong's fingers, an itch that seemed to morph into an invisible little snake, opening its mouth to bite his fingertip.
The fingertips connected to the meridians of his arm, causing the man's long arm to tremble imperceptibly. He rubbed his heavily calloused index finger and thumb together fiercely, quietly wearing away that strange sensation.
Daili swallowed the shrimp ball in her mouth. "Alright, let's make a bet. But since it's a bet, there must be stakes."
Qin Shaozong raised his eyebrows slightly. "Listening to Madam's tone, it seems you have already thought of the stakes."
Daili nodded. "Of course. We bet on whether you can hunt a tiger. During the hunt, it doesn't matter if someone assists you, but you are not allowed to cheat, which includes but is not limited to bringing in a half-dead tiger beforehand, or preparing the spoils in advance..."
Hearing this, he scoffed. "It's just hunting a tiger. Why would I need to cheat?"
Daili smiled as well, the corners of her eyes lifting in a sly little arc. "The loser must promise the winner one thing, no matter what it is."
Upon hearing her last few words, Qin Shaozong immediately frowned. She had a notorious track record with far too many prior offenses. He unhesitatingly said no.
This "no" was loud and resolute, and Daili restrained her smile upon hearing it.
Qin Shaozong clicked his tongue softly. "Madam has a habit of burning bridges after crossing them, followed by a hobby of going off to tour the mountains and waters without a word. Moreover, in another two days, that boy Qin Yanzhou will be recovered from his illness. How can you expect me to agree to 'no matter what it is'?"
Daili naturally knew he was unwilling to let her go. She hid the sharp gleam in her eyes. "We won't bet on whether I can tour the mountains and waters, nor will it involve any of your political affairs. That should be acceptable, right?"
Qin Shaozong didn't immediately say whether it was acceptable. He picked up the wine cup by his hand, not draining it in one quick gulp, but sipping it slowly.
Various speculations surfaced and then vanished in his mind.
When the cup of wine was finished, the man set down the goblet.
The goblet clinked gently against the low table, and at the same time, Daili heard a deep "Alright."
He had agreed.
Daili raised her smile again. "No matter how many days the winter hunt is held, the time you can personally take the field—that is, the time you can hunt the tiger—is only one daylight period. Deal?"
Not one day, but one daylight period.
In winter, the days are short and the nights are long. Strictly speaking, this daylight period was less than half a day. If this winter hunt was held on a grander scale, such as inviting the prominent families of Yuyang Commandery to participate together, some formalities would inevitably be indispensable.
All of those would take up time.
Qin Shaozong paused.
Her appearance and tone made her look exactly like a fox happily wagging its tail while digging a pit for him.
Seeing him silent, Daili began to flatter him. "Everyone says the Marquis of Wu'an is both wise and brave, with unmatched valor, shining like the sun and illuminating the spring and autumn of the North. It's merely a tiger; how could it possibly stump you?"
Qin Shaozong's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, the veins on the side of his neck bulging and then receding.
Seeing that he still wasn't speaking, Daili's eyes suddenly darted around, seemingly filled with invisible little hooks. "Was what I just said correct, Husband?"
His brown eyes tightened for a moment. The itch he had just wiped away returned with a vengeance, surging and swelling, spreading like wildfire from his arms to his spine, and then to his four limbs and hundreds of bones, making every single hair on Qin Shaozong's body tremble with excitement.
"Indeed, it is correct," Qin Shaozong's voice grew a bit huskier.
Daili was quite satisfied. "Then it's settled."
The gaze from across the table was burning, wrapping around her like fire. Daili was used to this kind of look and calmly continued picking up meat to eat.
By the time they were halfway through this meal of hot pot, the sky had turned completely dark. After finishing their meal, considering what had just transpired, Daili thought that, as usual, this man would lead her to the bed.
But today, he did not.
Several lamps were lit in the room, their bright glow illuminating the impeccably clean sandalwood table, bringing out a lustrous, oily wooden sheen.
Seeing Daili about to head towards the soft couch by the window, Qin Shaozong said to her, "Madam, come here."
Daili merely turned her head, not going over immediately at first, until she saw the man pull out a bag from somewhere and take several items out of it one by one.
She saw a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone.
What was this person doing?
Daili walked over. And when she drew near, she realized that what was on the desk was actually a marriage certificate.
The earliest marriage certificates appeared in the Zhou Dynasty, written on bamboo slips and issued by the Matchmaker Official, the person specifically in charge of managing marriages between men and women. Thus, in later generations, those who tied the red thread of marriage for others were also called matchmakers.
The Great Yan Dynasty considered the marriage certificate and the betrothal gifts as the conditions for establishing a marriage.
The general procedure was that the man's side would first deliver a Proposal Letter to the woman's side. If the woman agreed, she would write a Reply Letter in response. They would exchange each other's letters and attach a separate paper containing detailed information about both families.
Only when these three items were combined did they form an official marriage certificate.
Qin Shaozong's parents had already passed away, and it went without saying for Daili. Her only relative now was Qin Yanzhou, but it was absolutely impossible to let a junior handle such a matter.
Therefore, both the Proposal Letter and the Reply Letter were to be written by the two of them themselves.
Daili lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the red paper, the texture of which was clearly much better than ordinary mulberry paper.
The Proposal Letter spread out on the desk was basically complete; only the date of the engagement remained.
"I'm afraid it's too late to get married this year. We will set the wedding for next spring. What does Madam think?" Qin Shaozong began to grind the ink.
Marriage required the Three Letters and Six Etiquettes. The more noble the family, the more complicated the process. It was only because Daili had no other clan members that some steps were simplified, saving a lot of time; otherwise, even next spring would be pushing it.
But Daili still felt it was fast. "So soon?"
Qin Shaozong's movements paused. "Oh? Then how should the marriage process in your Peach Blossom Spring go?"
Daili was speechless.
It was even faster. One just had to walk into the Civil Affairs Bureau, spend a little money on photos, and they could get married.
Daili had no expression on her face, but Qin Shaozong could tell at a glance. He let out a soft chuckle. "It seems it's not as complicated as here."
"Then let it be spring. The Beginning of Spring is an auspicious day; the wedding date is set for the Beginning of Spring." He made the final decision, then dipped his brush in ink and filled in the date on the Proposal Letter.
"This is my first time writing a marriage proposal. I hope Madam will kindly accept it." The Proposal Letter was handed over.
Daili paused for a moment before finally taking it.
She stood opposite Qin Shaozong. Just a moment ago, this Betrothal Letter had been upside down from her perspective, but now it was turned right side up as it was handed to her.
It read:
A joyous day today, as the red thread ties our destinies, a perfect union of pearls and jade; forecasting the years to come, playing the lute and zither in harmony, flying wing to wing. Waiting until the seas dry up and the rocks decay, until the end of time, I shall walk hand in hand with you until our hair turns white.
Changgeng of the Qin clan takes this oath as a witness, earnestly beseeching Madam Dai Li to marry me as my wife on the Beginning of Spring in the 365th year of Yongqing.
I humbly wish Madam joy, peace, and good health.
This Betrothal Letter was not long; including the initial title, it was less than a hundred words. But every single character was profoundly powerful, not only in the forceful strokes that penetrated the paper, but also in the sheer power of the words themselves.
Dai Li's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
Her son was still undergoing treatment. Where could she run off to?
As for after Zhouzhou recovered, she seemed to have nowhere else to go either.
No, it wasn't that she had nowhere to go, but that she simply couldn't leave.
Back when she was abducted by the Green Lotus Sect, that had been the best opportunity to escape. With the Green Lotus Sect acting as a smokescreen, Qin Shaozong would have only searched for the sect members, never suspecting she had already shed her cicada shell and slipped away.
Now, without that cover, she and Zhouzhou were right in Yuyang Commandery, the very core of the northern territories. It was even more impossible to leave.
Dai Li heard a long, drawn-out sigh in her own heart.
"Qin Changgeng, there is one thing I must make clear to you beforehand. If you feel it is inappropriate or impossible to achieve, then we can save ourselves the trouble of the Three Letters and Six Etiquettes and the wedding ceremony. We can just cancel it all." The ink on the marriage letter was not yet dry, so she couldn't fold it. Dai Li placed it back onto the desk.
Her tone was very flat, but Qin Shaozong could hear an unyielding persistence in it.
He set down his wolf-hair brush. "Please speak your mind, Madam."
"In the laws of Peach Blossom Spring, a married couple is just that—a couple. It is a monogamous system. There is no such thing as taking a concubine. In fact, regardless of whether one is a man or a woman, marrying multiple people is a violation of the law against bigamy. I know this is worlds apart from the Great Yan Dynasty, and I am well aware that you nobles are accustomed to having a courtyard full of beautiful women." At this point, Dai Li deliberately paused.
He did not speak, merely listening quietly.
Only then did Dai Li continue, "But what others do is their business, it has nothing to do with me, and I cannot control them. However, my man must listen to me on this matter, otherwise, he is not fit to be my husband. Qin Changgeng, do you understand what I mean?"
Qin Shaozong was both surprised and unsurprised.
He was surprised by the novelty of the marital customs in Peach Blossom Spring, but unsurprised that her previous husband had only had her.
Although this little fox knew how to assess a situation and was exceptionally good at pretending to be obedient, she was not without her pride. Her arrogance would never allow her to share a husband with anyone else.
"The Marquis's estate has been cleared out. As for that Concubine Li you saw earlier, Madam Wei specially brought her over from elsewhere," Qin Shaozong said calmly.
When he said "Concubine Li," Dai Li froze for a moment before realizing he meant Wei Pingzhi.
Recalling Wei Pingzhi showing up at her door, Dai Li asked, "Where did you move them to?"
Qin Shaozong leaned back into his cushioned chair, adding a touch of languor to his demeanor. "I gave them money and houses, and let them go wherever they pleased. The current dynasty encourages women to remarry, and there are many wealthy men in Yuyang. They won't have to worry about finding a place to go."
After saying this, the man gestured toward the paper and brush on the desk. "The Letter of Consent, Madam. If you please."
He had given his Betrothal Letter, and he wanted a Letter of Consent right away.
But Dai Li said, "I won't give it to you that quickly."
Hearing this, Qin Shaozong knitted his long brows. "Why?"
Dai Li remained expressionless. "...No reason."
She couldn't exactly tell him that she didn't know how to write a Letter of Consent.
But to Qin Shaozong's ears, this sounded like reluctance. Reluctance to write the Letter of Consent immediately, and reluctance to tell him why.
The man, who had been leaning against the soft seat, straightened up. "Madam..."
He had barely called out to her when he saw Dai Li neatly fold the Betrothal Letter on the desk, its ink now dry, and walk into the inner room without looking back.
Qin Shaozong stood up and followed her inside. "Madam, if I cannot have this Letter of Consent today, then when will I have it?"
"We'll see," her answer sounded quite perfunctory.
The lamps in the inner room burned quietly, dragging their silhouettes onto the floor, and the shadow that entered second swiftly closed the distance to the one in front.
Beside the mirror stand was a multi-tiered wooden box. Most of it was used to store Dai Li's various pieces of jewelry, with one or two sparse compartments reserved for miscellaneous items.
Dai Li pulled open the top tier, first taking out a small pouch from the compartment, then placing the marriage letter inside, and finally pressing it down with the little pouch.
Just as she turned around, Dai Li bumped right into Qin Shaozong's chest.
The man stood firmly in place, raising his arms to naturally pull her into his embrace.
A wave of seething heat descended from above. Dai Li was enveloped in his shadow, with the hard edge of the table behind her and him right in front of her.
His back was to the lamp, so the light could only reflect from the other candlesticks to the side. The man's facial contours were sharp, his brow bone deep-set. Those narrow brown eyes resting on either side of the bridge of his nose seemed to become two pools of different colors in this moment.
One pool deep, one pool shallow, and both held her reflection. He said, "Give me an exact time, Madam."
Dai Li was in a daze for a split second. She slowly lowered her eyes. "I will give it to you after the winter hunt."