Song of Silent Promise

3. The Unfortunate Girl

Xinlu City, Taishan year 132.

The season was winter; the nights were cold, devoid of stars and moonlight. Only the lanterns on the streets, put up by the city's public workers, gave an impression that the city was alive. The summer was warm and welcomed, yet the winter was completely the opposite – ruthless. Homeless beggars would most likely die, their frozen corpses would be collected by the officers as soon as they were found.

Marquis Xu's residence was probably one of the only residences that showed a little hustle and bustle.

At one of Marquis Xu's concubine's courtyard, several people were busy getting in and out of a room. A woman's bouts of screams could be heard at times.

Outside the room, four men stood in wait.

Marquis Xu was not a man who would wait on his concubine giving birth. Without the servants showing him the way normally, he would probably lose his way trying to find this obscure place in his large estate.

Being one of the Emperor's trusted subjects, the Xu clan enjoyed privileges that most clans could not even begin to imagine. Xu Bijie's harem reached twelve and counting. Of course, it was a mere drop of water in the ocean, compared to the Emperor's own private backyard. Nonetheless, Xu Bijie was content. Most of his concubines were accepted through political marriages anyway, and he did not care much about his women.

However, this night, he had no choice. He did not know who the youngest person - not more than a teenage boy - that the other two men had brought along, but the two men definitely could not be offended.

Even for a small Xinlu city Marquis, Xu Bijie had heard about the legends. Combined with various records and pictures he could access as one of the Palace officials, he knew that the two men waiting along with him were the real deal.

"It's almost time," one of the men looked at the starless sky. He looked like a normal scholar in his mid-thirties. His face was pleasant and gentle, his appearance was tidy and proper. The fan he was holding seemed to contain some line of poetry, but no one could really read the characters on it. His posture was slim and straight, giving impression of strength behind his gentle countenance.

The other man looked younger than the middle-aged looking scholar. At most, he looked like to be in his mid-twenties. His long hair was tied in a loose ponytail, and his attire was dark in colour, predominantly red and black. He looked otherworldly handsome, his dark eyes combined with a pair of sword shaped eyebrows added a touch of heroism. And more importantly, his aura was incredibly imposing. Xu Bijie had to steal glances a few times but did not dare to let his eyes linger for more than a split second at a time: even the Emperor exuded less authoritative strength than both men.

Soon, the door was pushed open from the inside. A midwife walked outside, carrying a little bundle, "Congratulations, Master. Wu-niang has safely delivered a beautiful little girl."

Xu Bijie feigned interest as he glanced at the slightly moving bundle in the midwife's arms,

"Why is she not crying?"

The midwife balked, "This... ."

Could it be that the poor girl would grow up to be an imbecile? A normal healthy baby would undoubtedly cry upon birth, as soon as they were wrested away from the comfort of their mother's womb. However, this baby opened her eyes as soon as she was born, and inquisitively started to look around.

If she was not the Marquis' daughter, one would probably dispose of the baby quietly, in fear that the baby was cursed.

The scholarly looking man smiled and brought his face closer to the baby. He was about to stroke the baby's ruddy cheeks with his fingers, when his companion swiftly slapped his hand away.