Emily Foster was born into a military family. So-called “military families” were clans that had served as generals for the Song dynasty for generations. Some of these families had been generals since the founding of the dynasty—for example, Emily Foster’s ancestor James Foster was a very famous general in the early Song period. Later, when Emperor Taizu of Song took away the military power from his generals over a cup of wine, James Foster and the others wisely surrendered their command. In gratitude, the Zhao imperial family rewarded them with wealth and honor for generations.

Many descendants of these generals, thanks to their family traditions, also became outstanding commanders. The most distinguished among them were the Cao and Gao families. Not only were they military aristocrats, but they also intermarried with the imperial family for generations. For instance, the current Empress Dowager Foster and Empress Thompson both come from these two families, and Empress Dowager Foster is even the maternal aunt of Empress Thompson. This shows just how illustrious these two families are.

Emily Foster’s grandfather was the younger brother of Empress Dowager Foster, so by rights she should address Empress Dowager Foster as grandaunt. However, Emily Foster felt little affection for this grandaunt, because it was she who arranged for Emily Foster to marry Henry Clark, Duke of York. Although Emily Foster herself strongly objected, her wishes were completely ignored under the pressure of the family.

At present, Emily Foster was filled with anger and grievance. Her looks and talents had always been among the best of her female cousins, and she had been doted on by her elders since childhood. The other girls in the clan all dreamed of marrying the scholars whose names were announced at Donghua Gate, believing those men to be the true talents of the Song dynasty. But Emily Foster always believed that only great generals like her ancestors James Foster and Grace Foster were true heroes and real men of valor. Although military officers in the Song dynasty did not enjoy as high a status as civil officials, Emily Foster still dreamed of one day marrying a young general—ideally someone as handsome and brave as Samuel Reed. Unfortunately, she was born decades too late, and Samuel Reed had already passed away many years ago.

Compared to the husband of her dreams, the Duke of York she was now to marry was the complete opposite. Although Emily Foster had never met Henry Clark, she had heard of his notorious reputation. It was said he was greedy, lecherous, and committed every imaginable vice. A few years ago, he was expelled from the palace by the Empress for molesting a palace maid. Once outside the palace and free from restraint, Henry Clark became even more wanton, spending his days in taverns and brothels with a gang of disreputable friends. Almost every few days, there were rumors of him getting into fights over women. As for bullying the innocent and beating commoners, that was routine for Henry Clark. His infamy was known throughout the capital. Coincidentally, one of Emily Foster’s wayward cousins also hung out with Henry Clark every day, so she knew his character even better than most.

Thinking of having to spend the rest of her life with someone like Henry Clark filled Emily Foster with unbearable pain. She was strong-willed and would rather die than let Henry Clark so much as touch her. In fact, when she put on her wedding dress this morning, she hid her favorite dagger on her person, planning to kill herself in the bridal chamber to preserve her chastity.

But when Emily Foster was leaving for her wedding, she saw her mother crying and apologizing to her, saying she was sorry to her daughter. Although her mother knew full well what kind of person Henry Clark was, she still had no choice but to marry her daughter off for the sake of the family. Her usually strong father was also full of guilt, turning his face away, unable to bear looking at Emily Foster, and his hair had grown noticeably grayer. Her eldest brother, who carried her downstairs, sighed deeply as well. Only her younger siblings and nieces and nephews, too young to understand, were laughing and playing without a care.

Thinking of her family, Emily Foster couldn’t help but soften. Her own death was of little consequence, but it would surely implicate her parents and siblings. After all, Henry Clark was a prince, and if she were to commit suicide on her wedding day, it would be seen as an insult to the royal family. Once word got out, for the sake of imperial dignity, the Cao family would certainly be punished. Perhaps the entire Cao clan would be spared, but her father’s branch would surely suffer a heavy blow. The family might even expel her father’s line to protect their own reputation.

Realizing the grave consequences her suicide would bring to her family, Emily Foster sighed, stood up, and walked to the window. She opened it and looked out at the gloomy sky. Although it was night, there were occasional flashes of lightning in the clouds, and faint thunder could be heard. It looked as if it was about to rain.

“Oh, Heaven, if you truly have a spirit, then send down lightning and strike dead a villain like Henry Clark. In return, I will become a vegetarian, chant Buddhist scriptures, and devote my life to good deeds to repay Heaven’s kindness!” Emily Foster looked up at the dark sky and, in a moment of whimsy, whispered this prayer. But to her disappointment, the lightning in the sky showed no change, still rolling lazily through the clouds, and certainly not striking Henry Clark, who was drinking in the front hall.

Seeing this, Emily Foster sighed again. She knew she was only indulging in wishful thinking. She had already completed the wedding rites with Henry Clark, and had paid respects to the Emperor Edward Clark and Empress Thompson. This meant they were now officially husband and wife. Even if a god descended from the heavens, it would be impossible to change this fact.