Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

Xiu Luan had been heartbroken for days, but upon hearing that she was to marry Young Master Liang—that is, the Prince—she was almost driven mad with joy! The Prince! The Prince! Think about it, what girl has ever married into a Prince's household? Let alone married, has anyone even become a maid? Besides, he's such a handsome man, with a good temper, and he's devoted to her! The only drawback is that she'll only be a concubine—she'll only get the title of concubine if she gives birth to a son! The Magistrate Feng himself conveyed this message; how could it be false? The Magistrate also said that the Prince's household has no children to date! With her looks, she's sure to hold the Prince firmly in her grasp; what's so difficult about having a child?

All the girls from her uncle's family came, offering their sour congratulations, which Xiu Luan found unbearable. She got up and left—too lazy to deal with these snobbish women, who might be plotting to steal her hairpins or bracelets! Ever since befriending Liu Ye'er, Xiu Luan had completely despised her uncle's cousins, those ambitious, petty, and opportunistic women. Liu Ye'er wasn't as sweet-talking or flattering as her cousins, but she didn't scheme against her! Several times, Xiu Luan deliberately left things behind, and Liu Ye'er would either collect them for her or send them over via her maid. Liu Ye'er also never gossiped about other people's business! Xiu Luan hated gossips; she knew they would spread rumors and dredge up her mother's past behind her back!

Liu Ye'er sat in the shade of the wall, while Jing Shu held her two index fingers and hummed. Xiu Luan sat down beside her and teased Jing Shu, "Why did you bring her out so early in the morning? Aren't you afraid she'll catch a cold?"

"Cuilan is cleaning the house! Lazy girl, why haven't you combed your hair?"

"Don't even mention it! My cousins ​​are staring at me like wolves, I don't dare to even start my makeup. Why don't you do my hair and makeup?" Xiu Luan smiled slyly.

"Big sister, you're about to get married!" Liu Lian was speechless. This Xiu Luan was always good at being a rogue and often pestered Liu Lian, forcing her to come up with a new look for her.

Liu Lian carefully braided her hair. Xiu Luan comfortably squinted her eyes. "Ye Zi, my cousins ​​are deliberately trying to steal the Lin family's marriage! Cousin Yu is with them too, I'm afraid they don't have good intentions! Be careful not to wander off, I'll stay with you!" Liu Lian called Cui Cui to fetch water to wash her hands and told her to pack her things.

Jing Shu fell asleep, and Liu Lian covered the cradle with a gauze quilt. Xiu Luan pulled her to sit down, hugged her arm, and stared blankly at the cradle.

"Ye Zi, after thinking it over and over again, it's finally done! But my mind is a mess, I'm so unsure! What about you?"

He patted her hand and said, "At least you've met the Prince and are favored by him. I haven't even... met him, and I don't even know if he has a long or round face, or if he eats salty or bland food! Just thinking about it is scary!"

"You're afraid? I thought you were fearless even if you poked a hole in the sky! I've met Lin Heng; she's beautiful, well-mannered, and refined! She definitely won't bite!"

Enraged, Liulian pinched her, and Xiuluan cried out in pain. Liulian said, "Stop pretending, I didn't even use any force!" Seeing that her feigned injury hadn't worked, Xiuluan said with a grin, "You're not even married yet, and you're already siding with them! Why don't we talk to Grandmother and get rid of you sooner?" Liulian replied, "I'm not in a hurry, but I'm afraid someone else is! I'm afraid the Prince in the capital is itching to come here! I'm worried for you all!"

Xiu Luan was both ashamed and angry. She punched Liu Lian and said resentfully, "I have to get rid of you first!"

Liu Lian said seriously, "Luan'er, being the prince's concubine isn't easy! You're so beautiful, yet you come from a merchant family, so people will definitely target that to ridicule you! You'd better be prepared, don't be foolish enough to argue and cause trouble! The prince isn't just your prince, he doesn't have time to protect you every day. In the end, you'll have to rely on yourself! Go ask your grandmother for some advice, she's knowledgeable and will definitely have a way to deal with it! Also, ask your third brother what the princess's temperament is like, what she's wary of? If your third brother doesn't know, he should try to find out. The person who goes with you must be loyal and reliable, and also have an old, experienced mother..."

Xiu Luan paled and lowered her head in silence. Liu Lian's words struck a nerve, things she had never considered. She had only come to relax, but instead, they had added to her worries. Every word Liu Lian spoke made sense; she was concerned for her.

The two remained silent. Fengxian hurried back and, upon seeing Xiuluan, said, "Xiuluan, Grandmother is picking out jewelry. It was delivered by the Du family's silver shop. Go and take a look! Yezi, find all your embroidery and show it to me!" Xiuluan quickly took her leave.

Fengxian pulled Liulian away and left. Cuilan hurriedly came over and carried Jingshu into the house.

As she lingered, searching for the things she had embroidered, Fengxian said, "The date is set for May 26th. All the harvested wheat has been sold, and with the money from selling the mulberry leaves this season, plus all the money from the shop's sales, we'll use it to get rid of you. Xiu Luan will set off in June, with Master and Third Brother escorting her to the capital... Is that all you have? What have you been doing all year? You don't even have many pairs of shoes, and what about clothes? Ancestor, you're going to drive me crazy!" Upon hearing this, Cui Cui brought in a large stack of pillowcases, handkerchiefs, sachets, fan covers, purses, shoe uppers, and sock soles, timidly piling them in front of Fengxian. Liu Lian leaned over to inspect the work; the pieces weren't very good, but she still enthusiastically exclaimed "Wow!" in amazement. Feng Xian rolled her eyes at her and smiled at Cuicui, "Good girl, you're so thoughtful! I'll have someone send over some satin later. Hurry up and make shoes for your young lady. Bring me a pattern of the soles so my maid can sew them! We need at least forty pairs of shoes!"

Liu Lian shouted, "Forty pairs! I'm not a centipede spirit, why do I need so many! Fine, fine! I'll listen to you! I'll listen to you!" Liu Lian glanced at Feng Xian, who was angrily rolling up her sleeves, and wisely changed her tune. Feng Xian rolled her eyes at her, "It's one thing for a young lady to have her clothes made, but shoes too? I'm speechless! You're a complete idiot! You're such a grown woman! Go look at Xiuluan, she has at least sixty pairs of shoes! There's a whole stack of unfinished shoes too. And look at you, do you only make a pair when you have nothing left to wear? And socks, hurry up and get them made!"

Once Fengxian left the gate, Liulian breathed a sigh of relief and stuck out her tongue. Everything else was fine, but what she couldn't stand the most was socks. No matter how exquisite the craftsmanship, they couldn't compare to the comfort of modern stockings. Oh well, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Cui Cui was overjoyed to receive Feng Xian's praise and to have solved her mistress's immediate problem. Liu Lian, watching this, felt a pang of heartache and waved her hand, "Cui Cui, go make some tea!"

Xiu Luan sat down beside the old lady and repeated Liu Ye'er's words. The old lady nodded, "You two sisters have truly been worth it! Xiu Luan, don't worry too much. This is how a woman's life goes. Even if you don't serve the princess, you still have to serve your mother-in-law, right? The princess has to listen to the prince, and she's bound by her status, so she wouldn't dare to make things too difficult for you..."

Old Mrs. He said a lot, but Xiu Luan didn't hear a word. She sadly realized that marriage didn't seem to be a happy event! But she and Liu Ye'er had no way out!