Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

Upon seeing her husband, Madam Xu could no longer hold back her bitterness and almost threw herself into his arms in front of all the servants. These past two years had been unbearable, especially the last twenty-odd days she had been in charge of the household—it had been an inhuman ordeal! With tears streaming down her face, Madam Xu poured out her heart to her husband. Master Liu was somewhat troubled. Where had that bold, passionate, and genuine young woman who had once admired him gone? Was she now this talkative, resentful woman? For a moment, Master Liu's thoughts drifted far, far away.

Master Liu's first wife was the eldest daughter of the Xu family, Xu's elder sister. The elder Xu was virtuous and quiet, but lacked romance. After her death, the younger Xu caught his eye. She was warm, lively, and understanding. His mother firmly opposed the marriage, but the younger Xu, clutching his hand and weeping bitterly, was instantly captivated. Afterwards, she nestled tightly in his arms, murmuring that she had no regrets, that she would die happy to have her brother's love, and that she would even cut her hair and become a nun. After several secret rendezvous, the younger Xu became pregnant and threatened suicide, vowing to become a nun. Old Madam He, having no other choice, had to agree to the marriage. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law never got along. Master Liu sighed, just as his mother had done to her younger self.

The daughter-in-law came in to invite us to dinner and asked her father-in-law for his opinion on whether or not to bring her grandmother back.

"No need, I'll go to the countryside to take a look and bring her back while I'm at it!" For some reason, the older Mr. Liu got, the more reluctant he became to part with his mother. He was eager to see her; only by seeing his mother could he feel at ease.

Madam Xu was stunned for a moment. After Fengxian left, she grabbed her husband and said angrily, "Your mother found a wife for the third son. She's from the Huo family. They haven't even talked yet, but she's already adoring her like she's a treasure! She's just a country bumpkin. Unless I die, don't even think about it! You have to reject her. Even if it's not mentioned yet, or even if it's already arranged, it's not allowed!"

With no way to deal with the stubborn wife and obstinate son, Master Liu had no choice but to nod in agreement.

The old lady, who had just woken up from her afternoon nap, was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea. Several girls, who were getting impatient with their mung bean soup, were pestering the old lady for something else. They were all taken aback when they saw Mr. Liu striding in. Fu Hui snuggled into her mother's arms, and Xiu Luan rushed into her father's arms. After exchanging greetings, everyone sat down. The old lady told everyone to take her third son to play, leaving only the mother and son in the courtyard.

The old lady vented her anger on her son, saying, "What are you doing here?" The old man smiled and said, "I've come to listen to my mother's teachings." This made the old lady burst into laughter, and she said angrily, "You worry about your family's messes every day, and no one even complains about your hard work! What kind of bewitching potion has your wife given you?" The old man could only chuckle dryly.

The old lady of the Liu family recounted the events surrounding Fengxian's miscarriage, and then added, "The Huo family refuses to allow her to take a concubine, only saying that they want the eldest son and his wife to go to the capital to take a look."

Master Liu asked in bewilderment, "Can't our in-laws see this? Why are you going to the capital—" He suddenly gasped, "Could it be that our in-laws suspect... No, it's true that Madam Xu is a bit stupid, she wouldn't do something like this..." Master Liu was speechless.

The old lady of the Liu family said coldly, "The eldest son knelt down and begged me not to take a concubine. He would rather adopt a nephew than raise his own child!"

Master Liu was momentarily frantic, his heart unusually panicked! The old lady snorted coldly and said, "These days, whenever Fengxian comes to pay her respects in the morning, I let her stay. She eats and drinks at my place, and rests on my kang at noon. Her complexion becomes rosier then. But if she goes back to stay overnight, she comes back in the morning looking ashen-yellow! I don't even dare to let Seventh Miss stay with her!"

The old lady continued, "Seventh Miss is still young, so it's understandable that she's a bit outspoken. She complained a few times about the cook's shrimp, and the cook dared to throw a tantrum and demand that Seventh Miss demonstrate! What a fine manner! Guess why the cook was so bold! What cook would dare treat a guest like that? Seventh Miss actually cooked a delicious shrimp dish, and no one even stopped her! This is how the Liu family treats its guests! My son, I have nowhere to hide my face! Absolutely nowhere to hide!" The old lady slammed her fist on the table. "That cook was smart enough to leave on her own, and she didn't even have the face to ask for her wages! Knowing there were guests at home, your wife insisted on sending Xiu Luan to the Xu family to play! I had no choice but to swallow my pride and coax that child to go play, haha!" Master Liu stared at the teapot and teacups bouncing around on the table, his mind buzzing.

With each heavy blow, Master Liu was completely stunned!

“Mother, don’t get upset. I’ll handle this. I’ll take charge! We can’t let her become the head of the household! That child… hasn’t taken this to heart, has he?”

"Who knows? It's all thanks to Liang-jie'er, who stayed with her and kept her happy. After Xiuluan came back, she got along really well with her! She's still just a child, she's probably forgotten about that incident long ago!"

"It's good that you've forgotten, it's good that you've forgotten. Thank you, Mother."

"Don't try to sweet-talk me!" Having completely won over her daughter-in-law, the old lady breathed a sigh of relief and became more cheerful.

"Seventh Miss is truly remarkable. She's magnanimous, thoughtful, and perceptive. Although she's a bit lacking in manners and etiquette, she's still young. A good wife brings prosperity to three generations..."

Master Liu believed his mother's judgment was sound; the Seventh Miss was certainly a good woman. However, what he needed was a daughter-in-law who could help his family, and this girl was rather unworthy.

"Mother, what is this seventh young lady's surname?" Master Liu interrupted his mother.

Grandma Liu asked doubtfully, "The seventh young lady of the Huo family naturally has the surname Huo. Is there... something wrong with that?"

"Mother, that child's surname is Liu. She's just being fostered by the Huo family! Her father is Changsheng, don't you remember? Your fox fur robe, that fur tube was brought back by Changsheng from Fangzhou! And that lambskin, it's all from him, and you even praised him for his kindness! Changsheng left his daughter over five hundred strings of cash, it's impossible for her to be adopted by the Huo family. The Huo family raising this child as their seventh young lady is just repaying the Liu family's kindness! Back then, didn't you say that good people are ultimately rewarded?" Liu Ye'er's father had business dealings with Master Liu, they were related by blood, addressed each other as brothers, and had paid their respects to the old lady. Besides, the Liu family of Shiqiao originally moved from Liulin Village, their generations were all traceable, so addressing each other as brothers was perfectly appropriate. Although Master Liu wasn't home, he knew the inside story better than anyone else.

The old woman was stunned. She had considered everything, but she hadn't anticipated this turn of events: While the laws of Liang were relatively lenient, the prohibition against marriage between people of the same surname was an ironclad rule. Marriage between people of the same surname was considered adultery, punishable by divorce, 150 strokes of the cane for the matchmaker, exile to the border, and exile of the parents a thousand miles away. Therefore, no one dared to be blinded by such desires and insist on marrying someone of the same surname.

Master Liu said cautiously with a smile, "Since Mother likes this child, just keep an eye out for a good family for her!"

"I never imagined that the third son wouldn't have this good fortune!" the old lady said sadly.

"That's right!" Master Liu casually agreed, not taking it to heart.