Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

The Dragon Boat Festival has arrived. Guests carrying snacks exchanged a few pleasantries with their hosts, handed over their gifts, and then left. Since Liang Jie'er made Hong Xing'er his concubine, Rui Cai was deeply grateful to his wife. While helping with the summer harvest in the countryside, he and his wife became inseparable, and Liang Jie'er also took the opportunity to reconcile with her husband. Liu Lian and Xi Luan, impatient with this display of affection, quickly left them behind, allowing only Rui Qian to follow. Soon they encountered Xiang Xiang, who was craning her neck and looking around. The three of them joined hands and pushed forward. Soon, Xi Luan and Xiang Xiang disappeared into the surging crowd. Liu Lian stared blankly at her empty hands, and Rui Qian seized the opportunity to walk alongside her.

Being able to walk with his beloved woman, Ruiqian was almost drunk, and he proudly puffed out his chest. The Seventh Miss was tall and slender, wearing a light purple long dress embroidered with bamboo and the pattern of peace, and a white silk blouse with dark bamboo leaf patterns. Her jet-black hair was tied up in twin buns that hung down to her shoulders, and she only wore a silver hairpin with bamboo leaves wrapped around it, which swayed gently, making Ruiqian's heart itch.

“Look, up there, the one standing there, that’s Xiu Luan’s son-in-law.”

Following the direction he pointed, I saw a mound about two zhang high, where four tall Chinese scholar trees provided shade. Around the stone table in the middle sat many scholars in green robes, and next to them stood a scholar with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance. His face was like jade, and he was as handsome as a jade tree in the wind. His faded green robe did not look shabby at all, but rather made him look calm, composed and indifferent. I couldn't help but sigh inwardly, what a handsome scholar!

Seeing her admiring expression, unable to look away, Ruiqian couldn't help but get annoyed. "That's Xiuluan's son-in-law, so don't even think about it!"

"What are you saying! How beautiful! With a husband like this, what more could one ask for!"

"You..." Ruiqian was both angry and resentful, and momentarily speechless with rage. Liu Lian quickly comforted him, "I meant Xiu Luan, I'm truly happy for her!"

"Come on, you're practically drooling. That's Xiu Luan's son-in-law... Humph!"

"Look at what you're saying! I know you can't touch food that belongs to someone else." Seeing that the little boy in front of her was still sulking, Liu Lian decided to lower herself and coax him a bit: "Look, if you see a cute cat, you can pet it a couple of times, okay? If you see a cute flower, you can smell it, okay? If you see a cute person, you can look at them a few more times, okay? Besides, if you're so handsome, it would be a waste not to let people see you. Standing there, isn't it all for people to see?" Rui Qian was a little confused by her words, feeling that something was wrong. Without thinking too much, he blurted out: "As a man, why should I use my appearance to please the world? I'm not an actor!"

"That's right, a man should strive to achieve great things. What's the use of humming a few sentimental poems? What kind of knowledge can one gain from sitting in the study all day!" The scholar lingered, feeling sorry for him: what sins did he commit in his past life to be caught in the crossfire in this one?

Ruiqian remained arrogant and unwilling to reconcile easily, blurting out, "Give me the chain on your wrist, or I'll tell Xiuluan!" A little embarrassed as soon as the words left his mouth, Ruiqian simply took the pink peach blossom knot beaded phoenix tail clasp bracelet from Liulian's hand and stuffed it into his pocket. Liulian stared at him speechlessly, while Ruiqian, his scheme successful, feigned composure, acting as if nothing had happened.

The boy's thoughts weren't hard to guess; Liulian wasn't someone who hadn't been pursued before. However, Liulian understood that his feelings were doomed; whether she rejected him or not, it would end in tragedy. Therefore, she didn't deliberately reject this beautiful love, nor did she intend to reciprocate; she simply faced it with equanimity. But this calm self-awareness shamed Liulian. She couldn't bear to meet the boy's burning gaze; she had desecrated a boy's purest first love.

After that, Liulian just walked on silently. Ruiqian thought she was annoyed—a young girl's things shouldn't be taken by just anyone—so he carefully put on a smiling face and took out the small gift he had prepared for her—a mutton-fat jade phoenix feather hairpin—and presented it to her like a precious treasure.

Liu Lian held the jade in her hands, admiring its exquisite craftsmanship. She swallowed the unwelcome question about its price, realizing it must have cost him all his savings. Seeing her silence, Rui Qian misunderstood, thinking she was moved. He helped her tuck it into her hair, examined it closely, and nodded contentedly. Liu Lian's heart was in turmoil. She didn't know whether to reject this boy, so deeply immersed in happiness. How could she refuse him? She didn't want him to suffer any harm, yet she couldn't escape the impending devastation—Master Liu was a man of high aspirations, and Rui Qian was destined for a marriage alliance with another family. Perhaps happiness, perhaps a sacrifice of happiness, was destined to be unattainable for an orphan like herself. For a moment, Liu Lian was overwhelmed with worry.

Xiangxiang, panting, squeezed through the crowd and said, "Xiuluan is lost, we can't find her." Ruiqian told the two of them not to get separated, then squeezed into the crowd. Xiangxiang studied Liuye'er's expression with interest—she had seen Ruiqian putting a hairpin in her hair from afar—and seeing her composed demeanor, she couldn't help but admire her.

"Seventh Miss, Miss Xiangxiang, are you here to watch the competition too?" It was Gong Jianyun, who lingered and gave a slight bow. "I haven't congratulated Officer Gong yet!"

Gong Jianyun casually cupped his hands in greeting and exchanged a few polite words. It turned out that Gong Jianyun had just made a contribution by chance, and the county magistrate was looking to cultivate a trusted confidant and find someone who was willing to do practical work. So, he took advantage of the situation and was promoted to head constable.

Xiangxiang's eyes were sparkling.

Gong Jianyun looked around, then led the two young ladies to squeeze under a weeping willow tree, instructing them, "Don't wander off, stay here." Seeing that the two young ladies were being escorted by an official, and not knowing their background, some of the more timid ones, fearing trouble, squeezed elsewhere, and the area suddenly became more relaxed.

Xiangxiang looked at Gong Jianyun with gratitude and said with a sweet smile, "Thank you so much, Brother Gong. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't even have a place to stand!"

"Miss Xiangxiang, you're too kind. Miss Qi is from Shiqiao. Are you worried that she won't be able to find a good place that is both scenic and shady?"

"Brother Gong, you're too kind! My dad has a stall over there; we'll go over and have some meat later!"

"I have official business to attend to, so I won't bother you any longer, Brother Zheng!"

"Nonsense! Does official business mean we can't eat? Even the emperor doesn't starve his soldiers! My dad said that when he sees your brother Gong, he must bring him over. He works so hard, do you expect him to go home and cook for himself? He knows you're on official business and doesn't want to delay you, so he's saved the best food for you. Don't let my dad's good intentions go to waste! My dad and you hit it off immediately. Do you think that now that you've been promoted to head constable, he'll humiliate you because he's just a butcher? If that's the case, my father and I wouldn't dare to aspire to such a high position!" As she spoke, she pouted slightly.

Gong Jianyun dared not continue to pester her, so he could only nod in agreement, his mind searching for a way to strike up a conversation with Liu Lian. Liu Lian, however, watched him and Xiang Xiang's battle of wits with a grin, showing no intention of helping him out of the predicament.

In the distance, the sounds of gongs, drums, and cheers filled the air, and seven or eight dragon boats were already visible in the distance!