Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

Early in the morning, Ruiqian paced back and forth in his room, his heart aching with anxiety: Liu Ye'er lived in the main courtyard, yet he couldn't see her. Going to the front courtyard was pointless, given the early hour. Xiu Luan, residing in the west wing of the north house, lingered in bed, making Ruiqian so anxious he was practically burning with impatience. He hesitated for a moment in the front courtyard after leaving the second gate, then went into the study and forced himself to read. Since the Seventh Miss had drowned on the Dragon Boat Festival, the two hadn't seen each other. He was consumed by guilt, believing that if he hadn't gone to find his sister, perhaps the Seventh Miss wouldn't have drowned. He had asked his sister-in-law to act as matchmaker, but she told him it was impossible, as the Seventh Miss also shared the surname Liu. Ruiqian was heartbroken. His family began arranging marriages for him; the county magistrate's daughter had taken a liking to him. Though a concubine's daughter, she was his only child, more than a match for him. Ruiqian gave up hope, or rather, he thought he had. When his servant Xiao De'er told him that the Seventh Miss was staying at the Liu family's house, he felt a sudden buzzing in his head, his mind went blank, and he even forgot to breathe. He forced himself to remain calm and ignored Xiao De'er, his heart pounding like a hammer. He thought he had managed to hide it from Xiao De'er, but he hadn't. He thought Xiao De'er was telling him good news, but that wasn't the case.

Xiao De'er was Rui Qian's servant, and they had grown up together since childhood. Xiao De'er was pragmatic, and he never approved of Rui Qian's infatuation with the Seventh Miss. He felt that it was impossible for it to happen, and that Master Liu would never agree to let the Seventh Miss into his family, no matter how much the old lady liked her. However, he did not try to dissuade his young master because he had overheard someone saying that the Seventh Miss's surname was Liu.

After learning that his marriage to the Seventh Miss was hopeless, Ruiqian was heartbroken and remained silent for a long time. Later, he came to terms with it and forgot about it; he thought he had forgotten. He thought his first love was over, but a gentle breeze blew, and the ashes were rekindled. Knowing that there was no future, he remained as stubborn as a moth drawn to a flame.

Rui Cai paced back and forth in the room like a trapped beast. His grandmother's backyard held his treasure—a beautiful woman who longed for him, but he couldn't go see her. His mother had sent a message through a stick, and he dared not make another move. Liang Jie'er watched her husband coldly, watching him absentmindedly bring his empty teacup to his lips, watching him absentmindedly take Fu Hui from the wet nurse. Liang Jie'er understood; his soul had long since flown away. Liang Jie'er suppressed her anger—as long as this man slept on her bed, there was a chance she would conceive a son; as long as she had a son…

Fengxian was already up, though she still lingered in her husband's warm embrace. She called Xiangmei in to comb her hair. Ruihong, propped up in bed, watched her, grinning foolishly. Fengxian had told him last night that she was pregnant, over three months along, and very well. Yumei brought in the brazier, which she had fanned up, and casually washed her hands in the water, wiping them as she said with a grin, "Young Master, let me help you get dressed. The young mistress is very busy and probably won't have time for you!"

"No need, no need, I can do it myself. Have you swept the yard?" Ruihong hurriedly refused her.

"Oh dear, young master, it's so cold, my hands are freezing! Why don't you have a maid sweep them?" Yu Mei said coquettishly.

"Oh, then you should take good care of yourself. After Xiangmei finishes combing the young mistress's hair, the young mistress can go sweep!" Ruihong said with a smile. "The young mistress isn't afraid of the cold!"

"Young Master is just teasing me! I'll tidy up the young mistress's bed first." Saying this, she was about to climb onto the kang (heated brick bed), but Ruihong's face fell. "Xiangmei, go and fetch Zhao Ma, the old lady's maid!"

"Young master, don't take her seriously. She's always trying to shirk her responsibilities! Come on, you little hussy, let's sweep the area. There's someone on the kang, so we'll climb up!" With that, he pulled Yu Mei out of the room.

Seeing his wife glaring at him resentfully, Ruihong quickly got up, dressed in a few moments, and called Xiangmei to fetch water for him to wash his face. He then went to tidy up his bedding before going out to attend to other chores. When Xiangmei brought in the water, she was about to help Ruihong wash his face, but Ruihong waved her hand, saying, "You tidy up the room first, I'll do it myself."

Cui Cui got ready early in the morning, first cooking porridge, then sweeping the small courtyard clean. Liu Lian liked to sleep alone and wasn't afraid of the dark, so Cui Cui didn't need to watch over him. Cui Cui was extremely grateful; although the kang (heated brick bed) in the small room was small, it was still easy to turn over. Liu Ye'er opened the door, and Cui Cui quickly brought him water to wash his face. Seeing that the kang was already tidied up, she hurriedly set up the kang table, then took the water Liu Ye'er had used to wash her face and carefully swept the room again.

The two of them ate breakfast together at the same table. At first, Cui Cui was a little shy and didn't dare to pick up any food with her chopsticks. Later, Liu Lian scolded her a few times and told her to make sure she ate her fill, which made her feel better.

After finishing her meal and cleaning up the dishes, Cuicui, as usual, went to learn etiquette from Zhao Ma. Zhao Ma said Cuicui was lucky to have such a mistress, and Cuicui wholeheartedly agreed. When she was nine, her grandfather committed a crime, her family's property was confiscated, the men were exiled, and the women were sold into brothels. Because she was young and looked even smaller than her age, she was lucky enough not to be sold into a brothel. Later, she was sold into a family as a maid, but she didn't want to and only caused trouble, so she was sent back. In fact, she could do many chores and knew the rules—the matchmaker wasn't doing charity work, how could she let her eat idly? Having experienced so much hardship, when Liulian handed her two large steamed buns, she almost decided to take her in. Many people gave her things, but few had compassion in their eyes. She carefully inquired about Liulian's past and understood that her compassion stemmed from empathy. Cuicui decided to live earnestly. Her previous description of herself as a beggar was actually a form of self-protection; she was afraid of being targeted! Liu Ye'er didn't want her to be afraid. In Liu Ye'er's eyes, she was a person, a pitiful person. She didn't want to be pitied, so she had to strive to live. She was destined to be a servant, but she would be the best servant, making everyone look at her with new eyes!

Fengxian went to the kitchen to check, and the food was quickly delivered to each courtyard. After the meal, Ruihong accompanied her to inspect the place, and her husband's thoughtfulness made her feel gratified.

The old lady looked at the young couple with satisfaction. Fengxian was pregnant again and came to resign from her job as housekeeper. Actually, there wasn't much to do at home, nothing difficult to manage, and she could manage even while pregnant. However, no one was willing to take the risk. Fengxian refused, Ruihong refused, and naturally, the old lady also refused. The old lady called Master Liu to discuss it, and they unanimously decided that Liang'er would manage the household, and Fengxian could go and rest and prepare for her pregnancy.

Since Fengxian moved to the main courtyard, the relationship between the two sisters-in-law has become delicate. Although they appear to be harmonious on the surface, they are somewhat estranged inside. Fengxian's pregnancy is not good news for her.