Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

In the end, Master Liu was still a bit confused. Think about it, if Concubine Rong, a concubine, said that being a concubine was bad, wouldn't she be shooting herself in the foot? Besides, she had just received two hundred taels of silver, twenty taels of gold, and a lot of good fabrics from him, and she was very happy. How could she say that being a concubine was bad?

Master Liu summoned his three sons and Fengxian, and briefly recounted the events. It turned out that yesterday, Magistrate Feng's brother brought word that Young Master Liang was actually the Fourth Prince, and that he had taken a liking to Xiu Luan and wanted to marry her. Before leaving, the Fourth Prince gifted Jing Shu a pure gold necklace weighing twelve taels, demonstrating his sincerity.

Master Liu was well aware of Xiu Luan's thoughts and was quite inclined to go along with it. However, Old Master Lin and his father had cultivated their influence in the officialdom for many years, with relatives and friends all over the north and south. Even though the tiger was dead, his prestige remained. Master Liu was actually a little apprehensive. Even if he could rely on the prince's power to force the annulment of the engagement, he himself was not afraid of being accused of being greedy and breaking off the engagement. But Xiu Luan was afraid that if Old Master Liu made the slightest move, her daughter's reputation would be ruined, and the prince would be branded as someone who forced a marriage with his power. Would he treat him well? After thinking it over, she was caught in a dilemma.

“Father, Heng’er’s writing is highly praised by the teacher, and he will pass the imperial examination sooner or later! Isn’t it better to be a noblewoman than a concubine? Why offend the Liu family? Young Master Liang has already left. Is his household lacking beauties? He’ll forget about it in a few days, and the matter will be over! Does he think he can come and forcibly take her away?” Rui Hong spoke first, while Feng Xian sat beside him, head bowed and silent.

“Brother, by the time Heng’er passes the imperial examination, it’ll be ages! By the time he becomes successful, will our Xiu’luan, a merchant’s daughter, be good enough for him? An official title? Pshaw, who knows who will get it! Who is the prince? The emperor’s son! Even if Heng’er becomes the top scholar, he’ll still have to beg for food from the emperor! Are you afraid he’ll rebel?” Rui Cai always looked down on Rui Hong. If Rui Hong said to go east, he would always go west, regardless of whether the road to the west was easy or not.

Ruihong was so angry that he was about to stand up when Fengxian tugged at his clothes from behind. Ruihong thought about it and wondered why he should be the bad guy. After all, Ruicai and she were siblings, Xiuluan was in love with Young Master Liu, and Xiao Xushi was a high-class woman. Why should he stand in their way?

Seeing this, Ruiqian spoke up for Ruihong, "Brother's concerns are very reasonable. The Lin family is a respectable family, and they certainly won't suffer such humiliation for nothing! The Emperor has nine sons, and the Fourth Prince is not the most favored. If he ruins his reputation by taking a concubine, he'll probably want to tear Xiu Luan apart! We won't get any benefit from this!"

"Tch, a scholar's family? A thousand taels of silver isn't enough? That's enough for him to marry five or six more wives!" Ruiqian moved aside, not wanting to sit next to this idiot.

"Alas! Breaking off the engagement is easy to say but hard to say! There must be more than one concubine in the Prince's mansion, and Xiu Luan is so beautiful. Won't those jealous people use this to humiliate her every day? How can our Xiu Luan save face! A woman's reputation is extremely important!" The old lady said solemnly. She understood how great the benefits of marrying into the Prince's mansion were, and she also understood that this matter could not afford the slightest mistake. What happiness and harmony could Xiu Luan find in the Prince's mansion! Entering the gates of a noble family is like entering a deep sea; life there will be unbearable!

"Then what do you suggest we do? If breaking off the engagement isn't an option, what's the point of discussing it? Why not just let her marry that poor scholar from the Lin family! Or, you can give me five hundred taels of silver, and I guarantee that Lin boy will disappear without a trace!" Rui Cai was anxious. He despised his father's cowardly, hesitant manner. Fortune favors the bold; how could he possibly succeed if he was afraid of everything? That was a prince! This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

"Nonsense! Breaking off an engagement sounds bad, but being a widow sounds good? Where can't the prince find someone with a respectable background? Why marry a widow?" Master Liu cursed angrily! Others tried to persuade Master Liu, but Rui Cai turned his head away indignantly and stared angrily out the window.

Fengxian understood that although it was called a discussion, Master Liu and his mother had already decided to send Xiuluan to the Prince's Mansion. Fortunately, she had made preparations in advance.

"Father-in-law, grandmother, I have a plan, but I don't know if it will work..."

"Tell me about it, it's okay if it doesn't work out!"

"My father-in-law adopted my sister, and luckily we're from the same clan, so now we have two daughters! Who gets named Liu Ye'er and who gets named Xi Luan is up to us! As for the Lin family, let's make things clear. People always want to climb the social ladder, and besides, it was the Fourth Prince who specifically requested her, so they can't stop us. If they refuse, they can't blame us! If they have the guts, they can go find the Prince! We've given him face; whether they accept it or not is up to them!"

"I thought you were here to give Xiu Luan some advice... Humph! Your sister is so lucky to have such a good sister like you!" Rui Cai said sarcastically, chuckling a few times before looking up at the roof. "Sisterly affection!"

Mr. Liu and his wife exchanged a glance. In fact, this was exactly what the mother and son had in mind, but they couldn't say it out loud. They wanted to give it a subtle hint, but they didn't expect Fengxian to have the same idea as them.

"Ah, this is a good idea! Yezi is more sensible than Xiu Luan. The Lin family has a good daughter-in-law who can manage the household. Liu Ye'er will also have a family to rely on in the future. It's a win-win situation! Hmm, Fengxian, you've managed the household for many years after all. You're quite shrewd! With you, your father-in-law and I can finally relax!" the old lady said happily.

柳老爷也点头微笑，柳老爷很欣赏柳叶儿。尤其是柳叶儿敢揍“咸带鱼”，柳老爷是有涵养的人，所以当时并没有拍案叫绝。后来柳叶儿细心照料奉贤，终于平安生下了静姝，更是让他刮目相看。柳老爷是商人，比较讲究实际，自然欣赏柳叶儿这样能文能武的人。他相信柳叶儿可以游刃有余应付婚后生活。他甚至想过让她陪绣鸾一起嫁入王府，倒是老太太说这个女孩子是个有主意的，只怕不肯做妾，真要送去了，她不会好好帮扶绣鸾的，要论斗心眼儿，绣鸾不是个儿！对于柳叶儿而言，林家倒的确是一门好亲事，比老太太替她张罗的何家更好——林家人口简单，珩哥儿是嫡长子长孙，家里只有一个庶弟和一个庶妹，都还小，上边儿只有一个婆婆和一个祖父。 It's clear that Old Master Lin won't last much longer. Once the old man is gone, Liu Ye'er's position will be secure. As for her mother-in-law, Master Liu has no worries at all; Liu Ye'er can handle her with ease!

It's a pity that Liu Ye'er isn't a man, otherwise I could have an extra right-hand man—no less capable than my third brother!