Embroidered Phoenix Chronicle

Master Liu entrusted the task of persuading Liu Ye'er to Fengxian, and then prepared four kinds of generous gifts and went to the Lin family.

After Jing Shu fell asleep, Feng Xian instructed Cui Lan to keep a close watch on her, and then went to Liu Ye'er's courtyard. Liu Ye'er was sitting in the shade embroidering a shoe upper, while Cui Cui was sewing the sole beside her. Feng Xian picked up the work and looked at it, "Hmm, you've improved!"

Liu Lian invited her to sit down, but Feng Xian found an excuse to send Cuicui away and sat down opposite Liu Lian. Liu Lian put down her work in surprise.

"Ye'er, what do you want most?" Fengxian didn't want to beat around the bush. She felt that Liu Ye'er was a sensible person and it would be better to say it frankly to her face. Besides, this matter couldn't be hidden. All the conditions had to be clearly stated to her face.

Liu Lian was a little puzzled. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Freedom! I want freedom!" Liu Lian blurted out.

"Freedom?" Fengxian's eyes widened. "Freedom? Freedom? Tch, even the Empress can't have that! What a child! Let's be practical, I can afford it! How about a perfect husband? Not the fifth young master of the He family!"

"Where is the freedom to speak of after marriage? I don't even know the color of a man's face, yet I have to be his wife. Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine! I don't want to get married! I want to live freely on my own!" Liu Lian strongly resisted the arranged marriage and took the opportunity to express her thoughts.

Fengxian recalled his foolish thoughts from childhood, and a feeling of sympathy welled up within him. "It's impossible for you not to marry. If you wait a few more years, the official matchmaker will force you into a dead cat or a rotten dog. You won't even have time to cry then! Your father entrusted you to the Liu family. You protected me and gave birth to Jing Shu. I'm finding you a good marriage because of our relationship. Ye Zi, you treat me like your own sister. In return, I truly treat you like my own sister! Xiu Luan was going to become a concubine for Young Master Liang—that is, the Fourth Prince. That would mean her marriage to Lin Hengge'er wouldn't be possible. I fought for it for you. Hengge'er is the most promising scholar in our county, and he's handsome too. This way, the Liu family won't offend the Lin family to the point of death. It's good for all three parties: Xiu Luan can marry into the Prince's mansion legitimately; the Lin family won't be too disgraced and will even get a sum of money; and you'll get a good son-in-law. Although the Liu family can offer a large sum of money, they've managed to get it back many times over by associating with the Prince! It's just a pity that you have to take the place of a substitute bride!"

After careful consideration, Liu Lian thought, "Are the Lin family's rules strict? I can't stand being restricted! If all I do all day is serve my mother-in-law, greeting her, serving her tea and water, and trying to keep her entertained every day, I'll suffocate!" As she spoke, a thought struck her: if she couldn't stand it, she would divorce! Having no parents and no home, she could now establish her own household—in this time and space, this was the greatest freedom she could obtain!

"Yezi, no one can escape serving your mother-in-law! The Lin family is a scholarly family; although they have been officials for generations, their rules aren't overly strict. Starting with Old Master Lin's grandfather, there were only one son per generation for four generations, until Heng-ge'er's generation, when they had an illegitimate son. For over a hundred years, the Lin family has always been known for its generosity. Old Master Lin is easygoing and doesn't fuss over details, so he shouldn't make things difficult for you. Heng-ge'er was raised by Old Master Lin; your brother-in-law says he's very easygoing, has excellent interpersonal skills, and is never arrogant. It's a pity that Xiu-luan isn't blessed with such a life!"

Thinking of the handsome young man standing with his hands behind his back under the locust tree, a slight smile appeared on her lips—since she was bound to get married eventually, she might as well marry a handsome one; it would be pleasing to the eye, wouldn't it!

Seeing Liu Lian smile silently, Fengxian patted her hand. "Alright, it's settled then! If the old lady and master ask you, don't agree rashly. Find some fault and negotiate the price..."

Liu Lian smiled wryly, Feng Xian was truly thinking of Liu Ye'er's best interests. "Elder sister, you really did deserve to marry into a merchant family, you're so good at shrewdness!"

Fengxian was so angry that he poked her head with his finger: "You heartless thing, I'm doing this for you! It's never a loss to have some money to keep on my own, and this money is really for you! There's no reason to use people for free! I can't let Xiu Luan get married for nothing! Alright, think of something to say, I'll go tell the old lady that you don't want to."

Master Liu returned, and things went smoothly. He and Old Master Liu agreed on a dowry of ten thousand taels of silver—to be taken by Liu Ye'er when she marries into the Lin family. This was a selfish motive of Master Liu; he feared the Lin family wouldn't accept Liu Ye'er after her marriage, so having this little bit of silver would be better. Xiu Luan listened intently, afraid of missing a single word. Young Master Liang was gone, and Xiu Luan's soul went with him, her heart filled with resentment with nowhere to confide. Knowing that Young Master Liang was actually the descendant of the Fourth Prince, she felt like dying. Their social status was worlds apart, and there was no possibility of them ever crossing paths again! For the first time, she began to hate her family's merchant status; all her fine clothes and embroidered robes lost their luster.

Madam Xu said bitterly, "That little hussy, she doesn't want to! Humph! Is the eldest son of the Lin family not good enough for a cart driver's daughter? She's completely blinded by greed! Master, the Xu family has several fourteen or fifteen-year-old girls, not only beautiful but also incredibly gentle, a hundred times better than that cart driver. Why force this troublesome girl on her? She's so unwilling; even if she marries into the family, she won't say a good word about us! Who knows what dirty things she'll say about us behind our backs!"

Master Liu glanced at her indifferently and remained silent. Madam Xu understood that Master Liu was not going to take her advice, and reluctantly shut her mouth. Master Liu stood up and said, "I'm going to see Mother." Xiu Luan panicked and hurriedly stopped Master Liu as he was leaving: "Father! Liu Ye'er probably doesn't want to steal my marriage. She's never liked Young Master Liang! And she's used to being free, she doesn't want to get married! Father, just try to persuade her kindly. Liu Ye'er isn't stupid; she can tell right from wrong!"

Master Liu grunted and left, lifting the curtain. Madam Xu came out from the east room and scolded, "What kind of bewitching potion did that little hussy give you? Why are you siding with outsiders like this? Do you think your uncle's daughter is inferior to a country bumpkin?"

“Mother, my cousins ​​are doing very well! Let the Xu family keep them! Don’t let outsiders benefit!” With that, she slammed the curtain shut and went back to her room. Madam Xu trembled with anger, pointing at her curtain and cursing her a few more times. Xiu Luan didn’t retort. When she first heard that Liu Ye’er was to marry in her place, she felt strange, a subtle reluctance. But compared to her uncle’s daughters, she would rather Liu Ye’er marry Lin Heng. After all, Liu Ye’er was her first friend. Xiu Luan was still young and hadn’t experienced much hardship. She didn’t know that Liu Ye’er was actually her only true friend.