1. Cancelling the marriage? Arranging a new one?
"Miss! Miss, something terrible has happened!"
In the quiet and somewhat desolate courtyard, a light-green figure rushed into the inner chamber like a gust of wind, causing the wind chimes hanging by the door to tinkle.
Inside the simple yet elegant room, a slender figure sat by the half-open window, her needlework not pausing in the slightest despite the intrusion. Only when the young maid had caught her breath did the woman stop her sewing, turning to smile. "What has you so startled?" The lady's features were delicate and refined, yet her eyes held a sharpness and acuity that seemed at odds with her gentle appearance. She was dressed plainly, her long hair casually secured with a jade hairpin. An outsider would hardly believe this woman was the legitimate eldest daughter of the esteemed Minister Ye's household.
"Miss! You still have the mood to embroider? Don't you know... don't you know your engagement with Prince Li has been broken!" The young maid snatched the embroidery from her hand, stomping her foot in agitation. Ever since Prince Li had called off the engagement three days ago, she had been on edge, yet her Miss seemed utterly unconcerned.
"Qingshuang, Prince Li cancelled our marriage three days ago. Isn't it a bit late for you to be panicking now?" Ye Li looked at her maid, amused and not minding her rudeness.
"Miss!" Qingshuang stared frustratedly at Ye Li. "I'm not worried about Prince Li." Why should she care about him when her Miss didn't? "However... Oh, Miss! His Majesty has arranged another marriage for you! The Master is asking you to come and receive the imperial edict."
"Another betrothal?" Ye Li paused, frowning involuntarily. She had hoped for some peace, considering not many would wish to marry a woman whose engagement had been broken. We're just a mere minister's household; why is His Majesty so concerned? She had been dismissed from her previous engagement three days ago and was now being betrothed again. Did the Emperor highly regard Minister Ye's household, or was it out of contempt for the man she was now to marry?
Qingshuang, her eyes reddening with anger, gritted her teeth. "It's Prince Ding! It must have been Eldest Miss who manipulated His Majesty! She always loved bullying you, Miss, and now she... she wants you to marry Prince Ding! Boo hoo..."
Ye Li looked helplessly at her maid, whose sobs contradicted her resolute-sounding name. "Alright, don't say such things outside. Come, let's go accept the edict."
「Ye Family Great Hall」
"By the Emperor's edict: The eldest daughter of the Ye family, Ye Li, being intelligent and virtuous, possessed of talent and moral character, is deemed a worthy match. She is hereby bestowed in marriage to the Prince of Ding Kingdom, Mo Xiuyao, as Princess Consort. An auspicious date shall be chosen for the wedding. By Imperial Decree."
Upon hearing the edict, everyone in the Ye family expressed their gratitude. The eunuch who delivered the edict handed it to Ye Li, smiling. "Congratulations, Madam Ye, and congratulations, Miss Ye."
Ye Li took the edict, enduring the eunuch's somewhat grating laughter, and replied with a calm smile, "Thank you, Eunuch. We've troubled you."
The eunuch looked at Ye Li, surprised. It was said that the legitimate third daughter of the Ye family was the capital's renowned "Triple-Flawed Miss," possessing no talent, no beauty, and no virtue. Yet, looking at her now, while she might not be as dazzling as Ye Zhaoyi from the palace, nor as breathtaking as the Ye family's Fourth Miss—hailed as the Capital City's foremost beauty—she was undeniably a rare, refined beauty herself. Her demeanor was graceful, her speech measured—nothing like Ye Zhaoyi's description of her as ill-mannered and unpresentable. Glancing at the Ye family members' barely concealed schadenfreude, the eunuch understood. Although he felt a twinge of sympathy for this Miss Ye, such matters were beyond what he, a mere eunuch, could interfere with. He uttered a polite refusal of her thanks and took his leave.
The Mistress of House Ye graciously had the steward personally escort the man out before directing a disapproving glance at Ye Li and feigning a compassionate laugh. "Thankfully, His Majesty, in his divine wisdom, has arranged another suitable marriage for Third Miss. Otherwise..." Otherwise, what man would marry a woman whose previous engagement had been revoked?
Ye Li maintained a calm demeanor, sneering inwardly. A 'suitable marriage'? Did they think that because she didn't go out much, she knew nothing? Prince Ding, Mo Xiuyao, had been severely injured at the age of eighteen. His legs were crippled, his features ruined, and from then on, he was bedridden. His previous two Princess Consorts had died mysteriously: one drowned less than half a month after their wedding, and the other reportedly died of fright on their wedding night. It was rumored she had died of pure terror upon seeing Prince Ding's face. If not for these unfortunate circumstances, why would a prince of his status still be without a Princess Consort at the age of twenty-five?
"Madam is correct," Ye Li said. "Regardless, Prince Ding is a hereditary prince of the first rank; it is indeed Li'er who is marrying above her station."
The Mistress of House Ye's face stiffened slightly. She looked at Ye Li before saying, "Since you understand, prepare your dowry appropriately so as not to bring disgrace upon our Minister's household. Your Fourth Sister is also to be married soon; these days, the household is very busy."
"I understand. I apologize for troubling Madam."
"As the Mistress of this Ye family, it is natural for me to concern myself with these matters," the Mistress of House Ye said, giving a light snort and leaving with a flick of her sleeve.
Ye Li smiled as she watched the Mistress of House Ye depart, raising an eyebrow but saying nothing. Although she was the legitimate eldest daughter of the Ye family, she was not born to the current Mistress, Ms. Wang, but to Minister Ye's first wife, Madam Xu. Madam Xu came from a scholarly family, and her health had been poor ever since giving birth to Ye Li. Minister Ye favored Ms. Wang, who had entered the household as a side-room concubine first. Even the authority over the household was handed over to Ms. Wang after Madam Xu fell gravely ill. Madam Xu passed away when Ye Li was seven, and it was also at that time that the Ye Li of now came to be. After Ms. Wang was instated as the official wife, fearing accusations of mistreating the legitimate daughter of the first wife, she didn't dare to openly abuse Ye Li. However, intermittent provocations were certainly not lacking. These were all deflected by Ye Li without a fuss, which in turn made Madam Wang view her with increasing displeasure.
"Third Sister, congratulations." As soon as Ms. Wang left, the other unmarried young ladies of the Ye family immediately crowded around, their words of "congratulations" laden with various expressions of pity and schadenfreude. The first to speak was Sixth Miss, Ye Lin. As the daughter of a concubine, she had always enjoyed trailing behind Ms. Wang's legitimate daughters, occasionally creating some trouble for Ye Li to curry favor with Ms. Wang's legitimate daughters. Ye Li generally didn't want to bother with her. It was merely a survival tactic for a concubine's daughter; as long as she didn't go too far, Ye Li wouldn't stoop to arguing with a girl barely over ten.
"What's there to congratulate Third Sister for? Marrying Prince Ding? The very thought is terrifying! That Prince Ding is both crippled and ugly, and he even scared a Princess Consort to death. Who knows, maybe the first Princess Consort was killed by him too! We should be congratulating Fourth Sister. In a month, Fourth Sister will be Princess Consort Li!" Fifth Miss, Ye Shan, said, looking fawningly at Fourth Miss Ye Ying, who was acclaimed as the foremost beauty in the Capital City. Her eyes couldn't conceal her admiration and jealousy.
Ye Ying was indeed worthy of being called the Capital City's foremost beauty. With eyebrows like willow leaves and eyes like autumn pools, her jade-like countenance was exquisite in every detail, and her every movement carried a delicate grace that made one want to cherish her. However, to Ye Li, who had seen countless beauties in her previous life, this kind of delicate beauty lacked that stunning impact.
"We are all sisters; what's there to congratulate or not? In the future, Mother will surely choose suitable husbands for Fifth Sister and Sixth Sister as well," Ye Ying said softly, her voice gentle and pleasant, her breath like orchids. Her every action carried an enchanting grace that made the onlookers burn with envy. "As for Third Sister... regarding the matter with Prince Li... I hope you can forgive me." She looked at Ye Li with eyes full of apology.
Ye Li smiled magnanimously. "It's alright. Perhaps Prince Li and I were simply not fated to be. We can't let a man sour the relationship between us sisters, can we?"
Ye Ying paused, taken aback by the unexpected response, feeling somewhat dissatisfied. She had originally thought that upon receiving the news of the broken engagement three days ago, Ye Li would be devastated. But to Ye Ying's great disappointment, her Third Sister had merely been silent for a moment, said she understood, and then returned to her room to rest. Seeing her today, there wasn't the slightest hint of distress on her face. Prince Li was the dream husband of all the young ladies in the Capital City; she refused to believe Ye Li wasn't truly heartbroken!
After a moment, Ye Ying managed a shy smile and said softly, "I know Third Sister pampers me the most. If Third Sister encounters any difficulties in the future, please feel free to come to Prince Li's Mansion to find Ying'er."
Ye Li responded nonchalantly, too lazy to acknowledge the poorly concealed smugness on Ye Ying's face. Bidding farewell to the gaggle of sisters who were eager to cause her further trouble, Ye Li strolled towards her own small courtyard with Qingshuang.
Along the way, Qingshuang was still grumbling indignantly, "What does Fourth Miss mean by that? She clearly snatched Prince Li, yet she puts on such an act. It's disgusting!"
"Alright now," Ye Li said, turning to her with an amused smile. "If anyone hears you, you'll be the one getting a beating. Honestly, I truly don't care whether I marry Prince Li or Prince Ding."
"How can it not matter?!" Qingshuang stared at her. "Prince Li is a renowned, dapper young gentleman of the Capital City, and His Majesty's own younger brother! Everyone knows Prince Ding is a cripple with disfigured features, constantly plagued by severe illness... uh..." Remembering that Prince Ding was about to become her Miss's husband, Qingshuang forced herself to swallow the word "useless."
"And so what?" Ye Li raised an eyebrow, looking at Qingshuang with amusement. "Could it be that you find Prince Li handsome and want to accompany me into his household to become a concubine?"
Whether he was handsome or not, Ye Li had no interest in knowing. Although her former fiancé was supposedly one of the four most handsome men in the Capital City, Mo Jingli's character was certainly no better than Prince Ding's. She had heard rumors of Mo Jingli and Ye Ying's affair before, but Mo Jingli's motive and mindset for breaking the engagement so close to the wedding date were worth deep consideration. Thinking of this... His Majesty's intention in bestowing her, freshly rejected, upon Prince Ding was equally thought-provoking. "Intelligent and virtuous, possessed of talent and moral character, a worthy match"... Who in the Capital City didn't know that the Ye family's Third Miss was the infamous "Triple-Flawed Miss"—plain in appearance, lacking in talent, and clumsy with needlework? Was His Majesty implying that she, this "Triple-Flawed Miss," was a perfect match for Prince Ding, who was known as a "useless good-for-nothing"?
"Miss!" Qingshuang's face flushed red, and she stomped her foot, exclaiming, "Absolutely not! Qingshuang would rather marry a servant than become a concubine!" Most importantly, she would never become a concubine to her own Miss's husband. Qingshuang's mother had been a concubine in a prominent family. After her father's early death, she and her mother were driven out by the main wife and ended up homeless on the streets. After her mother died of illness, Qingshuang was nearly sold to a brothel. Fortunately, Miss bought her, gave her the name Qingshuang, and taught her to read and write. Qingshuang was not an ungrateful person; she would never forget this kindness.
Seeing her little maid so agitated, Ye Li couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Alright, can't I even joke with you?"
"Miss..."