"Miss! Miss is in trouble!"
In the quiet and desolate courtyard, a light green figure blew into the inner room like a gust of wind, bringing the wind bell hanging by the door with it for a while.
In Su Ya's room, a slim figure was sitting in front of a half-open window, and the needle and thread in her hand did not stop at all because of the disturbance. When the little girl took a breath, the woman stopped the needle and thread in her hand, turned around and said with a smile, "What made you so surprised?" The woman's appearance was beautiful and elegant, but there was a trace of tenderness and sharpness in her eyes. She was dressed in plain clothes, and her long hair was casually tied up with a jade hairpin. It was hard for outsiders to believe that this woman was the eldest legitimate daughter of the Minister's Manor.
"Miss! You are still in the mood to embroider. Do you know... do you know that you have been broken off by Prince Li?" The little girl snatched the embroidery from her hands and stamped her feet anxiously. Since Prince Li broke off the engagement three days ago, she had been so anxious that she almost got angry. However, her young lady still looked as if it had nothing to do with her.
"Qing Shuang, Prince Li broke off the engagement three days ago. Are you too anxious to react now?" Ye Qingxue didn't care about her rudeness. She looked at her little maid with a funny smile.
"Miss!" Qing Shuang glared at her lady madly. "I'm not worried about Prince Li." Her lady didn't care about Prince Li, so why did she care so much? But... "Oh, Miss, the emperor has granted you another marriage! Old Master asked you to go out to receive the imperial edict."
"Another marriage?" Ye Qingxue was taken aback. She couldn't help but frown. She had thought that she would be able to live in peace for a few more years after Prince Li had broken off the engagement. After all, in this era, there weren't many women who were willing to marry someone who had broken off the engagement. "Our family is only the Minister's Manor. Why would the Emperor pay so much attention to it?" The Emperor had broken off the engagement three days ago and was granted another three days later. Was it because the Emperor thought too highly of the Minister's Manor or because he didn't like the man who had been bestowed the marriage?
Qing Shuang was so angry that her eyes turned red. She gritted her teeth and said, "It's Prince Ding! It must be First Miss who incited the emperor. She has been bullying you since she was a child. Now, she actually... let you marry Prince Ding. Woo..."
Ye Qingxue looked at her maid helplessly. Such a crying girl really wasted the name Qing Shuang. "Well, don't talk nonsense outside. Let's go out and receive the imperial edict."
In the Ye family's hall.
"According to the emperor's edict, the eldest daughter of the Ye family, Ye Qingxue, is smart and virtuous. She is both talented and virtuous, and she is a good match. I have specially bestowed marriage upon Mo Chenyi, the prince of the state, as my wife. I will choose an auspicious day to get married. That's all."
Everyone in the Ye family thanked her in unison. The eunuch who delivered the decree handed the edict to Ye Qingxue and said with a smile, "Congratulations, Madam Ye. Congratulations, Miss Ye." Ye Qingxue took the edict and endured the eunuch's slightly harsh laughter with a faint smile. "Many thanks, Eunuch. Thank you very much."
The eunuch looked at Ye Qingxue in surprise. It was said that the three legitimate daughters of the Ye family were famous noble ladies in the capital. They were famous for their lack of talent, looks, and virtue.
However, even though the woman in front of him was not as beautiful as Ye Zhaoyi in the palace, nor was she as beautiful as the fourth young lady of the Ye family, who was known as the most beautiful woman in the capital, she was still a rare beauty.
What's more, his behavior was graceful and his words were reasonable. It was unlike what Ye Zhaoyi had said that he did not know when to back off. Glancing at the Ye family's undisguised gloating, the eunuch had already understood. Although he felt sorry for Miss Ye, he, as a eunuch, could not manage these things. After saying that he did not dare to take it, he took his leave.
The madam of the Ye family asked the butler to send her out personally. Then she glanced at Ye Qingxue from the corner of her eyes and pretended to be kind. She smiled and said, "Fortunately, His Majesty is wise and has arranged a good marriage for Third Miss. Otherwise..." Otherwise, how could a woman who had been broken off the engagement get married?
Ye Qingxue's expression was as usual and she laughed coldly in her heart. What a good marriage! Did she think that she didn't know anything just because she didn't like to go out? Wang Moyi had been seriously injured when he was eighteen years old and his legs had been crippled and his appearance had been ruined. He had fallen ill since then.
She had married two wives one after another. She thought that she had died of drowning in the water less than half a month after she entered the house. The other one had died of excessive fright on the night of the bridal chamber.
There was a rumor that it was because Prince Ding's face had been scared to death. If not for that, how could Prince Ding not have had a legal consort at the age of 25? "Madam is right. No matter what, Prince Ding is a first-class prince. It is true that Xue'er is on good terms with him."
The Ye family's matriarch's expression stiffened slightly. She glanced at Ye Qingxue and said, "Since you already know, prepare to get married. Don't bring shame to our Minister's Manor. Your fourth sister is about to get married in a few days. The manor has been very busy these days."
"I got it. Madam, please take care of it."
"I'm the matriarch of the Ye family, so I naturally have to worry about these matters," the madam said. She looked at Ye Qingxue, who was looking calm, and snorted as she left.
Ye Qingxue watched the madam of the Ye family leave with a smile. She raised her eyebrows and said nothing. Although she was the legitimate daughter of the Ye family, she was not the daughter of the current madam of the Wang family. She was the daughter of Minister Ye's first wife, the Xu family. The Xu family was born in a literary family. After giving birth to Ye Qingxue, she had been in poor health.
Minister Ye favored the second wife of the Wang family, and even gave the power of the manor to the Wang family after Mrs. Xu was seriously ill. When Ye Qingxue was seven years old, the Xu family died. It was also at that time that Ye Qingxue became the current Ye Qingxue.
After the Wang family became the main wife, they didn't dare to abuse her because they were afraid that others would say that she treated the main wife's daughter harshly. However, they would make things difficult for her from time to time. They were all quietly resolved by Ye Qingxue. Therefore, Madame Wang didn't like her more.
"Congratulations, Third Sister." As soon as the Wang family left, the young ladies of the Ye family, who were still in the boudoir, immediately gathered around them. They looked at her with pity and gloating expressions as they congratulated her. The first one to speak was Sixth Miss, Ye Lin. She was the daughter of a concubine. She loved to hang out with the legitimate daughters of the Wang family since she was a child. From time to time, she would add something to Ye Qingxue's body to please the legitimate daughter of the Wang family. Ye Qingxue generally did not want to argue with her. The survival method of a concubine's daughter was just a means of living. As long as she did not go too far, she did not want to argue with a ten-year-old child.
"Third Sister, what's there to congratulate? It's terrible to think about marrying Prince Ding. Prince Ding is ugly and ugly, and he scared a princess to death. Maybe the first princess was also killed by him. We should congratulate Fourth Sister. In another month, Fourth Sister will be Prince Li's wife." Fifth Miss Ye Shan looked at Ye Ying, who was known as the most beautiful woman in the capital, with admiration and jealousy in her eyes.
Ye Ying was indeed worthy of the title of the most beautiful woman in the capital. Her eyebrows were like willow leaves, her eyes were like autumn water, and her jade-like face was exquisite and beautiful. Her every move was full of tenderness and elegance, which made people want to pity her. However, in the eyes of Ye Qingxue, who had seen countless beauties in her previous life, such a gentle beauty was less amazing.
"We're sisters, so there's no need to congratulate us. In the future, Mother will definitely choose a good husband for Fifth Sister and Sixth Sister," Ye Ying said softly. Her voice was gentle and sweet, and her breath was like an orchid. Her every move was intoxicatingly elegant, which made everyone jealous. "But Third Sister, regarding Prince Li... I hope you can forgive me." She looked at Ye Qingxue apologetically. Ye Qingxue smiled generously and said to Ye Ying, "It doesn't matter. Maybe it's because I'm not fated with Prince Li. We can't ruin our relationship because of a man, can we?"
Ye Ying was stunned. She was a little unwilling to accept her unexpected reaction. Originally, she thought that she would be in great pain when she received the news of breaking off the engagement three days ago. However, to her disappointment, her third sister was silent for a moment and then went back to her room to rest. Today, she did not look haggard at all. Prince Li was the Mr. Right whom all the noble ladies in the capital yearned for. She did not believe that she was really not sad! After a while, she smiled shyly and said, "I know that my third sister dotes on me the most. If you have any difficulties in the future, you can go to Prince Li's Manor to find Ying'er."
Ye Qingxue gave a bland response. She couldn't be bothered to look at the pride that was hard to hide on her face. After bidding farewell to a bunch of sisters who couldn't wait to make things difficult for her, she brought Qing Shuang with her as they strolled towards her own small courtyard. Along the way, Qing Shuang was still muttering unhappily, "What do you mean, Fourth Miss? It's obvious that she snatched Prince Li's hand, yet she's still putting on an act. It's really disgusting!"
Ye Qingxue turned around and looked at her in amusement. "That's enough. I don't care if you're going to marry Prince Li or you're going to marry him."
"How can it not matter?" Qing Shuang glared at her. "Prince Li is a famous gentleman in the capital and the younger brother of the emperor. Everyone knows that Prince Ding has crippled legs and his face has been disfigured and he is seriously ill... Uh..." Thinking that Prince Ding was about to become her mistress' husband, Qing Shuang tried hard to stop herself from calling him a good-for-nothing.
"So what?" Ye Qingxue raised her brows and looked at Qing Shuang in amusement. "Could it be that you want to marry me so that you can be a concubine?" Ye Qingxue was not interested in him. Even though her ex-husband was said to be one of the four most handsome men in the capital, Mo Junli's character was definitely not better than that of Prince Ding.
She had heard of the fact that Mo Junli and Ye Ying were in cahoots before. However, Mo Junli's motive and mentality for breaking off the engagement were worth pondering. Thinking of this... At this time, it was also very hard for the Emperor to think about the idea that he, who had just broken off the engagement, would be granted the marriage of a king. He was smart, virtuous, and virtuous. He was also a good match... Everyone in the capital knew that the third young lady of the Ye family was famous for her ugly appearance, her talent was overlooked, and she was born to be a rich woman. Did she mean that the third young lady was a good match for the prince who was called a waste?
"Miss!" Qing Shuang blushed and stamped her feet. "No! I would rather marry a servant than be a concubine." The most important thing was that she would never be the concubine of her master's husband. Qing Shuang's mother was originally a concubine of a big family. After her father's death, their mother and son were driven out of their home and moved to another place. After Qing Shuang's mother died of illness, she was almost sold to the brothel. Fortunately, Miss bought her and gave her a name, Qing Shuang, who taught her how to read and write. Qing Shuang was not an ungrateful person. She would never forget this kindness.
Seeing that the little girl was extremely anxious, Ye Qingxue couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Well, can't you make fun of me?"
"Miss..."
