Chapter 33: The Schemes of the Chu Mother and Daughter

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A scarlet paper crane hid in a corner beneath the eaves. The Sun mother and her three daughters were either careless or truly unconcerned, for they had left the window wide open and were discussing Chu Li without the slightest restraint.

“Has she really married? And she married into the capital?”

Chu Jiaojiao’s face was full of jealousy. She would never believe that such an uncouth wretch could have found such a fine match.

Chu Yan’er chimed in, “It’s true. Mother deliberately went to sound that man out over dinner. He really does have a capital accent, and he admitted his relationship with that wretch.”

Madam Sun nodded as well.

“That vile girl has actually managed to make something of herself. Jiaojiao, what do you think? Her sudden return could not have come at a better time. We can have her marry into the Fang family in your place. First, she is already listed in our Chu family genealogy, so the Fang family will have no choice but to acknowledge her. Second, I raised her all these years. We cannot truly treat her like water that has been thrown away. At the very least, she ought to make some contribution to our Chu family!”

“It is a pity that she is no longer pure. If Fang Shihuai discovers that she is not a virgin, the whole Chu family may be implicated. Mother is only worried that matters will become difficult to settle.”

Madam Sun had always loathed Chu Meng. She was a wild child brought home by the former family head, yet Master Chu had insisted on registering her under Madam Sun’s name.

It would have been bad enough that, as the principal wife of the household, she had no son to support her. But all three of her children were girls, and she had been mocked by the other branches of the family for years.

Madam Sun blamed it all on Chu Meng. It had to be because that little wretch had been registered under her name, bringing her bad luck and preventing her from bearing a son.

Chu Meng was not only a money-losing burden—she was a jinx as well!

And now the girl had made matters even more infuriating. Without saying a word, she had married herself off, completely disregarding her adoptive mother. If others found out, who knew how they would laugh at Madam Sun?

The more Madam Sun thought about it, the angrier she became. Chu Jiaojiao had also been struck by the news like a blow to the head and was grinding her teeth in fury.

“Our Chu family raised her for nothing!”

“No! We cannot let her get away with this so easily. She must marry Fang Shihuai in my place!”

“Jiaojiao, have you thought of a way? Do not act without certainty. Your father attaches great importance to this marriage alliance. After all, the Fang family is…”

“…”

The red paper crane beat its wings and quietly entered Hui Chun Courtyard, slipping into Chu Li’s room.

The instant the crane came to rest on Chu Li’s fingertip, a streak of blue light seemed to flash across its body. Then it fell rigidly onto the table, lifeless.

Chu Li closed her eyes and absorbed the information the red paper crane had brought back. Slowly, she opened them again.

So that was how matters stood. The Chu family was bent on arranging a marriage alliance with the Fang family. Even knowing what sort of man Fang Shihuai was, they did not care. It was not because of that inexplicable marriage contract, but because the Fang family had made Chu Zhonghe a promise.

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A promise that would allow the Chu family to rise above being an ordinary merchant household and advance to an entirely new level!

It was said that the Fang clan had a close relative serving as an official in the capital. So long as the Chu family was willing to marry its legitimate eldest daughter to Fang Shihuai, the Fang family could arrange for the Chus to become imperial merchants!

One was merely a regional mercantile clan; the other did business with the imperial household. It was obvious which status ranked higher.

The Eastern Cang Kingdom did not hold merchants in high esteem, but becoming imperial merchants would make the situation entirely different.

With such an ambition, the Chu family was destined to sacrifice one of its daughters.

If Chu Li had not returned this time, then given Chu Zhonghe’s ambition, he would certainly have made Chu Jiaojiao marry into the Fang family.

“Tsk.” No wonder that, when she had first seen Chu Jiaojiao, she had noticed that the girl’s recent fortune was a mixture of good and bad. As it turned out, half of the other girl’s good fortune was built upon the misery of her adopted daughter.

So long as Chu Meng married into the Fang family as the legitimate eldest daughter, the downward turn in Chu Jiaojiao’s life would be dispelled in an instant, and her fortunes would return to a smooth and prosperous course.

That faint thread of golden wealth-luck emerging from the resentment permeating the entire Chu residence now made perfect sense as well.

But who was Chu Li? How could she possibly allow this family to have its way?

***

The following day, the Chu sisters came together to Hui Chun Courtyard. Using their long separation as an excuse, they said they wanted to take Chu Li out shopping.

The two sisters were dressed quite modestly that day. Even their makeup was far lighter than it had been the day before. Instead, they had brought along an entire outfit in peach-red and insisted that Chu Li change into it.

“Eldest Sister, you have been away from home for so long. Mother felt she had neglected you, so she stayed up all night buying several new outfits for you. This peach-red brocade gauze dress is no worse than anything you bought at Splendid Embroidery Pavilion. Hurry and try it on.”

Without waiting for Chu Li to reply, Chu Yan’er took the dress and forcibly stuffed it into her arms. Chu Jiaojiao blocked the doorway as well, looking as though she would not let Chu Li leave unless she changed.

Chu Li had been curious about what schemes the sisters were plotting. She cast a glance at the gauze dress. Though the color was not to her taste, it was clearly a high-quality garment. She simply signaled to Qiu Yi with her eyes and changed into it.

The moment she stepped out of the inner room, both Chu sisters’ eyes widened, and nearly at the same time, their faces revealed their jealousy.

Chu Li noticed it all. With a smile, she spun once before them, lightly waving the matching embroidered handkerchief in her hand. She looked like a flower fairy who had fallen into the mortal world, beautiful beyond compare.

Covering her lips, she murmured softly, “It really is lovely. It is just that I am accustomed to wearing plain-colored dresses. Does this perhaps not suit me? Perhaps I should change back.”

The Chu sisters had still been seething inwardly, but upon hearing this, they immediately moved to block Chu Li from either side. Chu Jiaojiao forced a false smile and had no choice but to make herself offer praise.

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“Eldest Sister, this dress makes you look extraordinarily beautiful. Even your complexion looks much better. You should keep it on.”

“That’s right, Eldest Sister. Your skin is so fair—you are especially suited to wearing this color. It makes your complexion look even paler.”

Chu Li pretended to smile shyly.

“My dear sisters, you flatter me. Since you put it that way, I shall keep it on. Peach-red dresses can easily make one look darker, so they truly are not something just anyone can wear.”

The smiles on the Chu sisters’ faces instantly stiffened, and their complexions darkened.

Was that wretch implying that they were dark-skinned?

Their mother had fair skin, but their father’s complexion was dark. Neither girl had inherited their mother’s coloring; instead, they had taken after their father. Even layers of powder could not remedy it.

Chu Meng, on the other hand, had been born with a fair complexion. Standing on either side of her, the two sisters looked like a pair of mud figures. If they had not possessed reasonably attractive features, they would hardly have been fit to be seen in public.

Seeing that her words had struck a nerve, Chu Li laughed inwardly.

Nothing was more taboo among young women than being compared with one another. Ever since childhood, these two sisters had tormented Chu Meng mercilessly because she was fairer than they were.

When Chu Meng gradually realized that her beauty might become a burden, she learned to conceal her face and therefore often appeared before others with disheveled hair and a filthy appearance.

Even so, the two sisters still refused to leave her alone. Whenever they had the chance, they tormented her.

“All right, all right, Eldest Sister. Once you are ready, let us go. If we arrive too late, there will be no good places left.”

Chu Yan’er was the first to recover. She spoke candidly, breaking the awkward atmosphere, then pulled Chu Jiaojiao out of the room.

“Sister, just endure it for now. Do not forget your plan.”

Chu Jiaojiao was so furious that she ground her teeth, but upon hearing Chu Yan’er’s words, she gave a cold laugh.

“You are right, Yan’er. I must endure it. Today, she is the main character. Let her have her moment this once.”