The First Jasmine - Chapter 1
Chapter 1: A Broken Engagement? A Decree of Marriage?
"Miss! Miss, this is bad!"
Within a secluded courtyard that bore a faint air of desolation, a light-green silhouette swept into the inner chambers like a gust of wind, causing the wind chimes hanging by the door to clash in a frantic, ringing melody.
Inside the simple and elegant room, a slender figure sat facing the half-open window, the needle and thread in her hands never faltering for even a fraction of a second despite the intruder's disruption. Only after the little maid took a ragged breath did the lady stop her handiwork, turning around with a smile. "What has happened to throw you into such a frenzy?" The young woman possessed a refined and delicate beauty, though her eyes held a sharp, discerning clarity that seemed somewhat at odds with her fragile appearance. Dressed in plain attire, her long hair was casually pinned up with nothing more than a single green jade hairpin. Had an outsider witnessed this, they would find it virtually impossible to believe that this woman was the legitimate eldest daughter of the prestigious Minister’s Estate.
"Miss! How can you still be in the mood to embroider? Do you know—do you have any idea that you've been jilted by Prince Li?!" The little maid snatched the embroidery from her hands, stomping her feet in sheer anxiety. Ever since Prince Li had broken off the engagement three days ago, she had been burning with worry, yet her mistress still acted as though it had absolutely nothing to do with her.
"Qingshuang, Prince Li broke off the engagement three days ago. Isn't your distress a little delayed?" Rather than taking offense at the maid's impudent behavior, Ye Li merely looked at her with an amused smile.
"Miss!" Qingshuang glared at her mistress in exasperation. "I'm not anxious over Prince Li!" Since her mistress didn't care about Prince Li, why should she bother herself with him? "But... oh, Miss! The Emperor has issued another marriage decree for you! Master wants you to go out and receive the imperial edict right now."
"Another marriage decree?" Ye Li paused, her brows knitting together despite herself. She had initially assumed that after being rejected by Prince Li, she would at least enjoy a few years of peace. After all, in this era, very few men were willing to marry a woman whose engagement had been broken. Their family was merely the household of a Minister; why would the Emperor bestow so much attention on her? To be jilted three days ago, and then assigned a new marriage decree three days later—was the Emperor holding the Minister’s Estate in too high a regard, or did he simply find the newly designated groom an eyesore?
Qingshuang’s eyes flushed red with anger as she gritted her teeth in resentment. "It’s Prince Ding! Eldest Miss must have incited the Emperor. She has loved bullying you since childhood, and now she actually... actually managed to get the Emperor to marry you to Prince Ding! Waaah..."
Ye Li looked at her maid with a wave of helplessness. Such a crybaby truly wasted the crisp, cool name of 'Qingshuang'. "Alright, don't speak of this so carelessly outside. Come, let's go out and receive the decree."
The Grand Hall of the Ye Estate
"By the Grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The eldest daughter of the Ye family, Ye Li, is intelligent, virtuous, and possesses both talent and merit, making her an excellent match. She is hereby granted in marriage to Prince Ding of the First Rank, Mo Xiuyao, as his primary consort. A propitious date shall be chosen for the nuptials. Respect this."
The members of the Ye clan chorused their gratitude. The eunuch delivering the decree placed the imperial scroll into Ye Li’s hands and smiled, saying, "Congratulations, Madam Ye. Congratulations, Miss Ye." Ye Li accepted the edict, enduring the eunuch’s somewhat grating, high-pitched laughter as she offered a calm, gentle smile. "Thank you, Eunuch. I appreciate your trouble." The eunuch cast a slightly astonished look at Ye Li. Rumor had it that the legitimate third daughter of the Ye family was the capital's famous 'Three-Lacking Lady'—notorious for lacking talent, appearance, and virtue. Yet looking at the woman before him now, though she lacked the dazzling, voluptuous beauty of Consort Ye in the palace, and could not match the peerless allure of the Fourth Miss—who was hailed as the number one beauty in the capital—she was still a rare, refined lady. Moreover, her conduct was dignified and her speech measured. How did she look anything like the crude, socially inept woman Consort Ye had described? Glancing at the undisguised, malicious joy on the faces of the surrounding Ye family members, the eunuch understood everything. Though he felt a pang of pity for this Miss Ye, these matters were far beyond the purview of a mere eunuch. He murmured a polite deferral and took his leave.
The matriarch of the Ye family, Madam Wang, eagerly instructed the butler to personally escort the guest out. Only then did she cast a sidelong glance at Ye Li, adopting a facade of maternal affection as she smiled. "Fortunately, the Emperor is wise and has designated another fine marriage for the Third Miss. Otherwise... how else could a woman with a broken engagement ever hope to be married off?"
Ye Li's expression remained unchanged, though she sneered in her heart. A fine marriage? Did they think that just because she rarely left her courtyard, she was completely ignorant of the world? When Prince Ding, Mo Xiuyao, was eighteen, he had been gravely injured—leaving him crippled in both legs, his visage entirely ruined, and confined to a bed of illness ever since. He had married two primary consorts in succession; one had accidentally drowned less than half a month after crossing the threshold, while the other had died of sheer terror on the wedding night. Rumor had it that she had been frightened to death by the mere sight of Prince Ding's face. Were it not for this, given Prince Ding's status and nobility, how could he possibly remain without a primary consort at twenty-five? "Madam speaks truly. No matter what, Prince Ding is a Prince of the First Rank with a hereditary title. It is indeed Li'er who is marrying above her station."
Madam Wang's expression stiffened slightly. She scrutinized Ye Li before saying, "Since you understand, then prepare for your marriage properly. Do not lose the dignity of our Minister's Estate. Your Fourth Sister is also marrying in a few weeks, so the estate will be exceptionally busy during this period."
"I understand. I have troubled Madam to worry over this."
"I am the mistress of this Ye household, so it is only natural for me to manage these affairs," Madam Wang replied. Looking at Ye Li’s composed demeanor, she gave a soft, disdainful snort, swept her sleeves, and departed.
Ye Li watched the matriarch leave with a faint smile, raising an eyebrow in silence. Although she was the legitimate daughter of the Ye family, she was not born of the current mistress, Madam Wang, but of Minister Ye’s first wife, Lady Xu. Lady Xu had hailed from a distinguished literary family, but her health had declined steadily after giving birth to Ye Li. Minister Ye had favored his concubine, Madam Wang, who had entered the household earlier, and he had even handed the reins of the estate over to her during Lady Xu's severe illness. When Ye Li was seven, Lady Xu passed away, and it was at that exact moment that the current Ye Li took her place in this body. After being elevated to the position of primary wife, Madam Wang did not dare to overtly mistreat the original wife's legitimate daughter for fear of public gossip, but subtle sabotage and deliberate difficulties were inevitable. Ye Li had quietly defused every single one of them, which only made Madam Wang find her more and more of an eyesore.
"Third Sister, congratulations." As soon as Madam Wang left, the several unmarried daughters of the Ye family immediately swarmed around her, offering their congratulations with faces full of pity and thinly veiled schadenfreude. The first to speak was the Sixth Miss, Ye Lin. She was a daughter born of a concubine and had loved following Madam Wang’s legitimate daughters around since childhood, frequently making things difficult for Ye Li to curry favor with them. Ye Li generally chose not to bicker with her. It was merely a concubine's daughter's survival tactic; as long as she didn't cross the line, Ye Li had no desire to match wits with a child barely past ten years old.
"What is there to congratulate Third Sister for? Marrying Prince Ding... just thinking about it is terrifying. That Prince Ding is both crippled and hideous, and he even scared a princess consort to death. Who knows, maybe he murdered the first one too. We ought to be congratulating Fourth Sister instead; in another month, Fourth Sister will be the Princess Consort Li." The Fifth Miss, Ye Shan, looked flatteringly at the Fourth Miss, Ye Ying—who held the title of the capital's number one beauty—her eyes betraying an unsuppressible mix of envy and jealousy.
Ye Ying indeed lived up to her reputation as the top beauty in the capital. Her brows were like willow leaves, her eyes like autumn waters, and every line of her jade-like countenance exuded an exquisite, flawless beauty. Every movement she made carried a delicate, elegant grace that instinctively aroused a desire to protect her. However, to someone like Ye Li, who had seen countless beauties in her previous life, such soft allure lacked any real sense of breathtaking wonder.
"We are all sisters, there is no need to speak of congratulations. In the future, Mother will surely select ideal husbands for Fifth Sister and Sixth Sister as well," Ye Ying said softly. Her voice was gentle and melodious, her breath as fragrant as orchids, and her every gesture possessed an enchanting charm that provoked another wave of jealousy among the others. "As for Third Sister... I hope you can forgive the matter regarding Prince Li." Her watery autumn eyes gazed at Ye Li, overflowing with apology. Ye Li smiled generously and replied to Ye Ying, "It doesn't matter. It seems Prince Li and I were simply not fated to be. We cannot allow a man to ruin the affection between us sisters, can we?"
Ye Ying froze. Failing to elicit the reaction she had anticipated left her somewhat disgruntled. She had thought that upon receiving the news of the broken engagement three days ago, Ye Li would be driven to suicidal grief. To her immense disappointment, her third sister had merely fallen silent for a moment, muttered an 'I see,' and retired to her room to rest. Seeing her again today, there wasn't even a hint of haggardness on her face. Prince Li was the dream husband of every noble young lady in the capital; she refused to believe that Ye Li truly wasn't heartbroken! After a brief pause, she adopted a shy, delicate smile. "I knew Third Sister loved me the most. In the future, if Third Sister faces any difficulties, you can always come to the Prince Li Estate to find Ying'er."
Ye Li gave a casual nod of assent, too lazy to look at the smugness that her sister could barely conceal. Bidding farewell to the cluster of sisters who were itching to ruin her day, Ye Li led Qingshuang as they strolled back toward their small courtyard. Along the way, Qingshuang was still muttering indignantly, "What does the Fourth Miss mean by that? She clearly stole Prince Li, yet she stands there putting on such a hypocritical show. It's truly disgusting!"
Ye Li turned around and looked at her with amusement. "That's enough. If anyone hears you, watch out for your skin. I truly do not care whether I marry Prince Li or Prince Ding."
"How can you not care?!" Qingshuang stared at her. "Prince Li is a renowned, elegant gentleman of the capital, the Emperor's birth brother! As for Prince Ding... who doesn't know he's a cripple whose face is ruined and who is riddled with severe illness—ugh." Realizing that Prince Ding was about to become her mistress's husband, Qingshuang desperately swallowed back the word 'useless.'
"What of it?" Ye Li arched an eyebrow, looking at Qingshuang with a half-smile. "Could it be that because you see Prince Li is handsome, you wish to marry along with me just to become his concubine?" Whether he was handsome or not, Ye Li had no interest in knowing, even though her former fiancé supposedly held the title of one of the capital's four great handsome men. However, Mo Junli's character was absolute trash, and certainly no better than Prince Ding's. She hadn't been entirely deaf to the rumors of Mo Junli and Ye Ying committing adultery beforehand, but Mo Junli's motives and mentality in waiting until the wedding date was practically upon them to break off the engagement were well worth pondering. Thinking up to this point, the Emperor's intention in suddenly marrying her—a freshly jilted woman—to Prince Ding at this specific juncture was equally deep and calculated. 'Intelligent, virtuous, and possessing both talent and merit, making her an excellent match'... Who in the capital didn't know that the Third Miss of the Ye family was the famous 'Three-Lacking Lady,' notorious for her hideous looks, lacking talent, and dreadful needlework? Was the Emperor implying that a 'Three-Lacking Lady' like her was the perfect match for a 'useless' prince like Prince Ding?
"Miss!" Qingshuang's face flushed crimson as she stomped her feet. "I would never! Qingshuang would rather marry a servant or a stable boy than become a concubine!" Most importantly, she would absolutely never become a concubine to her mistress's husband. Qingshuang's mother had originally been a concubine in a wealthy household. After her father's early death, she and her mother had been driven out of the estate by the primary wife to wander the streets. After her mother died of illness, she was nearly sold into a brothel. Fortunately, her mistress had bought her, bestowed upon her the name Qingshuang, and taught her how to read and write. Qingshuang was not an ungrateful person; she would never forget this profound kindness.
Seeing the little maid thrown into such a panic, Ye Li could not help but laugh out loud. "Alright, can I not even crack a joke anymore?”