Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Yun Wu's Marriage
The New Year is coming to an end and spring is coming to all trees.
It was the afternoon, when the sun was at its peak. Yun Wu opened the window. Outside the window was a withered sycamore tree with new buds sprouting on its branches. The shadow of the tree with buds spread to the window. She sat in the house, sewing her wedding dress stitch by stitch.
Birds chirped on the branches, the sun shone brightly, and the bright red reflected on her fair cheeks. Yun Wu lowered her head, her fingers twisting the thin needle and thread, weaving between the bright fabrics.
In two months, when it is late spring, it will be Yun Wu's wedding day.
The engagement had been arranged long ago, even before she was born, with the son of the Ye family. From a young age, she had known she would marry Mr. Ye, her parents' orders and the matchmaker's words. Now that the wedding date was approaching, she thought about it for a moment, feeling a surge of shame, and couldn't help but pray to the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, praying for everything to go smoothly.
It’s not that Yun Wu was in a hurry to get married, but the young master of the Ye family, to whom she was engaged, was an extremely outstanding talent, with a graceful figure and elegant appearance. Not only was he handsome and had an outstanding family background, but he was also first-class in talent and learning, and was quite famous even in the huge capital.
It was also a coincidence that she got engaged to the young master of the Ye family.
Back then, Ye's father and Yun's father were both candidates for the imperial examination that year. They met while preparing for the exam in the capital and became close friends. Coincidentally, both their wives were pregnant at the time, and they made a pact: if they both passed the exam, they would become in-laws. And with divine intervention, they both passed the exam, had a son and a daughter, and so they were married.
But they had different fates. After graduating from high school, Ye's father was given a prominent position and rose to prominence, enjoying a prosperous career. Meanwhile, Yun's father, after years of wandering around in official circles, was now only a minor official. The two families' circumstances were vastly different. If Yun Wu hadn't been betrothed to the Ye family since childhood, she would still be out of her league.
She had a good marriage, so naturally, she was bound to attract jealousy. Not to mention the noble ladies in the capital, even within the Yun family, there were people eyeing her covetously.
The Yun family's fortune was modest, and the inner court was full of trivial matters. Yun Wu's mother had suffered complications during childbirth and passed away shortly after. Old Madam Yun, dissatisfied with her new granddaughter's lack of potential for a son to carry on the family line, quickly selected a suitable woman in the capital to serve as his successor, the present Madam Yun, as her son, now a successful Jinshi, was jubilant.
Madam Yun was also very capable. She became pregnant soon after entering the family, and she seized control of the household. Even after ten months of pregnancy, she gave birth to a daughter, but she did not suffer any harm at the hands of the old lady. When she later gave birth to a son, she was even more proud, and everyone in the family listened to her.
Now Yun Wu is about to get married, and her sister Yun Hui, who is only two years younger than her, has also reached the age to choose a husband.
Yun Wu has a good marriage, but Yun Hui's marriage makes Mrs. Yun worried.
Having raised her own daughter like a precious treasure, she naturally had to carefully choose a good husband. She wasn't interested in marrying up to a higher social status. While there were many princes and nobles in the capital, there were even more ladies from prominent families. Others looked down on her, and those who did were not as virtuous and talented as the young master of the Ye family. If she married someone inferior to the previous one, she would inevitably toss and turn at night, unable to sleep, unable to reconcile.
After a few interactions, Madam Yun and Yun Hui decided to target Yun Wu.
Wouldn’t it be better if the marriage with the Ye family was Yunhui’s?
Anyway, the Yun and Ye families are getting married, so what if the girl is changed?
Madam Yun wasn't a kind and gentle stepmother. Yun Wu hadn't starved or frozen under her care, but she hadn't been a good person either. Her biological mother had died young, the old lady disliked her, and her father didn't care about the harem. Yun Wu had been cautious and careful since she was a child, always reading other people's faces and accustomed to giving in. But Yun Wu would give in on anything except marriage, which she wouldn't give in on.
There was no one in the Yun family to protect her. If even her only good marriage was taken away, her stepmother might just randomly arrange a foolish marriage and force her into a bridal sedan, and then her second half of life would be uncertain.
When she refused to relent, Madam Yun began to dislike her in every way. Yun Wu hid in her own side courtyard, not daring to wander around in front of her stepmother, lest Madam Yun see her and recall those things. Even during the recent New Year, she behaved well and didn't join in the fun outside.
However, even if she didn't move, someone would still be eyeing that piece of Tang Monk's meat.
Just as she had embroidered half of the mandarin duck's wing feathers, a little maid came over and said, "Miss, the Madam is calling you over."
Yun Wu sighed.
She put away her unfinished wedding dress, straightened her messy skirt, and before leaving the house, she looked at herself in the bronze mirror, tucked her messy hair behind her ears, and then went to the main courtyard.
Before entering the door, I heard laughter coming from the house.
Yun Wu walked lightly, as light as a feather, and as she crossed the threshold, the laughter in the house suddenly stopped. Her heart sank, but she didn't show it on her face. She lowered her head and greeted him submissively.
Since Madam Yun didn't ask her to sit down, she just held her handkerchief and stayed where she was.
After a long while, Madam Yun waved her hand impatiently, "Sit down. What are you standing there for? It's an eyesore."
Yun Wu said obediently, "Thank you, mother." Then she found a seat in the corner and sat down.
She knew very well that if she sat down without waiting for Madam Yun to speak, some disrespectful gossip about her stepmother would spread tomorrow.
She has no other strengths except to appear considerate so as not to let others find fault with her.
Yun Wu looked up and saw her younger sister Yun Hui sitting next to the hostess, Madam Yun. Although she saw her elder sister, she didn't even glance at her or say hello. She just held the mirror and looked at herself. There was a brand new hairpin in her bun, and on the top was an exquisite filigree butterfly, its wings fluttering and lifelike.
Yun Wu asked with concern, "Second sister was ill a few days ago. Is she feeling better these days?"
Last year was a cold winter, and even when spring came, it was slower to warm up than in previous years. The girl was young and loved to be coquettish, so she changed into her new spring clothes early, but she accidentally caught a cold and had to drink bitter medicine for many days.
Yun Hui then put down the mirror, raised her eyebrows slightly, and looked at her.
Her gaze was strange, making Yun Wu feel like she had become an object to be picked on, being looked down upon and scrutinized from head to toe. It was also as if she had not seen her second sister for a long time and the person across from her was meeting her for the first time.
The strange feeling passed by for a moment, and Yun Hui quickly smiled. "It's fine, I've recovered a long time ago. Mother insisted on keeping me captive and didn't let me out until today. Mother took pity on me being sick, so she took me out to buy some new jewelry today. Do you think it looks beautiful, big sister?"
Yun Wu responded gently, "Beautiful, it suits you."
There were several pieces of jewelry on the tray on the table, each one exquisite and gorgeous. There were two girls in the mansion, and none of them belonged to Yun Wu.
Madam Yun gave her daughter a blaming look and said, "Why are you saying all this to your sister? When she marries the young master of the Ye family and becomes the young lady of the Ye family, she'll have plenty of things like this in the future. How can she still be interested in your trivial matters?"
Yun Hui pouted, raised her hand to take off the butterfly hairpin she had been showing off so proudly, and threw it into the tray angrily: "I am embarrassed in front of my elder sister."
Yun Wu hurriedly said, "Mother, you're wrong. Second sister, I absolutely don't have such thoughts."
Madam Yun sneered, "You haven't even married yet, but you already consider yourself the Young Madam of the Ye family."
Yun Wu: “…”
Yun Wu could tell that her stepmother still had some grudges about this matter. She stammered and dared not say anything, knowing that no matter what she said, she would not be able to please her stepmother. So she simply lowered her head and pretended to be a quail.
In two months, in two months, everything will be fine after she gets married.
Seeing her look like she couldn't even say a word even after being beaten with three sticks, Madam Yun felt a tightness in her chest.
How come such a great thing happened to this idiot?
Madam Yun wanted to find a good marriage for her daughter, but it was not something she could achieve just by wishing for it.
If Yun Wu had given up voluntarily, everyone would have been happy. However, Yun Wu refused to budge, and even her father disapproved. Yun's father didn't care about the trivial matters of the harem; as long as the marriage with the Ye family remained valid, it made no difference to him which daughter married into the Ye family. Fearing that acting on his own would cause the Ye family to regret their decision, he flatly rejected Madam Yun's proposal to replace her.
Seeing that the wedding date was approaching, Mrs. Ren Yun was so anxious that blisters appeared on her mouth. She couldn't think of a solution for a while, and everything she saw was an eyesore.
She uttered a few sarcastic remarks to vent her anger, then impatiently sent Yun Wu away. Turning back, she saw her daughter picking up the mirror to admire herself again, and she immediately became furious.
Madam Yun said angrily, "You're not in a hurry to get married. When Yun Wu becomes the young mistress of the Ye family, she'll have a wonderful life ahead of her. How can you compare to her?"
Yun Hui gestured with a few pieces of jewelry on her hair bun and said without looking up, "Let me marry Mr. Ye, and I will be Mrs. Ye, won't that be fine?"
"It's easy for you to say. Your father refuses to go to the Ye family to exchange for someone else. Even if I send you to the bridal sedan, is this a marriage or an enmity?" Mrs. Yun said.
"It's easy to get my father's approval," Yun Hui said. "As long as we find a powerful family like the Ye family to exchange for Yun Wu, he will naturally be more than happy to agree."
Madam Yun rolled her eyes at her. "How could such a candidate be so easy to find? Besides, if there really was such a candidate, wouldn't it be better for me to give him to you? Why would I bother to change him?"
Yun Hui put down the mirror and smiled at her, "Mother, have you forgotten? When we were leaving today, someone on the road was saying that the Duke of Zhenguo was planning to arrange a marriage for his concubine's son to bring good luck."
Mrs. Yun was stunned for a moment, but soon a look of joy appeared on her face.
The author has something to say:
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Hello everyone, long time no see!
I was shocked to find that it has been three years since I last started this book. I have been a slacker for too long, so I have to get up!
It's been so long since I last wrote that my hands are so unfamiliar and I feel strange touching the keyboard. I'll write some rehabilitation notes slowly and you can feel free to take a look.
I found that you can now send emojis in Jinjiang, make a heart [heart]
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