Chapter 180 Road Blockage
There are many famous women in this world, some of whom are famous for their beauty, some for their talent, and some for many accidental reasons. Liu Suyi, the "Lady with a Hairpin Flower" mentioned by Ren Yaoqi, is one of them.
Liu Suyi was originally just an ordinary boudoir woman, whose duties were to take care of her husband and children and manage the inner court. Her father was Liu Xian, the head of the Ministry of Revenue, and she married the grandson of an old censor.
One day, the old censor was implicated in an exam cheating scandal and was dismissed from office, his property confiscated. Liu Suyi, along with her husband's family, suffered the consequences. Originally, Liu Suyi could have taken her husband to seek financial support from her parents' family, but her biological mother had passed away and her father had remarried. As the saying goes, "a stepmother means a stepfather." This saying is often true, and Liu Suyi experienced it deeply.
Finally, Liu Suyi could only live with the arrogant censor in a shabby courtyard in an old alley in Kyoto, living in poverty. As if things were not bad enough, the censor fell ill after suffering a series of setbacks. The couple had no money left, not even money for medical treatment.
Seeing that her husband was about to fall seriously ill, she wanted to die. But unexpectedly, a turn of events occurred.
Liu Suyi had been practicing calligraphy since she was three years old. She had no other talents, but she could copy the hairpin-flowered small-character calligraphy of Madam Li, a former imperial concubine, with remarkable accuracy. Initially, this was just a hobby to pass the time, but one day, the wife of the owner of a neighboring calligraphy and painting shop saw her copy, mistaking it for Madam Li's authentic work. Upon learning it was a forgery, she suggested that Liu Suyi sell the calligraphy and paintings on consignment in her shop to earn some money to supplement the family income.
Originally, Liu Suyi would never agree to do so. After all, as a woman, if her handwriting was leaked to others, her reputation would be tarnished. However, seeing that her husband even looked down on her illness, she had no choice but to bow down for a few dollars and put her calligraphy on consignment in a calligraphy and painting shop.
Unexpectedly, a few days later, someone really came to buy it and offered one hundred taels of gold.
The calligraphy was sold at a high price, improving the family's life and curing Liu Suyi's husband's illness. Coincidentally, not long afterward, the old censor's case was exonerated, and the confiscated property was returned. The censor's son remembered that his wife had a piece of calligraphy that was lost somewhere, and he decided to buy it back.
Although it is unknown whether the last piece of calligraphy was ever returned, the reputation of Liu Suyi, a talented woman, was spread. Coincidentally, Empress Dowager Yan, who had just entered the harem, was willing to support Liu Suyi for some reason and gave her the title of "Lady Hairpin Flower", so Liu Suyi's reputation spread.
Although Liu Suyi's family wasn't particularly prominent, they had garnered widespread attention due to the birth of a talented woman praised by the Empress Dowager. As for Fang Yacun's wife, Liu, if you were to truly consider her, she was indeed somewhat related to the Liu family, but their bloodline was so distant that they could only be considered a family from a century or two ago.
But Ren Yaoqi chose to point out this "Lady with Flowers in the Hairpin" at this time, and of course she had her own intentions.
The Empress Dowager was willing to support this talented woman from the Liu family because the Liu family's direct line was from the Empress Dowager's line. Even the old censor was a victim of the struggle between Concubine Wan and Empress Dowager Yan.
The relationship between the capital and Yanbei now appears stable, but it's actually in a delicate state of equilibrium. The Yanbei Palace wouldn't appreciate the Emperor or Empress Dowager interfering. Therefore, Ren Yaoqi deliberately connected the Liu family to the Liu family in the capital.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com