"By imperial decree of the Empress Dowager, Fan Lihua, the eldest daughter of the Fan family, is gentle, kind and virtuous, and is the only suitable candidate to be the concubine of the Marquis of the Northwest. Therefore, by imperial decree, the two shall choose a date for their marriage. This is hereby granted."
The girl kneeling before the Grand Eunuch of the palace had eyes that were practically blazing with fury. She hadn't even gone, yet the Empress Dowager was determined to displease her.
The old hag wants to make these young ladies in the capital lose their backbone and let them be at her mercy in the future.
The two ladies of the Fan family followed closely behind, holding onto their daughter's sleeves, afraid that the girl might suddenly jump up and tear up the imperial edict.
"Mother knows you don't want to, but..."
“This is an imperial decree, and it’s a slap in the face to our Fan family. This matter cannot be left unresolved.”
Madam Fan was over fifty years old, with a few strands of white hair. Over the years, her husband and son had dominated the court, so many women in the capital liked her.
They still avoid it whenever they see it.
Even the Empress Dowager had to give her some face when meeting with noblewomen.
There weren't many reasons. Fan Tiezui was fearless and would remonstrate with the emperor in court every day. His wife was the same. If anyone displeased her, she would roll up her sleeves and slap them across the face. She didn't care what official position her husband held or what rank his wife was. She would beat him up and then throw him in jail today, and his husband would come to keep her company tomorrow.
The girl trembled with anger, and the Fan family father and son, who returned home upon hearing the news, were also furious and prepared to go to the palace to have a good talk with the emperor.
As a result, the two men, dressed in official robes, couldn't even get into the palace gates.
“Imperial Censor Fan, please don’t make things difficult for a mere guard. This is an order from the Emperor.”
The old man holding the scepter suddenly struck the guard beside him, then said to him...
"I have important matters to report to the Emperor. Please let me in immediately."
"No, Your Excellency, this is absolutely not allowed. His Majesty has ordered that you are not allowed to enter the palace for the next two days. Anyone who lets you in will be executed without mercy."
While the father and son were still dealing with the guards at the palace gate, the Censorate heard about the situation. They had already gone home after court, but for some reason, they all put on their official robes and came over to make a scene at the palace.
In the end, it was the palace guards who knocked the official from the Censorate unconscious and sent him home.
When Fan Lihua heard the news, she was initially angry. Later, the young girl sat quietly in her boudoir, looking at Huo Xiaolong's portrait, unable to look away for a long time.
From the moment she heard the proclamation addressed to all women, Pear Blossom longed to meet the person depicted in the painting.
What should a girl who conquers the grasslands look like?
What kind of girl would be capable of writing about someone who dares to be a pioneer?
She wanted to see her, even just a glimpse of her profile as she rode a horse carrying the enemy general's head, and she wanted to be among the crowd cheering for her.
But this kind just won't work.
Absolutely not.
It's common for elders in Beijing to send women to younger generations, mostly to annoy the legal wife.
In Lihua's opinion, they were just too idle, having nothing to do at home all day, so they studied these kinds of things, causing trouble for this person today and showing off in front of that person tomorrow.
The Empress Dowager was also idle.
The girl refused to eat or drink, and wouldn't open the door to her room no matter who called her.
Two days passed like this.
Fan Lihua woke up in bed and looked at the portrait of the woman in red armor in the painting, saying...
“I will never be a disgrace to your life, not even because someone else uses me to insult you.”
After saying that, the girl washed up and ate as usual.
Her elders were still worried about her situation. Her grandfather and father went to the palace every day to seek justice, but they couldn't even get a petition from the Empress Dowager.
It's a rainy day today, with dark clouds obscuring the sun, and the smell of damp earth filling the air.
Pear Blossom arrived at the ancestral hall with her maid. The Fan family had only one son per generation for three generations, and with her, they only had one girl.
Therefore, the girl was added to the family genealogy by her grandfather.
"Grand Uncle, could you please give me the family genealogy?"
"Pear Blossom, what do you need it for?"
"Nothing much, just looking around."
The elderly man with white hair, his hands trembling, handed the family genealogy to Fan Lihua.
The girl turned to her page and smiled when she saw the name Fan Lihua. Her grandfather doted on her. Everyone said that her grandfather had a sharp tongue, but he never said a harsh word to her.
The girl picked up a calligraphy brush and drew a line over her name.
"Miss!" The maidservant next to her was a little anxious when she saw this and stepped forward to try to stop it, but the ink had already stained the paper and could not be salvaged.
"Pear Blossom! You..."
The girl lifted her skirt, knelt on the ground, kowtowed three times to the ancestral tablets, and then said in a choked voice...
“My granddaughter is unfilial. Today she has asked to be removed from the Fan family genealogy. This is a great crime of disrespect. She will repay this crime after Lihua dies.”
The old man saw that this would not do and hurriedly sent someone to find Fan Lihua's grandmother and mother.
The girl stood up, turned around and said to the maid.
"Prepare poison; I will defy the imperial decree by dying at the palace gates."
"Miss!"
"go!"
Disobeying an imperial edict is a capital offense punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. The young girl left a letter severing ties with her family in her room, which her mother would surely see if she returned.
Everyone has their own beliefs, and she once doubted whether it was right for her to live such a numb life.
She followed the expected path of getting married, having children, and managing household affairs.
But pear blossoms don't like it, they really don't like it.
It wasn't until Huo Xiaolong appeared that she realized all of this was wrong.
The Empress Dowager wanted to use her as a knife to carve the word "shame" into her own beliefs. She wanted the world to see that no matter where a woman is or when, she must worry about her own little world.
They would all fight and be jealous for a man's favor.
Absolutely not.
"From today onwards, you are free. You know where your indenture is, and you should have saved enough money. From now on, live a good life." Pear Blossom said to the maid behind her, holding a small porcelain bottle in her hand.
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