Chapter 1: From Prince Li's Rejection to the Cursed Prince's Bride
"Young Miss! Young Miss, terrible news!"
In the hushed tranquility of the somewhat neglected courtyard, a figure clad in pale green silk burst through like a tempest, her urgent passage setting the delicate wind chimes by the doorway singing in melodious alarm.
Within the elegantly appointed chamber, a graceful silhouette remained poised by the half-open casement, her needlework continuing with unwavering precision despite the dramatic intrusion. Only after her little maid had caught her racing breath did the young woman set aside her embroidery hoop and turn with a serene smile. "What has you in such distress, Qingshuang?"
The young woman's features possessed refined elegance, though her eyes held an uncommon sharpness and alertness that seemed incongruous with her gentle demeanor. She wore simple attire, her lustrous hair secured carelessly with a single jade pin. No casual observer would believe this unassuming figure to be the eldest legitimate daughter of the prestigious Minister's household.
"Young Miss! How can you sit there embroidering as if nothing has happened? Do you realize... do you realize that Prince Li has officially broken off your engagement?" The little maid snatched away the needlework, stamping her feet in theatrical agitation. She had been consumed with anxiety for three days since Prince Li's shocking announcement, yet her mistress maintained an air of maddening indifference.
"Qingshuang, Prince Li severed our betrothal three days past. Aren't you rather tardy in discovering cause for alarm?" Ye Li regarded her maid with gentle amusement, unbothered by the discourteous behavior.
"Young Miss!" Qingshuang glared at her mistress with mounting frustration. "I'm not fretting over Prince Li." Why should she spare concern for Prince Li when her own mistress appeared untroubled? But the truly devastating news... "Oh, Young Miss! The Emperor has already arranged another marriage for you! The Master requests your immediate presence to receive the imperial decree!"
"Another arranged marriage?" For the first time, Ye Li's composure wavered, her brow creasing with displeasure. She had anticipated that following Prince Li's rejection, she might enjoy several peaceful years—few men in this era would willingly wed a woman whose engagement had been dissolved. "We are merely a Minister's family. Why would His Majesty bestow such persistent attention?" A broken betrothal three days prior, followed by a fresh imperial edict three days hence. Was the Emperor displaying excessive favor toward the Minister's household, or harboring some grievance against her prospective bridegroom?
Qingshuang's eyes reddened with righteous fury as she ground her teeth. "It's Prince Ding! This must be the First Young Miss's machination. She has tormented you since childhood, and now... now she condemns you to marry Prince Ding. Wuwu..." Tears of outrage spilled down her cheeks.
Ye Li regarded her weeping servant with weary resignation. Such a perpetual fountain of tears hardly deserved the name Qingshuang—Clear Frost indeed. "Enough of that. Never speak such accusations beyond these walls. Come, we must receive the decree with proper ceremony."
In the Ye Family's Grand Reception Hall:
"By Heaven's mandate, the Emperor proclaims: Ye Li, eldest daughter of the distinguished Ye family, being possessed of wisdom and virtue, blessed with both talent and moral excellence, proves herself worthy as an exemplary match. We hereby decree her union in marriage to Prince Ding of the Realm, Mo Xiuyao, as his primary consort. Let an auspicious date be selected for their wedding ceremony. This is Our imperial will."
The assembled Ye family members prostrated themselves in unison, offering grateful acknowledgment for the Emperor's benevolence. The court eunuch delivering the decree presented the imperial scroll to Ye Li with an obsequious smile. "Felicitations to Madam Ye and the honored Young Miss."
Accepting the weighty document, Ye Li endured the eunuch's somewhat grating laughter and responded with measured grace. "You honor us greatly, Sir. We are deeply grateful for your service."
The messenger eunuch studied Ye Li with poorly concealed astonishment. Court gossip had painted the Minister's third daughter as one of the capital's infamous "Three Nothings"—bereft of talent, beauty, and virtue. Yet the woman before him, while lacking the intoxicating allure of Imperial Consort Ye within the palace walls or the breathtaking perfection of the Ye family's Fourth Miss—acclaimed as the capital's supreme beauty—undeniably possessed refined loveliness and dignified bearing. Her speech proved measured and cultured. How could this contradict Imperial Consort Ye's descriptions of someone crude and unworthy of civilized society?
Observing the barely suppressed schadenfreude dancing across the other family members' faces, understanding dawned upon the eunuch. Though he felt genuine sympathy for this Young Miss Ye, such domestic intrigues lay far beyond a palace servant's proper concern. He merely deflected her gratitude with appropriate humility and departed swiftly.
The Ye family matriarch personally instructed the chief steward to escort their distinguished visitor with all ceremony. Only then did she cast a calculating sidelong glance at Ye Li, arranging her features into a semblance of maternal warmth. "Fortunately, His Majesty's wisdom has secured another advantageous marriage for Third Miss. Otherwise... how could any woman bearing the stigma of a broken engagement hope to find a suitable husband?"
Ye Li maintained perfect composure while inwardly sneering at the transparent deception. An advantageous marriage? Did they assume her complete ignorance simply because she rarely ventured beyond these walls? Prince Ding, Mo Xiuyao, had suffered catastrophic injuries at eighteen, leaving him crippled and hideously scarred, confined to his sickbed ever since. Two previous primary consorts had met mysterious ends—one found drowned within a fortnight of her wedding, the other reportedly dying of terror on her very wedding night, supposedly frightened to death by the mere sight of Prince Ding's ruined face. Otherwise, given his exalted rank and noble lineage, how could he remain without a primary consort at twenty-five?
"Madam speaks absolute truth. Regardless of circumstances, Prince Ding holds the hereditary title of First Rank Prince. Such an alliance far exceeds my humble station."
The matriarch's practiced expression faltered slightly. After studying Ye Li with shrewd calculation, she continued, "Since you comprehend your situation, prepare diligently for your wedding. Do not bring disgrace upon our Minister's household. Your Fourth Sister approaches her own nuptials soon, and the household shall be quite occupied in coming days."
"I understand completely. Thank you for your maternal concern, Madam."
"As matriarch of this distinguished household, naturally I must involve myself in such significant matters." Madam Ye's gaze lingered on Ye Li's untroubled countenance before departing with an audible sniff of disdain.
Ye Li observed the matriarch's retreat with the faintest of smiles, raising one eyebrow in sardonic acknowledgment while maintaining diplomatic silence. Though born as a legitimate daughter of the Ye lineage, she was not the current matriarch Wang Shi's child, but rather the offspring of Minister Ye's deceased first wife, the scholarly Madam Xu. Born into an intellectual family, Madam Xu's delicate constitution had never recovered from childbirth complications. Minister Ye's affections had long since transferred to his ambitious first concubine, Wang Shi, even granting her household authority during Madam Xu's extended illness. When Ye Li reached her seventh year, Madam Xu finally succumbed—and it was precisely then that Ye Li had become the present Ye Li, her consciousness awakening with memories of another life entirely.
Following Wang Shi's elevation to principal wife, she dared not openly abuse the original wife's legitimate daughter—fearing accusations of mistreatment—but subtle harassment became inevitable. Ye Li had quietly deflected such petty cruelties, which only intensified Madam Wang's resentment toward her unbroken spirit.
"Third Sister, our heartiest congratulations!" The moment Wang Shi withdrew, the unmarried young ladies of the Ye household converged like curious magpies, their expressions betraying various mixtures of pity and barely concealed glee as they offered felicitations. First to speak was Sixth Young Miss Ye Lin, a concubine's daughter who perpetually attached herself to Wang Shi's legitimate offspring, occasionally creating difficulties for Ye Li to curry their favor. Ye Li typically ignored such transparent maneuvering—survival strategies of concubine-born daughters held little interest for her. As long as the child avoided serious transgression, she saw no purpose in quarreling with someone barely past her tenth year.
"What cause exists for congratulating Third Sister? Marriage to Prince Ding—the mere thought proves terrifying! Prince Ding is crippled and grotesquely disfigured, and he actually frightened one consort to death! Perhaps he murdered the first one entirely! We should congratulate Fourth Sister instead—within another month, she shall become Prince Li's cherished consort." Fifth Young Miss Ye Shan gazed adoringly at Fourth Young Miss Ye Ying, the capital's renowned beauty, her eyes unable to disguise both envy and jealousy.
Ye Ying truly merited her reputation as the capital's supreme beauty—willow-leaf brows framing autumn-water eyes, jade-like features radiating exquisite perfection in every detail, each movement carrying delicate grace that inspired protective instincts. Yet to someone like Ye Li, who had witnessed countless beauties in her previous existence, such soft loveliness lacked that truly arresting quality that could stop hearts.
"We are all sisters—what need exists for formal congratulations? Mother shall surely arrange suitable matches for Fifth Sister and Sixth Sister as well." Ye Ying's voice flowed like honey over silk, gentle and melodious as mountain orchids, every gesture captivating enough to stir fresh waves of jealousy among her audience. "But regarding Third Sister and Prince Li... I sincerely hope you can find forgiveness in your heart for me." Her luminous eyes, deep as autumn pools, regarded Ye Li with apparent contrition.
Ye Li smiled graciously and addressed Ye Ying with diplomatic warmth. "Such concerns are unnecessary. I suppose Prince Li and I simply lacked proper destiny together. We cannot allow masculine complications to poison our sisterly bonds, can we?"
Ye Ying started visibly, clearly not anticipating such a measured response. She had expected that upon receiving news of the broken engagement three days prior, her sister would be utterly devastated. To Ye Ying's profound disappointment, Third Sister had merely fallen silent momentarily, acknowledged understanding, and retired to her chambers for rest. Even now, she displayed no signs of heartbreak or exhaustion. Prince Li represented the romantic ideal of every noble young lady in the capital—she simply couldn't accept that her sister truly remained indifferent! After a calculated pause, she smiled with practiced shyness. "I've always known Third Sister cares for me above all others. Should you ever require assistance in future years, please don't hesitate to seek me out at Prince Li's residence."
Ye Li acknowledged this tepid offer with appropriate politeness, declining to engage with the poorly concealed triumph radiating from Ye Ying's lovely features. After bidding farewell to the gathering of sisters eager to witness her humiliation, Ye Li walked with Qingshuang toward her modest courtyard sanctuary. Throughout their journey, Qingshuang continued her indignant muttering. "What precisely did Fourth Young Miss mean by those words? She steals Prince Li away, yet affects such concern—it's absolutely revolting!"
Ye Li turned to regard her servant with gentle amusement. "Enough of such talk. Exercise caution lest someone overhear and make your skin smart from punishment. Whether I wed Prince Li or Prince Ding matters little to me."
"How can you claim indifference?!" Qingshuang's eyes blazed with frustrated loyalty. "Prince Li enjoys renown as the capital's most accomplished young gentleman—the Emperor's own brother! Everyone knows Prince Ding is crippled, disfigured, chronically ill... um..." Remembering that Prince Ding was destined to become her mistress's husband, Qingshuang struggled to swallow the word "worthless."
"And what of it?" Ye Li raised one eyebrow, studying Qingshuang with playful interest. "Don't tell me you find Prince Li handsome and wish to marry him yourself as a concubine?" Whether he possessed physical appeal or not held no relevance for Ye Li, though her former fiancé reportedly ranked among the capital's four great beauties. Yet Mo Junli's character would certainly prove no superior to Prince Ding's. She had previously heard whispered rumors regarding Mo Junli and Ye Ying's clandestine affair, but his motivations for waiting until mere days before their wedding to dissolve their engagement deserved careful analysis.
Speaking of curious timing... the Emperor's haste in arranging her marriage to Prince Ding immediately following her broken engagement also warranted thoughtful consideration. "Possessed of wisdom and virtue, blessed with both talent and moral excellence, worthy as an exemplary match"—which soul in the capital remained ignorant that the Ye family's Third Miss bore notorious reputation for ugliness, lack of accomplishment, and clumsiness in feminine arts? Were they suggesting that she, the infamous "Three Nothings" young lady, proved well-matched with the "worthless" Prince Ding?
"Young Miss!" Qingshuang's face flushed crimson as she stamped her foot in mortification. "I would never entertain such thoughts! I would sooner marry a common servant than become any man's concubine." Most crucially, she would never consider becoming her beloved mistress's husband's concubine. Qingshuang's own mother had endured life as a wealthy household's concubine, and following her father's premature death, both mother and daughter had been cast out by the vindictive principal wife, left homeless and destitute. After her mother succumbed to illness and poverty, Qingshuang had nearly been sold to a brothel before Young Miss purchased her freedom, bestowed the name Qingshuang, and provided education in reading and writing. Qingshuang possessed a grateful heart—such life-saving kindness would never be forgotten.
Witnessing her little maid's genuine distress, Ye Li couldn't suppress her laughter. "Very well, can I not even jest with you?"
"Young Miss..."
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