Chapter 2

Editor: DarkSapphire, Uncia

Xun Qiu’s hands kept moving: “Why are you asking which Yan Xixia? Which other Yan Xixia in the entire Huaihe City is that famous? Who else but that Yan Xixia would be marrying into your Xiao Family?” 

Xiao Lian’s voice trembled: “Where did you hear it from?”

Xun Qiu turned her mouth toward Jin Qiao, who was sitting at the door. “From my husband. He passed by their mansion this morning and heard what Yan Xixia’s neighbors had said. I’m afraid everyone in Huaihe City will know by afternoon.”

Xiao Lian couldn’t stop his hand from trembling for a split second, and the threaded needle fell from his hand onto the table.

Xun Qiu looked at Xiao Lian as if he had lost his soul and said with concern: “Little boss, are you alright?” 

“It’s nothing.” Xiao Lian picked up the needle. “How did it happen? How was he blinded?”

“Wasn’t it September 9th yesterday? The whole family took their servants to the Huai River Mountain to climb and play ball, like the time when their parents were alive. Who knew that his 10-year-old brother Yan Xidong was too excited. He was jumping around as they went down the mountain, and he stumbled without listening to the others’ warnings.”

“When he fell, Yan Xixia grabbed onto him, and the two fell together. He protected his brother, but he hurt his head and only woke up this morning. Oh, what did the doctor say? He said there is congestion in the brain, so his eyes can’t see. I don’t know what caused the Yan Family to suffer. Yan Xixia was supposed to be the pillar for the family, but now there is only Yan Xidong left. It would be difficult to count on the younger brother’s brilliance.” After finishing speaking, Xun Qiu exclaimed again, “The refined Yan Xixia, at the height of September 9th, who knew that such a thing would happen, and the examination results come out tomorrow…”

Although Xiao Lian held the needle in his hand, he did not move it. Everything was happening too quickly. He immediately put his tools down: “I have something to do today; I will take my leave.”

Xiao Lian went to the Yan Mansion. The workshop was only a fifteen minute walk, but it took him an hour to get there. The Yan Mansion was much smaller than the Xiao Mansion, and the total number of people in the mansion were only a dozen people. He stood nearby as he looked at the gate.

The news that Yan Xixia was blind had just spread. From time to time, people came to visit with things. The Yan Mansion’s door was open. Two people stood at the door, one stayed to guard the door, and the other welcomed guests in.

Xiao Lian also wanted to see Yan Xixia, but no one from the Yan Family knew him, and he didn’t know how to enter. After all, he wasn’t even a friend, and he had nothing to offer. There were waves of people coming to visit, but he stood motionless, looking at the gate as if he could see Yan Xixia through the walls.

It was noon when people stopped coming. Housekeeper Yan came and called the two standing at the door to eat. One of them pointed to Xiao Lian who was standing not far away and said: “Sir, that person has been standing there all morning.” 

He looked in the direction where the servant was pointing and saw a man with an exquisite appearance standing under the sunlight. Although his clothes were not simple, they were not luxurious. Because of his enhanced appearance, he looked like a little male prostitute, and because Housekeeper Yan didn’t remember the young master having any close male friend being this beautiful, he closed the door and went back inside.

Seeing that the door of the Yan Mansion was closed, Xiao Lian walked back in despair. He did not go back to his workshop but to the Xiao Mansion.

On the way back, Xiao Lian was thinking about what Yan Xixia would do in the future, how important his eyes were to him, and how he could possibly continue to participate in other examinations without his eyes.

Then, he remembered the marriage contract. If Xiao Xin learned the news, he most likely would be against it, but it was impossible for the Xiao Family to back out from the marriage. He didn’t know what kind of tantrum Xiao Xin would cause. 

After a while, he thought it would be good if they broke off the marriage. Xiao Xin was not worthy of him; no one was worthy of him.

It took him an hour to walk to the Xiao Mansion. His stomach protested from not eating lunch, but he had no appetite. When he passed the main courtyard, he heard Xiao Xin shouting: “I don’t want to marry. Stop the marriage.” Xiao Xin wasn’t afraid of making a scene, yelling loudly until his voice was hoarse. 

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

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“Xin’er, mother doesn’t want you to marry a blind man either, but he may recover. It may not be long before he regains his sight.”

“Then what if he never regains his sight! I’ve heard about it; the doctor said that the chances were very slim.”

Madam Xiao was a little fearful: “But everyone in Huaihe City knows about this marriage. We as business families know marriage contracts are the most binding. How can we break it!”

The Xiao Family was also to blame because they acted too high profile. They always boasted that the great, talented Yan Xixia would be marrying into their family, but now it was difficult removing those seeds that they sowed. 

Xiao Xin, being the spoiled one, directly countered: “Mother! In your heart, could I really not compare with his reputation and money? Besides, don’t we already have enough money in the Xiao Family?”

Madam Xiao could only comfort him: “Xin’er, think about it. He wants to marry only after getting first place in the provincial imperial examination.”

“But didn’t you say that he had outstanding talent! How could he fail the exam!” Xiao Xin viciously stepped on the flower that he just kicked: “I originally wanted to marry him because of his future scholar status. Otherwise, why would I give myself willingly to him? I am a man after all. Now that he is blind, how can he participate in next year’s examination? Now he can’t pass the imperial civil service examination, not to mention the court examination!”

“He was really knowledgeable on all the topics in the exam, not to mention his handsome appearance. As someone that was both talented and attractive, your mother really thought he was a suitable candidate.” 

“As a candidate? He wasn’t bad, but you also saw the incident between me and Xiao Lian that day. He helped, but not for someone who would join his family. How could I live with him with my temperament!”

Madam Xiao was slightly angry: “If you had said that you had a if you had said that your personalities conflicted, you wouldn’t be where you are now.”

Xiao Xin looked at his mother in surprise: “Mother, are you blaming me?!”

Madam Xiao said in distress: “Xin’er, mother always worries.” 

Xiao Xin pulled out the flower branches planted in the soil and threw them on the ground: “Anyway, I just won’t marry him!”

An inspiration flashed through Madam Xiao’s mind: “Yan Xixia has a marriage contract with the Xiao Family, but you are not the only one who is similar to his age in our family.”

Xiao Xin stopped pulling the poor flower, as the excitement in his voice suddenly increased: “Mother, you mean Xiao Lian?”

Madam Xiao pressed Xiao Xin’s mouth: “Hush, be quieter.” 

“Yes, but Yan Xixia knows that I am the one marrying him. What should we do?”

“Just let them go through the wedding ceremony. The official marriage deed would also be registered under Xiao Lian’s name. How could a blind man see what’s signed on the official document?”

“But what about the banquet for their wedding? It’s mandatory under the Hua Ding Dynasty. Both families would be at the banquet. We have to pick the other family up on horses to the banquet. Without the red veil, even if the people in their family didn’t know us, we would inevitably meet people that do at the banquet. What should we do?”

“Before the banquet is over, the two of them will have already finished the wedding ceremony.” 

Xiao Xin was a little anxious, and his voice became louder again: “What I mean is, once he learns of this, what should we do then?!”

“Xin’er, stop being anxious. Once they complete the ceremony, knowing won’t change anything. Besides, Yan Xixia is a scholar, and scholars value their reputation highly. How could he ruin his reputation on the spot?” Madam Xiao took the flowers in Xiao Xin’s hands: “Others would only know that Yan Xixia was marrying the little son from the Xiao Family. They don’t know that the little son is you, so that means it won’t be breaking a promise in other people’s eyes. As long as the promise wasn’t broken, how could Yan Xixia act when it had nothing to do with us.”

“What if Xiao Lian refuses to marry in my place?”

“He is usually very weak, so don’t worry about dealing with him. Let your mother handle everything.” 

Xiao Xin became happy again, raising his hand to show Madam Xiao, and said aggrieved: “Mother, I just hurt my hand by plucking the flower branch. Please summon the doctor.”

Madam Xiao grabbed Xiao Xin’s hand and said, distressed: “Oh, my dear son, why would you pluck the flower branch for no reason. You are still young, and you’ve been pampered since childhood. Your hands are very tender and things like the flower branches are very rough. They will hurt you, don’t you know?”

“You were to blame for not stopping me.”

“Yes, yes, your mother was at fault for not stopping you. Go home and mother will ask someone to find a doctor.” 

Listening to the words between mother and son, Xiao Lian felt a little worried, yet he still felt a hint of sweet happiness.

If Yan Xixia knew that Xiao Lian himself would be the one he married, how would Yan Xixia react when he learned they took advantage of his blindness and deceived him?

Xiao Lian went back to his room to ponder over this. Madam Xiao and Xiao Xin have more to lose in this situation. Since they were asking him to do this, he shouldn’t let them overpower him..

The result will be released tomorrow. That night, Xiao Lian was called over by Madam Xiao and found that besides the mother and son, his father, Xiao Nuofu, was also present. As he joined them, he thought to himself somewhat self-deprecatingly: Why would the concubine’s son be a match against the first wife’s son? 

Madam Xiao explained why he was called, and then threatened: “If you don’t agree, he will divorce your mother.”

Xiao Lian said with a cold face: “Cease this.”

Madam Xiao did not expect that the usually weak punching bag would say something like this: “When the time comes, you will be driven out of the house, and you will not be able to survive.”

Xiao Xin added: “Mother, he still has his small shop.” 

On the day of Xiao Xin’s sixteenth birthday, Xiao Nuofu gifted him with sixteen shops. Even the smallest one was bigger than Xiao Lian’s shop, and Xiao Xin loved to use this to mock him.

Madam Xiao said: “We will take away your rice-sized shop and see how arrogant you are once you lose it.”

“The shop was registered under my name.“

“There is nothing in this world that money can’t change. You will be powerless. Wwe will just take the deed to the court and re-apply it.” 

“Go ahead.” Xiao Lian was not in a hurry. After all, the person who didn’t want to marry was not himself.

When Xiao Nuofu saw Madam Xiao mention this small shop, his face was a little uneasy. He coughed twice to show his sense of existence: “Little Lian, what do you want for taking your brother’s place?”

Xiao Lian looked straight at Xiao Nuofu: “My mother becoming an inner concubine.”

Madam Xiao threw the teacup in her hand at Xiao Lian: “You’re delusional!” 

Xiao Nuofu took a sip of his teacup. No matter what the result was, he didn’t care. Xiao Nuofu knew he was timid and lustful, but he was not ashamed. He felt that as long as he lived comfortably, he didn’t need to care for the trouble between his wife and concubines. He would never wade into the muddy water. Women were used to please him, not for him to worry over.

Xiao Lian avoided his father’s eyes, and stared directly at Xiao Xin: “Otherwise, let Xiao Xin marry. The discussion is over.”

For the first time, Xiao Xin was shocked by Xiao Lian, who he often bullied. He leaned into his mother’s ear and said, “Mother, it’s nothing. Once the marriage is done, we can find a way to ruin his mother and make her lose her status as an inner concubine.”

But his logic made no sense. After all, concubines differed greatly from an inner concubine. Concubines could be grasped in her hands at will, but Lady Chu being an inner concubine would make it more difficult to find an excuse for her to do the same. But for the sake of her son, Madam Xiao gritted her teeth and agreed: “Deal.” 

Xiao Lian breathed a sigh of relief after leaving the room and extinguished his cold expression like a torch. His heart was beating fiercely, and his back was soaked with cold sweat. Xiao Lian would rarely be so strong-willed, for he lived a better life than ordinary people. Even the servant girls who were favored by Madam Xiao didn’t know this.

The next day, news came that Yan Xixia had won first place in the provincial imperial examination and would be married seven days later.

Immediately afterward, the news that Lady Chu was promoted as an inner concubine spread throughout the Xiao Mansion. When she learned that her son had sacrificed himself for this, she cried while holding him: “It’s all mother’s fault for bringing it up, but you stupid boy; don’t you know that in your mother’s heart, being named an inner concubine is not as important as you.”

Xiao Lian wiped away her tears: “Mother, don’t cry. Life as an inner concubine would be so much better than a concubine. I can rest assured once I am married because I know you will be taken care of. Besides, I am willing because my heart belongs to Yan Xixia. This was all according to my wish.” 

Lady Chu knew Xiao Lian was comforting her and couldn’t stop crying. Xiao Lian had to say: “Mother, if you cry too much, you will get wrinkles. Didn’t you say that even if you reach a lady of a certain age, you still have to be the most beautiful flower.”

Only then did Lady Chu burst into laughter and stretched out her hand, pretending to hit Xiao Lian: “Stupid boy, I know you are making fun of me.”

Seeing that his mother stopped crying, Xiao Lian smiled again. His brows and eyes curled. His lips were red and his teeth were white.