(Author’s Note: This story is set in a parallel universe. The Fourth Prince is still young—not the Fourth Lord, not the Fourth Lord! Feel free to pair it with fan art, but get that fat orange cat out of here!!)
“They say men fear choosing the wrong profession, women fear marrying the wrong man~”
“Marriage is a woman’s second chance at life. Marry well, and you can soar to the heavens.”
“Mingyan, your uncle has finally found you a good match.”
“Even when I’m buried in the ground, I’ll be able to face your father with a clear conscience!”
Summer of the 36th year of Kangxi’s reign, at the entrance of a narrow, cramped back-facing room.
The middle-aged man before her, with a protruding belly and stroking his thin mustache, spoke with righteous confidence.
His words sounded noble and principled, yet his beady eyes were filled with calculation.
“Lin Bai, is this the ‘good match’ you found for me?” Lin Mingyan sneered, glancing at the pink sedan chair in the courtyard outside.
The sedan chair was adorned with numerous embroidered banners, their gold-threaded Suzhou embroidery shimmering brilliantly, clearly a piece of extraordinary craftsmanship.
Lin Bai coughed and scolded, “No respect for your elders!”
“Of course, it’s a good match. Look at how grand that sedan chair is—ordinary families couldn’t afford such a thing.”
He gazed at it greedily, swallowing hard.
If he weren’t afraid of repercussions, he would have been tempted to cut off a piece of the embroidery.
After all, it was Suzhou embroidery stitched with gold thread, worth a small fortune.
Lin Mingyan’s beautiful eyes, as bright as polished lacquer, saw right through his greed with a single glance.
Her brows furrowed even tighter. “Then why is the sedan chair pink?”
A proper wedding sedan for a wife should be bright red. This one, however…
Lin Bai paused his mustache-stroking and let out a loud, mocking laugh.
“Don’t tell me you think a fatherless little girl like you could marry into a wealthy family as the principal wife?!” he said incredulously.
Then, as if hearing the funniest joke in the world, he sneered, “You don’t have a single coin for a dowry. Who would even want to marry you?”
“Becoming a concubine suits you perfectly.”
“Just lie back, serve your master well, and wealth and status will come your way.”
Hearing these crude and vulgar words, Lin Mingyan felt a surge of murderous intent, her pretty eyebrows knitting together tightly.
It had been five years since she transmigrated into this Han Army Banner Lin family.
From the start, it was a disastrous situation.
A father who died early, a timid mother, and two younger brothers who needed constant care.
And then there was her scheming uncle’s family, eager to sell her off as a concubine the moment she came of age.
Hah!
A concubine!
If she didn’t ruin them, she wouldn’t be a true Chinese!
“I agree to become a concubine,” Lin Mingyan said without further argument, nodding in agreement.
A concubine, huh?
Didn’t they know that a beautiful woman as a concubine had the greatest chance of turning things around?
This was the only perk of her transmigration—her looks were flawless, enough to leave anyone stunned for a moment.
Hearing this, Lin Bai’s face broke into a smile, and he offered rare praise. “Mingyan is so sensible. Such a good opportunity is hard to come by even with a lantern!”
This cheap niece of his was worth a hundred taels of silver!
Now, it was safely in his pocket~
In a rare good mood, Lin Bai offered an explanation:
“I’ve made inquiries. The master’s principal wife can’t bear children.”
“Once you’re there, just focus on giving the principal wife a son. That way, you’ll live comfortably for the rest of your life!”
“Who knows, maybe your son will become the legitimate heir and take over the family’s power someday!”
Lin Bai painted a glorious picture of the future, as if he genuinely had Lin Mingyan’s best interests at heart.
In reality, he was just money-hungry, selling her off for a hundred taels of silver.
Lin Mingyan sneered coldly. She wasn’t afraid.
As long as her mother and two younger brothers were settled, she would find a way to escape even if she were thrown into a wolf’s den.
At worst, she could simply perish together with them.
She suppressed the ferocity in her eyes and spoke as calmly as possible, “Fine, I agree, but you must promise me one condition.”
Hearing her agreement, Lin Bai was overjoyed, grinning from ear to ear.
He revealed a mouthful of blackened, yellowed teeth and eagerly said, “Mingyan, tell me! As long as I can manage it, I’ll definitely agree!”
But what he thought to himself was: What nonsense conditions? I’ll agree first and figure it out later.
Once I trick her into leaving, she’ll never be able to come back!
“I want you, on behalf of my father, to grant my mother a divorce agreement and let her return to her family. My two younger brothers will go with her!”
What?!
Such a good deal?!
Lin Bai nearly jumped for joy, wishing he could soar into the sky and stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun.
The Lin family’s assets were limited, and he himself had two children. He had never wanted to share a portion with the eldest branch.
Before, he hadn’t dared to bring it up, fearing that his wolf-cub of a niece would refuse.
But now that she had proposed it herself, what was there to hesitate about?
“Good! I agree!” Lin Bai agreed without hesitation.
Lin Mingyan smiled. “Then I’ll wait for your news. If it’s done today, I’ll leave with those two today!”
After all, she had already sent her mother and two younger brothers to her uncle’s house yesterday. Now, all she needed was the divorce agreement.
Once she had it, the three of them would have no further ties to the Lin family.
Then, if she ever had the chance to seek revenge in the future, she would have no lingering concerns.
Lin Bai wasted no time when it came to taking advantage. In less than a quarter of an hour, he had visited all the nearby clan elders.
Once that was done, the freshly prepared divorce agreement was in her hands.
Lin Bai finally remembered to save face and added, “Mingyan, I’m doing this for your own good, you know?”
“Look, from now on, you’ll have no worries about food or clothing. If you prosper someday, don’t forget your second uncle, alright?”
“I definitely won’t forget!” Lin Mingyan tucked the divorce agreement into her bosom.
Then, with a slight curl of her lips, she added, “Since it’s for my own good, shouldn’t I also receive a dowry?”
“Well… your father didn’t leave anything behind…” Lin Bai evaded the question.
“If you don’t give me a single coin as a dowry, aren’t you afraid the neighbors will gossip behind your back?” Lin Mingyan said with a hollow smile. “If not, I’ll just take it myself.”
With that, she smashed a teacup in the room, the loud crash audible even next door.
“Selling your niece…”
Before Lin Mingyan could finish, Lin Bai covered her mouth with his hand and pulled out a handful of loose silver from his pocket.
He still had to live here, after all. If she made a scene, he would lose all face.
“Fine, fine, fine! Your uncle already prepared it,” Lin Bai said, reluctantly slapping a handful of silver into her palm.
Lin Mingyan slowly counted the coins while he stood by, heart aching—this was his drinking money for the month!
When she finished counting and looked up, Lin Bai shrank back slightly, then glared at her with his narrow eyes.
He was terrified she might stir up more trouble.
Satisfied with having extorted a little extra, Lin Mingyan turned and stepped into the small sedan chair.
Heh~
While he was out earlier, she had already searched the main room and found ten taels of silver.
Although she hadn’t located the hundred taels he had received for selling her, extorting this amount was good enough.
Besides, that hundred taels wouldn’t be so easy for Lin Bai to keep—she had already made him pay a price.
Lin Bai patted the hundred-tael banknote tucked in his chest, watching smugly as the sedan chair disappeared down the alley.
Sniffing the air, I caught a whiff of something burning. Turning to look, I saw with a start.
Why was the main house on fire?
Lin Bai slapped his forehead and let out a pig-slaughtering shriek: “Lin Mingyan, damn you!”