The Cui family has been merchants for generations, and everyone puts profit first.
Yet one of them turned out to be a so-called "romantic," who would marry no one but a courtesan from Fengyue House.
Cui Lingxian, the romantic's eldest sister, was mocked mercilessly too.
She had heard that Chu Lian, a young man at Fengyue House, was a master of the zither.
Not only that, he was greedy for money and fiercely competitive.
Whenever a noble came by, he would scramble to perform for them.
Anyone could see that he wanted to cozy up to the powerful and rise from humble beginnings to become a phoenix.
But because his looks had been marred, nobody paid him any attention.
If her foolish, wealthy younger sister hadn't been taken in by him, he would never have stood a chance.
If someone more powerful came along, he would surely abandon Cui Lingxi.
And sure enough, when the imposing Censor arrived at Fengyue House, Chu Lian turned around, kicked Cui Lingxi aside, and threw himself into the official's arms.
Cui Lingxi had not only lost the person she loved, but was also targeted at every turn by that official.
As the eldest legitimate child of the Cui family, Cui Lingxian had a duty to bring her younger sister back to the right path and save her from her plight.
She thought this solemnly, while slipping a hand around the slender waist of the person in her arms.
Chu Lian gazed at her with tender eyes and softly called her "my lord."
Cui Lingxian gave a slight cough.
As for how that plight came about, don't ask.
*
Chu Lian had endured and bided his time for decades to avenge his father.
He had ruined his own looks and bowed and scraped before every powerful figure, all to get close to his target.
Then one day, he met Cui Lingxian.
This Censor had appeared like a heavenly warrior, coming to his rescue.
She was refined and proper, never crossing the line.
She even saw his true face and called him unique and adorable.
Chu Lian finally fell for her, and was even willing to give himself to her.
But he never expected that, for all her gentleness and thoughtfulness, and for all her lack of airs,
she had no official position at all!
She wasn't a Censor. She was just a merchant's daughter,
and she had approached him only to teach her sister a lesson.
After winning his sincere affection, she simply left without a word.
He thought that one day, he would make her regret it.
But when they met again, he saw her being bullied with his own eyes, and his resolve to watch coldly from the sidelines crumbled in an instant.
He leapt down from his palanquin and stood in front of her, his voice icy.
"Who do you think you are, daring to bully her?"
Cui Lingxian, now defended by him, blinked,
and looked at Chu Lian, surrounded by admirers and dressed in finery, riding with swagger.
Only then did she realize that she was the phoenix all along.
*
Free-spirited woman x resilient man
More or less a story about a sparrow pretending to be a phoenix, then actually becoming one.
Reader's guide:
1. A matriarchal world where men can bear children. Both leads are devoted to each other in body and heart. The male lead loves only the female lead. One-on-one, happy ending.
2. Set in an invented world, with a jumbled mix of dynasties and official posts. Please don't overthink it.
3. Both leads are written as [Imperfect]. They use each other at first, then eventually give their hearts. The female lead does not have to grovel to win the male lead back.
4. A simple little story with a somewhat old-fashioned, melodramatic plot. If anything makes you uncomfortable, please stop reading.
5. The characters' views do not represent the author's views. Please don't argue; let's enjoy the story in peace.
6. The blurb has been revised. If you bookmarked it earlier, please refer to the updated version~
Thank you to everyone who bookmarked this story~ Mwah, mwah, mwah!
Theme: Guidance and love
