Les Belles – Lin Yun, Alen Fang

Luo Lingyu's family, the Luo family of Jingyang, has always been a prestigious family in the city. Especially the orphaned daughter, Luo Lingyu, who, at a young age, was already known for her beauty. Her looks were so captivating that people from a hundred miles around came to the Luo residence on the day of her Flower Letter Ceremony just to catch a glimpse of her. As a noblewoman, Luo Lingyu was not content to be just a beautiful figurehead.

Although she had inherited vast family wealth after her parents passed away, according to the laws of the time, this wealth was under the management of the government until she married. Only after her marriage would she regain control of her family fortune. So, she didn’t oppose marriage, but she had one condition: she would only marry a man who would be willing to join the Luo family, in order to help restore the once-thriving Luo family.

After the Flower Letter Ceremony, Luo Lingyu was supposed to visit her uncle and aunt. Sitting in the palanquin, she saw the excited crowd of admirers eager to see her and the gifts in their hands. Luo Lingyu smiled brightly. Among all the precious gifts, she chose the least valuable one—a wooden bracelet given to her by a young girl from a temple who had prayed for her safety.

As the palanquin made its way down the road, her younger sister, Hua’er, asked in confusion why Luo Lingyu had not chosen the East Sea tribute pearls, which were extremely valuable and of course, worth far more than the simple bracelet. Luo Lingyu patiently explained to her sister, “If I had chosen the expensive tribute pearls, people would think I am greedy for money, and in the future, I would be looked down upon.

The pearls, no matter how valuable, still have a price, but this bracelet is different. It’s not just a gift, it’s the sincere intention of a little girl. The gift may be small, but the sentiment behind it is priceless. ”When Luo Lingyu arrived at her uncle's house, the entrance was already piled with gift boxes tied with red ribbons. Fan Qingchen, the man her parents had promised her to since childhood, had come again.

Every year on her birthday, this man would visit her, and now, after the Flower Letter Ceremony, he could hardly wait to bring the marriage gifts, preparing to marry her. Luo Lingyu’s parents had passed away, and her uncle was now the one to arrange the marriage. Her uncle and aunt were clearly money-minded, grinning widely as they looked at the generous dowry. Luo Lingyu knew there was no avoiding this marriage, but suddenly, an idea struck her.

When it came time to sign the betrothal agreement, she deliberately asked her uncle if they would give her the jewelry her mother had previously sent. Her aunt, eager to take the dowry for herself, immediately fetched an expensive set of headpieces from the guest room. After Luo Lingyu inspected them, she signed the betrothal agreement.

Her uncle and aunt, seeing that the document was signed, couldn't wait for the ink to dry and quickly handed it over to Fan Qingchen, as though the matter was already settled. Back at home, Luo Lingyu, along with her maid and sister, had already made plans to escape the marriage. She brought out a map she had prepared in advance and discussed with her maid, Lingxi, about the need to prepare a boat at a certain location.

She would escape from Fan Qingchen’s residence. They packed their gold, silver, and other valuables, as well as provisions, and made plans to carry out the escape the following day. That night was destined to be sleepless. In addition to Luo Lingyu, Lu Yun was also busy with his subordinates planning to capture the northern Chujian people’s hideout. They had already discovered that the northern Chujian people were hiding in Fan Qingchen’s residence.

The guards were strict, and there was no opportunity to search the place. However, Lu Yun learned that Fan Qingchen was going to marry the next day, which was perfect timing for him. He could take advantage of the chaos to search for the northern Chujian people. Lu Yun and his guards quietly entered Luo Lingyu’s courtyard, hiding inside the gift boxes that were to be delivered to Fan Qingchen’s house the next day.

The next day, everything proceeded according to plan. Luo Lingyu and her younger sister climbed over the wall and saw several horses tied up at the entrance. She quickly chose a strong, well-fed horse and rode off, thinking that Lingxi had a keen eye for horses. In reality, it was Lu Yun who had prepared the horse for her.

Lingxi was anxiously waiting by the dock. They were already an hour late from the scheduled time, and she had no idea how Miss Luo was doing. Lingxi was beside herself with worry. Fortunately, the horse was strong and managed to reach the dock with great effort. Because Luo Lingyu was so stunningly beautiful and was also dressed in her wedding gown, the boatman quickly recognized her. Fearing trouble from Fan Qingchen, he hurriedly pushed the boat away and fled.

Before leaving, he even returned the silver Lingxi had just paid. Seeing that Fan Qingchen's servants were almost upon them, Luo Lingyu was determined to escape her marriage. She immediately grabbed Lingxi and her sister and ran. Just as they were rushing, they encountered a handsome scholar. Upon seeing their panic, the scholar immediately understood what was happening and helped them flee. To divert the pursuers, the scholar even put on Luo Lingyu's wedding gown.

When the servants saw the bright red gown, they quickly followed after him. Meanwhile, Luo Lingyu, holding the jade pendant the scholar had given her earlier, boarded a boat and successfully escaped. Fan Qingchen's family, being a powerful household, split their forces into two. One group chased after Lu Yun, while the other pursued Luo Lingyu. Since Luo Lingyu had taken the horse Fan Qingchen had prepared, Lu Yun faced numerous difficulties.

His horse was slow, and after being pursued for a long time, he was eventually shot by an arrow. In his dazed state, he fell off a cliff, and his fate was uncertain. Upon hearing the news, Fan Qingchen slammed the table in anger, blaming his subordinates for their incompetence as they hadn’t captured anyone. Hearing that Luo Lingyu’s aunt was still waiting, he immediately went to meet her.

Luo Lingyu’s aunt, knowing that Luo Lingyu had escaped, quickly returned the dowry money she had received earlier. However, Fan Qingchen smiled and refused the money, saying that he and Luo Lingyu had already become husband and wife in a way, and now she was considered a part of the Fan family. Fan Qingchen had his own plans. With Luo Lingyu's unparalleled beauty, how could he throw away such a prize? His family didn’t lack money.

He then asked Luo Lingyu’s aunt if she knew where she might have gone. The aunt guessed that she might be heading to Yuezhou, where there was another relative. As it turned out, just as her aunt had guessed, Luo Lingyu was indeed on her way to Yuezhou. There, she had a kind aunt who had treated them well when their father was still alive.

Luo Lingyu wasn’t sure if the aunt would still remember her kindness, but for now, she decided to go there to find a place to stay. Her sister hadn’t eaten for several meals and was starving. She couldn’t swallow the flatbread the boatman had given her. Luo Lingyu decided to try fishing and make some fish soup for her sister.

After a few tugs, it seemed that she had caught a big fish, but when she tried to pull it in, it turned out to be a person. To her surprise, the person had arrows in his body, wore a night outfit, and a mask. Clearly, he wasn’t someone with good intentions. Luo Lingyu, already on the run, didn’t want to take in a mysterious stranger.

Her sister, however, couldn’t bear to leave him, and persuaded Luo Lingyu to show compassion. She reminded her that when their father fought in battles, if someone had come to help in time, he wouldn’t have died. Luo Lingyu, moved by her sister’s words, quickly called Lingxi to help pull the stranger onto the boat. The man wore a mask, and Luo Lingyu didn’t want to get involved, so she didn’t try to remove it.

Since there were no doctors or medicine on board, Luo Lingyu herself took out the arrowhead from his wound and used the last bottle of healing ointment her father had left them to treat his injury. Every day, Luo Lingyu would bring a meal for the injured man. He wore a mask, so she couldn’t tell who he was. In fact, this person was Lu Yun, who had fallen off the cliff.

Fortunately, he had landed in the river, and his strong swimming skills helped him survive. Seeing the red wedding gown Luo Lingyu had left on the table, he immediately recognized it as the one who had stolen his horse. If his horse hadn’t been swapped, he would have escaped by now. But now, heavily injured, he had no choice but to hold his tongue and focus on healing. The boat was nearing the shore, and Yuezhou was almost in sight. After several days of rest, Lu Yun’s injury had mostly healed. To avoid suspicion, Luo Lingyu asked Lu Yun to disembark early and swim ashore.