Before Ren Yaoqi could uncover the details of the person who wanted to buy the Ren family's residence—on the second day after her return from the hot spring villa—a major piece of news reached Yanbei.
Zhao Shi, the wife of the Yanbei Prince's heir, had successfully given birth to a son in the imperial palace in the capital. The late heir now had a descendant.
This should have been joyous news for the people of Yanbei, as the birth of a child is a happy occasion for any ordinary family. However, when it came to the Yanbei Prince's Mansion, this good news only added complexity to an already intricate situation.
First, the question of the young master's fate arose: Would he, like his father, be raised under the watchful eyes of the Li family in the capital, or would he be sent back to Yanbei to be recognized by his ancestors? Second, who would ultimately inherit the position of the Yanbei Prince's heir, which had remained vacant since the heir's death? Without this young master, the Yanbei Prince's Mansion would have had no choice but to let Second Young Master Xiao, Xiao Jingxi, succeed as heir. But now, with the young master's birth, was the frail Second Young Master Xiao still the best choice for the Yanbei Prince's Mansion? And what would the imperial court's stance be?
Regardless of how outsiders speculated, the Yanbei Prince's Mansion still expressed joy over the newborn child. The Princess Consort had ten carts of gifts prepared for the heir's wife and the newborn, to be sent back to the capital with the officials who had come to Yanbei.
Before this matter settled, another wave arose. Following the news of the Prince's Mansion's new addition came an edict from the Empress Dowager. She selected six talented and beautiful young ladies from those who had come to Yanbei for the Thousand Gold Banquet and bestowed marriages upon them to either prominent young masters of Yanbei's noble families or talented and accomplished scholars.
The Yun, Su, and Meng families all received marriage edicts. Zhao Yingqiu was betrothed to the Yun family's eldest young master, Yun Wenting. One of the Thousand Gold Banquet's top winners, the Li young lady skilled in painting, was betrothed to the Su family's second young master, Su Yunchen. The Zhou young lady skilled in calligraphy was betrothed to the Meng family's third young master. Even the Qiu family's third young master, Qiu Yun, was matched with the Lu young lady skilled in the qin.
An imperial marriage bestowed by the Empress Dowager should have been an honor for the entire clan. However, this was Yanbei, not the capital. No matter how illustrious the backgrounds of these young ladies who had traveled from afar, what benefits could they bring to their husbands' families in Yanbei? The noble families of Yanbei did not rely on the favor of the Li family's imperial court. Thus, the Yanbei families who received the Empress Dowager's edict were reluctant, regretting that they had not arranged marriages for their children earlier.
Among these families, the Yun family was the most troubled. Everyone knew the Yun family wanted their eldest young master to marry a Commandery Princess. Even if the Yun family's eldest young master could not marry a Commandery Princess, there were plenty of young ladies in Yanbei who wished to marry Yun Wenting. How could Zhao Yingqiu, who had appeared out of nowhere, take precedence?
After the Yun family saw off the official who had delivered the edict, the Yun family's patriarch casually slapped the edict onto the table.
"Father, what should we do? How can Wenting marry this Miss Zhao? We should have arranged a marriage for Wenting earlier. Marrying anyone would have been better than marrying her," the Yun family's Eldest Master frowned and said.
The Yun family's patriarch said coldly, "Back then, even the old Prince did not dare defy an imperial edict. How can our Yun family defy it?"
The Eldest Master paused. "You said it yourself—that was back then. Now, the imperial court also wanted to bestow a marriage upon Second Young Master Xiao. What was the result?"
The Yun family's patriarch fell silent.Old Madam Yun, who had remained silent until now, spoke up: "Whether to defy or obey the imperial decree is not for the Yun Family alone to decide. We are not the only ones anxious right now. Let me visit the Yanbei Prince's Mansion tomorrow to meet with the Princess Consort before we discuss this further."
While the elders of the Yun Family were deliberating over the imperial marriage decree, the person most directly involved—the Yun Family's eldest son, Yun Wenting—stood to the side without uttering a word. He kept his eyes lowered, appearing lost in thought or perhaps simply dazed. He had remained seated for a long while without shifting his posture even slightly.
That evening, Yun Wenting went to Yun Wenfang's courtyard as usual to supervise the servants changing his brother's bandages.
Yun Wenfang, lying on his stomach, watched Yun Wenting for a moment before asking, "I heard the Empress Dowager has arranged a marriage for you?"
Yun Wenting remained silent, carefully examining the wounds on Yun Wenfang's back.
"Will you marry her?"
"Some of the wounds have reopened. Remember to move more gently from now on. If you need anything done, instruct the servants instead of doing it yourself."
"Will you marry Miss Zhao?"
"It's getting late. I should go now. I'll visit you again tomorrow."
Yun Wenfang watched coldly as Yun Wenting turned and left his room, remembering to close the door softly behind him.
The next day, the matriarchs of several prominent families coincidentally visited the Yanbei Prince's Mansion to seek an audience with the Princess Consort. Their purpose was singular: to inquire whether this marriage arrangement could be refused.
The Princess Consort was also troubled. Refusing would make it difficult to explain to the Empress Dowager, as the Prince of Yanbei was, in name, still a vassal who must honor Madam Li as sovereign. For several major families to reject the marriages simultaneously would undoubtedly be a slap in the face to the Empress Dowager and the imperial court. Yet, accepting was equally undesirable for these families, leaving the Yanbei Prince's Mansion in a passive position.
The Princess Consort had always believed Empress Dowager Yan lacked great wisdom, with her only redeeming qualities being her noble birth and good fortune. However, the Empress Dowager's seemingly unreasonable move had indeed placed many in a difficult position.
Nevertheless, the Princess Consort needed to reassure everyone at this moment. She patiently comforted the matriarchs, smiling as she said, "It's just a marriage arrangement. Look how anxious you all are. I think those young ladies are quite talented; marrying them wouldn't be a loss."
The Meng Family's matriarch, Madam Guo, was the youngest and most impatient: "They are indeed talented, with impeccable looks and abilities, but their backgrounds fall far short. I've heard that although these young ladies are superficially described as legitimate daughters of noble families, most are actually born of concubines. Some were even raised by maidservants and were only temporarily placed under the main wife's name as legitimate daughters before coming to Yanbei. To speak bluntly, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has acted with little regard for propriety! Does coming from the capital make them superior? Girls of such origins would only qualify as concubines in families like ours!"
It was no wonder Madam Guo was anxious. The Meng Family's Third Young Master was her most beloved youngest son, treasured like her very life. Since childhood, she had never allowed him to suffer the slightest grievance. Now that he had reached marriageable age, Madam Guo wished she could scrutinize every eligible young lady in Yanbei to select the most exceptional bride for her son.
But now the Empress Dowager had issued marriage decrees without warning, and worse, the chosen bride was a concubine-born daughter of unclear origins. This was intolerable. When Madam Guo received the decree, she nearly threw the imperial edict in the face of the eunuch who delivered it.The other madams did not speak, but their attitudes were the same as First Madam Meng's.
First Madam Meng finally said, "Princess Consort, if this decree had come from our Yanbei Prince's Mansion, even if it meant making my son marry a beggar, our Meng family would accept it. But now, we will not accept this decree from the Empress Dowager!" By the end, First Madam Meng's eyes were red.
The Princess Consort did not blame her for speaking so bluntly. She glanced at the madams and said with a smile, "I understand your meaning, but there's no need to resolve this matter immediately. Although the Empress Dowager has issued a decree for marriage, the wedding date has not been set, has it?"
Upon hearing this, First Madam Meng thought it over and realized the Princess Consort had a point. Although the Empress Dowager had decreed the marriage, after all, the capital was far away. If we were not prepared for the wedding, could they force the bride into our household? Without a proper wedding or the traditional three matchmakers and six betrothal gifts, even if someone were forced into the household, they would only be a concubine!
In the end, the madams who had come to seek the Princess Consort's advice had to return for the time being. As for the marriages decreed by the Empress Dowager, although none openly defied the decree, they all resisted passively.
Originally, after the Thousand Gold Banquet, the young ladies sent by the court would receive invitations to attend flower-viewing parties or tea gatherings at various Yanbei households. However, since the Empress Dowager's marriage decree was issued, no one had invited these young ladies anymore. The noble families of Yanbei seemed to have agreed unanimously to give these young ladies from the capital the cold shoulder.
During this time, the most frustrated were these young ladies from the capital. They had not necessarily come to Yanbei willingly—otherwise, most of them would not have been merely daughters of concubines. But now, they could not return even if they wanted to, and staying meant being ostracized, leaving them in an awkward predicament.
Apart from Yan Ningshuang and Zhao Yingqiu, who still resided in Yanbei Prince's Mansion, the other young ladies from the capital remained in the separate courtyards arranged by the mansion. This time, the Empress Dowager had decreed marriages for six of them at once. The remaining four, who were not betrothed, would return to the capital with the three officials soon. Among these four was Yan Ningshuang. The eldest daughter of the Yan family had not been betrothed, though she herself very much wished to stay.
Thus, the young ladies were divided into two groups. Those who had been betrothed began sewing their wedding dresses and dowries daily under the guidance of the matrons. The Empress Dowager's decree stated that their dowries were already on the way to Yanbei, but the wedding dresses had to be sewn by themselves. The other young ladies who were not betrothed breathed a sigh of relief and began packing their belongings to return to the capital.
In truth, not only were the noble families of Yanbei unwilling to marry these young ladies from the capital, but the young ladies themselves were also unwilling to marry into Yanbei.
Marrying here meant leaving their hometowns forever, never being able to return to their families. If anything happened, they would have no family to support them, and even if they were mistreated to death by their husbands' families, their own families would never know. Due to their status and background, they would find themselves in an awkward position in their husbands' households.
However, unlike the other three young ladies who were relieved to return home, as the day to leave Yanbei drew nearer, Yan Ningshuang grew increasingly restless.
She did not want to return to the capital. She only wanted to stay where Xiao Jingxi was.During her stay at Yanbei Prince's Mansion, Yan Ningshuang naturally persisted in seeking out Xiao Jingxi, yet from the moment she entered the mansion, she never once managed to catch him. Though they lived in the same residence, it was as if they were separated by an entire world, with no intersection between them.
I had a good sleep during the day, then went shopping with my mom. So many people were out on the streets on May Day! ^^~
As for why the author insists on shamelessly, spinelessly, and unprincipledly making up for updates in a frenzy during the last few days of the month—it's because, for the most part, the author only gets those few days off each month (weekends aren't always guaranteed, depending on the situation).
As for whether the author makes up for the monthly updates out of love for the readers or for money...
Somehow, it feels like the dilemma of choosing whether to save your dad or your lover if they both fell into the water—a life with only one kind of love is incomplete.
I know everyone hopes that the things or people they like are perfect and flawless, but if I firmly answer that I only want the readers' love, that I live a free-spirited life for love, treating money and honor like dirt...
Ahem, you get the idea.
Truth be told, the author isn't lofty or noble at all. She loves handsome men, delicious food, and writing stories. She has vanity. She likes those she loves and those who love her, and she also loves honor and money. She haggles when shopping, loves discounts at the mall, worries about gaining weight after eating too much, gets anxious when her period is late, and wants to pounce on handsome men when she sees them (huh?)... In short, she's just an ordinary, average person—don't put her on a pedestal.
What the author can promise readers is only to write each chapter as seriously as she can, without deliberately padding the word count. Whether she loves you all or not, whether her sincerity is enough—words alone can't prove it, but you can try to feel it through the story.
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