Сhаpter 5: Маrriаgе Disсussions
Wei Xun lоwеred his gazе, his fingertips trасing thе rim оf his tеаcuр, but hе did nоt rеspond. Оld Madam Wei knеw hе was still unwilling, sо shе соntinuеd to реrsuаde him eаrnеstly.
“Yоur second brоther’s hеalth requires сonstаnt mediсаtion to sustаin him, so he cаnnоt аssist уou in yоur саrеer. Althоugh yоur secоnd sister-in-law сan manаge the housеhоld, hеr pоsitiоn is ultimately nоt legitimаtе. I am old аnd won’t live mаny mоrе уeаrs. Must I die withоut seeing уоu mаrry and have children?”
Marquis Wеi wаs stationed at thе bоrder, returning onlу оnce every few years. The three Wei siblings had all been raised single-handedly by Old Madam Wei.
Wei Xun was especially filial. Seeing the white hair at his mother’s temples, he could no longer bring himself to refuse.
“Alright… I leave it entirely to Mother’s arrangements.”
Seeing her son finally relent, Old Madam Wei beamed with joy.
“Good, good, good! I will send for a matchmaker right away. Which family’s daughter do you prefer? Do you have any requirements for appearance or temperament?”
As soon as she finished speaking, she realized she had asked the wrong person. If her third son had someone he liked, why would he have delayed marriage until now?
“The eldest daughter of the Prime Minister’s family, Lady Su, is a few years younger than you, and her family background is a suitable match. I’ve seen her a few times at banquets before—she is a lady of both talent and beauty. Or perhaps the second daughter of the Minister’s family, Lady Lin. Her mother is Princess Huirong, so her family background is impeccable. Her elder brothers are all accomplished, and once married, they could be of great assistance to you…”
Old Madam Wei listed several renowned young ladies of the capital, feeling that any one of them would be suitable, waiting only for her son’s nod to send someone to propose.
“Whatever Mother deems suitable is fine,” Wei Xun replied indifferently.
“What do you mean, whatever I deem suitable? This is your marriage. Once she enters the household, she will bear your children and manage the inner courtyard. Naturally, you should marry someone you like.”
Wei Xun had no particular woman he liked, but when he heard “manage the inner courtyard,” the delicate and gentle face of A’Yuan appeared before his eyes, and his gaze flickered slightly.
“Family background and appearance are not important. As long as she is gentle and magnanimous in temperament.”
“Gentle and magnanimous… Alright, I will choose carefully for you.”
Old Madam Wei did not think of A’Yuan. Her third son had always been rational; how could such an important matter as marriage be influenced by a mere maidservant?
Yet Wei Xun, whom she considered cold and rational, had already let his thoughts drift to the ancestral hall.
Old Madam Wei was busy discussing with the matron which matchmaker in the capital was best, and she no longer paid attention to whether her son had eaten breakfast.
Seeing this, Wei Xun stood up, instructed the matron to give the food box to Chang Yuan later, and headed toward the ancestral hall.
The ancestral hall was located behind the main residence, guarded by two sturdy matrons at the entrance. When they saw Wei Xun approaching, they hurriedly bowed.
“Young Master.”
“Open the door.”
Wei Xun’s voice was authoritative, and the matrons dared not disobey, quickly opening the door to the ancestral hall.
In the dim ancestral hall, A’Yuan knelt on the ground, her back straight as a rod.
Before her was a low table, on which lay writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, and a copy of the Lotus Sutra. To her right were the completed sutras, already forming a thick stack.
The wind blew in from all sides, and A’Yuan’s hand holding the brush was frozen bright red.
Hearing movement at the door, she turned her head and saw Wei Xun entering with the light behind him.
“Young… Young Master?”
A’Yuan looked like a child who had done something wrong, her expression somewhat flustered.
Wei Xun walked up to her, his gaze falling on her red and swollen hands.
“Didn’t I excuse you from today’s morning greetings?”
“Young Master is kind to A’Yuan, but A’Yuan cannot forget the rules.”
She lowered her head, revealing a stretch of snow-white neck, not daring to look up at Wei Xun.
In the Young Master’s heart, she must be an ungrateful person.Now that she had been punished, it was her own fault for bringing this suffering upon herself.
The delicate yet stubborn little concubine had Wei Xun tapping her forehead with his fingertip.
“No need to kneel any longer. Get up.”
“But Old Madam Wei…”
“What? You won’t listen to me now?”
“A’Yuan wouldn’t dare.”
Wei Xun’s expression turned cold, and A’Yuan quickly rose to her feet.
However, she had been kneeling for so long that her legs were stiff and numb, nearly causing her to stumble as she stood.
The man’s hand steadied her waist, the warmth of his palm seeping through her padded skirt, making A’Yuan’s ears flush faintly.
“Thank you, Master.”
Wei Xun paid no mind to her shyness, supporting her with his palm as he asked, “Can you walk?”
“Y-yes.”
A’Yuan was unaccustomed to being intimate with him in front of others. Even though only the two of them were in the ancestral hall, with the tablets of the Wei ancestors watching, she endured the soreness in her legs and distanced herself from Wei Xun.
The man’s brow furrowed slightly, displeased as he withdrew his hand.
“Let’s go.”
Outside the door, the two matrons saw them emerge one after the other and exchanged glances.
“This…”
One of the matrons wanted to step forward to stop them but was hastily pulled back by the other.
“Do you want to lose your job? How dare you block the Young Master!”
“But Old Madam ordered us to keep an eye on Madam Xie and not let her leave until she finished copying the Lotus Sutra…”
Without the Old Madam’s permission, they didn’t dare let her go.
“Enough. Madam Xie belongs to the Young Master’s courtyard. If he wants to take her away, would the Old Madam refuse? Let’s just pretend we didn’t see anything.”
After discussing, the two matrons went to the front courtyard to apologize to Old Madam Wei. However, Old Madam Wei was currently preoccupied with selecting a wife for Wei Xun and simply waved them away. Meanwhile, Zhao Wan, returning from the kitchen, was so furious upon hearing that Wei Xun had protected A’Yuan that she smashed a teacup.
“That little harlot, all she knows is how to seduce men!”
“Madam, calm down. She’s just a concubine, not worth your anger.”
Zhao Wan’s wet nurse, Matron Chen, handed her a cup of hot tea and gently patted her chest to soothe her.
“With her seductive looks, someone will deal with her sooner or later.”
“I just can’t stand it. These little vixens are always trying to seduce their masters. If I hadn’t kept them in check, the two in our courtyard would have exhausted Second Master to death in bed.”
Zhao Wan’s hatred for A’Yuan stemmed not from the girl herself but from her inability to control her own husband.
Her father, Zhao Ping, was a low-ranking seventh-grade official. By all accounts, with her family background, she should never have married into the Marquis’s household.
However, Wei Cong was frail, and families of equal status were unwilling to let their daughters live as widows in all but name. Thus, to bring good fortune to her son, Old Madam Wei chose Zhao Wan, who came from a humble family and was believed to be fertile, hoping she would bear children for him.
Yet Wei Cong, a sickly man who grew breathless after just a few steps, was a lustful devil. He grew tired of Zhao Wan not long after marrying her.
With no official duties and Old Madam Wei indulging him, he spent his days frolicking with his concubines in their rooms.
While managing the household, Zhao Wan also had to guard against the women in the rear courtyard, gradually turning into a shrew under the pressure.
Matron Chen felt sorry for her mistress. If they had known Wei Cong was like this, her mistress would never have agreed to marry him.
“Madam, that Thin Horse concubine is nothing more than a plaything, not worth fearing. What you should guard against is the future Young Madam. Right now, the Young Master hasn’t married, and you manage the household. But once the Young Madam enters, the authority over the household will be handed over.”
Zhao Wan and the second branch enjoyed their current status solely because she managed the household. Without that authority, the second branch and she would become marginalized in the Marquis’s household.How could Zhao Wan, accustomed to power, bear this?
“Then, what should we do, Nanny?”
Zhao Wan hurriedly grabbed the wet nurse’s hand. Old Nanny Chen’s clouded eyes flashed with a gleam of shrewdness.
“So the future mistress of the estate must be someone you can control… The young mistress is seventeen this year, and it’s time to arrange a marriage for her.”