Wen Zheng was stunned. A marriage swap?
Trust Madam Xu to come up with such an idea. The Duke’s household was of the highest nobility—choosing Wen Qing, the legitimate daughter, was already a favor to Wen Zheng. And now Madam Xu wanted to send a concubine-born girl instead? Wasn’t that the same as slapping the Duke in the face?
Wen Zheng tried to put an end to her scheme, but Madam Xu was no pushover. If it had been anything else, she might have yielded, but when it came to her daughter’s lifelong marriage, she refused to budge an inch.
The very next morning, Madam Xu invited Song Yan’s mother into the residence for a “casual chat.”
Song Yan knew perfectly well that the chat was a pretext—the real purpose was to discuss his marriage with Wen Ning. Wen Zheng was his mentor and had already probed him before, asking whether he had any interest in Wen Ning.
He had seen her once, at the Spring Banquet: the young girl in a flowing gown of pear-blossom white, her figure graceful, her skin luminous, and most striking of all, those doe-like eyes—clear, innocent, and almost bewitching, enough to make one lose themselves. Such beauty, wasted on a concubine-born daughter. And yet, he was secretly glad. If Wen Ning had been the legitimate daughter, Wen Zheng would never have offered her to him.
As soon as the tea was served, Madam Xu could no longer hold back.
“Elder sister, such good fortune you have. Your son is truly a fine young man. I wonder—has he a betrothal yet?”
Mother Song demurred politely before replying, “This child has lofty ambitions. He insists that without scholarly honors, he will not speak of marriage.”
Madam Xu grew anxious. “How could that be? Since ancient times, one marries first, then establishes a career. If we wait until he earns his degree, his worth will rise, and by then he may not look twice at Wen Qing.”
Mother Song’s mother saw through her intent. “It seems Madam already has someone in mind?”
Madam Xu flushed, then pressed on boldly. “To be frank, I find your son’s character most admirable. My daughter Qing’er has been raised at my side since childhood—her temperament and conduct are impeccable. I believe the two children would be a perfect match…”
Song Yan froze.
Wen Zheng valued him so highly that he was willing to give his legitimate daughter in marriage?
He stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Madam Xu. “Honored Madam, I am grateful for your favor. I will cherish her with all my heart.”
Madam Xu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at Song Yan again—handsome, composed, courteous. True, his family was poor, but poverty had its advantages. Easier to control.
Song Yan’s mood was complicated. The status of a legitimate daughter was far more valuable than that of a concubine-born girl. With Madam Xu and Wen Zheng’s deep affection for Wen Qing, they would surely support him in his official career. It should have been a blessing. Yet, for some reason, whenever he thought of those dark, luminous doe eyes he had seen at the Spring Banquet, his heart felt strangely hollow…
Meanwhile, Wen Ning was in the courtyard reading a storybook when Xiao Tao rushed in, breathless and shouting, before she even stopped running.
“Miss, miss, something terrible has happened!”
Wen Ning frowned, displeased. “Speak properly. Why are you so flustered?”
Xiao Tao barely caught her breath. “Miss, Second Miss and Madam have joined forces—they’ve stolen your marriage!”
Wen Ning froze.
From Xiao Tao’s broken account, she gathered that Wen Qing had suddenly changed these past few days, insisting she must marry Song Yan. She claimed he was destined for greatness, that he would one day be the top scholar, and forced Madam Xu to betroth her to him.
Wen Ning pressed her fingers to her brow. So, Wen Qing had also been reborn.
Xiao Tao was still panicked. “Miss, if Young Master Song marries Second Miss, what will you do?”
“What else can I do? What did Madam say?”
Xiao Tao was on the verge of tears. “Madam says you must swap marriages—she wants you to wed that devil from the Shen family.”
Madam Xu wanted her to marry Shen Zhou?
Wen Ning was stunned.
Since her rebirth, she had been plotting how to avoid marrying Song Yan. With Wen Zheng’s rigid nature, if she openly refused, she would likely anger him and he might wash his hands of her entirely. If he abandoned her marriage arrangements, Madam Xu would almost certainly send her off as a concubine to some powerful noble in the capital.
Now, Wen Qing had wronged her, and Wen Zheng would have no choice but to ask the Duke’s household whether they would accept a concubine-born daughter.
If she remembered correctly, Shen Zhou was currently bewitched by courtesans to the point that he barely acknowledged his own father. No respectable family in the capital wanted to disgrace themselves by marrying their daughters to him.
But Wen Zheng had a reputation for virtue. If it were his concubine-born daughter, Wen Ning suspected the Duke’s household would not refuse.
To marry Shen Zhou?
Wen Ning began to weigh the matter carefully. Shen Zhou was the Duke’s only heir. Though spoiled since childhood and quick-tempered, if she yielded to him in everything and ignored his affairs outside, life might not be unbearable. From what little she remembered, Shen Zhou eventually went to war to defend the nation.
A man willing to risk his life for his country could not be entirely bad. If she remained quiet and unassuming, surely he would not make things too difficult for her.
The Duke’s household was simple in numbers, and the Duke and Duchess were both reasonable people. As a great aristocratic family with deep foundations, marrying into such a house meant she would never worry about food or clothing—far better than being sold off as a concubine with only her dowry to rely on. And if Shen Zhou already had someone he loved outside, all the better—she would not even need to fulfill the duties of a wife.
Compared to being casually handed over to some noble as a concubine, Wen Ning realized that marrying Shen Zhou was, in fact, the best path available to her. With that thought, the heavy stone pressing on her heart finally lifted.