“No.”
Xie Xuchuan shook his head. “There must be another way.”
Discussing the adoption of a legitimate heir with Yuanzhu was one thing, but bypassing her entirely to approach Shen Yanhuai and forcing him to agree was entirely different.
He and Yuanzhu were to become husband and wife in the future; as a couple, they needed to discuss everything together.
If he secretly made a deal with Shen Yanhuai and joined him in pressuring Yuanzhu, that would truly damage the very foundation of their relationship.
Moreover, the Xie Family Farming and Weaving Manual and the Shen Family Dyeing Manual had not been handed over to Shen Yanhuai for years, thanks to Shen’s mother’s careful maneuvering.
This was Shen’s mother’s way, even in illness, of securing a foundation for Yuanzhu’s future livelihood.
If he were to let Shen’s mother’s painstaking efforts go to waste…
Xie Xuchuan clenched his itching palms, not daring to dwell on the thought.
“I’ve overstepped. I shouldn’t have brought this up.”
Jiang Wansu caressed her belly, her smile tinged with sorrow. “I shouldn’t have shifted the responsibility for this child onto your shoulders. You’ve protected me since Yulin’s death, and that is already a tremendous kindness.
“How could I repay kindness with ingratitude now? In truth, this belly of mine won’t stay hidden for much longer. Perhaps it’s better to return home early and explain everything clearly to my father.”
Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Jiang Wansu said, “If my father shows mercy, I can openly raise the child Yulin and I share. If he refuses, Yulin and I can become ghostly husband and wife in the underworld—that would be beautiful too.”
Her slender, pale, and withered hand gently stroked her lower abdomen, filled with longing and reluctance.
“It’s just that I’ve let down Yulin and Cui Bo, leaving the Cui family without an heir.”
Scalding tears fell to the ground as Jiang Wansu whispered softly, “I am an unlucky one. When you first brought Yulin to meet me, I shouldn’t have let my heart stir…”
Her words left Xie Xuchuan’s face deathly pale.
He was not unaware that Jiang Wansu was accusing him of introducing the two of them, but Xie Xuchuan dared not defend himself.
What rose in his mind was the scene before he left for Huizhou, when Cui Yulin came to him and told him that Wansu was pregnant.
Upon learning of Jiang Wansu’s pregnancy, Cui Yulin was both worried and excited.
Xie Xuchuan, however, was deeply shocked, his heart filled with dissatisfaction toward Cui Yulin.
If Cui Yulin were a responsible man, he should not have allowed Jiang Wansu to conceive his child without a proper status, leaving her in such a difficult position now.
But watching his childhood friend laugh and cry before him, saying he was going to be a father, Xie Xuchuan couldn’t bring himself to scold him.
“Xuchuan, I want to marry Wansu. You have no idea how much I want to bring her home.”
Cui Yulin grasped his hand. “But I can’t. Jiang Hong is a man who loves wealth and despises poverty, greedy for riches and power. He would never agree. With my status, how could he?”
Xie Xuchuan said, “He is Wansu’s father. You shouldn’t speak of him that way.”
With a soft sigh, Xie Xuchuan continued, “Father Jiang is only afraid his daughter might entrust herself to the wrong person.
“As long as you can achieve something and make a name for yourself, I’ll ask Mother to propose the marriage to the Jiang family. The Jiang family will show Mother some respect.”
“Achieve something and make a name for myself?”
Cui Yulin’s eyes were bloodshot. “It’s easy for you to say such things lightly, leaning on the Xie family’s support. But for an ordinary person to build a career from nothing is as difficult as climbing to the heavens.
“And Wansu doesn’t have time to wait for me to start from scratch. I can wait, but the child in her belly cannot.”
“I do have an idea.”
Xie Xuchuan thought for a moment and said, “In half a month, a cargo ship from the Liu Family Port in Taicang will set sail to trade with the Western Ocean. In our dynasty, from civil and military officials down to commoners, everyone favors imported goods. A single imported chiming clock can be exchanged for ten thousand taels of gold.
“I have some connections with the Liu Family in Taicang. If you wish to go, I can arrange for someone to escort you onto the ship.
“I will provide the capital. Consider it a wedding gift for you and Wansu.”