Cui Xique gently waved her palm fan, still wearing her signature smile, and was just about to speak when the corner of her eye caught sight of an unexpected guest arriving at the entrance.
“What is all this noise about?”
The crowd gathered outside the guduo shop instinctively parted to make way for him. The newcomer had slightly graying hair at his temples and a neatly trimmed goatee. He wore understated dark blue clothing with subtle patterns, and a small, exquisite ebony plaque hung from his waist. If one looked closely, the character “Xia” could faintly be seen carved upon it.
His steps were steady and composed. When he entered the small courtyard of the guduo shop and saw Cui Xique presenting betrothal gifts to the Jiang family, he politely inclined his head toward her and said courteously, “Madam Cui.”
Cui Xique naturally recognized him as well. Her face still carried her trademark smile as she waved her palm fan and replied just as politely, “Steward Zhong.”
Only then did Steward Zhong step closer. He turned toward Jiang Zhiyu’s parents, Jiang Zhongyou and Mo Yingshuang, and cupped his hands in greeting. His tone was calm, yet carried an authority that left no room for doubt.
“This old man is Zhong Li, the steward of the Zhen Nan Prince’s Manor.
There is no need for the two of you to panic. The betrothal gifts Madam Cui has brought today are indeed what our heir prepared to formally marry Miss Xiaoyu as his principal wife.”
Those words dealt a resounding slap to the faces of all those who had been spreading rumors.
Zhong Li continued to reassure them, “The marriage contract has already been officially registered with the authorities, stamped and made legally effective. All six customary rites have been completed, so there is absolutely nothing false about this. It certainly has nothing to do with the absurd notion of taking someone as a lowly wife to bring good fortune and drive away an illness.”
Only then did Jiang Zhongyou finally feel that this was real.
“Truly the heir of the Zhen Nan Prince?”
“As genuine as it gets.”
【System Message: User has unlocked a new character, Zhong Li, steward of the Zhen Nan Prince’s Manor, loyal.】
Jiang Zhiyu had not expected the steward of the Zhen Nan Prince’s Manor to come personally either. She bowed slightly in gratitude.
“Thank you, Uncle Zhong.”
Zhong Li hurriedly returned the gesture.
“Miss Xiaoyu, there is no need to be so polite with this old man. Once you enter the manor, I will naturally do everything in my power to assist you and the heir.”
A clear and steady rhythm of hoofbeats suddenly came from the end of the street.
“Clip clop, clip clop.”
The sound drew closer at an unhurried pace, yet somehow seemed to land directly upon the hearts of everyone present.
Who else could such a distinguished person be?
A magnificent horse with a coat as black as ink came to a stop at the end of the street, and a man dismounted.
He wore a plain white silk robe and walked toward the crowd and deeper into the alley. The pale silver cloud patterns embroidered in dark thread along his sleeves revealed his identity, while the white jade belt around his waist made his figure appear even taller and more graceful, like a slender green bamboo in a courtyard.
When the wind passed, the hem of his robe lifted gently, causing the cloud patterns to appear and disappear. He slowly walked into the guduo shop, the sunlight falling across his profile and making his features look even more defined. His brows and eyes were clear and refined, while his bone structure carried an unmistakable air of nobility. His handsome face was one none of these people had ever seen before.
His calm gaze swept over the stunned crowd. He raised his eyes and glanced at Auntie Wang, frightening her into immediately shrinking back like a turtle hiding its head. He then withdrew his sharp gaze and finally settled it upon Jiang Zhiyu and her parents.
He stepped forward, walked to the side of Zhong Li and Cui Xique, and faced Jiang Zhiyu’s parents. With utmost solemnity and impeccable courtesy, he performed the formal greeting expected of a younger generation member.
Jiang Zhongyou and his wife, Mo Yingshuang, exchanged a glance.
Remembering that night, they exclaimed in unison.
“Is it you?”
“Your son in law, Xia Linchuan, pays his respects to Father and Mother.”
His voice was as clear and melodious as jade struck by a spring, pleasant to the ear and carrying a certain calming strength that gently soothed Jiang Zhiyu’s heart.
Jiang Zhiyu let out a long breath of relief. It seemed she would not have to worry about handling this farce today after all.
“Why did you come?”
The moment Xia Linchuan heard her words, he detected the grievance, helplessness, and faint hint of coquettishness hidden in her tone. The corners of his lips curved upward, and sweetness spread through his heart.
“First, to congratulate you on reopening the shop. Second, to celebrate that my wife and I will soon be married.”
Jiang Zhiyu stared at him in stunned silence before finally stammering, “…All right, stop talking.”
She almost wanted to stuff a guduo into his mouth.
【System Message: User has unexpectedly obtained assistance from the Zhen Nan Prince’s Manor. Guduo shop reputation is currently recovering…】
Jiang Zhiyu and that man sat together in a private room. The window was half open, and the copper bell beneath the eaves was gently stirred by the breeze, producing a clear and melodious chime.
Xia Linchuan’s long fingers, each joint distinct and elegant, held the teapot as he poured tea for Jiang Zhiyu. The tea in the white porcelain cup was clear and emerald green, with steam curling upward, just like that first meeting at the guduo shop that night, when the air had likewise been filled with rising warmth.
“You must have been frightened.”
He raised his eyes and looked meaningfully at Jiang Zhiyu, his voice as warm and gentle as ever.
Jiang Zhiyu sat opposite him, separated by a redwood table of neither large nor small size, as well as a table full of exquisite pastries whose names she could not even identify. She silently complained to herself.
He really only knew how to show up after everything was over.
After being surrounded by people watching the commotion all morning, she was now starving. She had no energy left to care about appearances and simply reached for a lotus shaped pastry on the table and began eating.
Besides, this was only a contract marriage. What use was an impressive image?
Xia Linchuan chuckled, letting out a soft hum through his nose.
“If I had arrived any later, I fear the wife I had finally obtained would have been frightened away.”
When he noticed the crumbs remaining at the corner of Jiang Zhiyu’s mouth, he naturally reached out and gently held her chin. With his other hand, he lightly brushed his fingertip across her lips and cleaned them for her.
Jiang Zhiyu only felt that his actions were rather like taking care of a child in kindergarten, so she did not pay much attention to it. After all, she was now his business partner, one of the pieces under his command.
Once Xia Linchuan finished tidying her up, she immediately set her sights on the osmanthus cake on the table.
“I naturally will not go back on what I promised you, but I have a small question I want to ask. Is that all right?”
Seeing her suddenly put on a deliberately serious expression, Xia Linchuan’s smile did not fade in the slightest.
“Am I a shield or a mascot? You have to at least give me a role to play so I know how to perform it properly.”
Jiang Zhiyu’s face was filled with sincerity. At the very least, she truly thought so.
She had to play her role well and earn her boss’s approval so that Xia Linchuan would reward her with more gold coins. Only after saving enough money could she upgrade the guduo shop.
He picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip. He looked completely at ease, as though she had asked exactly the question he wanted to hear.
“My wife, the heir’s principal wife.”
Jiang Zhiyu’s dark eyes rolled around and around as her little head worked hard to think. After pondering for quite some time, she still could not figure out what Xia Linchuan was implying.
She was not the kind of reckless person who would keep pressing someone about a question they were unwilling to answer.
She lifted her gaze from the food and looked directly at him, her voice calm as she asked a different question.
“Then why did you choose me?”
She really was curious about that.
Xia Linchuan looked at her as well.
Her eyes were very bright, just as he had noticed that time in the shop. They were not the dull and lifeless eyes of a sheltered young lady from a wealthy household. Instead, they were warm and clear, with the cool purity of eyes washed by flowing stream water.
In truth, he had thought about this question for a long time as well, because the proposal of marriage that day had genuinely slipped out of his mouth without thought.
After returning to the manor that night, he had sat alone in his study and recalled their encounter from beginning to end. It had been an ordinary marketplace, an ordinary act of kindness in which he had been helped, and an ordinary chance meeting between two people who had simply crossed paths.
It should have been so ordinary that it was hardly worth mentioning.
Yet somehow, that ordinary event and that ordinary person had taken root in his heart.
He only knew that after proposing marriage, he had felt unusually happy.
He did not dislike Jiang Zhiyu. In fact, he was even somewhat willing to let this ordinary woman grow close to him.
He had never experienced such a feeling before.
However, he did not want to frighten her, so he chose a more indirect way to answer.
He lowered his eyes and slowly turned the teacup in his palm before speaking. His tone was so indifferent that he sounded as though he were merely commenting on an ordinary game of chess.
“Marriage is a temporary measure to protect the Xia family.”
What he said was not entirely false.
“The position of the heir’s principal wife is coveted by every faction at court.”
He looked at the boats passing along the river outside the window. His voice remained gentle, but a faint chill seeped through his words.
“If I marry the daughter of a Grand Academician, it means taking the side of the civil officials. If I marry the daughter of the Cavalry General, it means drawing closer to the military families. And my father…”
He did not continue. He simply gazed quietly at the ripples spreading across the surface of the river.
But Jiang Zhiyu understood.
All those years of watching palace intrigue dramas had not been wasted. She understood the logic perfectly.
That person sitting high above all others was most wary of subordinates becoming too powerful and threatening his authority, as well as forming private factions for their own interests.
The Zhen Nan Prince’s Manor already stood at the very top of the hierarchy. There was no need for some prestigious noble young lady to strengthen their position through marriage. Such a connection would only place a blade against the necks of everyone in the Zhen Nan Prince’s Manor.
“So,” Jiang Zhiyu said with an expression that showed she understood everything, “you need someone without an illustrious family background to become your principal wife.”
“Yes.”
The setting sun shone obliquely through the window, carving a clear and elegant outline along his profile. His answer was utterly serious.
Jiang Zhiyu’s clever little mind finally turned over the possibilities, and she found her place.
She was both his wife and his chess piece.
She could stabilize the household.
Protecting the Zhen Nan Prince’s Manor was indeed the truth. But if all he needed was “a wife without an illustrious family background,” there were countless people registered in the capital and beyond. For the distinguished heir of the Zhen Nan Prince, finding an innocent young woman from an ordinary family should have been easy enough.
Only he himself knew that the stirrings of his heart seemed to be real as well.
“Do not worry. Leave it to me. As long as I hold the position of principal wife for even one day, I will certainly play the role of your wife properly.”
Jiang Zhiyu confidently took another bite of her pastry, her eyes shining with determination.
For some reason, Xia Linchuan suddenly felt a little ache in his nose, while sweetness filled his heart once again.
What a sincere and precious woman she was.
“Then,” he said, once again lifting the teacup and pouring tea for her. He raised his cup first, his final words slow and gentle, as though he were afraid of startling the birds resting beneath the eaves, and as though he were also soothing the road they would walk together in the future.
“I wish us a pleasant partnership.”
He raised his cup slightly. Jiang Zhiyu could smell the cool sandalwood fragrance lingering in his sleeves, along with the clean medicinal scent drifting from his body. She followed his example and gently clinked her cup against his.
As she drank her tea, a thought suddenly occurred to her. She carefully asked another question.
“That… your money is my money too now, right? Can I spend it?”
A Si, who was guarding the door, happened to hear this sentence. He could not help letting out a sudden laugh, then quickly covered his mouth with both hands and secretly glanced into the private room, hoping the heir had not heard him.
Naturally, Xia Linchuan caught the sound of A Si’s laughter. But his current mood could only be described as basking in spring sunshine, so he did not bother to hold it against A Si. He curled his lips into a smile as he looked at Jiang Zhiyu, feeling a certain empty place within his heart slowly being filled.
“You can.”
Jiang Zhiyu stared at the message appearing before her eyes and almost laughed out loud.
Seeing her adorable attempt to suppress her laughter, Xia Linchuan gently raised a hand to his lips, concealing the faint sweetness that escaped from the corners of his mouth.
【System Message: Congratulations, the user has received the God of Wealth’s reward. The system will distribute it randomly.】