When Aunt Pei looked at Pei Zisu, she found herself at a loss for words. Even she, the person at the table closest to him, was stunned, let alone everyone else.
“I do not agree!”
Jiang Huaishan stood up and gave a blunt response. Just moments ago, when they were speaking together, he had been filled with admiration for this young General Pei’s capabilities. However, that was strictly limited to an acknowledgment of his professional merit.
Hearing that he suddenly wanted to marry his daughter was another matter entirely.
He and his daughter had only recently been reunited. His original plan was to keep her by his side for a few years to dote on her, and ideally, marry her off to someone within the Western Capital so they could look after one another.
Hanzhou was thousands of miles away.
If one took a boat down the Huai River, it would take seven or eight days to arrive, to say nothing of traveling by carriage over land, which would take at least half a month. He could not bear such a long distance; that was the first reason.
Furthermore, although Hanzhou was stable, it was a place where wars were fought year-round. To put it bluntly, his daughter’s health was already frail. If she married a husband who could not even guarantee a long life together, then why would he marry her off at all? He would rather support her at home for the rest of his life than have her spend her later years grieving over such matters.
Therefore, from any perspective, Jiang Huaishan would not agree to this marriage. He stood up immediately to make his stance clear.
Unfortunately, though he had been an official for years, his experience with scheming was limited to civil officials and scholars. Facing a young general who dealt with killing as easily as slicing vegetables, his usual tactics were useless.
Pei Zisu did not answer.
He simply cast a faint glance at Jiang Huaishan. His eyes held emotions that Jiang Huaishan couldn’t quite decipher; perhaps because he was born into a military family, his gaze naturally carried a hint of subtle menace when he looked at people.
Even though Pei Zisu had restrained himself, Jiang Huaishan still felt a terrifying sense of suppression.
His legs began to tremble involuntarily. The members of the Wang family were mostly fine, but Jiang Shishu, who was sitting next to him, was so nervous she wanted to cry out loud. She suddenly felt that her attendance at this family banquet was a stroke of terrible luck; next time such a situation arose, she would surely decline!
But despite his fear, Jiang Huaishan had to speak his mind.
“Since ancient times, a child’s marriage has been determined by parental command and the matchmaker’s words. The same applies to you, Young General Pei. I said I do not agree, and I mean it! Shiyuan’s health is poor and she is not fit for the exhaustion of long travel. If she truly marries so far away, the opportunities for us to meet again would be far too few. Mother-in-law, I presume you feel the same as I do!”
Unable to face Pei Zisu alone, Jiang Huaishan pulled Old Madame Wang into the fray. No matter what, with her presiding over the scene, this marriage proposal could not be settled today!
Old Madame Wang’s expression became much more serious.
She naturally loved her granddaughter, Jiang Shiyuan. But she also knew exactly what kind of child Pei Zisu had been over the years and the status of the Pei family. Setting aside the distance, he was indeed a top-tier candidate.
However, asking her to agree to this marriage on the spot was far too rushed. Her face became much sterner than before. She gave the standing Pei Zisu a steady look and then addressed the others.
“The feast is nearly finished. Zisu should probably go and sober up. Marriage is a major affair and cannot be accepted or rejected with a single sentence. Everyone, go back and think on it. We shall discuss it another day!”
After saying this, she stood up and pulled Jiang Shiyuan away. Although Pei Zisu’s expression didn’t change much, everyone present knew his temperament. Since he had opened his mouth, there was likely no room for negotiation.
Logically speaking, though they were a Marquis’s household and held a higher official rank than the Pei family, the gap between them in terms of actual strength and influence was vast.
Forget the Marquis of Wenyuan’s manor—even if one counted all the noble families in the Western Capital, few could compare. Therefore, no one dared to truly offend Pei Zisu. The four Wang brothers stepped forward and quickly escorted the “drunken” Pei Zisu out of the hall.
The family banquet thus ended on a sour note.
Leaving the flower hall, Old Madame Wang hurriedly took Jiang Shiyuan back to the main courtyard, followed by Aunt Pei and Madame Xiang. As for Jiang Shishu, no one had the energy to attend to her now, so she could only follow closely behind her father, Jiang Huaishan.
Marquis Wenyuan stepped forward to comfort his brother-in-law. He was always good-natured, so he spoke gently.
“Brother-in-law, do not worry. With the Old Madame here, she certainly won’t let Shiyuan suffer. Zisu was a bit abrupt today, but I see him as a man of integrity, and he truly seems to care for Shiyuan. If this marriage actually happens, Shiyuan could slap the faces of those spreaders of rumors. I’d like to see who would dare gossip about her being a sickly girl who can’t get married!”
His words made it so that even if Jiang Huaishan had immense grievances, he couldn’t quite find the energy to argue.
If it hadn’t been for the niece from the second branch taking the previous marriage, none of this would be happening!
Although he resented the fact that the niece he had doted on for years was so lacking in propriety, he had endured it for the sake of family harmony. But now, hearing his brother-in-law’s words, he truly felt a bitterness that was hard to express. In the end, he could only say helplessly:
“Sigh, we shall see. Shiyuan has… indeed suffered. I will take Shishu back first and come to discuss it with Mother-in-law tomorrow.”
“Alright, rest assured, we are all here.”
Jiang Huaishan nodded solemnly.
He knew that if he relied solely on the Jiang family’s power to reject Pei Zisu’s proposal, it would be like hitting a rock with an egg—he would have no chance of winning. It was better for the Marquis of Wenyuan’s manor to handle it. After all, the mistress of the house was Pei Zisu’s own aunt; they wouldn’t let things escalate into a public fallout.
With a sigh, he took Jiang Shishu and left.
There had been three people in the carriage on the way there, and the atmosphere had been lively. But upon leaving, there were only the father and daughter. The silence was so heavy it was as if they had both taken a vow of silence; they didn’t say a word the whole way.
Just as they were nearing home, Jiang Huaishan looked up and instructed the quiet and obedient Jiang Shishu.
“Shishu, you must keep everything that happened today to yourself. It must not be leaked. Otherwise, whether this matter succeeds or fails, it will ultimately damage your eldest sister’s reputation. She only just had her engagement broken; if this gets out, who knows what outsiders will say! Do you understand?”
“Do not worry, Father. I will not speak a word of it, not even to my concubine mother!”
She spoke with such sincerity that Jiang Huaishan’s grim expression finally softened with a bit of comfort.
After the two of them stepped off the carriage, he returned to his courtyard and entered his study. As for what he was busy with, no one else knew.