“Let me…… let me think about it again!” Wang Shi could feel her head aching. A moment later she asked again, “Tell me again? Did Fengju only do so because Sang Wan asked him to?”


  “Definitely!” Shi Yumei said, “I was just at the door when I heard you and Fengju. Fengju did not show any signs of being surprised or shocked when you mentioned it to him so that must be because Sang Wan had already told him! Think about it, did he consider carefully before answering, or did he respond straight away?”


  Wang Shi thought for a moment but she could not figure out whether it was true. In one moment, she thought that her son spoke without much thought, but she thought otherwise in the next moment. But because of Shi Yumei’s words, her mind was led to believe that the former was true, and the more she thought about it, the more she believed so.

  “Since I’ll be the one making the decision for this marriage, then it’s settled!” Wang Shi raised her brows and said firmly.

  “That is very wise of you, Mother!” Shi Yumei clapped and laughed as she said, “From now on, we’ll be in-laws with the city’s magistrate. No one would ever dare to look down on us! If we rejected the marriage, the city magistrate would be displeased with us and blame us for not appreciating his favor. Worst, if the Yang family or Zhuang family knew about it, they would surely send their missies over; it would be such a pity for us if we missed this chance!”


  “Right, right! You are right!” Wang Shi was immediately taken aback and felt fortunate. Instead of waiting for the arranged three days, Wang Shi instructed Nanny Jiang to head over to the Hong household to settle the proposal.

  Nanny Jiang did not find it appropriate. Although Shi Lian was going to get married as a concubine, the Shi family was one of the influential families; for the family from the side of the female to initiate right after was not very appropriate. Moreover, they only had to wait for two more days, wouldn’t it go by in a blink of an eye?

  As such, Nanny Jiang tried to persuade her.

  However, Shi Yumei said, “Nanny, this is a joyous thing, it would be better if this is settled quickly! Only then can our sincerity be shown! Their family works for the imperial court, there is nothing wrong with us to take the initiative! We can’t wait for them to prompt us, can we? What’s more, we aren’t marrying Sister Shi Lian as a wife either, and there aren’t any customs against it, so others would definitely not judge us!”


  “Yumei is right, quickly go now! Speak properly when you meet them, do not make our family lose face!” Wang Shi added.

  Helpless, there was nothing Nanny Jiang could do other than to agree. After leaving, she went to get prepared.

  Old Mistress Hong received Nanny Jiang personally, and immediately sent a servant to fetch the calendar after hearing from Nanny Jiang. 16th February was a good day suitable for marriage, so the date was decided on and Nanny Jiang went back to report to Wang Shi.

  Old Mistress Hong sent a servant to call Magistrate Hong over right after the selection of the date and proudly told him about it, “See, was I wrong? Such a good offer is difficult to find. The Shi family aren’t fools, did you think they would watch this chance slip away? See how anxious they were to send someone to settle it!”


  Magistrate Hong was surprised too, but he was happy with the results, so he laughed and praised his wife. Then he said heatedly, “Keep your eyes tight on that little jerk from tomorrow onwards, don’t ever let him wander about again! The Shi family is the wealthiest family in Qingzhou, we should give them respect. If he ever creates trouble that would make us lose face, I will never let him off!”


  “Yes, Old Lord! But there’s no way our son doesn’t know where to draw the line!” Old Mistress Hong was unhappy and the joy that she was experiencing immediately halved.

  After Nanny Jiang reported to Wang Shi about the date. Wang Shi did not seem to care much about it as Shi Lian was going to be married as a concubine. There was not much to prepare and they had plenty of time, so she nodded and sent Nanny Jiang to the Hong family to seal the deal.

  Afterwards, Wang Shi sent servants to call Sang Wan and Shi Lian over.

  Of course all the preparations had to be arranged by Sang Wan, and Shi Lian had to know as well since she was involved and could be prepared earlier. There would not be enough time for her to make her own wedding dress, so she could only add a little to the finishing touches after the seamstress were done.

  Both Sang Wan and Shi Lian’s expressions changed when they heard the news from Wang Shi. It had not been a long while since Sang Wan sent someone to inform Shi Lian not to worry as Shi Fengju had already convinced Wang Shi. But everything took a change for the worst in just half a day!

  Sang Wan could not believe what she heard. Embarrassed by the sudden change of Wang Shi’s decision, she couldn’t help but glance at Shi Lian.

  Shi Lian looked towards her direction as well, her face pale and her body as cold as ice!

  “This day will come for all girls, there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Alright, Shi Lian, go back and get yourself ready for your wedding. During this period, you don’t have to greet me early in the morning! List down whatever you need and tell your sister-in-law!” As for whether to provide or not, it would be up to her, the mother, to make the decision. As long as what she wanted was not unacceptable, Wang Shi would not refuse.

  “Mother!” Shi Lian suddenly kneeled and kowtowed to Wang Shi. When she raised her head up, her eyes were filled with tears. Her mouth was open and she was about to say something.

  Seeing that things could become worse, Sang Wan hurriedly interrupted before Shi Lian could speak, “Third Sister, quickly go back after thanking Mother for her favor! Stop crying! There’s no need to cry over a happy occasion!” As she spoke, she secretly signalled to Shi Lian with her eyes.

  Whatever Shi Lian wanted to say, that was stopped by Sang Wan, was nothing more than an impulsion. After collecting herself back together, cold sweat formed on her back when she reflected on herself.

  Of course she knew about her stepmother’s temper; even if she was her real daughter, there was no way she could be against a marriage decided by her mother, not to mention she was not. If it wasn’t for Sang Wan who stopped her just now, she could not imagine what would happen when she outright refused!

  “Yes!” Shi Lian kowtowed again, with tears in her eyes before she got up to leave.

  Wang Shi’s previously confused expression relaxed and she frowned, “Look at her! Who knows what she’s trying to do?” She then turned to tell Sang Wan to get started on the preparation. Her requirement was simple, and it was for the Shi family to not to be a disgrace and to make sure that all necessary preparations were settled well.

  Sang Wan forced a smile and accepted before she smiled, “This daughter-in-law will go and draft out a proposal together with Nanny Li and the rest. I will come back and report to Mother about it tomorrow morning!”


  “Go then!” Wang Shi nodded and said.

  Sang Wan then went to Shi Lian’s place while on her way back. Shi Lian was lying on her bed and crying silently while Cai Yun stood beside her with tears in her eyes. Cai Yun was surprised to see Sang Wan, but just when she was about to say something, Sang Wan waved at her and pointed to the outside, hinting at her to leave. Cai Yun left quietly after a quick glance at her own Missy.

  “Third Sister,” Sang Wan patted Shi Lian’s back gently and said, “Stop crying, I’m afraid another storm will come if Mother knows about this!”


  “Sister Sang Wan!” Shi Lian’s trembling shoulders suddenly stiffened. She got up and wiped her tears before saying, “I am not afraid of telling Sister Sang Wan the truth! What else is there for me to lose at this point of time? So what if she knows? What can she do to me?”


  “Don’t you say such angry words!” Sang Wan held her hands and sighed lightly, “This is really strange, your brother did send a servant to inform me that Mother had agreed to refuse this marriage. How could they have the date settled in a blink of an eye? This really is……”


  How would the two of them know that it was Shi Yumei who caused it? Shi Lian shook her head and sobbed, “I have no idea why it became like this as well! In any case, I’ll never marry him! I would rather die than suffer from this marriage!”


  “Don’t you say that!” Startled, Sang Wan held her hands even more tightly than before.

  “Sister Sang Wan,” Shi Lian smiled and said thankfully, “I know that you and Big Brother have tried your best to help me, and I am very grateful to the both of you! Maybe this is my fate, which I would never be able to escape from!”


  Sang Wan couldn’t help but to feel sorry for her, and she only spoke again after a while, “You mustn’t be so pessimistic, the situation hasn’t arrived at that stage yet! My good sister, don’t ever do anything silly, understand? I will discuss it with your brother again when he comes back at night!”


  “There’s no need for it!” Shi Lian smiled bitterly and said, “Mother even had the date settled with the Hong family, who are the local magistrate. Since the deal has been settled, what can Big Brother do? Sister Sang Wan, I’m already very grateful for your effort! I don’t want you and Big Brother to quarrel because of me! You don’t have to tell Big Brother about this!”


  “You are his sister, your brother will never stand to watch you suffer! Third Sister, promise me, it has not gotten to that extent yet. You have to stay strong and you must never do anything silly, do you hear me?”


  Sang Wan recalled the night before her wedding with mixed feelings. She felt the same as well, didn’t she? No one would be able to understand that feeling of fear and uneasiness unless they had been through the same situation. What Shi Lian was suffering right now was much worse than her back then as she was about to marry over as a concubine. Especially when her husband-to-be was such a person, and the fact that they had just been through a terrible confrontation just a few days ago!

  “Mm!” Shi Lian nodded as her heart was warmed by Sang Wan’s gentle eyes and words that were filled with deep concern for her.

  “That’s the way! Rest well and don’t cry again! It’ll be troublesome if anyone were to see you like this!” Sang Wan was inwardly relieved. She persuaded Shi Lian a little more before she got up and left.

  Thinking again about Sang Wan’s words, Shi Lian instructed Cai Yun to bring her some water to wash her face. “Third Sister!” Just as she was done, Shi Yumei stepped in happily after calling out to her.

  Shi Lian’s body stiffened. Fortunately, she had washed her face, otherwise, Shi Yumei would definitely create trouble for her in front of her mother if she saw her crying, and she would never be able to live the rest of her days here peacefully.

  All that Shi Yumei said were words of congratulations. The fact that she crowed so much about the marriage made it seem like Shi Lian was actually the one who benefitted the most from it and she should thank Wang Shi for that.

  Although Shi Lian was extremely disgusted, she did not dare to talk back to Shi Yumei, so she forced a smile and a reply.

  What Shi Yumei wanted to see was a bitter look on her face, but she was disappointed when Shi Lian’s expression remained as bland as ever, almost as if she was not concerned at all. Shi Yumei widened her eyes and stared closely at Shi Lian’s face.

  “Big Sister, is there something on my face?” Shi Lian leaned backwards to subconsciously avoid her and asked faintly.

  “Of course not!” Shi Yumei laughed, “But I do notice that your eyes look slightly swollen, did you cry just now?”


  “Listen to that!” Shi Lian was frightened, and she hurriedly explained, “I’m perfectly fine, so why would I cry?”


  Shi Yumei sneered and said, “Who knows? You might be dissatisfied with your marriage arranged by Mother!”


  Shi Lian was extremely frustrated, but she kept the bland smile and said, “It has always been the parents who make the decisions for their children’s marriage. Now that Father is not around, of course Mother would be the one to settle it for me. Why would I not be grateful to Mother for arranging such a good marriage for me?”


  “It’s good that you know!” Shi Yumei was feeling a little resentful. She left shortly after as the longer she spent there, the more frustrated she would be.