In a side courtyard of the Marquis of Anshun's Mansion, Concubine Li slammed a celadon teacup onto the round table. Her face was grim as she said:
"I won't agree."
"Ale is gentle, talented, and beautiful. We're in love with each other. Why won't you agree, Concubine?" He Jin's face was equally sullen.
"Why? Her father is just a sixth - rank aide, and now he's fallen out of favor with the emperor. What do you think the reason is?" Concubine Li looked at him in disappointment.
He Jin wrinkled his nose and sat down to one side. He said coldly,
"Then why don't you just marry a princess for me and worship her."
"You unfilial son! How dare you talk back to me? I've been worrying about you for your own good!"
Concubine Li slapped the table and stood up. One of her carefully - manicured fingernails broke.
He Jin curled his lips but said nothing more, though his face still showed reluctance.
Seeing this, Concubine Li was even more annoyed. Gritting her teeth, she said,
"A man should aim high and not just linger among women all day. If you don't make a name for yourself now, when He Xun comes back, you won't even have a say in this mansion!"
"He Xun is just a warrior. What's there to compare with him!"
He Jin was most annoyed that Concubine Li always used He Xun to put pressure on him. Hearing this, he flung his sleeve and walked away.
Concubine Li felt dizzy. Her son was becoming more and more of a headache. He even threw a tantrum with her for the sake of a woman.
...
Su Nansheng tapped the table lightly with her index finger, her eyes lost in thought.
She had waited for several days, but no one had come to propose marriage. It seemed that she needed to set another trap, but she had to change the location to avoid suspicion.
Just as she was thinking this, she saw Bitao running over in a hurry:
"Here they come! Here they come! Someone's come to propose marriage!"
Su Nansheng raised her delicate eyebrows. Finally, someone had taken the bait.
"Let's go and take a look."
Su Nansheng led the way out of the room. Bitao, following behind her, was extremely excited. Her almond - shaped eyes sparkled with curiosity.
She wondered which young master had come to propose. Was it Young Master Wang or Young Master Cao?
The mistress and the maid moved so quickly that they arrived at the flower hall before they realized that Su Hele hadn't come yet.
"A Sheng? Why are you here?"
Deng was very confused. She had sent someone to call Ale.
Uh...
Su Nansheng's expression froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered her composure:
"Mother, there's been no news from the Marquis of Anshun's Mansion. I'm a bit worried."
This excuse was a bit lame, but it was better than saying that she had come for the fun.
A look of worry flashed across Deng's face, but she didn't want to show weakness:
"What's there to worry about? We didn't even fancy this marriage in the first place."
Then she quickly explained to the matchmaker beside her:
"This is my younger daughter. What I just said was about her marriage. The Marquis of Anshun's Mansion came to propose, but we're not very willing."
The matchmaker seemed a bit surprised. Her narrow eyes sized up Su Nansheng.
Su Nansheng ignored her and walked to one side on her own.
"A Sheng, you should go back first..."
Deng was halfway through her sentence when she saw Su Nansheng sitting calmly on a pear - wood chair to one side. She clearly wasn't listening.
Seeing this, Deng glared at Su Nansheng but didn't say anything more.
Su Nansheng seemed not to notice Deng's look. She just smiled and looked at the door.
Then Su Hele walked in gracefully. Wearing a plain dress and light makeup, she exuded an air of arrogance.
"Mother." Su Hele bowed respectfully.
Seeing her, Deng couldn't hide her pride:
"This is my eldest daughter, Su Hele. Ale, Matchmaker Liu has come to propose marriage for you."
Su Hele nodded slightly, her expression calm.
Her eyes swept over everyone and paused for a moment when she saw Su Nansheng. Her delicate eyebrows frowned slightly.
Su Nansheng gave her a smile:
"Sister, this is a good marriage." She had worked hard to make this happen.
Su Hele lifted her chin slightly. She glanced at Su Nansheng again and said,
"Mother, I'm afraid I can't agree to this marriage."
Su Hele's voice was calm, but her words surprised everyone, especially Matchmaker Liu, who was sizing her up.
Matchmaker Liu stood up abruptly:
"Miss Su, you don't have to reject so quickly. How about listening to the other party's situation first?"
Matchmaker Liu's voice was pleading, and her smile was obsequious. She was afraid of missing this chance.
But Su Hele shook her head:
"Normally, I shouldn't speak up like this, but I've never followed these conventions. Even if the other party is from a noble family, I'll still reject this marriage because I've always scorned such things."
Su Hele looked proud, but inside she was secretly delighted.
She hadn't expected Young Master He to act so quickly. He had told her to wait just a few days ago when they met, but today the matchmaker had already come to propose.
She thought he must have known how good she was and was afraid that someone else would take her away.
But she couldn't agree too readily. She had to make others think that she was forced to marry into the marquis's mansion.
Su Nansheng raised her eyebrows. A noble family? Was it that Cao Xingwen?
It seemed that Su Hele had misunderstood, but this misunderstanding was just perfect.
Su Nansheng picked up the teacup and took a slow sip. The steaming tea made the smile on her lips blurred and hard to see.
"What noble family? What are you talking about?"
Deng looked at Su Hele in confusion, her eyebrows knitted tightly.
Matchmaker Liu was equally puzzled. Her eyes darted between Su Hele and her mother.
Su Hele looked at Deng with a sad expression:
"I forgot about our family's difficulties. What should we do now?"
As she said this, her hand clutching the silk handkerchief gently stroked her chest. She took two steps back involuntarily, as if she was running out of strength.
Sumo quickly supported her arm, her voice full of concern: "Miss."
Su Hele waved her hand gently at her and said weakly,
"Forget it. It's all because the world is so unfair. For the sake of our family and father, I'll agree to this marriage. I'll marry."
Then she looked at Su Nansheng again:
"A Sheng, I'm different from you. I'm marrying into the marquis's mansion to spare father any trouble. It's for the greater good."
Su Nansheng looked surprised:
"The marquis's mansion? Do you also want to marry into the marquis's mansion as a concubine, sister?"
"Of course I'll marry Young Master He as his principal wife. I have my own integrity."
Su Hele lifted her chin. Her voice was calm and proud.
"Ale! You're talking..."
"I didn't know that Matchmaker Liu was here to propose marriage from the Marquis of Anshun's Mansion. Sister is really smart."
Su Nansheng interrupted Deng's words. She pretended to suddenly understand and turned to look at Matchmaker Liu.
Matchmaker Liu was overjoyed when she heard Su Hele agree.
Without thinking about anything else, she immediately rushed to the corner and was about to give a pair of wild ducks as a gift to Su Hele to finalize the marriage.
But as soon as she picked up the wild ducks, she heard the words "Marquis of Anshun's Mansion", and her hands immediately went weak.
The wild ducks fell to the ground. The red silk tied around their necks was crooked. They squawked in surprise.
Although their legs were tied, their wings flapped wildly, sending duck feathers flying everywhere.
Amid the mess on the ground, Matchmaker Liu's cold voice suddenly rang out:
"Miss Su, I don't think I've told you yet. I'm here to propose marriage on behalf of Young Master Cao Xingwen."