Chapter 13
The summer sun rose, and the ground was steaming hot.
Song Jiyun hurried to Madam Qian’s courtyard,
where Madam Qian was under the eaves of the main hall combing her younger daughter, Song Jixue’s, hair.
Hearing the commotion, Song Jixue turned her head and immediately called out,
“Elder Sister!”
Song Jiyun smiled, embraced her, and instructed a maid to bring over a bamboo chair.
She sat next to her mother under the eaves.
Madam Qian finished combing her younger daughter’s hair, then sent her off with the maid to eat breakfast.
Only then did she lower her voice and ask,
“Did something happen?”
It seemed her mother didn’t know anything yet.
Song Jiyun tactfully recounted the events to Madam Qian.
Madam Qian trembled with anger.
“How could she do this? Your father is still lying in the mourning hall! What kind of mother behaves this way? What kind of person humiliates others like this? Does she think her youngest son is her biological child, while your father was just picked up from the fields?”
Saying this, she grasped her daughter’s hand tightly and said with indignation,
“Don’t be afraid! If she dares to force you to marry, I’ll hang myself at the front gate. Let’s see how she plans to clean up that mess!”
Behind the door, a small head belonging to Song Jixue peeked out and quickly disappeared.
Song Jiyun was startled and quickly comforted her mother.
“Mother, it won’t come to that. As long as we refuse, the worst they can do is use some petty tricks.”
Madam Qian’s eyes turned red.
“My child, you don’t understand how dangerous this is. If she insists that this engagement was arranged by your father before his death, even if we file a complaint with the authorities, you’ll still have to marry after the mourning period ends.”
“Think about it. What kind of decent family would want to be involved with them and marry a mourning daughter into their home?”
“If she succeeds, wouldn’t that ruin your whole life?”
Song Jiyun quickly said,
“That won’t happen. I won’t let them have their way.”
Her words didn’t ease Madam Qian’s concerns,
but fortunately, Zheng Mama, who had been sent to gather information, returned soon after.
Even before she steadied herself, Zheng Mama said anxiously,
“Madam, Eldest Miss, I’ve found out everything. The Old Madam has arranged for the engagement to be with the young master of the Zeng family, Zeng Wenxing.”
Madam Qian’s face instantly turned pale. She said harshly,
“I knew it. No one but those shameless people from her family would do something so disgraceful.”
Song Jiyun frowned.
The Zeng family had always been envious of their porcelain business.
When her father was alive, they had often come asking for help.
But the Zeng family was hopelessly incompetent and even blamed her father for not putting in enough effort.
From then on, her father refused to have any dealings with the Zeng family.
The Zeng family, however, thought her father was heartless and had no familial bonds.
They approached Madam Zeng multiple times.
Madam Zeng had repeatedly tried to speak on their behalf, but her father had politely declined each time.
Madam Zeng had even cried and thrown tantrums over it a few times.
Now that the Zeng family was involved, it was clear they had ulterior motives.
Madam Qian was deeply worried. After some thought, she said,
“Should we go and ask for help from the chief steward of Prince Huai’s residence? Your father had a good relationship with him when he was alive. If we offer some silver to smooth things over, he might be willing to help.”
Song Jiyun shook her head.
“This is a family matter. He may not want to intervene.”
Madam Qian furrowed her brow.
“If I had known, I would have arranged an engagement for Yun Duo earlier. It would have been better than letting Zeng Wenxing, that good-for-nothing, get involved!”
Zeng Wenxing was the youngest son of Madam Zeng’s brother.
Song Jiyun had met Zeng Wenxing when she was a child.
Back then, he was an active and lively little boy with fair skin and rosy cheeks.
He always carried a small Pekingese dog with him, and he was quite adorable.
But as he grew older, he became a completely different person.
At just fourteen or fifteen years old, he was already a frequent visitor to brothels.
Before even getting married, he kept a mistress and nearly fathered an illegitimate son, ruining his reputation.
By the age of twenty, he still hadn’t secured an engagement.
Everyone in the family knew this.
Madam Zeng really had gone to great lengths for this marriage!
Zheng Mama suggested,
“Why don’t we quickly arrange an engagement for Eldest Miss before the Old Madam can?”
Everyone knew this was a good idea.
But even when her father was alive, they hadn’t been able to find a suitable match.
How could they find one now in such a short time?
Madam Qian, unwilling to see her eldest daughter suffer, sighed,
“If only they had a cousin or nephew in the family, Zeng Wenxing wouldn’t even have the chance to pull this stunt!”
Madam Qian’s family was originally from Jinhua.
Her father was implicated in a civil examination scandal and was forever barred from taking the exams again.
At a friend’s suggestion, he brought his motherless daughter to Liang County to settle down.
Later, he met Song Youliang, who came seeking his paintings, and through a twist of fate, married his daughter into the Song family.
After Madam Qian’s father passed away, she no longer had any family in Liang County.
This was one of the reasons so many people saw the Song family as an easy target.
Song Jiyun smirked.
Having cousins and nephews wouldn’t necessarily help; they might even become obstacles.
But finding someone to arrange a marriage…
An image suddenly flashed through her mind.
Perhaps it wasn’t a bad idea after all!
She smiled faintly, grabbed Madam Qian’s hand, and said,
“Mother, you promised to trust me. Leave this matter to me. I will handle it.”
Seeing her daughter’s confidence, Madam Qian didn’t want to dampen her enthusiasm and reluctantly agreed to let her take charge.
Still, she thought to herself:
If it comes to it, we’ll fight them to the bitter end!
***
Song Jiyun hurried back to her own courtyard.
The pomegranate tree by the steps drooped under the scorching summer sun, while the cicadas on the nearby pagoda tree chirped loudly and cheerfully.
She entered the house and drank two bowls of chilled sour plum soup before finally feeling refreshed.
First, she went to the living room and spent some time writing at her desk.
Then, she took a piece of paper and went to the silk cabinet.
The man lay leisurely on the small couch, wearing light moon-colored socks made of triple-woven Songjiang cotton.
On the embroidered stool beside him sat a teapot and a few pieces of square pastries.
The travelogue on his lap was already three-quarters finished; he would likely finish it soon.
She said,
“There are some records of strange tales, historical anecdotes, and miscellaneous biographies in my study. I wonder which genre the young master is most interested in?”
Without lifting his head, the man slowly turned a page and said,
“If you have something to say, say it. No need for pretense.”
Leaning against the chest, Song Jiyun handed the paper to him and said,
“You can take a look first.”
The man raised his eyes.
In the silk-draped room filled with greenery, his large apricot-shaped eyes seemed to shimmer with starlight, dazzling and radiant.
Song Jiyun was momentarily stunned.
The man had already taken the paper.
The room fell silent, making the cicadas’ chirping outside even clearer.
The man slowly raised his head, his voice filled with amusement.
“A marriage contract. You want me to pretend to be your fiancé?”
How intriguing!
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