Chapter 35: Resolution—Making the Princess Drop the Idea

As soon as Su Zhenyue returned to the West Wing Courtyard, she took out some silver and called Doukou and Nanxing to her side.

“I have something to tell you. I’m engaged. The two of you, take this reward money and distribute it to the servants who clean our courtyard.”

She gave the order in a soft, quiet voice, but Doukou and Nanxing both cried out in unison, “Engaged?”

“Yes, engaged.” Su Zhenyue’s eyes crinkled with a smile. “The Old Madam and the Marquis have arranged it, betrothing me to Cousin Shen. We’ve even signed the marriage certificate.”

“Congratulations, Miss.” Nanxing couldn’t help but choke up. She had always been perceptive, and though Su Zhenyue had never told her certain things, she had vaguely guessed a thing or two.

Nanxing still clearly remembered the situation on the day of the Laba Festival.

Now, her mistress’s wish must have finally been granted.

“Congratulations to you, Miss,” Doukou said, also overjoyed. Although she wasn’t clear on some of the inner details, she knew that her mistress greatly admired Young Master Shen, and the two of them were close.

“Alright. When you go to distribute the reward money, be sure to specifically mention that I have a joyous occasion, that I’m engaged.” Su Zhenyue instructed them earnestly, not forgetting to emphasize, “It would be best if the news could reach Shushixuan Residence.”

Shushixuan Residence was the home of the Heir Apparent, Gu Yuanchen, and his wife after their marriage.

With this said, how could Doukou and Nanxing not understand? They exchanged a look and nodded in unison. “We understand, Miss. Please don’t worry.”

Before long, the news that the Old Madam and the Marquis had arranged the engagement between Miss Su and Young Master Shen had spread.

In less than an hour, several people had come one after another to congratulate Su Zhenyue.

The eldest young miss, Gu Yuanzhen, was particularly startled. Her voice arrived before she did: “Sister Su, Sister Su!”

“Zhenzhen is here?” Su Zhenyue was all smiles and quickly had someone serve tea.

How could Gu Yuanzhen be bothered with tea? She didn’t even have time to sit down, grabbing Su Zhenyue’s hand at once. “I heard people say you’re engaged? To Cousin Shen?”

“Mm. You’ve heard already?”

“How could I not? It’s such a big deal.” Gu Yuanzhen finally sat down and managed a sip of tea. The young girl hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, “This marriage, Sister Su, do you… do you agree to it?”

In Gu Yuanzhen’s eyes, her own elder brother was of high status and handsome, and he and Sister Su were childhood sweethearts. As the ancients said, “Once you’ve seen the ocean, no other water is worth seeing.” With her brother as a precedent, she always felt that Sister Su might not be willing to marry Cousin Shen.

She hadn’t had much contact with Cousin Shen. Although she had heard her father say he was extremely talented and learned, talented scholars in this world were a dime a dozen. No matter how outstanding Cousin Shen was, she feared he couldn’t compare to the Marquis Manor.

Su Zhenyue smiled faintly, a gentle and beautiful expression. “I do agree. Zhenzhen, the Old Madam and the Marquis even specifically asked for my opinion. They only arranged the engagement for us after knowing I consented.”

The eldest Miss Gu was slightly stunned. “But…”

“But what?”

“No, nothing. I thought… I thought it was Grandmother and Father who forced you,” Gu Yuanzhen muttered under her breath.

“How could that be? The Old Madam and the Marquis are the kindest people.” Su Zhenyue thought for a moment, then added, “Zhenzhen, Cousin Shen is a very good person. Have you forgotten? Last October at the estate, I was attacked by assassins, and he was the one who saved me.”

“But you can’t stake your whole life on a debt for saving you.”

The young girl’s voice was very low, but Su Zhenyue still heard it. She chuckled. “Who said it’s only because of the debt of saving my life? I just think Cousin Shen is a very good person.”

Gu Yuanzhen carefully observed her expression, and upon confirming that it wasn’t a forced smile, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief and said with sincerity, “That’s good, then.”

At first, she had thought Sister Su was just trying to comfort her.

If Sister Su was willing, then nothing could be better.

—— —— —— ——

Third Young Master Gu, Gu Yuanwei, heard about this happy event from Shen Ji’s own mouth.

Encountering Shen Ji and the Marquis Manor’s steward at the manor gate, he asked casually, “Cousin Shen, where are you off to?”

A hint of a smile touched the corners of Shen Ji’s eyes and brows. “I just got engaged. I’m going to the authorities to register it.”

“What? Engaged?” Gu Yuanwei was stunned and fired off a series of questions, “You’re engaged? To whom? When did this happen? How come I didn’t know?”

Shen Ji smiled and showed him the marriage certificate. “To Miss Su. It was just settled today.”

Gu Yuanwei glanced at the marriage certificate, rubbed his eyes, and looked again to confirm he wasn’t mistaken. Miss Su was indeed the Miss Su he knew.

His eyes went wide, and he said hesitantly, “A Yue? This… no, how can you and A Yue?”

“An unmarried man and an unwed woman, why can’t we?” Shen Ji raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion.

Gu Yuanwei pulled Shen Ji aside and said in a low voice, “Have you forgotten? I told you, A Yue and my eldest brother were almost… right? As the saying goes, a brother’s wife must not be coveted.”

Shen Ji scoffed, unconcerned. “His surname is Gu, mine is Shen. What kind of brothers are we? Besides, they only knew each other as children. They were neither married nor engaged. What ‘wife’ are you talking about?”

Gu Yuanwei was dumbfounded, momentarily unable to refute him. “Now that you put it that way, it seems you’re right. I was being foolish. If I had known earlier, I…”

Shen Ji had no time to explain in detail. He let out a soft chuckle. “I still have things to do. I’ll find you another day.”

He hurried away.

Gu Yuanwei only had time to call out one instruction: “Then you have to treat A Yue well in the future.”

The other man was already far away.

The news was so shocking that Third Young Master Gu couldn’t recover for a long time, sometimes shaking his head, sometimes sighing. A moment later, he recalled the scene on New Year’s Eve and exclaimed, “No wonder, no wonder, that explains it!”

He mulled it over like this for a long while, his mind teeming with thoughts but with no one to share them with. He simply went to the Zhongmo Study to find his twin brother.

As soon as he entered the painting studio, Third Young Master Gu said with a mysterious look on his face, “Little Jing, I have something to tell you. You’ll never guess.”

“What is it?”

“A Yue is engaged. Guess to whom.”

Gu Yuanjing smiled faintly. “To Cousin Shen.”

“Huh? You… how did you know?!” Third Young Master Gu was even more astonished.

Gu Yuanjing chuckled. “It’s a rare joyous occasion. The news has spread throughout the manor.”

Of course, he had known earlier than anyone else. But there was no need to mention that to his third brother.

What Gu Yuanjing hadn’t expected was that Cousin Shen would be so swift and decisive. On the very first day after the national mourning period ended, he had actually finalized the engagement.

“Alright, then.” Third Young Master Gu felt a bit deflated. Turning his head, he saw his brother’s new painting and asked curiously, “What are you painting? Are those mandarin ducks?”

“Yes, mandarin ducks.” Gu Yuanjing smiled, thinking to himself that since he hadn’t been able to help, he would just give them a painting as a wedding gift when A Yue and Cousin Shen got married.

These past few days, he often thought of what Cousin Shen had said that day: “My marrying her is not a favor.”

Not a favor, then what was it?

It must be love, right?

That was very good. Marrying for love was far better than marrying as a favor.

—— —— —— ——

Su Zhenyue had ordered Doukou and Nanxing to spread the news, but she still felt a little uneasy.

What if Princess Chang Le didn’t hear about it?

What if Princess Chengping didn’t know and still went to the palace to request an imperial decree for marriage?

Although with the marriage certificate, even if the emperor did bestow a marriage, she could legitimately refuse on the spot on the grounds of a prior commitment. But that would be tantamount to publicly disrespecting the imperial family. The risk was too great.

If the emperor was in a good mood, tolerant and open-minded, he might laugh it off.

If the emperor was in a bad mood and insisted on pursuing the matter, then defying an imperial decree was no small thing.

Therefore, it was best to make the Princess drop the idea of requesting a marriage decree, solving the problem at its root.

After thinking it over and over, once the eldest Miss Gu Yuanzhen had left, Su Zhenyue used it as an excuse to go to the main courtyard to find Madam Zhou.

——Today was the Lantern Festival, and Princess Chang Le would be returning to her maternal home. The princess had always respected her elders, so she would definitely bid farewell to her mother-in-law before leaving.

Perhaps she could tell Princess Chang Le about her engagement in person at Madam Zhou’s, and then use the princess’s mouth to inform the Princess.

Speaking of which, it had been several months since Su Zhenyue had last paid her respects to Madam Zhou.

Madam Zhou was the birth mother of the Heir Apparent, Gu Yuanchen, and Gu Yuanzhen. Her relationship with Su Zhenyue couldn’t be called good, but it couldn’t be called bad either.

Previously, because of her son, Madam Zhou had for a time disliked this girl. But now, Su Zhenyue was engaged, and to a person her husband held in high regard. The resentment in Madam Zhou’s heart lessened, and instead, a good deal of affection arose.

——After all, she was a girl she had watched grow up. She still felt some pity for her.

Seeing Su Zhenyue arrive, Madam Zhou first offered her congratulations, then teased with a smile, “Are you all better now? I heard from Zhenzhen that this engagement of yours is a very good one. Even the Marquis praises Heming’s talent endlessly, saying he has the makings of a Number One Scholar. Who knows, maybe he’ll even become one and let our A Yue be the wife of a Number One Scholar.”

Su Zhenyue smiled shyly and said in a low voice, “I must thank the Marquis and the Old Madam for their high regard.”

“Good child, it is true they hold you in high regard, but this is also your good fortune.” Madam Zhou was very pleased with her obedience. After a moment’s thought, she took a gold hairpin inlaid with a jade gourd from her hair, carefully inserted it into Su Zhenyue’s hair, and studied it closely. “I don’t have much to give you. Take this hairpin as a gift.”

Su Zhenyue hurriedly thanked her, refusing repeatedly.

“What are you thanking me for? In my heart, you are like a daughter to me. Not long ago, the Marquis was even discussing with me about choosing a date to formally adopt you as a goddaughter.”

Su Zhenyue was deeply moved and replied obediently, “The Marquis and Madam have treated me well, I know.”

The two chatted for a while longer, their conversation quite harmonious.

As they were talking, a servant came to report that Princess Chang Le had arrived.

Hearing this, Su Zhenyue made a move to get up and take her leave.

Madam Zhou quickly stopped her with a smile. “No need to leave, just sit here. We’re family, why be such a stranger?”

——She intended to tell her daughter-in-law about Su Zhenyue’s engagement to put her mind at ease.

Su Zhenyue verbally agreed and stayed as she was told.

Just as she had guessed, Princess Chang Le had come to bid farewell.

Facing this daughter-in-law of noble birth, Madam Zhou’s attitude was excellent. She gave a few careful words of advice, then added with a smile, “By the way, I have some good news for you. A Yue is engaged. She’ll be getting married within a month or two. It will be difficult to see her again after that.”

Su Zhenyue smiled faintly, thinking to herself that since Madam Zhou had said it for her, it saved her the trouble of speaking up.

“Is that so?” Wen Shan smiled, only then turning her gaze to Su Zhenyue, as if she had just noticed her there. “Congratulations, Miss Su.”

In truth, the first person Wen Shan had seen upon entering was Su Zhenyue.

This was the first time the two had met since their unpleasant first encounter at the estate last October.

The young woman sat there, her clothes simple and elegant, yet they could not hide her nation-toppling beauty. No one could possibly overlook her. Though she wore a gold hairpin in her hair, she exuded an ethereal air.

As for what her mother-in-law had said about Miss Su’s engagement, Wen Shan had already heard about it. She was truly surprised and delighted, yet also found it hard to believe.

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Su Zhenyue blushed at the appropriate moment, her smile shy and bashful.

Princess Chang Le was momentarily stunned, then smiled, feeling a great sense of relief inside.

It seemed it wasn’t a false rumor.

Miss Su was really engaged. And judging by her attitude, she was very satisfied with this marriage.

How wonderful.

Just as Sun Momo had said. Once Miss Su had a husband and they were a loving couple, the Heir Apparent’s feelings for her would slowly fade.

At this thought, Princess Chang Le’s heart gradually settled.

It was getting late, so she dared not stay long. She took her servants and left in a hurry.

About half an hour later, the group arrived at the Princess’s residence.

The moment Princess Chengping saw her daughter, she took her hand and, as usual, asked how she was doing at her husband’s home and whether she had been wronged.

“I’m doing well, Mother. I haven’t been wronged,” Wen Shan always reported the good and hid the bad.

The Princess nodded and asked again, “How does your husband treat you?”

“He’s alright.”

“And that Miss Su?”

At the mention of Su Zhenyue, Wen Shan’s eyes lit up, and her speech unconsciously quickened. “Mother, I was just about to tell you. She’s engaged and will be marrying out soon.”

“Oh?” Princess Chengping was slightly surprised. “Engaged? When did this happen?”

“Just today.”

The Princess frowned. “She got engaged on the very first day after the national mourning period?”

Last October, after that failed assassination attempt, she had wanted to marry Miss Su off to a distant place. Unfortunately, she had run into the national mourning period and had to delay it.

She had originally thought that since Shan Shan was returning home today, she wouldn’t be free. She planned to go to the palace tomorrow morning to request an imperial decree for Miss Su’s marriage. She never expected that she would get engaged today.

“Yes, they say the Old Madam and the Marquis arranged it.” Wen Shan, unaware of her mother’s thoughts, replied with a smile. “It’s to a young master cousin who is currently staying with the Gu family.”

The Princess’s expression softened slightly. “What young master cousin?”

“I heard he came to the capital for the imperial examinations, the son of the paternal aunt from Qingzhou. I’ve only seen him a few times, I’m not very familiar with him.”

The Princess frowned. “Paternal aunt? What paternal aunt does the Gu family have?”

She thought for a moment and vaguely recalled that the Gu family’s Old Madam seemed to have adopted a daughter in her youth who married into Qingzhou.

The Princess instantly understood. “So he’s just a poor scholar.”

Wen Shan recalled her memory of Shen Ji’s appearance. She wanted to say that Young Master Shen was handsome with an outstanding temperament and probably not a poor scholar, but she moved her lips and didn’t say it.

——In the eyes of the imperial family, that Young Master Shen certainly couldn’t be considered wealthy or noble.

The Princess closed her eyes and sighed, “What a pity.”

“Mother, what’s a pity?” Wen Shan was puzzled.

“I was originally thinking of going to the palace tomorrow to find your imperial uncle and have him bestow another marriage upon that Miss Su. I had even chosen the person. I didn’t expect her to already be engaged.” A smile was on the Princess’s face, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Wen Shan was taken aback. Previously, her mother had comforted her, telling her not to worry about Miss Su. She had been worried that her mother would act against Miss Su and had even tried to dissuade her.

So it was just about helping to arrange a marriage.

Wen Shan smiled. “So that’s how it is. It seems my return today was quite timely. Otherwise, if Mother had gone to the palace to request a decree without knowing, wouldn’t that have been troublesome?”

“Yes, isn’t that the truth?” the Princess said with a meaningful smile.

The candidate she had chosen had been carefully selected. Dazzling on the outside, rotten on the inside. It would have solved her daughter’s marital obstacle, allowed her to vent her anger, and left outsiders with nothing to criticize.

It was perfect.

What a pity that the Gu family had beaten her to it.

Wen Shan asked curiously, “Mother, who did you choose for Miss Su?”

The Princess smiled faintly, not hiding it from her daughter. “Princess Ruining’s only son—Yuan Ye.”

“It’s him,” Wen Shan blinked.

The name Yuan Ye was a bit unfamiliar. But Wen Shan knew of Princess Ruining, who was her imperial uncle’s paternal cousin, the daughter of the late Prince Cheng. Her husband served as a Regional Military Commissioner in the Sichuan Regional Military Commission.

Learning that the person her mother had chosen for Miss Su was actually a member of the imperial nobility, Wen Shan was very surprised. “It’s alright, the current one is also very good. After all, this is what Miss Su herself wants.”

Wen Shan hugged her mother’s arm and said coaxingly, “Mother, just don’t worry about it anymore. In the future, Miss Su and her husband will be a loving couple, and the Heir Apparent and I, we will also…”

She didn’t finish the rest of her sentence out of shyness, burying her head in her mother’s embrace.

The Princess gently patted her daughter’s back and nodded. “Alright, I won’t interfere anymore.”

——Asking her imperial brother to bestow a marriage on a woman who already had an engagement would surely cause an uproar from those old men in the Censorate. At that time, there was no guarantee her imperial brother wouldn’t redirect his anger toward her.

Forget it. Since that Miss Su would be marrying far away soon, she would hold her hand for now.

She was really getting off easy.