As soon as the common people saw this woman, regardless of whether she could hear them or not, they began to say:
"Another woman has come out, who even knows what Sheng Mansion’s criteria for choosing a wife are? Such a method of choosing a wife is unheard of. It’s good enough that there are women willing to marry him, and yet he is still picking and choosing."
"Those women have no shame, chasing after the Sheng family’s wealth and even forsaking their own dignity. In a prominent family, this would definitely result in broken legs and expulsion!"
"Look, another one has come out!"
Amidst the heated discussion, another woman walked out from the main gate of the Sheng Residence, her head bowed low, not covering her face with a veil, her complexion filled with indignation, igniting a touch of redness.
"Hey, isn’t that the daughter of the blacksmith from the eastern part of the city? Her looks are quite decent; what is she doing here?"
"Alas, you don’t know, this woman is also pitiable. The aging blacksmith wants to marry her off to a wealthy family as a concubine, to take care of his household!"
"Tsk, what kind of women has Sheng Mansion attracted? Either widows or those with pitiful backgrounds. Thankfully, no brothel women have come here. If even the women from the ’flower world’ started showing up, Sheng Mansion’s reputation would be ruined!"
As they spoke, a woman emerged from the crowd and walked determinedly toward the entrance of the Sheng Mansion.
"Look, another woman has come out—wait, wait, she isn’t coming out, she’s going in?"
"In broad daylight, and in such hot weather, this woman is wrapped up so tightly. Can she not be seen?"
Some people seemed to realize something, their expressions subtly shifting as they whispered, "Could this woman be the former Oiran, He Jinxia, who was burned by fire a couple of months ago?"
As soon as these words were uttered, everyone fell suddenly silent.
After a long while, someone sighed and said, "I was fortunate to have seen Flora Ho’s elegance last year. Her Jinghong Dance was renowned worldwide. No other woman could perform such a mesmerizing dance. It’s just—alas, what a pity!"
"Her beauty is destroyed. I heard this morning that she intended to enter a Daoist temple to become a female Taoist priest. Why is she here then?"
"Perhaps she is reluctant to give up. Seeing Sheng Mansion openly seeking a bride, she wanted to give it a try. It is not so easy to cut ties with the mundane world. She was once so glorious; to end up in such a state is indeed pitiable."
"Hmph!" A woman scoffed in contempt, "Women from the ’flower world,’ what’s there to pity? A bunch of women only thinking about profiting from men, they are not worth mourning even in death!"
"If He Jinxia could be chosen as the plaything of the Eldest Son of Sheng Mansion, I would demonstrate my conviction by dying on the spot! Heaven is blind to have let this seductive woman escape death, survive in this world, and even peacefully marry. Such a world might as well not exist!"
This woman had quite a fiery character, and some people could not help but take a few more glances at her, quietly sharing her background with those around them:
"This woman has caused several scenes in front of the Red Building, all because her husband always loses silver there. Her husband’s family was wealthy for several generations, enjoying the legacy of their ancestors, but just a few years after she married into the family, her husband lost everything."
A man couldn’t help but say, "It’s not the Red Building’s fault that her husband can’t control himself. Gambling inherently has wins and losses; such outcomes are common in all battles."
"Ah, let’s say less. She is a pitiable person as well..."
Lv Zhu, listening to the discussions around her, paced back and forth anxiously. She could not muster the courage to walk in under everyone’s gaze like the young lady did!
Clenching the cloth in her hands tightly, a sudden epiphany flashed through Lv Zhu’s mind, thinking, "If the young lady could become the wife of the Eldest Son of Sheng Mansion, that would be good. Sheng Mansion is a prominent household after all, much better than living a life of hardship in a Daoist temple."
Inside the Sheng Residence, as soon as He Jinxia entered, she was led by a servant towards another hall.
Upon entering the hall, she realized there were dozens of women, each seated at a desk with brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. There were words written on the papers, but He Jinxia did not look closely, just assuming it was to assess the women’s virtues and appearances.
Although merchants were not as noble as aristocratic families, their lifestyle in terms of food, clothing, and living was akin to that of the aristocracy, and they too sought wives based on standards of virtue and decency.
The Sheng Family had already lowered many requirements by adopting this method of seeking a bride, but they probably couldn’t lower other character assessments, for as people outside said, they surely couldn’t consider taking a maid as the wife of the Eldest Son of Sheng Family, could they?
However, this thought of He Jinxia was soon proven wrong.
The servant led her to a robust man sitting in the front, a man with a beard and a burly physique, dressed simply, exuding an aura of ferocity, clearly a skilled veteran from the battlefield.
Upon hearing someone approaching, he didn’t even look up, but directly handed over a piece of paper and said in a strong, resonant voice, "Answer these questions correctly, and you’ll be Young Master Sheng’s wife."
The servant seemed particularly afraid of this man, and hurried off after leading the way.
He Jinxia took the paper, glanced down, and her eyes widened, her heart pounding abruptly!
The paper had only a few words written on it—
Small Bridge Flow ( )
This was the modern TV drama she had acted in!
Sheng Yan, it was indeed Sheng Yan!
Sheng Yan had also come to this place, her guess was right, he was the Eldest Son of the Sheng Family!
He Jinxia’s eyes immediately reddened, and tears slowly fell as she carefully cradled the paper as if it were some rare treasure.
The burly man saw that she hadn’t walked away, furrowed his brows, and glanced up impatiently, only to see the young lady silently crying over the piece of paper.
The burly man fell silent for a moment.
For those like him, used to fighting to the death on the battlefield, the sight of a woman weeping was something they least tolerated.
How much better it would be if everything could be resolved with a good fight.
After a moment of silence, the burly man spoke up, "Young lady, if you cannot write, I can write for you, but only if I know the characters you speak of."
He Jinxia shook her head, her tears still falling, and her voice slightly choking as she said, "No need, I can read and write, I’m just so happy, I’ve finally waited for him..." The source of thɪs content is novel·fire.net
The burly man’s eyebrows furrowed, his gaze probing He Jinxia, wondering if this person really had some relationship with Young Master Sheng.
He had come to the Sheng Family to lend a hand to Young Master Sheng as a way of repaying the favor from two months ago when he had saved his life.
The Sheng Family had managed to cement their standing in the Capital and expand their business to become local merchants, largely thanks to Young Master Sheng’s repeated feats on the battlefield.
Young Master Sheng, named Sheng Changbai, was a remarkable man, always attaining great achievements within the army but had no desire for an official position, uninterested in political affairs, requesting only that his family in the Capital be looked after whenever possible.
And his trip to the Capital this time, it was in search of a wife!
Two months ago, the Eldest Son of the Sheng Family had taken an enemy leader’s head amid tens of thousands of soldiers, accomplishing another great feat before returning to the army and expressing his desire to retire, to find a secluded mountain forest to live out his remaining years, needing a beautiful wife by his side.