Once they had walked a bit further, Gu Nian asked Wuxin seemingly casually, "Brother Wuxin, were those Nan’s family members just now?"
In this era, women from wealthy families generally would not easily visit a solitary man, even if Nan Jin Yu was not very old, merely a youth. But the richer the family, the more they are bound by etiquette and rules.
Wuxin shook his head, "That’s my master’s aunt, and the other is the old lady’s nanny."
"Oh."
Gu Nian dared not ask more.
But she did not know that while she was inquiring about others, others were also inquiring about her.
Nanny Wang had been with the old lady of Prince Nan’an Mansion for a long time, and as she got older, her status in the mansion rose as well. Sometimes even Mrs. Zheng, her own daughter, could not speak as influentially as she could.
Seeing Gu Nian leave from Nan Jin Yu’s place, Nanny Wang frowned and asked, "Aunt, who is that young girl?"
"Oh, I’ve heard Shaocheng mention that Jinyu here has been quite close to a young girl; that must be her!" Mrs. Zheng replied with a pleasant expression.
Nanny Wang feigned understanding with a nod but said no more.
When she came before Nan Jin Yu, Nanny Wang paid her respects and began inquiring about the condition of his legs.
Nan Jin Yu was not about to tell her that he had already recovered. For both Nanny Wang and Mrs. Zheng, his demeanor shifted from the favorable one he had with Gu Nian to a darkened face.
After listening to a pile of useless nonsense, Nan Jin Yu finally impatiently interrupted Nanny Wang’s false concern and said, "Nanny Wang, just speak your mind. Did Grandmother send you for something?"
Nanny Wang immediately replied in an anxious tone, "Your Highness, it must have been in the letter sent to you yesterday that you have already read. Ever since you got poisoned, the old lady has been very worried. While you’ve been here recuperating, the old lady has been filled with anxiety, losing sleep, fearing no one could care for you. Thanks to Miss Zheng’s recent visit to the mansion to console the old lady, she has been a bit relieved. Still concerned about you, she thought Miss Zheng is a good girl. Therefore, she wants to make this beautiful match and intends to betroth Miss Zheng to you..."
"Has Father been informed of Grandmother’s presumptive decision?" Nan Jin Yu sneered and asked.
Nanny Wang’s attempted smile gradually turned awkward, "Why say such things, Your Highness? The Grandmother is the Prince’s mother and your own grandmother. Since the late Princess passed and the Emperor has decreed, the current Princess cannot manage your affairs. You are not young anymore; isn’t the old lady anxious about your marriage?"
"Even so, Prince Nan’an Mansion has not fallen to the point of marrying a merchant’s daughter as the heir’s wife." As soon as Nan Jin Yu said this, Mrs. Zheng’s face turned pale instantly.
She was a noblewoman of the mansion back then, only to marry Mr. Zheng because she was captivated by his good looks, at the cost of angering her mother.
Only after marrying did she regret it. The Zheng family may be wealthy, but they are merchants, always incomparable to officials, though it is too late to regret now.
If her daughter could marry back into the mansion, it would be exactly what she desired.
But Nan Jin Yu’s words left her humiliated.
"Jinyu, you..." Mrs. Zheng thought she had always treated Nan Jin Yu well. Even now, despite how the current Princess tried to win her over, she and the Zheng family had always supported Nan Jin Yu. How could he be so hurtful?