Duke Xie Mansion has indeed been bustling these past few days.
It is heard that three graceful young ladies of the Duke Xie Mansion are to be wed in these days.
First, the long-missing eldest daughter Xie Ruotong is to marry Song Yanqing, the son of a great scholar, as his wife. Naturally, this arrangement was pre-determined by an earlier marriage contract, and now that it is time for the young man to wed and the young lady to marry, it follows naturally. However, what adds a twist of comedy is that, on the same day, the second daughter Xie Ruilin is also to marry Song Yanqing as a concubine. As soon as this news got out, it shocked the entire Daxuan. Even though Song Yanqing is talented and strikingly handsome, and his father, though a deputy in the cabinet, has seen growing influence and won the emperor’s favor, helping their family flourish. But for both daughters of the Duke’s mansion, whose grandmother is a direct aunt of the current emperor, it might have been seen that marrying the legitimate son of the Song Family was an upward match for them. Yet, this same son of the Song Family marrying two daughters from the Duke’s mansion consecutively is indeed astonishing, making everyone curious about what capabilities Song Yanqing possesses, allowing him to marry both young ladies from the Duke’s mansion at the same time.
Secondly, the third daughter of the Duke Xie Mansion, Xie Ruiyao, is to be wed a month after her older sisters, to the present Prince of Chu. Their marriage arrangement has also been controversial; everyone in Daxuan Kingdom knows that the Prince of Chu, being over twenty and still unwed, had been waiting for the daughter of General Bai, Bai Mowan. Unexpectedly, the engagement was altered to be with the third daughter of Duke Xie Mansion, truly a jaw-dropping development.
The Duke Xie Mansion, because of these two bizarre marriage engagements, has become the talk of the town.
The day before Xie Ruotong and Xie Ruilin’s wedding.
The Duke Xie Mansion was already festooned with lanterns and decorations, truly festive.
Xie Ruotong gazed at her room full of dowry, somewhat lost in thought.
She had believed that her marriage to Song Yanqing would simply be annulled, as she had previously agreed with her mother to transfer the marriage arrangement to Xie Ruilin. However, her grandmother insisted firmly, not allowing anyone to speak half a word against her marriage to Song Yanqing. Thus, even if she had agreed herself, as long as her grandmother did not nod, the marriage agreement was set in stone, unchangeable by anyone.
During that time, it was heard that Xie Ruilin washed her face with tears daily, and her parents, feeling helpless, had to order the maid to watch carefully to prevent any mishaps, and dared not appeal to the grandmother again.
Seeing her parents and sister so heartbroken, Xie Ruotong again took the initiative to ask the grandmother to transfer the marriage arrangement to Xie Ruilin, regardless of her sincere plea, the grandmother flatly refused her. The reason was simple: the marriage agreement was arranged by the parents and the matchmaker; she had no right of choice and the agreement once set could not be changed.
Although the grandmother remained indifferent, slightly scolding her for her repeated pleadings, Xie Ruotong knew that her grandmother indeed had her best interests at heart, wanting her to have a good future, and thus she dared not speak too much, fearing she might hurt her grandmother’s feelings!
In fact, her grandmother had always held a high opinion of Song Yanqing. She believed that Song Yanqing was talented, ambitious, and respectful, and was sure that he would make a mark in the future.
She had actually interacted with Song Yanqing a few times in her childhood, and knew that he was different from other noble scions; he loved reading from a young age and was proactive and ambitious, filled with love and aspirations for the country. In the upcoming imperial examinations, he was already seen as the top scorer candidate.
Song Yanqing was indeed perfect in all aspects.
But he, he did not love her.
One day, she received a letter from Song Yanqing.
In the letter, Song Yanqing used very sincere words to express his feelings for Xie Ruilin, pleading with her to step back from the marriage herself. He promised he would be grateful for her understanding and promised that whatever her needs were in the future, he would fulfill them without fail.
As Xie Ruotong read the letter, her heart was deeply pierced.
Over the years, she had harbored deep feelings for Song Yanqing. Knowing from childhood that she would marry him, she had seen him reading under the sunflower tree, a small boy with an age-inappropriate solemnity and maturity, yet his smile warm like the March sun, deeply imprinted in her heart, the man she couldn’t allow herself to miss during her years at the Ten Extremes Sect because, after all, an assassin should not harbor too many emotions.
Yet now, the person she held dear conveyed bluntly in black and white that his love was for another, hoping she would graciously acquiesce.