He was unwilling to give up!
"Mother, please retract your decision." Fang Ting had already removed the jade pendant and hidden it in his sleeve. He gripped it tightly, as if drawing strength from it. "I am willing to marry An Jiu!"
Lady Dingbei looked at him with a detached expression, a half-smile on her face. "Ting'er, although you weren't born from my womb, I love you almost as much as I love your elder brother. I'm telling you the truth today, I think this marriage should be called off. Marriage is not about making enemies."
"If the two sides stop fighting now, it won't look so bad. If they continue fighting, it will be impossible to control."
Fang Ting panicked and hurriedly said, "Mother, I know you love me! Even if there are rumors, I believe that Miss An Jiu is not that kind of person! I am willing to marry her, and I will treat her well in the future!"
"Ting-ge'er, I only have one question for you." Seeing his expression, Lady Dingbei's heart softened, and her tone became gentler. "If your aunt causes trouble again tomorrow and threatens suicide, can you disregard filial piety and force your own aunt to her death just to marry An Jiu?"
Fang Ting immediately turned pale.
"I will reason with Auntie slowly," Fang Ting said weakly. "Once she sees An Jiu, she will know that those rumors outside are not credible!"
Lady Dingbei shook her head.
"Ting-ge'er, go back and think it over carefully." She didn't pressure Fang Ting to make a decision immediately, but simply told him to go back first. "How important is An Jiu to you?"
Seeing that the Lady of Dingbei Marquis had entered the inner room and ignored him, Fang Ting left dejectedly.
Lady Dingbei sighed deeply.
Her agreement to Aunt Meng's request wasn't out of fear of Meng. As the mistress of the household, she had plenty of ways to make people wish they were dead; she could easily control Meng. The most crucial factor was Fang Ting's attitude.
If Fang Ting can't figure it out, then this marriage doesn't need to happen. Even if she has to offend the Marquis of Nan'an's mansion and Third Sister now, it's a hundred times better than causing even bigger trouble later.
The two old women practically dragged Aunt Meng back home.
Although she knew that the entire Dingbei Marquis's mansion was probably laughing at her, what did it matter? For Ting-ge'er, she would do anything!
As long as Ting-ge'er gets better.
******
Lu Mingxiu had been on official business in Baoding Prefecture these past few days, and when he returned to the capital, he was shocked to find that rumors about An Ran had already spread throughout the city.
He was both angry and furious, regretting that he had been careless and let those two people go.
In Lu Mingxiu's view, it was Consort Li's people who had resurfaced to take revenge on An Ran. After all, on that day at the Marquis of Qingxiang's residence, he had overheard Consort Li's two distant relatives discussing the private affairs of the Prince Yi's residence in a not-so-secluded pavilion, clearly intending to spread rumors about An Ran.
Fortunately, I discovered it in time and stopped it, thus preventing An Ran's reputation from being ruined. At that time, An Ran was living in the Prince Yi's mansion, and if people had told her, she would have been in an even more difficult position.
Later, An Ran returned to the Marquis's residence, and Consort Li and her niece were also sent away. He thought the matter was over, but then he made progress on another matter he had been investigating, so he recalled them.
Unexpectedly, the same rumors became even more offensive, especially given that An Ran was already engaged—
Yes, the moment he heard the rumor, he sent people to investigate the matter secretly, but unexpectedly he learned that An Jiu had already made a marriage agreement with Fang Ting, the second young master of the Dingbei Marquis's mansion, but the two families had not yet announced it to the public.
After receiving this news, Lu Mingxiu sat alone in his study for a long time.
Unexpectedly, Chu Tianze's words came true. Before he could figure out his own feelings, someone else had already beaten him to it.
Qin Feng, who went to report the matter, had already discerned what his lord was thinking. He nervously went to relay the message, and as expected, the lord's expression changed. After listening to him in silence, the lord spent the entire afternoon and evening alone in his study.
Qin Feng also felt regretful. Since things had come to this, he could only say that they were destined to meet but not to be together.
"You and Colin take men to investigate. No one in Consort Li's household who has ever been in contact with her should be spared." Lu Mingxiu felt an indescribable bitterness in his heart; his mouth tasted bitter. "We must find the people spreading these rumors and prevent them from causing further trouble."
Even if there is no longer any possibility between him and An Jiu, he will not allow anyone to maliciously slander her like this.
Qin Feng agreed to leave, but then he paused and called Qin Feng back.
"What is the attitude of the Marquis of Dingbei's residence? Young Master Fang hasn't made any statement these past few days?" Lu Mingxiu frowned and said, "Go and find out more about the Marquis of Dingbei's residence."
If Fang Ting truly believes An Jiu is his wife, then a real man must shoulder the responsibility of protecting his wife. The more rumors circulate, the more firmly he should stand his ground and speak out to protect his fiancée.
At this time, not even the news of the engagement between the Marquis of Dingbei and the Marquis of Nan'an had spread.
This is so strange!
"Understood, sir," Qin Feng replied, also sensing something amiss.
Lu Mingxiu nodded slightly, letting him leave.
If Fang Ting can protect An Jiu, he can only offer his blessings in his heart. Even if Fang Ting has such intentions and does such a thing, and it doesn't work out, he is still willing to secretly lend Fang Ting a helping hand, as long as the little girl can be happy.
If Fang Ting cannot—
Lu Mingxiu secretly made up his mind; this time, he wouldn't let go. (Just Love Network)
Chapter 78
To Qin Feng's surprise, his lord neither became angry nor tried to gloss over the matter, but instead looked thoughtful.
“It’s time to show some appreciation.” Lu Mingxiu surprisingly nodded, acknowledging Chu Tianze’s words for the first time.
Qin Feng and Colin both showed expressions of horror.
They all knew that the Marquis of Nanxiao's words were probably more of a joke than a genuine remark, but they never expected that the Marquis would actually agree!
"I need to think about it carefully." Lu Mingxiu raised an eyebrow.
His second cousin is the most experienced in this matter, so he should consult him properly.
******
Fang Ting sat dejectedly at his desk, clutching the jade pendant tightly in his hand, as if he could grasp that destined marriage with it.