“Mother, I have always felt guilty towards Ninth Sister. She suffered a lot following me in the Prince Yi’s mansion.” Third Sister was a person of strong likes and dislikes, and she knew how to repay kindness. She said frankly, “Now that Ninth Sister has such a good marriage, I am happy in my heart.”
Knowing her daughter's stubborn nature, Zhao no longer objected to her decision since it was hers.
“Ninth Sister is marrying the Marquis of Pingyuan this time, so her dowry can’t be meager. It should be at least as good as Fifth Sister’s. There will probably be imperial gifts from the palace. I think we should prepare eighty-six loads of dowry for her.”
This was the price when Wu Niang got married. Although An Ran is a concubine's daughter, she is marrying a special person this time, so she cannot be taken lightly.
Zhao hesitated at first, but seeing her daughter's firm attitude, she nodded in agreement.
After discussing Anran's matter, Zhao then inquired about the affairs of San Niang's household.
She asked Dongge'er, and she was thinking of finding a good doctor for San Niang so that he could have his pulse checked properly. San Niang had never had a legitimate son, which was a great worry for her.
Third Sister looked tired, and nodded in agreement to each of them.
"Father has already chosen families for Sixth Sister and Seventh Sister?" Third Sister asked, recalling An Ran's words. "Which families are they?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Zhao couldn't help but reveal a mocking smile, saying, "It's one thing that his family seems to be wealthy imperial merchants. But he actually wants to arrange a marriage with the Marquis of Dingbei's family, saying that Sixth Sister is as beautiful as Ninth Sister, and that Fang Ting might like her, and so on."
Before she could finish speaking, Third Sister immediately frowned.
Regardless of whether they are willing to form another marriage alliance with the Marquis of Dingbei's family, the Marquis of Dingbei's family probably wouldn't even look at Sixth Sister. Although Fang Ting is a son born out of wedlock, his future is bright, and his family has high aspirations.
"In my opinion, Father should give up this idea as soon as possible!" Third Sister disagreed, saying, "Firstly, there's no need for our Marquis's daughter to be so eager to marry Fang Ting; secondly, perhaps someone wants to marry a noblewoman to match this outstanding eldest son!"
Even though she knew that the Lady of Dingbei might have her reasons, the thought of the jade pendant she had sent back still made San Niang feel a surge of anger.
Seeing that her daughter was truly angry, Zhao quickly tried to gloss over the situation.
The mother and daughter were discussing the marriage of their two illegitimate daughters when, unbeknownst to them, An Yuanliang had already invited Chen Qian out.
Zuiyue Tower.
This was the first time, and An Yuanliang was waiting for Chen Qian.
In the past, Chen Qian would reserve seats first and then send someone to invite An Yuanliang. Now, An Yuanliang wanted to fool Chen Qian and was a little guilty, so he came first.
The imperial decree bestowing marriage upon Marquis Pingyuan and An Ran had already spread among the aristocratic families in the capital. Chen Qian, who had many acquaintances, also heard the news from Fang Yu. Fang Yu, who was quite drunk at the time, remarked, "I never thought that the Ninth Miss An would be so lucky to be betrothed to Marquis Pingyuan, even though she didn't marry my Second Brother."
Chen Qian felt as if a basin of cold water mixed with ice shards had been poured over his head.
All his schemes were planned step by step, to force An Jiu into a corner, leaving her with no way out but to marry him. At that time, An Jiu would be doubly grateful to him, and would therefore be obedient to him and fall in love with him.
In order to force An Jiu to submit, he spared no expense in spreading rumors to defame her and ruin her reputation.
But all that he had done was no match for the Marquis of Pingyuan's simple act of obtaining an imperial edict, which made An Jiu rightfully his!
In a fit of rage, Chen Qian smashed everything he could on the nearby high table.
He slumped back into his chair, dejected. For the first time, he realized how insignificant all his efforts were in the face of imperial power, how minuscule he was. He had forgotten that the Chen family's rise to become imperial merchants, and then to become renowned wealthy merchants in Jiangnan, was entirely due to imperial power.
If An Yuanliang had agreed earlier and let him get engaged to An Jiu first, none of this would have happened! Chen Qian thought darkly, An Yuanliang had clearly already agreed, he was just a little too slow—
Seeing that his master's expression was not right, Changqing cautiously stepped forward and advised, "Master, you should stop! Some people have already started to investigate the source of the rumors about Miss An Jiu. Although it has now been brought to the attention of Consort Li's two distant relatives, the investigators have not stopped, as if they want to dig deeper into the matter."
Chen Qian's expression shifted slightly.
“Although Miss An Jiu is wonderful, the imperial decree for the marriage has already been issued, and the die is cast. You see…” Changqing said earnestly, “There are countless beauties in Yangzhou. Before Madam returned, she said she would send two caring people to take care of you, and they must both be stunningly beautiful…”
Ding had already set off for Yangzhou a few days ago. She had been away for too long, and it was feared that some people in the household would become restless. She was going to return to the Chen residence to take charge, but Chen Qian said that he had some business to attend to in the capital and would be leaving later, saying that he would definitely be back before the end of the year.
Chen Qian remained expressionless.
No matter how stunningly beautiful she was, she was not An Jiu. It was rare for him to fall for a young girl. He had put so much effort into her, but it all came to nothing.
He absolutely cannot tolerate such a thing happening!
Seeing that his master seemed to be stuck in a rut, he dared not offer any further advice.
"Master, Master Fu is here." In the midst of the tense atmosphere, Changsong came to deliver the message.
Upon hearing this, Chen Qian's expression softened slightly.
Master Fu was a very capable person whom Chen Qian had recently met at the casino. Although his identity was unclear, he had given Chen Qian a lot of guidance in business and interpersonal relationships.
Chen Qian respected him greatly and quickly had someone invite him in.
The two talked privately for a full hour before Chen Qian finally saw the man out. Just then, a servant brought news that the Marquis of Nan'an wanted to invite him to the Drunken Moon Pavilion.
Chen Qian sneered and readily gave a reply, agreeing. He wanted to see what other trouble An Yuanliang could cause.
Knowing that An Yuanliang was feeling guilty, Chen Qian also put on airs and arrived a full half hour late.
When he arrived, An Yuanliang showed no sign of displeasure and addressed him affectionately as "nephew."
An Yuanliang shamelessly brought up the marriage proposal between the two families again.
If it weren't for An Jiuniang, he wouldn't want to marry any of the girls in the Marquis's mansion!
"I haven't congratulated you yet, Your Excellency. Congratulations!" Chen Qian feigned ignorance and smiled calmly. "I only heard that your daughter has been betrothed to the Marquis of Pingyuan by the Emperor..."
An Yuanliang's eyebrows twitched upon hearing this, but seeing that Chen Qian indeed did not mention which girl it was, he immediately felt relieved.
“Yes, our Marquis’s family and the Pingyuan Marquis’s family already had a marriage agreement. The Emperor’s bestowal of marriage is just icing on the cake.” An Yuanliang deliberately spoke vaguely, saying, “I went back and discussed the marriage proposal you mentioned last time with my family, and she has already agreed!”
Chen Qian sneered inwardly.
However, he maintained a respectful expression, and unable to contain his emotions, he asked, "So, Madam has indeed agreed to betroth Ninth Miss to me?"