While Tang Shi was sizing him up, Shen Xuan was also observing Lady Ye before him. He had previously heard Mama You mention the Ye family, so he figured this was the maternal family of the shizi's mother, and this Lady Ye must be the shizi's maternal aunt.
According to Mama You, this Lady Ye should be the person most unwilling for him to marry the shizi. Shen Xuan had initially expected her to immediately reprimand him, but she didn't, which showed her composure.
After a moment, Lady Ye finally spoke, "Shen Ger, I'm here today not to beat around the bush with you. I've come to persuade you to give up your engagement with Lin'er..."
"The status of the shizi's wife might seem noble, but it's not so easy to uphold. If you're willing, I can introduce you to a husband of good character and appearance. He comes from a farming family, and currently serves as a chiliarch (commander of a thousand soldiers) under my husband. Though young, he has a promising future."
"Afterward, I'll find an opportunity for you to meet him. I will also adopt you as my godson, and like a true son, provide you with a hundred taels of gold as a dowry, ensuring you have a respectable marriage."
"At that time, you only need to publicly declare that you and he are mutually in love, and the engagement controversy between you and Lin'er in the capital will then subside."
'This plan is truly airtight, meticulously designed for that heir!'
Shen Xuan thought with a start. Lady Ye would adopt him as her godson, provide a hundred taels of gold as a dowry, and he would bear the reputation of being fickle.
This matter would not affect the shizi's reputation at all; instead, it would earn the Ye family and him a reputation for generosity.
If he truly were just a country ger desperate to marry, facing an heir who would certainly not cherish him, versus a young military commander with a promising future who would treat him with respect due to the Ye family's influence, he would undoubtedly choose the latter.
But he was Shen Xuan, and he had no desire to marry anyone at all!
If he didn't marry that military commander, Lady Ye's well-laid plan wouldn't proceed.
So, Shen Xuan shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, I cannot do that."
Lady Ye didn't expect Shen Xuan to refuse outright; her expression instantly changed several times.
Then she stood up and said, "Are you after the wealth of this Marquis's mansion? So you're determined to marry Lin'er, is that it?"
Shen Xuan didn't answer, unwilling to explain anything to Lady Ye. Their paths diverged, though their goal was the same—to annul the marriage—she was doing it for the shizi, not for him.
If the shizi truly didn't want to marry him, he could directly break the engagement. This hesitation was merely out of concern for his and the Ye family's reputation.
And on this point, only by sacrificing Shen Xuan could the shizi's reputation be preserved, she would never help him!
"I thought you were a smart person, but it seems you're nothing special after all," Lady Ye shook her head and walked out of the room.
She had offered Shen Xuan a good path. As long as he wasn't greedy for the Marquis's empty glory, and with her as a patron, his life would surely be peaceful and harmonious.
But since ger Shen was unwilling, then he shouldn't blame her for being ruthless!
After Lady Ye left, Shen Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. He thought to himself that Lady Ye didn't seem like a soft touch either.
Since he wasn't cooperating with her plan, he figured she would try other approaches. He just wondered what those would be...
***
No sooner had Lady Ye left the Xue family than she saw a familiar carriage stopped at the entrance. Xue Fenglin hastily dismounted from it.
The provincial examination was approaching, and he planned to participate in the imperial examinations this year to enter officialdom.
These past few days, he had been staying and eating at the Imperial Academy. Today, it was likely Ye Chen who had sent someone to inform him, causing him to rush home after taking leave from the Imperial Academy.
"Maternal Aunt!" Seeing Lady Ye emerge from the Xue mansion, Xue Fenglin immediately went to meet her.
His gaze lingered on Lady Ye's face, with a hint of hesitation. He naturally knew why Lady Ye had come and feared she might have harmed Shen Xuan.
However, Lady Ye had always been devoted to him, so he couldn't directly accuse her. Lady Ye had watched Xue Fenglin grow up and guessed what he wanted to ask from his expression.
She said somewhat irritably, "You come back to the Ye family with me first, I'll tell you slowly."
Xue Fenglin found it hard to defy his maternal aunt at this moment, so he reluctantly followed her into the carriage.
Once inside, Lady Ye finally spoke to him, "Since that ger Shen saved your life, there's no way I would threaten his life."
"However, this person is not as simple and kind as you made him out to be. Otherwise, if I asked him to annul the engagement with you today, why wouldn't he agree? Isn't it because he's after the wealth and glory of your Xue family's Marquisate?"
Xue Fenglin paused at her words. After some thought, he said, "He's not that kind of person, Maternal Aunt. You've probably misunderstood him."
"If he's truly determined to marry into the Marquisate and become the shizi's wife, would you really marry him?" Lady Ye asked angrily.
Xue Fenglin was silent for a moment before saying, "This marriage was originally arranged by Mother and his Shen family. If he's willing to stay, I'll marry him."
"You're utterly foolish!" Lady Ye's face flushed with anger at his words.
Pointing at Xue Fenglin, she scolded, "I used to think Ye Chen was impulsive, and you were the most intelligent and ambitious, but I never imagined you could be so foolish because of a little kindness!"
"If you want to repay his kindness, there are plenty of ways to treat him well. Why would you jeopardize your own future?"
Xue Fenglin remained silent, allowing Lady Ye to vent her anger. After his mother's death, his maternal uncle and aunt from the Ye family had been the most devoted to him, always considering his well-being.
So, being scolded by her was nothing much. Seeing Xue Fenglin's stubborn demeanor, Lady Ye became angrier the more she scolded.
Then she simply stopped the carriage by the roadside, kicked him out, and told him to reflect on himself.
Xue Fenglin got out of the carriage, somewhat amused, and walked back towards the Xue mansion.
Fortunately, both the Xue and Ye mansions were in the north of the city and not too far apart; it would take about an hour to walk home.
***
Although he had spoken decisively to his maternal aunt, Lady Ye, Xue Fenglin was quite concerned at this moment.
Before returning to the capital, he had confessed his feelings to Shen Xuan and had considered that if Shen Xuan agreed, he would bring him back to the capital, disregard worldly conventions, and just marry him as his husband, living in harmony.
However, Shen Xuan had refused him then, repeatedly stating that he didn't want to marry anyone. Why was he now willing to marry into the Xue family?
Was it because this marriage was arranged by his deceased parents?
Xue Fenglin certainly didn't believe Shen Xuan was staying for the Xue family's wealth and glory, but he was somewhat bothered that Shen Xuan might be staying in the Xue family solely for his parents' dying wish.
He liked Shen Xuan, and he hoped Shen Xuan liked him too. But Shen Xuan always seemed to have no interest in him...
Xue Fenglin walked all the way home. As soon as he entered the gate, he saw Qiong Zhu, Bai Shi's trusted maid, approach him and say, "Eldest Young Master, we have a distinguished guest. Madam invites you to dine with her."
Xue Fenglin had been in conflict with Bai Shi for so long. Bai Shi specifically invited him today, so she had probably prepared to make fun of him.
Ordinarily, Xue Fenglin would have gone directly to meet Bai Shi and engage in a verbal sparring match.
However, today Bai Shi was sure to call Shen Xuan over, and Shen Xuan didn't know that Xue Fenglin was Lin Ye.
Xue Fenglin was afraid that Shen Xuan might reveal their acquaintance, which would put Shen Xuan at a disadvantage with Bai Shi.
After a moment's thought, Xue Fenglin simply said he wouldn't go, then turned and walked back to his own courtyard with his hands behind his back.
"Hehehehe, he really said that?" Bai Shi covered her mouth with a laugh after hearing Qiong Zhu's reply. "I thought he would at least pretend to show up here, but he's not even willing to come?"
"It seems that country ger really is his weakness. it makes him so angry that he can't even keep up the act."
"Madam, do we still need to call that ger Shen over?" Qiong Zhu asked.
"Don't bother with him," Bai Shi waved her hand.
Qiong Zhu then went out and found a third-rank little maid to relay her orders.
"Mother, I heard that ger looks like a man and is a crude country person," Xue Fengli said gloatingly from the side. "The news has spread throughout the capital now. Even my classmates were asking me about it today."
"It's also thanks to your maternal uncle who helped you, that this matter could spread so quickly," Bai Shi said to Xue Fengli.
"You must study hard and strive for good results to be worthy of your mother and your maternal uncle's efforts. Don't spend all your days with those shady friends or go to places of pleasure, lest it affect your future marriage prospects."
Xue Fengli had just gone to Zhenlou with some classmates yesterday and had even tipped the top courtesan a hundred taels of silver.
Bai Shi had scolded him after finding out, and today she was lecturing him again, telling him to be more careful in the future.
"Mother, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. The ones who went with me yesterday were all sons of officials of the third rank or higher in court. Although we went to a pleasure house, it was for networking."
"I will also be entering officialdom in the future. How can I not connect with more useful people?"
"As long as you know," Bai Shi didn't understand these things. Hearing that Xue Fengli was networking, she relaxed.
Marquis Xue also frequented pleasure houses with certain court officials. Lady Ye had quarreled with him about it before.
Bai Shi, however, never interfered with him, and precisely because of this, Marquis Xue had even praised Bai Shi for being considerate and generous.
Now, facing her own son, Bai Shi also felt that his frequenting pleasure houses was not a big deal. As long as it didn't affect his marriage to a noble lady, she was fine with it.
***
Meanwhile, Shen Xuan had been waiting in his room after Mama You informed him that he was to dine with Lady Xue and the shizi that evening.
However, the sun had already set, and the person to call him over had not yet arrived. He called Jingui and asked him to go outside and inquire what was happening.
A short while later, Jingui returned, but he was somewhat hesitant when he saw Shen Xuan.
After questioning him, Shen Xuan learned that the shizi had returned to the mansion but was unwilling to see him and had gone directly back to his own courtyard, so Shen Xuan didn't need to go either.
'So that's how it is?' Shen Xuan wasn't angry upon hearing this. Instead, he found it somewhat amusing.
He had heard that the shizi was quite shrewd and had been worried that he might play some tricks behind his back because he didn't want to marry. He didn't expect him to be so direct.
"Jinzhi, go to the kitchen and see what there is to eat," Shen Xuan ordered.
"Yes," Jinzhi nodded and left.
A moment later, a young servant knocked on the courtyard door and walked in carrying a food box, saying, "This is your courtyard's portion."
Jingui took the food box, looked around, and saw that Jinzhi hadn't returned yet. He placed the food box on the Eight Immortals table and said,
"Shen Ger, the meal has been delivered. It seems we missed Jinzhi."
After saying that, he opened the food box and found three dishes, one soup, and a large bowl of rice inside.
"Wow, the dishes are really good today!" Jingui couldn't help but exclaim.
Shen Xuan looked inside: a plate of mixed mutton, a plate of crispy fried eggplant fritters, a braised mandarin fish, and a lotus root and pork rib soup that smelled wonderfully fragrant as soon as the lid was opened.
"Are these dishes considered good in the mansion?" Shen Xuan asked.
"They're almost the same as what Madam, the Marquis, and the Young Masters eat," Jingui quickly replied.
"Although the masters have a table full of dishes when they eat together, if one eats alone in their courtyard, it's usually dishes similar to these."
Although Shen Xuan was brought into the Marquis's mansion under the title of the future heir's husband, it was clear that even Jingui didn't believe the Xue family considered him a proper master.
After all, earlier, Mama You sent someone to give him clothes and jewelry, but they were just ordinary cloth clothes and silver ornaments, inferior even to what the prominent servants in the mansion wore. He never expected that the dinner brought to him tonight would be so good!
Shen Xuan, hearing this, frowned, feeling very puzzled.
Just then, Jinzhi ran in from outside, looking distressed. As soon as he saw Shen Xuan, he was about to complain, but then he suddenly spotted the dishes on the table and froze.
"This, this, this!" he asked, pointing at the food box in great surprise, "Where did these dishes actually come from?"
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