Time waits for no one.

When Duchess Ying returned from paying condolences at the Xie mansion, she immediately arranged for the steward to handle the broken engagement with the Xie family, insisting it be completed before lunch. After that, she went to Songyue Hall to check on her eldest grandson once more. Seeing that he still had the same sickly appearance as when she left, with no improvement, Duchess Ying closed her eyes, turned, and left Songyue Hall, then ordered all four daughters-in-law to be summoned to Zhongyi Hall, where she and her husband resided.

Ever since Lu Zhuo fell gravely ill, everyone in Duke Ying Mansion had been on edge.

With Duchess Ying’s summons, Lu Zhuo’s mother, He Shi, Second Madam, Third Madam, and Fourth Madam all rushed over at the fastest speed. He Shi arrived first because she had been keeping vigil at her son’s bedside. When her mother-in-law said there was something to discuss, she came directly with her.

Once everyone had gathered, Duchess Ying looked at the three daughters-in-law besides He Shi and said, “Grand Preceptor Xie suddenly passed away, the Xie mansion is in hot mourning, and Sixth Lady is not suitable to bring joy to Shoucheng. I’ve already sent someone to break the engagement. I called you here because I want to arrange a new marriage for Shoucheng. Among the Capital City’s young ladies, do you have any suitable candidates?”

Upon hearing this, He Shi’s tears flowed down like rain, her head unable to turn, only lowering to wipe her tears.

How unfortunate was Shoucheng’s fate—fighting desperately in war, falling gravely ill, yet encountering his fiancée’s family holding funeral rites, even the joy-bringing ceremony had to be arranged anew.

Duchess Ying glanced at He Shi.

She had given birth to four sons. Except for He Shi, who was from a small household that her eldest son encountered at the border and insisted on marrying, the other three daughters-in-law were all prestigious young ladies she had personally arranged for her sons. When they went out socializing, these three daughters-in-law could encounter almost all the marriageable young ladies from noble families in the Capital City.

Therefore, for selecting a new eldest grandson’s wife, Duchess Ying was counting entirely on these three daughters-in-law to recommend candidates.

Even if she was urgent about bringing joy, she still wanted to choose a girl of good character for her eldest grandson, not wanting to wrong him.

Second Madam, Third Madam, and Fourth Madam exchanged glances, all showing difficulty on their faces.

If Lu Zhuo were well, they would only need to spread the word, and those noble young ladies would fight tooth and nail to marry Lu Zhuo, but now Lu Zhuo was hanging by a thread, with no one optimistic about his prospects. Even the Xie family had used the excuse of funeral arrangements to refuse to bring joy to Lu Zhuo, whose family’s young lady would dare to marry over? They were all noble young ladies who surely had more suitable husband candidates than a dying Duke Ying heir.

Each of the three daughters-in-law could recite a string of qualified young ladies, but the key issue was: the Lu family wanted to marry, but the woman’s family wouldn’t agree to the marriage. If they rashly became intermediaries, the woman’s family, considering the Lu family’s reputation for loyalty throughout generations, wouldn’t be able to refuse the Lu family’s proposal, but marrying their daughter against their will would surely make them hate the intermediaries for being meddlesome.

Lu Zhuo was their nephew, and they wanted to save him, but this matter involved too much.

Asking someone to bring joy was already improper, let alone asking these young ladies’ families, who had previously intended to form marriage alliances with the Lu family. Mother-in-law had chosen and selected, picking the most talented and beautiful Sixth Lady Xie. Now that Sixth Lady Xie was in mourning, if the Lu family temporarily changed candidates, what would that make those young ladies’ families?

Second Madam represented her sisters-in-law in expressing this difficulty to her mother-in-law: “Mother, most noble families would be unwilling. A forced melon is not sweet. Why don’t we choose a girl from a lesser family background, but who is gentle and dignified?”

Such families, even if their daughter married over and truly became a widow, should be happy to form connections with Duke Ying Mansion.

Duchess Ying clenched her hands.

The kind of families her daughter-in-law mentioned were selling their daughters, trading daughters for powerful and noble relatives.

She was unwilling. Her Shoucheng deserved better.

As she remained silent, only He Shi’s intermittent sobbing could be heard in the hall.

Duke Ying was annoyed by his eldest daughter-in-law’s crying and said with a stern face, “Forget it, what joy-bringing? If joy-bringing worked, there wouldn’t be people dying of illness in this world. Shoucheng sustained his injuries. If he has great fortune, he can pull through without joy-bringing. If he…”

“Shut up!” Duchess Ying exploded, tears streaming down her face as she faced her husband: “When Shoucheng was twelve, you threw him to the border. He spent a full eight years there before returning, stayed by my side for less than a year to fulfill his filial duties, then you took him out again and made him like this. You, as his grandfather, don’t feel sorry for him, but I do! I’m determined to bring him this joy. If you’re impatient listening, then get out and stop bringing bad luck here!”

Duke Ying, who commanded thousands of troops outside with no one disobeying, was scolded by his wife and couldn’t even get angry.

He didn’t dare leave either—if he left, his wife would never forgive him for the rest of her life.

Looking at his second daughter-in-law, Duke Ying sighed, “Then let’s follow his second aunt’s suggestion and choose from minor officials’ daughters.”

Duchess Ying was unwilling to settle!

She understood the heart of Xie Hualou’s mother, Yang Shi, in using mourning to renege on the marriage. She harbored no hatred and wouldn’t seek revenge against Yang Shi or the Xie family, but she had originally considered Xie Hualou the young lady in the Capital City most worthy of her eldest grandson before proposing marriage. Now that the Xie family looked down on her sickly Shoucheng, if she found someone far inferior to Xie Hualou for Shoucheng, how wronged would her eldest grandson feel when he woke up?

For this purpose, Duchess Ying also wanted to choose a daughter from a noble family, whose appearance and character were not inferior to Xie Hualou…

Suddenly, a face as beautiful as a peony appeared in Duchess Ying’s mind.

Fourth Lady Wei Rao from Earl Cheng’an Mansion.

Duchess Ying had seen both Xie Hualou and Wei Rao. When ladies and young misses gossiped, they would rank Xie Hualou’s beauty before Wei Rao’s, but this ranking considered reputation. Wei Rao’s reputation was poor, so the official wives were unwilling to praise her. Even though they hadn’t seen much of the Wei and Xie ladies, they still hypocritically judged based on hearsay.

In Duchess Ying’s opinion, both Xie Hualou and Wei Rao were beautiful. Xie Hualou was like a peony carefully cultivated in a flowerpot from childhood—any unsightly parts would be carefully pruned by the gardener, ultimately beautiful in a dignified and proper way that even noble gentlemen couldn’t fault. Wei Rao was like a peony growing wild and free in the fields—she didn’t care what others liked, following her heart, beautiful in an enchanting and dazzling way.

If Xie Hualou and Wei Rao stood side by side, everyone would notice Wei Rao first.

This didn’t mean Xie Hualou’s beauty was lost to Wei Rao’s, but in this world that emphasized propriety everywhere, “异类者” (the different ones) were more eye-catching.

Regarding character:

Compared to outside gossip, Duchess Ying preferred to trust her own eyes.

At the palace banquet, Wei Rao was criticized for scheming to seduce men because of the begonia silk flower on her head, but when Wei Rao was fully focused on rescuing Qi Miaomiao, the begonia silk flower fell from her head. Duchess Ying saw this and felt that a young lady with such a chivalrous spirit and wisdom to save others didn’t seem like a bad girl. She specifically had a maid pick up that begonia silk flower, and after smelling it, Duchess Ying proved her guess—butterflies being attracted to flowers was just a coincidence.

That day, another thing Wei Rao was criticized for was supposedly wanting to marry Qi Zhongkai, which was why she bet on him.

Duchess Ying only heard about the betting after the palace banquet ended. Since she already knew Wei Rao hadn’t intentionally tried to please the Qi family, her betting on Qi Zhongkai was easily explained. Among the two popular candidates for winning, grandson Lu Zhuo was Sixth Lady Xie’s fiancé, and Wei Rao was constantly compared to Sixth Lady Xie—she would be a fool to bet on her grandson’s victory. As for Han Liao, he had been rejected when proposing to Shou’an Jun’s granddaughter, so Wei Rao naturally wouldn’t get involved with Han Liao. Unable to bet on the top two, third-ranked Qi Zhongkai naturally became Wei Rao’s best choice.

Analyzing it this way, Duchess Ying suddenly discovered that Wei Rao was not only beautiful but also clever and open-minded. She knew how to avoid suspicion and wouldn’t become angry or embarrassed because she was slighted by Marquis Pingxi’s wife despite her good intentions in saving someone.

Moreover, Wei Rao came from an earl’s family; her father died loyally and was respected by people. Except for her reputation being misunderstood and ruined, she was perfectly matched with her eldest grandson in every way.

“Fourth Lady Wei Rao from Earl Cheng’an Mansion—it’s her.” Wiping away the tears provoked by her husband, Duchess Ying’s face showed a trace of a smile.

He Shi looked up through her tearful, blurred vision. She had been crying sadly and hadn’t heard clearly who her mother-in-law was talking about.

Duke Ying usually was either leading troops outside or training in military camps. The young ladies, who were official wives, were familiar with Duke Ying, but rarely heard about him. Even his eldest grandson’s former fiancée, Xie Hualou, he only listened to whatever his wife praised.

But Second Madam, Third Madam, and Fourth Madam had all heard rumors about Wei Rao. At this moment, they all showed expressions of reluctance. Their nephew was sick, and a few young ladies truly wanted to marry him, but it shouldn’t come to marrying that notorious Fourth Lady Wei, should it?

Duchess Ying knew what they were thinking and asked with a cold laugh, “Everyone says Fourth Lady is frivolous and improper—have any of you seen it with your own eyes?”

Second Madam: “I heard she put fragrance on silk flowers…”

Duchess Ying: “Rumors. I smelled that flower—it had no fragrance whatsoever.”

Third Madam: “She tried to please Marquis Pingxi’s wife…”

Duchess Ying: “She kindly saved someone, and Marquis Pingxi’s wife humiliated her like that—did she care?”

Fourth Madam: “She was infatuated with Qi Zhongkai…”

Duchess Ying: “Infatuated my ass—that’s because she couldn’t choose Shoucheng or Han Liao.”

Impatient with explanations, Duchess Ying even used crude language.

Duke Ying looked at his wife in disbelief. “Ass” was his catchphrase, and his wife always criticized him for being vulgar. He hadn’t expected his wife to use it today.

He Shi, who had been listening all this time, finally reacted and spoke for the first time: “Mother, are you talking about Shou’an Jun’s granddaughter, the daughter born to Consort Li and her former husband?”

Duchess Ying stared at her: “So what if I am? Do you think the Zhou family’s remarriage customs are improper? Ridiculous—which dynasty has prohibited widow remarriage? Only those noble families care about face, preferring their daughters to earn chastity memorials at their in-laws’ homes to bring honor to their maternal families rather than wanting their daughters to remarry and find new happiness.”

After speaking, Duchess Ying’s gaze swept over He Shi, Second Madam, and Third Madam in turn: “After the eldest, second, and third sons died for the country, whether you’re thinking of your maternal families, your children, or simply can’t forget those three and don’t want to remarry—whatever the reason, as long as you don’t bring it up, I as mother-in-law won’t pressure you to remarry. But as long as you have that intention, I would never obstruct you. That’s the kind of person I am, so I’ve never felt Shou’an Jun’s family did anything wrong, and I won’t dislike Fourth Lady because of it.”

Now the hall fell completely silent.

Duchess Ying: “Does anyone else object?”

He Shi cried: “As long as she’s willing to marry, as long as she can bring Shoucheng back to consciousness, she’ll be like my own daughter!”

Second Madam worried: “Hearing mother’s explanation, Fourth Lady indeed has nothing bad about her, it’s just… the Empress Dowager…”

She stopped there, but everyone understood her meaning.

If you asked who hated Shou’an Jun the most and couldn’t bear to see Shou’an Jun’s family prosper, it would be the Empress Dowager in the palace.

Duchess Ying responded with a cold laugh: “I’m marrying a grandson’s wife—what does it have to do with the palace nobles?”

Others feared the Empress Dowager, but she wasn’t afraid. To speak disrespectfully, without her sons’ sacrifice, how could the Empress Dowager enjoy comfort in the palace?

Duke Ying supported his wife: “Our Lu family’s marriage doesn’t need to consider those concerns. The question is, you’ve praised Fourth Lady Wei to the skies—would she be willing to marry over?”

Duchess Ying’s expression became stern. She had no confidence about Old Madam Wei and Wei Rao’s attitudes either.

“Let’s wait. Once the Xie family returns the marriage contract, this afternoon you’ll accompany me to Earl Cheng’an Mansion.”

“You need me to go too? The Wei family only has an old lady—wouldn’t it be inappropriate for me to go?”

“Nothing inappropriate about it. I’ll take the carriage, you ride your horse—we’ll go with great fanfare!”

Earl Cheng’an Mansion.

After lunch, taking advantage of the good sunshine, Wei Rao accompanied Old Madam Wei for a walk in their small garden.

“Life is unpredictable. Such a good marriage, just days away from the wedding date, yet it broke off just like that.”

Earl Cheng’an Mansion’s Yongle Lane was only two streets away from the Xie mansion’s Qingping Lane. Hearing the funeral music coming from the Xie mansion, Old Madam Wei naturally spoke about the recent sensation that had shocked the entire Capital City—Duke Ying’s heir falling unconscious. Especially this morning, first came news of Grand Preceptor Xie’s death, immediately followed by the Xie and Lu families breaking their engagement. At this very moment, probably all the people in the Capital City were discussing these two families.

Wei Rao was somewhat curious: “Grandmother, tell me, if Grand Preceptor hadn’t died, would the Xie family have been willing to let Sixth Lady bring joy?”

Old Madam Wei: “Willing or unwilling is hard to say, but they would agree to bring joy.”

Not agreeing would damage the entire Xie family’s reputation.

Wei Rao thought of Sixth Lady Xie, whom she had never met but whose reputation thundered in her ears, and Lu Zhuo, who remained unconscious and could only rely on joy-bringing for help.

Two people originally unrelated to her had somehow become entangled with her for various reasons.

“I hope Heir Lu recovers quickly. At such a young age, he shouldn’t just die like this.” Old Madam Wei said with a heavy heart. She had no friendship with Duchess Ying, but both had lost sons. Duchess Ying had lost three at once—if her eldest grandson also had an accident, how heartbroken would Duchess Ying be?

Good people shouldn’t have such hard fates.

Wei Rao looked at the sandalwood prayer beads turning in her grandmother’s hand. At this moment, she also hoped heaven would open its eyes.

Although Lu Zhuo was proud, he was a good general.

“Old Madam! Old Madam, please come quickly! Duke Ying and Duchess Ying have come to our mansion!”