For a perfectly good Imperial Guard Commander to come knocking at their door seeking marriage—could it really be that he wanted to marry one of the Earl Manor’s young ladies? Grand Master Song looked at Chen Xiang with somewhat hostile eyes, already harboring thoughts of sending him away.
The Earl Manor indeed had girls of marriageable age about to discuss marriage prospects, but they absolutely should not be chips to be shared out for the sake of transactions. If Chen Xiang truly intended to marry an Earl Manor girl to win over the manor, or to use this matter to obtain those secret letters, this door would truly not be easy to enter.
Old Madam Song’s thoughts went even a layer deeper than Grand Master Song’s—after all, besides the Song-surnamed girls in the Earl Manor, there was also the lodger Chen Jinxin. With Chen Xiang’s calculating methods, he naturally knew the Earl Manor couldn’t easily promise out the Song family’s young ladies, so it was highly likely he was aiming for Chen Jinxin. By marrying Chen Jinxin, even if he couldn’t completely obtain the secret letters, he could still inquire about information, learn the whereabouts of the letters, and even probe through Chen Jinxin to discover the Earl Manor’s plans or the manor’s movements. This wishful calculation was certainly rattling away quite loudly. It was hard on him that for the sake of these secret letters, he could even use his marriage as a bargaining chip.
The room fell quiet for a moment in a rather frightening way. Chen Xiang coughed once, almost immediately casting aside his previous unconcerned appearance, his expression becoming solemn instead as he stood and performed deep bows toward both Old Madam Song and Grand Master Song: “Speaking of this matter may indeed seem somewhat presumptuous, but I truly did not come this time for official business, nor for private friendship. Rather, I came hoping Auntie would bestow upon me a wife.”
Grand Master Song’s gaze was heavy, his expression not good. Only seeing that Old Madam Song’s face remained as usual did he barely suppress the anger in his heart, trying his best to calm his tone and laugh once: “Commander Chen, these words of yours leave us confused. If you want a wife, and if you’ve set your eyes on someone, naturally you should go to the Court of Imperial Sacrifices to request a matchmaker, and with proper betrothal gifts come to the door to marry the young lady. Running to us asking us to bestow a wife upon you—what does that mean? Moreover, since ancient times, marriage matters have emphasized parental mandate and matchmaker’s words. We’re neither related by blood nor close acquaintances—how could we presume to interfere in your marriage?”
Song Chuyi sighed inwardly—Grand Master Song was still somewhat too upright. Better to offend a gentleman than a petty person. Grand Master Song had made Chen Xiang lose face, and with Chen Xiang’s vengeful nature, there would likely be no shortage of trouble in the future.
However, at the same time she felt this wasn’t so bad. With Grand Master Song having such integrity, at least the Song family girls’ marriage prospects wouldn’t end up like Second Miss’s—entrusted to the wrong person, ultimately ending in divorce.
Chen Xiang hung his head for a moment without speaking. When he raised it again, his expression was normal, only his gaze becoming even more sincere. He first glanced at Grand Master Song, then turned to look at Old Madam Song, sighing very, very deeply: “Auntie and your son both know my background… Someone like me—what parental mandate or matchmaker’s words can I speak of? Unfortunately, I don’t have uncles like your son does, otherwise I wouldn’t still be alone to this day. You both know what my family situation is like, and on top of that, I work in the Imperial Guard profession—who would dare marry their daughter to me… Getting on in years and continuing to delay like this isn’t a solution either. Even if my deceased parents were watching from the netherworld, they’d probably want to jump up and scold me for being unfilial… That’s why I came up with this idea…”
Old Madam Song suppressed the surging emotions in her heart, glanced at Grand Master Song, and smiled warmly at Chen Xiang: “What foolish talk is this? Young as you are with such accomplishments—how many mothers-in-law in the capital are fighting to have you as a son-in-law? But after all this talk, I still don’t understand what you mean. Your auntie is old and doesn’t like to use her brain much. Don’t beat around the bush with your auntie—just tell me plainly, coming so late seeking help, which family’s young lady have you set your eyes on? If you want me to act as a go-between, that’s not such a big matter…”
Qing Tao gripped Ziyun’s hand, almost digging her nails into Ziyun’s flesh, making Ziyun grit her teeth in pain.
Seeing the two of them nervous to such a degree, Song Chuyi couldn’t help but freeze, then laughed and patted their hands: “What foolish thoughts? How old am I? No matter how eager for success he is, he wouldn’t dare set his sights on me…”
Only then did Qing Tao and Ziyun awkwardly release their hands, both couldn’t help but breathe sighs of relief—Song Chuyi was usually so composed and clever that she didn’t seem like a nine-year-old child, so they had almost forgotten her age and worried that Chen Xiang wanted to snatch away this precious one.
Next door, Chen Xiang’s voice slowly began to sound.
“Then I won’t hide it from Auntie and your son either. I came this time for no other reason than for Miss Chen.”
That it truly was aimed at Chen Jinxin—even though Old Madam Song had already anticipated it, she couldn’t help but be shocked, the surprise clearly showing on her face as she looked at Chen Xiang: “What?!”
Qing Tao and Ziyun also looked at each other, their hearts rising to their throats—Miss Chen was a pitiful person after all. If she fell into Chen Xiang’s hands, when she lost her utility value, who knew what the outcome would be.
Song Chuyi didn’t have much of a reaction. As early as when Chen Xiang mentioned the word “marriage,” she had already guessed what scheme Chen Xiang was plotting. Having anticipated it, her surprise wasn’t obvious.
Chen Xiang’s thinking was quite nice—believing that marrying Chen Jinxin would resolve all problems at once and help Xingfu with a great favor, thus eliminating future troubles.
Only, he probably wouldn’t be able to get his wish.
Chen Xiang made his tone even more sincere and natural: “Auntie, you probably don’t know, but Miss Chen and I are somewhat related… If you trace it back, she’s from my clan uncle’s household. Previously when such a major incident occurred with the Su family, because of my duties I couldn’t extend a helping hand to her. After returning home, whenever I think of it my heart feels uneasy with guilt and regret. Recently as I’ve gotten older, people around me have all been advising me that I should start a family. I don’t know if it’s because I think of it during the day and dream of it at night, but yesterday I actually dreamed my parents appeared in my dream, telling me I might as well pair up with a heartbroken person like my cousin—two lonely people keeping each other company through life. In the future, I could both give my clan uncle an account, and have someone by my side who knows cold from warm. Most importantly, it could spare my cousin from living dependent on others… I know the Earl Manor is kind and generous, but my cousin can’t live here for a lifetime. That’s why I had this vague idea. The more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t sleep, which is why I came to disturb Auntie so late at night.”
The words spoken sounded even better than singing, but before people like Old Madam Song and Grand Master Song who knew the full story, no matter how excellent his performance, it only made people fearful.
Ziyun leaned close to Song Chuyi’s ear, somewhat worried: “He’s speaking so definitively—will it be difficult for Old Madam to refuse?”