Only Pei You’an and Old Lady Hu remained in the hall.

The old lady smiled and said, “What virtue does my granddaughter possess to receive the eldest son’s favor? How could I not agree? But there is something I’m not sure whether I should mention or not.”

Pei You’an respectfully said, “Please speak freely, venerable grandmother.”

“I understand the eldest son’s meaning. Things outside will likely be chaotic for a while. I don’t understand these court matters. The eldest son’s affairs must be important, and I won’t ask further. I also understand the eldest son’s current inconvenience. But to be honest with you, although Ah Fu’s previous marriage arrangement fell through, just recently, before you came, our family was preparing to arrange another match for her. Here in our local prefecture, there’s also an official family whose son has taken a liking to my granddaughter. A few days ago, they sent someone to inquire, and I was just about to reply when, by coincidence, the eldest son arrived today…”

The old lady paused.

Pei You’an’s eyes moved slightly, but he did not speak, only waiting for the old lady to continue.

“That family, of course, cannot compare with the status of the Duke’s mansion, but in our area, they are among the most prominent families, with several officials in their clan…”

The old lady sighed.

“I shouldn’t be saying such things to outsiders, but the eldest son already has connections with our Zhen family, and now that you’ve come, you are no longer an outsider. So I’m not afraid of you laughing at me, and I’ll speak directly. The eldest son must know something of our Zhen family’s situation. Business is difficult in every way, the family lacks a pillar, and my grandson still needs to be honed. After careful consideration, I felt this marriage could be made. Firstly, for my granddaughter, it is indeed a good match. Secondly, the other party sincerely wants to marry my granddaughter, and if they truly became related by marriage, it would naturally be a good thing for our Zhen family. Unexpectedly, the eldest son has come, and we are honored by your interest and your proposal. I naturally have no reason to refuse, and we will decline the other side. But can the eldest son also give us some certainty? Ah Fu is not too old, but she is of marriageable age. For a girl, the right age to get married is just one or two years. Once we have a clear understanding, nothing else matters. Even if it takes three to five years, we’ll wait patiently for the old madam of the Pei family to come with the betrothal gifts. Don’t you agree, eldest son?”

Old Lady Hu had been shrewd all her life, and naturally, she had calculated every aspect of her granddaughter’s marriage. The previous match with the Duke’s mansion had fallen through, so now they could only settle for second best. But Pei You’an’s sudden visit today made the old lady sense something different.

His Majesty and the Prince were now going to war, naturally for the throne in the Golden Hall. But why did Pei You’an say he had no time for marriage matters now? His visit showed the seriousness with which he regarded the marriage.

The old lady also knew of the former heir’s glory in his early years, once a close courtier of the Emperor, certainly not an ordinary person. Connecting these two things, she vaguely guessed that he must also be involved in the middle of it all.

This was easily managed.

First, agree privately, without letting the news leak. In the future, if he could rise with the clouds and soar like a dragon, ascending to high positions again, the Zhen family would naturally be pleased to see such a good outcome. If by chance it failed, they would not be implicated.

It was like a business deal: if successful, the returns would be enormous; if not, the Zhen family’s loss would only delay her granddaughter Jia Fu’s marriage years. Compared to the benefits the entire Zhen family could gain, it was insignificant.

How could the old lady turn away such a business opportunity? Moreover, beyond this, the old lady was also very satisfied with Pei You’an as a person.

She could see that Pei You’an must have had these concerns himself, which was why he hadn’t immediately arranged a formal proposal.

A man who was already considering the Zhen family and her granddaughter so thoughtfully was worthy of trust.

Now all that was needed was for him to give another reassurance.

The old lady finished speaking and looked at Pei You’an with a face full of smiles.

Pei You’an, being such an intelligent person, had discerned the old woman’s meaning before she had even finished speaking. He smiled slightly and said, “I thank the venerable grandmother. Please rest assured, if the day comes when I face an uncertain future, I will inform you early on, asking the venerable grandmother to choose another good match for my cousin. If I am fortunate enough to marry my cousin, the Zhen family will be like my own.”

He took out a small black pouch that he had kept close to his body, opened it, and removed a jade pendant from inside. With both hands, he presented it respectfully, saying, “Words alone are not enough. This is a legacy my late father gave me on his deathbed. I have treasured it for many years. Today I leave it as a token of my visit, asking the venerable grandmother to accept it on my behalf.”

The old lady received it in her palm, seeing that the jade pendant was carved with intertwining branches on the outside and hollowed with orchid patterns in the middle. It was smooth and lustrous, clearly a fine piece of jade. She carefully put it away, smiling, “The eldest son is thoughtful. I will safeguard it for you.”

…

Madam Meng embraced her daughter, whispering a few words of comfort, when suddenly she remembered, “The eldest son’s meaning seems to be that he currently has some inconvenience and wants us to keep you for now, waiting for him to come and formally propose in the future. We were just discussing this when your grandmother sent me out. I don’t know what she wanted to say, but in case it’s unfavorable, I should go back and see.”

Jia Fu grabbed her sleeve, shaking her head, “Mother, if grandmother refuses, then she refuses. You don’t need to go back and say anything.”

Madam Meng looked at her daughter suspiciously, “Could it be that you no longer wish to marry him?”

Jia Fu said softly, “I’m not worthy of him.”

Madam Meng was stunned, then understood. Suppressing her sadness, she embraced her daughter’s shoulders again, gently comforting her, “Ah Fu, your elder cousin saved you. He surely understands what you’ve been through, yet still personally came to propose marriage. That means he doesn’t hold it against you. Where would you find another man like this? Don’t overthink it. I’ll go see first.”

She stood up, and at that moment heard her son’s voice from outside the door, “Mother, the eldest son is leaving. Grandmother asked me to call you over.”

Madam Meng was surprised and immediately opened the door, “He just arrived, and hasn’t even finished a cup of tea, how can he be leaving already?”

Zhen Yaoting scratched his head, “I don’t know either.”

Madam Meng hurried out and returned shortly after. She sent away the servants, closed the door, her face showing joy, and said in a low voice, “Good news! Your grandmother has accepted the eldest son’s proposal! She said we’ll just wait for him to come and propose in the future. She also instructed me that this matter must not be disclosed. Apart from you, no one else is to know!”

Madam Meng was extremely satisfied with Pei You’an, though his request to keep her daughter waiting for his formal proposal later was somewhat unusual. She had worried about having to persuade the old lady, but unexpectedly, the matter was settled so smoothly. Surprised but overjoyed, she hurried back to relay this news to Jia Fu, to set her mind at ease, and added, “I repeatedly tried to keep the eldest son, but he said he had other urgent matters and must leave now. I’ll go see him off. Don’t worry, and stop overthinking!”

Madam Meng hurried away again, leaving Jia Fu alone with her thoughts in turmoil. She paced around the room several times, finally making up her mind, and hurried to the front hall, stopping outside the door.

Pei You’an had his back to her. Her grandmother was being helped from her seat by her mother, smiling at him and saying, “Since the eldest son has other urgent matters, I won’t detain you. Safe travels and I look forward to receiving good news from the eldest son soon.”

Pei You’an was bidding farewell to the old lady, who wanted to personally see him out. As Pei You’an declined, Jia Fu stepped in and said, “Grandmother, Mother, I want to speak with my elder cousin alone.”

Everyone in the hall—the old lady, Madam Meng, Zhen Yaoting, Zhang Da, and several servants—was caught off guard by this and looked over at her, all showing surprise.

The surroundings quieted down.

Pei You’an turned his head, glancing at Jia Fu behind him, their eyes meeting.

From the moment he was welcomed through the main gate, there had been a smile on his face, and it was still there now.

But Jia Fu saw that his gaze toward her no longer held the warmth it once had.

He was smiling, but his gaze at her was rather cold, and slightly surprised, as if he hadn’t expected her to suddenly appear like this.

Jia Fu took this in, her heart churning like a stormy sea.

The brief time they had spent at the small round pavilion in Wuding Prefecture, though short, and despite her numerous foolish schemes in front of Pei You’an, now seemed so heartwarming when she thought of it.

His protection and tolerance had made her regress in his presence, regress into a fearless and uninhibited child.

He had also given her an intuition that he would always tolerate her, no matter what she did.

It was because of this intuition, and because of the courage he had given her, that on that night, when she suddenly learned she was to be sent away, with no other options, she had done such a thing.

His visit today again proved her intuition was right.

She had indeed succeeded after all, though some time had passed.

She had finally won and achieved her goal.

But she was so sad.

She hadn’t expected that winning would make her so sad.

Jia Fu didn’t look at the others, nor did she avoid his gaze. Looking directly at him, she said softly, “Elder cousin, I have something to tell you. It’s very important.”

Old Lady Hu frowned slightly.

How could she not guess that during the time her granddaughter went missing and was rescued by Pei You’an, something must have happened between them, which had made Pei You’an unable to forget her, leading to today’s proposal?

Regardless of whether her granddaughter was willing or not, the old lady had accepted and had also told her daughter-in-law, so her granddaughter must know by now.

Her sudden appearance was not only impolite, but from her demeanor, it seemed like there might be a change.

The old lady glanced at her daughter-in-law.

Madam Meng hurriedly stepped forward, lowering her voice, “Ah Fu, what’s wrong? Come with Mother first…”

Jia Fu didn’t move, still looking at Pei You’an.

Pei You’an turned his head and said to the old lady, “If the venerable grandmother trusts me, may I hear what my cousin has to say first?”

The old lady hesitated for a moment, then smiled, “Of course. You can speak here. But Ah Fu has been raised by us to be willful. If she says something wrong, please be understanding.”

Pei You’an smiled, “My cousin is gentle and courteous, virtuous and kind. The venerable grandmother worries unnecessarily. I thank you for accommodating us.”

Old Lady Hu stared at her granddaughter for a moment, then led her daughter-in-law out. The others followed until everyone had left.

With everyone gone, the spacious guest hall was left with only Jia Fu and Pei You’an, immediately becoming quiet.

Jia Fu hadn’t known he would come today and wasn’t prepared to receive guests. She was wearing only a casual outfit: a plain gauze top and a fine pleated long skirt made of silk. She wore no ornaments, except for a row of embroidered crabapple blossoms around the bottom of her skirt. Standing in the doorway, a breeze blew in from a nearby window, stirring her pleated skirt. Her face was pale, her figure delicate, like a lotus swaying with the ripples of water—truly a pitiful sight.

She stepped forward, under his cold gaze, slowly walking toward him, finally stopping beside a screen several steps away from him. After a moment of silence, she said, “Elder cousin, I just heard from my mother about your purpose in coming. I am very grateful, but let’s just forget about it. I will speak to my grandmother again myself. You don’t need to keep this matter in your mind anymore.”

Pei You’an’s brow furrowed slightly, but he didn’t speak, his gaze fixed on her face.

Jia Fu lowered her eyes.

“This was originally my scheme. I was too afraid then, I just wanted to cling to you, regardless of anything else, without considering you. These days, after I returned home, I’ve gradually thought it through. There’s nothing really to be afraid of. I deeply regret it. Anyway, it was all my fault. You didn’t do anything, and to marry me like this would truly be unreasonable…”

The man opposite her remained silent, letting her ramble on without interruption. Jia Fu felt the atmosphere between them becoming increasingly stiff, and her breathing shortened. Looking up again, she saw his brows tightly furrowed, his gaze at her even more somber than before. She stammered, “Elder cousin, I’m not lying to you this time. What I just said is all true… believe me…”

Her voice sank into silence.

“Is this what you wanted to tell me?” she heard him ask after a moment.

Jia Fu gave a sound of affirmation.

Pei You’an nodded, his tone softening slightly, “Let me ask you, if the Crown Prince seeks you out again, what do you intend to do?”

Jia Fu was silent for a moment, then said in a light tone, “Heaven never cuts off all paths for a person. When the time comes, I’ll take it one step at a time. Besides, those were all just my imaginings. Since he didn’t succeed last time, perhaps he has already put me out of his mind and won’t seek me out again…”

She didn’t want to continue this topic, turning her face away, her eyes fixed on something outside the window.

“…In any case, I deeply regret my previous actions. I didn’t care about that matter. I only said those things to cling to you. Now I’ve changed my mind and don’t want to cling to you anymore… You didn’t do anything, so you needn’t worry about it…”

Pei You’an followed her gaze to look outside the window, seeing that she was staring at a clump of banana plants. He frowned and said, “I know what should be done. Let’s leave it at that! I’ve already spoken with your grandmother. If I’m fortunate enough to return in the future, I will fulfill my promise and marry you. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave now.”

After saying this, he walked past Jia Fu and stepped out the door.

Jia Fu turned her head, watching his figure gradually disappear at the end of the garden path. He never looked back. Her nose stung, and with a “plop,” tears fell again.