San Niang still kept her head lowered. From Chen Xiang’s angle, he could only see her profile—only her unusually prominent cheekbones and the tip of her nose were visible.
The aura emanating from him made the atmosphere in the main hall suddenly turn icy cold. Old Master Song glanced at Old Madam Song seated at the head of the room and saw her shake her head at him almost imperceptibly. It seemed that Old Madam Song had already made plans regarding this matter, which was why she showed no anxiety whatsoever and could still sit there calmly and composedly. Since his mother already had a way to handle this, he dismissed the thought of speaking up. Following Chen Xiang’s lead, he too looked toward San Niang, his face showing curiosity as he exclaimed, “Ah! San Niang, listen carefully—this is Commander Chen, the Imperial Guard Commander. He’s a young and promising talent with an unlimited future ahead of him despite his youth!”
“Thank you for Old Madam and Old Master’s kindness,” San Niang immediately curtsied with a bob, speaking rapidly yet with clear articulation. “However, our young lady truly has no intention of marrying. If Old Madam and Old Master find it difficult to keep us here any longer, then we’ll simply have to seek refuge with the Chen family. Although the Chen family has declined, not all the clan members are dead yet. Surely there should be a place for us master and servants to eat.”
This San Niang! Qing Tao couldn’t help but click her tongue and smiled at Ziyun. “The way she’s talking makes it sound as if our household is now forcing their young lady to marry. With her saying it like this, how would our Old Madam and Old Master dare to disregard their wishes?”
That was exactly the point. Song Chuyi tapped her fingertip on the tabletop, very satisfied with San Niang’s attitude—by repeatedly directing her words at the Song family like this, Chen Xiang would find it difficult to use the Song family as leverage or demand that the Song family make decisions on this matter. Otherwise, the Song family would have to bear the blame for oppressing an orphaned young lady and forcibly compelling someone to marry against her will.
As expected, Old Master appeared somewhat embarrassed and coughed several times in succession. Waving his hand with an expression that seemed both awkward and somewhat angry, he said, “What kind of talk is this? Would our Earl Manor really become the sort of faithless people who would drive you master and servant away? The truth is that Commander Chen’s conditions are excellent, and he came with complete sincerity. That’s why we specifically summoned you to ask what your young lady’s thoughts are. Where has your mind wandered to? Could it be that we would force you to marry? What would that make of our Earl Manor?”
Chen Xiang’s expression truly couldn’t hold steady anymore. He was, after all, an Imperial Guard Commander. Even though he had to prostrate himself in obeisance when meeting imperial princes and clan members, how many of those clan members would actually dare accept his courtesy? In this world, aside from the Emperor, the Imperial Guard viewed everyone as someone whose home could be raided and who could be thrown into the imperial prison. Even high court officials feared them like tigers, yet this small serving woman before him regarded him as nothing—it truly made his heart burn with suppressed anger.
However, though fury had already risen in his heart, he still couldn’t make a big scene on the surface—although San Niang was being discourteous, she was after all Miss Chen’s servant. Old Madam Song and Old Master Song hadn’t shown any lack of proper etiquette, and moreover, they were both speaking on his behalf.
This also made him more certain that the Song family should still be unaware that Chen Jinxin had a secret letter on her person—otherwise, only a fool would work so wholeheartedly to help him succeed like this.
After his thoughts had turned over several times, he gave a sinister laugh and looked at San Niang. “I heard that you’re someone Old Madam Su specifically instructed to serve Miss Chen for life, so you must be a loyal servant. Since you’re a loyal servant, how is it that you’re not thinking of your young lady’s welfare? Though I cannot claim to be the very best, I’m certainly not a dissolute tyrant. This time I’ve also come with sincere intentions to propose marriage. How is it that you don’t even go ask your young lady’s thoughts and instead reject me so directly and decisively? Could it be that you truly intend to impose upon the Earl Manor and trouble them for an entire lifetime? Even if you’re thinking that way, finding life at the Earl Manor comfortable and peaceful, does your young lady also think the same? Though the Earl Manor has a thousand advantages and ten thousand virtues, in the end it’s not your own home. Could it be that your young lady is willing to live dependent on others?”
As expected of someone accustomed to being a spy—he really knew how to speak words that would pierce straight into people’s hearts.
San Niang was unmoved by his coercion and enticement. Suddenly she turned her head and stared directly at Chen Xiang. After a long moment, she too gave a strange, mocking laugh and asked him, “Last time, our First Madam came to the Earl Manor and made several scenes. She also saw our young lady. She told our young lady that if she didn’t agree to Young Master’s marriage proposal, she should beware of you throwing our young lady into the imperial prison. Could it be that after she returned, she didn’t tell you that our young lady contracted a strange illness?”
That stupid donkey! Chen Xiang cursed First Madam Su through gritted teeth in his heart, but on the surface he appeared quite surprised. “First Madam Su?! I only saw her during the house raid, and afterward I never heard news of her again. How could she randomly use me to frighten people? Could I really stop children’s night crying? To think I’ve become such a fierce demon in people’s eyes.” After reacting, he immediately pressed further, “What strange illness? Is Miss Chen’s health not very good? If that’s what you’re worried about, I’ll certainly engage good imperial physicians to treat her when the time comes!”
San Niang sighed, and the expression on her face also softened considerably. Looking at Chen Xiang for a long while, she curtsied and spoke in a dejected tone, “When you came to inspect the dowry list when the Su family met disaster, you should have seen the scene at that time. Our young lady nearly lost half her life when she fell into the water. Although the Earl Manor has been carefully nursing our young lady’s health all along, our young lady has become increasingly reluctant to speak. Now she goes entire days without saying a single word. In her condition, how could she marry? And how could she manage household affairs?”
So that was it. Chen Xiang breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, and his face once again displayed a gentle smile. “I thought it was some major matter. Where there’s sincerity, even metal and stone can be moved. In the future, if I treat her well, she’ll naturally gradually recover. Rest assured, I will naturally treat her well when the time comes.”
Tears suddenly welled up in San Niang’s eyes. Gazing at Chen Xiang with teardrops clinging to the corners of her eyes, she asked him in a trembling voice, “Are you truly speaking the truth?!”
It seemed the matter was as good as settled. Chen Xiang relaxed even more and cheerfully replied, “Naturally it’s true.”
“And you don’t mind that our young lady’s reputation has been damaged, that her body is weak and she won’t be able to bear children in the future?!” San Niang pressed on with her questioning, almost walking right up to Chen Xiang. “You know that our young lady previously had a marriage engagement with Young Master of the Su family!”
He knew about the engagement, but he didn’t know they had already consummated their relationship as husband and wife! Chen Xiang’s entire body froze on the spot, unable to react for a moment. Of course, he was only marrying Chen Jinxin for the sake of profit, but marriage was not something to be treated as child’s play. As a dignified Commander getting married, in the future there would certainly be dozens of tables set and invitations sent to all powerful friends and influential people. If word got out that he married a woman of damaged reputation who couldn’t even bear children as his legitimate wife, wouldn’t he become a laughingstock throughout the realm in the future?!