In reality, the next day wasn’t as difficult as Ji Cheng had imagined. During the early morning greetings, the Old Madam didn’t mention Shen Zheng’s inappropriate behavior from the previous night at all. Later, when she encountered Madam Huang, she didn’t bring it up either.
Ji Cheng guessed that when the Old Madam had kept Shen Che behind last night, he must have said something that had an effect.
Regarding Shen Zheng, and herself—who could barely be considered part of the Shen family—Ji Cheng knew that for Shen Che, no matter how much he looked down on you in his heart, as long as you bore the name “Shen,” he would always handle matters properly.
This incident passed by silently because immediately after, there was a more pressing matter that had everyone talking: Shen Qian’s marriage.
By age, Shen Qian was nearly eighteen now, and there were very few girls of this age who weren’t yet engaged. However, after the incident with Chu Zhen, every time the Old Madam brought up the topic of marriage, Shen Qian would either throw tantrums or feign illness, making everyone in the family afraid to mention it again.
The Old Madam often complained that among all the people in the family, big and small, their marriages were one more worrying than the next.
Although Shen Qian was unhappy about it, her age was a fact, and they couldn’t avoid discussing her marriage any longer.
Despite Shen Qian’s slightly advanced age, some families married off their daughters at eighteen. Moreover, given the Shen family’s current status, who wouldn’t want to form a marriage alliance with them?
So when the Old Madam let slip a hint during New Year’s visits, by the second month when spring breezes began to blow, people came in an endless stream to inquire and act as matchmakers.
Ji Cheng and her younger sister-in-law couldn’t be considered close. They had been separated for several years, and after Ji Cheng married into the family, she soon left for the frontier with Shen Che, leaving little opportunity for interaction with Shen Qian. Of course, these were all excuses; the real reason they avoided each other was the incident with Chu Zhen years ago.
Therefore, Ji Cheng didn’t pay much attention to Shen Qian’s marriage arrangements. Even if she had, no one would likely have sought her opinion. But what Ji Cheng never expected was that Shen Qian’s final match would be with the Southern Duke’s family, the Chu family—Chu Zhen.
When Yu Qian’er told her this news, Ji Cheng was stunned for a long while. Even if others didn’t know about this matter, Shen Che should have been aware. How could he allow Shen Qian to be engaged to Chu Zhen?
As it happened, Chu Zhen had been under the command of Shen Yu’s father, the Loyal and Righteous Marquis Shen Xiu, for four years. He had established quite a few military merits and, relying on his abilities, was promoted to Zhaowei School Captain.
However, the Southern Duke’s wife couldn’t bear to let her precious son stay in the military camp for long, fearing something might happen to him. So one day she’d send a letter saying she was ill, the next day another saying she was dying, all in hopes that Chu Zhen would return.
But Chu Zhen stubbornly refused to return, so the Southern Duke’s wife had to tactfully approach Shen Zhuo. This time, Chu Zhen returned to the capital on military business, though it wasn’t anything urgent—just an errand Shen Xiu had fabricated, knowing the Southern Duke’s wife’s longing for her son.
As soon as Chu Zhen returned to the capital, he was caught by the Southern Duke’s wife, who threatened to die if he didn’t agree to marry. Now that Chu Zhen was in his early twenties, thinking of his filial duty and inability to stay by his mother’s side for long, he nodded in agreement after some struggle.
This delighted the Southern Duke’s wife immensely. Years ago, she had intended to form a marriage alliance with the Shen family but thought that after so many years, marrying Shen Qian was surely impossible. Who would have thought that at this moment, the Shen family would let slip that they were looking to arrange a marriage for Shen Qian?
Upon hearing this, the Southern Duke’s wife thought it must be fate. So she sent someone to propose marriage.
The Old Madam and Princess Anle were quite satisfied with Chu Zhen. His character and family background were beyond reproach, and more importantly, Chu Zhen didn’t have the arrogance typical of royal descendants. He had gone to work under Shen Xiu on his own, rising to his current position through his efforts—this alone made the Old Madam view him differently.
Most crucially, of the few matches presented to Shen Qian before, she had never nodded in agreement. But when Chu Zhen was mentioned, Shen Qian’s face turned red with embarrassment, neither shaking nor nodding her head.
The Old Madam naturally understood Shen Qian’s thoughts. She discussed it with Duke Qi, Shen Zhuo, and Princess Anhe, and all three of them quite liked Chu Zhen.
As for Chu Zhen, his past with Ji Cheng was now like passing clouds. His heart was now set on establishing his career and proving that he wasn’t just relying on his ancestral prestige. So who he married didn’t matter much to him; what mattered was that his mother liked the match.
Although marrying Shen Qian would inevitably bring him into contact with the Shen family, he was marrying her, not marrying into the Shen family. They could simply meet less often in the future. Therefore, Chu Zhen didn’t have the heart to refuse his mother, who looked so happy.
Since both families were willing, the marriage was quickly settled, and even the date was chosen—sometime in September.
After hearing the news of Shen Qian’s engagement, Ji Cheng, as her sister-in-law, naturally had to show her support. She asked Yu Qian’er to pick out a set of kingfisher feather hair ornaments she had newly made last year but never worn, and personally delivered them to Shen Qian.
When Ji Cheng arrived at Shen Qian’s room, Shen Yuan was also there, presumably having heard the news of Shen Qian’s engagement.
“I just arrived at the manor and was about to look for you, but you’ve already come,” Shen Yuan smiled.
Ji Cheng said, “Sister Yuan, are you staying here today? We haven’t had a proper get-together in a long time.”
Shen Yuan now had too many concerns and two children at home, so she couldn’t afford to stay. “If you miss me, why don’t you come visit my home?”
Ji Cheng quickly replied, “Of course, I’ll certainly come to bother you.”
“That’s perfect. Xiuwen has sorted out his books from last year, along with some practice essays. The other day I met your eldest sister-in-law from your maiden family, who said she wanted to borrow them for your eldest brother. When you have time, either come pick them up or I can send them to you,” Shen Yuan said. “I left in such a hurry today that I forgot to bring them.”
Ji Cheng naturally expressed her thanks again. Her eldest brother, Ji Yuan, hadn’t passed the autumn provincial examination last year, but fortunately, he had a chance this year. It was Emperor Jianping’s 50th birthday, a cause for celebration throughout the empire. Additionally, Shen Yu’s Northern Expedition Army had just won a great victory, rendering the Turks incapable of invading the border for several years. As a result, the court issued an edict for a special examination, set for August.
With Shen Yuan present, the conversation between Ji Cheng and Shen Qian was less awkward. She handed the prepared hair ornaments to Shen Qian and offered a few words of congratulations.
Shen Qian looked at Ji Cheng, seeming to want to say something but holding back, before finally smiling and accepting the hair ornaments.
Shen Yuan was aware of Chu Zhen’s past fondness for Ji Cheng. Young women were naturally sensitive to such matters, and Chu Zhen’s gaze towards Ji Cheng back then had been inappropriate. However, so many years had passed, and Ji Cheng was now married to Shen Che, so there was no need to bring up old matters. Being a tactful person, she quickly changed the subject.
Ji Cheng hadn’t sat in Shen Qian’s room for long when a servant came to summon her. In such a large ducal manor, there were countless trivial matters. Even though Ji Cheng had delegated as much as possible, there were still issues that required her decision.
After Ji Cheng left, Shen Yuan looked at Shen Qian and said, “I see that you and Sister Cheng seem quite distant now. Why is that?”
Shen Qian lowered her head and remained silent.
Shen Yuan sighed, “She is, after all, your direct sister-in-law. If you two aren’t close, I’m afraid Second Brother won’t be happy about it.”
Shen Qian said, “I’m afraid Second Brother doesn’t care much about her either.”
Shen Yuan looked at Shen Qian in confusion. She only knew that marrying Ji Cheng had been Shen Che’s own decision, so there was no reason for him not to care about her.
“Second Brother never mentions her, and even when I occasionally ask about her, he dismisses it with a single word. It’s even worse now,” Shen Qian lowered her voice and continued, “Second Brother leaves early and returns late every day, sometimes not coming back until the next morning. I don’t know if he has someone else outside. I’ve heard he had other women when he was at the frontier too.”
Shen Qian sighed, “Sometimes I think Sister Cheng is quite pitiful, but…”
“But what?” Shen Yuan asked.
Shen Qian thought for a moment before saying, “I know she’s a good person, but I just can’t feel close to her. It always feels like even though she smiles warmly, her heart is far away from you.”
Shen Yuan sighed, “She has it hard too.” Shen Yuan had often heard Li Rui criticize Ji Cheng in private. Although Cui Long rarely joined in, Shen Yuan could see that Cui Long didn’t necessarily think highly of Ji Cheng either, but due to her upbringing, she didn’t show it on her face as Li Rui did.
Shen Qian’s finger lightly traced patterns on the table. “Sister Yuan, I’m still a bit worried. What if Cousin Zhen…” Shen Yuan glanced in the direction Ji Cheng had left.
Shen Yuan quickly comforted Shen Qian, “It won’t happen, you’re overthinking. I heard from the Old Ancestor that Chu Zhenchang agreed to this marriage himself. He must have already come to terms with everything in his heart, otherwise, he could have easily refused to marry you and choose another girl. It’s precisely because he no longer has that shadow in his heart that he can be so open about it.”
Reassured by Shen Yuan’s words, Shen Qian’s spirits immediately lifted, and her smile became much brighter. Over these many years, although she had always resented Chu Zhen, she had never forgotten him for a moment. Even knowing that back then, he had been fond of Ji Cheng and not her, when it came time to arrange her marriage, she still wanted to marry him and only him.
As for Ji Cheng, on her way back, she heard Yu Qian’er sigh twice in succession.
Ji Cheng turned her head to look at Yu Qian’er, “What’s wrong with you today?”
Yu Qian’er avoided Ji Cheng’s gaze and said, “I didn’t expect Fourth Miss’s marriage to be settled so quickly. I thought her marriage would be delayed for a while longer.”
Ji Cheng smiled and said, “Ah Qian is not young anymore. The Old Ancestor has lost many nights of sleep over her marriage.” As she finished speaking, Ji Cheng suddenly realized Yu Qian’er’s true meaning.
Yu Qian’er was not young either, not much younger than Shen Qian, and neither was Liu Ye’er. Ji Cheng had been so overwhelmed with her own life lately that many long-overdue matters remained unresolved. No wonder Yu Qian’er couldn’t help but remind her today.
But this was another difficult matter.
In the past, Yu Qian’er and Black Giant’s affair would have been easy to handle. Ji Cheng would have provided a generous dowry, and Yu Qian’er’s future life wouldn’t have been too bad. As for Liu Ye’er, Ji Cheng’s intention to present her to Shen Che had long since faded, and Liu Ye’er herself was unwilling, but she still had to marry eventually.
Ji Cheng felt a headache coming on, not knowing how to explain to Yu Qian’er that if she married Black Giant, her future might be affected by her mistress’s misfortune. Once Ji Cheng left the Shen family, she could almost imagine that Black Giant and Yu Qian’er would likely grow distant.
Don’t blame Ji Cheng for judging a gentleman’s heart with a petty person’s mindset, saying she doesn’t understand that Black Giant’s feelings for Yu Qian’er are genuine. Ji Cheng admitted that currently, Black Giant might genuinely care for Yu Qian’er, but this genuineness was based on his belief that Yu Qian’er posed no threat to him.
Once Ji Cheng and Shen Che’s relationship fell apart, she believed a thorn would inevitably be planted in Black Giant’s heart. In this world, how deep could feelings be to resist all reality?
Ji Cheng thought for a long time before finally finding an opportunity to speak with Yu Qian’er during her night shift. “Yu Qian’er, you’re not young anymore.”
Yu Qian’er immediately knew what Ji Cheng wanted to say and couldn’t help but sit up straighter.
Ji Cheng noticed Yu Qian’er’s nervousness and felt somewhat sad. Her willfulness had implicated those around her, truly a grave sin. “I’ve seriously considered your relationship with Yuan Yong, but as you probably know now, I and…”
Ji Cheng paused, then, ignoring the pain in her heart, continued in one breath, “The best outcome for me and my husband in the future is probably just like now, pretending not to see each other when we meet. After you marry Yuan Yong, if you face any grievances, I may not be able to help you.”
Yu Qian’er shook her head, wanting to speak, but was interrupted by Ji Cheng’s wave.
“Let me finish. I’m worried that if I were to separate from my husband in the future, you might face mistreatment from Yuan Yong,” Ji Cheng said.
Tears immediately flowed from Yu Qian’er’s eyes, “Miss, what are you saying? What exactly happened when you went to the frontier this time? Both Sister Liu Ye and I could see that you were distressed, but we didn’t dare to ask.” If it were ordinary distress, Yu Qian’er would have asked long ago, but having served Ji Cheng since childhood, she knew that when Ji Cheng was extremely upset, she didn’t want others to pry. She preferred to hide quietly in her corner, bearing it alone and refusing all help.
Ji Cheng didn’t want to say more. She turned her head to look out the window and said, “I’ve told you the pros and cons. If you still want to marry Yuan Yong, I won’t object.”
Yu Qian’er remained silent. She did like Yuan Yong, but with Ji Cheng in her current state, how could she bear to leave her? She also resented herself for being bewitched earlier in the day, wondering how she could have started daydreaming just because she saw Fourth Miss getting married.
“Miss, I don’t want to get married yet,” Yu Qian’er said.
Ji Cheng turned back to look at Yu Qian’er, knowing she was worried about her. But this might not be a bad thing; Ji Cheng wasn’t comfortable letting Yu Qian’er marry Yuan Yong at this time.