Wei Wang narrowed his eyes, sensing that the young lady’s next words would not be pleasant to hear. Her current brilliant smile likely presaged an imminent confrontation.

Sure enough, Han Yan’s tone shifted abruptly: “How strange it is that everyone seems to know about Han Yan’s marriage arrangements – the Madams know, Father knows, the Crown Prince knows, Lord Wei Wang knows, perhaps even all the servants in the mansion know – yet Han Yan herself remains ignorant!” Her smile was like a spring ice melt – seemingly calm on the surface but with turbulent currents underneath. “Even though marriage is traditionally arranged by parents and matchmakers, times have changed. Surely I shouldn’t have to enter a blind marriage, perhaps only discovering on my wedding day whether I’m marrying a blind or lame man!”

“How dare you!” Madam Zhou interrupted, “How can you speak of the Crown Prince as blind or lame? You completely lack propriety!”

“Propriety?” Han Yan coldly regarded her. “Since Madam wishes to speak of propriety, let me address that. Sister Yu-Shan is a concubine’s daughter, yet she’s to be a secondary consort, while I, the legitimate daughter of the Zhuang family, am to be merely a concubine! What kind of propriety is this? I truly don’t understand!” She turned to Wei Ru Feng, her voice dripping with sarcasm: “If this is because Sister Yu-Shan has already been intimate with the Crown Prince, and that’s why he’s making her his secondary consort, then I have nothing to say.” Before Wei Ru Feng could respond, she pressed on, leaving no room for rebuttal: “However, if intimate relations before marriage now guarantee a higher status, then young ladies need not bother with feminine virtues anymore. They need only become intimate with a man to possibly become his primary wife.”

She faced Wei Wang, enunciating each word clearly: “If everyone were to follow such an example, who knows what society would become? I wonder if Her Majesty the Empress would be outraged – after all, she is the legitimate wife of the realm!”

Her words were aggressive and left no room for compromise. While seemingly just a simple warning, upon careful consideration, they were deeply unsettling. Disrupting normal rules was a minor offense, but disrupting the rules of the entire realm was catastrophic. If Han Yan’s words were to reach the Imperial Censor and be presented to the Emperor in a memorial, the Wei Wang’s household would likely face its downfall!

Wei Wang looked at Zhuang Han Yan, his tone extremely dark: “Does Miss Zhuang refuse to marry?”

Han Yan met his gaze, speaking slowly and deliberately: “Why… should I marry at all!”

“Well, well…” Wei Wang repeated twice, turning to Wei Ru Feng: “Ru Feng, what do you think now?”

Wei Ru Feng saw the disdain in Han Yan’s eyes, his heart feeling as if cut by a knife. Suddenly, he felt an urge to destroy the person before him. He wanted to tear her mouth apart to see if it would still utter such piercing words, to blind her eyes to see if they would still shoot such scorching contempt. He wanted to destroy her composure, her intelligence, her seeming innocence that masked such clear-sighted perception!

“Who is it you wish to marry?” he asked darkly, convinced in his heart that Han Yan’s refusal to even look at him was because of that politically powerful man.

Zhuang Shi Yang was extremely anxious. Han Yan’s defiance of Wei Wang made him want to grab her and beat her half to death, but he dared not make any moves at the moment. Then he saw Han Yan raise her lips proudly, lifting her head high.

“Since the Crown Prince wishes to know, I shall not conceal it.” She declared: “I, Zhuang Han Yan, will never in this life become anyone’s concubine!”

The petite figure before them had bright eyes and white teeth, clearly a young maiden’s appearance, yet she possessed an unsettling steadiness. Her purple attire made her appear noble and gorgeous – even a delicate narcissus flower carried an overwhelming fragrance.

“The man I marry must have only me for his entire life. No secondary consorts, no concubines – only me for this lifetime!”

This statement shocked everyone present!

“What are you saying…” Wei Ru Feng could hardly believe his ears. “It’s normal for men to have three wives and four concubines. Your demand is something no man could meet.” All wealthy families had concubines in their households, some might have only one or two, but they still had them. Since ancient times, no woman had ever made such demands of her future husband – to have only her for life. This violated one of the seven grounds for divorce – jealousy. Zhuang Han Yan was an intolerant, jealous woman! Her requirements could only be met by the poorest of men, those who considered having a wife at all to be a blessing from their previous life, let alone taking concubines. Could she be willing to be a mere farmer’s wife?

“If I cannot find such a man in this life, then I would rather never marry!”

Madam Zhou stood up, her voice sharp: “What nonsense are you spouting? How could there be any man in this world who could meet your demands?”

Han Yan turned to face her, coldly responding: “Just because Madam hasn’t met such a man doesn’t mean Han Yan won’t. I’ve already said – if I cannot find such a man, I will remain unmarried for life!”

Having spoken these words, Han Yan felt relieved, as if she had finally expressed everything she had wanted to say. Love was too damaging to the body – if it couldn’t be pure, better not to touch it at all. She had already died once; using this hard-won second life to gamble on an unstable man’s heart would likely not be worth the cost.

Wei Ru Feng glared at her fiercely: “These are your words – you’d better think them through carefully.”

Han Yan smiled brilliantly: “Let Crown Prince and Lord Wei Wang be witnesses today, for from tomorrow, this matter will be known throughout the capital. Han Yan’s words are meant for all to hear. If a man cannot meet this condition, he is not worthy to be Han Yan’s husband!”

“Then prepare to be a spinster.” Wei Ru Feng clenched his fists. In his view, Han Yan’s requirement was impossible to fulfill. Since it couldn’t be fulfilled, Han Yan would never marry. She would rather never marry than be with him. Feeling utterly humiliated, Wei Ru Feng coldly snorted: “I hope you won’t regret this!”

Han Yan remained composed as Wei Wang stood up and addressed Zhuang Shi Yang: “Since Fourth Miss Zhuang is unwilling, let’s forget about this marriage arrangement.”

Zhuang Shi Yang harbored a deep hatred for Han Yan but had to smile subserviently: “Lord Wei Wang, my daughter is young and ignorant. Please don’t take offense. I will certainly punish her…”

Madam Zhou, only concerned about Zhuang Yu Shan, quickly asked upon hearing Wei Wang cancel the marriage: “What about Yu Er’s arrangement?”

Wei Ru Feng glanced at Han Yan, his tone was severe: “The Crown Prince will proceed with that marriage. The secondary consort will enter the household on the eighth day of next month.” Having said this, as if unwilling to stay a moment longer, he stormed out.

After Wei Wang and his son left, Zhuang Shi Yang coldly looked at Han Yan: “Go kneel in the ancestral hall!” In his eyes, her angering Wei Wang today was an unforgivable sin – she had cut off his path to officialdom. This daughter had become increasingly brazen lately, making him both wary and furious. He certainly wouldn’t let her off lightly now.

Han Yan lowered her eyes, respectfully saying: “Yes.”

Elder Madam Zhou smiled: “Yan Er hasn’t done anything wrong today, she just didn’t want this marriage arrangement.” Her words only made Zhuang Shi Yang more furious: “Her marriage is for me alone to decide! Hmph, refusing to be someone’s concubine – she thinks she’s something special. She’ll marry whoever I tell her to marry!”