No matter how she thought about it, this matter was truly absurd. The person who had long been betrothed to her, the person she had always trusted, had fornicated with her legitimate younger sister a second time, yet still said he would marry her and not take responsibility for her legitimate sister. With Mother pressuring from above, she was to make the decision?
If she continued with the marriage, wouldn’t that mean disregarding her sister’s feelings and coveting the Chancellor family’s wealth? If she said she wouldn’t marry, wouldn’t it mean that she, a mere concubine-born daughter of a Vice Minister’s household, was breaking off the Chancellor household’s marriage?
Did they all take her for a fool?
Shen Guiyan lowered her head, face pale, only having Baoshan go notify Father to come quickly and uphold justice.
Shen Guiya beside her was pinching her thigh hard, tears already brimming in her eyes. Shen Guiyan watched her actions, somewhat stunned—she’d never seen anyone do such a thing.
The moment Lord Shen stepped into the main hall, Shen Guiya fell to her knees with a thump, clutched Lord Shen’s leg and cried, “Father, just beat me to death! I have no face to see anyone. For the sake of Sister’s marriage, just beat me to death directly!”
Shen Shiqing was startled and instinctively helped her up. “What’s all this about?”
Gu Chaodong, who should have left the household long ago, was still kneeling beside them. Lord Shen frowned and sat down in the seat of honor.
Shen Guiya cried until her eyes swam with tears, sobbing intermittently. “Your daughter truly likes Young Master Gu. Being intimate with him was truly because your daughter couldn’t help herself. I am lowly, I am shameless…”
As she spoke, she reached out and vigorously slapped herself several times.
Shen Guiyan’s eyes widened. She felt Shen Guiya must either be mad or possessed!
Everyone in the hall was somewhat dazed. Gu Chaodong directly grabbed her hand that was slapping herself and frowned. “Fifth Miss!”
Shen Guiya accordingly grasped his hand, crying plaintively. The two knelt together, looking exactly like a pair of mandarin ducks about to be torn apart.
Gu Chaodong’s feelings were somewhat complicated. He looked at Shen Guiya for a long while, then glanced at Shen Guiyan. Shen Guiyan felt he seemed to waver somewhat—his eyes were clearly full of struggle. But the next moment, Gu Chaodong bowed to Shen Shiqing again. “Today’s matter is this nephew’s fault, not Fifth Miss’s doing. After Guiyan crosses the threshold, this nephew will certainly give Fifth Miss an explanation.”
Shen Guiya sobbed quietly. “Young Master Gu need not be troubled. If it’s not Ya’er’s marriage fate, Ya’er won’t force it.”
One unforgetting his responsibility, one understanding and reasonable—the two together truly made everyone else seem like the villains. Lord Shen sighed and naturally didn’t feel right placing more blame. Since he was willing to give an explanation, then so be it.
After all, even one rank higher in office could crush a person to death, let alone several ranks higher.
Settle the matter peacefully, settle the matter peacefully.
Shen Guiyan felt somewhat uncomfortable inside, but looking at Shen Guiya still sobbing, she thought she must feel even worse. At least she could still marry Gu Chaodong as principal wife—right now she had nothing.
As it turned out, after everyone dispersed, Shen Guiya walked ahead of her, then suddenly turned back to look at her with a smile. “You hate me quite a bit, don’t you?”
Shen Guiyan froze.
“Can’t help it—I transmigrated here, so I’m a natural protagonist.” Shen Guiya swept away her previous pitiful appearance, smiling with extreme smugness. “You probably can’t understand what I’m saying, but now that I’m here, no matter how beautiful you are, you can’t compete with Shen Guiya.”
“Shen Guiya” covered her mouth and laughed triumphantly. After watching transmigration dramas for so many years, it was finally her turn. She would definitely make all the men here fall in love with her and have all the wealth belong to her. So what if these supporting female characters were beautiful and skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting? She was a modern person—what couldn’t she compete for or snatch away?
Shen Guiyan frowned, watching the person ahead laugh and walk away. She turned her head blankly to look at Baoshan beside her and asked, “Did the drowning really damage her brain?”
Baoshan pursed her lips. “Quite severely too.”
What “can’t compete with Shen Guiya”—her young lady had never thought of competing, but what rightfully belonged to her, she would not yield!
Shaking her head, Shen Guiyan felt she should return to embroider her wedding clothes first. If Shen Guiya wanted to go mad, let her go mad.
“Miss, you still dislike Third Miss just as before.” Yushu supported Shen Guiya, asking curiously, “Without your previous memories, you still dislike her?”
Shen Guiya snorted lightly. “Just looking at her gives me bad feelings. Being so beautiful, she must be a vixen. That Young Master Gu is just someone who thinks with his lower half—what good taste could he have? Superficial.”
Yushu was slightly stunned, somewhat unaccustomed to her young lady’s tone of speech.
Shen Guiya continued, “In my original place, I saw plenty of that type of woman. Beautiful so men like them, read some books and think they’re so great. Tch, those men all have no vision—they didn’t discover my inner beauty.”
Completely unable to understand, Yushu just laughed twice as acknowledgment. Shen Guiya was full of confidence, planning how to continue snatching Gu Chaodong while stepping into her room.
As the wedding date approached, Shen Guiyan somehow wasn’t very happy. The marriage she had always anticipated became less anticipated because of the matter between Shen Guiya and Gu Chaodong. Gu Chaodong had come to explain to her, but Shen Guiyan also felt it wasn’t very meaningful. She had originally liked his erudition and refined elegance, but now it all felt somewhat diluted.
However, she still had to marry.
The wedding garments were already finished. When she took them to show the Lady, though the Lady’s expression wasn’t good, she still nodded. “Not bad.”
“Truly rare—pure hand embroidery.” Shen Guiya took the upper jacket to look at, laughing lightly as she held it up to herself and asked Yushu, “Does it look good?”
Yushu nodded. “My young lady naturally looks good in anything.”
Shen Guiya laughed a few times and simply took the skirt and bridal veil as well. “Hey, since it looks so good, let me try it on.”
Shen Guiyan frowned. “These are wedding garments. Younger Sister hasn’t yet been betrothed—trying them on would be somewhat improper.”
“What’s improper about it?” Shen Guiya laughed lightly. “Yesterday Chaodong came to tell me that once Sister crosses the threshold, he’ll send the betrothal documents to our family. Sooner or later we’ll be one family.”
Yesterday? Shen Guiyan’s face paled slightly. Yesterday Gu Chaodong had come to see Shen Guiya again?
She had no idea at all.
Lady Shen sat to one side leisurely drinking tea, completely not restraining Shen Guiya’s somewhat discourteous behavior. She took the wedding garments to try on, still laughing. “Not bad. Younger Sister’s future wedding garments—I’ll leave them to Sister too.”
“Alright.” Shen Guiyan lowered her eyes.
She still had to endure. Having endured all these years, she’d endure these last two days.
The wedding day happened to be the day of her coming-of-age ceremony. The household was quite lively, but early in the morning Concubine Qin’s complexion looked very bad. Shen Guiyan looked at her from the mirror, asking with considerable worry, “Is Concubine Qin feeling unwell?”
Concubine Qin, lips pale, arranged her hair. “It’s nothing. Being able to see Third Miss off in marriage, no discomfort matters.”
“First combing—comb to the end; second combing—white hair together at the brows…”
Shen Guiyan stared blankly at Concubine Qin in the mirror. She was happy—even though her complexion grew worse and worse, she still smiled. Cold sweat on her forehead increased more and more, her waist bent lower and lower, yet she made no sound.
“Third combing… children and grandchildren filling the halls…”
“Concubine Qin?” Shen Guiyan’s eyes widened. The person behind her had already collapsed down her back onto the floor, face covered in sweat, curled up tightly clutching her stomach. “Grooming complete… pin up the hair…”
Pin up what hair! Shen Guiyan’s eyes reddened. She quickly shouted, “Go fetch a physician!”
“Summoning a physician on a wedding day is inauspicious…” Concubine Qin smiled with difficulty, pulling at her sleeve. “I just have a stomachache… just a stomachache…”
“Where is there such a stomachache!” Shen Guiyan shouted quietly and flicked her sleeve to go out herself.
The hand on her sleeve was flung out accordingly. Shen Guiyan was alarmed and wanted to reach out to catch her, but caught only air. Concubine Qin closed her eyes. Her hand hit the floor with no response.
The surrounding sounds seemed to disappear. The wedding attendant, maids, and ceremonial attendants outside all rushed in. Without caring what had happened to Concubine Qin, they hurriedly carried her out.
“Great fortune and auspiciousness, great fortune and auspiciousness.” The wedding attendant beside her chattered incessantly. Before Shen Guiyan was pressed back to the vanity, her entire body was ice cold.
The great calamity at coming-of-age.
Shen Guiyan looked at herself in the mirror for a long time. Thinking of Concubine Qin’s appearance just now, all the makeup that had just been applied was completely ruined.
“Miss, you must pull yourself together. The Chancellor household’s bridal sedan has already arrived.” Baoshan cried even more miserably than her, yet urged her to pull herself together.
Shen Guiyan had no response. The wedding attendant beside her brought the bridal veil to cover her head, but Nanny Xiurong suddenly arrived. “Quickly, quickly have Third Miss and Fifth Miss exchange clothes!”