… After Wei Changying had straightened out her thinking, the members of the Shen Family arrived the next day.
She hadn’t eaten anything and was utterly dissipated for two days, but she had only one day to recover. Although she was young and the Wei Family was wealthy, which could provide her any tonic, she couldn’t recover totally within only one day. This day, she woke up and took a bath in the morning. After that, she sat in front of the dresser, finding that her face was flushed because of the heat of the water. However, she was still too pale compared to what she used to be.
She was like a pink rose, beautiful but not bright, looking haggard and delicate.
Mrs. He sighed secretly and asked, “What about powdering some blusher?”
“Did my grandmother say that I have to show up?” Wei Changying asked after she had stared at herself in the mirror for a while.
The situation was different from the last time when the Shen Family came. No matter whether they were going to cancel the engagement or not, they would not finish the negotiation within one or two days. Also, Wei Zhengya had just passed away, so the Shen Family would have to offer their condolences since they would arrive in Fengzhou. Therefore, they would stay in Fengzhou for a couple of days.
Now that Wei Changying was so haggard, they might make a wild guess on what had happened on her. Old Madam Song wouldn’t ask her to meet the Shen Family on the first day of their arrival. Wei Changying would meet the Shen Family after two or three days when she looked much better. What’s more, it had been raining these days, so the road was muddy, and the guests would change and bathe upon their arrival after a short conversation with the Wei Family.
After that, it would be the welcome banquet. The Shen Family wouldn’t send their female members since they were going to negotiate on Wei Changying’s engagement, and Wei Changying wouldn’t accompany them in the banquet like a performer even if her reputation were terrible. Therefore, Wei Changying didn’t need to show up today.
“Shuangli has come yesterday and asked you to prepare for it,” Mrs. He said gently, “Maybe the Shen Family will require to see you.”
Wei Changying thought for a while and said, “Then powder some blush.”
Wei Zhengya’s funeral was still underway. Although they were in another mansion, he was Wei Changying’s elder, so Wei Changying shouldn’t wear bright-colored clothes. What’s more, even if there had been no funeral, she would look even more haggard if she powdered too much or dressed in bright colors.
Mrs. He and Qin’ge, as well as the other maidservants, had discussed what Wei Changying should wear. They chose an ivory colored upper shirt decorated with plum blossom pattern, a lotus pink pleated fairy skirt, and a ribbon embroidered with a pattern of five bats. Because her dress was simple-styled and light-colored, they matched it with a flower-patterned scarf sewed with gold thread. Her hair was worn in a wing-shaped bun, decorated with a phoenix shaped Suet Jade hair clasp on each side, and a camellia flower in the middle. Because Wei Changying’s skin was white as snow and smooth as silk, she just powdered a little blush without applying the foundation.
Zhu Shi was also assisting them. While she was passing them the things they needed, she came up with an idea of sticking a bright-colored plum blossom shaped ornament between Wei Changying’s eyebrows. After sticking it, Mrs. He adopted Zhu Shi’s idea after she had scrutinized it.
…It was at noon when Zhu Xian ran into Xianshuang Court and told them that Wei Shengnian had welcomed the Shen Family outside the gate.
Mrs. He noticed that Wei Changying was sitting behind the desk and seemed to be reading, but she stopped when she was about to turn a page. Seeing this, Mrs. He knew what Wei Changying meant, and asked, “Who is it? Is it still Count Xiangning?”
“It is Count Xiangning,” Zhu Xian nodded as she said, “It has been raining nonstop these days. They came by riding horses, and they have worn bamboo hats and coir raincoats. When I went there, they were taking off their hats and raincoats. The manager didn’t allow me to get too close so that I won’t be seen. I didn’t know who came until the third Old Master welcomed them.”
“Count Xiangning is a bold and uninhibited man, and he has a good impression of you,” Mrs. He comforted Wei Changying after letting Zhu Xian, Qin’ge, and other people leave.
Since she was seen through by Mrs. He, Wei Changying stopped pretending to read. She closed the book and said, “It doesn’t matter whether he has a good impression of me or not. Anyway…, my grandmother has said that if the Shen Family tends to cancel the engagement, she will tell them I am ill and cancel the engagement beforehand.” Because Wei Changying hadn’t drunk water for two days, her voice was hoarse, and she couldn’t speak loudly.
Although Wei Changying talked calmly, her words sounded desolate to Mrs. He.
Hearing what Wei Changying had said, Mrs. He was struck. She then forced a smile and said, “Well…. Since Count Xiangning is appointed to negotiate such a big thing, he should be a wise man, who will not believe in the rumors and treat you unjustly. After all, it was the Family Head of both Wei Family and Shen Family who has decided the engagement. Since you are innocent, and the Shen Family is also one of the six distinguished families in our country, how will they cancel your engagement?”
Mrs. He had always been opposing letting Wei Changying practice martial arts because her standard of a lady was someone like Song Zaishui, who was gentle and virtuous. Also, Mrs. He thought that since Shen Cangfeng’s family background was as distinguished as Wei Changying’s, and he was talented while Wei Changying was beautiful, they were a perfect match.
It would be a pity if their engagement was canceled just because of such an accident.
Therefore, even if Wei Huan and Old Madam Song had preparations for canceling the engagement as soon as they found something wrong, Mrs. He still hoped that the Shen Family could be perspicacious and believed that Wei Changying was innocent so that their engagement could remain.
Mrs. He knew that if Wei Changying’s engagement was canceled, even if she had her illness as an excuse, the outsiders would guess wildly—for example, they would believe that what the commoner, who had stopped the sedan, had said was true…. In this case, even if Wei Changying were willing to get married, those men in the aristocratic families wouldn’t marry her, let alone those who had the same status as Shen Cangfeng.
Because the aristocrats were not allowed to marry the commoners, Wei Changying could only choose among the men born in a side branch…. Compared to Shen Cangfeng, these men were not a patch on him, no matter their family background, capability, or future.
In Mrs. He’s mind, Wei Changying was the best and the noblest lady on earth. Although Song Zaishui was more gentle and virtuous than Wei Changying, she was not as beautiful and outgoing as Wei Changying. What’s more, Wei Changying was healthy and strong, which Miss Song could never compare.
Such a lady was a perfect match for the next Family Head of the Shen Family—Shen Cangfeng. As to those from the side branches…, even if Wei Changying wouldn’t care, Mrs. He would feel grieve for Wei Changying if she married one of them.
Wei Changying had noticed Mrs. He’s thoughts. She gave a faint smile and said, “I don’t care if he treats me unjustly…. After all, the rumors have been spread, who will believe me? What’s more, if the Shen Family still accepted me for the sake of their face, they would treat me coldly. I would rather not marry him!”
“Since you are going to be his wife, they won’t mistreat you,” Mrs. He said unconsciously. However, she was still worried, because the capital was far from Fengzhou, and the Shen Family didn’t need to consider Wei Family’s power since they were both the six distinguished families.
Wei Changying was playing with her emerald bracelet, with a lot of thoughts in her mind: when she was small, she heard someone joking that her fiance Shen Cangfeng was a son of a warrior, and he had been practicing martial arts since he was small, so he must be very good at it. If such a delicate girl like Wei Changying married him, he could press her down with only one finger. In this case, Wei Changying would suffer after she got married.
At that time, Wei Changying didn’t know anything. She only knew that a fiance and a fiancée would live together forever after they got married. Since her fiance was so powerful that he could beat her up with only one finger, how many times would she be beaten in a day? It was too terrible!
She couldn’t remember who had said such words, but she had borne the words in her mind. After that, she had begged her grandmother and mother for several days before they finally agreed on hiring a coach to teach her martial arts.
In the very beginning, her purpose of practicing martial arts was to avoid being bullied by Shen Cangfeng. But after more than ten years of practice, she felt that she had improved so much that she could bully Shen Cangfeng in the future….
No matter whether she aimed to protect herself or to abuse her power tyrannically, she had never thought of canceling the engagement like Song Zaishui.
Maybe it was because that Shen Cangfeng was not like the present Eastern Palace since he was truly powerful, according to the information from the capital; maybe it was because she was engaged too early that she had known she had a fiance when she was three or four years old and knew she was going to marry him after she grew up…. She was used to it and had always believed that she would marry Shen Cangfeng.
All in all, after all these years, no matter whether she had regarded Shen Cangfeng as her enemy or her husband, she had always been thinking of him. Wei Changying believed that she would become his wife, and no matter whether Shen Cangfeng would treat her well or not, or whether they would live harmoniously or not, everything was predestined since the Family Head of both families arranged her marriage.
She could have met Shen Cangfeng next year, the man who she had been alerted and thought of for more than a decade…. But now, everything was unknown.
Maybe she couldn’t marry him. Even if she could, no one knew how the Shen Family would regard her and treat her after hearing so many rumors about her.
Therefore, she would rather not marry Shen Cangfeng….
However, she had been thinking of Shen Cangfeng for more than ten years. Even a plant, after such a long time, would make people have feelings for it, let alone a person.
What’s worse, he was the “husband” who had been haunting in her mind.
Wei Changying bit her lips hard to prevent herself from crying. Based on the experience in Duke Jingping’s mansion, and the white silk she had received, Wei Changying had understood what situation she was in—her family hoped her to die. As long as she was dead, it could prove that Wei Family’s custom was innocent as their women were chaste….
Maybe after she died, the people in the Wei Family would tell others about the Shou Gong Mark in order to prove how staunch their women were: see? Although she was still innocent, she committed suicide just because of being suspected after staying in the woods for two days…. How strict and chaste our family customs were!
But….
Why her?! In the beginning, she was sad because of the rumors, her cousins who had cold-shouldered her, and Wei Gao’an’s misunderstanding and curse….
However, as soon as she had seen the white silk, Wei Changying’s anger and sadness burst out!
Although it was her who had required watching Song Zaishui leave outside the city, she had gone by carriage and had worn a curtained hat, which was nothing improper for a lady like her. What was more, it had occurred to her that it was right that she had gone with them. If not, Jiang Zheng, who had taught her for 12 years, wouldn’t come along…. Although Wei Xinyong’s people saved them, they couldn’t withstand the fight before the arrival of the reinforcement without Jiang Zheng and Wei Changying.
As to knocking out Wei Changfeng and pretending to be him to accept the bandit’s invitation—Wei Changying would still make the same choice if things happened again. She would never put her brother at risk for the sake of her safety and reputation.
She had done nothing wrong.
“Why do these people want me to die for their illusory family reputation and their honor?!”
“If you want me to die, I will never! What’s more…, anyone who wants me to die, will die of my scheming!”
…So it was not the time to be upset for her engagement.
Wei Changying covered her mouth with her hand for a while, and said softly, “Matrimonial affairs should be decided by the elders. I obey my grandparents’ decision.”
While Wei Changying was saying, Qin’ge knocked at the door and said, “First Miss, Shuangzhu asked you to go over.
— “I have to meet the members of the Shen Family by now?”
Wei Changying was surprised!