Chapter 21. A first marriage, no experience whatsoever. ...

Chapter 21

A quarter of an hour later, Shen Suining and He Hansheng walked out of the Imperial Study.

The two looked at each other in silence, their hearts filled with despair and their eyes brimming with hopelessness.

The two walked down the steps side by side, a rare moment of harmony between them.

Undeterred, Shen Suining suggested, "Why don't you... try persuading the Emperor again?"

"To try to persuade him further would be to defy the imperial decree." He Hansheng appeared calm, but in reality, his heart was already completely dead.

He remembered that half an hour earlier, Li Bo had summoned him alone and asked him if he had a woman he liked.

At that time, He Hansheng said that it was fine as long as the emperor made the arrangements, he could marry whomever he wanted.

And now...

He Hansheng closed his eyes and felt that he could see the end of his life in an instant.

Despite her shattered hopes, Shen Suining tried to calm herself down, saying, "It's okay, it's okay. Life is short, just bear with it and it will pass."

"The princess seems very unwilling to marry me."

"You talk as if you'd be happy to marry me!"

The two argued for a couple of minutes, then fell into an endless silence.

Shen Suining felt that this plot was somewhat familiar. She looked at He Hansheng and said, "So now, we're in the same boat?"

He Hansheng hummed in agreement, let out a soft breath, and looked at Shen Suining solemnly, "Since the die is cast, let's each go back and prepare. By the time we get home, the imperial edict will have already arrived."

“…Okay,” Shen Suining could already guess the expressions on everyone else’s faces, especially her father’s. “Then…what do I need to prepare? It’s my first time getting married, I have no experience, so you’ll have to teach me.”

He Hansheng: "..."

"Oh, sorry, I forgot you're getting married for the first time too," Shen Suining said with an awkward laugh. "I think I'll just have to go back and ask my father."

After a moment, He Hansheng said, "You just need to prepare your own wedding dress, I'll take care of the rest."

"Alright..." Shen Suining thought, this is good, it will save a lot of trouble.

As the two walked, He Hansheng suddenly stopped.

“Princess, since we are going to get married, there are some things I have to say beforehand,” He Hansheng said to Shen Suining, word by word, “Don’t do any more dangerous things in the future. It’s for your own good, for me’s good, and for our future.”

"..."

...

The imperial decree of marriage was quickly delivered to their respective residences. Shen Suining and He Hansheng had already mentally prepared themselves and quickly accepted the fact.

But Shen Yan couldn't accept it. He stayed in Xie Chang's Yizhu Garden for less than half a day before his world collapsed.

He locked himself in his room for a whole day, neither eating nor drinking nor receiving guests, until the evening of the next day when Shen Suining finally couldn't take it anymore and kicked open his door.

However, she saw Shen Yan sitting cross-legged by the window, motionless as if he were about to pass away, lost in thought.

"Father, the dog emperor is bestowing a marriage upon me, not ordering my death. What do you mean by looking at me like I'm about to be buried tomorrow?" Shen Suining walked to his side, trying to pull him up, but suddenly found that Shen Yan, who was usually so reserved and restrained, was already in tears.

Shen Suining was stunned.

"It's all my fault for being incompetent and ruining you," Shen Yan said, suppressing his emotions and covering his face as he murmured in anguish, "I shouldn't have brought you to Huadu in the first place. It would have been better if I had died a miserable death than to have your life wasted here."

"What are you talking about? It's just a marriage, how could it ruin my whole life?" Shen Suining found it somewhat amusing. She pulled Shen Yan to face her. "Father, are you crying so heartbrokenly because you're afraid of being scolded by Mother when we return to Yangzhou?"

"Ningning!"

"Alright, alright, I know what you're worried about," Shen Suining said, pulling out a handkerchief and handing it to Shen Yan. "That dog emperor can't hold me back. He wants to keep me in Huadu to control you and your mother, who are thousands of miles away. Since I'm a hostage in the capital, he'll definitely find a way to protect my life."

"Ningning, what I'm worried about is more than just your life."

"As for the rest, Father, you don't need to worry about anything else. Would I allow myself to be wronged? I've already thought of my escape route," Shen Suining smiled and reassured him, "Don't worry, although I have no feelings for Young Master He, he is quite skilled in martial arts. Even if we can't be husband and wife, we can still be decent allies. After I marry him, he certainly won't treat me badly. I will have someone prepare my memorial tablet in advance. Once Father has finished dealing with matters in the capital and returned to Yangzhou, I will discuss with him about faking my death and leaving the capital. I'm sure he won't disagree."

Shen Yan closed his eyes briefly. "Ningning is thoughtful, but she still dragged you into this. I feel bad about it."

"If you really feel guilty, why don't you find me another suitable husband sooner? When I return to Yangzhou after my supposed death, I'll bring him back to Shuyu Manor to be my husband," Shen Suining said with anticipation, as if it were about to happen. "Remember, I don't want anyone who's too ugly, too weak, or too slow. If there are several that suit my taste, I'll take them all back and raise them."

“You silly child, you’re always talking nonsense,” Shen Yan finally laughed. He raised his hand and gently stroked Shen Suining’s cheek. “Now that things have come to this, there’s nothing more I can say. Your Uncle He and I have a marriage agreement. Once you go to the He family, the Princess will certainly not mistreat you. If they really make you suffer any injustice, tell me, and I will seek justice for you.”

Meanwhile, at this time, the Yong'an Marquis's residence...

After receiving the imperial decree, the eldest princess, who was also uneasy, thought it over and decided to go to Ta Mei Garden to find He Hansheng.

He Hansheng was in the study at the time. When he saw the Princess arrive, he stood up and said, "Mother."

"Sit down," the princess said, letting Ming Le help her sit down. She glanced at the thick stacks of books on He Hansheng's desk. "Do you have official business to attend to?"

"It's just some military accounts that need to be checked, there's no rush," He Hansheng knew the princess had something to say, so he neatly put away the official documents. "Mother, did you come to see me at this time about His Majesty's bestowal of a marriage?"

The eldest princess hummed in agreement, then hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself.

"Mother, please speak freely."

After hesitating for a long time, the eldest princess finally asked, "What your mother wants to ask you is, are you... satisfied with this marriage?"

"Your Majesty has arranged the marriage, and I have no complaints or dissatisfaction. As long as Mother is satisfied, that's all that matters." He Hansheng knew that the Princess had originally favored the Princess of Tangxi from the Marquis of Pinghuai's mansion, rather than the Princess of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and he was afraid that the Princess would feel it was a pity.

The eldest princess understood his meaning and smiled, "Actually, if it were just a marriage alliance, Your Majesty would be most satisfied with Ningning being assigned to you. Putting aside the close friendship between Marquis Pinghuai and your father, you and Ningning were already engaged."

He Hansheng paused, he had no idea about this before, "Your son has never heard his mother mention it."

"That's because, to avoid trouble, Marquis Pinghuai changed his name and went into seclusion in the fields, so this marriage was naturally null and void. However, your father always remembered the original agreement and kept delaying finding you a husband. Later, after he passed away, you insisted on observing three years of mourning for him and refused to marry, which is why it's been delayed until now," the princess said, sighing softly. "In the end, it's because you and Ningning have a deep connection. She's only two years younger than you, yet she's also been unable to marry."

“Since it is Father’s last wish, I will definitely treat the Princess well in the future. Please rest assured, Mother,” He Hansheng solemnly promised.

“Your mother knows your temperament best. Even if we don’t talk about these things, you will not mistreat Ningning after she marries into the family. Your mother is very relieved about that,” the eldest princess reminded him. “It’s just that as a parent, your mother is always concerned about the thoughts of the Marquis of Pinghuai. In the end, the feelings of marrying off a daughter and taking in a wife are different.”

He Hansheng suddenly understood. "I understand now. I will go and make preparations. Tomorrow morning, I will go to the Marquis of Pinghuai's residence with my mother."

The next day, just as dawn broke, the betrothal gifts from the Marquis of Yong'an's residence were carried into the Pu She residence, filling the entire courtyard.

Shen Yan personally came out to greet them, feeling slightly apprehensive. "Since His Majesty has personally arranged the marriage, some steps and rituals can be omitted. It is kind of you, sister-in-law, to come all the way here."

“It was all A-Sheng’s idea. He was afraid that if he skipped the formalities, the Marquis and Ningning would feel that they were not valued, so he personally prepared these betrothal gifts and asked me to come with him so that we could discuss the wedding date.” The Princess led He Hansheng forward. “A-Sheng, this is the Marquis of Pinghuai, who is a sworn brother of your father. You should call him Uncle.”

He Hansheng bowed respectfully, "This junior greets Uncle."

"Please, no need for formalities," Shen Yan quickly helped He Hansheng up, deeply moved. "Seeing you is like seeing Brother He Nian in his youth. It makes me so happy."

Shen Yan led the person into the house and ordered someone to brew tea. "This is Yangxian Xueya tea from Jiangnan. Ayu specially asked me to bring it, saying that my sister-in-law will definitely like it."

"Shuyu, you are so thoughtful. After all these years, you still remember my preferences." The princess picked up her tea, took a sip, and praised, "It is indeed an excellent tea."

"If you like it, I will have it delivered to your residence."

“Since Your Excellency is so generous, I’ll have to swallow my pride and ask you for another favor,” the Princess said somewhat shyly. “These past two years, I’ve been feeling unwell, probably due to my age. The imperial physicians have been treating me for a long time, but it hasn’t helped. On the contrary, the young lady Miao Cuihua, whom Your Excellency sent to my residence last time, gave me a massage, and I felt much better. I was wondering if I could invite her to stay at my residence for a while to help me recover.”

After he finished speaking, Shen Yan and He Hansheng both paused at the same time. The latter's expression stiffened slightly, and he seemed somewhat incredulous.

“This… I’m afraid I should talk to Ningning first,” Shen Yan said with a kind smile. “Miss Miao is Ningning’s most trusted person and also the most skilled doctor under her. I think Ningning would be willing to let her share the burden for her sister-in-law.”

"Since you're Ningning's person, there's no need to rush."

While the two chatted, He Hansheng listened quietly, his doubts growing ever stronger.

Although they have the same face and the same name, their ways of doing things are completely different. From the moment He Hansheng saw Miao Wei, he guessed that the blind girl "Miao Cuihua" and the head of the Shen Hall who called himself "Miao Cuihua" three years ago must be acquaintances.

However, it was just a fleeting romance that happened by chance three years ago. He Hansheng was already engaged, and for the sake of his soon-to-be wife, he should have put this matter behind him and kept it to himself.

But when he suddenly learned that the girl "Miao Cuihua" was actually from the Pinghuai Marquis's mansion, the little bit of concern in He Hansheng's heart was rekindled.

He even had a sliver of hope, after all, Marquis Pinghuai had said that the girl "Miao Cuihua" was Ningning's person.

So... is it possible that Ningning is the "Master Shen"?

While He Hansheng was lost in thought, the princess suddenly remembered something, "Oh right, I remember Ningning seems to have taken Shuyu's surname."

“That’s right, she and her eldest son Sui’an both took their mother’s surname,” Shen Yan called Xun Zong over and took Shen Sui Ning’s birth chart. “This is Ning Ning’s birth date and time. I’ll trouble you, sister-in-law, to have someone take a look and set a wedding date so I can make preparations.”

“Of course,” the eldest princess took the betrothal letter, glanced at it, and handed it to Mingle. “Take the young marquis’s betrothal letter to the matchmaker so we can set an auspicious date.”

When the eldest princess handed the birth chart to Ming Le, He Hansheng caught a glimpse of Shen Suining's birth date and time and the names of her parents on the chart.

Father: Shen Yan. Mother: Shen Shuyu.

He Hansheng saw it clearly; her surname was Chen.

Her mother's name was none other than "Shuyu" from Shuyu Manor.