Chapter 43 Talking

Granny Zhang sighed deeply: "This old servant is not afraid of your blame, Madam, but there are a few things I have to say that I must get off my chest."

"Third Master and Eldest Young Master are both people I've watched grow up. This incident has not only upset you, but it has also made me feel terrible."

"In the afternoon, I heard the eldest master say that our marriage agreement with the Shen family continues, but he wants to betroth the Shen family's daughter to the third master. Is that alright?"

Xie San Niang paused in her fiddle with the prayer beads and slowly opened her eyes.

She's been thinking about this too.

The Xie family and the Shen family have been waiting for the dyeing genealogy for far too long.

Over the years, the Xie family has tried every means to find dyeing recipes from all over the world, but none of them have achieved the same rich and mellow color as the fabrics dyed when Shen Shibai and his wife were alive.

Therefore, the Shen family's dyeing genealogy is very important, but Xie San Niang still does not want Xie Jingyuan to marry Shen Yuanzhu.

Her respect for Yuan deserves better.

Although unwilling, there was no better way.

Xie San Niang hummed in agreement, unwilling to elaborate.

Granny Zhang clicked her tongue and shook her head: "This old servant thinks it's inappropriate."

What's wrong with it?

"this……"

Granny Zhang walked up to Xie San Niang with a worried look on her face: "Please forgive this old servant for being nosy, but Miss Shen has practically grown up under your nose."

"His character and appearance are indeed beyond reproach, but there's only one downside."

"Which point?"

"She was engaged to the eldest young master!"

Granny Zhang's eyes widened: "Think about it, Shen Yuanzhu and the young master have been engaged for so long, and they used to seem so sweet and loving. Who knows if they are innocent or not?"

"Even if she and the eldest young master are innocent, once she marries into the Xie family, they'll all live in the same courtyard, and she'll be seeing the eldest young master every day..."

"You mean what if, what if the two of them..."

Granny Zhang put her five fingers together, rubbed her fingertips together with her hands facing each other, and pouted: "Wouldn't that make Third Master a cuckold?"

"presumptuous!"

With a snap, the string of the Buddhist prayer beads broke, and the peach wood beads scattered all over the ground.

Granny Zhang quickly squatted down to pick it up, saying, "Madam, please calm down. This old servant didn't make up stories about the young master..."

"Alright, get up."

Xie San Niang could not hide her exhaustion: "What you said is not without reason."

The thought of Jingyuan's future wife having an ambiguous relationship with someone else, even if that person was Xie Xuchuan, was unbearable for her.

Fearing that her words were not enough to dissuade the other party, Granny Zhang pinched the silver notes in her sleeve and continued, "Madam, the Third Master must not marry Miss Shen. Even if she and the Eldest Young Master have broken off their relationship, who in the entire Suzhou Prefecture does not know that they were once engaged?"

"Once the marriage is changed, there will inevitably be some rumors. A man as handsome and refined as Third Master, who knows how people will slander him when he goes out in the future."

"I'm afraid people will say he stole his nephew's wife, which would tarnish Third Master's reputation."

"Someone like our Third Master, even if he can't inherit the family business, passing the imperial examinations will be a piece of cake for him. Marrying such a flawed gem, tsk tsk tsk..."

Granny Zhang shook her head, which annoyed Xie San Niang.

She wasn't unaware of the logic the other person was making; it was precisely because she had considered it that she was so troubled.

After a long pause, Xie San Niang snorted and said, "Then tell me, how can we achieve the best of both worlds?"

Granny Zhang's eyes darted around: "What do you think about giving this marriage to the second young master?"

Xie Sanniang frowned deeply: "Wouldn't that be letting that little beast get away with it?"

"Please don't be hasty, let this old servant explain first."

Granny Zhang said, "Compared to the eldest young master, the second young master is like mud in a ditch compared to the moon in the sky; he is nowhere near as good as the eldest young master."

"Once Shen Yuanzhu marries into the Xie family, she will see that the second young master is all show and no substance, a pretty face but no substance. She will surely miss the eldest young master even more."

"If the husband and wife are not of one mind, then it will be easier to control both Miss Shen and the Second Young Master in the future."

Her tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and Xie San Niang softly hummed in agreement.

She understood what Granny Zhang was saying.

Although Shen Yuanzhu possesses the "Shen Family Dyeing Manual," her maternal clan is powerless and will not offer Xie Qi, that little beast, any assistance so that he can challenge Xu Chuan in the future.

As for Shen Yuanzhu, a woman who is not favored by her husband in the inner quarters, she is at the mercy of her husband's family to manipulate her.

"This old servant thinks this is the most advantageous method for the Xie family. The Shen family has already given the betrothal gifts, and the eldest young master has made a mistake first. If the engagement is really called off, our family will definitely not be able to get back the betrothal gifts we gave, and we will also lose half of the dyeing manual."

"You're right."

Granny Zhang added, "The problem right now is that we don't know how to get the Shen family to agree to the marriage exchange."

Xie Sanniang snorted: "I don't need their consent, I have my own way."

After sending Granny Zhang away, Xie San Niang summoned Hua Nan Zhi.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law talked for a long time in the room. By the time Hua Nanzhi left Suxuezhai, the sky was already beginning to lighten.

"You mean the two of them discussed it all night?"

Wei Hu said, "Yes, I don't know what they came up with."

"It's alright."

Xie Qi lay lazily on the low couch, already having made his plans.

"I heard from the gatekeeper that Hua Nanzhi took Xie Xuchuan to the Shen family?"

"Yes, they've already set off."

Wei Hu looked worried: "Master, do you think there won't be any changes in this matter?"

Xie Qi lazily shook his head: "Don't worry, my marriage with Shen Yuanzhu will be settled within ten days."