Chapter 14 Stop bothering me

"lady."

Shen You nodded slightly to Chen Qiurong as a greeting, but did not respond to her, waiting for her to continue.

Chen Qiurong's smile froze for a moment, then she quickly raised her eyebrows and said, "Since the eldest young lady agreed to the matchmaking, I have been busy with this matter these past few days."

With the help of her maid, she sat back down in the armchair, smiling with the kindness of an elder. "I have met the eldest son of the Minister of Works. He is a good boy, gentle in nature and handsome in appearance. If you agree, Miss, we can arrange a meeting soon."

The position of Director of the Ministry of Works, a fifth-rank official, is somewhat higher than the previous position of Imperial Censor.

Shen You chuckled softly to himself.

She recalled the conversation she had overheard between Shen Yao and Chen Qiurong at the door of the study. At that time, Shen Yao thought that Li Yu's father's official position was too low, and now that he was a secretary in the Ministry of Works, he probably wouldn't be of any interest to him.

But going from a sixth-rank official to a fifth-rank official is at least a promotion, so if Chen Qiurong brings it up in front of Shen Yao, it won't look too bad.

This is where Chen Qiurong's brilliance lies.

Since Chen Xiangning is not yet married, with Chen You around, she must be thinking of marrying off this divorced woman who might affect her daughter's choice of husband first.

However, she did not want Shen You to marry well, lest he surpass Shen Xiangning in the future, so she could only focus on the official position in the man's family.

Imperial Censor and Director of the Ministry of Works...

That really put her in a difficult position.

However, these things have never been Shen You's concern. As long as she holds onto her own assets, no matter who she marries, her life won't be too difficult.

But since it's a matter of the rest of her life, Shen You would definitely still want to choose a husband who at least looks somewhat pleasing to the eye.

She slowly curved her lips into a gentle smile, "I wonder what the Ministry of Works official's family thinks?"

"Don't worry, young lady," Chen Qiurong straightened her back, "their family couldn't be happier."

In fact, what is there that one cannot obtain?

Who could marry a woman who had once been married to a hunter in a small town without any reservations?

They were only after Shen You's status as the eldest daughter of the Marquis's family.

But Chen Qiurong would never say that.

She smiled and said, "I only discussed it with you and the lord after I was certain that they had this intention."

"The lord also had some impression of that young man, and even praised him for his dignified appearance and polite manners."

Upon hearing this, Shen You nodded slightly, and when he looked up again, he said softly, "Since Father and Madam both think that the son of the Director of the Ministry of Works is not bad, then let's meet him."

"Alright, alright," Chen Qiurong thought she would need to say more, but she didn't expect Shen You to agree so quickly. The smile in her eyes showed more genuine joy. "The official in charge of the Ministry of Works is surnamed Chen, and his eldest son is named Hua Rui."

"If the young lady is free, how about we arrange to meet tomorrow?"

Shen You lowered his eyes and sipped his tea, saying, "In that case, let's go to Bilu Pavilion, which we visited before."

Chen Qiurong's eye twitched suddenly.

Did Shen You deliberately choose Bilu Pavilion as the location for the matchmaking to subtly warn someone about something?

"Does Madam find this acceptable?"

However, Shen You didn't give her much time to think and asked a few questions.

Chen Qiurong agreed, "Okay, then I'll send someone to the Chen residence to inform them later."

"Thank you for your trouble, Madam."

"We're family, why should we worry about anything?"

After finishing their business, Shen You didn't intend to stay with Chen Qiurong any longer, so he got up, nodded to her, and went straight back to Wen Gui Courtyard.

***

The next day, Biluxuan.

The summer sun was warm and the street in front of Biluxuan was still bustling.

Shen You, with Zi Teng by his side, went up the stairs and arrived at the door of the side room.

Zi Teng went up and knocked on the door.

The door opened with a click, and the windows inside were wide open, letting in a gentle breeze that stirred the girl's skirt.

The sachet tied around her waist swayed gently as she walked, releasing a faint fragrance of osmanthus and Longjing tea.

Chen Huarui paused for a moment before reacting, then quickly cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and invited her in, saying, "I have long heard of Miss Shen's beauty and elegance, and seeing her today, I can confirm that she is indeed extraordinary."

"I apologize for my abruptness, and I hope Miss Shen will forgive me."

He was referring to how he had stood there, frozen in place, forgetting to invite her inside.

Shen You led Zi Teng inside and said gently, "Young Master Chen, you are too polite."

The girl was not only beautiful, but her voice was also very pleasant.

Chen Huarui's satisfaction became more and more obvious. He thought to himself, "Although she is a divorced woman, just the title of the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Chengde is enough to make her an excellent wife, even if she is just a decoration."

What's more, she is the eldest daughter of a marquis's family, who is so outstanding in appearance and figure.

As he sized up Shen You, Shen You also glanced at him discreetly.

Chen Qiurong's statement is not untrue; Chen Huarui's appearance is indeed handsome.

It's just that she seems... a bit too refined and delicate.

He smiled and invited Shen You to sit down at the table. "I just heard the shopkeeper say that this year's pre-rain Longjing tea tastes excellent. Miss Shen, please give it a try."

After saying that, he raised his hand and poured Shen You a cup of tea.

Shen You snapped out of her daze and nodded slightly to him, "Thank you, Young Master Chen."

Biluxuan's elegance lies in its refined decor, and the fact that guests brew their own tea in the private rooms without being disturbed by the staff.

At this moment, the small clay stove on the table is bubbling and heating water, and the fresh and rich aroma of tea is gradually spreading throughout the room.

Chen Huarui was very enthusiastic, and the smile on his face never faded during their conversation.

Shen You, however, felt uninterested and couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong, but out of politeness, she still answered his questions.

Half an hour later, she put down her cup and gave the reason she had prepared beforehand: "I have some things to attend to today, so I will not keep you company any longer. I hope Mr. Chen will understand."

Chen Huarui was somewhat surprised, but then smiled gently and said, "In that case, I'll escort you downstairs first."

"Thank you very much, Young Master Chen."

Shen You stood up, and the two went downstairs together.

Once outside Bilu Pavilion, you'll find yourself on a wide street. Perhaps because it's nearing noon and the sun is shining brightly, there aren't many people at the stalls on both sides.

Stepping over the stepping stone, Shen You turned back, about to say goodbye, when he heard him say, "I wonder if I will have another opportunity to invite you..."

"You shameless woman! Let's see where you can hide!"

Chen Huarui's words were interrupted.

With a loud "slap," a very loud slap rang out.

"Ah! Let me go!"

"We're already divorced, so stop bothering me!"

The woman's voice rang out, pleading and arguing for mercy.

Shen You subconsciously looked over and saw a burly man with a fierce face grabbing a woman and beating and cursing her at will at the entrance of the alley next to him.

The woman's clothes were disheveled, her hair was loose, her wooden hairpin had fallen to the ground, and the slap marks on her cheek were very obvious.

"Divorce!?" The man's cheeks twitched as he spoke. "You have the nerve to mention divorce!"

"You're carrying me and my mother, who's practically on her deathbed, to the government office to get the divorce papers!" He grabbed the woman who had fallen to the ground and shoved her into the alley. "Did I agree?! Did I agree?!"

"ah--!"

"Stop hitting me! I'm going to report this to the authorities!"

"Is there anyone kind enough to help me?!"

The woman's tearful cries rang out.

As it approached noon, there were few pedestrians on the street. When the occasional passerby heard that it was about a divorced woman and her ex-husband, they all thought it was someone else's family matter. Although they felt a little sorry for her, they did not interfere and turned away.

Without a second thought, Shen You turned around and headed towards the alley.

But Chen Huarui quickly stopped her, "Miss Shen, what are you doing!"