Zhao Mingzhu and Cheng Lang’s marriage had just been finalized, so how come someone came to propose marriage?

*

Feeling truly ill, Yi Ning returned to the East Garden. She was now curled up in her quilt, drowsy and cuddling a hand warmer. All she could hear was the simmering water from Zhenzhu's teapot. A moment later, Songzhi helped her up and offered her a bowl of poached eggs cooked with brown sugar. The brown sugar was slowly melted over a low flame, and then water was added to the poached eggs, followed by a spoonful of fermented glutinous rice wine, for a fragrant aroma. Yi Ning took a bite of the egg and was filled with its delicious flavor. Sure enough, Songzhi's poached eggs were the best.

While she was eating, Zhenzhu walked in and said to her hesitantly, "Miss, over at Jing'an Residence..."

Yining drank a mouthful of soup and asked lazily, "What happened at Jing'anju?" She just thought they were talking about Zhao Mingzhu, so she was not surprised.

Zhenzhu leaned over and whispered in her ear: "...Mrs. Zhongqin has asked Old Madam Fu to propose marriage. She wants to ask for you to marry Mr. Shen Yu."

Yining paused with the spoon in his hand.

She sat up suddenly and handed the bowl to Songzhi next to her.

"Shen Yu wants to marry me?" Yining was a little surprised, "Does father know?"

Zhenzhu nodded. "The old lady immediately called the Duke over, and they're probably talking right now." She hesitated again. "Do you want to go over and take a look?"

She wasn't feeling well, what was she looking at? Yining waved her hand unhappily again and leaned back.

She looked at the wintersweets planted in the house, each one as budding as yellow jade carvings, with a faint fragrance.

She remembered her marriage in her previous life.

With so many sisters in her family, it wasn't easy to rise to prominence and gain the appreciation of the ancestors, even marrying into a good family. Thanks to her good behavior and dedication to the ancestors, they were willing to look up to her, and that's how Lu Jiaxue's marriage came about. When Lu Jiaxue saw her, he agreed to the match because he thought she was dignified and virtuous, based on what the matchmaker said.

Although she had married a humble bastard, she still adored Lu Jiaxue. After her marriage, she pretended to be virtuous, but he gradually realized she wasn't truly virtuous. Instead, he was incredibly lazy and even a bit stubborn. He would always raise an eyebrow in surprise, then laugh and argue with her. She couldn't argue with him, and in the end, he would have to coax her.

It was just that this person later became someone she didn't recognize at all. And this person who was now powerful in the world had almost strangled her to death not long ago.

Yining closed her eyes and decided not to think about it.

She is no longer the little girl she was many years ago, and even her hatred has been erased by decades.

She hadn't considered this before, but now she'd truly grown up. In this life... if she were to marry again, she hoped for nothing but calculation and pretense. You could be you, and I could be me, living peacefully and harmoniously. But she was in the Duke of Ying's mansion, and her third brother was Luo Shenyuan. No matter how much she hated it, she was already at the center of the future storm.

She had no feelings for Shen Yu. This person was indeed not outstanding among the children of the aristocratic family. Since Wei Ling already knew about this, he would not let her marry Shen Yu. Yi Ning was still confident about this.

She took a deep breath. It would only take two or three years. She was no longer enthusiastic about getting married. She would just wait and see.

Yi Ning guessed correctly. When Wei Ling heard that Old Lady Fu was coming, he went to Jing'anju with a gloomy face.

Old Madam Wei was willing to consider it. After all, they were from aristocratic families that they often interacted with, and they knew each other well. Shen Yu was indeed a handsome young man. But Wei Ling directly refused: "...My daughter is still young, I'm afraid I have to wait two years. Please go back and pass on the message, old madam." Without a formal letter of engagement, the refusal was just a refusal.

Mrs. Fu naturally heard Wei Ling's refusal. She had originally emphasized Shen Yu's appearance and status. But the Duke of England didn't care about these at all. He only had one biological daughter, so whether it was Shen Yu or Li Yu, she had to be pleasing to him.

Mrs. Fu was not surprised. She had already prepared for Wei Ling's refusal. Seeing that it was getting late, Mrs. Wei asked Mother Song to prepare a room for Mrs. Fu to stay.

After Mrs. Fu left, Mrs. Wei said to Wei Ling: "...Mingzhu mentioned Shen Yu to me earlier, saying that he and Yining had met before."

When Wei Ling heard Zhao Mingzhu mention Shen Yu, her expression turned cold: "Mother, do you still remember what I said to Zhao Mingzhu?" If Zhao Mingzhu dared to make any more moves, she would be kicked out of the Duke of Ying's Mansion.

Old Madam Wei waved her hand: "She didn't say anything, so don't blame her! If you think it's not possible, then forget it. I won't force you to marry Yining. After all, Yining is my granddaughter, so I naturally hope she marries well... But today, I mentioned his relationship with Mingzhu to Cheng Lang, and he refused. Mingzhu is in a sad state..."

No matter how cheerful and cheerful a girl is, she is still shy about such things.

Wei Ling naturally didn't think Zhao Mingzhu was worthy of Cheng Lang, and would be surprised if Cheng Lang actually agreed to his proposal. Seeing the old lady's expression, he didn't try to persuade her, but simply said, "Yining's future marriage will require my approval. Don't make a decision lightly."

Mrs. Wei laughed when she heard this: "I know! I'm not some unforgivable person..." Mrs. Wei's voice softened here. Her face looked a little old, and she murmured, "Yining isn't very close to me, and I want to treat her better."

Seeing his mother like this, Wei Ling was speechless. The two of them were silent for a while before Wei Ling excused himself and left to go to Yining's place.

Old Mrs. Wei leaned against the small table, lost in thought for a moment. Mother Song had already settled Old Mrs. Fu. When she came in, she saw that the light of the pine oil lamp on the table had dimmed. She took off the lampshade and picked out the wick, and the flame finally lit up again.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!