Chapter 87 I'll Marry You

"Miss, something terrible has happened! The abbot of Lanting Academy, Bai, actually brought betrothal gifts to the Jiang residence today and asked the master for your hand in marriage. He's in the front hall of the Jiang residence right now!" Early in the morning, Qingxing rushed in, looking flustered, and almost lost her shoes in the process.

She was indignant. "What a shameless old man! He's old enough to be your father, and he dares to ask for my hand in marriage? It's utterly vulgar and shameless, a disgrace to a scholar!"

Jiang Zhi didn't seem particularly surprised.

When she ran into this Supervisor Bai at the entrance of the Jiang residence yesterday, she felt that his eyes were unfriendly and creepy.

Sure enough, the answer came today.

I just don't know if it was Wang Yuru's idea or that of her stepson.

If she could, she would never want to get married.

But it seems that as long as her marriage is not settled, the Jiang family will not stop and will always have designs on her.

We need to find a way to solve this once and for all.

"Miss, what should we do next?" Qingxing was also very worried.

Jiang Zhi said calmly, "It doesn't matter. Even if Father agrees to the marriage, it's fine. Yan Wenkang is a cautionary tale for Mr. Bai."

A cold smile appeared on her face. "I don't mind being labeled a jinx or a widow, let's see if he's lucky enough to marry me."

Jiang Zhi's composure quickly infected Qing Xing, who also felt relieved.

Unfortunately, others who received the news were not so calm.

Mr. Bai's real name is Bai Rongcai. He is just over forty years old and is the abbot of Lanting Academy, the largest academy in Kyoto.

He never remarried after his wife passed away from illness five years ago. In Kyoto, he was known for his deep love for his deceased wife, which was short-lived, and his unwavering devotion to her.

His renewed interest in remarrying is due to the fact that his eldest son is about to get married, and a mistress is needed to manage the wedding arrangements; no one dares to object.

When he went to the Jiang family to propose marriage, he made quite a show of it, as if he was certain that the Jiang family would agree to the marriage.

Although Jiang Zhengting did not ask him to take the betrothal gifts back, he did not immediately agree either. Instead, he said that he needed to consider it and asked Bai Rongcai to wait two days before discussing it further.

"Father, do you still intend to let my eldest sister enter the Eastern Palace?"

Only Jiang Zhengting and his son Jiang Ningzheng remained in the study.

Jiang Zhengting's expression was solemn. "If Zhi'er can marry the Crown Prince, it will be of great benefit to you and to our Jiang family."

“No,” Jiang Ningzheng said, “The fact that the Crown Prince has not issued any decree for so long shows that His Highness the Crown Prince has not taken a liking to my elder sister at all. This dragging on is not a good thing.”

Because the Crown Prince had already chosen her, the young men from noble families dared not propose marriage so rashly. The eldest sister was now in an awkward position. If she didn't marry soon, it would be even harder to find a good match later. It was better for her to marry now while she could contribute to the Jiang family.

Jiang Zhengting was still hesitating.

Jiang Ningzheng further advised, "Besides, the Bai family is a scholarly family. Once the eldest sister marries into the family, she will be the head of the household and will not suffer any loss."

"Let me think about it some more."

"I hope Father will make a decision soon. There are quite a few young ladies who want to marry into the Bai family. If Mr. Bai decides to marry into another family after a long time, it will be too late to regret it."

After saying that, Jiang Ningzheng stopped trying to persuade him and left Jiang Zhengting alone in the study to ponder.

Shen Ci'an learned of this news from the steward just after court, and went to find Jiang Zhi without even changing out of his court robes.

However, two obstructive guards blocked the entrance to the mansion, preventing him from entering.

Shen Ci'an did not insist and went to the backyard of his own Shen residence.

There was a locked side gate.

He took out his key, opened the door, and after passing through, arrived at the courtyard where Jiang Zhi was.

This side gate existed before Jiang Zhi moved in.

The two houses were originally inhabited by two brothers, and this side gate was opened for unforeseen circumstances.

Jiang Zhi was somewhat surprised to see that Shen Ci'an was able to enter.

His explanation made me laugh.

"You can still laugh," Shen Ci'an sighed. "What if Lord Jiang agrees to this marriage on your behalf?"

Jiang Zhi blinked. "I'll marry him if you agree. I can't go against my parents' wishes and the matchmaker's words."

"You are willing to marry Mr. Bai?" Shen Ci'an asked, puzzled.

"Can this kind of thing even be decided by my own will?"

“Jiang Zhi,” Shen Ci’an’s eyes were deep and cold, like a snow-covered pool, even the shadows under his eyelashes had a hard edge, “Don’t joke about your own marriage.”

"Then what does the teacher think I should do?" Jiang Zhi also lost her temper.

As a woman, she had no chance to resist.

Shen Ci'an looked at her seriously and intently, his profile taut, even his breathing heavy and solemn. "I can help you."

"How does the Master intend to help?"

"I will marry you."

Jiang Zhi was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud, "Marrying you and marrying Mr. Bai seem to be no different in essence. I have no choice."

“There is a difference,” Shen Ci’an said solemnly. “Marrying me is only a temporary measure. You will have maximum freedom to do whatever you want. I will not use my position as your husband to imprison you. If you find someone you like in the future…”

He took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled before continuing, "I can give you a divorce agreement and set you free."

Jiang Zhi was truly shocked.

"You mean you'll only be my husband in name, and everything else will be the same as before I got married? I can even still live in my own house?"

Shen Ci'an looked at her and said, "That's right. If you need money, I can give you my salary and the land bestowed by the Emperor."

It would be a lie to say that Jiang Zhi wasn't moved by what Shen Ci'an said.

The Jiang family controls her marriage; unless the family ties are severed, she will not be able to make her own decisions.

But if she were married, she wouldn't have to hold back in many things.

Once she has taken her revenge and regained the ability to protect herself, she can divorce Shen Ci'an and regain her freedom. There is simply no better path than this.

But doing so seems unfair to Shen Ci'an.

Shen Ci'an also thought of her concerns, "Don't worry about me. I was born into poverty. You saved me and treated me. Now I'll consider it as repaying your kindness back then."

Besides, I have no parents and no elders to restrain me, so you can do whatever you want, something no other scion of a noble family can match.”

Having known Jiang Zhi for so long, he knew that she was not a parasitic vine that needed to depend on others; on the contrary, she had a more resilient and unyielding spirit than the average man.

He just wanted to free her from worldly constraints.

Jiang Zhi was practically itching to make a move.

Fortunately, she still had a sliver of conscience left, which suppressed the urge to agree on the spot.

"Master, please allow me a few days to consider before giving you an answer."

"Okay, I'll wait for you."