Chapter 5 Zhan'er, how long are you going to keep this a secret?
Matchmaker Zhang's face lit up with joy: "Really? Madam really agreed?"
She never expected things to go so smoothly. The Regent's gift to the matchmaker was very generous. She had to go back immediately to report the good news to the Regent!
Shen Qingci nodded: "However... my situation is rather special. I have only been a widow for two months. If I want to remarry, I have to wait until the hundred-day mourning period is over, otherwise it will definitely cause controversy."
"Yes, yes, I know!" Matchmaker Zhang said with a smile. "The Regent knows about the lady's situation. The Prince said he can wait forty days."
"Besides, he'll need more than a month to prepare for the wedding. As long as his wife agrees, he can just wait to be married into the family in a grand and glorious manner!"
Shen Qingci felt a little strange, but now this regent was indeed her best choice. Shen Qingci nodded: "Okay, that's good."
Upon receiving confirmation, Zhang the matchmaker was overjoyed and offered her congratulations repeatedly before hurrying off to deliver the message.
After the matchmaker Zhang left, Wanqing asked with a worried expression, "Miss, are you really going to marry that regent? I heard he..."
“It doesn’t matter.” Shen Qingci interrupted her, his expression indifferent: “What does it matter to me what he is like? All I need is an identity that allows me to leave this Marquis’s mansion.”
She paused, a cold glint in her eyes: "Don't make this public yet, especially don't let the people of the Marquis's mansion know. I have my own arrangements."
Chu Jichen is, after all, the Regent Prince, and his wedding certainly cannot be taken lightly; it's unlikely that preparations can be completed in a short time. Furthermore, there are still forty days remaining until the hundredth day since Huo Yunzhan's death.
During this time, she still needed to remain in this disgusting Yongning Marquis's residence, feigning compliance with that adulterous couple. If Huo Yunzhan and Liu Ruolan knew she was going to remarry the Regent, they would definitely not let it go! Therefore, she had to pretend that nothing had happened and wait another forty days!
Hurried footsteps came from outside. Shen Qingci and Wanqing stopped talking and heard the footsteps stop at the door: "Second Madam! The Old Madam invites you to her place to discuss the General's funeral arrangements for tomorrow."
Shen Qingci agreed, stood up, and went to the old lady's place.
Just as they arrived at the entrance of Cixin Courtyard where the old lady lived, they bumped into Huo Yunzhan and Liu Ruolan, who were coming together.
Liu Ruolan was dressed in a lotus-colored dress, which made her skin look as white as snow. She was as delicate as a willow in the wind. She nestled in Huo Yunzhan's arms and was talking with a smile. The two of them looked very affectionate.
Shen Qingci suppressed her nausea and simply bowed to the two men, saying, "Lord Marquis, Sister-in-law."
Upon seeing Shen Qingci, Huo Yunzhan subconsciously released his arm from Liu Ruolan, as if he had been caught in the act. Only after releasing her did Huo Yunzhan seem to remember his current status, raising his hand to cover his mouth and coughing lightly as a cover-up.
Shen Qingci saw it all clearly, and a hint of mockery flashed in her eyes.
Liu Ruolan, unaware of all this, stepped forward warmly and took Shen Qingci's hand: "How have you been these past two days, sister-in-law? You look a bit healthier."
Shen Qingci smiled bitterly: "What's the use of me trying to kill myself? Yun Zhan is gone. The Marquis and my mother are right. I am still carrying Yun Zhan's child in my belly. This is Yun Zhan's only bloodline. I have to think more about the child."
She lowered her head, stroking her now-childless belly: "Now all I hope for is to give birth to my child safely; it's my only hope..."
Liu Ruolan's gaze also fell on Shen Qingci's belly, a hint of jealousy flashing in her eyes: "It's good that you can understand. Don't do anything foolish again. The child in your belly still needs you."
Liu Ruolan sighed, "Is the baby fussy? It's wonderful that you and Yun Zhan have been married for only half a year and you're already pregnant. I've been married to the Marquis for a year and a half, but my belly still hasn't cooperated!"
Upon hearing this, Huo Yunzhan immediately withdrew his gaze from Shen Qingci's belly and smiled as he put his arm around Liu Ruolan's slender waist: "Before, it was because I was away leading troops in battle for many years, so we rarely saw each other."
"Now that my second brother has died in battle, my mother is worried that something will happen to me, so she won't let me go to the battlefield anymore. I'll have a child sooner or later!"
It's disgusting to see Huo Yunzhan acting all lovey-dovey towards Liu Ruolan.
Fortunately, she only needs to endure for another forty days before she can leave this manor and stop seeing those two disgusting faces.
Shen Qingci thought to herself, but remained outwardly calm, only smiling and saying, "Yes, sister-in-law and the Marquis have a very deep relationship, she will surely be pregnant soon."
She was a little curious. Liu Ruolan and Huo Yunting had spent a lot of time together before and had even consummated their marriage. After Huo Yunzhan returned, he and Liu Ruolan spent every night together. Did Liu Ruolan really not know that the person beside her had changed?
Or perhaps, you know perfectly well what's going on in your mind, but you're just pretending not to notice?
With these questions in mind, the three of them entered the courtyard together.
The old lady's gaze swept over the three of them, and she sighed softly before looking at Shen Qingci: "Tomorrow is the day of Yun Zhan's funeral. Qingci, you are pregnant, so it's best if you avoid it to avoid offending the child in your womb. Leave the funeral arrangements to your eldest brother."
Shen Qingci's eyes flashed. Excellent! She had just been thinking about how to find an excuse to avoid it.
Neither Huo Yunting nor Huo Yunzhan deserved her to attend their funeral!
The child she was carrying, which no longer existed, was truly a perfect shield.
"Okay." Shen Qingci nodded, looking grief-stricken. "I understand. A few days ago, on the day Yun Zhan's remains were brought back to the manor, I was overwhelmed with grief in the mourning hall, and my stomach started to hurt after I got back."
"Perhaps it is the child in my womb blaming me, and it is also the deceased Yun Zhan reminding me that I must give birth to this child safely for him."
"Mother, I've thought it through. I will take good care of myself and give birth to the baby in peace."
The old lady nodded, her face beaming with joy: "Good child, it's all the better that you've figured it out."
Shen Qingci accompanied them to discuss Huo Yunzhan's funeral arrangements before leaving the old lady's courtyard.
She had only walked a short distance when she stopped again. If she were to remarry, she needed to keep her dowry in her own hands. She couldn't let the Huo family embezzle her dowry and take advantage of her for nothing.
Perfect timing! Now that Huo Yunzhan is dead, she can take this opportunity to bring it up with the old lady.
Shen Qingci turned around and went back. Just as she reached the entrance of the main hall, she heard the old lady's voice from inside: "Zhan'er, how long are you going to keep this a secret? Do you know that Qingci attempted suicide twice for you before!"
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