Song Jing, standing beside Song Lan, also nodded, "What do you think, Lan'er?"
Song Lan pondered for a moment before expressing his thoughts. "Aunt has always been a flatterer of the powerful and a bully of the weak. Although Wen Tingbai comes from a good family and is the legitimate son of a marquis, his reputation is now so tarnished that even a minor official is reluctant to marry off his legitimate daughter. Who would have thought that my second uncle and second aunt would want to marry their legitimate daughter to him at this time, and even make excuses for him like this... I'm afraid he has some leverage over her and is forced to do so."
Song Jing also nodded and looked at Song Lan and said, "All those years of studying have finally paid off. I think you've finally figured it out a bit."
Song Lan shook his head, turned around and looked at Song Wanning, "What do you think, sister? What do you think it could be?"
Song Wanning couldn't bring herself to tell everything she knew, so she could only pick out some other things to talk about. "Wen Tingbo may look decent on the surface, but he's actually a hypocrite. If he gets a handle on someone else, he'll definitely use it. He said he was going to marry Song Wanshi, so I'm afraid this handle is related to Song Wanshi. Second Aunt and Sister Shi have always had ulterior motives. It's not surprising if they do something like shooting themselves in the foot."
When Song Jing heard this, he sighed and said, "Since the second wife wants to get married, let them get married. As long as our first wife is doing well and nothing goes wrong, we won't meddle in their affairs."
Song Wanning and Song Lan responded one after another, and the three of them went back to their rooms to rest, while Nan Hongqiu went to Song Wanshi's yard again.
Song Wanshi's door was tightly closed. Nan Hongqiu glanced at the maid at the door and asked in a low voice, "Has the young lady come out yet?"
Seeing this, the maid at the door told Nan Hongqiu the truth with a sullen look on her face, "Not once, she locked the door and wouldn't let anyone in, and she kept saying she wouldn't get married. She didn't even eat, she just cried in her room."
"Why hasn't this girl figured it out yet? How can she decide whether to marry or not?" Nan Hongqiu was now a little anxious. She could only sigh and say, "If she doesn't marry, Master Bai will make trouble. I'm afraid her reputation in the capital will be ruined. If it gets serious, I'm afraid it will bring disaster to the whole family."
As Nan Hongqiu was speaking, the door opened and Song Wanshi came out. She knelt on the ground with a thud, her eyes red as she tugged at Nan Hongqiu's sleeve. "Mother, I don't want to get married. I don't want to marry Wen Tingbai. Mother, can you think of a way to stop me from marrying him? If I really marry him, won't the rest of my life be ruined? I'm afraid those sisters who are usually on good terms with me will laugh their teeth off."
"Silly child, your mother doesn't want you to get married either." Nan Hongqiu sighed as she saw Song Wanshi crying, "But there's really nothing we can do now. In the future, your mother will avenge you and make those who hurt you pay the price."
Seeing this, Song Wanshi was really at her wit's end and could only sob in response, a trace of despair flashing across her face.
"If Song Wanning hadn't always been so much of a pushover, stealing the spotlight, and making you feel uneasy even after your marriage, you wouldn't have suffered from your bad reputation and been unable to find a good husband. Now, she's married to the Prime Minister, leaving us, Sister Shi, to marry someone she doesn't want." Nan Hongqiu's eyes flashed with resentment as he spoke. "Don't worry, Sister Shi, I will definitely help you get revenge."
"Mother... It's so inhumane that Wen Tingbai favors his concubine and kills his wife. How am I supposed to live my life in the future..." Song Wanshi is only thinking about her life after getting married.
Nan Hongqiu sighed inwardly upon hearing this, but she still comforted Song Wanshi, "Sister Shi, Sister Ning was oppressed in the Marquis' Mansion in the past because she had no support from her mother's family. Now that your mother and father are still alive, they will definitely not let you be bullied. Besides, Second Master Bai is no longer able to move forward, but he will definitely respect and honor you in the future, so your life won't be too difficult."
After hearing this, Song Wanshi's expression finally looked better. She stood up sobbing and went into the house with Nan Hongqiu.
A few days later, the Marquis of Zhongping's Mansion came with the betrothal gifts and made the engagement. This move shocked the people in the capital, and they were talking about it for a while.
It would have been fine if there were no comparison, but the Prime Minister's Mansion and the Marquis of Zhongping's Mansion happened to be placed before and after each other. Now that there was a comparison, anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Prime Minister's Mansion's betrothal gift was much greater than the Marquis' Mansion's. Suddenly, rumors spread about Song Wanshi's true identity.
If it weren't for her physical defects, she probably wouldn't be able to marry Wen Tingbai. Song Wanshi wanted to explain but couldn't, so she could only grit her teeth and swallow it.
To calm things down, the Zhongping Marquis's Mansion and the General's Second Branch quickly set a wedding date, choosing a nearby auspicious date and planning to marry Song Wanshi off. Surprisingly, the wedding date was set before Song Wanning's.
Song Wanning had no time to care about these things as she had important things to do.
The tea in Lingnan is about to be infested with insects, and the price of tea will rise sharply. What Song Wanning needs to do is to sell all the tea in her hands while the price is high.
Song Wanning was planning to go out and take a look at the tea in the suburbs of Beijing, and by the way, visit teahouses across the capital to check out the current market conditions.
Who would have thought that just as Song Wanning was about to get on the carriage, she heard an anxious voice, "Wanning——"
She turned around and saw Pei Xuanzhi riding towards her from a distance. Pei Xuanzhi had been traveling for days, and his beard was an inch long and he hadn't shaved it yet. He looked a bit more disheveled than usual.
Song Wanning was slightly surprised. She didn't expect Pei Xuanzhi to come back so quickly. "Xuanzhi?"
When Pei Xuanzhi saw her, he was so excited that he couldn't hide it. He hurriedly walked up to Song Wanning and said in a low voice, "Wanning, I'm back."
"I'm glad you're back. You look exhausted. Why don't you go back home and freshen up?" Song Wanning was genuinely happy to see Pei Xuanzhi back. "Now that you're back, I guess you've almost finished your business."
"It's all done." Pei Xuanzhi responded, then smiled and said, "When I was on the road, I heard that you were going to marry the Prime Minister. I was so scared that I killed two horses while rushing back. Today, I went outside the mansion and asked and found out that it was Miss Shi from the mansion who was going to marry Mr. Bai. I misunderstood. They asked me to ride as fast as I could and rush back a few days early. I guess it was my own stupidity. How could it happen so quickly when I was away... And the general promised me."
"It's true." Song Wanning said softly, and her words made Pei Xuanzhi's smile freeze on his face.
"It's true that I'm going to marry the Prime Minister."
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