Meng Zhao was very impatient with these marriage-urging remarks and was about to refuse when she heard Shen Qinghe's door suddenly open from the inside.
Shen Qing strode over to the two of them, his face somewhat gloomy, his tone carrying a hint of suppressed anger, "Aunt Wang, you don't need to worry about my sister-in-law's affairs. If she wants to remarry, she will naturally make her own decision, and there's no need for others to interfere."
When Granny Wang saw Shen Qinghe come out, her eyes lit up. No wonder that Scholar Li was willing to spend so much money to arrange this marriage. This second son of the Shen family was too handsome. His eyebrows and eyes were like paintings, and his temperament was clear and bright. It was impossible to take your eyes off him. It's just that his face was really gloomy at the moment, as if he wanted to eat her up.
She chuckled awkwardly and said softly, "Hey, I'm just doing this for your sister-in-law's own good. If you really respect her, you should let her remarry sooner. If she keeps wasting her time like this, it will be harder for her to find a husband when she gets older."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghe frowned even more deeply. “My sister-in-law is both beautiful and talented. There are very few men in the world who are worthy of her. She is always the one who chooses others, and it is never the other way around. Besides, I don’t need you to teach me what respect is. I only know that my respect is to let my sister-in-law do whatever she wants without being swayed by the opinions of others.”
Hearing Shen Qing's praise, even Meng Zhao was surprised. She didn't expect that she was so highly regarded in his eyes.
Granny Wang disagreed with his argument, pursing her lips and saying, "That's not how it works. If your sister-in-law really can't get married in the future, do you think you can support her for the rest of her life?"
Shen Qinghe replied without hesitation, “Why not? Besides, my sister-in-law is smart and capable. When has she ever needed someone to support her? Since you are a matchmaker, you should follow etiquette. My sister-in-law is still in mourning, and you are trying to persuade her to remarry. Wouldn’t that ruin someone’s family? If this gets out, I’d like to see who would dare to ask you to be their matchmaker.”
In the eyes of the ancients, observing mourning was always a very important thing. This is why the original owner's family was annoyed when they forced him to marry. Shen Qing'an's marriage during his mourning period was considered a violation of filial piety. If he were an official, he would probably have no hope of promotion just because of this. Even if he was an ordinary person, he would still be pointed at and gossiped about.
Knowing she was in the wrong, Granny Wang quickly patted her mouth and said repeatedly, "Pah, pah, pah, it's all my fault. I couldn't keep my mouth shut and said the wrong thing. Please don't be angry."
After saying that, she immediately put on a smiling face, her quick change of expression leaving everyone speechless.
She looked at Shen Qinghe with a smile, her tone somewhat ingratiating, "Look at this Shen Erlang, not only is he incredibly talented, but he's also very eloquent. No wonder Scholar Li is so fond of you and spared no expense to ask me to be your matchmaker."
Shen Qinghe remained unmoved and coldly said, "I am currently focused on preparing for the exam and have no interest in marriage. Please leave."
Granny Wang was unwilling to give up and continued, "It is precisely because you want to take the imperial examination that you should agree to this marriage. That Li scholar was the runner-up in previous years. Many of the candidates in his year have become officials and have quite a few connections in the officialdom. You will definitely have connections that you can use in the future imperial examination."
Shen Qinghe's expression was firm, and his tone carried a hint of disdain, "I participated in the imperial examination based entirely on my own abilities, and I would never rely on any kinship."
Seeing that he was unmoved by reason, Granny Wang had no choice but to turn to Meng Zhao and say, "Hey, you're still too young. Meng Niangzi, as his sister-in-law, you should give him some advice. Li Juren is a marriage that many families would kill for!"
Meng Zhao shrugged and said calmly, "In our family, we've always made our own decisions. If he doesn't want to, there's nothing I can do."
Seeing that the two were adamant, Granny Wang could only sigh and stand up. "Alright, alright, since you put it that way, I won't say anything more. But this is a rare opportunity, so you should think it over carefully."
After Granny Wang walked away, Shen Qinghe turned around and stared at Meng Zhao with a resentful look in his eyes, mixed with a hint of dissatisfaction, which made Meng Zhao feel uncomfortable.
He was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, his tone tinged with grievance, "Sister-in-law, why didn't you just refuse when that person came over to propose marriage to me?"
In fact, Meng Zhao wanted to refuse, because in her eyes, Shen Qinghe was only sixteen years old and still a boy, far from being old enough to get married.
But then she thought about it again. Ancient times were different from modern times. People generally got married at a young age. Sixteen was already the age to get married and have children. She couldn't impose her own ideas on others, so she didn't refuse directly.
"I'm not saying this because I think it's your own business and you should be the one to decide."
Shen Qing stared straight at her, his tone stubborn, "Sister-in-law can make any decision for me."
Seeing his expression, Meng Zhao felt a mischievous glint in his eye. "What if I made you agree to this marriage? She's the daughter of a scholar, and she'll have a dowry of a thousand taels of silver."
Shen Qinghe frowned even more deeply. "In the future, I will also become a scholar, and I will earn more money for my sister-in-law."
Meng Zhao couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Alright, since you put it that way, I'll help you turn down any more of these kinds of things in the future."
Shen Qinghe persisted, asking, "So, was my sister-in-law trying to refuse for me just now?"
Meng Zhao didn't know why he was asking this, but she answered truthfully, "Yes, you still have to take the imperial examination. If you get distracted, how can I be the wife of a successful candidate in the provincial examination? How can I accept your one thousand taels of silver?"
Hearing this answer, Shen Qinghe was finally satisfied. It seemed that his sister-in-law still didn't want him to marry someone else, but she couldn't say more because of her status.
He then fell into melancholy. His sister-in-law could like whomever she wanted, but he couldn't let his brother down. He ultimately couldn't reciprocate his sister-in-law's feelings.
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