No discussion
Wu Yin was unwilling to marry Wei Si. After returning to the mansion, she hadn't even exchanged a few pleasantries with Wu Rugui before they had a big fight.
"Why did you agree to my marriage with Wei Si! You want to decide my marriage, fine, but you want me to marry him without even asking my opinion!" Wu Yin's face turned red with anger, her eyes filled with tears, and she exuded a chilling aura. Her words were harsh and tactless. "I'm fighting on the battlefield, and you're pushing me away! If you think you can't afford to support your daughter, I can give you all the Emperor's rewards! I don't want a single penny!"
Wu Rugui was at a loss, not knowing how to comfort her daughter who had just returned home and was already so angry. She raised her hand to wipe away Wu Yin's tears, but Wu Yin turned her head away.
He withdrew his hand and said with heartache, "He... he said he loves you. I was thinking that since General Wei died on the battlefield, he would have to observe mourning for quite some time, so I thought I might as well agree first and then decide when you come back."
"My decision!? What can I decide?" Wu Yin scoffed, wiping away her tears, knowing that shouting at this point would be futile. She took a deep breath and said, "His Majesty has bestowed a marriage upon Wei Si and me, and the imperial decree is currently in his hands."
"What! A marriage has been arranged!"
Wu Yin nodded.
"My dear daughter, I'm asking you one last time: you swear you'll never marry Wei Si, is that right?"
Wu Yin sat down in the chair as if exhausted, not looking at Wu Rugui, but staring intently at a pattern on the ground. When she spoke again, her voice still sounded a little sob, but the resentment from before was gone.
“Father, I’m not even twenty yet, and you want me to get married. I know you mean well and want to find someone to protect me, but how can you be sure that the person you find will protect me wholeheartedly? How can a person risk their life to protect another person? And why should I find a stranger to protect me? Even if he is high-ranking and powerful, even if he pampers me and dotes on me, even if he only has me in his life.”
“These past years, Mother has been gone, and I have had little communication with you. But Father, do I have to rely on others for my entire long life? I should be able to rely on myself.”
"Whether I get married or not, and who I marry, is my own business. Right now, I don't want to get married, and I don't want to marry anyone."
Her thoughts were in turmoil; the image that filled her mind was the imperial decree bestowing the marriage upon her. The emperor's words, "I will decide for you," were ostensibly meant to support her, but in reality, they were a threat.
"As for Wei Si, no matter what kind of person he is, I cannot marry him. He doesn't love me; he's just using me. I don't know what he wants to use me for, but he definitely is."
Once the imperial decree of marriage arrived, she became his pawn.
Wu Rugui's original intention was to find a protector for his daughter, and he had no intention of forcing her into marriage. Wei Si once said, "I am of marriageable age, so why don't you reserve me for now?" Wu Rugui was momentarily blinded by these words, thinking that his daughter was so outstanding that she was more than good enough for anyone else than Wei Si. Then, remembering Wei Si's status, he impulsively agreed to the marriage.
To try to be clever only makes things worse.
Since his daughter was so unwilling to marry, why should he, as her father, force her to cry? He said, "Since she is unwilling to marry Wei Si, then I will go and ask the Emperor to withdraw the imperial decree that bestowed the marriage upon her."
Wu Yin shook her head: "How could we possibly back down? Wei Si is the Emperor's own nephew. General Wei is dead, and his Wei Mansion has been vandalized. The Emperor doesn't know how he'll appease him. Besides, the Emperor asked me about my achievements, which is clearly a ploy to get me to agree to this arranged marriage."
"What can anyone do about the Emperor's decree of marriage?"
Fortunately, Wei Sixu is in mourning, so they don't have to get married in the near future.
"It's alright, Father will figure something out."
Wu Yin said, "I'm tired, I'm going to rest now. Father, you should go to sleep early too."
Gazing at Wu Yin's retreating figure, Wu Rugui admitted his mistake; he shouldn't have arranging a marriage for his daughter without authorization. He now understood that if Wu Yin had even the slightest affection for Wei Si, he wouldn't have pestered him every day to propose. The so-called "parents' orders and matchmaker's words" now seemed to Wu Rugui like sharp blades that brought tears to Wu Yin's eyes.
If the engagement brings Wu Yin only pain, then she should just give up on it.
Even if the Emperor bestows a marriage upon him, it might not be without hope. For some reason, Wu Rugui's mind conjured up an image of a get-out-of-jail-free card and a figure. In this world, the only person he could think of who possessed a way to break the curse was...
His eyes gleamed with hope as he said in a deep voice, "Prepare the car."
After leaving the Zige Pavilion, Wu Rugui remained silent in his carriage for a long time before finally instructing someone to go to Tuoziyuan. This place was not unfamiliar to him; he had studied here as a child, and during the plague, he had wept bitterly, pounding on the door, determined to leave. Back then, he was too young; the greater good of the world was less important to him than a candied hawthorn. He proclaimed, "The world belongs to all; I am willing to die for it," but disaster struck far earlier than his awakening.
Couplets were pasted on the wall of Tuoziyuan, the characters on them childish and not all written by the same person, seemingly written by children from the village. Two large red lanterns hung on the door. Inside the lanterns burned glittering flames, their dim light illuminating a patch of sky.
Wu Rugui stood in front of the door, hesitant to go in. It was Qi Qing in the courtyard who saw him and asked him what he wanted and who he was looking for.
Unable to hide his shame, he said, "I'm looking for Master Sun."
"Grandpa's here. It's cold outside. Uncle, please come in."
Tuoziyuan was bustling with activity. Fengyu, knowing that Wuqi had returned in triumph, excitedly dragged Qiqing to find Wuqi, but was stopped by Master Sun. Master Sun said, "Your brothers and sisters are very busy. Go and bother them in a few days."
Feng Yu found this reasonable and decided not to go. Then she began to play the zither.
Master Sun had just turned to leave when the music started. He stopped in his tracks, his vision went black, and he turned back in disbelief to look at Feng Yu, who was engrossed in the music.
Without listening to the sound, just looking at Feng Yu shaking his head, one might think he played very well. But upon hearing the music, one feels uncomfortable all over and just wants to cover one's ears and run away.
Seeing that Fengyu was becoming more and more engrossed in the music, Master Sun could no longer bear it and said, "Stop! I'll teach you to play the zither."
This was the scene that greeted Wu Rugui as he stepped through the door. Many years had passed, and everything should have changed, but with Master Sun there, he felt that all these years had passed, and the only thing that remained was the light in the room.
"Uncle? Who are you looking for?" Feng Yu, with her sharp eyes, spotted Wu Rugui first.
Qi Qing, who came along, said, "This uncle is looking for Grandpa Sun."
Master Sun steadied the strings of his zither and looked at Wu Rugui. He never considered himself a good teacher. For example, even after all these years, when Wu Rugui had risen to a high position, he still thought he was stupid and not as smart as his daughter.
"Do you want to catch up or do you need something from me?"
Wu Rugui honestly replied, "I have something to ask of you."
See? He's still stupid. Others would beat around the bush, catch up, and say a lot of flattering things, seemingly casually mentioning that they need something from him. Wu Rugui is different; he says directly that he needs something from him.
Qi Qing and Feng Yu closed the door and left, leaving only the two of them inside. Master Sun asked, "What brings you here? Could it be about Ying Chang and Wei Si being betrothed by the Emperor?"
Wu Rugui exclaimed in surprise, "How did you know, Master?"
Master Sun gave him a questioning look and asked doubtfully, "How did you manage to establish yourself in the court? Could it be that you only have a brain like yours?"
Having been inexplicably scolded, Wu Rugui had no time to care. He told Master Sun the whole story and finally sighed, "I was wrong about this. I shouldn't have rushed to find protection for Yingchang and shouldn't have forced her to get married."
Master Sun was ruthless when he scolded people, showing no regard for Wu Rugui as a high-ranking official, and gave him a good lecture.
“You’re really stupid. How can it be wrong for parents to seek protection for their children? Your mistake is that you can’t see clearly and can’t judge people. Yingchang is only a teenager now, why should she get married? She is intelligent and talented. With her talent and decisiveness, she can easily be promoted to an official position. Instead of paving the way for her and making her progress smoothly, you insist on pushing her away.”
"How could you be such a parent?!"
Without even taking a breath, he continued to berate, "Besides, is Wei Si even a suitable marriage partner? If he were truly that good, the noble ladies and those who wanted to climb the social ladder in the capital would have been itching to marry him long ago. You're in the imperial court; do you really not know how many evil deeds he's committed? Do you really not know how many people he's killed? Knowing all this, you still push your daughter towards him, isn't it all for his status and position? And you still say you're wrong, wrong, you still don't know you're wrong."
"Can't you understand? Yingchang's peace and stability are something she earned herself, not something bestowed upon her by anyone!"
After finishing his tirade, Master Sun frowned and said, "I know what you came to me for today. I will go to the Wei residence to find Wei Si, but as for whether I can get him to annul the engagement, I can't guarantee it. If Ying Changzhen really marries him, you can cry all day long!"
"Thank you... Thank you very much, Master."
Master Sun said, "What are you thanking me for! Get out of here, you fool!"
Master Sun kept his word, and just as dawn was breaking, he got up and went to the Wei residence. The Wei residence had been vandalized by the second young master of the Yi family a few days ago; he wondered if it had been repaired yet. With that thought, he arrived at the gate of the Wei residence.
No one stopped him; in fact, someone led the way for him.
Whether it was because Yi Wu had smashed the Wei residence too badly or because Wei Si was simply unwilling to repair it, after all these days, the house was still filled with broken jade and porcelain shards. Master Sun arranged a chair for himself and sat down to wait for Wei Si.
Before long, Wei Si arrived, as if he had been waiting for Master Sun.
Master Sun rose and bowed, saying, "Your Highness."
"Please sit. The mansion has been vandalized, so there's not much to offer. I hope Master Sun will forgive us."
"Your Highness is too kind."
Wei Sidao said, "Master Sun has come today to..."
Master Sun replied, "I have come for the marriage of my student Yingchang and His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Is that so?" Wei Si pointed to his head, a few strands of hair hanging down. "If Master Sun didn't come here today to bless this marriage, then there's no point in talking about it."
“You do not favor Yingchang,” said Master Sun.
"Huh? Who's spouting such nonsense? If I didn't love Yingchang, I would ask the Emperor to grant us a marriage. I love Yingchang, and I will marry no one but her in this life. Are those who are trying to stop this marriage trying to wipe out the Wei family line?"
Now it's no longer about whether or not to get married; they genuinely want the Wei family line to end.
"Your Highness, is there absolutely no room for negotiation?"
"Not necessarily," Wei Si said.
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