Chapter 34: If Wanwan marries me, she will only be my legal wife
Not only was Xie Yan baffled, but Luo Wan herself was also baffled. She and Jiang Cichen had only a handful of interactions, so how could they possibly get married?
Why did Beiye Ji choose her as his pawn? Thinking about it, there were only two reasons: one was that she had briefly crossed paths with Jiang Cichen in public, and the other was that she was beautiful.
Beiye Ji mentioned this matter with confidence at the Poetry and Martial Arts Conference. He probably never expected that the daughter of a mere fourth-rank official would dare to refute him, let alone that his own brother, the Ninth Prince, would stand up to uphold justice.
Thinking of the Ninth Prince's life story that he had learned from Liu Zong some days ago, and then thinking about Yuan Jinbao's guidance at the palace banquet that day and his righteous words today, Luo Wan felt that there seemed to be a faint thread of fate between them.
But through the curtain, she did not see the similarities that Liu Zong mentioned in the Ninth Prince.
The poetry and martial arts conference ended, and the children of various families left the martial arts field one after another.
Pei Shaochuan kept complaining about the absurd behavior of Prince Bei Yeji all the way, and finally asked her enthusiastically where she wanted to go to relax.
Luo Wan interrupted, "Xiao Qi, have you ever thought about leaving the capital?"
Even though she had known Pei Shaochuan's real name for a long time, Luo Wan was still used to calling him Xiao Qi.
Pei Shaochuan asked, "Why do you want to leave the capital? Isn't the capital quite good? There is no other city in the world more prosperous than the capital."
Luo Wan was silent.
Yes, nowadays, no city in the world is more prosperous than the capital, but what will happen in a few years? The monarch will be incompetent, the Gu family will dominate the world, the people will suffer, and the country will be no longer a country.
With the fall of the Jiang and Chen families, what will be the fate of the Pei family, which has a long-standing grudge against the Gu family?
She couldn't express these unfinished worries, so she just said, "The world is so big, don't you want to go and see it?"
Pei Shaochuan turned his head to look at her, his eyes becoming more serious: "Wanwan, are you scared by the prince?"
Luo Wan: “…”
"Don't be afraid." He said firmly, with the fearlessness unique to young people, "No one can force you to marry someone you don't want to marry, not even the emperor or the gods!"
"No one can force you to marry someone you don't want to marry!" A sinister sneer was heard, and Gu Sihan, with a few followers, blocked the secluded intersection with a resentful look in his eyes.
Luo Wan had seen this kind of scene between a bully and a poor little thing many times since he was a child.
Pei Shaochuan laughed and said, "Gu Sihan, how dare you show up? I thought you would go home and reflect on your studies after losing the competition. Didn't your father beat you up for losing first place?"
Gu Sihan said, "You did some tricks and dirty tricks, and luckily beat me in an informal competition. Do you really think you can replace me as the number one?"
Pei Shaochuan said, "You were the one who wanted to compete, and you asked Master Shen to come up with the questions. It turned out to be me who was playing tricks on you." Pei Shaochuan paused, and boasted in a very false tone, "Mr. Gu, you are so domineering."
When the people behind Gu Sihan heard this, they couldn't help but laugh. He turned around and glared at them, and they immediately fell silent.
Gu Sihan no longer had the sarcasm he had intended to offer. He gritted his teeth and said, "A guy who always sleeps in class is first in math. Would anyone believe that? People like you probably only think about how to please women from morning till night."
Pei Shaochuan didn't think it was shameful. Instead, he said frankly, "Who I please is my business. I'll please whoever I want." He pulled Luo Wan around a few people and said, "But no matter who I please, I won't please the Gu family."
As Pei Shaochuan and Luo Wan passed by several people face to face, Gu Sihan said word by word: "You are just as ungrateful as your aunt, and your whole family is also ungrateful."
Luo Wan couldn't bear to listen any longer. This intersection was remote and few people passed by. Gu Sihan also noticed this.
But this was exactly what Luo Wan wanted. He could beat up Gu Sihan here without anyone noticing.
Noticing Luo Wan's pause, Pei Shaochuan shook his head at her.
Gu Sihan turned to face their backs and continued, "And the woman you like is just as ungrateful as you are. If you don't even marry Jiang Cichen, who else would you want to marry? Why not marry me? By marrying into my Gu family, you'll be on the upper echelons of society. But with Chi Jingan's meager official position, Chi Wanwan is only fit to be my concubine who warms my bed..."
Before he finished speaking, Luo Wan felt that the person next to him rushed back like an arrow!
The fist landed accurately on Gu Sihan’s face: “You don’t deserve it!”
The two of them immediately started fighting like they did at Hongwenguan. As they exchanged blows, Gu Sihan sarcastically said, "As long as my father asks, Chi Jingan will definitely agree."
Seeing this, Gu Sihan's followers rushed forward and Pei Shaochuan was instantly at a disadvantage.
Luo Wan sighed. Why did he not take action when Gu Sihan talked about him, but became extremely anxious when he talked about himself?
The next moment, a pig-killing howl erupted in the alley:
"Aa ...
“It hurts! My hand!”
"Oooooooh! My tooth fell out ahhhhhh!!!"
"Wrong, wrong, wrong, stop hitting me, stop hitting me!!!"
Luo Wan clapped his hands and glanced at the "pig-headed" from the aristocratic family who was huddled in the corner. His face, hands, and legs were swollen.
This "care" was enough to keep them quiet for ten days or half a month. Not to mention getting out of bed, they couldn't even speak or write clearly.
The wailing of several people was so loud that it hurt Luo Wan's ears, so she made a "hush" gesture.
The world suddenly became quiet.
Pei Shaochuan stood aside, looking at Luo Wan with a frown.
He looked very unhappy. Even if Pei Shaochuan asked at this moment, Luo Wan would still insist that he was Chi Wanwan.
However, Pei Shaochuan didn't ask anything.
He simply took a step forward, raised his hand, and very gently used his fingertips to gather the strands of hair that had fallen on Luo Wan's forehead due to the fight, and carefully put them behind her ears.
At this distance, the bruises on the corners of the boy's mouth were more obvious.
She saw the young man's lips move, and a low, hoarse voice reached her ears: "I'll take you home."
There was no conversation along the way, and silence spread between the two.
This was the first time since they met that Pei Shaochuan was so quiet around her.
This peace did not last long.
The next morning, Luo Wan was awakened by the unusual noise in the mansion.
Tangli hurriedly ran back into the courtyard, her face flushed with anxiety: "Miss, Miss, this is not good! This is not good!"
Luo Wan rolled over in the quilt: "What did I say?"
Don't panic when things go wrong. Don't panic when things go wrong.
Tang Li took a deep breath, calmed down and said, "Miss, the Gu family is here to propose marriage."
Luo Wan's eyes turned cold and he stood up.
Gu Sihan was quite capable. Even after being beaten like that, he was still able to express his desire to get married to his father.
Before entering Rong'an Hall, I saw several huge boxes and baskets tied with red silk placed outside the hall, which was very eye-catching.
There was a peaceful atmosphere in Rong'an Hall. Chi Jing'an and Feng Yuyun sat in the main seats. On their left was the matchmaker who came to propose marriage, and on their right were a few unfamiliar faces.
Before coming to Rong'an Hall, Tangli explained the situation. The people coming this time were not only the matchmaker, but also Ye's family members and Chi Wanwan's uncles and aunts.
As soon as the guests saw Luo Wan, they all gathered around her, and Feng Yuyun also became very friendly at this moment.
"Wanwan has grown so big." He compared the height of his waist and said, "The last time I saw you, you were only this tall."
This is my aunt.
"That's right! She's become even more beautiful. She looks so much like my little sister!"
This is my second aunt.
"You were so sickly when you were little, but now you look so rosy and healthy!"
This is my third aunt.
"She's so graceful and elegant, and a perfect match for the fifth son of the Gu family!"
This is the matchmaker.
After some hypocritical looking at each other, everyone sat down and got straight to the point.
The matchmaker waved her handkerchief and said, "Master Chi, Madam Chi, all the masters and ladies of the Ye family, Patriarch Gu sent me here before dawn! This shows how much he values the eldest daughter of the family! Patriarch Gu only has two legitimate sons, and the situation of the eldest son... well, let's not talk about it. So, if the eldest daughter marries, although her current status is a concubine, she will still be a legitimate daughter-in-law of the Gu family! As long as she serves the fifth son well and pleases him, isn't it only a matter of time before she becomes the first wife?"
When everyone in the Ye family heard the word "correct," their eyes lit up, as if they had already seen the wealth and prosperity pouring down their throats. They nodded eagerly, "Great, great! This marriage couldn't be better! My younger sister passed away early, and Wanwan has found such a good match. As her uncle and aunt, we can rest assured. We can also explain this to her mother in the afterlife!"
The Ye family has been doing business for most of their lives. If Chi Wanwan can climb up the big tree of the Gu family and then turn around to help the Ye family, it would be like one person's success will benefit the whole family.
The matchmaker looked at Chi Jing'an and Feng Yuyun again and asked, "What do Patriarch Chi and his wife think?"
Chi Jingan stroked his non-existent beard and smiled: "The Gu family is so kind to me, I am so lucky, we naturally..." He didn't finish his words.
Luo Wan's words were as cold as an ice spring, and he said firmly: "I don't agree."
Chi Mingshi, who was standing next to Feng Yuyun, said, "Chi Wanwan, this is a wonderful marriage, how many people would wish for it!"
Feng Yuyun asked, "Why doesn't Wanwan agree?"
"Marriage is a matter of parents' decision and matchmaker's words! How can a woman like you have the right to have an opinion? This matter is settled!" Chi Jingan slammed the table, interrupted Feng Yuyun in a harsh voice, and made a direct conclusion.
Feng Yuyun tried to dissuade him, "Husband, why don't you listen to Wanwan's opinion?"
Chi Jingan said: "What are you listening to? It's settled."
The matchmaker beamed with joy and made a move to stand up: "Oh, that's great! I'll go back right away..."
"Whoever agrees will marry." Luo Wan looked at Chi Jingan coldly, emphasizing each word.
"How dare you! You..." Chi Jingan was so angry that his face turned blue and he stood up suddenly.
At this moment, there was a sudden commotion outside the mansion gate.
A group of people dressed as servants came in one after another, carrying boxes and baskets tied with red silk, which were more exquisite and magnificent.
At the front of the crowd, Luo Wan saw Pei Shaochuan.
The bruises at the corners of his mouth were slightly lighter than last night, but his eyes were sharper and calmer than yesterday.
Pei Shaochuan smiled slightly and asked, "What made Patriarch Chi so angry?"
Chi Jingan's anger did not diminish: "Why are you here?"
During the first few years when Chi Jing'an came to Beijing, he had some interactions with the Pei family because of the Ye family. Later, he passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, and naturally looked down on merchant families like the Pei family, just as he looked down on the Ye family.
Pei Shaochuan cupped his hands and said, "I'm afraid that if I don't come, Patriarch Chi will marry my fiancée off to someone else."
Everyone present was stunned for a moment, including Luo Wan.
Chi Wanwan and Pei Shaochuan were engaged, so why had she never heard Tang Li mention it at this time?
Seeing that the situation was not good, the matchmaker said, "Master Pei, you can't talk nonsense when it comes to marriage!"
Pei Shaochuan said: "Whether I am talking nonsense or not, you will know it after seeing something."
Dunzi immediately opened the gilded wooden box he had been holding all the way and took out a well-preserved marriage certificate from it!
Pei Shaochuan said, "This is the marriage certificate that Madam Ye and my father signed for Chi Wanwan and me when she was still alive. Everyone can come forward and take a look."
Third Uncle immediately reached forward, but Dunzi nimbly dodged to the side and said, "Just watch."
Ye Lao San narrowed his eyes and moved very close, almost touching her. He suddenly stood up straight and raised his voice a few notches: "Yes! It's my little sister's handwriting! I recognize this handwriting! And this fingerprint... It's my little sister's, no doubt!"
He pointed to a certain place on the marriage certificate and spoke in a firm tone.
Upon hearing this, the third aunt immediately pulled Ye Lao San hard and pulled him back into the crowd, with a stiff smile on her face.
Pei Shaochuan said, "The Pei family's business has some connections and manpower in Jiangnan, the Grand Canal, and even the Western Regions trade routes. I heard that my uncles and aunts have encountered many difficulties in running their business recently. If the two families can become close friends, the Pei family will spare no effort to help the Ye family's business regroup. The connections, channels, and resources needed are all open to the Pei family and will be shared with you."
The people of the Ye family nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, this is a good marriage!"
The young man's voice was clear and steady: "If Wanwan marries me, she will only be my legal wife, the only woman I, Pei Shaochuan, will have."
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