Chapter 12
The words had barely left his mouth.
Chen Xuanqing suddenly bent his knees and knelt down on the cold blue brick floor with a "thud".
He didn't dare use the brocade stool for leverage; when his knees touched the ground directly, even Granny Zheng couldn't help but clench her handkerchief tightly by the door.
The floor tiles were soaked by dew last night and are still chilly; they can't withstand kneeling like this.
"Grandmother, I beg you to allow the Chen and Yu families to annul the engagement." Chen Xuanqing lowered his head, his dark hair falling to his cheeks, obscuring the emotions in his eyes. Only his voice came through his lowered neck, carrying a hint of deliberate, suppressed determination, but he did not dare to look up at the old lady's expression.
The room fell eerily quiet; even the sound of laurel leaves falling outside the window seemed to have been cut off.
Old Madam Chen's hand holding the teacup suddenly stopped, her fingertips gripping the edge of the cup, her knuckles turning slightly white. Her face, which had just been warm, instantly darkened, and even her brows furrowed with fine lines: "What?"
Her voice was a few decibels lower than before, with a barely perceptible tremor, clearly not expecting her grandson to say this after holding back for so long.
Old Madam Chen placed the teacup heavily on the dressing table. The crisp sound of the celadon hitting the wooden table echoed in the room, startling even Zheng Mama, who quietly raised her eyes. She saw the old lady leaning slightly forward, staring at Chen Xuanqing on the ground, and asking again, "Xuanqing, say it again."
Chen Xuanqing's shoulders trembled almost imperceptibly, but he still kept his head bowed. His voice was softer than before, but still clear: "Grandson... requests Grandmother's permission to annul the engagement."
He clenched his hand tightly inside his sleeve.
Granny Zheng stood by the door, barely daring to breathe.
She had been with Madam Chen for decades and had never seen the old lady lose her composure like this, nor had she ever imagined that the Seventh Young Master would bring up the matter of annulling the engagement.
The marriage between the Chen and Yu families was personally arranged by the old lady. Miss Yu is well-educated and reasonable, and the two families are well-matched. Why would she suddenly want to break off the engagement?
She secretly glanced at Chen Xuanqing's back and saw that his back was still taut, but it revealed a resolute determination to go all in. Her heart tightened as well.
Madam Chen stared at the top of her grandson's head, remaining silent for a long time. The chill in the room seemed even stronger than that in the corridor.
After a long while, she slowly spoke, her voice tinged with weariness but still exuding authority: "Do you know what you're saying? The marriage between the Chen and Yu families was arranged by me in front of your grandfather back then. Now you're just going to back out like that? Are you trying to make the Chen family lose all face in the capital?"
Chen Xuanqing's knees pressed against the cold blue bricks, the chill seeping into his bones through his clothes, but he didn't care at all. He just lowered his head even further, his voice full of guilt: "Grandson knows that he has let down the Yu family and also his grandmother's arrangements. In the future, he will do everything he can to make amends to the Yu family and will never let the Chen family be known as ungrateful."
As he finished speaking, his Adam's apple bobbed, and a barely perceptible tremor crept into his usually steady voice, as if he had mustered all his courage to continue: "But... now I have someone I love. I do not wish to marry a woman I do not love and spend my life with her, and I do not... do not wish for the woman I love to marry another. I..."
When he spoke of the words "woman of his dreams," his voice actually choked up, his hands hanging at his sides clenched involuntarily, and even his back trembled slightly.
The silence inside the room grew even deeper. Even Granny Zheng could clearly hear his suppressed breathing. She couldn't help but peek up and saw that his dark hair covered his face, revealing only a taut jawline, which inexplicably gave him a pitiful look.
Madam Chen sat on the brocade stool, her brows furrowed even more, her eyes filled with shock.
She knew Xuanqing was steady and reliable, but she never knew that he would disregard his family's marriage agreement for a woman.
Just as he was about to reprimand him, he saw Chen Xuanqing's shoulders tremble again, as if he were caught up in some painful memory.
Yes.
How could he not be upset?
Just as the words were about to come out, images from her past life flooded back uncontrollably: Jin Chao, dressed in a bright red wedding gown, walked step by step toward her father's bridal sedan chair. Her phoenix coronet and embroidered robe reflected the loneliness in her eyes. From then on, she became his nominal stepmother, an insurmountable chasm for him in this lifetime.
It wasn't "marrying someone else," but it hurt him even more than if he had married someone else.
If he misses out again in this life, he will probably regret it for the rest of his life.
"You..." Seeing his appearance, the harsh words that were about to come out of Madam Chen's mouth got stuck in her throat. Her tone softened a bit, but it still carried an air of authority, "Who is the person you admire? Which family's daughter is she? Is she worth you being so disregarding?"
Hearing his grandmother's question, Chen Xuanqing's sobs subsided slightly, but he still didn't look up, his voice hoarse: "She...she's not from a prestigious family, but I will marry no one but her in this life. And I cannot let her..."
He paused again at this point, ultimately unable to utter the words "become my stepmother," and instead buried his head even deeper, letting guilt and regret surge within him.
Granny Zheng stood by the door, the handkerchief in her hand already crumpled from being gripped so tightly.
Looking at Chen Xuanqing's pained expression and the old lady's complicated look, she suddenly understood something.
The Seventh Young Master's resolute decision suggests he may have truly fallen in love, and behind that sincerity lies untold suffering.
The chill inside seemed to intensify, and even the rustling of laurel leaves outside the window sounded distant, leaving only Chen Xuanqing's suppressed breathing and the old lady's silent contemplation.
"Get up."
Madam Chen's voice carried a hint of barely perceptible weariness. As she finished speaking, she sighed softly, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the carvings on the armrest of the brocade stool.
This grandson has been her darling since he was little. Even when he was learning to walk, he has always been steady and composed. He rarely kneels down to beg or even acts coquettishly. But now, for the sake of a girl, he has lowered himself so much.
Chen Xuanqing raised his head, his eyes still red, clearly not expecting his grandmother to agree so easily.
He had been kneeling with his knees pressed against the blue bricks for a long time. When he stood up, his movements were slightly hesitant. As soon as he straightened his right leg, he felt a numbness and staggered half a step before he could stand up.
Granny Zheng reacted quickly, stepping forward to help him, but saw him gently shake his head. He then gripped his clothes to steady himself before bowing to Old Madam Chen, his voice still hoarse: "Thank you, Grandmother."
"Tell me about that girl."
Madam Chen leaned back, raised her hand to rub her temples, her tone casual, but her gaze was fixed on Chen Xuanqing's face, not missing a single change in his expression.
She knew perfectly well that although Xuanqing was steady, he would never dare to go against his elders on matters of marriage. Now that he dared to make a scene in front of her, he must have gotten the approval of the third brother, Chen Yanyun.
Now that her son had relented, she, as the grandmother, couldn't really force her grandson into a corner.
Just thinking about the girl from the Yu family made Old Madam Chen feel a pang of regret.
I met her once at the flower-viewing banquet last year. She was wearing a moon-white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), holding a round fan in her hand. She spoke gently and softly, and her eyes were full of spirit. She was a good girl who was worthy of Xuanqing. Now she has to suffer because of this matter. I feel sorry for her.
Chen Xuanqing stood still, as if organizing his thoughts.
After a moment, he slowly spoke, his voice more steady than before, but still solemn: "Her name is Gu Jinzhao, the eldest daughter of Gu Dezhao, the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. I met her when I went to the Ji family of the Grand Master of the Palace."
"The Ji family's granddaughter?" Old Madam Chen raised an eyebrow slightly, showing no disdain, but simply nodded. "She does seem to be from an honest and respectable family."
Just as Madam Chen picked up her teacup, before her fingertips even touched the warm cup, she suddenly put it down again.
She lowered her eyes and pondered for a moment, then looked up with a scrutinizing gaze and a hint of caution in her voice: "On second thought, has she seduced you in any way?"
This question was direct, reflecting the traditional concerns of elders in aristocratic families about women's ability to "bewitch men."
After all, given Xuanqing's previous decisiveness, the old lady couldn't help but worry that the girl had used some tricks to make her usually steady grandson lose his composure.
As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Xuanqing's expression instantly hardened. His expression, which had eased slightly because his grandmother had relented, instantly became serious.
He took half a step forward, bowed slightly, and spoke with an unwavering firmness, even more solemnly than when he had pleaded for the annulment of the engagement: "Reporting to Grandmother, Jinchao is definitely not that kind of woman!"
In his heart, Gu Jinchao was the white moonlight he missed in his past life, and the person he would do everything in his power to protect in this life. The word "seduce" was an absolute slander against her.
The thought of someone speculating about her like that made Chen Xuanqing's tone turn somber: "Jin Chao is gentle and kind, and would never use underhanded methods. It was my grandson who took the initiative to like her, it was my grandson who clung to her and wanted to protect her, it has nothing to do with her!"
When Madam Chen saw the urgency in her grandson's eyes, she was taken aback.
She had never seen Xuanqing so angry for anyone before. Even his voice was a little louder than usual. He looked as if he was protecting some precious treasure and would not tolerate the slightest slander.
Granny Zheng secretly glanced up from the doorway and saw that Chen Xuanqing's back was straight, his profile was taut, and even the tips of his ears were red. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly: Seventh Young Master is really taking this to heart, otherwise he wouldn't have reacted so strongly to the word "seduction".
After Chen Xuanqing finished speaking, he was afraid that his tone was too harsh and would displease his grandmother, so he softened his tone slightly, but still insisted: "If Grandmother does not believe me, she will see Jinchao's character in the future. Although she is not from a prestigious family, she understands propriety and shame better than many young ladies from noble families. I would never disregard the family's reputation for a woman of bad character."
Madam Chen stared at her grandson for a long time. Seeing that his eyes were open and honest, without the slightest evasion, her doubts gradually dissipated.
She nodded gently, picked up her teacup and took a small sip, her tone softening: "Alright, I trust your judgment. But you'd better be careful how you treat that girl in the future, so as not to give others something to gossip about."
Chen Xuanqing breathed a sigh of relief and bowed, replying, "Grandson understands, thank you for your understanding, Grandmother."
Listening from the side, Granny Zheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief and turned to pour Chen Xuanqing a cup of hot tea and hand it to him.
Chen Xuanqing took the teacup, and his fingertips touched the warm cup, which eased his tension slightly.
Judging from her grandmother's expression, she didn't seem to object, but it was unclear whether there would be any other requests.
Looking at her grandson's tense expression, Madam Chen sighed again: "Alright, since you've made up your mind and the third son agrees, I won't stop you. But you have to go to the Yu family in person to apologize and make amends to the young lady properly, so they don't feel that our Chen family is bullying them."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xuanqing's eyes lit up instantly, and he quickly bowed and said, "Grandson will remember! Grandson will definitely go to the Yu family in person to give Master Yu and Miss Yu an explanation, and will never let the Chen family have any reason to criticize us!"
His excitement was palpable; his back was straighter than before, and the redness in his eyes had faded, replaced by an undisguised joy.
Looking at his appearance, Madam Chen shook her head helplessly, and the regret in her heart was gradually diluted by her grandson's joy.
The morning light outside the window has now filled the courtyard, and the dew on the osmanthus leaves reflects the light, making even the air inside the house seem warmer.
Standing to the side, watching the grandmother and grandson, Zheng Mama secretly smiled.
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