Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Marriage
When she heard the servant's report, the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo was pruning flowers in the small garden.
Winter passed and spring arrived. The green branches sprouted new buds, and clusters of tender buds clustered in the emerald green, full of vitality. She snipped off the extra buds with a pair of scissors and turned back in confusion: "The Yun family? Are you here to talk about the third son's marriage?"
The servant scratched his head and replied, "From what I heard from Madam Yun, it seems she wants to bring good luck to the Third Young Master."
"Auspicious?"
Mrs. Xie was speechless.
Ever since the Duke's Mansion invited a matchmaker to come, many people have come to seek good fortune, but few of them are family members of court officials.
The servant asked, "Madam, should I go and refuse Madam Yun?"
Madam Xie thought for a moment, put down the scissors in her hand, and said, "Forget it, I'll go and tell them myself."
With floral mud all over her body, Mrs. Xie changed into a clean set of clothes before going out to meet the guests.
Before meeting Mrs. Yun, she had already thought of a way to refuse.
This is a long story.
Xie Yi, the third son of the Xie family, was not Madam Xie's son. His biological mother was a concubine of the Duke, who died in childbirth, and the Duke had taken him home. It was only when the baby was brought to her that Madam Xie learned of the situation. With the child already before her, she said nothing. The Duke's mansion had no shortage of mouths to feed, and there were plenty of servants capable of caring for children, so she raised the child.
As Xie Yi's legal mother, she treated everyone equally and did not treat him harshly because of his background. When Xie Yi came of age, she thought about choosing a marriage for him, but Xie Yi was not interested and her husband said there was no need to rush. Also, because the third son Xie had a reputation for being sickly, it was difficult to find a suitable girl, so the matter was delayed.
Last winter, Xie Yi fell into the water and fell seriously ill. For unknown reasons, after recovering, he became depressed, staying indoors and feeling down. No one could explain the reason, and no efforts to encourage him were effective. The whole family was baffled. Seeing his continued depression, they asked Master Huizhen of Jinyun Temple to counsel him.
Xie Yi had been frail since childhood, and every year he would go to Jinyun Temple for a short stay to recuperate. By chance, he became acquainted with Master Huizhen. Who would have thought that this time, instead of teaching him Buddhism, Master Huizhen would tell him a marriage hexagram.
However, the third son of the Xie family has always been known to be sickly, and the word spread outside, and somehow it became known that Xie Yi was critically ill, and the Duke's Mansion wanted to give the third son a happy wedding.
It’s no wonder that outsiders think too much. Even the Xie family was shocked when they first heard Master Huizhen’s words.
The critical illness was fake, but the wedding was real. The news of the marriage was spread and a matchmaker was hired, but the marriage was still undecided, probably because there was a condition for the marriage.
Recalling this, people had already arrived at the reception hall when they heard footsteps. Mrs. Yun, who had been sitting in the main room waiting for a long time, looked up.
"Thank you, Madam!" Madam Yun put on a smile and stood up to greet her.
Madam Xie nodded and greeted her, "Madam Yun."
There was no need for further pleasantries. She went straight to the point and said, "I've heard from my people that Madam Yun came to visit today to discuss my third son's marriage. Actually..."
"That's right, it's to thank the Third Young Master for his marriage." Madam Yun immediately replied.
After she finished speaking, she realized that Madam Xie had been interrupted by her, which made her seem a little overly anxious. Madam Yun suppressed her impatience, smiled sheepishly, and took out a name card with Yun Wu's birth date and horoscope written on it from her bosom and handed it over.
"My daughter is gentle, respectful, frugal, and filial. We don't ask for anything else, but we hope she can find a caring and understanding man. I've heard that the third son of the Xie family is kind, so I've shamelessly come to him..."
Mrs. Xie heard it with a clear mind. She took the business card and opened it casually. The words of refusal were on the tip of her tongue, but she paused when her eyes fell on the words on it.
She was slightly startled: "The seventh day of the seventh month?"
Madam Yun: "Exactly!"
Madam Yun beamed and said, "Our Ah Wu was born on a fortunate day. It's an auspicious day. Everyone says she's blessed. If she can marry the Third Young Master, perhaps he'll share in the good fortune and even recover!"
Mrs. Xie was also puzzled when she looked at the birth date on the name card.
What a coincidence! How could it be such a coincidence?
The marriage hexagram that Master Huizhen calculated for Xie Yi showed that he wanted a girl to be born on the seventh day of the seventh month.
Although Xie Yi himself scoffed at the idea of marriage predictions, Master Huizhen was a highly accomplished monk whose predictions always came true, and everyone believed them. However, while it was easy to find girls ready for marriage, few were born on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Therefore, under these stringent conditions, matchmakers throughout the capital were unable to find a suitable match.
Originally, Mrs. Xie thought that this marriage would come to nothing.
Unexpectedly, there was a girl born on the seventh day of the seventh month who came to the door on her own initiative?
Mrs. Xie's mind was in turmoil, but her expression remained calm. She folded the business card and looked at Mrs. Yun again, her expression becoming much gentler.
She gestured for the servants to pour tea and said with a smile, "Madam Yun, let's talk about their marriage in detail."
Madam Yun was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. She kept saying, "Okay, okay!"
Done!
…
With the Duke's wife's approval, everything went smoothly.
After hearing the good news from Madam Yun, Yun's father didn't hesitate any longer and quickly went to the Ye family to explain the replacement. The two families had been friends for many years and were destined to become closer. As Madam Yun had said, since they were both daughters of the Yun family, a replacement wouldn't hurt. Thus, the marriages for both daughters of the Yun family were settled.
One daughter was to marry into the Ye family, and the other into the Zhenguogong Mansion. Both were high-ranking marriages, and both were hard-to-find good matches.
With double happiness coming, Yun's father was delighted and asked the kitchen to prepare a large table of delicious food and wine for dinner. He drank until his face was flushed. He also asked someone to help the bedridden Madam Yun up and announced the good news at the table.
Yun Wu hadn't informed them of any of their actions or thoughts. Even though the matter had already been settled, she was still confused. When she heard that Yun Hui's marriage was finalized, she was genuinely happy for it: "Second sister's marriage has also been finalized? Whose family is it?"
Madam Yun smiled and said, "Of course they are from a good family."
Yun Wu looked at her stepmother's face in surprise. Since Yun Hui started dating, this was the first time she saw her stepmother in such a good mood.
However, if Yunhui really found a perfect husband who was perfect in every way, she would be happy for her from the bottom of her heart. Now that her second sister had found a good husband, no one would be watching her marriage anymore!
Only then did Yun's father remember that he had not yet told her about the matter.
Father Yun looked at her with a hint of apology: "Awu, your sister is going to marry the young master of the Ye family."
Yun Wu was stunned: "Ye family?"
When she realized what was happening, the color on her face suddenly drained away completely, leaving her as pale as paper.
The candlelight illuminated the room as bright as day, yet the flickering flames made Yun Wu feel dizzy. She glanced anxiously at everyone at the table. Besides her, no one seemed surprised by Yun's father's words. Even Old Madam Yun, who dozed off with her head propped up, appeared composed and composed.
As for Yunhui, she had already heard about it from her mother when it happened.
Yun Wu asked in disbelief, "Which Mr. Ye?"
How many Mr. Ye in the capital can satisfy Madam Yun's taste?
Of course, it was Ye Huaiqing, the young master of the Ye family who had been engaged to Yun Wu since childhood.
"This is my engagement!" Yun Wu's eyes flushed, her nose felt sore, and tears welled up in her eyes: "Dad, I'm the one who's engaged to Master Ye, how could you not tell me... How could you do this..."
From childhood, it had always been said that Yun Wu would marry Ye Huaiqing, but at the last minute, the man was changed. Faced with his daughter's questioning, Yun's father felt guilty for a moment. It was also his negligence that he forgot to ask Ah Wu's opinion in advance.
But the matter had already been decided, and Yun Wu could not change it no matter how much he objected. Yun's father comforted him, "Awu, give up your engagement to Hui'er. Dad has found another good match for you."
"Yes." Madam Yun smiled, covering her lips with her hands. "Awu, don't worry. The family you are going to marry into is no worse than the Ye family. When you marry into them, you will also have a life of luxury and food, never having to worry about food and clothing."
Yun Wu tearfully asked, "If it's so good, why doesn't Mother marry my second sister to him instead of taking away my marriage?"
Madam Yun groaned, "You're actually blaming me for what you said. Ah Wu, although I'm not your biological mother, I've always been kind to you. Since you were able to marry into the Zhenguo Duke's mansion, did I deliberately harm you?"
Yun Wu's heart skipped a beat: "Duke Zhenguo Mansion?"
Yun Hui, standing by, feigned surprise: "In the Zhenguo Mansion, isn't the Third Young Master the only one who hasn't married yet?"
"Xie San?" Yun Xin, who was standing beside him, said innocently, "Isn't he a sickly kid? They all said he was dying!"
Children speak without restraint. Madam Yun glared at her son and said, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Yun Xin pouted. "I didn't say that. Everyone in the capital knows that he's seriously ill. The doctors say there's no hope."
"Nonsense, Third Young Master Xie still has a lot of life left." Madam Yun scolded.
Yun Xin wanted to say more, but her mother glared at her, so she finally shut up.
But if he doesn't say it, won't Yun Wu know?
Everyone in the capital knew that the Third Young Master of the Zhenguo Mansion was born with a frail constitution, incurable, and on the verge of death, with one foot halfway into the coffin. Yun Wu had been out and about, so she'd have heard of the Xie family's plans to hold a wedding for the Third Young Master. But she never imagined that the person doing the celebrating would be herself!
Her biological mother died early, her stepmother was unkind, and she lived in fear before getting married, let alone relying on her natal family for support after getting married. But if even her future husband is dead, where will she have a place to stay in the future?
Yun Wu was angry and resentful, her hands were shaking with grievance.
Big, hot tears fell into her palms, but her heart grew colder and colder.
She has nothing but this engagement.
She had thought that as long as she honestly kept her engagement and waited until the wedding day, everything would be fine. The Ye family's son was gentle and considerate. When they were together before, he had been very kind to her. The two of them had a deep connection and even exchanged tokens of love. If she could marry Ye Huaiqing, the future would definitely be...
By the way, where is Ye Huaiqing?
Yun Wu subconsciously touched the half jade pendant in her arms.
Because they were already engaged, they knew they would marry each other and even split a jade pendant into two halves as a token of their love.
"Where's Young Master Ye?" Yun Wu looked at her father hopefully, as if grasping at a lifeline. "Dad, Young Master Ye and I have been engaged since we were young. He might not agree to a change of partner..."
Her delicate face was as pale as paper, like a gardenia fallen from a branch by rain, and she looked pitiful, but her almond-shaped eyes were bright and full of expectation. Father Yun looked away with some reluctance and said, "He agreed."
Yun Wu was stunned.
Father Yun said cruelly, "I have already discussed this with Lord Ye, and the Ye family also agrees to this matter."
Yun Wu's heart fell heavily to the ground and shattered into pieces.
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