Seeing her father deep in thought, Qin Yuan knew he was already interested.
As expected, the father made his decision: "We will open the ancestral hall tomorrow and register Yuan'er under the madam's name. I will then swallow my pride and discuss the matter with the Gu family."
His stepmother looked indifferent, but she knew he was reluctant to give up such a good marriage to the Marquis of Dingbei, so she refrained from spoiling the mood.
Qin Heng clicked his tongue in disdain.
Qin Yuan ignored them, took her leave with her maids, and returned to her own courtyard.
Hongye angrily said, "The master's heart is truly biased to the extreme. Couldn't he have just married the second young lady off to a distant place? Why does he have to come and ruin the young lady's marriage?"
Cuiming was extremely worried: "Miss has spent so much effort on Young Master Lin, and it's all been in vain. I wonder who the matchmaker has tied the red thread for Miss to be with."
Qin Yuan slowly washed off the white powder from her face, revealing a beautiful, delicate face.
I haven't seen myself look this good in a long time.
In this second life, let Qin Wan live this arduous and frustrating life.
She gave a slow, deliberate hum, "It's on Marquis Dingbei, isn't it?"
The two maids couldn't believe it.
Marquis Dingbei, Gu Jinghui, had accumulated numerous military achievements and was favored by the emperor. The reason he took a liking to Qin Wan was because the old lady of the Gu family felt that the Gu family had been fighting on the battlefield for generations and had lived a hard life. She wanted to find a daughter from a scholarly family to change their family's status.
The second young lady, Qin Wan, was the legitimate daughter. Her birth mother, Cui, was from a branch of the prominent Cui family of Qinghe. Her father was the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, with many students under his tutelage. Although the two families were of vastly different social standing, the marriage was arranged.
The eldest daughter, Qin Yuan's, birth mother, Chen, was a concubine. Her ancestors were imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital, but they were demoted to commoners for committing a crime. Chen's dowry was meager, and by the time it reached her, there was hardly anything left.
No matter how you look at it, the Marquis of Dingbei would never agree to a marriage with the eldest daughter.
Qin Yuan calmly ate and slept as usual.
Hongye and Lvming were quite worried, asking around for information, but Qin Yuan saw this and didn't bother with them.
The next day, Qin Yuan was registered in the family genealogy and recorded under the name of her stepmother, Cui.
Lin Ziqi arrived with a letter of annulment and then exchanged tokens of affection with Qin Wan.
To avoid suspicion, Qin Yuan did not go to the front hall, but rested in the pavilion with a round fan.
In the capital city, land is incredibly valuable. The Qin residence is small, so they could only hold their ceremony in a tiny space. Qin Yuan didn't want to stay in her cramped and simple boudoir, so she could only stay in the pavilion and enjoy the breeze.
Not long after she sat there, Lin Ziqi found her and said tenderly, "I knew you would be here, Yuan'er."
Qin Yuan half-covered her face with a round fan, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, as she sized up her husband from her previous life.
Lin Ziqi is still slim and has not gained weight yet. Perhaps because he came to get engaged, he wore a newly made blue long gown, which made him look elegant and handsome.
Qin Yuan asked solemnly, "Young Master Lin, is there something you need?"
Lin Ziqi is already engaged to Qin Wan, so she needs to avoid suspicion.
Fortunately, she was very cautious when she was with Lin Ziqi back then, only sending him things like charcoal, soup, and snacks. The two often met at the Qin residence and never exchanged letters. Although she had helped Lin Ziqi copy a few policy essays, they fell into other people's hands, so she couldn't say anything about it.
Seeing Qin Yuan avoid him, Lin Ziqi withdrew his outstretched hand and sighed, "Yuan'er, I... I had no choice. Please, please don't blame me."
Having been married for over a decade, Qin Yuan naturally knew what kind of person Lin Ziqi was.
Qin Wan wanted to marry him, and Lin Ziqi never refused, after all, Qin Wan was the legitimate daughter, and the Cui family of Qinghe was a powerful and wealthy clan.
The reason she was able to get close to him and get engaged back then was because Qin Wan looked down on him.
Otherwise, how could her stepmother tolerate her meticulous planning for her?
Qin Yuan said softly through the fan, "Young Master Lin, please be careful with your words. You are now my brother-in-law. Let's not talk about the past."
She wanted to leave, but Lin Ziqi stopped her.
"Young Master Lin, please have some self-respect."
Qin Yuan wanted to leave, but Qin Wan hurriedly chased her in, her face full of displeasure. She said sarcastically, "So, sister is here. May I hear what you and Brother Lin are talking about?"
As she spoke, she grabbed Lin Ziqi's sleeve with one hand.
Qin Yuan paused, put down her fan, and revealed a beautiful face. She chuckled and said, "What are you worried about, sister? What's yours can't be taken away by anyone. Young Master Lin only apologized to me. He's now my brother-in-law. I'm an educated woman who knows propriety and shame. Would I steal my brother-in-law?"
Qin Wan, who had stolen her brother-in-law, was speechless with shame and anger.
"I won't disturb you two any longer. Farewell."
Qin Yuan strode away.
Lin Ziqi's gaze followed her closely, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Then Qin Wan said sweetly, "Brother Lin, I'm about to marry into the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion. I don't care about you or me anymore. I only have a sincere heart for you. I don't want such a good marriage. I insist on marrying you."
very good!
Qin Yuan gripped the round fan in her hand tightly.
Qin Wan's fall into the water yesterday was indeed something she had discussed with Lin Ziqi beforehand.
Qin Wan, that vicious idiot.
In order to exchange marriages with her, he completely disregarded his own and the Qin family's reputation, and he will suffer a lot in the future.
Watching Qin Yuan's graceful figure disappear through the second gate, Lin Ziqi felt a pang of loss. He lowered his head and asked Lu Wan, "Is your sister going to marry into the Marquis of Dingbei's household?"
Qin Wan said with certainty, "If I don't marry into the Dingbei Marquis's mansion, then naturally my sister will have to marry into it."
Lin Ziqi didn't know what he was feeling, but he smiled and said, "Does the Marquis of Dingbei really intend to marry a woman from the Qin family? Qin Yuan's status is different from yours."
These words easily cheered Qin Wan up, and her previous unease disappeared. She said with a charming smile, "My mother feels guilty towards her because of us, and is afraid that she will have difficulty getting married in the future. So she has decided to adopt her as her legitimate daughter."
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