Xu Yixuan and Dai Zhiwan exchanged a glance, unsure of what Su Wanyan meant. There was no question of satisfaction or dissatisfaction; such was the nature of arranged marriages between families.
Moreover, due to the previous economic downturn of the Duke's Mansion, Xu Yixuan and Dai Zhiwan knew their fate early on. If they wanted to further consolidate the foundation of the Duke's Mansion, a marriage alliance was necessary.
Previously, the Duke's mansion had deliberately delayed their marriages because the mansion was struggling financially. They could only offer lower-ranking marriages, which would not only be of little use to the mansion but would also be a waste of resources.
Now that the Duke's mansion has gained a foothold in the court, various prominent families in the capital have begun to cultivate relationships with it, and the marriage between Xu Yixuan and Dai Zhiwan is naturally on the agenda.
And given their age, they can't afford to delay any longer.
Xu Yixuan and Dai Zhiwan were well aware of this, and they had no complaints. Compared to their personal feelings, the interests of the family were more important.
Besides, their grandparents, father, and mother would never harm them.
"Wanyan, why do you seem unhappy? Isn't it good that we're engaged?" Dai Zhiwan asked curiously.
Seeing Dai Zhiwan and Xu Yixuan like this, Su Wanyan couldn't bring herself to voice her worries. She put on a smile, raised her teacup, and said, "Of course I'm happy, but the thought that you're both getting married makes me feel a little sentimental. Marriage is a joyous occasion, so I'll offer you this tea instead of wine to congratulate you."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yixuan and Dai Zhiwan smiled, raised their teacups, and the three of them laughed it off before tilting their heads back and drinking it all down.
"However, because of the late emperor's passing, no celebratory events are allowed in the capital for the first three months, and no grand celebrations are permitted for the next year. So, although our marriage is arranged, we will have to wait until next year to hold the ceremony," Dai Zhiwan said with a smile.
Su Wanyan calculated that Emperor Yuanhe died at the beginning of the year, so it would be about the same time after the New Year.
He asked with a smile, "Has the date been set?"
"Mine is still undecided, but Yixuan's is settled, March 15th."
“The fifteenth of the third month is the Shangsi Festival. This date is auspicious. Every Shangsi Festival, I will remember your wedding day.” Su Wanyan looked at Xu Yixuan: “The matter of granting you a fiefdom should not be settled so quickly. I will discuss it with Yu Nanqing when we get back, and we will set off after your wedding.”
Xu Yixuan immediately smiled. She had been worried that Su Wanyan wouldn't be able to attend her wedding banquet because she was going to her fiefdom: "With you all here, I feel much more at ease."
Dai Zhiwan said sadly, "It's good that Yixuan is here. Once I get married, Wanyan will no longer be in the capital."
"When you get married, remember to write to me and let me know. I will rush back."
Dai Zhiwan's eyes brightened slightly: "You really will come back?"
"Of course, if I miss the ceremony, I'll never have the chance again."
“Then I will write to you in advance and I will go back and talk to Grandpa to ask them not to set the date so close together.”
Dai Zhiwan raised her teacup: "Then it's settled. You all have to come to my wedding, Yixuan has to come, even if you're already married."
"That's natural."
The three of them raised their cups again, laughing as they drank the tea in one gulp.
Su Wanyan suddenly remembered something and asked curiously, "Oh, right, I have a question."
"What?" Dai Zhiwan and Xu Yixuan both looked at Su Wanyan.
"Exactly, why don't your two families arrange a marriage?"
Xu Yixuan and Dai Zhiwan exchanged a glance, and Xu Yixuan explained, "It's fine for our two families to maintain the current ties of interest. When we decline, we can support each other. But if we were to form a marriage alliance when we are at our peak, it would surely make people wary."
There's a saying that goes, "When things reach their peak, they must decline."
The important thing is that if one of them gets into trouble, the other will not be implicated. Given their relationship, the other is very likely to become their backup plan.
However, if the two companies are completely tied together, it would be equivalent to blocking this escape route.
Su Wanyan couldn't help but admire that both the Chang and Shun families were planning for the long term. Whether it was their mutual support and mutual assistance when they were in decline, or their well-thought-out plans now that they were rising again, none of their actions were based on short-term gains.
Dai Zhiwan rested her chin on her hand: "It's also thanks to the Prince that our family has far fewer messy things going on now."
Su Wanyan didn't understand this sentence either: "What do you mean?"
“Our family used to rely on the prince, but the prince was thrown into the dungeon because of your disappearance. As a result, many of our relatives, including uncles and elders, left the house, and it has become much quieter in the mansion.”
“They have been separated,” Xu Yixuan replied, “but they still maintain contact. Since the Changguo Duke’s Mansion has recovered, those relatives from the Changguo Duke’s Mansion have come over again. The old Duke Changguo couldn’t let go of them and has been looking after them from time to time.”
Su Wanyan frowned slightly upon hearing this: "When the Duke of Changguo's mansion was in trouble, they abandoned you. Now that the Duke of Changguo's mansion is doing well, they are trying to curry favor with you again."
She had to remind them, "They didn't care about the Duke of Changguo's mansion at all when they left, so there's really no need to give them any face now."
Dai Zhiwan pouted: "Actually, I don't like it either."
But she wasn't the one in charge of things at home, and she had no say in what the elders wanted to do.
“But there’s no need to worry. Brother Dai is a smart man. I heard that he turned them away several times when they came to curry favor with him,” Xu Yixuan said.
"Brother Dai" likely refers to Dai Jin'an.
Currently, only Dai Jin'an is seen in the court. He should be a key figure that the Duke of Changguo's mansion is cultivating. The rest of the Duke of Changguo's mansion will probably enter the court as officials one after another in the future.
However, this is still a sensitive period, and we must not be too blatant about it.
"Perhaps the old Duke Shun can persuade him," Su Wanyan suggested.
Xu Yixuan nodded: "I'll find a chance to ask Grandpa."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "But I think Grandpa Dai actually knows, he just can't let it go."
What they could all think of, how could the old Duke Chang not have thought of?
Su Wanyan thought it made sense, and it was only a matter of time before she understood this, so she stopped worrying about it for the time being.
Then the topic shifted: "Speaking of which, I was just about to ask, when Yu Nanqing and I were in the East Sea, who was guarding the Southern Kingdom and the Northern Yue? Since you say that the Southern Kingdom's border was guarded by the Marquis of Ding'an, what about the Northern Yue?"
Su Wanyan knew that in addition to the war between Donghai and Dajin, Nanguo and Beiyue were also constantly fighting small battles, but they were not as fierce as those between Dajin and Donghai.
Xu Yixuan and Dai Zhiwan looked at each other in surprise.
Su Wanyan asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Xu Yixuan said, "It's normal that you don't know since you're at the border. The one guarding the northern border of Vietnam is Su Shixu, the second young master of the Marquis of Yuanning."
Su Wanyan was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.
Dai Zhiwan continued, "Beiyue is arrogant. When you were at war with Donghai, Su Shixu was also fighting Beiyue to a standstill. Now that the war with Donghai is over, Dajin is still fighting Beiyue. A few days ago, the war report was sent to the capital, and I heard people in the mansion discussing it."
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