Chapter 243 Rejection of Marriage
The old lady's face darkened. What happened between Pei Wuyan and Zhao Wan in Xiyuan today made her have a very bad impression of Pei Wuyan, and she gave up the idea of betrothing Zhao Wan to him.
She said in a cold tone: "Please ask him to come in."
Then he signaled the maid to help Zhao Wan up.
Mother Wei went out and invited Pei Wuyan into the house.
Pei Wuyan stepped into the room and saw Zhao Wan sitting quietly beside the old lady with her head lowered.
When he learned that the second wife's deeds had been exposed and the third wife had brought Zhao Wan to the old lady's courtyard, he knew what it was all about.
Sure enough, when he arrived at Shi'an Hall, he saw the third wife kneeling in the yard.
Pei Wuyan bowed and said, "Yan'er pays his respects to my aunt."
The old lady changed her expression and smiled: "Brother Yan, it's so late, why are you coming to my aunt's courtyard? Is there something important?"
"Grand Aunt, I was painting in the West Garden today when I ran into my cousin Wan'er. We have similar interests and a deep connection."
Pei Wuyan lifted the hem of his robe and knelt on the ground: "Yan'er has come here specially to ask you to marry my cousin Wan'er."
"Really?" The old lady turned to look at Zhao Wan with a kind smile: "Wan'er, tell me, is this what Yan'er said?"
Zhao Wan's face turned pale and she looked at Pei Wuyan in surprise, as if she didn't expect him to go back on his word.
Before going to Xiyuan, her mother said that unless Pei Wuyan was unwilling to marry her, she would have to marry him even if she didn't want to.
In order to force her to go to Xiyuan, he even stabbed her neck with scissors and threatened her with death.
She compromised and planned to go to Xiyuan and then leave, which was also a way to report to her mother.
Unexpectedly, Pei Wuyan said that if she painted for him, he would reject the marriage proposal.
She naively thought that Pei Wuyan was a gentleman, gentle, considerate, understanding, and would not force others to do things. She was once shaken by what he said.
Now he is talking nonsense, confusing right and wrong, and using his painting as an excuse to ask my grandmother to marry her.
How can he be called a gentleman? He is clearly a hypocrite.
"Grandma..." Zhao Wan pinched her fingers tightly in her palms, her eyes red as she said, "I treated Cousin Pei as a guest at the mansion, but I didn't expect him to misunderstand me."
The old lady touched Zhao Wan's head, her eyes full of relief.
"Brother Yan, although marriage is decided by parents and matchmakers, the Duke's Mansion is very open-minded and cares more about the wishes of the younger generation."
The old lady turned to look at Pei Wuyan and said earnestly, "If you two are in love and understand each other, I would be happy to see it happen and help you become a happy couple. But if you are like the flower that falls on the flower but the water that flows is ruthless, and I force you to be together, I am afraid you will only be a couple of resentment in the future."
At this point, the old lady sighed and said, "As an elder, I have nothing to ask for except that the younger generation lives in harmony and happiness."
Pei Wuyan was surprised by the old lady's attitude, but he also felt it was expected.
What happened tonight did not go according to his plan.
The second wife was exposed, but his secret meeting with Zhao Wan was not exposed. Instead, it reached the ears of the old lady.
In the old lady's opinion, his private meeting with Zhao Wan was immoral, and she would probably reconsider this marriage.
He could no longer take his time, he had to strike while the iron was hot and ask the old lady to marry Zhao Wan and finalize the marriage as soon as possible.
I will find another opportunity to explain to Zhao Wan in the future.
But the old lady pretended to be ignorant even though she knew the truth and directly rejected the marriage between the two families.
"Grandma, if the story of my cousin Wan'er and I in the West Garden were to get out to someone with ulterior motives, it would damage her reputation."
Pei Wuyan said with great integrity and responsibility, "As a man, I have read the books of sages. To protect my cousin Wan'er's reputation, I have just asked you to marry me."
At this point, he continued, "The elders in my family hope that our two families will become closer. Marrying my cousin Wan'er will fulfill their wish."
"Yan'er, you are a guest in the mansion, and Wan'er is the master. You two just happened to meet, and it is reasonable for her to treat you with courtesy."
The old lady changed the subject and said, "Besides, if you don't tell anyone about your chance encounter in the West Garden and I don't tell anyone about it, it naturally won't get out and ruin Wan'er's reputation."
What he meant was that if there were any rumors about him and Zhao Wan outside, it was he who leaked them.
Pei Wuyan's expression changed slightly. Even though he was unwilling, he didn't dare to offend the old lady by making trouble.
"Brother Yan, it's getting late, you should go back to your room and rest." The old lady ordered them to leave.
Pei Wuyan stood up, bowed to the old lady, and walked out.
If he continued to pester her, it would only make the old lady more unhappy.
Pei Wuyan looked at the third lady kneeling in the yard, a dark light flashing in his eyes.
If he wants to marry Zhao Wan smoothly, he has to rely on the third wife.
The third lady didn't dare to look up, suppressing the fear of being punished for doing something wrong. Her whole body was trembling slightly, and out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of a floor-length robe passing by her.
After the people had gone far away, the third lady dared to raise her head cautiously, and saw the old lady standing in front of the window, looking at her with cold eyes, which frightened her heart.
She lowered her head in a hurry, not daring to look directly at the old lady.
The old lady retracted her gaze and turned to look at Zhao Wan: "I gave you a chance just now, but you yourself didn't want to marry Yan'er."
Zhao Wan quickly said, "Wan'er's marriage is up to you."
The old lady warned, "Your mother is an unreliable person. You must be clear-headed. Your own destiny must be in your own hands."
Zhao Wan pinched her fingers into her palms and took a deep breath: "Wan'er will remember grandma's teachings."
The old lady looked tired: "You've been busy all day, go back to your room and rest."
Zhao Wanfu left Shi'an Hall.
She stopped at the door, looked at the third lady kneeling in the middle of the yard, and walked towards the gate with her head lowered.
"Wan'er." The Third Madam called out in a low voice, reaching out to grab the hem of Zhao Wan's skirt. "What are you doing in the old lady's courtyard? Are you here to discuss your marriage?"
As long as Zhao Wan and Pei Wuyan's marriage is completed, their family will live a prosperous life.
Thinking of this, the third lady sighed.
The second branch was expelled from the clan, and the only direct descendant was the first branch. Although the first branch was kind, they would never show mercy when their interests were affected.
Although the third branch is also the descendant of the Duke, the third wife does not dare to ask the Duke to help her son, for fear that the first branch will misunderstand that they have ambitions and kick them out.
Zhao Wan lowered her eyes and looked at the cut on the Third Madam's neck caused by the scissors, and thought of the words the old lady had scolded her.
If she doesn't work hard, the old lady will no longer care about her life or death.
"Go ask your grandmother yourself."
Zhao Wan clenched her fingers, pulled the skirt from the Third Madam's hand, and quickened her pace to leave.
The third wife was dumbfounded. She never expected that Zhao Wan would not care about her life or death.
He didn't even plead for her in front of the old lady, leaving her old bones to continue kneeling as punishment.
This was in the old lady's yard. The third lady didn't dare to act rashly and decided to go back and find Zhao Wan to interrogate her.
-
Shen Qingtan and the eldest lady returned to Mingde Hall and mentioned the second lady's money: "Mother, the old lady knew that the money came from an illegal source, but she still gave it to me. Is there any other hidden reason behind this?"
The eldest lady looked at Shen Qingtan's bright and beautiful face with soft eyes. There was a hint of childishness between her eyebrows, like a bud that had just begun to bloom in the garden, delicate and fragile, needing careful care.
Unfortunately, Shen Qingtan is gentle on the outside but strong on the inside, indomitable, and extremely intelligent, so he is like a fish in water in the backyard.
"This money is not expensive. It's given to you for free. Please accept it happily." The eldest lady thought of the second lady's fate and felt relieved. "After this incident, Luo Lingzhi will never cause any trouble again."
A dark light flashed in Shen Qingtan's eyes. If the Second Madam couldn't bear the blow and was unable to recover, hard times were still ahead.
She didn't have to do it herself, Shen Mingzhu would torture the second wife to death.
"Mother, my husband took a medicinal bath today, and my cousin gave him acupuncture. He needs to be detoxified tomorrow. I'm going back first."
The eldest lady wanted to ask about the situation, but she was worried that if she asked, Shen Qingtan would worry about her.
"Okay, I'll arrange for someone to take you back."
Before Shen Qingtan could say no, she heard the maid outside the door calling, "Old Madam."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law looked at each other and hurried to the door to greet the old lady.
"Eldest wife, Miss Tan, I'm sorry to bother you for a moment." The old lady held a booklet in her hand and said, "If this matter is not resolved tonight, I will feel uneasy."
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