Zheng Wanqing was about to take the rose cake when her hand stopped in mid-air: "Chen Chong'an?" She frowned, "From what I remember... doesn't he already have a wife?"
"Indeed." Ye Qiulan still kept his eyes down and said calmly.
"Then Sister Qingyi was..." Zheng Wanqing's voice suddenly rose, with a tremor at the end, "Become a concubine?"
The last two words were almost squeezed out from between teeth, so soft that they were almost inaudible, but they hit the quiet air in the hall heavily.
Ye Qiulan put down the teacup and wiped the corners of her mouth with a silk handkerchief: "It was the Chen family who sent a matchmaker to propose marriage. Zhang was delighted to hear about it and persuaded us to agree."
Zheng Wanqing felt a tightness in her chest, and the rose pastry in her hand was crushed to pieces, with the pastry falling onto her skirt.
"It's a new era now, why are we still..." She bit her lower lip and swallowed the words "become someone's concubine".
"Your father and I also asked Qingyi what she thought." Ye Qiulan seemed not to notice his daughter's mood and said to himself, "She is willing to do it. Fusion Bank has a good family background, and Qingyi will not suffer in the past."
Zheng Wanqing felt a pang of pain in her heart when she thought of her fourth sister's always downcast eyes and timid expression.
Qingyi is the daughter of Aunt Zhang. She has always been very cautious in the Zheng family. How could she dare to say "no"?
"Mother..." She was about to say something but was interrupted by Ye Qiulan.
"Let's not talk about this." Ye Qiulan suddenly lowered his voice, "Are there any news about you and the young commander?"
Zheng Wanqing didn't react for a moment: "What news?"
Ye Qiulan's eyes fell on his daughter's flat belly and he raised his eyebrows meaningfully.
"Mother!" Zheng Wanqing's ears suddenly burned, and she twisted the handkerchief in her hand into a ball, "How...how can you say this..."
"What's there to say?" Ye Qiulan frowned, "You've been married for half a year, so you should have made some moves long ago. For a family like the Xie family, having offspring is the most important thing."
She sighed, "Young Marshal will focus on Beiping, and you will have to go with him later. The Xie family has its roots in Beiping, and the elders are very traditional. If there is no good news for a long time..."
Zheng Wanqing lowered her head and stared at the puff pastry crumbs scattered on the hem of her skirt.
She knew what her mother was worried about.
Xie Yun is the only son of the Xie family, so the responsibility of inheriting the family line naturally falls on her shoulders. But the current situation is turbulent, and Xie Yun is busy with military affairs all day long. They are together less and apart more, so how can they have the time to think about these things?
"Yumin is so busy..." She said in a voice as soft as a mosquito, "We don't see each other often, how could it be..."
Ye Qiulan patted her daughter's hands in understanding: "I understand." She suddenly frowned, "Look how cold your hands are. Just stay at home and take care of yourself during this period."
Then he called the maid and asked her to bring the box of donkey-hide gelatin from my room, and then tell the kitchen to cook some black chicken soup with angelica.
Zheng Wanqing knew she couldn't refuse, so she just said, "Thank you, mother."
"When we get to Peking, you and the young marshal will be able to spend more time together." Ye Qiulan rubbed his daughter's cold fingers and said earnestly, "Men are working hard outside, and we women have to guard the rear for them."
At this moment, what emerged in Zheng Wanqing's mind was the desk lamp in Xie Yun's study that was on all night, his furrowed brows under the dim light, and the traces of red ink markings on the piles of papers on his desk.
She didn't want him to be distracted by these things, at least not now.
Zheng Wanqing knew that she couldn't communicate with her mother, so she just lowered her eyes and nodded obediently.
"By the way," she looked up, a bright smile on her lips, and deliberately changed the subject, "Have you prepared your brother's wedding suit? I remember he likes Ruifengxiang's fabrics the most."
Ye Qiulan was indeed led astray: "I've already decided, it's a brocade from Suzhou, with dark patterns..." She suddenly stopped and glared at her daughter in reproach, "You almost got around it. You must keep in mind what I just said."
Zheng Wanqing was about to answer when she heard footsteps outside, followed by Zheng Yuheng's clear voice: "I heard that my eldest daughter is back?"
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