Chapter 3 You Have No Choice
Meng Lingge wore a fiery red wedding dress, her hair styled in a high bun and adorned with jewels. Her steps were graceful and elegant, and every movement exuded charm.
His expression was indifferent, and his eyes revealed a sense of aloofness.
Meng Lingge approached step by step amidst the surprised gazes of the crowd, and greeted them first according to custom.
"Lingge greets General Chen, Lord Liu, Grand Tutor Zhou, Commander Li, and Governor Zhang..."
She had seen these officials at a banquet in the palace, and addressed them in order of their rank without making a mistake.
The adults looked on with admiration. An ordinary woman would have been filled with shame and indignation and would have cried and made a scene if she encountered such an embarrassing situation on her wedding day. But this girl was calm and composed and behaved with propriety.
Guan Yi'an neglected such a dignified and virtuous noblewoman for the sake of a frivolous concubine's daughter. It was truly a case of losing more than he gained and putting the cart before the horse.
When it was finally Guan Yi'an's turn, before Meng Lingge could even speak, Guan Yi'an blushed and said, "Lingge, you've arrived! I'll get things sorted out here as soon as possible and come to fetch you right away..."
He was exceptionally talented and very handsome. When he looked at Meng Lingge, there was a hint of apology in his eyes, but more so, he was smug and confident.
He was certain that Meng Lingge's earlier disagreement was merely a momentary outburst of emotion; it was just a girl throwing a tantrum, and he could easily appease her with a little coaxing.
He was confident that with his talent and appearance, as well as the government's control over the status of married women, even if he was caught in bed with another man, it would still not stop him from marrying the prime minister's daughter.
Meng Lingge's expression remained unchanged as she calmly asked, "Welcoming the bride? I wonder if Young Master Guan is welcoming me, or Meng Huanyan, the second daughter of the Meng family?"
Guan Yi'an pursed his lips slightly, "Of course it's you. Lingge, we have a marriage agreement, so you are naturally my only wife. Huanyan is your half-sister, and you two have always been very close. I'm taking her as a concubine so she can keep you company, and also to ensure peace in the inner quarters. Don't worry, in front of all the officials today, I guarantee I will never do anything that would favor a concubine over my wife."
"Do you remember what Young Master Guan just did?" Meng Lingge sneered. "You favored your concubine over your wife before we were even married. Meng Huanyan and I were indeed close sisters in the past, but that was then. Now I only feel disgust for her. I can neither marry her nor marry a man who disrespected and humiliated me on our wedding day. So, Young Master Guan, don't talk about marrying me anymore. It's disgusting!"
Guan Yi'an looked slightly annoyed: "Lingge, you're a sensible woman, enough is enough. It was indeed my fault today, but Huanyan will be my woman sooner or later, it's just that the time has been brought forward. I'm willing to apologize to you, so why are you being so aggressive?"
Meng Lingge laughed angrily: "If pretending to be deaf and dumb and stubbornly refusing to understand is considered being sensible, then I don't need that kind of sensibility. I don't need your apology either. Since you and Meng Huanyan are mutually attracted and have consummated your marriage, I'm willing to grant you this wish. Today, you can take the woman you love away! Between us, there will be no more connection!"
Guan Yi'an glanced at the expressions of the crowd, feeling embarrassed. The officials all looked on with amusement, while Meng Xingyuan remained silent. Meng Lingge's maid, Dongqing, glared at him fiercely, as if he were her father's killer.
Only then did he realize that Meng Lingge wasn't just being coquettish or unreasonable; she genuinely didn't want to marry him anymore.
This woman is taking things too seriously.
After he became the top scholar in the imperial examination, countless noble ladies were attracted to him. Among them were women of more prominent status and more outstanding appearance than Meng Lingge. The reason he chose Meng Lingge was not only because of her status and appearance, but more importantly because Meng Lingge was sensible and gentle. She was a good woman who put the big picture first and understood the bigger picture. This kind of woman is the most suitable to be a wife.
But now Meng Lingge has seized on one of his mistakes, making him lose face in front of everyone, which is clearly not what he imagined.
He couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed in Meng Lingge.
But right now, this marriage must take place; otherwise, his momentary lust will lead him to lose the big picture and make him a laughingstock in the capital.
"Lingge, we can talk about this after we get married. My father-in-law and I have already discussed it. Don't think about anything else, just focus on being a good bride. The banquet is about to begin, so don't miss the auspicious time."
His expectant gaze turned to Meng Xingyuan, and he said respectfully, "It's windy in the courtyard, gentlemen. Please move to the front yard first. I would like to trouble you, father-in-law, to persuade Lingge. I will set off now and come to fetch Lingge in about fifteen minutes."
After listening for so long, Meng Xingyuan saw that Guan Yi'an's attitude was acceptable, and his anger had subsided somewhat.
Besides, he never intended to break off the engagement in the first place.
Guan Yi'an is the most outstanding young talent in the capital. Although he acted absurdly today, he is still determined to marry Ling Ge as his wife. Men are sometimes blinded by lust and inevitably make mistakes. After this incident, he should restrain himself in the future.
Although Huan Yan is not a good person, we still have to consider her for her mother's sake.
After thinking it over, he nodded slightly, stood up, and said, "Lingge..."
Seeing Meng Xingyuan's expression, Meng Lingge knew what her father was about to say.
Guan Yi'an's fallacies had disgusted her enough, and now she really didn't want to hear Meng Xingyuan's well-intentioned but ultimately harmful arguments anymore.
“Father, you don’t need to persuade me.” She interrupted, “I know that a woman’s marriage is arranged by her parents and the matchmaker. I have already obeyed your orders and agreed to marry Guan Yi’an, but now he has wronged me. On his wedding day, he was having an affair with my half-sister. Where does he think I am? Where does he think he thinks of the Prime Minister’s mansion?”
Meng Lingge's eyes were firm: "Father, this time, let your daughter make her own decisions. Let others say I'm jealous or narrow-minded, I really can't tolerate the mistake Guan Yi'an made today. I want to break off the engagement with Guan Yi'an. Consider the betrothal gifts he sent as gifts for Meng Huanyan, and he can't take any of my dowry with him."
"You want to break off the engagement? Lingge, have you thought this through?" Meng Xingyuan frowned and advised, "This is no small matter. Don't act impulsively..."
His daughter was beautiful and talented, and her reputation was widespread. She originally had no trouble finding a husband, but now that the wedding day had arrived, breaking off the engagement would still cause criticism, even if it was Guan Yi'an's fault.
If it weren't for the court's control over the status of married women, they could have waited until the matter had died down before finding her a good marriage. But at this critical juncture, who else could she marry besides Guan Yi'an?
Even men who had previously shown interest in her would likely question the purity of her relationship with Guan Yi'an. And those gossipy women would accuse her of being jealous.
Meng Lingge said decisively.
"Father, I've made up my mind. Please grant my request and allow me to annul the engagement!"
"Break off the engagement?" Guan Yi'an stopped in his tracks, furious and embarrassed. "Meng Lingge, have you forgotten that your status today is that of a woman about to be married? If you don't succeed in getting married today, you'll only be able to marry a eunuch. In just one day, I'd like to see who dares to marry you. You have no choice but to marry me!"
"Is that so?" Meng Lingge met his gaze without fear. "You should go back now and prepare to marry Meng Huanyan. By the time you come to visit, I should have already chosen my husband."
"Fine! Meng Lingge, you just wait!" Guan Yi'an said angrily, then flung his sleeves and strode away.
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