3 Breaking off the engagement
◎Being a concubine is impossible!◎
Wei Ziyan fell ill and lay in bed for two consecutive days. She had never imagined that during these two days, the news of her jumping into the river to force her fiancé to death spread throughout the entire Liangjing City.
Combined with past events, now the whole city knows that the fierce young lady of the Wei family is infatuated with "Young Master Qilin" and will not tolerate anyone else getting involved.
The rumor even reached the ears of Emperor Jingren.
After the court session, the emperor summoned two ministers, Wei Jizhi and Yan Sunwei, and asked them to discuss the marriage carefully so as not to damage the long-standing harmony between the two families.
"I watched both the Wei family girl and Captain Yan grow up under my watch. If they become enemies, who should I side with?"
"Your Majesty is right. I have failed to educate my daughter properly." Wei Jizhi was very embarrassed by the joke his daughter had made. He bowed his head and confessed his mistake and reflected on himself.
"I didn't teach my son well." Yan Sunwei standing next to him was not in a much better mood. His son was already engaged but he was secretly meeting someone else, which made him lose face.
The two concerned fathers immediately decided to go back and discuss the matter in detail to understand it better.
So when he returned to the mansion, Wei Jizhi mentioned to his wife what had happened in the court today, and Mrs. Wei's eyes immediately turned red.
My daughter is still ill, how can I use the engagement to provoke her again? But a short pain is better than a long pain. My daughter is stubborn about the young master of the Yan family. If this continues, she will still be the one to suffer.
After weighing the pros and cons, Mrs. Wei went to her daughter's boudoir with her husband and dismissed all the maids.
"Zi Yan, if the Yan family still wants to cancel the engagement, let's just forget it."
She really didn't want her daughter to continue to cling to him, as it would hurt herself and cause hatred to others.
Wei Ziyan leaned against the head of the bed with a tired look on her face. After listening to her mother's words, she bit her dull lips and shook her head.
"Alas..." Wei Jizhi sighed lightly and tried to persuade him kindly.
"If Qi Zheng doesn't like you, he won't treat you well even if you marry him. Your parents will find you someone who understands your feelings..."
"It's okay not to marry him..." Wei Ziyan suddenly spoke in a low voice, interrupting her father.
"But my parents must promise to let me find a husband on my own, and if I can't find one I like, they won't force me to marry someone I don't like."
"That's not right," Mrs. Wei disagreed. "If you can't find someone you like, will you stay single for the rest of your life?"
Mr. Wei also agreed with his wife's opinion.
"Marriages naturally develop feelings for each other after a long time. Before your mother married into our family, I had never even met her, but now we're living a good life."
"You are already sixteen, not young anymore." Madam Wei continued to persuade, "If you don't find a good marriage now, it will be even harder to find a suitable family in two years when you become an old maid."
"Yes, there are not many families in the court who have young men of marriageable age..." Wei Jizhi remembered the emperor's joke and shook his head repeatedly.
"Those princes are even less suitable for consideration. The difference in status is too great, and marrying into them would likely lead to her being bullied."
"Your Highness, you must not..."
Madam Wei, following her master's words, had actually already started discussing finding her another good husband. Seeing that they were still anxious to marry her off after all the talk, Wei Ziyan threw up her hands.
"Since I'm going to marry, I'll only marry Yan Qizheng."
"Yan'er..." Madam Wei had a headache. "If Qi Zheng is determined to break off the engagement, are you going to threaten him with death?"
The news of her jumping into the river that day had spread throughout the city. Yan Qizheng must be extremely angry with her at this moment. If she threatened him with death again, she was afraid that he would not be able to be appeased...
Wei Ziyan changed her mind and hugged her mother's hand.
"Mother, can you take me to visit Madam Yan?"
So before lunch the next day, Mrs. Wei and her daughter came to the Yan Mansion in a carriage.
Mrs. Yan was quite bewildered when she received the news because she had not been informed in advance. She had a premonition that the mother and daughter of the Wei family must be coming to arrange a marriage.
The master discussed this matter with her yesterday, and later Qi Zheng returned home and said in a firm tone that the engagement must be cancelled!
She had watched the Wei family's daughter grow up. She was lively and innocent, without the arrogance and domineering attitude of other rich daughters. Although she was a little willful and capricious towards her son, it was because she loved him.
In Madam Yan's eyes, she had already accepted this daughter-in-law. However, Qi Zheng was stubborn about her and no matter what the girl did, she could not please him.
After the incident of jumping into the river two days ago, Qi Zheng’s determination to cancel the engagement became even more irrefutable.
The servants brought the Wei mother and daughter into the main hall. Madam Yan suppressed her worries and greeted them with a smile.
The Yan and Wei families were close friends, and she had known Madam Wei for many years, so much so that they had long since become like sisters. Seeing that the Wei mother and daughter had brought gifts, she became even more polite.
"Madam Yan, Zi Yan has come here today to apologize to you." Wei Zi Yan was like a child who admitted his mistakes, with a face full of sincere regret.
"It was Ziyan's fault the other day. Ziyan shouldn't have gone to Brother Yan, and she shouldn't have threatened to jump into the river just to force him to do so. Madam Yan has loved Ziyan since she was a child, so she must be extremely disappointed in her."
"Madam Yan, Zi Yan knows she was wrong. She will never interfere with Brother Yan again, and she will never treat her life as a joke again."
Seeing her calling him "Brother Yan" on the left and admitting her mistakes on the right, and every word she said came from the bottom of her heart, Mrs. Yan felt sorry for her and immediately softened her heart.
"You are also a stubborn person." She took Wei Ziyan's hand and spoke earnestly.
"No matter what, you shouldn't joke with your life. If you really jump into the river and something goes wrong, your parents won't tell anyone, but how will your uncle and I live in peace? How will Qi Zheng feel at ease? Even if you're lucky enough to be rescued, with so many people watching, how can you, a virgin, keep your innocence?"
"Oh, it was Zi Yan who was extremely wrong."
"Sister, you are absolutely right. Her father has already taught her a lesson." Mrs. Wei couldn't help but feel tears welling up in her eyes as she spoke.
If something goes wrong, how can she bear it?
"Qi Zheng was also at fault," Madam Yan said, not showing any partiality to her own child. "He went out to meet someone secretly even though he knew he was engaged."
"However, Qi Zheng said that he and that woman weren't having a tryst, so don't take it too seriously. Qi Zheng may be a bit stubborn, but he's honest and would never do anything sneaky."
"Oh, it was Zi Yan who misunderstood Brother Yan."
The three women had a very emotional exchange, and the previous farce was turned over.
At Madam Yan's gracious invitation, the Wei mother and daughter stayed to have lunch with Madam Yan. The atmosphere was harmonious, and after the banquet, the three of them gathered under the pavilion in the garden to enjoy tea and admire the flowers.
Wei Ziyan loved flowers and plants very much. She carefully selected a few elegant little flowers and put them in her hair for her own amusement. She also wanted to buy flowers for Madam Yan and her mother Zhan.
Madam Yan waved her hands repeatedly: "Why would a middle-aged woman like me get involved?"
"Love of flowers knows no age limit. Even if Zi Yan becomes an old woman, she will still love flowers."
Madam Yan laughed at her: "You have a childish mind."
"That's right," Mrs. Wei agreed. "She acts like a child all day long. How can she be the least bit like a lady from a noble family?"
Madam Yan was slightly startled.
Qi Zheng also said the second half of this sentence yesterday when he was clamoring to cancel the engagement.
Mrs. Yan sighed secretly.
She didn't have a daughter, but she believed from the bottom of her heart that a daughter should be raised to be lively and lovely. How could a well-behaved and dignified lady be able to entertain and relieve boredom?
But what she likes is not liked by her son. What should she do?
Madam Yan was just thinking about how to persuade her son when the servant came running in with the news, "Madam, the eldest son has returned home and is heading towards the garden."
…
The three people under the pavilion were all stunned in surprise.
Wei Ziyan had a bad feeling and subconsciously hid behind the two ladies. When Yan Qizheng strode into the garden, he saw her crouching and hiding behind her mother.
He was originally in the Prince's Mansion, and usually came with his Xu Ji to inform him that Wei's mother and daughter had come to visit, and his mother had even invited them to dinner.
He thought that his mother would be deceived by Wei Ziyan's pretending to be pitiful and gain her sympathy, so he hurried back.
Considering the presence of his elders, Yan Qizheng suppressed his anger and greeted his mother and Madam Wei in a solemn voice. Then he spoke bluntly, "Did mother discuss the cancellation of the engagement with Madam Wei?"
Madam Yan's face froze for a moment, and she forced herself to remain calm. "How could that be true? Today, Madam Wei brought your sister Zi Yan to apologize."
"Brother Yan..."
At this moment, the head hidden at the back popped out and kept reflecting on itself to him.
"It's all my fault. Please forgive me for what I have done. Please don't be angry with me anymore, okay? I promise I won't act crazy or make you angry again. Can you please forgive me this time?"
The attitude of admitting the mistake was so sincere and the tone was so soft that if Yan Qizhen had never seen it before, he would probably believe it.
He sneered, "After the first two times you made trouble in the restaurant, you also promised that there wouldn't be a next time."
"This time it's real!" Wei Ziyan quickly raised her hand and swore, "If I mess around again, I'll never be able to marry you!"
Oh, this is a poisonous oath!
Everyone knows that the daughter of the Wei family will not marry anyone but him!
Madam Yan quickly tried to smooth things over: "Look at this silly child, even swearing on such a thing. Qi Zheng, you still don't believe Zi Yan's words, are you still going to be angry with her?"
Yan Qizhen was almost speechless.
How did he get involved?
Is he going to admit his mistake? He is clearly going to cancel the engagement!
Yan Qizheng took a deep breath and said, "We agreed to cancel the engagement yesterday. Mother, have you forgotten?"
How could Madam Yan agree to his words in front of the mother and daughter of the Wei family? Besides, she didn't want to withdraw from the marriage.
But Madam Yan was still hesitating about how to speak, and Wei Ziyan's pitiful voice came out again: "Brother Yan said this, but you still haven't forgiven me..."
"Yes, Qi Zheng," Madam Yan quickly continued, "You are a man, you should be more generous. If you keep talking about breaking off the engagement, Zi Yan will be crying again."
Wei Ziyan was standing beside Madam Yan, looking at him timidly, her eyes red as a rabbit's. She was beautiful, and her aggrieved look was particularly pitiful.
Yan Qizhen finally understood.
This time he didn't have to threaten death, so he pretended to be pitiful and admitted his mistake, coaxing his mother to join him in negotiating the matter.
Without his mother's nod, he drove away the ghost's relatives!
Yan Qizheng was so angry that he couldn't help but think, "Didn't she want to marry him so badly?" So he gave in to her wish and made her a concubine, leaving her in the cold for the rest of her life!
"I have not yet decided to marry. If Miss Yilan insists on getting married, I can only be a concubine."
Concubine???
When these words were spoken, the two wives, Mrs. Yan and Mrs. Wei, were shocked and angry, while Wei Ziyan was shocked, angry and sad, and she cried out.
"What concubine? I want to be your principal wife!"
"I like you so much, how could you be so cruel as to make me your concubine and marry someone else?"
Wei Ziyan's crying was filled with grief, shame and anger.
Madam Wei patted her daughter's back lovingly and soothed her, while Madam Yan, while scolding her son for his nonsense, also tried to appease her with kind words: "Qi Zheng was just speaking in anger. She is the legal wife, not a concubine."
Yan Qi was so angry that his heart ached.
"Legal wife? Being a concubine is impossible!"
【Author’s words】
Brother Yan, don't be too harsh with your words, or you'll get slapped in the face [smirk]
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