Feng Liu stared wide-eyed.
Is it fashionable these days to rush to marry off one's daughter?
First there was Marquis Jianning, Song Ru, and now there's the old man Deng Shencang; it really is one generation after another.
Xiao Yan's brows furrowed, and his gaze sharpened in an instant.
Shen Cang froze, immediately lowered his head, his heart pounding like a drum, afraid that if he said something wrong, Xiao Yan would order him to be tied up.
Fortunately, no.
The young master said nothing, indifferently rode away, leaving Shen Cang standing there trembling in fear.
until--
"Master Shen, please." Feng Liu looked at Shen Cang with a forced smile.
The latter, however, still looked completely bewildered.
Feng Liu explained patiently, "The master didn't kick you out; he just wants you to go inside."
"Oh!" Shen Cang suddenly realized, "Thank you for reminding me, Vice Envoy."
"You're too kind," Feng Liu said with a kind smile.
He moved his legs, and the horse slowly walked towards the main hall of Qiying Pavilion.
Shen Cang followed behind with a delighted expression.
Stepping into this place again, he was still afraid, but as long as he thought about how he could obtain countless riches and honors by successfully marrying Shen Qiyin to Xiao Yan, his fear could be completely overcome.
Xiao Yan met him in the dark prison.
As soon as Shen Cang entered, his legs started trembling, and he could barely stand.
Seeing this, Feng Liu "kindly" told him, "Master Shen, there's no need to be afraid. After all, we adults aren't some kind of monster; we're easy to talk to."
"If you really can't stand, you don't have to force yourself..."
Upon hearing this, Shen Cang looked at him expectantly, only to see him touch his upper lip to his lower lip and say, "Kneel down."
Shen Cang's knees immediately buckled.
He dared not be angry, nor dared he speak out.
Kneeling like a quail on the cold, icy ground, he tentatively began, "Your Highness... my daughter..."
"You want to marry her to me?" Xiao Yan suddenly spoke, his voice cold and unreadable.
"...If, if Your Highness does not abandon me, it will be a blessing for my daughter and my whole family."
"But I think she is a better match for my younger brother."
"What?!" Shen Cang suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with astonishment.
He sneaked into her boudoir at night, and the two of them had already gone far beyond what was known. Now he was going to push her onto his younger brother?
Was this his original plan? To deliberately throw the women he had grown tired of at Young Master Xiao, just to disgust him.
But I've never heard of any discord between the brothers.
Shen Cang's mind was about to explode.
In contrast, Xiao Yan's eyes remained calm, as if what he said was nothing more than a trivial matter.
He sat leisurely in the chair, his elbows resting on the armrests, watching with great interest as Shen Cang performed his spectacular face-changing act. His other hand rested casually in front of him, playing with the cloud-patterned pouch at his waist.
That was a gift from Shen Qiyin.
The soft, warm fingertips gently caressed her, slowly and tenderly, as if handling a unique treasure, afraid of soiling or scratching it in the slightest.
After a long pause, Shen Cang seemed to have finally sorted out his thoughts and said sincerely, "My daughter is beautiful, but she is not worthy of you, Young Master. Since you say that she is a good match for the Second Young Master, then she is indeed a good match."
Both options were to marry into the Duke's mansion.
Upon hearing this, Feng Liu couldn't help but glance at him sideways, his eyes unusually devoid of any smile.
Xiao Yan paused in his rubbing of his purse.
He lowered his head slightly, making it impossible to see the emotions in his eyes, but suddenly changed the subject: "What if I said that it wouldn't be bad to give her to my third brother?"
"...That would be excellent, of course."
Shen Cang wasn't oblivious to the oddity in Xiao Yan's words, but as the saying goes, fortune favors the bold, and if he didn't seize this rare opportunity to take a gamble, he feared he would regret it for the rest of his life.
Fearing that Xiao Yan might not believe his sincerity, he hurriedly added, "As long as it can help Your Highness and make you happy, I will leave my daughter's marriage entirely to Your Highness."
He paused, then mustered his courage and continued, "But about the betrothal gifts..."
Xiao Yan's eyes were filled with gloom.
His long, slender, fair hands were clenched into fists, and the tips of his fingers were slightly white.
His voice seemed even colder and harder than before as he said, "What I said just now was nothing but a few words of jest."
“Your daughter has chosen me.”
"I will marry her."
The clear, crisp tone was like pearls falling to the ground, devoid of any particular nuance.
"Marry?!" Shen Cang could not hide his surprise and delight: "You...you want to marry my daughter as your principal wife?"
Is it true or false?
He could never have dreamed of something this beautiful.
Xiao Yan stared at him intently, her expression cold, and did not answer.
Shen Cang suddenly remembered what Feng Liu had said to him at the gate, "The master didn't kick you out, he just wants you to come in." He applied this to other situations and thought that since Xiao Yan didn't deny it, it meant he admitted it!
The principal wife of the Duke's heir...
Then she will be the Duchess of the State in the future!
The Shen family must be incredibly lucky to have produced such an outstanding daughter. It's a pity she's a bit arrogant and doesn't like to be disciplined; otherwise, she would be perfect.
Fearing that her eccentric personality might one day displease Xiao Yan, Shen Cang was eager to finalize the marriage: "I wonder... when does Your Highness plan to welcome my daughter into your family?"
Bang!
A sudden sound came from the entrance to the dungeon, echoing and startling Shen Cang.
He simply buried his head even deeper, fearing he might see something he shouldn't and lose his life in the process.
Xiao Yan: "I heard that Young Master Shen passed away not long ago."
Shen Qiyin is his younger sister. As someone of the same generation, although she doesn't need to observe the three-year mourning period like she would for an elder, she should at least wait a hundred days before they can discuss marriage.
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