These days, Ding Mujie repeatedly told himself not to think too much, and that everything would be good after marrying Lin Wan. But now, he couldn't help but think about it, so he said solemnly: "Xiang'er, don't worry, tell me what happened today from beginning to end, in detail, don't miss any details."
Ding Xiang wiped away her tears and recalled, "Today, Sister Lin and I made an appointment to go to her place. After entering the courtyard, I found that she was choosing jewelry. The gold and silver hairpins were placed in brocade boxes one by one. They were very beautiful. I couldn't help but take a few more glances, and Sister Lin said she would pick one for me."
At this point, she was a little timid. Seeing that her brother was not angry, she continued, "I, I really like those jewelry. I thought that since Sister Lin is already my sister-in-law, it doesn't matter, so I picked a silver hairpin. Sister Lin's maid said that I have good taste and the things I picked are very exquisite. Somehow, she mentioned that the old lady had a golden hairpin with a phoenix and a hundred flowers left with Aunt Shi. That golden hairpin was truly ingenious and beautiful. Not to mention on the market, it is not common even in the palace. Brother, you also know that Aunt Shi is from Miaojiang. She is especially good at making silver jewelry. She can also prepare a potion to wash old gold and silver jewelry as shiny as new. The old lady gave the golden hairpin to Aunt Shi to let her clean it, and it will be sent back tomorrow."
Ding Xiang started to cry again, choking up and saying, "I was very curious, so I begged Sister Lin to take out the golden hairpin and let me take a look. Brother, you have to believe me, I really only planned to take a look and not touch it. But when the golden hairpin was taken out, a maid suddenly told me that the phoenix on the golden hairpin was made just like the real one. When you wear it on your head and walk, the wings and tail feathers will move, as if it is about to fly up to the sky. I felt a little itchy after hearing this, so I picked up the golden hairpin and shook it, wanting to see how the wings and tail feathers moved. As a result, after just shaking it twice, the wings broke!"
Ding Xiang seemed to be greatly frightened, and she cried even harder and harder, "Although I was very anxious at the time, I was not too worried. I just thought that I could just give the money for the golden hairpin to the old lady. But Sister Lin's maids told me that the golden hairpin was a treasure that the old lady brought from her natal family. It was very spiritual and could ensure a smooth marriage and good fortune for the whole family. It has been passed down for nine generations now. When the old lady is a hundred years old, it will be sent back to her natal family and passed down to the next generation. It has a very different meaning."
"I was so scared when I heard that, I didn't know what to do. Brother, you have to believe me, if I had known that the golden hairpin was so valuable, I would never touch it no matter how curious I was." At this point, her tone softened a little, "Fortunately, I still have Sister Lin to protect me. She immediately put the hairpin back into the box and told me to go home quickly and pretend that nothing happened. She went to the old lady to plead guilty and took the responsibility for me. Two maids secretly sent me to the corner gate, sighing all the way, and their faces were not good. I felt guilty, so I asked them what would happen to Sister Lin. They said that Sister Lin was not favored by the old lady, and this was even worse. She would be punished by the family. Fortunately, Sister Lin will be married soon, and it will only take half a year for the old lady to dislike her again. I can get through it if I endure it."
Ding Xiang rubbed her eyes and continued, "My heart was twisted. Sister Lin is my sister-in-law, how could I let her suffer for me? After all, the old lady is her family. Even if she is married, she still has to go to the old lady to show her filial piety. If the two of them have a bad relationship, how embarrassed will Sister Lin be in her parents' home. But I am different. I am just an outsider. Even if the old lady dislikes me, it has no effect on me. So I walked back and apologized to the old lady in person."
"The old lady was very angry. She scolded me for coming from a poor family and not wanting to see other people's good things. She also blamed the general for choosing a relative like ours. It was shameful. I was so ashamed that I wanted to dig a crack in the ground and crawl under it. Sister Lin didn't dare to say a word. Later, Miss Lin came and took the hairpin and looked at it. She said that nine was the limit. Anything that has been passed down for nine generations has exhausted its spiritual energy. God has destined it not to be passed down. The reason why I broke the hairpin was that God used my hand to end this earthly relationship. It has nothing to do with me."
At this point, Ding Xiang finally stopped crying and said gratefully, "The old lady has always loved the eldest daughter the most, and she is a devout believer in Buddhism and numerology. She was no longer angry when she heard this, and she didn't punish us. She just sighed and sent me away from the Lin Mansion. But I really feel bad. After this incident, the old lady will definitely look down on our family and my brother. After all, I have caused trouble."
Mother Ding quickly hugged her daughter to comfort her. After a long while, she sighed and said, "I didn't expect the eldest lady to be such a good person. If she hadn't helped you out today, you wouldn't have gotten out so easily! You must not scold the eldest lady anymore in the future, and you must go to her in person to thank her. Of course, Wan'er is also very good, and she knows how to protect you at critical moments. When she marries into our family in the future, you must respect her and listen to her."
"Mom, I know that the eldest lady is a good person. I wronged her before. Sister Wan'er is even better. She is like my own sister!" After this incident, Dingxiang's impression of Lin Dan became much better than before, and she admired Lin Wan even more.
Ding Mujie rubbed his sister's head and said a few words of comfort. However, after returning to the study, he sat by the window and pondered, with all kinds of complex and indistinguishable emotions flashing in his eyes from time to time. After sitting from day till late at night, he finally came out, his back looking particularly tired.
The next day, he spent a large sum of money to buy a century-old ginseng and went to the Lin Mansion to apologize. Although he was very grateful to Lin Dan in his heart, he did not dare to meet her and only asked his sister to go to the backyard to thank her in person. When leaving the Lin Mansion, Ding's mother secretly asked him if he wanted to meet Lin Wan. For some reason, he refused for the first time.
After returning home, he studied poetry and books hard in preparation for the upcoming imperial examination, while carefully planning his wedding. However, just two months after he had been calm, he was caught off guard by another incident. Lin Wan was kidnapped by bandits on her way to burn incense, but fortunately King Kang passed by and rescued her. However, the two men fell off a cliff while escaping and were not found by guards until a day and a night later.
It would not sound good if the news of a single man and a single woman spending a night together in the wilderness got out. After being rescued, King Kang proposed to take Lin Wan as his concubine in order to protect her reputation. If he didn't already have a wife, he would have married Lin Wan in a sedan chair carried by eight people.
Naturally, the Lin family would not agree, and Lin Wan herself did not want to be a concubine, so she fell ill after returning. On the contrary, Ding's mother felt like a thorn in her heart after hearing about this incident, and she couldn't pull it out. Lin Wan's reputation has been ruined. Marrying her will not only be of no benefit to his son's career, but will also make him a laughing stock in the capital. Moreover, Prince Kang also has his eyes on Lin Wan. Marrying her will mean opposing Prince Kang, which will be even more detrimental to his son's future...
After much thought, Ding's mother felt that the best solution was for her family to cancel the engagement, so she went to discuss it with her son. She knew that her son had been in love with Lin Wan since he was a child and had long regarded her as his wife. If possible, wouldn't she want to see them get married and grow old together? But the current situation does not allow the Ding family to continue.
If the Ding family does not cancel the engagement, others will say that their son would rather be a coward than a tortoise for the sake of the Lin family's power; if they cancel the engagement, others will scold him for being heartless and ungrateful. No matter what the son does, it is wrong. However, compared with being a turtle or a tortoise, being heartless and ungrateful sounds better. A man can be ruthless but he cannot be spineless, otherwise he will be looked down upon.
Thinking of this, Mother Ding's expression became more resolute, but before she could speak, the exhausted Ding Mujie said first: "Mother, I will go to the Lin Mansion to see Lin Wan now. I will discuss the cancellation of the engagement when I come back. Don't worry."
In just two days, her son had become so haggard that he no longer looked like a human being, causing her mother heartache. She didn't want to embarrass her son anymore, so she nodded and said, "Okay, Mom won't rush you, you can do whatever you want."
Ding Mujie smiled, but his eyes were particularly dim.
…………
In the afternoon, Ding Mujie came with gifts prepared. General Lin felt guilty about him. When he saw that Ding Mujie proposed to visit Lin Wan alone, although he knew it was against etiquette, he agreed without hesitation.
This was the first time that Ding Mujie visited Lin Wan's boudoir, but he did not feel any anticipation or joy in his heart. He walked and thought all the way, his expression very gloomy, so that the maid leading the way didn't even dare to breathe. I don’t know why, but Mr. Ding used to be very handsome and elegant, and it was very comfortable to get along with him, but now Mr. Ding is quite majestic and people dare not approach him.
"Sir, the young lady is inside, please come in." The two maids lifted the bamboo curtain and said cautiously.
Ding Mujie walked in without saying a word. When he saw Lin Wan, who looked haggard, lying on the bed, he felt a sense of time and space confusion. In her previous life, she looked like this when she was abandoned by King Kang. He habitually held Lin Wan's fingertips, but she avoided him and he couldn't help but sneer.
"Are you here to break off the engagement?" Lin Wan turned her head away, as if she was desperate.
Ding Mujie stared at her without blinking, not missing the slightest change in her expression: "No, I came here to tell you that as long as you insist on marrying me, no matter what others say, no matter how King Kang forces you, I will always marry you home. Don't worry, as long as I am willing, the general and his wife will definitely not let you marry anyone else, even the prince."
Lin Wan turned around, looking painful: "But I, but my reputation has been ruined, don't you mind at all?"
Ding Mujie shook his head: "I don't mind. No matter what happens, I will definitely marry you, and I will cherish you and take good care of you, unless you don't want to get married. Wan'er, what do you think, are you willing to marry me?"
At this point, Ding Mujie couldn't help but think to himself: He should have asked this question in person in his previous life.
Lin Wan was already crying, choking with sobs, "Of course I am willing, but I am already like this, how can I have the face to marry you! If you marry me, what will those people outside say about you?"
She kept saying that she was thinking about her fiancé and didn't think about herself at all. Ding Mujie should have been very happy. If it were him in his previous life, he would probably be moved to tears by now. But the current Ding Mujie is not the young Ding Mujie, but the Prime Minister who has been in officialdom for decades and can make things happen with a wave of his hand.
He stared at Lin Wan and said slowly: "No matter what outsiders say, as long as you are willing to marry, I will marry you. Wan'er, since you have agreed, I will go and discuss with General Lin to advance our wedding date. Three days later, you wait for me to come and pick you up in a sedan chair carried by eight people." After he finished speaking, he stood up and left.
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