Yan Xuening looked at Shang Shaoyan warily, clearly not believing that it was just one simple matter.
Seeing this, Shang Shaoyan curled his lips and casually broke off a plum blossom from a nearby tree branch: "The Marquis of Qing'an came in person this morning and said he wants to make you his thirteenth concubine. What do you think?"
She paused, then said, "If it weren't for Marquis Qing'an's visit today, I wouldn't have known that my cousin loves going out so much; it just so happened that the other day you were walking on the street when Marquis Qing'an, who was sitting in a teahouse, saw you, and wow, he was absolutely astonished by your beauty..."
Yan Xuening's face paled, and her hand gripping the swing rope began to tremble: "You're talking nonsense! You're just trying to scare me! I've never even met Marquis Qing'an, and I always wear a veil when I go out—"
As she said this, it was as if something was choking her, and she couldn't speak. Her complexion also worsened.
Yes, she bought some hairpins the other day, and thought they looked nice, so she didn't want to wear a veil anymore...
Shang Shaoyan looked at Yan Xuening with a leisurely air: "Speak up, why did you stop? I don't care how you were seen by Marquis Qing'an, anyway, he specifically asked for you, and I didn't want to offend him, so I made excuses and said I had to ask for your opinion, which is how I managed to get a few more days."
Yan Xuening no longer felt that Shang Shaoyan was lying to her. She stood up in a panic: "Cousin, I can't marry Marquis Qing'an. He's already over fifty!"
Shang Shaoyan patted Yan Xuening's shoulder reassuringly: "Don't worry, you won't marry him."
Yan Xuening breathed a sigh of relief and was about to speak when Shang Shaoyan continued, "Didn't you hear what I said? I'm making you a concubine. Getting married is a privilege only a principal wife receives."
Shang Shaoyan looked at Yan Xuening's ugly face with satisfaction and added, "Cousin, you don't know, but the Duke's mansion is not what it used to be when our parents were still alive. Everyone can step on it. Trading you for the protection of the Marquis of Qing'an is a worthwhile deal for both my brother and me."
Yan Xuening was so frightened that she slid off the swing. She gritted her teeth and glared at Shang Shaoyan, as if she couldn't believe that such cold-hearted words came from Shang Yunlan's mouth.
Shang Shaoyan chuckled briefly: "However, if you're unwilling, there are ways to resolve this."
Yan Xuening knelt on the snow, feeling icy cold all over her body: "...Cousin, just say it."
Shang Shaoyan pretended to be hesitant for a moment before sighing, "If I were to refuse the Marquis of Qing'an for you, I'm afraid the Duke's mansion would be in an even more precarious situation... But I'm thinking that we are, after all, blood relatives. If you were to become a concubine, it would be a disgrace to me and my brother. The best course of action now is to marry you off as soon as possible so that you can become the legitimate wife of a respectable family, which is better than being the Marquis of Qing'an's concubine."
Yan Xuening understood Shang Shaoyan's implication and asked incredulously, "My cousin wants to marry me off to a poor family?"
Shang Shaoyan raised an eyebrow: "I know that your aunt sent you to the Duke's mansion to find you a good marriage. But you've seen it now, the Duke's mansion has fallen into ruin, and your brother will be in mourning. If you want to be my sister-in-law, you'll inevitably be the subject of gossip. Marquis Qing'an wants to make you his concubine, but although the Marquis's mansion is wealthy, you'll still be a concubine..."
Yan Xuening lowered her head and gripped the hem of her skirt tightly with both hands.
Shang Shaoyan slowly walked forward, circled around Yan Xuening, and then leaned down to whisper in her ear: "Cousin, I'm doing this for you too—my brother has a heart ailment, and with the weather getting colder, he can't even get out of bed. The imperial physicians are helpless with this illness, and my sibling relationship with him is destined to be shallow... On the contrary, although we often quarrel, as women, I can't help but think more about you."
Yan Xuening froze, then struggled to her feet, her face deathly pale. She rubbed her forehead and said, "Cousin, Xuening has a headache and wants to lie down and rest..."
Shang Shaoyan nodded, then pointed at Yan Xuening from a distance: "My cousin has always been intelligent."
...
"That's it?" Shang Yunlan stared blankly at Shang Shaoyan. "That's all?"
Shang Shaoyan, holding a hot water bottle, glanced sideways at Shang Yunlan upon hearing this: "How did you become the richest man with such a pig brain? Can't you even figure this out?"
She paused, then said, “Think about it carefully. If I lied to her that the Marquis of Qing’an wanted her to be his concubine, what would she do? One possibility is that she would try to marry you as soon as possible, by any means necessary, most likely by drugging you; another possibility is that she would hastily marry someone else, which is better than being a concubine. And according to her mindset, she would definitely choose the first option.”
Shang Yunlan nodded.
Shang Shaoyan then explained in detail: "First, I said you're about to begin your mourning period, implying that she doesn't have much time left; but then I said your heart ailment is getting worse, so she'll be much more cautious, afraid that if she pushes you too far, you'll die. Then I went back to the beginning and told her that she was spotted by the Marquis of Qing'an on the street, so she definitely won't dare to go out these next few days. I'll also find an excuse to transfer all her maids away, so she won't be able to buy medicine, let alone administer it."
As she spoke, she laughed again: "However, it's also possible that she's stubborn and insists on buying it herself. In that case, I wouldn't mind if Marquis Qing'an really took a liking to her."
Shang Yunlan suddenly realized: "In other words, you've blocked her first path. Now she can only hurry up and marry someone else."
The more he thought about it, the more he felt that Shang Shaoyan's move was really amazing, and he couldn't help but look at her expectantly: "An'an, you are really amazing. From now on, we'll rely on you."
Shang Shaoyan: "...Dream on!"
Shang Yunlan asked, "So you've decided you like him?"
Shang Shaoyan nodded: "I've been looking into it these past few days. This world is always unfair to women, and I still want to help her find a good marriage. But with the world in chaos today, marrying into a powerful family is too risky, so I'm thinking of marrying her off to a slightly impoverished collateral branch of a noble family, which would be safer."
Shang Yunlan raised an eyebrow: "Do you think she'll appreciate your kindness?"
Shang Shaoyan smiled: "I've already written to my aunt, putting down that line of reasoning, and adding a few families I think are suitable at the end. Our aunt is a shrewd person; she'll appreciate it."
...
After seeing Shang Yunlan off, Shang Shaoyan summoned his trusted maid, who had recently been promoted: "Bailu, prepare the sedan chair; I'm going to the west of the city."
Bai Lu was a smart person, and smart people never ask questions they shouldn't ask. She nodded, gave the order, then held an umbrella for Shang Shaoyan and went out through the side gate of the Duke's mansion.
The weather was cold and gloomy, with heavy snow falling. Shang Shaoyan shivered and quickly stepped into the sedan chair, where he felt much warmer.
The palanquin was extremely luxurious, with an exquisite charcoal stove burning silver charcoal inside. In the center was a wooden table with incense sticks that seemed to herald spring in the snow, as well as a few plates of snacks.
Shang Shaoyan sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation—the powerful and wealthy of Southern Chen were fond of extravagance and valued literature over military affairs, no wonder they had become increasingly inferior to Northern Zhou in recent years.
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