However, Wei Shuwan herself was unaware of these things at that time.
When she woke up, her parents, fearing she would try to kill herself again, lied to her that Song Zichen had changed his mind and would not break off the engagement. They told her that once she recovered, she could get married as scheduled.
Once she entered the Song family, she learned how the outside world had ridiculed her all along, and finally understood why the Song family had given up the idea of breaking off the engagement—in order to keep Song Zichen as their son-in-law, her father insisted on using half of his wealth to add to her dowry!
It should be known that the Wei family of Wu County was a leading family of wealthy merchants in Jiangzuo. Half of their wealth was enough to turn the once-prosperous Song family, which was struggling to pay its servants, into a powerful force.
But money alone wouldn't have been enough to break Wei Shuwan's heart. What truly broke her heart was Song Zichen's shocking words after their wedding night, when he appeared calm and collected:
"Wanwan, actually, besides you and me, Xueyi was also the one who was worshipping heaven and earth together in the Shouxi Hall today. Xueyi is very considerate and made this wedding night possible for you and me. From now on, you two should be of one mind as sisters and work together to continue the Song family line."
Wei Shuwan was struck dumb as if by lightning!
Her husband was destined to be a pair of beauties, enjoying the blessings of having two wives...
Xueyi, whom Song Zichen mentioned, is his cousin from his maternal aunt's side, and shares the same surname as his mother, Su. Due to a family tragedy, she became an orphan and sought refuge with her maternal aunt, Su.
It is common for aristocratic families to have many wives and concubines, but that usually happens many years after the first wife has entered the household. If a husband is in a hurry to take concubines right after the first wife enters the household, it is tantamount to slapping the face of the in-laws.
Moreover, Su Xueyi is not a concubine; she entered the household on the same day as Wei Shuwan, making her a wife of equal status! Even if they address each other as sisters and slightly distinguish their rank, Wei Shuwan will no longer have the dignity that a principal wife should have.
If Wei Shuwan had known all this before entering the house, she would have let go even if it meant cutting out her heart and feeding it to a dog! But her parents' protection became the hand that covered her eyes and ears.
Heartbroken and disillusioned, she proposed a divorce, but Song Zichen refused. She compromised, asking only for a written divorce decree, to which Song Zichen responded with vehement arguments:
"You may disregard your own reputation, but your father still has to navigate the officialdom, and your younger brother still needs to get married. This young man is already blind; if he also has an older sister who has been divorced and sent back to her parents' home, would the Sheng family's daughter still want to enter such a family?"
Then Song Zichen feigned concern and said, "Actually, in the end, it's because I can't bear to part with you."
Even though she knew that what he couldn't give up was the generous dowry, Wei Shuwan was still truly caught off guard.
The image of Ah Xiu laughing the happiest she had since losing her sight flashed through her mind: "Sister, Sister Yun accepted the hairpin I gave her today. She really doesn't mind that I'm blind."
If someone were to be divorced on their first marriage, no one would think the best of it; they would only assume the bride was unfaithful and had been sent back to her parents' home. Sheng Yun's grandfather was a renowned Confucian scholar who valued propriety above all else, and naturally would not allow Sheng Yun to marry into the Wei family.
In the end, Wei Shuwan made up her mind to leave the Song family after Axiu got married, which would take no more than three to five years. Trading her three to five years for her brother's life without regrets seemed like a worthwhile deal.
However, there is a folk saying: "Two wives cannot share one husband; if one husband is with another, they may die and be separated."
As expected.
Over the course of five years, Su Xueyi gave birth to one son and two daughters for Song Zichen. Song Zichen also successfully climbed the social ladder by attaching himself to the powerful Prince Qiaochuan. The Song family moved into a large mansion, but the main wife died.
...
Thinking of her past life, Wei Shuwan felt a lump in her throat. Then she looked at her own reflection in the mirror and her tightly clenched lips curved into a slight smile, like a willow branch parting the water in spring.
She slipped off the bed in her silk slippers, her feet feeling as if they were treading on cotton. With a slight sway, she approached the dressing mirror and gracefully sat down. She gazed at the young woman in the mirror, her eyes filled with tenderness.
The high fever gave her cheeks a rosy glow, making her look less pale and sickly; however, her lips were rather pale and unsightly. She casually picked up a box of lip balm, applied it lightly twice, and her sickness vanished instantly.
These symptoms are nothing compared to what she experienced in the Song family.
very nice.
Just then, a soft rustling sound came from behind her. Wei Shuwan knew without turning around that it was Miaoxiang. If it were Ziqiao, the sound of her lifting the curtain would have been much louder.
"Miaoxiang, bring me my fine brocade dress with the color Hai Tianxia, and my silver sable cloak." She can't afford to catch a cold now.
Miaoxiang stood in front of the screen, holding the jade ewer. She was surprised that her young mistress had woken up early and was even more surprised that she had put on light makeup. Her bright and beautiful appearance at this moment was hardly like that of a sick person.
He asked, somewhat bewildered, "Miss, are you going out?"
"Hmm." Wei Shuwan replied casually as she combed her hair with a gilded jade comb.
Miaoxiang stood still, a faint cloud of sorrow between her brows.
If it were Zi Qiao, she would surely advise the young lady to follow the doctor's advice and take good care of herself. But she is not Zi Qiao. Zi Qiao has been with the young lady since childhood, while she was only bought from a slave trader after the Wei family entered the capital. Therefore, there are some things that Zi Qiao dares to say, but she does not.
After hesitating for a moment, Miaoxiang had no choice but to ask for help from the outside: "Sister Ziqiao, the young lady wants to go out..."
Wei Shuwan paused in her act of tidying her hair, then turned to look at Miaoxiang, her long, green eyes revealing a hint of helplessness and doting affection.
Although this girl hadn't been with him for long, she was an excellent cook. As the old saying goes, the way to a person's heart is through their stomach. Therefore, Wei Shuwan treated her no differently than Zi Qiao. However, she was always very timid and often relied on Zi Qiao when things went wrong.
Yet this timid girl, after marrying into the Song family with Su Xueyi in her previous life, repeatedly argued with her, and was thus transformed into the "shrew" Su Xueyi described.
Hearing the commotion, Zi Qiao rushed in from outside. Seeing that Wei Shuwan had indeed finished dressing and was about to go out, she disregarded social hierarchy and blocked her way with her arm, saying, "Miss, you still have a high fever! What important matter requires you to do it now?"
Wei Shuwan raised an eyebrow slightly, her eyes seemingly gleaming, her gaze sweeping between the two maids. Two soft, cheerful words escaped her lips:
"Announcing the engagement."
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