Cong Huan took a step back in fear of the hostility in Yan Wanqing's eyes, and broke out in a cold sweat upon reflecting on Cong Ge's words, finally kneeling obediently on the snowy ground.
The front hall.
The Wang Family arrived, the aunt accompanied by Wang Shujian and three others, with one or two servants following behind them.
The trio was now sitting in the living room, drinking cup after cup of tea.
The Marquis's tea was truly different, enjoyed with pastries, it was quite delightful.
Madam Wang even ate to her content and let out a burp.
The two aunts felt it was not enough and instructed the maids to prepare a few more dishes to take home for later enjoyment.
Wang Shujian, although he looked down upon the actions of the women in his family, did not stop them.
He fixed his gaze on a maid nearby, thinking that if the Yan Family's maid was such a beauty, he could not imagine how splendid the fifth young lady must be.
Sun, the mother of the Marquis's household, sat in the main seat holding a string of prayer beads, silent.
It was Aunt Song who was really eager to get this marriage arranged.
Seeing Aunt Song's enthusiasm, Madam Wang also felt somewhat elated.
Giving birth to a Tanhuai Scholar was already an ultimate honor for her.
"Our Wang Family can't compare to the grand enterprise of the Marquis's Family, and can't offer much for a dowry. What's here is already all of our old Wang Family's possessions. We hope the two of you won't look down on it," said Madam Wang, showing off a large chest in the middle of the room. "If the fifth young lady were to marry into our family, she will undoubtedly have to endure some hardship. The Wang Family is currently destitute, but my son's prospects are bright. The hardship is only temporary."
Aunt Song certainly did not want her daughter to suffer.
But marrying into the Wang Family meant achieving the much-desired position of a legitimate wife, so she said, "A bit of temporary poverty doesn't matter. As they say, 'One must endure the bitterest to become the best.'"
As a mother, she would certainly help her daughter out.
Once the Tanhuai Scholar secured a position in the government and through connections with the Marquis, their future would be carefree.
Moreover, Wang Shujian seemed well-mannered and handsome, which Aunt Song was quite pleased with.
Having said all that needed to be said, Madam Wang proposed, "Since that is the case, shall we exchange birthdates and find a scholar to select a wedding date?"
Aunt Song wanted to agree right away, but still looked towards Sun in the main seat.
It was necessary for the Marquis's mother to nod in agreement.
Sun opened her eyes and glanced at Aunt Song, uttering just one sentence, "Have you thought it through?"
Aunt Song was originally Sun's maid, and it was only after the Marquis got drunk that the fifth young lady was conceived. Within the entire Marquis's household, only she and her daughter felt like outsiders.
As a mother must plan for her child's future.
Aunt Song felt that there was no longer any hope for her own life, but her daughter was different.
Marrying a future Tanhuai Scholar with boundless prospects, the fifth young lady's life would undoubtedly be worry-free, and who knows, maybe her son-in-law would someday surpass even the Marquis in status.
Thus, Aunt Song nodded, "I have."
Once married, she would be the legitimate wife. The Wang Family had simpler relations, much stronger than the unforgiving depths of high-walled courtyards.
Seeing the agreement, Madam Wang smiled and clapped her hands, "In that case, let's also call out the fifth young lady, and let the young people meet each other."
The fifth young lady, Yan Hongzhao, had been behind the screen all this time, and now, as the maid came to summon her, she had no choice but to brace herself and come out.
Wang Shujian's eyes went round the moment he saw Yan Hongzhao.
Yan Hongzhao had been practicing martial arts since childhood, her figure was tall and straight, and while her appearance was bewitching, there was a spirited vigor in her brows and eyes, a rarity of stunning beauty.
However, Madam Wang immediately furrowed her brows and her smile disappeared, as she kept sizing up Yan Hongzhao.
"There is a rumor in the streets about a young lady from the Marquis's household who fell from a horse when she was young. Could it be the fifth young lady?" Madam Wang suddenly spoke up.
Aunt Song paused for a moment, just opening her mouth, when Yan Hongzhao preempted her.
"It was me."
The moment Mrs. Wang sensed defeat, she quickly grabbed Wang Shujian, "This fifth young lady plays with knives and spears, and even once fell off a horse as a child. It's unknown if she can still bear children. You are the only heir of our old Wang Family. If the line were to end…"
Even though these words were spoken quietly, the living room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop, so Mrs. Wang's remarks were heard by everyone present.
The hands of Madame Sun, seated at the main seat, playing with her prayer beads, paused for a moment.
"To think that it came from a family steeped in scholarly tradition, without even having exchanged birth details, they publicly discuss a woman's fertility. The Wang Family has fine family values indeed!" In the absence of any response, Yan Wanqing, wrapped in fox fur, walked in from outside.
She stepped over the threshold, took off her fox fur hood, and revealed her true self.
Her brows were like distant mountains and her eyes like cut water. Truly with delicate brows and a beautiful face, there she stood, towering and unswappable as a devastating beauty of unparalleled grace.
So captivated was Wang Shujian that the fan in his hand dropped to the ground.
Yan Wanqing couldn't care less about the disgraceful behavior of these petty individuals. She went straight up to her younger sister and grabbed her wrist.
"I disagree with this marriage today," she said firmly, looking at Yan Hongzhao, "What do you think?"
From the moment Yan Wanqing appeared, excitement brimmed in Yan Hongzhao's eyes, which she could not hide. Ever since she was young, her eldest sister had been her role model. Now her sister was willing to step forward and take a stand for her despite being unwell, and Yan Hongzhao was filled with endless gratitude.
"I entrust everything to my eldest sister," said Yan Hongzhao. Having grown accustomed to the heroic bearing of the Yan Family's children, she naturally looked down on the likes of Wang Shujian, a mere scholarly youngster.
His shoulders lacked even two ounces of flesh, and he couldn't even lift a Whirlwind Hammer. Of what use could he be?
Seeing that Yan Hongzhao was heeding her, Yan Wanqing felt a measure of relief.
She held tight to her younger sister's hand.
Thank goodness, this young girl was standing healthy and robust in front of her.
She would never give anyone the chance to harm her again!
No one would be allowed to!
Mrs. Wang, upon seeing Yan Wanqing make her entrance, couldn't hide the flash of amazement in her eyes, but she was also very clear that her son could not aspire to such a celestial being.
But the fifth young lady was different; this nailed-down matter, a piece of fat in the mouth—how could they let it slip away?
Her earlier words were nothing but a tactic to get the Yan Family to add a little more to the dowry.
She did not anticipate that Yan Wanqing, suddenly emerging, would directly refuse the marriage.
Thus, Mrs. Wang could not help but speak up.
"This is a matter for the adults; how do you, a junior, have a say? You are still unmarried, so on what grounds do you interfere with your sister's marital prospects?"
Seeing Yan Wanqing's gaze sweeping towards her, Wang Shujian hurriedly pulled on his mother, fearing she would speak out of turn again.
Every man in the Capital with a shred of fervor knew that the Yan Family Mansion housed a female Zhuge Liang!
At ten, she accompanied her elders to conduct autumn maneuvers on the battlefield; by thirteen, she was able to devise strategies within the command tent, compelling enemy forces to surrender without a fight with just a few simple words. At fifteen, she single-handedly resolved the trade deadlock within and beyond the borders of the North Pass, creating the once-in-a-millennium Silk Road!
Yan Wanqing!
A legendary figure living in the myths!
If it weren't for the injuries she sustained during her journey North of the Pass that her body couldn't bear, who knows how many more legends such a woman could have created?
Wang Shujian felt pensive; to be a legend was one thing, but what a pity she was a woman.
Since she was a woman, she couldn't escape the fate of supporting a husband and raising children, and ultimately contributing to a man's glory. Just like the present Yan Hongzhao, skilled with knives and spears, she would one day enter the Wang Family and have to give it all up to prepare soup, serve her husband tea, and be a good wife and mother.
Wang Shujian felt a tinge of regret, but more than that, he was proud of being a man.