Chapter 109   An Shaoyuan Marriage

After hearing the words of the old lady, Mr. Hou said, “Why not betroth An Shaoyuan to the son of Minister Peng?”

The old lady was surprised and looked at the Mr. Hou, furrowing her brows, “Isn’t Minister Peng’s son a bit older?”

“Moreover, with the current close ties to the Fifth Prince, isn’t it too risky?”

An impatient look appeared in Mr. Hou eyes. After all, An Shaoyuan was also his daughter.

With the Crown Prince in power, there were recent hints of him wanting to reclaim the little remaining military power in Anding Marquisate. If they lost even that bit of military power, what future would there be for their family?

Now, they had to show full sincerity, truly become part of the virtuous faction, and only then would they help him secure the military power.

Thinking this way, the Marquis of Anding firmly stated, “With the Shu family around, the Palace will never accommodate us. It’s better to burn the bridges.”

Regarding the age issue, Mr. Hou didn’t mention it, and the old lady didn’t bring it up again.

After a few days Mr. Hou had a conversation with Minister Peng.

Minister Peng had no objections, and his second son was very willing.

After the conversation, Mr. Hou returned and informed the old lady, asking her to make the arrangements.

Finally, he informed the Wei family.

Upon hearing this, Wei Shi was almost out of breath.

With three sons and a daughter, An Shaoyuan was the youngest. She had raised him with great care since he was a child. Now, she was being asked to marry her daughter to a nearly forty-year-old widower!

Face flushed with anger, Wei Shi exclaimed, “Madam, Shaoyuan is your own granddaughter! How could you even think of marrying her to a man like the second son of Minister Peng? Everyone knows he’s had two wives who died, and there are rumors that something was off about their deaths. He has many legitimate and illegitimate children, the eldest of whom is almost the same age as Shaoyuan. She is only fifteen; how can she be given to him as a concubine!”

“I will never agree!”

The old lady listened quietly and then said calmly, “This is you husband decision, and you cannot disagree.”

Wei Shi felt a chill in her heart, “My husband?”

The old lady continued, “He is considering our entire family. You shouldn’t cause trouble either. If the family is doing well, Shaoyuan will do well. If our family is not doing well, how can Shaoyuan have a good marriage?”

“Now, with the current situation in our family, you also know that she was raised with such care. It’s time for her to contribute her gratitude for the family.”

Wei Shi was at a loss for words for a moment.

The old lady, impatient with Wei Shi shocked expression, sent her away when she remained silent.

Wei Shi left the longevity hall in a daze.

Returning to her courtyard, she wandered around like a headless fly, unsure of what to do to change her daughter’s fate!

She thought of keeping the news from her daughter first and then figuring out a solution. But An Shaoyuan quickly got the news.

She went to the main courtyard to mock her mothe for a while.

Chunxiu had also given birth to a daughter and was now living in the side courtyard of the Anding Marquis Mansion.

The courtyards that were once occupied by An Shaoyu and Shu Yuwan had been given to the first and second rooms.

When Chunxiu was first brought into the Mansion, both the old lady and Wei Shi hoped she would bear a son for An Shaoyu. Chunxiu was well-treated initially, but after giving birth to a daughter, she was no longer valued.

Chunxiu didn’t complain and lived quietly, paying close attention to the news in the mansion.

From the time Zhao Qing Qing sent her to the Zhuangzi, where she was mistreated for almost half a year, Chunxiu had given up on the people in the mansion.

In the East Palace.

Ah Qing is returning the news of Lianzhi’s life.

“Your Highness, Miss Lianzhi turned out to be really picked up by Ji Sicheng.”

“The slave first sent someone to Ji Sicheng’s hometown, and found out that back then, Mrs. Ji Sicheng had never been pregnant, and when she went out, she happened to meet a child in the grass, so she picked it up

“The jade pendant, I asked the Chief of the Ji Temple, was placed in Miss Ji’s cotton jacket layer when she was found.”

“Not long after finding Miss Lianzhi, Madam Ji Sicheng passed the imperial examination and came to the capital. As no one knew the truth, she always claimed that Miss Lianzhi was her biological child, so Miss Lianzhi was unaware.”

The Crown Prince asked, “Where is the Chief of the Ji Temple’s hometown?”

“It’s in the Yangliu Village on the outskirts of the capital.”

“I see, you may leave now.”

“Understood.”

According to Ah Qing findings, this Miss Lianzhi was highly likely to be his lost cousin. The Crown Prince never expected that his missing cousin from years ago would be found.

Aunt Wei, the wife of the Duke of Wei, had been somewhat melancholic since the child went missing. Upon hearing the news, she was deeply saddened for a while. If they could truly find her, it would be a fortunate event.

Ah Qing left to find Qing Dai and carefully explained the situation to her.

After some deliberation, Qing Dai decided to report back to Shu Yuwan.

Although the information was only supported because of the jade pendant, Shu Yuwan was still somewhat surprised.

She smiled and said, “This is truly fate.”

“However, with just this jade pendant and this information, it may be difficult to convince the Duke of Wei to acknowledge Lianzhi.”

Qing Dai chuckled, “I’ve observed that Miss Lianzhi has a very close relationship with her family. If the Duke of Wei refuses to acknowledge her, I believe Miss Lianzhi wouldn’t mind.”

Shu Yuwan nodded in agreement, “That’s true.”

…

In recent days, Lianzhi had been bothered by Chen Gongzi again.

Although Chen Gongzi no longer dared to openly bully her, he still found ways to provoke her and enjoy her anger.

Whenever she got upset, he would laugh on the side.

With Shu Yuwan’s support, Lianzhi wasn’t afraid of him and would occasionally retort to Chen Gongzi.

Unable to argue with Lianzhi, Chen Gongzi said, “Oh, Miss Lianzhi is so capable. My mother wants to find me a capable wife to manage me. After your mourning period, I’ll have my mother come to propose marriage, and I’ll bring you home.”

“Hahaha, you can’t go to the Crown Princess to complain that I want to marry you, can you? Hahaha!”

“You…”

Lianzhi was too angry to speak.

Feeling triumphant, Chen Gongzi returned home happily, like a victorious rooster. Mrs. Chen was amazed by his mood.

Lianzhi wanted to seek support from her sister in the Palace but hesitated as Shu Yuwan was in confinement. Moreover, as Chen Gongzi hadn’t openly bullied her this time, she wasn’t sure how to handle the situation.

Unexpectedly, a few days later, the Palace sent someone to summon her, leaving Lianzhi bewildered. What could the Crown Prince want with her?

Seeing her parents’ hesitant expressions, Lianzhi was greatly surprised.

Could it be that he wanted her to become a concubine in the Palace?

No, she couldn’t compete with her sister for a husband! Nor did she want to be a concubine, not even if it was the Crown Prince’s!

Nervously, Lianzhi asked, “Father, Mother, what’s going on?”