Chapter 20 Preparing for Marriage

After Xu Rong and Xiao Xin entered the residence, the confrontation between Madam Xiao and Madam Xu hardly needed elaboration. Madam Xu wore an expression of shock throughout, powerless to resist Madam Xiao, unable to muster any authority to scold Xu Rong, and even when facing Xiao Xin, she could only glare briefly before clutching her handkerchief, overcome with sorrow: “You—how could you—ah!”

Her opponent’s weakness diluted Madam Xiao’s sense of victory. She couldn’t be bothered to mock Madam Xu further, instead casting subtle glances at Xu Rong and Xiao Xin. Xiao Xin had been so opposed to the marriage that he’d attempted to flee, yet before doing so, he’d secretly met with Xu Rong. There was something suspicious about this, but Madam Xiao had no time to investigate thoroughly and saw no urgency.

With them now in her grasp, there was plenty of time.

Madam Xu shed a few tears before gradually recovering. Ignorance had its own comforts—she was entirely unaware of the undercurrents and schemes at play. To her, this was merely an embarrassing incident with no serious consequences. After all, it wasn’t as if Xu Rong had met some random man; they were betrothed. For an engaged couple to meet privately without informing their elders only made Xu Rong seem a little improper, at most inviting a few laughs.

Thus, she still seemed somewhat bewildered as she asked, “Madam Xiao, what do you intend to do now?”

Madam Xiao wanted to move the wedding date forward.

Old Madam Zhang’s repeated interference had put her on guard. She didn’t even want to wait until February, lest complications arise.

When announcing this decision, she deliberately glanced at Xu Rong—Old Madam Zhang had warned her, but she still couldn’t believe there was anything particularly remarkable about the girl.

If the mother was so useless, how much better could the daughter be?

The marriage alliance had only been formed out of respect for the late Marquis of Ji’an.

Under her gaze, Xu Rong looked surprised—much like Madam Xu, though the latter was far less composed and blurted out, “How can that be? It’s too rushed!”

Xu Rong only added afterward, “Indeed. Mother won’t have enough time to prepare my dowry.”

Madam Xu, who did have some affection for her daughter, turned to reassure her: “Rong’er, don’t worry. Your dowry has been in preparation since your father’s time. Most of it should already be ready.”

Hearing this, Xu Rong was genuinely relieved, a rare sweetness touching her lips. “Mm.”

Perfect. She had no objections. Moving the wedding forward meant her dowry would be in her hands sooner.

Without Xu Rong’s intervention, Madam Xu, having revealed her hand, was no match for Madam Xiao. The wedding was rescheduled from February to the eighteenth day of the first month, right after the Lantern Festival.

According to Madam Xiao, this was an auspicious date calculated by the eminent monks of Tianning Temple, highly suitable for marriage.

**

Whether the date was truly auspicious or not, Xu Rong began preparing for the wedding.

It was a massive undertaking.

Wooden furniture, fabrics and clothing, gold and jade jewelry, decorative items, farmland, silver, and gold—most dowries of the time consisted of tangible goods. Wealthy families would prepare everything for their daughters, from birth to death, even including rosewood chamber pots for daily use and coffins for burial. Such materials couldn’t be acquired on short notice; they were typically accumulated from the moment a daughter’s marriage was arranged.

The Xu family had done the same for Xu Rong.

As their only daughter, even with Madam Xu’s general unreliability, they had amassed a substantial dowry for her. Drawn from storerooms and estates, the items filled more than half the residence.

This was just what the household already had, such as fabrics and jewelry. Considering the current fashion trends, they still needed to make a list to purchase new items.

Xu Rong slept later and woke earlier with each passing day.

Bai Fu, accustomed to her previous habit of rising late—sometimes even until mid-morning—felt heartbroken seeing this and urged, “Miss, take a break. Leave those matters for Madam to worry about.”

Xu Rong shook her head, full of energy. “No need.”

Youth was a blessing. Despite burning the midnight oil, she didn’t even develop dark circles, let alone eye bags—at most, she yawned a few more times.  

As for exhaustion, there was none. Who would ever tire of counting their own money?

Originally, this should have been Madam Xu’s responsibility. As the substitute bride, Xu Rong was only supposed to assist from the sidelines. But somehow, her assistance turned into full control. By the time the first snow fell, even the work location had shifted from Madam Xu’s main courtyard to her own.  

By then, she no longer needed to go out to verify physical items. Any discrepancies and errors had already been identified earlier—inevitable under Madam Xu’s management. Because of this, Madam Xu retreated step by step… until she relinquished all authority.  

Xu Rong didn’t hold back. After calculating the deficits in the original ledgers, she even went to Madam Xu to demand compensation. Feeling guilty, Madam Xu obediently handed everything over.  

Afterward, Madam Xu couldn’t help but regret the substantial sum she had to pay out. Angered, she mustered rare resolve. Following the details Xu Rong provided, she summoned the relevant stewards, confirmed the issues, and punished or dismissed them all.  

Unintentionally, this action brought a refreshing clarity to the household atmosphere.  

By early December, a major event—or rather, a joyous occasion—took place in the capital.  

The Marquis of Changxing’s Mansion and the Duke of Zheng’s Mansion officially united in marriage.  

The Xiao Family later went to great lengths to find two more wild geese and revisited the Duke of Zheng’s Mansion to finalize the betrothal. This time, without interference, the entire process proceeded swiftly, concluding before the year’s end.  

Xu Rong, too busy to go out, learned of this from Xu Huazhang. Her wayward younger brother came to visit her, initially hesitant. Only after her questioning did he dejectedly tell her the news.  

Xu Rong nodded. “Oh.”  

Then, with one hand holding a brush and the other flicking the abacus beads, she continued clattering away.  

She had never used such a primitive calculating tool before, but learning it wasn’t difficult. With ample practice, she quickly progressed from clumsiness to proficiency.  

As for handwriting, the original host had studied under a female tutor in her childhood for a few years. Before picking up the brush, Xu Rong reviewed her calligraphy—weak strokes but neat enough. Comparing it to her own crude, ugly characters, she immediately claimed that due to her head injury, her hand trembled whenever she wrote.  

No one doubted her. After all, not even a physician could peer into her skull to verify the claim.  

Xu Huazhang sat across from her, staring blankly at her busywork. After a while, he slurped his water noisily. By the time he finished the cup, Xu Rong hadn’t even glanced up. Glumly, he called, “Sister.”  

Xu Rong wrote another ugly character. “Hmm?”  

She was finalizing the calculations and copying the records.  

“Are you angry with me?”  

Xu Rong spared him a glance, puzzled. “About what?”

“Xiao Lun still married someone else, and you’re supposed to marry Xiao Xin…” Xu Huazhang picked at the table with his fingers, “I always end up falling into other people’s traps.”

Xu Rong thought he might have something new to say, but hearing this, she couldn’t be bothered to engage much. She lowered her head and said, “Yes. Only now are you starting to reflect?”

Her retort was too direct. Xu Huazhang’s lips twisted as if he’d been kicked, his expression almost on the verge of tears.

After a long silence from him, Xu Rong spared him a glance and chuckled, “Why the tears? I didn’t even scold you.”

Xu Huazhang said bravely, “I’m not crying.”

Despite his words, his expression grew even more miserable.

He had tried to make up for his mistakes—threatening Xiao Xin, causing trouble for Xiao Lun… but those were just actions driven by anger. Only now did he realize everything was beyond repair.

Xu Rong wasn’t in a bad mood at the moment. In fact, she had been in good spirits lately. Setting down her brush, she asked him, “Regretting it now?”

Xu Huazhang nodded eagerly.

“Too late.”

Xu Huazhang’s voice cracked with a sob, “Sister!”

“Next time before you act, think about how you feel right now,” Xu Rong said, looking at him. “If it hurts, don’t do it.”

The boy who claimed he wasn’t crying finally let the tears fall. “…Mhm.”

Bai Fu silently handed him a handkerchief from the side, but Xu Huazhang didn’t take it. Instead, he wiped his eyes with his sleeve, rubbing them red like a pitiful puppy. “Sister, I was wrong.”

Xu Rong: “Mhm.”

She didn’t offer much more. Xu Huazhang sat gloomily for a while before slowly recovering. In a small voice, he said, “Sister, are you really going to marry Xiao Xin? If you don’t want to, there’s still a way. Zhang Weiling promised me he could help me steal the marriage certificate from Madam Xiao—”

Xu Rong was startled. “What?”

Then she realized, “You made up with Young Master Zhang?”

Xu Huazhang nodded. “He’s got a temper, but he’s reasonable. We teamed up to beat Luo Chengan, and then we were fine.”

Xu Rong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry—what kind of reasonableness was that? But she didn’t pity Second Master Luo either. With his lack of strong backing, daring to meddle in the affairs of noble families meant a few beatings were the least of his worries.

“You didn’t hurt him too badly, did you?”

“No, no.” Xu Huazhang shook his head. “Zhang Weiling has a lot of guards following him whenever he goes out now. They won’t let him cause trouble again.”

“And what’s this about stealing the marriage certificate?”

“Zhang Weiling is still angry with Madam Xiao. Old Madam Zhang is keeping him from openly clashing with her, so he’s been stewing. Now that we’re familiar, I talked to him about it. He wants to cause trouble for Madam Xiao, so he agreed right away.” Xu Huazhang’s narrow eyes gleamed with eagerness. “Sister, Xiao Xin isn’t good enough for you. Let’s get the marriage certificate back so you don’t have to marry him.”

Xu Rong looked at him—looked at him for a long time.

Xu Huazhang gradually grew uneasy under her gaze. “Sister?”

“Were you originally planning to tell me about this?”

Xu Huazhang’s voice dropped an octave. “…No. I wanted to surprise you.”

It was only after hearing Xu Rong’s advice to think before acting that he brought it up.

“Was it difficult for you to arrange this?”

No matter how you look at it, Xu Huazhang had genuinely broken Zhang Weiling’s arm. Considering the time needed for recovery—a hundred days for tendons and bones to heal—his cast had only just been removed. For Xu Huazhang to reconcile with him and then persuade him to handle certain matters would require considerable effort and time—far more than a few words could cover.

Xu Huazhang had initially braced himself for a scolding when he saw Xu Rong’s expression, but upon hearing her question, he scratched his head sheepishly. “It’s not too bad.”

Xu Rong studied him. This younger brother was more capable than she had imagined, but his talents were skewed. It seemed he was naturally inclined toward reckless paths, teetering on the edge of trouble with every move he made.

“You did the right thing telling me,” Xu Rong affirmed first, then shook her head. “But this isn’t something that can be solved by stealing a marriage certificate. Just like how releasing Xiao Lun’s wild geese didn’t help either.”

Xu Huazhang nodded obediently. “Oh, then I won’t do it.”

“And don’t say Xiao Xin isn’t worthy of me anymore,” Xu Rong added after a pause. “By the way, have you run into him outside and clashed with him again?”

She had been busy preparing for her wedding and hadn’t left the house, but these young men couldn’t be confined. The noble district of the capital wasn’t that large, so encounters were likely.

Xu Huazhang shook his head. “No, he doesn’t go out.”

Xu Rong caught the implication. “You’ve been keeping tabs on him?”

Xu Huazhang wiped his nose. “Well, you know, ‘know thy enemy and know yourself.'” Afraid Xu Rong might get angry, he quickly added, “But sister, do you know what he’s been up to?”

Xu Rong gave him a questioning look.

“Studying.”

When he uttered these two words, Xu Huazhang’s eyebrows arched peculiarly, and his lips twitched—suppressing laughter. “Zhang Weiling helped me find out. He said Xiao Xin is acting like a sheltered maiden now, never stepping foot outside. No idea what’s gotten into him.”

Xu Rong was pleased. “That’s good.”

Xiao Xin was indeed a man of his word, living up to his name—truly reliable.

Xu Huazhang was puzzled. “Huh?”

Xu Rong said seriously, “Studying is a proper pursuit. Just because you don’t do it doesn’t mean you should mock others for their diligence.”

Xu Huazhang sulked. “Zhang Weiling laughed even louder—fine, I won’t laugh.”

“Not only should you not laugh, but if you see him, you should praise him. Say he’s diligent and ambitious, an outstanding person. Understand?”

Xu Huazhang widened his eyes. “Why would I praise him?”

Because Xiao Xin would love to hear it—enough to carry him through the day.

Xu Rong said, “I see you idle around all day, and now you’re even hanging out with Young Master Zhang. I should speak to Mother. At your age, you should be studying—”

Xu Huazhang immediately backtracked. “I’ll praise him, sister. If I see him, I’ll praise him.”

Xu Rong couldn’t help but smile. She studied him again. “Brother Zhang, after I leave, you’ll be the only one left at home. Listen to Mother and don’t cause trouble.”

This was a proper admonition. Xu Huazhang straightened up and replied, “Mm.”

Xu Rong added, “But you don’t have to obey her blindly. Mother isn’t the most perceptive person. Do you understand?”

Xu Huazhang puffed out his chest. “I understand, sister. When it’s time for me to make decisions, I’ll make them myself.”

He glanced at Xu Rong’s expression and added, “But I’ll think carefully before deciding.”

Xu Rong smiled. “That’s right.”