Chapter 331 Marriage Proposal

When Su Wan returned to the residence, she saw Gu Baozhu sitting in the pavilion, sewing clothes. Gu Qingsong stood inside the house, quietly watching Gu Baozhu through a small window.

Over the past few days, although Gu Baozhu had not yet called him “Father,” it was clear that she was slowly opening her heart and learning to accept Gu Qingsong.

Mother Gu had reconciled with her and was now able to get along with Gu Qingsong peacefully.

Gu Qingsong, too, had let go of many things. He knew that he could use his injury to soften Mother Gu’s heart, but feeling deeply indebted to both mother and daughter, he could not bring himself to do such a despicable thing. Instead, he refrained from asking Mother Gu to make amends.

The corners of Su Wan’s lips lifted slightly, a sense of relief settling over her like dust finally laid to rest.

Everything was moving in a good direction.

“First Young Lady, the Eldest Princess has sent an invitation, asking if you are available to visit her residence today,” said Mrs. Hu as she handed the invitation to Su Wan.

Su Wan gave it some thought. Since she happened to be free at the moment, she made another trip to the Eldest Princess’s residence.

The Eldest Princess received Su Wan in the waterside pavilion. All the maidservants had been dismissed, leaving only the two of them.

The Eldest Princess personally brewed the tea and poured a cup for Su Wan. “Wanwan, I invited you here today on short notice. I hope I haven’t caused you any trouble.”

“Not at all. I happened to be free today, and to be able to taste tea brewed by Your Highness yourself makes it well worth the visit.” Su Wan held the teacup in her hands. The golden-hued tea gave off a faint, delicate fragrance. She took a small sip, and the taste lingered pleasantly on her lips and tongue.

“There’s no need to flatter me. If you want to drink tea brewed by me, you’re welcome at the Princess Residence anytime.” The Eldest Princess smiled, though her expression quickly dimmed. A trace of melancholy colored her features. “Jingyun is now the new emperor. With Grand Master Jiang and Tingyuan guiding him, there is no longer a need for Xie Wuya. He wishes to leave the capital and travel.”

Su Wan furrowed her brows slightly. Although Xie Wuya lived in the secular world, his heart was as pure and detached as that of a monk.

“I’ve arranged for him to meet several young ladies from noble families, but he hasn’t shown up even once. If this continues, I fear he’ll end up becoming a monk. Even if he does marry a noblewoman, she wouldn’t be able to keep him.”

With no other option, the Eldest Princess turned to Su Wan for help. “The Cao family was sentenced to exile, but you managed to rescue Madam Cao and Cao Wanqing, didn’t you? Now that Cao Wanqing’s engagement with the Defender Duke’s residence has been annulled, she won’t be living in the capital anymore. Would you have Cao Wanqing accompany Xie Wuya?”

Su Wan’s brows knit tighter—she hadn’t expected the Eldest Princess to come up with such an idea.

Other noble young ladies, even those with existing engagements, might not be willing or able to travel the world alongside Xie Wuya.

And girls from humble families likely wouldn’t meet the Eldest Princess’s standards.

Cao Wanqing was different. Before her family’s downfall, she was a noble young lady of a prestigious household. Though she was now in reduced circumstances, the education she had received since childhood remained intact. Moreover, she was capable of wandering from place to place with Xie Wuya, making her the most suitable candidate.

Su Wan did not quite agree. “Young Lady Cao is not young anymore. Though she’s fallen on hard times, her family’s foundation still remains. If she returns to Jinzhou to seek refuge with her maternal relatives, she could still find a good match.”

“To follow Young Master Xie without status or title would be a disgrace to her reputation. If things don’t work out between them, how would she ever explain herself when seeking a proper marriage?”

“I can take her in as my adopted daughter,” the Eldest Princess said, having already thought of a backup plan. “If things don’t work out between them, I will choose a good marriage for her myself, and she can be married off in grand fashion from the Princess Residence.”

Su Wan was stirred by this. Although Cao Wanqing could rely on her maternal relatives for support, noble families often came with internal struggles. If the Eldest Princess backed her instead, it might not be a bad thing for Cao Wanqing.

“I can’t give an answer on her behalf. I’ll need to ask her what she wants.” Seeing the joy flash in the Eldest Princess’s eyes, Su Wan couldn’t help but pour a bit of cold water on it. “A young woman’s best years cannot be wasted. If she agrees, let it be for a period of one year. And of course, it’s not just about whether Young Master Xie develops feelings—Young Lady Cao must also have feelings for him. If she doesn’t wish to marry, you must not force her.”

“No problem!” The Eldest Princess, having gained Su Wan’s support, felt much more at ease. She quickly turned to ask about Su Wan’s own matters. “I heard from the Empress Dowager that you’re planning to establish a Baishantang and want to cultivate your own medicinal herbs? Are you short on land? You can use the mountains and fields under my name to grow herbs—no rent needed.”

Su Wan hadn’t expected such a pleasant surprise to fall into her lap. “I’ll buy it?”

“Do you have that much money to buy it?” The Eldest Princess owned quite a bit of mountainous land, some of which was extremely valuable—money alone couldn’t buy it. “I understand your concern, that you’re worried my descendants might cause trouble for you in the future. Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll let you use the land for cultivation, and in return, you give me ten percent of the profits. We’ll draw up a contract stating that my side may not reclaim the land, and only your side has the right to terminate it.”

The Eldest Princess had a female official bring over a box. She opened it and pushed it toward Su Wan.

Su Wan’s eyes lit up when she saw the land deeds inside. After doing a quick mental calculation, she realized that ten percent was actually putting the Eldest Princess at a loss.

“I’ll give you twenty percent. If you agree, let’s sign the contract right now.”

The Eldest Princess did not hesitate. She immediately had the female official bring over brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. The two of them discussed the details and drafted the contract, signing and pressing their handprints on it.

Su Wan tucked the contract into her robe and said with a bright smile, “If you hear of anyone else selling land, please let me know.”

“I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

Su Wan thanked the Eldest Princess graciously and returned to the residence full of gains.

As it happened, Cao Wanqing was planning to leave the capital with her mother the next day and had come to the Gu Residence especially to bid farewell to Su Wan.

That saved Su Wan the trouble of seeking her out. She immediately invited her into the main courtyard and got straight to the point. “Young Lady Cao, I just came from the Eldest Princess’s residence. The Eldest Princess has a son, Xie Wuya—have you heard of him?”

Cao Wanqing gave a slight nod. “I’ve heard of him and know a little about him.”

“Young Master Xie is planning to leave the capital to travel. The Eldest Princess is concerned about his future marriage and has taken a liking to you as a potential daughter-in-law. She hopes you will accompany Young Master Xie on his journey so that the two of you can develop feelings for each other.”

“If the two of you develop mutual affection, then you can marry. If not, the Eldest Princess will take you in as her adopted daughter and, according to your wishes, select a suitable marriage for you. You will be married in splendor from the Princess Residence. The period is one year,” Su Wan said solemnly. “Give it careful thought.”

Cao Wanqing was stunned. If she were still the daughter of the provincial governor, she would have refused without hesitation.

Now, even though she still had some family wealth and her maternal relatives for support, they were not her direct paternal family. And her own family had committed a crime—her engagement had been annulled, and it would be difficult to find another respectable marriage.

Her maternal family did not consist of just her mother. There were also three uncles, two aunts, and many cousins.

When the Cao family incident happened, her grandfather and uncles sent letters. Her grandfather expressed hope that she and her mother would return, but the words of her uncles, between the lines, revealed they were probing into the Cao family’s remaining assets, trying to see whether everything had been confiscated.

If she were to return like this, life would likely not be easy.

Now, there was another path she could choose—by giving up just one year of her youth, she could gain the support of the Eldest Princess. Not only would her mother have protection in her maternal home, but even if she and Xie Wuya did not end up as husband and wife, she would still have some standing in her future husband’s household.

Cao Wanqing did not refuse. “I can agree, on the condition that Her Highness recognizes me as her adopted daughter from now, and that the Eldest Princess arranges for someone to escort my mother back to Jinzhou, leaving behind two senior maids to attend her.”

That way, the people at her maternal home would not dare to mistreat her mother or look down on her.

“Very well. I’ll have someone deliver the message to the Eldest Princess,” Su Wan said as she instructed Qingyuan to go.