Chapter 28: Selecting a Husband

Chapter 28: Chapter 28: Selecting a Husband

This was her maternal uncle’s daughter. By blood, she should have been the closest of all her cousins.

However, the body’s original owner had acted so outrageously, and this sixth young lady of the Duke Mansion was not exactly easy to get along with.

Whenever they met, she would give the original owner a look that screamed, ’I’m ashamed to be seen with you.’

Forget about being close—she looked like she wanted to plug her nose and spit at the sight of her.

And the original owner, having been spoiled rotten by her mother, couldn’t stand being treated with such disdain.

Naturally, the two cousins were at odds.

Now, upon hearing her aunt was critically ill and could pass away at any moment, Shen Hanyun refrained from any harsh words, but she was in no mood to comfort her cousin.

Cui Lingyao, for her part, had no inclination to curry favor with someone giving her the cold shoulder.

As the two of them stood outside the courtyard, staring blankly at each other, a clamor of footsteps suddenly rang out.

A moment later, a large, bustling group appeared at the gate.

Leading them was Mrs. Liu, the wife of the Heir of the Duke Mansion.

She was nearly forty, but her well-maintained face made her look as if she were only in her early thirties. Dressed in a sapphire-blue gown, her long hair was tied in a meticulous bun. Surrounded by servants, she crossed into the courtyard.

Her posture was graceful, yet she projected an undeniable air of authority.

"Greetings, Eldest Aunt."

"Greetings, Eldest Aunt."

Cui Lingyao and Shen Hanyun hastily curtsied.

Mrs. Liu glanced at them, her gaze lingering on Cui Lingyao for a moment before she said coolly, "Mother is gravely ill. As her daughter, you should be at her bedside, not dressing up in finery. It’s utterly improper."

Cui Lingyao froze, instinctively lowering her gaze to her own attire.

She hadn’t planned on going out today and hadn’t dressed up at all. She was wearing a plain, light apricot-colored dress, with a single jade hairpin—one of Mutton Fat Jade—tucked into her hair.

The most vibrant color on her entire person was the single embroidered lotus leaf on the sachet at her waist.

’This counts as "dressing up in finery"?’

She quickly understood.

The woman was just looking for an excuse to scold her.

This aunt clearly disliked her.

And she wasn’t even willing to pretend otherwise.

’Then again, it made sense.’

’Who would like a "niece" living in their home, pestering their son, and bent on becoming his concubine?’

Cui Lingyao lowered her gaze, her lips pressed together in silence.

Seeing her reaction, Mrs. Liu retracted her gaze and said no more, striding into the main hall.

’Being overly harsh on a girl living on someone else’s charity, whose mother was on her deathbed, would only lead to rumors that she was cruel to a poor orphan. It would tarnish her own reputation, and that wasn’t worth it.’

Shen Hanyue had arrived with Mrs. Liu.

She went inside, only to come back out a moment later. Seeing Cui Lingyao still standing there, she walked over to comfort her. "Don’t worry. Grandfather heard Aunt is gravely ill and has already taken the jade token to summon an Imperial Physician."

Cui Lingyao managed a faint smile but said nothing.

Three years ago, Mrs. Shen had returned to her family home in the dead of winter, her breath as faint as a silk thread. It had seemed then that she wouldn’t make it.

The Duke Mansion had summoned an Imperial Physician for her back then.

For the past three years, she had been kept alive solely by the nourishing remedies prescribed by the Imperial Physician and the herbs provided by the Duke Mansion.

But her vital energy was depleted; no amount of recuperation could truly help.

When she didn’t respond, Shen Hanyue assumed she was feeling humiliated by the earlier scolding. "Don’t take my mother’s words to heart," she said. "...She’s just angry."

Cui Lingyao shook her head gently. "I know. My past behavior was inappropriate. I don’t blame my aunt."

Her words were so shockingly reasonable.

Not only was Shen Hanyue taken aback, but Shen Hanyun, who was standing nearby, was equally stunned.

"Have you had a complete change of heart?"

’Given her cousin’s usual temperament, shouldn’t she have covered her face and run off, or at least tried to argue her case? To just admit her mistake like that?’

Cui Lingyao gave a faint smile. "People have to grow up sometime. Just think of it as me finally seeing the light and growing up."

As long as Mrs. Shen was alive, she could provide her daughter with shelter from the storm.

But once Mrs. Shen passed away, given the reputation the original owner had built for herself, her situation in the Duke Mansion would become even more precarious.

Cui Lingyao understood this perfectly.

And so did Shen Hanyue and Shen Hanyun.

Shen Hanyun’s expression was complicated. "You should have been like this long ago. If you’d listened to Aunt’s arrangements and married a good husband, she could have been at ease."

Instead of being so fixated on staying in the Duke Mansion as a concubine.

"My mother came today not just to see Aunt, but for another matter..." Shen Hanyue glanced toward the inner hall and lowered her voice. "She’s picked out a few potential families for you and plans to discuss them with Aunt."

Cui Lingyao’s head snapped up in alarm. "...Who are they?"

"I wouldn’t know,"

Shen Hanyue waved her hand. "Although I’m learning to manage the household from my mother, she wouldn’t tell me about something like this."

’She herself was an unmarried young woman; how could she interfere in the selection of her cousin’s future husband?’

Cui Lingyao’s brow furrowed deeply. The situation felt intractable.

’In ancient times, a woman’s marriage was entirely in the hands of others. Now that she occupied the original owner’s body, she was bound by its identity. Mrs. Shen looked as if she could draw her last breath at any moment, and her greatest dying wish was to see her daughter married. Under these circumstances, what reason could she possibly have to refuse?’

Seeing the grim look on her face, Shen Hanyue couldn’t help but try to persuade her. "If you become a proper wife, no matter how humble the family, I’ll still be able to invite you out after I’m married. We could still help each other as cousins. But if you become a concubine..."

A concubine was a servant.

Even for a favored concubine, leaving the estate to attend a banquet without the first wife’s permission was practically impossible.

And no lady of a noble house would ever associate with a concubine as an equal.

Knowing she meant well, Cui Lingyao thanked her and explained, "It’s not that I still have feelings for my cousin. It’s just... the thought of marrying a complete stranger I’ve never even met is terrifying."

As young women of a similar age, both Shen Hanyue and Shen Hanyun could understand her anxiety.

Shen Hanyue felt a surge of pity and promised, "Then I’ll find a way to investigate. We have to know about the candidates my mother picked—their character, their scholarship, their family background. I can’t let you go into a marriage completely blind."

’But she was a sheltered young lady herself. What connections could she possibly have to investigate men from the outside world?’

Cui Lingyao was touched and was just about to say something.

The door to the hall behind them opened, and her maternal uncle and aunt emerged, supporting her maternal grandmother, Mrs. Li.

Mrs. Li was one of Duke Shen’s favored concubines. Years ago, when the Lord Duke was stationed outside the capital, she had been presented to him by a local official. She herself came from a family of officials; her father and brothers also held court positions, though they were not prominent and did not serve in the Capital City.

That Duke Shen’s only two children born of concubines were both hers was a testament to the favor she enjoyed.

Now, at over fifty years of age, her skin was still firm and smooth, showing few signs of aging.

She looked to be in much hardier health than her own daughter, Mrs. Shen.

But she had clearly been crying, as her eyes were completely red.

Seeing her granddaughter in plain clothes, with her slender figure, Mrs. Li’s expression was complex. She called her over to the side and softly advised: "Yaoyao, don’t make your mother worry anymore."