Chapter 29: Drag Her Back

Chapter 29: Chapter 29: Drag Her Back

"Even though your mother was born to a concubine, your maternal grandfather had only one daughter. She was registered under the official wife’s name from birth and grew up doted on. After her coming-of-age ceremony, your grandfather painstakingly selected a husband for her and chose Pei Shu for his scholarly talents. Who would have thought..."

Mrs. Li’s eyes reddened, filled with regret.

Her biological father, Pei Shu, was no nobody.

In his day, he had passed the highest imperial examinations and was a celebrated scholar whose name was known throughout the Capital City.

Having married a young lady from the Duke Mansion, it would have been a matter of course for him to remain in the Capital City as an official and slowly climb the ranks.

But Pei Shu did not.

He was a man of integrity, unwilling to languish in the lap of luxury in the Capital City. He proactively petitioned to leave for a provincial post, vowing to bring prosperity to the people of a region.

In the end, he contracted consumption and died at his post, leaving behind his wife and daughter.

The Duke Mansion had intended for their daughter to remarry.

But Mrs. Shen’s love for Pei Shu ran deep, and she couldn’t bear to part with her young daughter. Thus, she lived as a widow in Pingzhou for over ten years. Only three years ago, for her daughter’s sake, did she return to the Capital, barely holding on.

That was the story of the past.

Mrs. Shen had devoted her entire life to her daughter.

Unfortunately, her daughter was a love-struck fool who never felt any heartache for her mother.

Cui Lingyao blinked slowly, a suffocating panic seizing her heart.

Mrs. Li sighed softly. "Your mother cannot bear any more worry. If you truly insist on marrying no one but your eldest cousin, then I will go speak to the Lord Duke."

A gift from an elder cannot be refused.

As the grandfather, he would be ordering Shen Tingyu to take his cousin as a concubine.

He would not be able to refuse.

But if word of this got out, it would be utterly ludicrous.

Something so absurd—would Duke Shen agree?

’Mrs. Li is just a concubine. Does she really have that much influence?’

Cui Lingyao was even more startled, shaking her head again and again in refusal.

Mrs. Li looked skeptical.

Cui Lingyao said with a serious expression, "I’ve already thought it through. Even for my cousin, I will never become a concubine. And I won’t cause my mother any more distress."

"...That’s good, then." Mrs. Li reached out and patted her shoulder. "If you become a proper wife and are wronged, your uncle and cousins will naturally have your back."

But if she became Shen Tingyu’s concubine...

...even if she suffered the greatest injustice, she could only grit her teeth and endure it.

Her own maternal uncle was himself born to a concubine; how would he dare meddle in the private household affairs of Shen Tingyu, the Princely Heir?

Mrs. Li departed.

A moment later, the Heir’s wife, Mrs. Liu, also emerged from the inner hall.

As she left, she didn’t spare Cui Lingyao a single glance.

Shen Hanyue had promised to help Cui Lingyao find out whom her own mother had picked, so she left with her, pestering her with questions the entire way.

Mrs. Liu had only one son and one daughter.

The siblings, Shen Tingyu and Shen Hanyue, were the apples of her eye, and she could never bring herself to get even the slightest bit angry with them.

Unable to stand her daughter’s pestering, she held her forehead and told her everything, adding with a headache, "You’ve never cared about your cousin’s affairs. Why the sudden curiosity?"

"Well, times have changed."

Having gotten the information she wanted, Shen Hanyue gleefully took her leave and headed straight for the front courtyard.

......

「Front Courtyard, Study」

Shen Tingyu sat upright at his desk, a bamboo brush in hand. His neck was bent slightly forward as he focused on his writing.

Hearing that his sister had arrived, he instructed Shen Er, "Let her in."

The siblings had a good relationship, so as soon as Shen Hanyue entered, she got straight to the point.

"Brother, could you help me investigate a few people?"

Shen Tingyu didn’t even look up. "Who?"

Shen Hanyue rattled off four or five names in one breath.

Some were names Shen Tingyu had heard of, while others were unfamiliar to him.

But they were all men.

His hand paused. "Who are you investigating them for?"

’Given the status of these men, there was no reason for them to have caught his sister’s eye.’

Shen Hanyue didn’t hide it from him. "These are the prospective husbands Mother has found for our cousin from the Pei family. She’s terrified because she doesn’t know their backgrounds, so I thought I’d help her investigate them thoroughly. After all, marriage is a lifelong commitment, so we must be cautious."

But as a sheltered young lady, she had no way of thoroughly investigating several men on her own.

Her only recourse was to ask her full brother for help.

Shen Tingyu put down his bamboo brush and looked up at his sister. "She’s willing to get married?"

That was a strange question.

Shen Hanyue, who had expected her brother to be relieved, said in surprise, "What else can a girl do when she reaches marriageable age? She’s finally given up on hitting her head against the brick wall that is you. Besides, with our aunt so gravely ill, she can’t afford to be willful anymore. She has to be willing, even if she’s not."

’She has to be willing, even if she’s not...’

Shen Tingyu’s expression froze for a moment.

’He still hadn’t confirmed if his own absurd speculation was actually true.’

’And now, she was about to be married off.’

’If his guess was true...’

’...suddenly facing a situation like this, how lost must she feel...’

"Brother?"

Shen Hanyue pressed him, "So, will you do it or not? If you won’t, I’ll just go find our second cousin."

"No need."

Shen Tingyu said, "I’ll investigate."

Two words, spoken in a flat tone.

But Shen Hanyue still sensed that something wasn’t quite right.

Her pupils slowly widened. "Brother, are you..."

The rest of her words vanished under the gaze Shen Tingyu suddenly lifted to meet hers.

...

「That Night」

Everything that had happened at the Duke Shen Mansion during the day reached the ears of Xie Jinbai.

He listened with a blank expression, and then the corners of his lips curled into a smirk. "Tell me, if she really is your mistress, what do you think she’ll do?"

’Will she choose to marry a man she’s never even met, just to put her mother’s mind at ease?’

’Or will she try to do something to change her fate?’

’For example, come find me and reveal her identity.’

’Or maybe, seek help from her old friends.’

Chen Minrou, Sun Shuzhen.

’Both were her bosom friends, and both had married into powerful families.’

’However, the influence of wives confined to the inner quarters could not extend into the Duke Shen Mansion.’

’—What about revealing herself to her parents and brother?’

’If the Changping Marquis Mansion truly wished to protect her, that would be a viable path.’

Xie Jinbai meticulously calculated her likely next moves, not taking this so-called "marriage" seriously in the slightest.

He was convinced that Cui Lingyao would find a way to refuse the marriage.

And what he needed to do was hide in the shadows and watch her next move. The moment he had conclusive proof, he would lay his cards on the table.

He would drag that girl out, pin her in his arms, and demand an explanation.

An explanation for why she refused to acknowledge him.

And he’d ask her just what she thought she was doing, chasing after Shen Tingyu to become his concubine.

’Of course, he would be calm.’

’He couldn’t frighten her. He couldn’t scare her away.’

As long as she was willing to coax him a little, he could let everything else go and certainly wouldn’t make things difficult for her.

This feeling of being a master strategist, of having everything in the palm of his hand, greatly reassured Xie Jinbai.

He looked up at the night sky, preparing to sneak into the Duke Shen Mansion once more.

Li Yong didn’t dare to dissuade him, only saying, "Master, please drink your medicine before you go. If the Mistress has returned, you must take even better care of your health."

That last sentence successfully made Xie Jinbai stop in his tracks.

He really did need to take care of his health.

Otherwise, how could he rekindle his fated love with his Yaoyao and grow old together with her?

If he really were to die young, that heartless girl would probably forget all about him in a heartbeat and go after other men.

A familiar, sour ache churned in his chest. Xie Jinbai picked up the medicinal decoction and downed it in one go, his eyes turning scarlet and vicious.

’If he weren’t so curious to see what she was planning, he would have dragged her back this very instant.’