Chapter 31: Heart Skipped a Beat

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Heart Skipped a Beat

Mrs. Shen coughed softly a few times and said, "Your aunt has put a great deal of thought into your marriage. Yesterday, she mentioned several young gentlemen to me, and they all sound quite good. Two of them, in particular, I find especially satisfactory."

With that, she began to explain them to her daughter in detail.

"One is from the Capital City, the eldest son of a fifth-rank official family. His surname is Wu. Despite his youth, he has already earned the title of scholar. He’s very learned and will be able to secure an official post through the imperial examinations on his own merit."

"The other is a scholar from Yunzhou, with the surname Sun. His family is a very prominent clan in Yunzhou, and his uncle serves in the court as an Adviser. He has come to the Capital to take the examinations and is currently staying at his uncle’s home."

"This one’s academic reputation is even more widespread than the first, and he’s well-known among the scholarly circles in the Capital City. With his level of knowledge, it’s almost certain he’ll pass the examinations this time. If we arrange the marriage now, you’ll marry into the status of an official wife once he succeeds."

He’s what you would call a blue-chip prospect.

"I thought about it all night. While the young man from Yunzhou is more brilliant, he isn’t a native of the Capital City. If he’s assigned to a post outside the Capital in the future, or if some misfortune occurs, your uncle and the others will be too far away to help. So, the first one, Mr. Wu, seems more suitable."

She herself had suffered the bitterness of marrying far from home.

If Pei Shu had been from the Capital City, her and her daughter’s lives would have been better than they are now.

As she spoke, Mrs. Shen began to cough softly again. Cui Lingyao stood up to pat her on the back, remaining silent the whole time.

Seeing this, Mrs. Shen took her daughter’s hand. "Tell me the truth. Is there already someone you have feelings for?"

Cui Lingyao pursed her lips. "No."

Mrs. Shen didn’t believe her. "Then why is it that whenever we discuss marriage, you fall silent and seem so unwilling?"

Cui Lingyao’s expression faltered for a moment. She lowered her gaze and said, "...I can’t bear to leave you."

"Silly child," Mrs. Shen said, shaking her head slightly. "A daughter must marry when she grows up. You’re already sixteen, the perfect age for marriage. How could I possibly hold you back?"

She was just hanging on by a thread.

Mourning a mother was a period of deep filial piety, which required one to refrain from marriage for three years.

Once she was gone, her daughter would be without parents or family, with no marriage arranged. If she were delayed another three years, she would become a twenty-year-old spinster. What would become of her then?

This mother had truly worried herself to the bone for her daughter’s sake.

A sudden wave of sorrow washed over Cui Lingyao, stinging her nose. She couldn’t stop the tears from falling.

’The original owner’s emotions are controlling me.’

"Don’t cry,"

Mrs. Shen raised a hand to wipe her daughter’s tears, her voice gentle. "I don’t mean to pressure you. If there is someone you like, just tell me. I’m not an unreasonable mother. As long as his character and temperament are decent, I don’t care about his family background..."

"I understand," Cui Lingyao said, taking a deep breath and giving her a small smile. "Let me think about which one I should choose."

"There’s no rush. It won’t be too late to decide after you’ve met them," Mrs. Shen said with a relieved smile, patting her daughter’s hand.

"I heard from your aunt that the Heir’s wife of the Duke Zhao Mansion is gravely ill. To ward off the bad luck, the Zhao Family is holding a large banquet in the next couple of days, inviting all the unmarried young men and women in the Capital to liven things up. You can use the opportunity to get a good look at those two young gentlemen. He’ll be the man by your side for the rest of your life; you should at least find him pleasant to look at."

To be bedridden with a lingering, critical illness was often described as having an evil spirit invade the body.

When faced with an illness that persisted despite countless treatments, people of that era would naturally turn to ’unconventional remedies’.

Inviting unmarried young people, full of vitality and vigor, to drive away malevolent influences was not an uncommon practice.

Given the prestige of the Duke Zhao Mansion, anyone in the Capital who received an invitation would not dare to decline.

Since the event was to ward off bad luck, and the only requirements for guests were that they be unmarried and of any social standing, the banquet was a perfect opportunity to scout for a future husband.

If word was sent to Mr. Wu and Mr. Sun, they would surely attend if they had any interest in her, the cousin visiting the Duke Mansion.

At the banquet, Cui Lingyao could see them for herself. The social customs of the time were open enough that she might even be able to exchange a few words with them.

Even in her condition, Mrs. Shen was still thinking of every last detail for her daughter.

Cui Lingyao was filled with sorrow, but also a sense of heart-pounding dread.

’Just yesterday, I was worried that with my current status, I’d have no chance to see Chen Minrou.’

’And now today, the Duke Zhao Mansion is holding a banquet to ’ward off bad luck’...’

’If I hadn’t detected the lingering traces of Xie Jinbai’s presence this morning, I would have been delighted by this news.’

But now, Cui Lingyao could only think it was too much of a coincidence.

’So coincidental it was giving me goosebumps.’

Mrs. Shen was gravely ill and lacked energy. After forcing herself to speak for a while, she said, "Go on and have some fun. Don’t feel you have to be cooped up in here with me."

Cui Lingyao shook her head. "I’ll stay with you while you sleep, Mother."

"The room smells of medicine, and you aren’t used to it,"

Seeing her daughter’s heartache and her stubborn refusal to leave, Mrs. Shen’s expression softened further. "I’m craving the Lotus Cake you make. Go prepare a serving, and I’ll eat it when I wake up."

With that, Cui Lingyao had no reason left to stay.

What Mrs. Shen didn’t know, however, was that the only reason Pei Shuyao had learned to make Lotus Cake was to win over her crush.

’Shen Tingyu was said to be fond of lotuses and bamboo.’

’The original owner had enthusiastically spent five days learning to make Lotus Cake. She finally managed to prepare a decent plate to send to him, but, as expected, Shen Tingyu rejected it.’

’That was the only reason Mrs. Shen had ever gotten to taste the pastries her daughter made.’

’But since Shen Tingyu didn’t like it, the original owner never made it again.’

’And yet Mrs. Shen, who had only tried it once, had been craving it ever since.’

’Thinking about all the things the original owner had done, Cui Lingyao found her truly hard to understand.’

......

A lotus-filled view in the summer was a standard feature in the mansions of the nobility.

The Duke Shen Mansion, naturally, had its own Lotus Pond.

Cui Lingyao left her small courtyard under the blazing sun, following her memories toward the pond. A thin layer of sweat quickly beaded on her forehead.

Zhiqiu said with concern, "It’s just a few flower petals. I can go get them. Why must you go pick them yourself, my lady?"

"It’s not the same,"

Perhaps it was the original owner’s lingering attachments that urged Cui Lingyao to be filial toward Mrs. Shen, to make up for the previous owner’s neglect. "Mother wants to eat something I made with my own hands, so every part of it that I can do, I must do myself."

The weather was too hot, and she wanted to get there and back quickly, so she walked at a brisk pace.

As she spoke, she rounded a corner. Rushing along without looking up, Cui Lingyao bumped right into a tall, slender figure.

Before she could even register the pain in her forehead, a firm hand gripped her shoulder and pushed her back slightly.

Cui Lingyao instinctively looked up, her gaze falling upon a handsome and strikingly refined face.

His brows and eyes were elegant, his nose was straight, and his jawline was clear and smooth. His fair, cool-toned skin seemed to glow in the bright sunlight.

Cui Lingyao’s eyelashes fluttered. She felt her heart skip a beat, and before she could fully process the feeling, the man’s thin lips parted. "So impetuous. Where are you rushing off to?"

The man’s clear, pleasant voice reached her ears, and Cui Lingyao’s composure wavered. ’In that instant,’ she thought, ’I can completely understand why the original owner fell for him so deeply.’

’Before he discovered the original owner’s feelings, he must have treated his younger cousin with great care and courtesy.’

’Gentle, considerate, good-tempered, and morally upright... and he looked like *that* on top of it all.’

’Even she, who had been married to Xie Jinbai for three years and was a mature woman at heart, was left feeling a little dizzy by the sight.’

’How could the original owner, a sheltered girl coddled in her chambers, possibly have resisted a man of this caliber?’