Chapter 206 - Promise (1/2)

Chapter 206: Promise

“Let me… let me think about it again!” Wang Shi could feel her head aching. A moment later she asked again, “Tell me again? Did Fengju only do so because Sang Wan asked him to?”

“Definitely!” Shi Yumei said, “I was just at the door when I heard you and Fengju. Fengju did not show any signs of being surprised or shocked when you mentioned it to him so that must be because Sang Wan had already told him! Think about it, did he consider carefully before answering, or did he respond straight away?”

Wang Shi thought for a moment but she could not figure out whether it was true. In one moment, she thought that her son spoke without much thought, but she thought otherwise in the next moment. But because of Shi Yumei’s words, her mind was led to believe that the former was true, and the more she thought about it, the more she believed so.

“Since I’ll be the one making the decision for this marriage, then it’s settled!” Wang Shi raised her brows and said firmly.

“That is very wise of you, Mother!” Shi Yumei clapped and laughed as she said, “From now on, we’ll be in-laws with the city’s magistrate. No one would ever dare to look down on us! If we rejected the marriage, the city magistrate would be displeased with us and blame us for not appreciating his favor. Worst, if the Yang family or Zhuang family knew about it, they would surely send their missies over; it would be such a pity for us if we missed this chance!”

“Right, right! You are right!” Wang Shi was immediately taken aback and felt fortunate. Instead of waiting for the arranged three days, Wang Shi instructed Nanny Jiang to head over to the Hong household to settle the proposal.

Nanny Jiang did not find it appropriate. Although Shi Lian was going to get married as a concubine, the Shi family was one of the influential families; for the family from the side of the female to initiate right after was not very appropriate. Moreover, they only had to wait for two more days, wouldn’t it go by in a blink of an eye?

As such, Nanny Jiang tried to persuade her.

However, Shi Yumei said, “Nanny, this is a joyous thing, it would be better if this is settled quickly! Only then can our sincerity be shown! Their family works for the imperial court, there is nothing wrong with us to take the initiative! We can’t wait for them to prompt us, can we? What’s more, we aren’t marrying Sister Shi Lian as a wife either, and there aren’t any customs against it, so others would definitely not judge us!”

“Yumei is right, quickly go now! Speak properly when you meet them, do not make our family lose face!” Wang Shi added.

Helpless, there was nothing Nanny Jiang could do other than to agree. After leaving, she went to get prepared.

Old Mistress Hong received Nanny Jiang personally, and immediately sent a servant to fetch the calendar after hearing from Nanny Jiang. 16th February was a good day suitable for marriage, so the date was decided on and Nanny Jiang went back to report to Wang Shi.

Old Mistress Hong sent a servant to call Magistrate Hong over right after the selection of the date and proudly told him about it, “See, was I wrong? Such a good offer is difficult to find. The Shi family aren’t fools, did you think they would watch this chance slip away? See how anxious they were to send someone to settle it!”

Magistrate Hong was surprised too, but he was happy with the results, so he laughed and praised his wife. Then he said heatedly, “Keep your eyes tight on that little jerk from tomorrow onwards, don’t ever let him wander about again! The Shi family is the wealthiest family in Qingzhou, we should give them respect. If he ever creates trouble that would make us lose face, I will never let him off!”

“Yes, Old Lord! But there’s no way our son doesn’t know where to draw the line!” Old Mistress Hong was unhappy and the joy that she was experiencing immediately halved.

After Nanny Jiang reported to Wang Shi about the date. Wang Shi did not seem to care much about it as Shi Lian was going to be married as a concubine. There was not much to prepare and they had plenty of time, so she nodded and sent Nanny Jiang to the Hong family to seal the deal.

Afterwards, Wang Shi sent servants to call Sang Wan and Shi Lian over.

Of course all the preparations had to be arranged by Sang Wan, and Shi Lian had to know as well since she was involved and could be prepared earlier. There would not be enough time for her to make her own wedding dress, so she could only add a little to the finishing touches after the seamstress were done.

Both Sang Wan and Shi Lian’s expressions changed when they heard the news from Wang Shi. It had not been a long while since Sang Wan sent someone to inform Shi Lian not to worry as Shi Fengju had already convinced Wang Shi. But everything took a change for the worst in just half a day!

Sang Wan could not believe what she heard. Embarrassed by the sudden change of Wang Shi’s decision, she couldn’t help but glance at Shi Lian.

Shi Lian looked towards her direction as well, her face pale and her body as cold as ice!

“This day will come for all girls, there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Alright, Shi Lian, go back and get yourself ready for your wedding. During this period, you don’t have to greet me early in the morning! List down whatever you need and tell your sister-in-law!” As for whether to provide or not, it would be up to her, the mother, to make the decision. As long as what she wanted was not unacceptable, Wang Shi would not refuse.

“Mother!” Shi Lian suddenly kneeled and kowtowed to Wang Shi. When she raised her head up, her eyes were filled with tears. Her mouth was open and she was about to say something.

Seeing that things could become worse, Sang Wan hurriedly interrupted before Shi Lian could speak, “Third Sister, quickly go back after thanking Mother for her favor! Stop crying! There’s no need to cry over a happy occasion!” As she spoke, she secretly signalled to Shi Lian with her eyes.

Whatever Shi Lian wanted to say, that was stopped by Sang Wan, was nothing more than an impulsion. After collecting herself back together, cold sweat formed on her back when she reflected on herself.

Of course she knew about her stepmother’s temper; even if she was her real daughter, there was no way she could be against a marriage decided by her mother, not to mention she was not. If it wasn’t for Sang Wan who stopped her just now, she could not imagine what would happen when she outright refused!

“Yes!” Shi Lian kowtowed again, with tears in her eyes before she got up to leave.