diskusbooks Chapter 212: The marriage proposal is brought up again!
Chapter 212: The marriage proposal is brought up again!
Li's face stiffened slightly. The reason she said that she had promised her daughter to Chu Rong that day was only a temporary measure. She couldn't just stand by and watch her precious daughter become someone else's concubine, could she?
But now? Without realizing it, Li thought of Chu Moli again!
Li looked at Liu with some difficulty and recounted the events of the past in detail, including the incident where Chu Moli attacked Mu Xin Nuan at the Chu residence years ago.
Upon hearing this, Liu's expression also became slightly serious.
"That Madam Chu is really something! She seems so dignified, elegant, gentle, and polite, how could she raise such an ill-mannered daughter? Sister, after hearing what you said, not only you, but even I, as her aunt, think that the Chu family is not a suitable match for marriage!"
"Sigh!" Madam Li sighed heavily, looked at Mu Xin Nuan who kept her head down and didn't say a word, shook her head and said, "I only have this one daughter, so of course I want her to live a good life! Just like how my mother treated me back then."
"Sister, don't say anymore, your sister-in-law understands. There's no rush! Anyway, Anuan is only fourteen, and she's still two years away from her coming-of-age ceremony. We can discuss this later."
As Liu spoke, she recalled what Li Feng had told her: Mu Xin Nuan had no intention of currying favor with the royal family, and had even bluntly stated that Prince Chang Le was not a good match. Could it be that deep down, she harbored feelings for Chu Rong?
Thinking this, Liu rolled her eyes and asked softly, "Anuan, tell your aunt the truth, are there any handsome men in the capital that you've taken a fancy to? If so, your aunt will personally act as a matchmaker for you, how about it?"
She spoke with a mix of truth and falsehood, but how could Mu Xin Nuan not hear the probing intent in her words?
"What are you saying, Aunt? Mother, I still have homework to do, so I'll take my leave now." With that, she hurriedly bowed and left.
Seeing her blushing face, Liu knew that she must not have a love interest! If she did, her behavior would be slightly different. At least just now, her eyes and brows were very clear, without a trace of budding romance.
After Mu Xin Nuan left, Liu Shi said worriedly, "A Nuan is a good child. You may not know, but Hao Ran has also developed feelings for your A Nuan."
"What? Haoran?" Madam Li was taken aback. "That child, wasn't he already engaged?"
"Yes! This marriage was originally arranged by me. At the time, Haoran seemed indifferent, clearly not caring much about the girl. At the same time, he understood that his marriage ultimately concerned the interests of the Zhenguo General's Mansion. Naturally, he didn't express much opinion! But now?"
Li's expression changed slightly. "But what did Haoran say to you?"
“That child! He won’t listen to anything I say. Although he doesn’t say it, I know he has feelings for Anuan. You don’t know, that day, I went to his courtyard. He went outside to practice boxing with Haozheng and his brother. On his desk, I saw an unfinished portrait of a woman.”
At this point, Liu was already in a very difficult position.
A portrait of a woman? Li's eyes flickered. Although her sister-in-law hadn't explained it clearly, it was obvious that the woman in the portrait wasn't hard to guess.
"Does my sister-in-law hope that I will marry Anuan off as soon as possible, so as to put an end to Haoran's feelings?" As Li said this, she felt a slight pang in her heart! After all, the two families are relatives!
Liu shook her head. "Let's wait and see. As I just said, Nuan is a good girl, and whoever marries her in the future will definitely be right! It's just that my Haoran may not be so fortunate."
Not necessarily? What does that mean?
"Sister-in-law? Could it be that Haoran wants you to help him break off the engagement?"
Liu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Yes. Haoran's intention is very firm. I've been worrying about this matter these past few days. You know what kind of family I chose for him, such a prestigious family. How could they just let someone break off the engagement like that? Wouldn't that ruin the reputation of their daughter?"
Liu sighed and continued, "I know this is wrong, but I really can't bear to see Haoran unhappy every day! He is my own son after all, how can I not think about him at all?"
Hearing this, Li breathed a sigh of relief. "Sister-in-law, you're overthinking it. Haoran is still young. He'll naturally understand things once he's married. Love is something that develops gradually after marriage, isn't it? Besides, given Anuan's current situation, it's really not advisable to let Haoran get involved. It would be unwise to escalate things too much with Prince Chang Le."
"Speaking of which, has the Prince of Chang Le sent anyone to visit since that day?"
Madam Li shook her head. "Although no one was sent to visit, I heard from Master that after the morning court session a couple of days ago, Prince Chang Le spoke to him privately for a while. The gist of his words was that he was unwilling to give up on A Nuan and asked Master to find a way to cancel the marriage with the Chu family."
"Do the Chu family know about this?"
Madam Li nodded. "If they didn't know, why would they come to you for help? I think it's probably because Chu Rong was desperate and grasped at straws!"
"Chu Rong is a promising young man. I've heard your brother mention him a few times, saying that his abilities are probably even greater than Hao Ran's. As the saying goes, like father, like son!"
After a moment of silence, Liu said, “Sister, if you ask me, no matter how immature that Chu family girl is, she’ll get married sooner or later, won’t she? Chu Rong cares about her so much, and with him protecting her in the future, I don’t think A-Nuan will be able to bear being wronged. Besides, Madam Chu and you used to be close friends, so I don’t think she will mistreat A-Nuan.”
Li was also somewhat undecided. Who knew if the Prince of Chang Le would urge her again? If he came again, it would be difficult to refuse.
After seeing Liu off, Li began to think repeatedly about the marriage between Anuan and Chu Rong. She felt uneasy and couldn't sit still any longer, so she got up and went to Yuexuan.
From afar, I saw Mu Xin Nuan in the pavilion, holding a medical book in one hand and taking out a medicinal herb from a shelf with the other. She smelled it carefully and then examined it. She did this repeatedly without feeling bored or tired at all.
Looking at his daughter sitting gracefully like a lotus, quiet as a lily, her serene and gentle temperament was truly unlike that of the daughter of a third-rank official! If one said she was the daughter of a noble family, many would believe it.
Looking at her daughter who was engrossed in her studies, Madam Li couldn't bear to disturb her. After watching her for a while, a nanny came over and said that the old lady wanted to invite her to Rongyuan.
Do you know what it is?
"Reporting to Madam, all I know is that the Second Madam is crying and making a scene in Rong Courtyard, and Madam Yang is also kneeling in the main room of Rong Courtyard."