This can’t be! It just can’t be!
Qin Hu’s ears seemed to faintly hear his mother’s voice again.
“Shi’san! Duke Jin’an has asked the emperor for permission to marry Lady Cheng!”
Duke Jin’an?
Qin Hu set down the brush in his hand and looked at Madam Qin, who was rushing into the room.
Her face, usually full of smiles, was now devoid of any laughter, her eyes filled with undisguised anxiety.
“Did you settle things with Lady Cheng yesterday?” she asked.
Yesterday…
“That was a trivial matter back then, not urgent unless absolutely necessary,” Qin Hu said with a smile.
“Trivial matter!” Madam Qin slapped his desk and exclaimed with a stern expression, “When has winning the heart of a woman and seeking a marital alliance between two families ever been a trivial matter?”
“You’re right, Mother. It’s no longer trivial – it’s a major issue now,” Qin Hu replied promptly, rising to his feet. “I’ll go and speak with her right away.”
Madam Qin gave him a push.
“Hurry, go now! Even if it were a prince instead of Duke Jin’an, our Qin family can certainly compete,” she said.
It seemed that if he delayed any further, Madam Qin would simply take matters into her own hands and propose the marriage herself.
“If I were a man, I’d have rolled up my sleeves and married her long ago,” Madam Qin snorted.
“Rolling up your sleeves sounds more like you’re about to snatch her,” Qin Hu said with a laugh.
“Isn’t someone like her worth snatching?” Madam Qin retorted, glaring.
Of course she was worth it. But precisely because she was, he grew even more hesitant – afraid of putting her in a difficult position, of disrespecting her, of displeasing her, of being rejected, of earning her disdain…
“Hurry up and go,” Madam Qin urged, giving him a push. “Even Duke Jin’an has thrown his hat in the ring – this matter can’t be delayed any longer.”
Duke Jin’an!
So it’s him again!
This wasn’t an impossibility. For him to jump into the fray was only to be expected.
“His ambitions keep growing – so much so that he’s forgotten his own place,” he said slowly.
So there was no surprise in this, nothing to be shocked about. That kind of man was precisely the type to do such a thing. It would have been strange if he hadn’t stepped forward.
But so what? Did he think that by stepping forward, they would fear him? That they would be left with no recourse?
No, never. He wasn’t afraid, and naturally, neither would she be. As long as the two of them stood united, no one could corner them – just like all those times before.
“I have a favor to ask of you now.”
“Name it. Who do you need me to take down this time?”
Go on, say it. Together, they feared no one. As long as she spoke the words, he would dare to act – and he would surely follow through.
As long as she spoke them.
Please, say it. I beg you.
Qin Hu gazed at the girl before him, not daring to blink as he stared intently.
“…Did he come to see you yesterday to discuss this matter?” Zhou Fu’s voice sounded in his ears, now distant, now near, each word striking his eardrums with increasing force.
“…His request to the Emperor for your hand – was it something you… both… agreed on in advance?” Zhou Fu’s voice trembled slightly. Why did the simple phrase “you both” feel so difficult to utter?
“Yes,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied with a nod.
Yes…
She said yes.
Zhou Fu looked at her, his mind suddenly going blank, unsure of what to ask next.
“He won’t do!” Qin Hu exclaimed, half-rising from his kneeling position. “He’s not suitable. He isn’t the right one.”
Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him and gave a faint smile.
“They’re all the same,” she said.
Damn this “they’re all the same”!
“No, he’s different,” Qin Hu insisted, taking a deep breath to steady both his voice and his emotions.
Yes, steady now. This is no big deal – just like the news about Young Master Gao wanting to marry her. It’s nothing out of the ordinary.
“Don’t listen to his words. This matter isn’t something that can be resolved simply by status and position.”
“Status and position depend on many factors.”
“He may be a prince, and on the surface, he appears more noble than the Gao family, but in reality, he holds no real advantage.”
“He has no foundation, and in the eyes of the Emperor, he is far from being as reliable as the Gao family.”
“Don’t believe his nonsense about how his noble status means no one would dare trouble you, or that marrying him would lead to a life of ease.”
“Those are nothing but deceitful lies! If he wants to marry you, it’s only to counter the Gao family and secure his footing in the court. With you by his side – and with your history with the Gao family and the Empress Dowager – the Emperor will surely value him as a tool to balance the Gao family.”
“But this kind of favor is no blessing. What does ‘balancing’ mean? It means two forces of equal strength keeping each other in check. If the Emperor grants his request, it means the Emperor already sees him as someone to guard against. Using him to balance the Gao family also means using the Gao family to balance him.”
“From then on, the Emperor will not shield or protect him. Instead, he will allow the Gao family to target him, permit him to bind you to his side, and let you both struggle against the Gao family – back and forth, wearing each other down until both sides are exhausted. This will continue until the Crown Prince ascends the throne, until the new Emperor consolidates power, and then… you will both be swept away.”
The words poured out like a storm, leaving the speaker almost breathless and the listener struggling to catch their breath.
“Cheng Jiao-niang, you won’t believe what he said, will you?”
Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him and shook her head.
“How could you possibly believe him!” Qin Hu stood up, his voice rising. “You’re so intelligent – how could you not understand these things?”
“No,” Cheng Jiao-niang said. “He didn’t say any of that.”
He didn’t…
Qin Hu was taken aback.
“Then what did he say?” he blurted out instinctively.
“He said that while marriage may be a trivial matter to me, it is a significant matter to him. So he asked me to grant him this wish,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied, a faint smile gracing her lips.
Marriage is a trivial matter to her, but a significant matter to him… so he asked her to grant him this wish?
Qin Hu was stunned.
What a shameless fellow!
“Of course it’s a significant matter to him,” he said, composing his expression into one of solemn understanding as he nodded with an air of seeing through everything. “You see, this is exactly what he means – to him, being able to marry you is a major event.”
“Is that so?” Cheng Jiao-niang replied, a faint smile playing on her lips.
“Yes,” Qin Hu nodded, then quickly shook his head. “No, no, no – that’s not what I meant.”
Damn it, he hadn’t come here to praise that guy’s sincerity or regard.
Cheng Jiao-niang smiled again and bowed slightly.
“Whatever the meaning, thank you for your concern,” she said.
Qin Hu could no longer maintain his calm expression.
“I don’t need your thanks, and I haven’t gone out of my way,” he said urgently, rising to his feet once more. “Do you understand what I’m trying to say? You must not agree to this. Under no circumstances should you consent.”
He forced a smile at this point.
“But don’t worry. Even if he petitions the Emperor, even if the Emperor agrees, it still won’t matter. I can resolve this.”
“There’s no need to resolve anything. This isn’t a problem – he and I have already reached an agreement,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
He and I have already reached an agreement.
He and I have already reached an agreement.
Those words had finally been spoken…
Clearly and unmistakably, from her own lips.
The room fell into a dead silence in an instant. The two maids kneeling behind Cheng Jiao-niang could no longer suppress their slight trembling.
Why had their hearts been racing with fear ever since they sat down here?
Those words, nearly impossible to comprehend, had been hurled at them relentlessly. Even though they couldn’t understand, their bodies felt stiff, and it was hard to breathe.
Now that no one was speaking, they found no relief. Instead, it was as if they had sunk into a stagnant pool of dead water, their bodies endlessly falling, falling – an indescribable panic, an indescribable despair of trying to grasp something but finding nothing to hold onto.
Save us…
Save us…
They had been wrong.
In the past, when they saw Ban Qin often sitting quietly behind their mistress like this, having nothing to do, nothing to say, not even needing to pour tea or water, they thought being such a personal maid was far too easy and comfortable.
They were wrong.
This was neither comfortable nor easy. It was too agonizing, too terrifying.
“What are you trying to do?”
Just as the maids felt almost suffocated, Qin Hu’s voice rang out again, shattering the stifling silence in the room.
“Why are you doing this?” Qin Hu asked, forcing a faint smile. “Do you have a better plan?”
“No particular reason. It’s simply about getting married,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
There must be some hidden meaning in those words. Think, think quickly.
Qin Hu raised a hand to press against his forehead.
“Marriage… marriage can be a good solution too,” he said, lifting his head with a strained smile. “At least by spreading the news… it might… perhaps… then…”
He stammered to a halt, then suddenly turned and threw a fierce punch into the empty air outside.
To hell with “might,” “perhaps,” and “if”!
This wasn’t child’s play, nor was it some theatrical performance where a new act could start tomorrow after today’s scene was settled!
Once the news was out, how could it possibly be undone?
Marriage is a solemn matter – arranged through matchmakers, decided by parents, uniting two families. How could it become a laughingstock for the world?
The room fell into a stifling silence once again. The two young maids sat trembling in their places.
“Why are you marrying him?”
Qin Hu’s voice was low as he asked the question, his hands hanging limp at his sides, not turning to look at her.
“Young Master Qin, this is a trivial matter. To me, it makes no difference whom I marry. I’ve said this many times before.”
Cheng Jiao-niang’s voice came through, calm and detached.
Yes, she had said it many times – and acted on it many times too.
She could marry Wang Shi’qi, she could marry Young Master Gao, and of course, she could marry Duke Jin’an…
“Then what about me?” Qin Hu turned around, took a step forward, and looked intently at the girl sitting composedly before him. “Marry me. Marry me.”
Cheng Jiao-niang shook her head and gave a faint smile.
“You are different,” she said.
Now he was different? Why was he different only now?
Qin Hu looked at her, his hands clenching tightly before he struck his own leg in frustration.
Because she had healed his leg – precisely because she had healed his leg, he was different in her eyes and in her heart. Different from those people, different from everyone else. She had set him apart, pushed him away, kept him at a distance…
“And me! What about me!”
Zhou Fu’s voice suddenly cut through the air. The young man, who had been frozen in shock ever since he entered and asked that one question, abruptly stood up and spoke loudly.
“Marry me,” he shouted.
Cheng Jiao-niang looked at him and smiled faintly.
“It’s just that… I already gave him my word yesterday,” she said.
Yesterday?
Zhou Fu was stunned, remembering how he had stood by the roadside, watching that young man dismount and step through the gate…
Was it just a matter of that one step?
If he had rushed in first, if he had spoken those words first, would things have been different?
How could it be? Was it really just that simple?
He wanted to say something but found himself at a loss for words. In truth, ever since he entered and heard about this matter, his mind had been in chaos. Everything he said and heard felt hazy, as if caught between reality and illusion.
“Is it about who came first?” Qin Hu said, looking at Cheng Jiao-niang with a bitter smile. “Cheng Fang, I… I met you first. It was me who knew you first, not him. Not him.”
Cheng Jiao-niang shook her head.
“No,” she said seriously. “I met him first.”
