A marriage proposal?
Qi Zhen instantly furrowed his brows, his expression darkening in a flash. From the look on his face, he seemed just moments away from punching Feng Yuzhang square in the face.
And frankly, that’s exactly what he was thinking.
This old b*stard, he couldn’t seriously be here to propose marriage to Qi Yuan, could he?
If that was really the case, then today he’d show Feng Yuzhang just why flowers bloom so red.
What, did the Feng family suddenly think they had the right to covet his Yuanyuan?
So now that Feng Caiwei was dead, the Fengs had changed tactics, trying to marry one of their own to Qi Yuan, just to stop her from marrying the Imperial Grandson?
Behind them, Liu Jin and Old Zhao exchanged a glance. Their expressions weren’t great either.
Neither of them noticed that Lai Chenglong, following behind, looked even worse.
Lai Chenglong lowered his head, hands clenched faintly at his sides, his gaze toward Feng Yuzhang shadowed and cold.
He already knew what had happened recently.
How Feng Caiwei schemed against Qi Yuan, how she made Li Changqing accuse her of being a “harbinger of calamity.”
The Feng family’s intentions had always been obvious, wanting to tighten ties with the Imperial Grandson. That’s why they saw Qi Yuan as a threat.
To be blunt, in this world, people’s actions were driven by interest.
Otherwise, what feud did the Fengs have with Qi Yuan or the Qi family? None. And yet things had escalated this far.
Now that they’d lost the game, they were trying a different route?
Lai Chenglong stepped forward, about to speak—
—but Old Marquis Qi beat him to it, saying lightly, “Marquis, I’m afraid it’s not very appropriate. The children in our family are all still quite young. I fear their ages may not match well.”
As soon as Feng Yuzhang saw the old marquis’s expression change, he realized there’d been a misunderstanding.
He quickly shook his head.
Come on, he wasn’t trying to die.
He, of all people, knew exactly how the Imperial Grandson felt about Qi Yuan.
Even Empress Feng had had to yield and respect Xiao Yunting’s wishes.
There was no way he’d dare to cut in and “intercept the bride” midway. That would be digging his own grave.
He wiped the sweat from his brow and hurriedly explained, “No, no, no, Lord Marquis, that’s not what I meant. I was thinking… your family’s Young Master Changting is about the right age, and my daughter Caiyin is as well…”
Oh, not here for Qi Yuan.
Qi Zhen’s expression eased a bit.
Liu Jin and Old Zhao’s expressions softened too.
Lai Chenglong, however, still stared coolly at Feng Yuzhang, unreadable.
The old Marquis had been ready to explode, thinking Feng Yuzhang was coming for Qi Yuan. But now that he realized it was about Changting Feng was looking to marry off his daughter, not marry into the Qi family, his temper subsided.
Truth be told, the second household’s Qi Changting was at marrying age.
The old Madam had been discussing with Madam Wang about finding a good match for him lately.
But matchmaking was one thing, candidate selection was another.
One girl from the Feng family, Feng Caiwei, had already been more than enough.
Just as the marquis was about to refuse, Qi Yuan came out from inside, raising a brow. “You mean Miss Feng Caiyin?”
No one expected Qi Yuan herself to appear, and all eyes immediately turned to her.
Especially Lai Chenglong, his eyes lit up like stars in the night sky. He couldn’t help but smile. “Young Miss Qi, it’s really not easy getting to see you.”
Qi Yuan looked over at him, raising an eyebrow in surprise. “Lord Lai, you’re back? You’ve gotten so thin.”
Lai Chenglong laughed so hard his eyes vanished. Then he sighed dramatically. “Isn’t that the truth! Miss Qi just told me there was tremendous fortune waiting in Japan, but you never warned me the food there is worse than pig slop!”
Everyone burst out laughing.
Even Qi Yuan couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
The tension in the air dissolved, and Feng Yuzhang finally breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Thank the heavens, the mood had finally eased.
Just moments ago, he’d felt like everyone present wanted to eat him alive.
Seizing the chance, he hurriedly explained: “Yes, yes, that’s my daughter Caiyin. Rest assured, Miss Qi, she’s a sweet and sensible girl! When it comes to marriage, I’d never take it lightly.”
Ah, this really was difficult.
If not for the need to build a stronger bond with the Qi family, ideally through a marriage alliance, he wouldn’t have had to subject himself to this humiliation.
The old Marquis had been about to refuse, but now he didn’t.
Because he saw that Qi Yuan’s attitude was different.
Sure enough, after thinking for a moment, Qi Yuan said softly, “If it’s Miss Caiyin, then choose a place where they can meet. If they’re compatible, then the marriage isn’t out of the question.”
Feng Yuzhang was overjoyed!
He had thought that, given the two families’ complicated relationship, and given that he was the one proposing, it would be difficult to get a favorable response.
But he hadn’t expected Qi Yuan to be so open to it.
He quickly replied, “Great! Great! I’ll follow your lead, Miss Qi. What do you think of Feilai Peak? There’s a temple at the summit, Feilai Temple, they say the murals are incredible, and the mountain views are stunning. Let the two of them meet there?”
Qi Yuan nodded.
Feng Yuzhang finally felt the heavy burden on his heart lift and left in high spirits.
Qi Zhen, however, was confused. “Yuanyuan, why did you agree to ally with the Feng family?”
After all, both Feng Jun and Feng Caiwei had died by Qi Yuan’s hand.
There was blood between the families.
Even if the relationship improved later because of Xiao Yunting, that was a separate matter.
How could they marry?
Qi Yuan’s explanation was simple: “Caiyin is a truly good person. If Changting truly comes to like her, then it’ll be his blessing.”
…
Qi Zhen didn’t fully understand.
But Qi Yuan thought back to her previous life, Feng Caiyin had married into Fujian, and when Qi Wang faked an edict to proclaim himself emperor, Feng Caiwei and the ‘Imperial Grandson’ were wed in Jiangling. Meanwhile, Caiyin had been in Fujian, fighting off pirates with her husband.
To protect the women and children of Zhangjia Fort, she had died at the hands of Japanese pirates.
A girl like that, any man who married her should be thanking the gods.
Qi Zhen didn’t understand why Qi Yuan said it would be a blessing to marry Feng Caiyin, but it didn’t matter, he didn’t have much say in family matters anymore anyway.
Besides, Qi Yuan hadn’t finalized the engagement. She’d only suggested the two meet and see if they liked each other.
And meeting… was no big deal.
The old Marquis was even more decisive. He didn’t question her judgment at all and said immediately, “Then I’ll go tell your grandmother and your second aunt.”
And with that, he dragged Qi Zhen away.
