In the end, Shen Ling was taken away by Jiang Nan, and the group quickly departed, disappearing beyond the corridor.
Everyone rested for the night, and the next day, they saw the steward Lai Changrong, appearing respectful, arrive at the main gate: "Young Master, the Old Lady invites you over."
Zhang Chen was already dressed, still in his tidy coarse linen attire, refusing to change into the luxurious silk provided by the Shen Mansion. Even in simple garb, Zhang Chen exuded a distinct aura.
"Young Master, all the gentlemen and ladies are already waiting with the Old Lady." The steward said respectfully.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen nodded: "Please, lead the way, steward."
The group headed towards the place where the Old Lady resided, moving through the long corridor. Zhang Chen noticed the slightly hurried breathing of Mrs. Zhang, so he turned and smiled at her. Seeing Zhang Chen’s smile for some reason made a heavy burden on Mrs. Zhang’s heart suddenly disappear, and her tension vanished. Holding the hands of the two little ones, her steps became steadier.
When they arrived at the largest house in the backyard, the steward Lai Changrong went in to announce their arrival. After a while, he came out again to invite Zhang Chen’s family inside. As they entered, they saw the room was already filled with people. In the center sat an old lady with a head full of silver hair, slightly plump but full of Essence, Qi, and Spirit.
"This is the Old Lady." Lai Changrong introduced Zhang Chen’s family.
Upon hearing, Zhang Chen and the others hurriedly knelt down to pay respects: "Greetings, Grandmother!"
"Old Lady, this is the eldest son of the young miss, named Zhang Chen." The steward Lai Changrong pointed to Zhang Chen.
Then he pointed to Zhang Tuowei beside him: "This is Zhang Tuowei, the daughter of the young miss. This is the new wife of the son-in-law, Mrs. Zhang. And this is Mrs. Zhang’s son."
At this moment, the old lady already had tears in her eyes. She said to Zhang Chen: "Good child, quickly stand up!"
She then personally came down to help Zhang Chen and his family up and held Zhang Tuowei in her arms, playfully interacting with her.
Zhang Chen observed the old lady’s expression, feeling her sincerity. He also glanced at the people in the hall, noticing Shen Ling in a red outfit with a gloomy face, Jiang Nan in the corner eating melon seeds, and a crowd of elegant ladies. There were also five middle-aged men with stern faces, dressed in luxurious clothes.
The Old Lady, still holding Zhang Tuowei, returned to her seat and then instructed Zhang Chen and his family to sit. She inquired about matters in the Northern Land, speaking at some length, then said to Zhang Chen and his family: "Now that you are here, treat this place as your home. I have ordered everything you need to be prepared by our people; nothing will be lacking."
At this point, the Old Lady turned to Zhang Chen: "I see you are not young anymore; find a time to marry Shen Ling."
"Grandmother, I disagree!"
As soon as the Old Lady finished her sentence, a voice of opposition sounded. Shen Ling jumped up.
The Old Lady frowned upon hearing this: "The command of your parents and the words of the matchmaker are the authority, and you have no say in opposing it!"
"Old Lady, you love me the most. If you make me marry this country bumpkin, you might as well kill me with a sword and prepare to collect my body." Shen Ling stubbornly retorted, her eyes full of defiance.
"Slap~"
Though the Old Lady seemed aged, she was still spry. She stood up and slapped Shen Ling across the face, leaving a clear handprint. Her tender cheek immediately turned crimson.
At this moment, Shen Ling, with tears in her eyes and a face full of disbelief, looked at the Old Lady: "You... you hit me? You hit me for the sake of a little country bumpkin?"
Having spoken, she suddenly turned and rushed out. The maids and older women in the room cried out and hurriedly followed her out, leaving the room half-empty in an instant.
"Mother, this matter requires careful consideration." At this moment, an elder middle-aged man stood up, frowning as he spoke.
Zhang Chen looked at this man; he was the head of the Shen Family and Zhang Chen’s eldest uncle: Shen Zhen. He was also Shen Ling’s father.
Upon hearing this, the Old Lady’s eyes shone with a formidable light: "What did you say?"
Shen Zhen’s body trembled, and she quickly knelt on the ground: "Mother, Ling’er and the son of the Zhang Family, Zhang Gaoqiu, have already privately pledged themselves to each other. If you force this marriage to continue, won’t it break up those destined to be together? At that time, it won’t be easy for us to explain to the Zhang Family’s Direct Lineage in Kyoto."
"What? When did this happen?" The old lady was stunned upon hearing this.
At this moment, Shen Zhen said with a bitter smile: "Previously, my brother-in-law’s family was exiled to the Northern Land and deprived of their status as the Zhang Family’s Direct Lineage. I thought their family would die in the Northern Land and never return; so, the marriage matter could only be canceled. Later, the second son of the Zhang Family, Zhang Gaoqiu, arrived. I thought we could continue the good relations between the two families, renew the friendship between the Zhang Family and the Shen Family; this generational friendship should not be broken in our generation, so I took it upon myself to secretly match the two children..."
Shen Zhen’s voice was filled with helplessness.
Who could have thought that Zhang Chen could come out alive from the Northern Land?
Zhang Kecheng, that old fellow, is already dead. Who could bring Zhang Chen out?
Upon hearing Shen Zhen’s words, the old lady took a long breath, gave Shen Zhen a meaningful look, and then sternly reprimanded: "Look at what you’ve been doing all day, it’s simply muddled! How can a woman be betrothed to two husbands?"
Shen Zhen knelt on the ground, apologizing to Zhang Chen: "Dear nephew, it’s all my fault, don’t blame your cousin, nor blame the old lady. If you want to blame someone, blame me; it’s all my mistake. Direct all your anger at me."
Zhang Chen looked Shen Zhen up and down upon hearing this, quickly bent over to help him up: "Uncle, your words are too serious. It’s not your fault; who could have thought I would come out alive from the Northern Land? Since my cousin has pledged herself to someone else, then let it be; it can only be said that she and I have a shallow fate, and creation’s destiny is such; I will not force it anymore. However, my father said on his deathbed that my mother left something at the Shen Family as a dowry; just return those betrothal gifts to me, and the matter will be settled!"
"This..." Shen Zhen was momentarily speechless upon hearing Zhang Chen’s words, stammering and not knowing what to do.
The old lady beside also raised her eyebrows and looked at Shen Zhen: "You wretch, why aren’t you speaking? Hurry up and give him an answer."
Shen Zhen’s face was a bit ugly at this time: "It’s too early to talk about returning the betrothal gift; the matter is not yet settled. I will go back and persuade that girl, perhaps she will change her mind. If she insists on going her own way, it won’t be too late to talk about returning the betrothal gift then."
At this moment, Wang Xifeng noticed the subtlety and quickly stood up, laughing: "This statement isn’t wrong. Since ancient times, marriage was arranged by parents and matchmakers; how can a marriage determined when the daughter is at home be casually violated? If our agreement is casually torn apart, wouldn’t it make widows sad? Let’s persuade that girl a bit more, if she doesn’t listen, we can select an outstanding girl from the clan as compensation for the nephew; in this way, we are still one family, still close, isn’t it wonderful?"
Wang Xifeng, being clever and astute, quickly came up with a cunning idea, directly choosing one from the clan to replace Shen Ling. Such perceptive thought proves she’s worthy of managing the entire Shen Family’s treasury.
Shen Zhen was overjoyed upon hearing this: "That’s right, this is the reasoning! This way, it will be a win-win situation."
Then he turned to Zhang Chen: "Dear nephew, don’t you agree? If Shen Ling doesn’t like you, our Shen Family has other daughters, you can choose as you wish."
Zhang Chen glanced at Shen Zhen but didn’t want to give him face; he wasn’t a fool. From encountering Shen Qiu on the Shen Family’s great vessel to this moment with Shen Zhen, seeing the attitudes of both parties, it seems likely something unexpected must have happened to the legacy left by his mother.
"Uncle, no need to say more; if I marry, it will be in accordance with my parents’ wishes to marry Miss Shen Ling. If the marriage cannot be fulfilled and the Shen Family’s young lady doesn’t fancy me, I won’t be the villain, nor will I trouble the Shen Family’s various young ladies; you just need to return the dowry left by my mother back then, and the marriage will be settled." Zhang Chen’s voice, although gentle, was full of strength.
"This..." Shen Zhen was directly put on the spot, momentarily unsure of what to say.
At this moment, the old lady spoke up to break the awkward atmosphere: "The matter of the marriage agreement is postponed for now, the two children are still young, it can be mentioned again after three or five years. Let the two children interact for a while, perhaps Shen Ling will notice Zhang Chen’s qualities and change her mind."
Upon hearing these words, even someone with Zhang Chen’s disposition couldn’t help but have his skin twitch slightly, but facing his family elders, it wasn’t appropriate for him to retort.
What did the old lady mean by those words? Since when did Zhang Chen become merchandise, allowing that girl to pick and choose? Zhang Chen is a proud person; how could he be treated as if he is something to be selected?
Zhang Chen took a deep breath, chose not to refute the old lady’s words, while Mrs. Zhang couldn’t help herself. She felt the other side was bullying Zhang Chen for being young and thought Zhang Chen was easy to bully, so even when facing authority, she stood up with a trembling voice and said: "Old lady, this matter is inappropriate. How can a woman have two husbands? Such things have never been heard of before; if spread, it will surely ruin the Shen Family’s reputation. Even though the Zhang Family has fallen, exiled to the Northern Land as criminals, we cannot endure such humiliation."
Mrs. Zhang’s words made the old lady’s face worsen somewhat, and Shen Zhen turned livid, but they could not act up because they were at fault; lest it spread in the future to reach the ears of the Zhang Family in Kyoto, making them dissatisfied.
"We are discussing here, looking for a proper solution, with absolutely no intention of humiliation. I know this matter has made the nephew suffer grievances; it’s my fault, I’m a scoundrel, but now that things have come to this, we can only seek a balance." Shen Zhen gave a bitter laugh and quickly bent over in apology.
PS: Thanks to the big boss ’Feng Junshi Haoran’ for the alliance leader, I will add five more Chapters for the big boss later.