After the eunuch left, Shen-shi nearly fainted. “What is going on here?!”
Mu Rou hurriedly supported her, her face also pale. However, Mu Xingde paid no attention to the two women and excitedly asked Mu Wan, “Wanwan, you really kept this under wraps! Since when did the Marquis fancy you?”
Unbeknownst to him, Mu Wan was also frustrated enough to want to stomp her feet. How could Xie Heng possibly fancy her? Fancying her life, maybe. But in front of Shen-shi, Mu Rou, and Mu Xingde, Mu Wan maintained a composed demeanor, “I wonder? You are free to take a guess.”
Shen-shi fainted outright. Mu Rou and the maids quickly supported her back to her courtyard. Meanwhile, the chief steward quickly reminded Mu Xingde that Zhenbei Marquis Manor might be visiting soon for the formal proposal, so they should start preparing. Mu Xingde, perhaps aware that he wouldn’t be able to pry any answer from Mu Wan, immediately gathered all the stewards of the Mu Manor to start cleaning and decorating. Regardless of when the Marquis started fancying his daughter, this marriage grant was, undoubtedly, a monumental good fortune that had landed squarely on the Mu family!
Back at Wutong Courtyard, Yunling finally had the chance to ask, “Miss, what exactly is going on? Why would the palace grant you a marriage? Even if the Marquis used you that day to shake off Third Miss Mu, this is going too far, isn’t it? Why would he need to sacrifice his own marriage?”
Mu Wan, lying on the chaise lounge, sprang back immediately, “What do you mean by his sacrifice? Your miss, I, am the one who made the great sacrifice, okay? Do you know how dangerous that guy is?”
Yunling softly added, “Could it be related to your encounter with the Marquis on Funiu Mountain?”
Mu Wan was also speculating. After all, they had only met twice, and on Buddha’s Birthday, she had even fully intended to feign ignorance after spotting him injured. Could it really be her cold-heartedness that caught his attention, making him think she was somehow ‘interesting’?
No, it was more logical to assume that Xie Heng wanted to bind her to his ship after she had inadvertently uncovered their secrets. There was no sugarcoating it—he was plotting a treason. If he failed, he and his nine familial connections would be purged, and she would inevitably be dragged down with him…
But even this reasoning didn’t hold water. Mu Wan had seen Xie Heng’s cold-blooded nature with her own eyes. There were plenty of ways for him to silence her—marrying her was absolutely unnecessary. Besides, she still remembered that his heart belonged to his former fiancee.
Mu Wan couldn’t figure it out. This kind of information gap caused by unequal status was hard to bridge.
Fortunately, the matter was sensational enough. Since it involved the marriage of the capital’s golden bachelor, there were plenty of people more anxious than Mu Wan. Within a day, Zhu Nanxi rushed over, and her first words upon entering Wutong Courtyard were, “I didn’t expect the Kanyun Temple to be so potent! In such a short time, my wish has come true. You’re really going to become Marchioness Zhenbei!”
“Do you know the reason?” Mu Wan felt a strong sense of foreboding when she considered Kanyun Temple’s slapdash ‘achievements.’
Zhu Nanxi nodded and leaned close to Mu Wan’s ear, whispering, “Apparently, the Empress Dowager did it to humiliate Xie Heng.”
“…” Mu Wan was momentarily speechless; in her previous life, she had fought her way through a dozen rivals to become an heir. Whenever people mentioned her, it was with awe or admiration. This was her first time being treated as an object of humiliation—it was quite novel.
“And the Marquis just let the Empress Dowager issue the decree?” She chuckled angrily.
The Empress Dowager, who came from a merchant family, had shallow foundations in officialdoms. As a result, she relied heavily on Xie Heng for many things. Especially after the Five Princes Rebellion three years ago. During the chaos, many capable ministers and officials were either killed or exiled, and among the remaining people, Xie Heng had the highest status and held real power. The menacing Chi Ling tribe and the three hereditary vassal princes1 were deterred only because of the existence of the Xie family army. So, no matter how displeased the Empress Dowager was with Xie Heng, she would always speak to him with kind words and never force him to do anything.
Therefore, if Xie Heng didn’t want this marriage, he could easily refuse.
“The Marquis isn’t in the capital.” Zhu Nanxi told Mu Wan, who raised her eyebrows in response.
“It’s such bad timing. Didn’t I tell you before? The Empress Dowager intended to marry her niece to Xie Heng. The Wu family raised the issue several times, but the Xie family rejected them all. Then, on Buddha’s Birthday, Wu Zhixuan made a foolish move; instead of snaring Xie Heng into her trap, she got herself into trouble.”
“The Wu family, unwilling to give up, started investigating. They discovered that Xie Heng was with you that day. They even heard that you took off his clothes to apply medicine to his injuries. Is it true?”
“…” Once again, Mu Wan found herself speechless. ‘Oh, come on! I’m totally innocent here!’
“What do you mean, I was with him?” She couldn’t help but retort. “I just happened to run into him injured. Besides, I didn’t even apply medicine to him.”
‘Taking off Xie Heng’s clothes? Hell no! I’m still cherishing my life, alright?‘
Zhu Nanxi gave her a glance, “Well, I believe you. Xie Heng is famously indifferent to women. Many girls have tried to catch his attention, but forget about treating his wounds—they couldn’t even touch the hem of his robes.”
“But the Wu family doesn’t care about such details. Now that Wu Zhixuan’s engagement with the Li family has become a done deal, they are looking for a scapegoat to vent their anger. The Zhongyong Count Manor is similar to the Wu family, recently ennobled and lacks a strong foundation. Furthermore, they also owe their current position to the Empress Dowager and depend on her. This marriage alliance has no real value.”
“Lord Wu is already frustrated and resentful, and after suffering humiliation when he was stung like a pighead last time, he has long held a grudge against Xie Heng. He told the Empress Dowager that the whole situation with Wu Zhixuan was Xie Heng’s doing. Normally, the Empress Dowager might have hesitated, but it just so happened that on that day, Xie Heng seized over a million taels of silver from a Wu family branch.”
“Everyone knows the entire Wu family operates under the Empress Dowager’s instructions. By confiscating those funds, Xie Heng essentially raided her private treasury. Enraged, she furiously ordered the Emperor to issue the edict.”
“—If he doesn’t want to marry a girl from the Wu family, then let him marry a merchant’s daughter who’s been rejected before.” Zhu Nanxi added, “That’s probably the logic behind it. It’s all about retaliating against Marquis Zhenbei and curbing his arrogance.”
And so, Mu Wan was unlucky enough to get caught up in their crossfire.
In such chaotic times, choosing the right faction could lead to meteoric success, but you were far more likely to end in ruin, becoming cannon fodder in the game of power. Having enjoyed modern luxuries that others in this era had never experienced, Mu Wan had no intention of gambling her life for great wealth or power. She already had enough money and only needed to find a protector with modest influence to secure a safe and happy life for the rest of her days.
The stormy center that was the Zhenbei Marquis Manor? She wanted no part of it. Fortunately, Xie Heng probably didn’t want to marry her either. Since this edict was issued impulsively while Xie Heng was away from the capital, there might still be room for negotiation once he returned.
So, Mu Wan patiently waited.
Three days later, Xie Heng returned to the capital after completing his mission.
“Miss!” Yunling hurried in. “Miss, the Xie family has come to propose marriage!”
‘What?’ Mu Wan thought she had misheard. “Are you sure it’s a proposal? Not a rejection?”
Yunling replied, “Of course! They even brought a pair of wild geese! The display is grand.”
Mu Wan frowned. Could there have been some unexpected turn of events? “Yunling, help me get dressed. I’ll go ask Marquis Xie myself.”
“The Marquis didn’t come!” Yunling was indignant. “Because of this, Madam’s headache suddenly disappeared today.”
Though in this era marriages were arranged by parents and matchmakers, and the parties involved were not necessarily required to be present, it was customary for the groom to visit personally to show his respect for his future bride. Many people knew Xie Heng had returned to the capital yesterday, yet he didn’t come to the proposal today. This clearly demonstrated his dissatisfaction with the marriage—and with Mu Wan.
Mu Wan could understand his dissatisfaction. After all, she wasn’t exactly thrilled about being forced to accept an unexpected fiancé. But since they were both victims of this mess, even if they were unhappy, shouldn’t they at least meet and talk things over? They could discuss the situation, explore any possibility of resolving it, and if there was no solution, figure out how they’d coexist in the future. Surely they could find a mutually beneficial, comfortable way to live?
“Having power and status is really something, isn’t it?” Mu Wan, rarely angered, finally showed some fire. “Making decisions all on his own—are we little ants only fit to be toyed with?!”
Instinctively touching the golden bracelet on her wrist, Mu Wan got up and walked out. Yunling quickly followed. “Miss, where are you going?”
“Bring my poetry collection. We’re going to see Second Miss.”
If she couldn’t get answers from Xie Heng, there was still the reborn Mu Rou.
“We can’t just do whatever he wants. Let him know that even ants have tempers. If he keeps doing as he likes, he might find himself falling down one day!”
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Author’s Note:
Mu Wan: “For the sake of my freedom, even the Zhenbei Marquis won’t escape me!”
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