At the mention of Hua Xi Wan's marriage, all the women in the room had different feelings, but they all had smiles on their faces. Although the Yao Clan was unhappy, they smiled brighter than anyone else. "Old Madam, it's normal that you can't bear to part with Third Young Lady. However, it's our Third Young Lady's good fortune to be able to marry Prince Xian. Many people in the capital envy our Hua family." These days, she had specially sent people out to gather information. She knew that the rumors outside were not good. Thinking of the words outside, the Yao Clan felt refreshed. So what if she was beautiful? So what if she was the young lady of the Marquis' household? In the eyes of others, she was just a shameful woman with no beauty. She had ruined the handsome Prince Xian.
The old madam was unhappy when she heard this. Back then, her family was not very prominent, so she married the old Marquis and became his second wife. Others said that she was lucky to have married into a noble family, but only she knew the truth. However, even though she was unhappy, because the Yao Clan was her son's daughter-in-law, the old madam did not embarrass her in public. She only smiled faintly and said, "In the future, it will be the greatest blessing for husband and wife to live in harmony."
The Yao Clan nodded. She knew that what she had said was inappropriate, so she closed her mouth and did not speak again.
As the subject of discussion, Hua Xi Wan was silent from beginning to end as she held the almond milk tea and ate the pastries. Even though she appeared shy and reticent in the eyes of other people, Lu shi understood that she was too lazy to speak. Looking at the speed she ate the pastries, it was possible that she had not eaten breakfast because she wanted to sleep in.
Pretending to naturally push the pastries in front of Hua Xi Wan, the Lu Clan said to the old madam, "Old Madam, you're right. As an elder, don't we want the younger generation to live a good life?" Prince Jun Wang? What was the use of these titles? They were not as useful as a man who treated her daughter wholeheartedly. Although the Marquis' household was not a first-class family in the capital, they did not need to rely on their daughter's happiness to maintain their glory.
The old madam nodded. After chatting with the younger generation for a while, she suggested that the Lu Clan and her daughter stay for lunch. However, the Lu Clan declined and did not insist. After a few more polite words, the Lu Clan took Hua Xi Wan and left the Third Master Hua's residence.
Spring was the time when men and women in the capital were enjoying the scenery. Therefore, there was never a lack of people dressed in luxurious clothes on the main streets of the capital. When the sedan chair stopped halfway, Hua Hua Xi Wan, she knew that it was someone with status.
In the TV series she had acted in in her previous life, there had been a plot where two aristocratic families of equal status quarreled over whose sedan chair would leave first. Only in this life did she know that in these kinds of situations, both sides would be very polite. They would at least give way to each other a few times before deciding who should go first. Even if one side had a higher status, they would not act arrogantly. If the other side had a higher status, they would at least have the servants by their side thank them.
Most of the families that were able to establish themselves in the capital had experienced many generations of ups and downs. They were usually very cautious and did not want to ruin their family's reputation over a small matter.
Not long after, Hua Xi Wan heard a woman's voice from outside the sedan chair, "Many thanks to Madam Nghi An Marquis. The princess is in a hurry to return to the residence. Since Madam is so polite, this servant thanks Madam on behalf of the princess."
"This mama is too polite. The princess's body is priceless and she has important matters to attend to. This servant's wife will not speak of righteousness." Lu Clan's voice was not loud or soft, but it was loud enough for the mama to hear her clearly. "Mama, please."
The woman once again thanked her. After a while, Hua Xi Wan heard the sound of a carriage passing by. She lifted the curtain and saw a carriage with phoenix embroidered on it pass by. The word "Rui He" was also embroidered on the carriage.
So it was Princess Rui He's carriage. Hua Xi Wan lowered the curtain and continued to lazily rest against the soft cushion behind her.
The current Emperor did not have many children. Although there were many women in the harem, he only had one son and one daughter. Princess Rui He, who had just passed by, was his only daughter. Although she was already married, she was still very much loved by the Emperor.
When the mother and daughter returned to the Marquis fu, Nghi An Marquis was already there. When the mother and daughter entered, Hua Hesheng said, "Today, His Majesty issued another imperial edict, bringing forward the date of my daughter's wedding."
"What?" Lu Clan's expression was slightly ugly. She glanced at her daughter beside her and raised her hand to have the servants in the room leave. "Previously, when the marriage was bestowed, didn't it say to wait until autumn to complete the wedding?"
Hua Xi Wan's brows furrowed slightly. After helping Lu Clan sit down, she finally spoke: "Father, when did His Majesty bring forward the date?"
Hua Hesheng sighed. In his eyes, his daughter was good in every way. Even her somewhat lazy shortcomings could be blamed on a serious illness in the past. How could he bear for his daughter to be so hurriedly married into that kind of family? "His Majesty said that the 28th of next month is a good day."
Hua Xi Wan's brows rose. She didn't speak and only played with the small walnuts on the blue and white porcelain plate in her hand. It was clear that she didn't believe the Emperor's excuse.
The present Crown Prince's talent was mediocre and he was someone who couldn't be persuaded. He wasn't very popular in court. However, the Emperor only had this one son. Thus, he had always been very wary of his other brothers and their sons. This could be seen from the people he bestowed marriage to his nephews.
These marriage partners were either women whose families were stupid or looked high in status but didn't have any real power. Although her family didn't belong to the first two categories, they couldn't stand the rumors that her body was weak and her appearance was crude.
Prince Xian's handsome appearance was something everyone in Jing knew. Everyone in Jing also knew how much the Nghi An Marquis doted on their daughter. Thus, if an outstanding man married a woman with a crude appearance, how could he not feel resentment? How could he not take a concubine and neglect his wife? This was equivalent to offending the entire Nghi An Marquis family. This also meant offending the families that were on good terms with the Nghi An Marquis.
Now, who could say that the Emperor was purposely finding a marriage partner for his nephews with a bad family background? As for the rumors about her appearance, the Emperor wasn't a commoner. Why would he listen to such things?
Hua Xi Wan thought of this. Hua Hesheng naturally thought of this as well. He sighed: "That place looks glorious, but it's actually the dirtiest place."
Hearing this, Hua Xi Wan smiled. She hadn't thought that someone of Hua Hesheng's status could say such things. His thinking was quite progressive.
"If I had known this would happen, I would have settled Xi Wan's marriage long ago," Lu Clan's mood was slightly downcast as she said, "Who knew that the rumors about Xi Wan's appearance were so bad that the Emperor would still bestow marriage?" In her heart, she wanted to choose one of the sons of her maternal family to be her daughter's husband. This way, she would be more assured and her daughter wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
When the rumors about their daughter's mediocre appearance had spread, the husband and wife had no intention of clarifying. Although it was a blessing for a woman to be beautiful, it wasn't necessarily a good thing to be too beautiful.
Not to mention that a woman's youth was short, even the most beautiful appearance would age one day. If a man was moved by her appearance, then when her appearance was no longer there, she would end up alone in her boudoir. They only said that if their daughter's appearance was known long ago, it would bring disaster. At that time, no one would say that those men were lustful and would only say that their daughter was a femme fatale.
Their family couldn't afford to gamble and didn't want to gamble with their daughter's happiness. Who knew that no matter how much they calculated, they would never have thought that an imperial edict would so easily decide their daughter's life.
Hua Xi Wan knew her parents' intentions. She put down the walnuts in her hand and gently advised: "Father, Mother, although Prince Xian's appearance and talent are somewhat attractive, at least it shows that he's a good candidate. His status isn't to our liking, but because of his reputation, we have some understanding of his character and appearance. Furthermore, our daughter's appearance isn't as crude as the rumors say. I think that Prince Xian won't do anything too excessive. You've already done enough for me. The Emperor's words are golden, how can this matter be blamed on you? "
When Hua Hesheng heard this, he knew that his daughter couldn't bear for the husband and wife to be troubled by this matter. He forced a smile and said: "You're right. If Prince Xian doesn't treat you well, I'll go ask for an imperial edict for you two to divorce. Our marquis fu will support you for the rest of your life."
"Good," Hua Xi Wan smiled and said, "When the time comes, don't think that your daughter is annoying." She knew that a marriage bestowed by the Emperor wouldn't allow a divorce unless the Emperor himself gave an imperial edict. Otherwise, wouldn't that be slapping the Emperor's face and saying that he didn't bestow a good marriage?
But her parents were willing to go this far for her. In this era, it was already very rare. If it was any other family, perhaps when they learned that their daughter would be able to marry Jun Wang Ye, they would start to rejoice.
After eating lunch at her parents' place, Hua Xi Wan returned to her own courtyard. Looking at the furnishings in the room that were mainly for her comfort, she curled the corners of her mouth. Then she had the servant girls take off her hairpin and lay down on the bed to rest.
Sun shi looked at the two words "Leisurely Garden" on the plaque and couldn't help but think of the shock she had felt when she saw her sister-in-law the day after she married her husband. Before she had married into the marquis fu, she had heard rumors that her sister-in-law's appearance was mediocre. Before she had married, her mother had especially urged her to treat her sister-in-law well and not look down on her because of her appearance. She herself had felt that it was too embarrassing for a good girl to be judged by others because of her appearance. So she had been thinking about how to get close to her sister-in-law so that the other wouldn't feel embarrassed. Who knew that when she saw the real person, all the things she had thought of were useless.
It wasn't appropriate to use any words to describe her sister-in-law's appearance, but if she was a man, she would definitely want to marry her and hide her at home.
"Eldest Young Mistress." Bai Xia saw Sun shi come and hurriedly bowed. She personally lifted the curtain for Sun shi to let her enter the room.
"Meimei, are you awake?" Sun shi was close to her sister-in-law, so she was much more casual when talking to people like Bai Xia. "I didn't disturb meimei's afternoon nap, did I?"
"Sister-in-law, don't tease me. It's almost evening, where is the afternoon nap?" Hua Xi Wan walked out of the inner room in a water-colored dress. She affectionately pulled Sun shi to sit down. "Sister-in-law, do you have good news for me?"
"Can't I find you if there's no good news?" Sun shi smiled as she handed a box to Hua Xi Wan. "I still have to go back and look after Fu-er. You don't have to keep me."
Fu-er was the son of Da Ge and Da Sao. He was only a month old and was at his most clingy age. Sun shi's coming over now was probably an opportunity for the wet nurse to look after Fu-er while he slept. So Hua Xi Wan didn't keep her. She just chatted a bit and let Sun shi leave.
After Sun shi left, Hua Xi Wan opened the box to take a look. She found that there were not jade pendants or jewelry inside, but stacks of neatly folded papers. Written on them were information on people related to Xian Junw.a.n.g and the relationships between the families.
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