In the shadows.
“Seventh Master, the Zhang manor is truly beneath notice. With the strength of these men, they probably wouldn’t discover us even if we stood right in front of them,” Chong Guang said with a dry chuckle, glancing cautiously at the icy presence of Yin Wu Yan beside him.
With Seventh Master, this great iceberg, standing there, the Zhang manor’s archers and guards couldn’t find them. It was a waste of their eyes.
Yin Wu Yan’s thin lips pursed, his face covered in frost. His narrow phoenix eyes gazed through the sparse, slanted bamboo stalks towards the octagonal pavilion. As a martial artist, Yin Wu Yan’s hearing allowed him to clearly hear every word Zhang Yun Ting spoke.
Chong Guang wished he could turn back time. Why had he followed Seventh Master to the Zhang manor to watch the excitement? Upon hearing Zhang Yun Ting’s words, “When a man is of age, he should marry, and when a woman is of age, she should marry,” Chong Guang wished he could destroy his own ears and eyes. He didn’t dare to look at his Seventh Master’s expression.
In the octagonal pavilion, Zhan Fei Yu, who had intended to leave but was stopped, saw her expression change. Her usual obedient and amiable demeanor turned cold and distant. “My marriage is my teacher’s decision to make. It does not require Master Zhang’s concern.”
“Forgive my presumption, Miss Zhan. For a woman to study for the imperial examinations, I imagine you would not wish to be confined to the inner chambers in the future, to become a wife who can only serve her husband and manage the household,” Zhang Yun Ting said unhurriedly, looking at the now-cold Zhan Fei Yu with a hint of amusement in his eyes.
Aside from true bookworms, it was unlikely any scholar genuinely enjoyed studying and writing day and night, poring over ancient texts. Even those reclusive scholars and great Confucian scholars read only to cultivate their minds and express their poetic sentiments in their leisure.
Zhan Fei Yu’s personality dictated that she was not a scholar who painstakingly studied texts. Similarly, Zhang Yun Ting’s arduous studies were merely for the sake of passing the imperial examinations and securing a position in the imperial court.
“Miss Zhan,” Zhang Yun Ting smiled, his handsome brows revealing an arrogant insight into people’s hearts. Yet, his clear voice remained as gentle and pleasant as a spring breeze. “I study for the imperial examinations to revitalize the Zhang manor. You also know how overbearing my grandmother is. In the future, my wife will undoubtedly be a noble lady from a well-matched family. However, I do not wish to betray an innocent woman for the sake of my family.”
Zhang Yun Ting was confident he could uphold the Zhang manor’s status, but he did not wish to marry a woman he did not love. He glanced at the slightly desolate garden in the winter. “I wish to find a soulmate and grow old together. To seek but not obtain is truly fate.”
In the silence, the low male voice carried an inexpressible melancholy. Zhang Yun Ting’s gaze was distant. “If you agree, Miss, we can have a mock marriage. If you meet someone with whom you wish to grow old, we can part amicably. If one day I meet a woman I love, I ask for your understanding.”
Zhang Yun Ting’s words were sincere. If he had said this to any other young lady, he would likely have received a resounding slap. How important was reputation to women? Whether it was an amicable divorce later or remarriage, women had to endure far more gossip than men.
However, as Zhang Yun Ting had previously deduced, Zhan Fei Yu, for the sake of her freedom, was willing to study as diligently as a man. Even so, after she came of age, she would still face marriage.
Especially since Zhan Fei Yu was the only disciple of Scholar Gu. Her status alone was enough to match princes and imperial grandsons. Once the Emperor decreed a marriage, Zhan Fei Yu would have no choice but to marry. Rather than reach that point, it would be better to have a mock marriage with Zhang Yun Ting, thus resolving the pressing issue of “when a man is of age, he should marry, and when a woman is of age, she should marry.”
He Nuan had not spoken, but her gaze towards Zhang Yun Ting was chillingly sharp. No matter how eloquently he spoke, was he fundamentally different from Princess Zhao Yue who forced marriages? One was forceful coercion, the other was persuasion through reason.
Chong Guang, hidden in the bamboo forest, looked at the silent Zhan Fei Yu and wished he could rush over and shake her awake. This girl was usually exceptionally intelligent, why was she so foolish at this moment! She should let He Nuan slap this impudent scoundrel.
Yin Wu Yan’s phoenix eyes remained frosty. Looking through the bamboo forest at the young girl, who, despite her short stature, already stood tall and graceful, he knew that after she came of age, she would be of marriageable age.
The thought of a man like Zhang Yun Ting standing intimately beside the young girl in the future, composing poetry with her, and playing music with her, caused Yin Wu Yan’s anger to surge. The little girl he had doted on and cherished for so many years was not to be coveted by these hypocrites with ulterior motives!
With a snap!
Chong Guang turned his head and saw a bamboo stalk break in Yin Wu Yan’s hand. This made Chong Guang instinctively flinch, a chill running down his neck.
“Seventh Master, you can’t… Little Yu, she only focuses on studying the classics. How could she understand the schemes of people like Zhang Yun Ting?” Chong Guang explained dryly on behalf of Zhan Fei Yu.
Seventh Master also knew that the plump girl didn’t want to get married. But Zhang Yun Ting, meeting her for the first time, had already managed to guess the plump girl’s thoughts, which showed how deep Zhang Yun Ting’s schemes and cunning were.
After a long silence, Zhan Fei Yu suddenly laughed. In an instant, her features were as picturesque as a painting, her smile as radiant as a flower.
Seeing this, Zhang Yun Ting also laughed, seemingly confident that Zhan Fei Yu would agree. After all, judging by her actions, this girl was remarkably decisive and efficient.
In the bamboo forest, Chong Guang’s legs trembled from Zhan Fei Yu’s laughter.
Seventh Master had managed the plump girl’s daily life for years. Carloads of goods were sent from the capital. It was no different from raising a daughter. If the plump girl were to suddenly decide on a marriage privately, Chong Guang dared not imagine how Seventh Master would react. What parent would bear to have their prize cabbage ravaged by a pig?
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lv Yan reminds you: Remember to collect after reading.