In this life, the winter when Zong Zhao awoke from his seven-year coma.
"A letter! A letter!"
"Zhao'er has written to us again—is he coming home soon?"
"Quick, quick, let me see what it says!"
The Old Marquis and Old Marchioness opened the letter and read its contents:
"Father, I am occupied with urgent matters and cannot return to the capital for now. However, I have grown fond of a woman—Xu Wan, the eldest daughter of the Minister of Justice's household. I humbly ask you to seek her hand in marriage on my behalf. If the marriage is agreed upon, please treat her kindly and entrust Jin Cheng to her care, raising him with virtue."
The Old Marquis blinked, dumbfounded. "Am I seeing this right? Zhao'er is asking us to arrange a marriage for him?"
The Old Marchioness' eyes sparkled with joy as she stomped her feet excitedly. "Yes, yes, he is! Oh, Zhao'er finally wants us to propose for him! But... Xu Wan from the Xu household—I recall she’s quite young, isn’t she? Why would Zhao'er want to marry her?"
The Old Marquis added quietly, "She’s not Jin Cheng’s mother, and there are no older women in the Xu family. What on earth is Zhao'er thinking?"
The Old Marchioness shot him a glare. "What does it matter? Zhao'er has his reasons, and I trust him! Hurry, let’s prepare to send a matchmaker to the Xu family!"
The Old Marquis scratched his head. "The Xu family is, after all, a minister’s household. And Zhao'er insists we keep his survival a secret. How can we propose like this? There’s no way the young lady would agree."
The Old Marchioness' smile froze. "You’re right. And I’m from a merchant background—our family holds no real power in the capital. Minister Xu would never agree to marry his eldest daughter to us."
The Old Marquis swallowed hard. "Then what do we do?"
The Old Marchioness paced around the room, tallying their advantages. "We have a hereditary title, ensuring our descendants' status. The Xu family’s roots in the capital aren’t deep—perhaps they’d value that?"
The Old Marquis weakly reminded her, "But there’s also Jin Cheng. Even if Zhao'er returns and has another child, Jin Cheng remains the eldest legitimate heir to the title."
The Old Marchioness faltered but pressed on. "Well, we’re wealthy. Though our status isn’t high, our life is comfortable."
"Will that really work…?" The Old Marquis slumped, his eyelids drooping with worry. Merchant families were often looked down upon.
"Whether it works or not, we must try! Who knows, they might just agree!" The Old Marchioness made the decision and immediately sent a matchmaker to propose.
Days passed with no reply.
Then Cui Zhi brought news: "The eldest daughter of the Xu family has been mistreated by her stepmother for years. She’s nearly eighteen now, yet no good marriage has been arranged for her. Still, given her father’s status, many noble sons in the capital have sought her hand—only for Madam Liu to suppress them all."
The Old Marquis fumed. "That wretched stepmother! Taking advantage of a motherless child to torment her!"
The Old Marchioness, seasoned in business, raised an eyebrow with an idea. "I’ll visit Madam Liu with gifts."
The Old Marquis, still fuming, scowled. "That vile woman—you’re not thinking of bribing her, are you?"
The Old Marchioness said gravely, "Madam Liu has suppressed Xu Wan for so long, likely waiting for her own daughter to grow up and secure the best match. As for Xu Wan, she’d be delighted to see her stepdaughter suffer. So, if we propose a marriage to our family, Madam Liu might just agree."
The Old Marquis darkened. "Giving money to such a person is infuriating."
The Old Marchioness smacked his arm. "It’s all for Zhao'er to have a wife! Once our daughter-in-law is home, I’ll never deal with Madam Liu again!"
The Old Marquis followed her to the storeroom to select gifts.
Seeing the finest treasures being picked, he winced. "Let’s save some for our daughter-in-law. Giving everything to Madam Liu pains me."
The Old Marchioness snorted. "Don’t be naive. Before the wedding, none of this will reach our daughter-in-law—Madam Liu will pocket it all."
"..." The Old Marquis despaired.
The couple filled baskets with rare treasures—not many in number, but each priceless enough to tempt anyone.
"Steward Liu, prepare—we’re going to the Xu family—" Before the Old Marchioness could finish, Cui Zhi rushed in, beaming.
"My Lord! My Lady! They’ve agreed! The Xu family has agreed!!"
"What?" "What?"
The couple stood frozen, as if dreaming.
The Old Marchioness exchanged a stunned look with the Old Marquis. "Madam Liu actually approved of our family?"
The Old Marquis muttered, "Zhao'er’s fate is unknown, and we have a child already holding the title. For Madam Liu to agree to marry her stepdaughter here… she must really hate her."
The Old Marchioness kicked him, laughing. "Must you insult our own household?"
Cui Zhi added excitedly, "My Lady, according to our sources, the eldest daughter of the Xu family had proposals from even the Duke’s household. But she chose our family—it was the young lady herself who picked us!"
"Heavens!" The Old Marchioness gasped in delight, nearly speechless. "How wonderful! This daughter-in-law was meant for us! Quick, Cui Zhi, tell Steward Liu to prepare the betrothal gifts! I want 108 dowry chests for my daughter-in-law!"
Now there was no need to bribe Madam Liu.
The Old Marquis grinned ear to ear.
The Old Marchioness, still exhilarated, planned fervently. "That poor child has suffered under Madam Liu’s cruelty. Once she’s here, I’ll treat her like my own! Cui Liu, summon the tailors—I want twenty sets of everyday robes, ten banquet gowns, thirty pairs of shoes, and five fox-fur cloaks for my daughter-in-law!"
Cui Liu’s eyes nearly popped.
Most noblewomen received four or five new outfits a year—yet the Old Marchioness was ensuring her daughter-in-law wouldn’t repeat a single look all winter.
This was… beyond lavish!
But she wasn’t done.
The Old Marchioness, glowing with maternal excitement, continued listing luxuries. "Hairpins and combs too! Gold, jade, carved designs—bring the artisans here. I’ll oversee the designs myself!"
"Rouge and powder—only the finest in the capital, every shade and variety!"
"Handkerchiefs! The best brocade!"
"And—"
Cui Zhi and Cui Liu scurried off, the entire household bustling nonstop.
The Old Marquis, amused by her enthusiasm, added, "And the bridal chamber—redecorate Zhao'er’s room with a double bed and furnishings for his wife."
"Oh yes, the bridal chamber! New furniture too—Zhao'er’s old desk is too small and worn. Replace everything for our daughter-in-law!" The Old Marchioness seamlessly switched terms. "Xu Wan—Wan’er. Even her name is lovely!"
The Old Marquis chuckled heartily.
The wedding preparations lasted a full month, the couple working tirelessly yet joyfully. Even the night before the ceremony, they lay awake in bed, too excited to sleep.
Lights out, they whispered in the dark.
The Old Marquis sighed, "I wonder when Zong Zhao will return."
The Old Marchioness replied, "It's alright. Even if Zong Zhao doesn’t come back, we can still take good care of Xu Wan."
The Old Marquis reminded her, "But there’s also Jin Cheng. Have you forgotten? Zong Zhao entrusted us to place Jin Cheng under Xu Wan’s guidance."
After a busy month, the Old Marchioness suddenly jolted awake at the thought of their mischievous little grandson. Worried, she said, "Can Xu Wan handle Jin Cheng all by herself?"
The Old Marquis wasn’t sure either. "We don’t know Xu Wan’s temperament yet. If she’s too gentle, Jin Cheng might bully her."
The Old Marchioness suggested, "Let’s observe during the wedding tomorrow and find the right moment to entrust Jin Cheng to Xu Wan."
"But what if Xu Wan refuses to teach Jin Cheng? We can’t force our new daughter-in-law to agree—it wouldn’t be right after finally bringing her home."
"Then we’ll have to think of another way. Our family… our family must have some merits, surely…" The Old Marchioness pondered but concluded, "It seems the only thing we have is money."
The Old Marquis choked back a laugh. "Yes, we’re so poor, all we have left is money."
"Well, it looks like that’s our only option!"
Epilogue.
Here begins Chapter 1—Xu Wan’s Wedding. Those rereading will notice: this story shifts from Xu Wan’s perspective to Zong Zhao’s.
