Seeing that Madam Liu still refused to give her a clear answer, Madam Lin grew as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
She gritted her teeth and decided to add one more spark to the fire.
“Madam Liu, your young master is doing so well in his studies. He’ll surely sit for the imperial examinations in the future. Once he passes and becomes a Presented Scholar, matchmakers will be lining up at your door.”
Madam Liu was completely uninterested in what kind of future Shi Huai, a secondary son, might have.
Although she had not laid a hand on Shi Huai in recent years, that did not mean she wished him well.
Madam Liu was still imagining how wonderful it would be if Youlan married into the Lin family. If Lord Lin entered the Grand Secretariat and became a high minister, Youlan would be the daughter-in-law of a grand councilor. Her status would be entirely different.
The more she thought about it, the more delighted she became, and the smile on her face deepened. Yet her words remained modest.
“Not at all, not at all. Huai'er still needs to study hard.”
Seeing that Madam Liu was impervious to both reason and persuasion, Madam Lin grew even more anxious and irritated.
She had made her meaning so obvious. Why was Madam Liu still not responding?
Was she dissatisfied with the Lin family?
Or did she think her daughter Wanqing was not worthy of Shi Huai? Did she consider Wanqing too old?
But wasn’t it said that a woman three years older than her husband brought him a fortune as solid as gold?
With the power of the Lin family, they could send Shi Huai straight to the clouds.
At that thought, Madam Lin’s heart began to sink.
She gritted her teeth and decided to be more direct. “Madam Liu, I won’t beat around the bush any longer. I came today because I wanted to discuss something with you.”
The moment Madam Liu heard this, she sat up straight, her eyes lighting up.
It was finally happening. She was finally going to say it.
Madam Liu tried her best to maintain a reserved expression, but there was a trace of tension in her voice. “Please, Madam Lin.”
Madam Lin drew a deep breath and was just about to speak when a sudden burst of footsteps came from outside.
A maid’s voice rang through the door. “Madam, Madam Shen has arrived.”
Madam Liu froze.
Madam Shen? Which Madam Shen?
Before she could react, the door curtain was already lifted.
Shen Yuetang’s mother, the wife of the Minister of Rites, Madam Shen, walked in.
She wore a smile on her face. Her gaze swept across the room, and when she saw Madam Lin, it paused for the briefest moment before returning to normal.
“Oh, Madam Lin is here too. I must have come at an inconvenient time and interrupted you.”
Madam Liu hurriedly rose to greet her, though inwardly she was muttering to herself.
What kind of day was this? Why were one or two ladies of distinguished families suddenly rushing to the marquis’s manor?
She invited Madam Shen to sit, ordered the maids to serve tea, and busied herself for quite some time before finally sitting down again.
Madam Lin remained perfectly gracious, but a hint of wariness had appeared in her eyes.
Why had Madam Shen come?
Was she here to propose a marriage as well?
How could she have moved so quickly?
Madam Shen lifted her teacup and took a sip, her gaze moving back and forth between Madam Liu and Madam Lin.
“Madam Liu, I came today because I wanted to discuss something with you.”
Madam Liu’s heart gave a violent thump.
Another person here to discuss something?
What was going on today?
She did her best to remain calm, but her voice came out slightly unsteady. “Please, Madam Shen.”
Madam Shen set down her teacup, a smile curling at the corners of her lips.
“You know my daughter Yuetang. She’s thirteen this year, so it’s time to start looking at potential matches for her.”
At the words “looking at potential matches,” Madam Liu’s heart gave another jolt.
Shen Yuetang was the legitimate eldest daughter of the Minister of Rites, a renowned young talent in the capital. Countless families had their eyes on her.
Madam Liu had never imagined that the Shen family would take an interest in Shi Huai.
The more she thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed, and the smile on her face grew stiff.
She picked up the freshly filled teacup and took a large gulp. It was so hot that she nearly spat it out.
Seeing her reaction, Madam Shen assumed she was hesitating and hurriedly added, “Although Yuetang isn’t the most outstanding girl in the world, she has been carefully taught since childhood and knows all the proper rules and etiquette.”
Madam Liu felt even more confused.
She looked at Madam Shen, then at Madam Lin, her mind churning like a pot of porridge.
Sitting to the side, Madam Lin clenched her fingers tightly inside her sleeves. The smile on her face was barely holding together.
The Shen family really had come to propose marriage—and they had arrived even faster than she had.
She took a deep breath and decided to strike first.
“Madam Shen, you came at just the right time. I was discussing the same matter with Madam Liu.”
Madam Shen turned to look at Madam Lin, and the smile on her face faded slightly.
“Oh? You came to propose a marriage as well, Madam Lin?”
Madam Lin nodded, the smile at the corners of her lips unmoving.
“My daughter Wanqing is fifteen this year, so it’s time to start looking at potential matches for her too.”
The gazes of the two ladies collided in midair, sparks flying between them—though none of them could be seen.
Caught between the two women, Madam Liu felt a chill creep down her back.
At last, she realized that something was wrong.
Both Madam Lin and Madam Shen had come to propose a marriage.
Madam Shen had come on behalf of her daughter. As much as Madam Liu refused to admit it, she was probably here for Shi Huai as well.
But what Madam Lin had said did not seem to concern Youlan.
“Madam Lin, exactly what did you mean by—”
Madam Liu had not even finished speaking when another burst of footsteps came from outside.
The maid’s voice rang out once more, this time carrying a trace of panic.
“Madam, Madam Fang has arrived!”
The teacup in Madam Liu’s hand nearly slipped.
Madam Fang?
Which Madam Fang?
She was the wife of the Vice Minister of Revenue.
What kind of day was this?
Before Madam Liu could even rise, Madam Fang had already lifted the curtain and walked in herself.
Madam Fang wore a dark-purple jacket, and a red-gold hairpin adorned with pearls swayed in her hair. She was decked out in jewels, forming a sharp contrast to Madam Lin’s understated elegance.
After entering, she swept her gaze across the room. A meaningful smile appeared on her lips.
“Well, what a lively gathering. I’m not late, am I?”
Madam Lin and Madam Shen glanced at Madam Fang at the same time, and neither looked particularly pleased.
Madam Fang paid them no mind.
She dropped herself into a chair, accepted the tea handed to her by a maid, and took a sip.
“Madam Liu, I won’t beat around the bush either. I came today because I wanted to discuss something with you.”
Madam Liu’s mind went blank with a loud buzz.
Another person here to discuss something.
She took a deep breath and struggled to maintain her composure. “Please, Madam Fang.”
Madam Fang set down her teacup, her smile deepening.
“You know my daughter Ruoyun. She’s thirteen this year, so it’s time to start looking at potential matches for her too.”
When Madam Liu heard the number thirteen, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
Lin Wanqing was fifteen. Shen Yuetang was thirteen. Fang Ruoyun was thirteen.
All three were girls, and all three were of marriageable age.
Girls naturally could not marry girls…
Madam Liu abruptly raised her head and looked at the three ladies’ expressions of absolute determination.
A thought she was unwilling to believe slowly surfaced in her mind.
