Thinking of this, Lian Siyan said, “The Dowager Princess is in a hurry for this marriage, but Father and Mother absolutely cannot agree. However, if we refuse outright, it will harm the harmony between our families. Why don’t we… say that I’ve fallen ill with an acute condition, breaking out in a rash that can’t be exposed to the wind, and I’m too weak to endure the strain? This way, we can politely decline the Dowager Princess’s pressure to marry, and wait for cousin to return from Jinjia Pass before making further plans.”
Lian Siyan had pondered for a while before coming up with this temporary solution.
When Lian Chu heard this, she couldn’t help but regret not thinking of such an excuse to decline immediately when the Dowager Princess first brought it up.
The Lian family agreed on this story. That day, they invited a familiar doctor and sent maids to buy medicine. Some precious herbs had to be obtained from the prince’s mansion, which conveniently allowed them to spread the news to the prince’s household.
Thus, the news of the Lian family’s young miss falling ill with an acute condition gradually spread.
By the time Dowager Princess Chu recovered from the pain of her son’s impending departure, a day had passed. She solemnly approached her son to discuss the matter of marriage before his expedition.
Cui Xingzhou had been busy these two days mobilizing troops for the northwestern expedition, working from dawn to dusk. How could he have time to worry about such matters? However, if his mother felt better about it, then they could marry earlier. So when the Dowager Princess asked, he agreed.
But when the Dowager Princess invited the Lian couple to discuss the wedding arrangements, only Lian Chu came.
Lian Hanshan was too embarrassed and awkward. Lian Chu feared he might reveal the truth to her sister, so she came alone.
“Dowager Princess, what can I say? Siyan is such a troublesome child. She had been complaining of feeling unwell for some time, and when she heard that Xingzhou was going to the battlefield, she was overcome with anxiety. Her inner fire flared up, causing red rashes all over her body, each one swollen and watery. The doctor said if we don’t take good care of her and the fire reaches her heart and lungs, it will be incurable… Siyan is a hundred percent willing to marry, but as her mother, I know her body can’t withstand the strain. If I agreed despite knowing her condition, and if the excitement worsened her illness… oh, my child… if anything were to happen to her, how could I face myself in the next life?”
As she spoke, the aunt’s tears fell like rain.
Cui Xingzhou had agreed to his mother’s request and made time today to meet with the Lian family. The plan was to marry tomorrow, and he would depart for the northwest the day after.
Unlike his mother, he wasn’t so naive as to believe everything his aunt said. Watching his mother repeatedly inquire about Lian Siyan’s condition, Cui Xingzhou wanted to sneer.
Wasn’t his aunt’s message a polite refusal? She was only worried about him not returning, fearing her daughter would become a widow.
This was understandable human nature, but when it happened to oneself, it was truly unpleasant.
After his aunt left, Cui Xingzhou was about to go to the military camp. However, as he reached the door, he paused, turned back, and called for Manager Gao. He instructed, “Go and investigate when Miss Lian’s illness started and what her condition is like… Be discreet, don’t make it too obvious.”
Manager Gao was shrewd. Seeing Lian Chu come alone today, he understood the Lian family’s intentions. He immediately grasped the situation and set out to complete the task diligently.
While Cui Xingzhou was in the military camp checking the temporarily allocated supplies and provisions, Manager Gao’s subordinate arrived at the camp. After whispering to Mo Ru, he waited outside the tent.
Mo Ru entered to relay the message, speaking softly, “Manager Gao bribed an insider from the Lian household. They said Miss Lian had been fine all along. It was only on the day the imperial edict arrived that Madam Lian hurriedly returned home, called for the master, the young master, and Miss Lian, and they were closeted in the study all night. The next day, Miss Lian fell ill… All the close servants were silenced, forbidden to speak to outsiders.”
This news was not unexpected for Cui Xingzhou, but it still left him feeling angry and stifled.
Since receiving the imperial edict, he had been harboring a suppressed anger. But in front of his subordinates and even his mother, he couldn’t show the slightest sign of frustration.
However, he hadn’t anticipated that his future wife would choose this crucial moment to distance herself from him.
At this moment, the pent-up frustration became unbearable. He suddenly raised his foot and kicked the table in front of him with a loud crash.
The guards and Mo Ru in the tent all lowered their heads and held their breath, not daring to make a sound.
Cui Xingzhou’s character was such that once he made a decision, he never hesitated. Since his uncle’s family had so many concerns and didn’t want to actively break off the engagement, instead making his cousin pretend to be ill, why shouldn’t he be straightforward and spare his cousin from this entanglement?
Thinking this, Cui Xingzhou calmed down slightly. He had Mo Ru straighten the table, lay out fresh paper, grind the ink, and dip the brush. With swift, powerful strokes, he wrote out a document dissolving the engagement.
The reason given for breaking the engagement was noble. He stated that he was going to war for the country with the resolve to die if necessary, and would not return unless the barbarians were driven out.
However, a young woman’s prime years should not be wasted. Therefore, he and his cousin Lian Siyan were not fated to be together, but he hoped they might reunite in the next life. With this, he dissolved the marriage agreement between the two families, hoping his cousin would find a good match and that they would each find their happiness.
The language in the document was righteous and polite, but immediately after, Cui Xingzhou sent Manager Gao to the Lian residence to let them know that their servants’ “accidental” revelations to the prince’s servants had reached his ears.
He wanted the Lian family to know that he was fully aware of their calculations, to avoid any pretense of ignorance when they received the document dissolving the engagement.
When the prince’s document, complete with his seal, arrived at the Lian residence, Lian Hanshan was so anxious he stamped his feet, regretting his lack of firmness in following his wife’s instigation to set up such a clumsy ruse.
Manager Gao personally delivered the document breaking off the engagement, and the implications between the lines were so clear it was hard to face.
“Look at this! You two have nearly ruined our family’s reputation. The Prince of Huaiyang is sacrificing himself for the country on the battlefield, while we Lians are nitpicking and scheming with fake illnesses. How… how will Siyan ever show her face in public again?”
Lian Chu hadn’t expected the Prince of Huaiyang to be so decisive. In a moment of anger, she said, “He’s no saint either! He hasn’t even married yet, but he’s already keeping a mistress in Lingquan Town. We’ve known about this for a long time and have been covering for him in front of the Dowager Princess. Now he turns around and gets upset with our daughter… He… He thinks he’s in the right! I’m going to tell my sister all about this. Is there any justice in this?”
Lian Hanshan angrily slammed the table, “What time is it now? All the young men in Zhen Province are preparing to leave for the northwest. Even young men from other places are eagerly coming to enlist. Those mothers who understand loyalty and righteousness are using ink needles to tattoo words on their sons’ backs to show their patriotic hearts. You, as an official’s wife, don’t understand the bigger picture, and you still want to go to the Dowager Princess to sow discord between mother and son? If this gets out, how am I supposed to face my colleagues?”
Lian Siyan stood to the side, biting her lip in silence.
She hadn’t expected that after her cousin saw through her feigned illness, he would be so ruthless, leaving the Lian family no room for maneuver.
Was he angry with her, or had he been thinking of breaking off the engagement for a long time?
Although Lian Siyan didn’t want to rush into marriage before the war, she had never thought of destroying her engagement to her cousin. At this moment, the feeling of frustration was even worse than if she had received news of her cousin’s death in battle.
Just then, Lian Xuan returned from the government office. Hearing his mother arguing with his father, he anxiously stamped his foot: “Mother, what are you trying to argue about? I don’t know who spread it, but now all of Zhen Province is talking about how the Prince of Huaiyang broke off the engagement to dedicate himself to the country, ready to sacrifice his life. Everyone is moved to tears with admiration. If you make a fuss at this point, won’t it show that you don’t understand the bigger picture?”
Lian Xuan’s words were not false. Perhaps because the servants of both households had let slip some information, and everyone knew that the Prince of Huaiyang’s departure might be a one-way journey, the prince’s decision to break off the engagement was seen by the public as the act of a true gentleman, clearly not wanting to condemn a young lady to widowhood!
What young man, upon hearing of this loyal and righteous young prince, wouldn’t nod in approval?
Hearing her father and brother’s words, Lian Siyan stopped crying.
She knew that the most correct way to salvage the situation would be to rush in front of her cousin’s horse, publicly tear up the document breaking off the engagement, and express her resolve, declaring that she would marry no one but him and would wait for his return.
If she were to do this, even the most skilled writer couldn’t pen a more beautiful tale of devoted love.
But she also felt somewhat resentful.
Her cousin’s actions showed no regard for the Lian family’s face or her feelings. Her little bit of selfishness had been seen through by him, and even if they were to marry in the future, there would always be this knot in their hearts.
For a moment, Lian Siyan thought of that moonlit path she had walked with her cousin. It had looked short but felt long as they walked in silence. He hadn’t walked too fast, but she just couldn’t keep up…
However, she also realized that the reason her cousin gave for breaking off the engagement was quite noble, not damaging her reputation, which showed some consideration for her.
After being angry for a while, Lian Siyan began to console herself.