"Su Jinyu" had just walked into the main hall of Marquis Weiyuan's Manor when she saw Shen Sui kneeling in the center of the room.
He wore a set of deep blue ordinary clothes, his back straight as a rod, his hands resting naturally on his knees as he knelt facing the head of the hall.
Quite a few people were seated inside—her maternal grandmother sat at the head of the room with her maternal grandfather beside her, while her uncle, Shen Zhiyuan, sat on a chair to the left, with her aunt beside him.
Everyone's gaze was fixed on the young general kneeling in the center of the main hall.
"Su Jinyu" paused in her tracks as she entered. She had originally thought today was just an ordinary family dinner and had not expected to walk into such a scene.
Her gaze lingered on Shen Sui's back for a brief moment before she looked away, walking over to sit beside her grandmother. “Grandmother, what is this...?” she asked in a low voice.
Her grandmother squeezed her hand but did not answer directly.
Marquis Weiyuan cleared his throat, his tone a bit more formal than usual when he spoke. “Jinyu, the registry for the imperial draft will be submitted in the next day or two. As the legitimate daughter of the Minister's manor, you are of age and have just had your engagement annulled. By law, your name must be included. What are your thoughts on this?”
"Su Jinyu" fell silent for a moment before voicing the plan she had considered the night before. “I want to feign illness to avoid it. If I am confined to bed before the draft and have an imperial physician diagnose me, I should at least be able to delay it this time.”
The moment she finished speaking, Shen Zhiyuan shook his head. His tone was gentle but firm. “Feigning illness is a crime of deceiving the Emperor. If we are found out, you, the Minister's manor, and Marquis Weiyuan's Manor will all be implicated. We cannot take this path.”
"Su Jinyu" lowered her eyes and did not argue. She knew her uncle was right; that path was indeed too risky, but she simply had not thought of any other way yet.
The hall fell silent for a moment. Just as Su Jinyu was trying to think of another alternative, her aunt suddenly spoke up. Her voice was not loud, but it was clear enough in the quiet room. “Jinyu, A-Sui said he is willing to marry you.”
"Su Jinyu" abruptly lifted her head.
She turned to look at Shen Sui kneeling in the center of the hall. He still kept his head lowered, not looking at her. His back remained straight, but the tips of his ears were completely red.
He knelt there without moving a muscle, offering no explanations and making no hurried attempts to declare his feelings. He simply knelt in silence.
"Su Jinyu's" gaze fell upon the patch of sunlight spilling onto his shoulder from the window, as if she were still processing the meaning of those words.
She stared at him for a long time. Then, she lowered her eyes, her gaze falling to the floor. When she finally spoke after a brief pause, her voice was softer, as if she were trying to confirm something she was still unsure of. “...Cousin Shen, are you serious?”
Shen Sui raised his head to look at her. The flush on his ears had already spread down the side of his neck, but after a brief pause, he spoke. His voice was half a register lower than usual, yet not a single word was slurred. “Yes.”
The sunlight from outside streamed through the half-open window, casting a faint golden glow over his shoulders and the crown of his head.
"Su Jinyu" stood still, her eyes tracing his lowered eyelashes and tightly pressed lips. Only after a long moment did she nod slightly.
Her grandmother let go of her hand, a faint smile gracing her lips, as if she had finally waited for this very moment.
The news of "Su Jinyu's" betrothal spread incredibly fast.
The fervor over the annulment had not even fully died down when a fresh piece of gossip arrived. The eldest daughter of the Su family had barely been publicly jilted by Heir Xie before she was betrothed to General Shen of Marquis Weiyuan's Manor. The turn of events was so rapid that the busybodies of the capital did not even know which angle to gossip about first.
In the teahouses along the streets, someone cradled a teacup and swayed their head. “The eldest young lady of the Su family has quite some luck. She lost an heir but immediately landed General Shen. Shen Sui's position was built on solid military achievements, earning the rank of general at such a young age. He is countless times better than that Heir Xie.”
Someone nearby chimed in, “Exactly. I heard General Shen was raised by Marquis Weiyuan and has been roughing it out in the military camps since childhood. He is a completely different breed from the Xie family's young master, who spends all his days soaking in Zuixian Tavern.”
Every word carried an envious tone, as if Su Jinyu had lucked into a massive windfall out of thin air.
There were also sour voices mixed in, muttering things like, “To get betrothed so quickly after an annulment, she must have lined up her next choice long ago.” However, they were quickly shut down by others who snapped, “The young lady has her own merits, and her maternal family dotes on her. Since when is it your place to criticize her?”
Minister Su, however, was not pleased. Over the past few days, two invitations from the Prime Minister's manor had landed on his desk, and he had been planning how to use his legitimate daughter's marriage as a stepping stone for his own political career.
Who would have thought that before he could even hint at his intentions, Marquis Weiyuan's Manor would already finalize the betrothal?
Although he held the high office of Minister, he was always a step below his father-in-law. Marquis Weiyuan had spent half his life on the battlefield, with former subordinates and old friends scattered throughout the court. No matter how many schemes he harbored, he did not dare to openly defy the old man's wishes.
He could only swallow his pride and agree, sighing heavily behind the study's curtains.
Xie Tianci of Marquis Jing'an's Manor was drinking when he heard the news.
He set down his cup, his expression shifting several times as he compared the facts of “she actually got betrothed so quickly” and “the man she is betrothed to is that Shen Sui of Marquis Weiyuan's Manor.” He quickly realized that no matter the angle, Shen Sui stood head and shoulders above him.
He couldn't quite explain why his chest felt so tight. He simply slammed his wine cup onto the table, letting the liquid splash onto the back of his hand without bothering to wipe it away.
In the back courtyard, Su Qing'er pinched her handkerchief, her fingernails leaving light indentations on the silk. She secretly cursed Su Jinyu's sheer luck—to secure such an excellent marriage even after being publicly jilted. Something she had spent years striving for was handed to Su Jinyu on a silver platter without her lifting a finger.
"Su Jinyu" did not have many romantic expectations of Shen Sui himself regarding this marriage. She simply felt that marrying into her maternal family was a wonderful outcome. She could stay close to her uncle, aunt, grandparents, and frequently see her cousin Shen Xi, sparing her from having to navigate the temperaments and rules of an entirely unfamiliar household.
For her, this betrothal brought peace of mind. What she had not expected, however, was that during the imperial court session the very next day, Shen Sui stood before the hall and used the military merits he had accumulated over many years to request an imperial marriage decree from the Emperor in front of the entire assembly of civil and military officials.
When the news reached the Minister's manor, "Su Jinyu" was in the courtyard trimming flower branches. A maid jogged in to report the news from the imperial court.
Her shears paused mid-air before she set them down and headed to the main hall to receive the decree.
After reading the imperial decree, the eunuch beamed. “General Shen truly holds deep affection for you, young lady. To trade military merits for an imperial marriage decree is a rare honor indeed—he is the very first in the entire court to do so.”
"Su Jinyu" knelt to receive the decree. As she stood up, her fingertips lightly brushed the edge of the bright yellow silk.
Over at Marquis Weiyuan's Manor, Shen Zhiyuan slapped his thigh and laughed, “What a fine lad!” Marquis Weiyuan stroked his beard, his eyes crinkling with deep laughter lines, while her grandmother repeatedly murmured, “Good, good.”
The rumors whispering that Su Jinyu had only hastily gotten betrothed to escape the imperial draft shattered into pieces before this imperial decree stamped with the Imperial Seal. They melted away silently, like thin spring ice under the warming sun.
"Su Jinyu" stood in the main hall, carefully folding the imperial decree and putting it away. Bright sunlight streamed through the window, painting the entire room in a warm, golden glow.
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