Chapter 72: Coexisting with Xie Peiyu

Chapter 72: Coexisting with Xie Peiyu

The emperor sitting across from them appeared to be in his thirties, with sword-like brows and bright eyes. He was handsome and elegant, exuding the charm of a mature man.

His facial features bore a resemblance to the Crown Prince from their previous encounter, undoubtedly confirming his identity as their biological father - a handsome, middle-aged gentleman.

"Commoner Zheng Jinyu pays her respects to His Majesty," she bowed.

"Rise," the emperor replied with a warm smile. After studying Zheng Jinyu for a moment, he commented, "She seems acceptable. She pairs well with Yu'er... it's passable."

Zheng Jinyu: "..."

Mrs. Zheng's lips twitched. If the person in front of her weren't the emperor, she would have retorted.

However, the Imperial Princess was quite pleased, finding Zheng Jinyu more satisfactory with each passing moment.

Smiling, she spoke to the emperor, "She is still young and has yet to fully develop."

"Indeed, as long as my elder sister is satisfied," the emperor responded, showing little interest in discussing Zheng Jinyu further. He quickly changed the subject, "Eldest Sister, I recently acquired a collection of calligraphy and paintings. Would you care to give your appraisal?"

"Very well," the Imperial Princess agreed happily, then turned to Xie Peiyu and said, "Yu'er, you may return first. I'll be home later."

"Yes."

Xie Peiyu led Zheng Jinyu and the others out of the palace. The Imperial Princess and the Emperor left with joyful expressions.

After leaving the palace, Madame Wang went back to her own residence, while Xie Peiyu escorted Madam Zheng and Zheng Jinyu to the Zheng residence. Instead of leaving, he followed them inside.

Madam Zheng invited him to have dinner, to which he readily agreed.

Zheng Jinyu couldn't chase him away, so she simply informed Madam Zheng that she was going back to her room and left silently.

Not long after she returned to her chamber, Xie Peiyu arrived.

Zheng Jinyu was speechless. She dismissed her maid and then addressed Xie Peiyu, "How do you think those nasty rumors started? You keep dropping by every now and then, and everyone is starting to talk."

"That just proves there's an issue with your household management, not me."

Zheng Jinyu: "..." How is it not related to you? Didn't the whole thing start because you insisted on coming over?

"Your mother is already taking care of these matters."

Zheng Jinyu replied, "What good will it do? There are no walls that cannot be breached."

"Well, let it be breached then. My mother has already clarified everything before the Empress Dowager. If you feel that the marriage contract my grandfather arranged is insufficient, we can add an imperial edict from the Emperor himself. Would that suffice?"

Zheng Jinyu looked straight at him.

The turn of events had caught her off guard.

She had initially thought that neither she nor Zheng Jinxiu would have much to do with Xie Peiyu. Once he requested to leave the capital after the New Year, their family's involvement in this drama would come to an end.

She never expected their entanglement to deepen.

Perhaps, in Zheng Jinxiu's storyline, as a minor character with limited screen time, altering her fate wouldn't allow her to increase her role.

Leaving with Xie Peiyu, alive or dead, would mark the conclusion of her part.

Zheng Jinyu stared at him for a long while before exhaling deeply.

"I could consider going with you, but there's a condition," Zheng Jinyu said.

Xie Peiyu's eyes lit up as he walked over and sat beside her. "What condition?"

"I've grown accustomed to being a wild girl in the countryside. You can't confine me. I'll do as I please and go wherever I wish. Of course, I won't engage in anything inappropriate."

Xie Peiyu looked at her with a hint of a smile. "How would you define something inappropriate?"

"Well..." She hesitated, unsure how to put it. "I won't be unfaithful to you, okay?"

Xie Peiyu replied with a mild smile. "Alright, what else?"

"Also, if conflicts arise between us and we can't continue, if you want to be with someone else, you must grant me a divorce and let me go."

Xie Peiyu pondered for a moment before nodding. "That's only fair. If I were to take another wife, I'd naturally set you free first."

Zheng Jinyu wore an expression of surprise. "You agreed so readily?"

She knew that the conditions she had laid out challenged the traditional male authority of this era, yet Xie Peiyu had agreed without hesitation.

"Hmm? Not so decisive, shall we discuss it further?"

"No need, you did say that."

"Indeed, I did. Would you like me to put it in writing and stamp it with a seal for emphasis?"

A spark ignited in Zheng Jinyu's heart, and she fetched the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone with a smile.

"Very well, I, Jinyu, shall accept Prince Chen's sincerity. Let us put it in writing then."

Xie Peiyu rolled up his sleeves and sat down. Zheng Jinyu spread the paper and began grinding the ink.

He really wrote it down.

After finishing, Xie Peiyu took out a seal from his chest to stamp it.

"Is that satisfactory now?"

Zheng Jinyu was slightly dazed. Could it be this smooth?

What was this? A prenuptial agreement?

"Of course, it's fine," she replied, feeling as if it were too good to be true. Was there some sort of catch?

Despite having put the document away, Zheng Jinyu still couldn't help but ask, "Why me?"

"Why are you asking such a silly question again? Didn't I tell you last time that while you're just average, you're slightly better than Zheng Jinxiu? Should I have chosen Zheng Jinxiu instead?"

"No, there are so many women in the world. You could have broken off the engagement and married someone you truly like."

"What a hassle that would be? Breaking off an engagement is my last resort. Going against one's elders is unfilial, and breaking a promise is dishonorable. Our families' arranged marriage was decided by our elders. If I don't have strong objections to the person, I wouldn't want to break the engagement and be labeled as both unfilial and dishonorable."

Zheng Jinyu found herself unable to refute his answer.

After all, people from ancient times did place great importance on these values. When it came to marriage, they would listen to their elders.

If the match was arranged by their elders and they didn't have strong objections, they wouldn't consider breaking off the engagement. Besides, it wouldn't look good for either his mother or him if they went back on their word.

In other words, he had investigated Zheng Jinxiu, uncovered their family secret, and smoothly broken off the engagement, indicating that he indeed had strong objections towards Zheng Jinxiu.

In the original story, the protagonist didn't marry him either, so he must not have liked her much, right?

It was truly unforeseen that while she was striving to improve herself and win over the Zheng family's approval, she inadvertently won the favor of the Imperial Princess and Prince Chen as well.

"Well then, let it be. As long as they don't speak too harshly about us outside."

She felt that Xie Peiyu didn't particularly like her; to him, she was likely just someone he didn't dislike. The fact that he could express such sentiments indicated that he had some principles. In this era, how much could one expect from a man? Having principles and being somewhat upright was already sufficient. If it were someone else, their character might be even worse.

With these thoughts in mind, Zheng Jinyu found solace.

She would just make do with living alongside Xie Peiyu.

...

During the New Year celebrations, people visited relatives and friends, and news of the Zhengs and Xies' situation quickly spread far and wide.

"Why did they change their minds? Wasn't Zheng Jinxiu from the Zheng family a good match?"

"It's said that she fell ill and was sent back to her hometown, Xingyang. When the engagement was arranged, it was for the child in Madam Zheng's womb. Since Zheng Jinyu also came from Madam Zheng's belly, replacing her wouldn't be an issue."

"Oh, how embarrassing for Miss Zheng! For so many years, we all believed that Miss Zheng would become Princess Chen."

"Sigh, life is unpredictable. Blame it on her fate; who asked her to fall ill?"

"That's too peculiar, isn't it? Their second daughter had poor health and was raised in the countryside. Now, less than a year after bringing her back, the elder daughter falls ill and has to be sent back home for recovery. Don't you think there might be some kind of incompatibility in the fates of the two Zheng girls?"

"Hmm, now that you mention it, it does seem plausible."