Chapter 129

Chapter 129

A maiden’s springtime heart is full of poetry—and so is a young man’s.

Ever since meeting Chen Qingyun, Liu Changyi seemed to have lost his mind, his thoughts constantly drifting to her.

Her every pout and smile were etched in his memory, along with the hem of her light green dress. Day and night, he yearned for her; even during class, he would rest his chin on his hand, chuckling to himself.

Noticing this, the tutor privately sought out Lu Zhongqi, asking him to speak with his disciple. With the Autumn Examinations just over three months away, such a lack of focus was unacceptable.

Upon learning of it, Elder Lu summoned his student to inquire.

“Changyi, your teacher came to see me today. He said you haven’t been concentrating on your studies lately and asked me to find out if something is troubling you.”

Liu Changyi was startled and quickly shook his head in denial. “N-no, nothing’s wrong.”

“This is the year of the great exam. You’ve prepared for so long—you can’t afford to slip up at this critical moment.”

“Yes…”

Leaving the library, Liu Changyi sat alone on the stone steps outside, lost in thought. He didn’t understand what was happening to him—why he couldn’t stop thinking of Chen Qingyun. For a young man experiencing his first blush of love, it was both thrilling and frightening, leaving him unsure of what to do.

After much deliberation, Liu Changyi decided to go home on his day off and tell his mother, asking his parents to help inquire whether the young lady was already betrothed.

Meanwhile, Liu’s parents had already thought along the same lines as their son. Lord Liu had made inquiries for several days but found nothing. The Chen family had only recently moved to the prefectural city and seldom socialized.

Finally, he recalled that Chen Qingyan’s teacher was on good terms with Elder Lu and might be able to provide some information.

Coincidentally, on the day Lord Liu paid a visit, Elder Liang was a guest at the Lu residence. Liu Shengzhi had once met Liang Boqing briefly, and his elder brother Liu Yaozhi had once competed in poetry with Elder Liang, so they could be considered old acquaintances.

As the group chatted, Lu Zhongqi said, “You’ve asked the right person. Liang Boqing is currently staying with the Chen family and is very familiar with them.”

Liang Boqing remembered how Qingyun had stolen glances at Liu Changyi that day. It seemed the two were fated. He couldn’t help but laugh and said, “Qingyun is not yet betrothed.”

“Ah, that’s wonderful! Now I can give a good report at home.”

The two elders exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.

After Liu Shengzhi returned and told his wife, the two began preparing gifts, planning to bring their son along for a visit on his next day off.

Meanwhile, after Elder Liang returned, he also told Wang Ying and Li Shi about the matter. “From the Liu family’s tone, it seems they are interested in seeking a marriage match with your family.”

Li Shi glanced at her son-in-law beside her. “Ying’er, what should we do…?”

Over the years, she had grown accustomed to letting Wang Ying make major decisions, so her first instinct was to ask him.

Wang Ying said, “I’ve met Mrs. Liu a few times. She is a kind and warm-hearted woman, but I don’t know much about the Liu family. Do they have any other children?”

Liang Boqing said, “They have two daughters, both already married and living in the capital.”

“What does Teacher think of Liu Changyi as a person?”

“He’s a bit reserved, but very bright in his studies. Since he’s become close friends with Qingyan and the others, his character should be decent.”

Wang Ying had already formed an opinion. Although the Liu family was of higher status, with an official uncle in a high position, the Chen family was not far behind—their own uncle was also a fourth-rank official.

Moreover, with Qingyan, Qinghuai, and Qingsong gradually growing up, he believed the Chen family would soon improve their standing.

Thus, the two families could be considered well-matched. “A good marriage is a matter of fate, not force. If both are willing, we should find a time to discuss it and settle the betrothal early.”

Li Shi nodded repeatedly. She also thought it suitable! If her daughter married into the prefectural city, it would be easier to visit, and she wouldn’t have to worry anymore.

That evening, Wang Ying discussed the matter with Chen Qingyan.

“You want to betroth Qingyun to Liu Changyi?!”

“Keep your voice down… It’s not settled yet. Teacher mentioned it today—the Liu family inquired whether our Qingyun is betrothed. It seems they’re interested in a marriage alliance, so he specifically told Mother and me.”

After the initial shock, Chen Qingyan did not object. Instead, he thought it was a good match.

“The Liu family is well-off, and his parents are exceptionally kind. Qingyun won’t be mistreated if she marries into their family.

Rather than marrying her off to someone we don’t know, it’s better to marry her to someone familiar. At least we know his character.”

Wang Ying nodded in agreement. “That’s what I thought too. I just don’t know how Qingyun feels about it. I’ll find time to ask her tomorrow.”

*

The next day, when Qingyun came to deliver lunch, Wang Ying waved her over. “Come here, your sister-in-law wants to ask you something.”

Qingyun put down the food basket and curiously approached. “What is it?”

“Do you remember that Young Master Liu who came to see your brother last time?”

Chen Qingyun naturally remembered but played dumb. “Which Young Master Liu?”

Lin Sui, sitting nearby, covered her mouth and giggled. Just a few days ago, Qingyun had been chatting with her about that Young Master Liu, and now she was pretending not to remember.

Unaware of their private conversations, Wang Ying thought her sister-in-law genuinely didn’t recall.

“It’s Liu Changyi, the one you took to our house last time.”

“Oh, I vaguely remember. What about him?”

“His family might be interested in a marriage alliance with ours. Of course, it’s not confirmed yet. I wanted to ask what you think.”

Chen Qingyun visibly tensed, her cheeks flushing. “How would I know? I… I’ve only met him once… We barely exchanged a few words.”

“True, but your brother says he’s a good person, and his family is respectable. Especially Liu Changyi’s mother—she’s cheerful and easy to get along with. If you marry into the family, there shouldn’t be any issues with her mother-in-law.”

“Sister-in-law~” Chen Qingyun shyly turned away.

This was one of the drawbacks of ancient times—unless it was a childhood sweetheart, marriages were almost always arranged blindly.

Take Wang Ying himself, for example. Before marriage, he hadn’t even met Chen Qingyan and was sold for ten strings of cash by his original body’s parents.

He was lucky—although Chen Qingyan was sickly at the time, the family’s circumstances were decent, and his mother-in-law and siblings treated him well, making the adjustment manageable.

But for the unfortunate, like Lin Sui, who encountered a scoundrel and suffered greatly, it was a different story.

That’s why Wang Ying placed extra importance on Qingyun’s marriage.

“If you don’t dislike Liu Changyi, I’ll talk to Mother. If the Liu family sends a matchmaker, we’ll agree to it.”

“Whatever Sister-in-law decides is fine…” Qingyun finished packing the bowls and chopsticks into the basket, then dashed out in a flash.

Wang Ying didn’t quite understand a girl's feelings and couldn’t tell whether she was interested or not. If she didn’t like him, he would ask his mother-in-law to decline the proposal—better not to create an unfulfilling marriage.

Lin Sui quickly said, “Sister-in-law, Qingyun does like him.”

“How do you know?”

"She's been mentioning Liu Changyi to me a lot lately, and every time she brings him up, Qingyun blushes shyly—just like I did back in the day..." Lin Sui accidentally brought up her own past, her smile instantly fading as she bit her lip and lowered her head, falling silent.

Wang Ying knew this made her sad and comforted her, "It's all in the past now. The bad guys got what they deserved. You need to look forward."

"Yes, I know."

"That little rascal actually tried to pull one over on me! If she likes him, why didn’t she say so? I almost had the match rejected."

*

Meanwhile, Qin Furong waited for her son's day of rest and had a servant bring him a new set of clothes to change into early in the morning.

She made him bathe at dawn and even trimmed his eyebrows and mustache.

Liu Changyi was completely confused. "Mother, what are you doing?"

Qin Furong beamed. "I’ve found you a perfect match—I guarantee you’ll like her!"

"What?!" Liu Changyi was startled and quickly pushed away the servant helping him wash his face. "You're playing matchmaker without regard again!"

"How can you say that? What do you mean by 'playing matchmaker without regard'?"

"I... I already have someone I admire. Whoever you’ve chosen, please cancel it."

"Call it off?!"

After all the work she and her husband had put into gathering information and spending money on gifts for the visit, he just waves it off like it's nothing?

She immediately saw red!

She wasn’t some woman who only sighed and cried. Her three older brothers were military men, and she had trained in martial arts since childhood. Though she’d let it slide after marriage, handling this brat was still like handling a baby chick.

In a few moves, she twisted his arms behind his back and tied them with rope. "Lanhua, Cuiliu, get him in that carriage! Today, he’s going whether he wants to or not!"

Liu Changyi’s eyes reddened with desperation. "Mother, you can’t do this! You said you’d let me marry someone I like!"

"You’re about to become a monk—I can’t bother with that anymore."

"A forced marriage won’t be happy!"

"As long as it quenches thirst! When I first met your father, I nearly crippled him with a whip, and aren’t we doing just fine now?"

"I’m not like you two..."

"What’s the difference? Stop overthinking it and listen to your Mother. The girl is beautiful and poised—you’ll like her as soon as you see her."

The two maids bundled him into the carriage like a package.

Liu Changyi was utterly resigned. Leaning against the carriage wall, huge tears rolled down his cheeks. It had always been like this since he was young—when his Mother set her mind on something, neither he nor his father had any power to refuse.

When he was seven, he wanted to learn to swim. His father had already found a servant to teach him, but his Mother stopped it out of worry. To this day, he still couldn’t swim.

At ten, he wanted to learn the qin (zither). Afraid it would distract him from his studies, his Mother smashed all the qins in the house and even burned the sheet music.

At twelve, the first time he got drunk with friends outside, his Mother gave him ten lashes with a whip. If not for his father’s pleading, his back would have been torn to shreds...

Why?

He was eighteen now, a grown man who had already had his coming-of-age ceremony. Why did she still control his every move?

No—this time, he absolutely couldn’t obey her! Once they arrived, he’d play the fool and sabotage this match!

Qin Furong could tell from her son’s expression that he was plotting something. This should have been a happy thing, but seeing how resistant he was, she suddenly lost her enthusiasm.

"If you really don’t want to, forget it. The Chen family has good children. No need to make enemies out of potential allies."

Liu Changyi froze, it took him a moment to understand her words. "Mother, which family are you talking about?!"