Chapter 595 - 220: Making a Decision (2)

Chapter 595: Chapter 220: Making a Decision (2)

She didn’t want to do this. It would only exhaust the last bit of affection she shared with Sheng Saya, but did she really have any room to refuse?

Biting her lower lip, Zhu Caiwei agreed to the task. The next day, dressed to the nines, she headed to the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office to see Sheng Saya.

At that time, Zhang Lingxin, Wang Zhen, and the other young ladies who were generally on good terms with Sheng Saya were all present. Everyone had come to deliver congratulatory gifts. Those who were closer to her even complained, "To think you hid such a huge matter from us until now! Do you even consider us your friends?"

Sheng Saya laughingly coaxed them, and the girls soon broke into a playful uproar.

No one was surprised when Zhu Caiwei arrived. Everyone warmly invited her to take a seat, and even Sheng Saya held her hand with a beaming smile. "We were just waiting for you! What took you so long?" It was as if their previous estrangement had never existed.

Zhu Caiwei naturally roused her spirits, playfully teasing and congratulating her. Then, seizing an opportune moment, she asked, "How did your marriage get settled so suddenly? We didn’t hear a single rumor about it beforehand. The Chen family is, after all, only of the Sixth Rank. What was the Lord Prefect considering?"

This was something the other young ladies were curious about as well, so they eagerly looked at Sheng Saya, waiting for her answer. However, Wang Zhen and Zhang Lingxin came to her rescue. ℯ

"Brother De’an is quite wonderful," one of them defended. "He is extremely close with my two older brothers and visits our home often. He has a dignified appearance and a humorous, engaging temper. Living with Kaiyan, they will definitely have plenty to talk about."

"Chen De’an is a good man—enthusiastic, driven, and measured in his actions," the other chimed in. "Most importantly, he treats Kaiyan with a sincere heart. The Lord Prefect chose him to be Kaiyan’s husband, and I think it’s an excellent match."

Sheng Saya just chuckled, saying nothing.

Having failed to get a satisfactory answer, Zhu Caiwei braced herself and pressed on. "But there are plenty of noble young lords who are sincere toward Kaiyan. The Chen family’s foundation is rather thin after all. I—I don’t mean anything by it; I’m mainly just afraid Kaiyan might suffer grievances after marrying into their household. I heard that Chen De’an’s mother is a merchant. You all know how merchants are—they are shrewd and always calculating their gains and losses..."

Wang Zhen was displeased by these words and immediately fired back. "My mother is also a merchant. She’s a major tea merchant, in fact! She is indeed shrewd and calculates her gains and losses, but you can’t say she’s hard to get along with, nor can you say she isn’t a good person..."

With Wang Zhen’s interruption, Zhu Caiwei’s trip ended with her returning empty-handed. Anyone could see the gloomy expression on her face as she left the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office in sheer dismay.

After helping Sheng Saya see the other guests off, Zhang Lingxin walked back inside with her.

"It’s a pity about Caiwei," she remarked.

"Don’t pity her. Her lack of backbone played a huge part in bringing her to this point."

Zhu Caiwei was born of a concubine but had been raised under her legitimate mother since childhood. Mrs. Xie was strict with her, but she had provided her with a decent upbringing. Unfortunately, Caiwei lacked her own opinions and let herself be led by the nose at every turn. If she were younger, it would be understandable, but she was already sixteen this year.

Sixteen was not young; it was the age for marriage proposals. Zhu Caiwei was likely terrified that her legitimate mother would choose a superficial match for her, which was why she constantly pandered to her and catered to her every whim.

But in Sheng Saya’s opinion, this was completely unnecessary. Mrs. Xie had invested so many years in her; she wouldn’t want to burn bridges now. Even if Caiwei was dissatisfied with the marriage Mrs. Xie picked out, there would still be room for negotiation. As long as she clearly laid out the pros and cons, Mrs. Xie was not an unreasonable person who refused to listen. Yet Caiwei did not dare speak up or fight for herself. Instead, she placed all her hopes on the pity of others.

Could a person truly rely on pity to get through life? If one failed to stand up for themselves when it mattered most, what hope was there for the future?

Sheng Saya increasingly looked down on Zhu Caiwei. Still, she could simply distance herself from someone she disdained; there was no need to fret over it.

"Caiwei was intentionally trying to fish for information just now," she mused aloud, her mind turning over the recent events. "She seems highly interested in my future in-laws, especially my mother-in-law."

Zhang Lingxin nodded. "I caught that tone in her words as well."

"I don’t believe it’s purely out of curiosity."

"Neither do I."

Sheng Saya smiled faintly. "Then I’ll send someone to investigate. Let’s see who exactly is ordering Caiwei around and what this matter has to do with them."

Although they spoke of investigating who was behind Zhu Caiwei, both girls knew perfectly well that the only one capable of ordering her around was Mrs. Xie.

If Zhu Tongzhi were curious about the marriage, he certainly wouldn’t use such a roundabout method to pry for information. As a man in officialdom, he had plenty of capable subordinates at his disposal; there was no need for a young girl to do his bidding. Since it was Mrs. Xie who was curious, they wondered why she was prying and what pros and cons this matter held for her.

Once she found out the truth, Sheng Saya decided, she would go tell her future mother-in-law. She could just consider it a way to bond with her.