Chapter 358: I Am Not Resigned

In the parlor, the Guardian Lady heard from the maids that Shen Qingluan had confronted the Princess Consort and then run off. She was frantic with worry. Having lost her husband in middle age, she had only this one daughter.

When Duke Hu Guo died in battle, the Emperor, out of compassion, had allowed her to adopt a son from the clan to inherit the title of Duke. But the Guardian Lady refused. If she were to choose someone from the clan to inherit the title, once he was firmly established, wouldn’t she and her daughter be at the mercy of an outsider?

Their vast family estate would also fall into an outsider’s hands.

So she submitted a memorial to the throne, stating there was no need for anyone to inherit the title. She would simply adopt a child in the future to ensure Duke Hu Guo’s family line did not end.

The Emperor, happy to reclaim the title of Duke, generously granted her the title of Guardian Lady as a form of compensation.

After losing her husband, the Guardian Lady treasured her only daughter as the apple of her eye. Seeing her daughter so devastated, she was consumed with anxiety. Dispensing with pleasantries, she stood and addressed the other noblewomen, “Shen Qingluan is suddenly feeling unwell. I’m going to check on her. Please, help yourselves.”

The noblewomen all replied, “Guardian Lady, you must go to her. We have matters to attend to at home ourselves, so we’ll be taking our leave as well.”

The Guardian Lady left in a hurry.

The noblewomen and their daughters in the parlor had originally intended to stay for lunch, and a banquet had already been prepared. But now the hosts were gone and the grand prize had been claimed. There was no longer any reason to stay, so they rose in twos and threes and departed.

But no one could resist whispering amongst themselves that the marriage between the Prince Qi Mansion and the Guardian Lady’s family had likely fallen through.

When the Guardian Lady rushed to her daughter’s courtyard, she heard the sound of things smashing and crashing inside before she even stepped through the door.

The maids stood by the door, heads bowed, not daring to make a sound.

Just as the Guardian Lady was about to enter, a white porcelain teacup shattered on the floor, sending a shard flying past her cheek.

“Qingluan—” The Guardian Lady saw her daughter inside, hairpins askew and her bun in disarray, looking completely crazed. A sharp pain lanced through her heart. Ignoring the shards on the floor, she rushed in and threw her arms around Shen Qingluan, sobbing uncontrollably. “My child, it’s my fault! This is all my fault!”

‘If only I had arranged a marriage for her sooner, she’d likely be married by now.’

‘But I let it drag on until she’s eighteen, and now it’s all for nothing.’

Shen Qingluan, eyes red, trembled in the Guardian Lady’s arms. “Who is it? Mother, which family’s hussy was promised to the Princely Heir?”

The Guardian Lady gently stroked Shen Qingluan’s back and said softly, “My child, don’t fret. I will write to the Capital City at once and make inquiries.”

“But as for the marriage… it’s truly over.”

Looking utterly frantic, Shen Qingluan grabbed the Guardian Lady’s shoulders and shook them. “I can’t accept this! Mother, I can’t accept this!”

The Guardian Lady was no more willing to accept this than her daughter was, but with her age and experience, she had already managed to calm herself. “My child, there is no changing this. What’s important now is that we don’t become a laughingstock. Don’t you worry, I will have people make inquiries about promising young men. I will be sure to pick a good one for you.”

Shen Qingluan shoved the Guardian Lady away. “A good one? What good ones are left? If there were any good ones, they wouldn’t still be available now!”

“Besides, how long will that take? We might not find a suitable match in six months, or even a year! By the time I’m twenty, I might never get married!”

The Guardian Lady’s heart twisted in agony at her daughter’s words. She stepped forward again, pulling Shen Qingluan into her arms and murmuring words of comfort.

「Gu Fei had already returned to her shop.」

She sat behind the counter, chin in hand, racking her brain. ‘Where on earth did I offend Shen Qingluan? We only met once, so why would she try to have me killed?’