Chapter 546 - 545: Taking It to Heart

Chapter 546: Chapter 545: Taking It to Heart

Huang Jie was absent-minded along the way. After getting off the carriage at the General Mansion, she hesitated and looked at Huang Yun, clutching her handkerchief, and asked, "Why didn’t you tell me beforehand, brother?"

Huang Yun was slightly taken aback. He knew that Huang Jie would inevitably dwell on this question, but usually, Huang Jie kept her thoughts to herself. Now that she asked directly, it surprised Huang Yun a bit.

A bit embarrassed, Huang Yun didn’t evade the question: "If I had told you, you might not have wanted to go."

Upon hearing this, Huang Jie widened her eyes, wanting to say that it was Du Yunluo who sent the invitation, and how could she not show due respect by not going.

However, the words circled around in her mouth and she swallowed them back down.

If she had really known beforehand, maybe she really wouldn’t have wanted to go...

Huang Jie returned to her room, and as soon as she changed into a clean garment, Mrs. Huang came in with a smile.

"How was it? Were the osmanthus flowers beautiful?" Mrs. Huang held Huang Jie’s hand, full of concern.

"The osmanthus cake was delicious. The lady even had me bring some back." Huang Jie replied softly.

Mrs. Huang beamed with joy.

She had always hoped Huang Jie could interact with daughters from scholarly families, to learn their gentleness and talents. Unfortunately, things had not gone as she wished. Not to mention scholarly families, even daughters from military families were reluctant to associate much with Huang Jie.

Mrs. Huang felt quite helpless about this, as in her eyes, her daughter was outstanding in all respects, yet this bad social situation worried her greatly.

Now, finally, someone was willing to interact well with Huang Jie, so Mrs. Huang had spent the entire day hoping Huang Jie would enjoy herself at the banquet.

"That’s wonderful," Mrs. Huang clapped her hands with a smile, "Let your father have a taste later as well."

Huang Jie nodded with her eyes lowered.

Noticing that Huang Jie wasn’t enthusiastically discussing the event, Mrs. Huang couldn’t help but worry: "Was it...?"

Was she neglected again?

Understanding Mrs. Huang’s worry, Huang Jie quickly shook her head: "No, the lady and the Commandery Princess were very kind and spoke with me a lot. It’s just..."

Seeing her daughter hesitate, Mrs. Huang encouraged her with her eyes to continue speaking.

Huang Jie took a deep breath and said, "Today, Young Master Ye from Duke Jing Mansion was also there. From what the lady implied, the palace has already decided that I am to marry him, and father and brother are aware of it."

Mrs. Huang was dumbfounded.

She had been worried about her daughter’s marriage for some time. Following General Huang’s return to the mansion, Mrs. Huang often discussed it with him, but no progress had been made.

Unexpectedly, at a time when she was completely unaware, Huang Jie’s marriage was near confirmation.

A surge of emotions rose in Mrs. Huang’s heart, but in front of Huang Jie, she managed to suppress them as she sighed, "Your father and brother often praised Young Master Ye, saying he’s of good character, but the affairs inside Duke Jing Mansion...

Those various matters, I don’t need to elaborate; you’ve certainly heard of them. If you marry into such a family, I truly...

Sigh..."

Feeling anxious, Mrs. Huang continued speaking. Seeing Huang Jie frowning, she shifted the conversation and asked, "What do you think yourself? What did Marchioness and the Commandery Princess tell you?"

Despite slight stuttering, Huang Jie recounted to Mrs. Huang what Du Yunluo and Zhuang Ke had said.

Listening carefully to Huang Jie’s manner, Mrs. Huang understood that Huang Jie had been nearly convinced by them.

Seeing this, Mrs. Huang didn’t argue with Huang Jie. Whether this marriage proceeded or not was not for Huang Jie to decide.

Mrs. Huang patted her daughter’s hand and said, "I understand. I’ll discuss it with your father and hear what he thinks."

Huang Jie bit her lip gently and nodded.

After comforting Huang Jie for a while, Mrs. Huang left to find General Huang.

Once out of Huang Jie’s sight, Mrs. Huang’s pent-up frustration surged, and she quickened her pace toward General Huang’s study.

General Huang came from a humble background and climbed the ranks step by step through the military, learning to read and write along the way. Determined not to be ridiculed as an uncouth fellow whose handwriting looked like chicken scratch, he had spent these years practicing calligraphy whenever he had the chance.

His efforts paid off, and his handwriting gradually improved, to the extent where even the Holy Emperor praised his progress whenever he submitted reports.

Mrs. Huang pushed the door open and entered.

Seeing her sullen face, General Huang quickly asked, "What’s wrong?"

Mrs. Huang huffed lightly, "Regarding A Jie’s marriage, I’ve been urging you to take it seriously, and you did indeed handle it seriously, leaving me in the dark while you settled it."

"Well, this isn’t..." General Huang felt a bit guilty.

His first wife passed away early, and he remarried a younger wife as his successor.

Though young, she managed household affairs superbly. While General Huang was commanding in the field, Mrs. Huang managed all the internal affairs in the Capital, not neglecting the upbringing of both Huang Jie and the children from his first marriage.

General Huang was fierce and decisive in battle, but when facing his wife, he always found himself at a loss, so he awkwardly coughed and said, "That day I was summoned to the palace, and the Holy Emperor mentioned it. I couldn’t possibly outright refuse, could I? How is it already settled now? So quickly, I thought it was a mere passing thought of the Holy Emperor too."

Mrs. Huang cast a sidelong glance at General Huang, "Are you just making things up again?"

General Huang grinned apologetically.

"It’s not that I find Young Master Ye lacking. Both you and Ayun speak highly of him, so his character must be decent," Mrs. Huang said, choosing her words carefully as she sat down on the couch. "I just worry for A Jie. Given the state of Duke Jing Mansion, I’m afraid our A Jie might suffer losses."

The heart of a parent is always concerned; how could Mrs. Huang not consider every aspect for Huang Jie?

General Huang understood this clearly. Sitting beside Mrs. Huang, he said, "What you said, I have also considered.

But, dear wife, the reason you’ve been hesitant to choose a marriage for A Jie, you must know yourself quite well.

A Jie’s temperament—leaving aside Duke Jing Mansion, if she marries into another family, especially the scholarly and official families you hope for, can she handle it?

With in-laws and sisters-in-law, will she manage well?"

Mrs. Huang’s breath caught, and her heart ached subtly, for as her daughter’s mother, she knew Huang Jie’s nature best.

Even though she had put a lot of effort into her upbringing from a young age, Huang Jie’s character still deviated from that of a typical aristocratic young lady. By the time Mrs. Huang noticed, it was hard to correct, without knowing how to go about it.

And so, things dragged on to this day.

Whenever a potential marriage was discussed, Mrs. Huang was worried. The intricate social relations within aristocratic families made her genuinely fear that Huang Jie couldn’t cope.

"Are you implying that Duke Jing Mansion might be better?" Mrs. Huang asked.

General Huang grinned, "This marriage is decreed by the palace. For Duke Jing Mansion to manipulate A Jie, they must seriously reconsider."

Huang Jie mentioned this too, but Mrs. Huang nonetheless remained a little uneasy.

General Huang said solemnly, "In fact, what Duke Jing Mansion thinks doesn’t really matter."