nucmednet Chapter 406 Rejection
Chapter 406 Rejection
Shen Lan imagined herself marrying Fu Qingyan, and the scene was simply unimaginable.
Such wealth is not worth having.
"Please leave. I'm afraid the Marquis hasn't consulted the Heir Apparent's opinion. This marriage is inappropriate."
The matchmaker said helplessly, "Silly girl, marriage is a major event, it's a matter of parents' orders and matchmaker's words. What reason does the prince have to object? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Shen Lan didn't want to waste words with them, so she picked up her medicine box, jumped onto the top of the wall, and walked out of the alley in full view of everyone.
Once she left the crowd, the onlookers erupted in a frenzy.
"So it really is the Marquis of Pingyang's family seeking a wife for their heir! The Marquis has actually chosen a commoner for his son!"
"This Miss Shen is no ordinary woman. She was a coroner personally appointed by the late emperor, and she was either an eighth or ninth-rank official."
"And it's a female coroner? Does the Marquis of Pingyang have a grudge against his own son?"
"Coroner Shen is no ordinary person. She is an extraordinary woman who appealed to the emperor for the sake of all the villagers who died unjustly in the town. I heard that her painting skills are superb. Coroner work is just her hobby."
"No matter how good she is, she's still a woman. Women eventually have to get married. If she doesn't even like the wife of the Marquis of Pingyang's heir, does she expect to enter the palace?"
After the second prince ascended the throne, the harem was empty, and there were quite a few women who wanted to enter the palace.
At least the second prince is young and much stronger than the previous Prince Zheng.
Shen Lan put these discussions to the back of her mind. She met up with Constable Xing and others at the city gate and left Bianjing City for three days.
Three days later, Fu Qingyan came out of the examination hall and found that he had become a celebrity in the city.
The last time he received so much attention was when he insisted on marrying You Niang.
Last time it was his own fault, but this time it was his father who caused it.
He was so engrossed in reading that he didn't sleep for three days.
"Young master, the Marquis actually sent a matchmaker to Miss Shen's house to propose marriage, and even brought betrothal gifts. Is he doing this on purpose?"
Fu Qingyan's head was buzzing.
He stayed in the examination hall for three days, writing for three days, until he was exhausted and had no energy left to deal with anything else.
But when he heard that his father was asking Shen Lan to marry him, Fu Qingyan felt a wave of dizziness.
“He’s insane!” Fu Qingyan sneered.
He squeezed through the crowd, boarded the Marquis's carriage, and said to Guanshu who followed him, "Let's not go back yet, let's go to Miss Shen's house."
Guan Shu asked worriedly, "What is the young master going to see Miss Shen for? She publicly rejected the Marquis's marriage proposal, and now the whole city is laughing at our family."
Fu Qingyan didn't feel ashamed at all.
"He's going to invite humiliation, so what are we afraid of? But we still need to explain to Miss Shen that this wasn't my intention, so she won't misunderstand."
I'm not enjoying reading.
On the one hand, he was glad that Miss Shen did not agree to the marriage proposal.
On the other hand, he felt that Miss Shen was somewhat ungrateful.
Everyone thought that Miss Shen was getting a great deal in this marriage, but she refused without hesitation.
Is our young master really that unlikable?
He said bluntly, "Young Master, you'd better not go. If Miss Shen misunderstands that you have feelings for her, it will be hard to explain."
Most importantly, what if Miss Shen kicks you out too? That would be so embarrassing.
Fu Qingyan leaned against the carriage, closed his eyes to maintain a semblance of clarity, and nodded, saying, "Let's go back. There are still two exams left. We'll talk about it after they're over."
He cannot afford to fail the exam.
He must be extremely cautious and meticulous to have even the slightest hope of passing the exam with flying colors.
Before he even got home, Fu Qingyan fell asleep. When he woke up, he saw his father sitting by his bedside.
This scene left him somewhat dazed.
In his memory, he only had the chance to see his father when he was sick as a child. Most of the time, the father and son were in a cold war or hostile towards each other.
"it's dark?"
"Hmm, you slept for four hours. It's late at night now. Get up and eat something, then take a bath to wash away your fatigue."
The Marquis of Pingyang's tone was unusually gentle.
This made Fu Qingyan wonder if he was dreaming.
He pinched himself, and the pain brought him fully awake.
Marquis Pingyang coughed, stood up, turned his back to him, and said somewhat awkwardly, "I sent a matchmaker to the Shen family a few days ago to propose marriage, but unfortunately, Miss Shen refused."
Fu Qingyan's earlier feelings of being moved vanished.
Why would the father suddenly ask Miss Shen to marry his son?
They did talk about marriage at the banquet that day, but Shen Lan was someone he had never even considered.
It wasn't that he didn't like the girl, but that he felt he wasn't good enough for her.
Yes, even though he was the heir of the Marquis of Pingyang, and even though the other party was just an orphan, he still felt that he couldn't hold his head up in front of Shen Lan.
On the one hand, Shen Lan had witnessed his most dejected and embarrassing moment.
On the other hand, Shen Lan's insights and mindset were far beyond his reach.
He admired this kind of woman, but he didn't like her.
Deep down, he still hoped to be his wife's support, so that she could rely on him wholeheartedly.
"What I value in Shen Lan is her resilience and perseverance. Perhaps you prefer a more gentle and charming woman, but I think Shen Lan's character can hold up half the sky of the Marquis's mansion."
Fu Qingyan couldn't refute it, and he also believed that if Shen Lan became his wife, he would subconsciously want to improve himself.
"Father, I do not like Miss Shen. Please do not let her hate her son."
Fu Qingyan hesitated before saying, "Besides, my cousin also likes her. One should not mess with a friend's wife, let alone a woman that my cousin likes."
Marquis Pingyang disagreed, saying, "Since neither the man nor the woman is married, it's only right to strike first. Your personality is too weak."
Fu Qingyan knew he and he couldn't see eye to eye.
They always have different opinions and viewpoints, and seem to be natural enemies.
He lay down, covered himself with the blanket, and said in a muffled voice, "Father, please go back. I want to sleep."
After the Marquis of Pingyang left, the next moment, Guan Shu came in with food and pulled Fu Qingyan out of bed.
As soon as Shen Lan got home, she saw Xiao Ji sitting in her courtyard drinking tea.
"Lord Xiao is so leisurely, it really makes me envious."
Shen Lan had been traveling for three days straight and was so exhausted that she didn't even have the strength to carry her suitcase.
Xiao Ji reached out and took her things, pointing to the kitchen and saying, "I've kept some food warm in the pot, and some hot water too."
Shen Lan was indeed tired and hungry, but more importantly, she needed to take a shower, as she smelled terrible.
She asked curiously, "How did you know I would be back at this time?"
"I don't know, I just have someone send some food every two hours. This is the third batch already. The hot water is always boiling."
"Does Lord Xiao not have to go to the yamen today?"
"I'm just out on official business. I've come to inquire about the progress of the case."
"I'm just a coroner; you should ask Constable Xing or Magistrate Wei about the case."
Xiao Ji was just asking casually. The case was being handled by Magistrate Wei and would eventually be presented to him.
Seeing Shen Lan enter the room, he said through the door, "Don't pay any attention to the Marquis of Pingyang's marriage proposal. The Marquis of Pingyang's mansion urgently needs a woman who can manage the household affairs. He just wants to use you."
Shen Lan's languid voice came from inside the room.
"If you really think about it, this deal is still worthwhile. The title of the Crown Prince's wife and the wealth and power of the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion are just managing the household affairs, which is much simpler than performing an autopsy."