Yu Siyu tossed and turned for eight days before deciding on a candidate. It turned out to be the nephew of the matriarch's eldest sister-in-law's brother. Although their relationship was a bit distant, they usually had contact with each other.
This person was twenty years old and had just been crowned. He had already participated in the imperial examinations twice and failed both times. However, his appearance was very elegant and handsome. In addition, his father was the chancellor of the Imperial College. Although he had no real power, he was very noble.
This person was the least talented of all the candidates. If it weren't for the fact that he was related to the matriarch and came from a scholarly family, the matriarch wouldn't have considered him. However, Yu Siyu chose him because although he didn't have any talent, he was the most handsome among them and had the most prominent family background. Her snobbish eyes couldn't see through the barrier in the end. She planned to walk this path to the end.
The matriarch looked at her deeply and finally took the booklet. She quietly sighed, "Fine. Since you've chosen him, I'll send someone to discuss the marriage."
Yu Xiang leaned next to the matriarch and flipped through the pages as she said, "This isn't good. He just joined the Guan fu and already has a group of concubines. With Yu Siyu's blockhead, wouldn't she be tortured to death? This is good. Although he's a bit older and comes from a poor family, he doesn't have any concubines. He doesn't even have a servant girl. In four years, he climbed from the head of the Tai Pu Temple to the position of a magistrate in the capital. He relied on his own ability and is reliable. "
"Sixth-ranked magistrate? If Meimei likes him, why don't you marry him yourself? "Yu Siyu sneered.
Yu Xiang glanced at her and didn't bother to respond. The matriarch was angry and slammed the table, "Enough! Don't treat Xiang'er's good intentions as ill intent! If this person wasn't a relative of my eldest sister-in-law and had invited an iceman to propose marriage, I wouldn't have considered him either. Fine. Since you like him, I won't stop you. However, if you get wronged after marrying him, don't tell me. Go back and prepare for the marriage. "
She still had to rely on the matriarch to arrange the dowry. Yu Siyu didn't dare to argue and resentfully left.
The matriarch immediately sent people to discuss the marriage. In the afternoon, they exchanged marriage invitations. The next day, after finding someone to examine them and felt that they were suitable, they set up the marriage contract. In just a day and a half, Yu Siyu's marriage was decided.
In the end, Yu Siyu was still unwilling to give up. She locked herself in her room and refused to eat or drink. When Yu Miaoqi heard the news, she personally made a box of pastries and went to visit.
"You should at least eat some. If you hurt your body, other than yourself, who else would feel sorry for you?" Yu Miaoqi held a piece of cake and sent it to Yu Siyu's lips.
Yu Siyu took a bite and sighed with tears in her eyes, "In this family, only my younger sister treats me the best. Sister, why don't you come back earlier? We sisters can spend more time together. "
"What's the point of returning sooner or later? In any case, I'm superfluous. "Yu Miaoqi's short sentence caused Yu Siyu to burst into tears. For a moment, she hated Yu Xiang and the matriarch even more.
Yu Miaoqi continued, "Although I just came back not long ago and don't know much about the affairs of the mansion, I know that with my brother's power, you can at least marry into a Count's mansion, a Marquis' mansion, or even a Duke's mansion. But why are the candidates that Grandmother found for you all shameful? Could it be that because Yu Xiang can't get married, she doesn't want you to marry well because she's afraid of poking her lung? Do big brother and grandmother treat you as family? Will I be the same in the future? "
She tried her best to sow discord. Even if Yu Siyu was to get married, she had to make her hate Yu Xiang, Yu Pinyan, and the matriarch. Perhaps she would be of use in the future.
As expected, Yu Siyu was extremely angry when she heard this. She also felt that the two of them were in the same boat, so she hugged Yu Miaoqi and cried bitterly.
Just at this moment, the Qiu Clan rushed into the room. She didn't have time to pay her respects and shouted, "Eldest Miss, it's not good. Fang Zhichen is making a fuss outside. He said that he exchanged tokens with you a long time ago and privately pledged to marry you. He wants to sue the Marquis Household for not keeping our promise and for one woman to marry twice! The Old Lady wants you to quickly go to the main hall to see her. You should hurry and tidy up! "
"What? Exchange tokens, privately pledge to marry, one woman to marry twice? Nonsense, there's no such thing! "Yu Siyu suddenly stood up and shouted. Because she was so shocked, even her voice changed. But in the next moment, she remembered the night they had met privately and confided in each other. Her angry expression turned into a guilty conscience.
Even if the exchange of tokens wasn't true, privately pledging to marry someone couldn't be wrong. At that time, she really did have such thoughts and was caught red-handed by Yu Xiang. Now, even if she had a hundred mouths, she wouldn't be able to explain herself!
She was suddenly on the verge of collapsing. She was so shocked that she couldn't speak. With Yu Miaoqi's help, she barely managed to stabilize herself and staggered towards the main courtyard. Yu Miaoqi lowered her head slightly, and the corners of her mouth curved into a sly smile.
At the same time, the Fang Family's mother and son were making a big fuss at the entrance of the residence. The Pei Clan kept saying that they had a marriage agreement with the Marquis Household and would only propose marriage in the future. Fang Zhichen even took out a pink dudou embroidered with Yu Siyu's name and showed it to the crowd. He said that Yu Siyu had personally given it to him as a token of their love and ordered him to keep it close to his body.
The crowd suddenly burst into an uproar, and countless erotic scenes appeared in their minds. They were amazed by the unrestrained nature of the young miss of the Marquis Household.
The bodyguards guarding the gate wanted to go forward and grab the two, but the two quickly ran into the crowd, shouting as they ran, "Who doesn't know that Marquis Yongle is the living King of Hell? He kills people without blinking an eye! If we are caught by you, how can we come out alive? We won't go, we definitely won't go! If the Marquis Household is sincere, then come to my house to propose marriage and make this marriage agreement. Otherwise, we will go to the Marquis Household and sue the Marquis Household for one woman marrying two men and corrupting private morals! We are temporarily staying in the small courtyard opposite the Fortune Pastry Shop in Hundred Blossom Well Alley. Fellow villagers, please be our witnesses. If we die an unnatural death, we will definitely be silenced by the Eternal Joy Marquis Manor … "
The two ran and shouted, causing the crowd to point and gossip about the Marquis Household. Seeing this, the two bodyguards could only give up on the idea of arresting them and go back to report to The Old Lady.
Yu Siyu had just taken half a step into the threshold when she heard the Old Lady sternly shout, "Shameless thing, why aren't you kneeling down!"
Yu Siyu's legs went soft and she knelt down. Then she went forward on her knees, kowtowing as she tried to explain, "Old Ancestor, I really didn't exchange tokens with him. You must believe me!"
"If you didn't exchange tokens, then why didn't you privately pledge to marry?" The Old Lady's face was ashen, "How many times have I told you? Why don't you listen to me? If you were willing to listen to a few words from me, how could you have ended up like this? You idiot! You've completely disgraced me, the Marquis Yongle! "When she finished speaking, she fiercely threw the teacup on the ground, causing a loud bang.
Yu Miaoqi hurriedly retreated a few steps and hid behind the Lin Clan. She lowered her head, as if she was very afraid.
Yu Siyu trembled like a sieve and shouted, "Old Ancestor, granddaughter was possessed. Granddaughter knows she was wrong. You must not marry granddaughter off, otherwise …"
Before she could finish speaking, an old woman quickly ran in and whispered something into the Old Lady's ear. The Old Lady's ashen face gradually became distorted and ferocious. After she waved the old woman away, she gritted her teeth and laughed, "Good, good, good. You really are a shameless evil creature. You even gave away a personal item like your undergarment! You don't know, right? Just now, Fang Zhichen took out your undergarment and showed it to all the old and young men on the street. In less than half a day, you became famous! Are you happy now? "
When Yu Siyu heard this, she felt all the blood in her body rush to her head, almost bursting her already muddled brain. She immediately jumped up and screamed, "What undergarment? When did granddaughter ever give him an undergarment? Old Ancestor, he's framing me! I've only met him once in private and exchanged a few words with him. I've never given him anything! "
She suddenly thought of something and revealed an expression of relief. She stepped forward and hugged the Old Lady's legs. She hurriedly said, "Yu Xiang was also there that night. Yu Xiang knows best what happened between Fang Zhichen and I. Old Ancestor, you'll know if you call Yu Xiang over and ask her. Get someone to call her over! "
She did prepare a keepsake for Fang Zhichen that night, but it was a high-quality jade pendant, not an undergarment. If Yu Xiang hadn't appeared in time, she would have given it away. Now that she thought about it, it was really a blessing in disguise. There was only one thing, and that was that Yu Xiang had to tell the truth!
Thinking of this, Yu Siyu's heart, which had just been relieved, was lifted high again. She regretted always going against Yu Xiang. If she held a grudge against her, she could've knocked her down the abyss with just a few words.
The Old Lady kicked her away and coldly snorted, "Why did you call Xiang'er over? To sully her ears? Do you think there aren't enough people who know about your scandals?! "
Yu Siyu fell to the ground, her heart dead. She didn't expect the sound of a wheelchair turning outside the door, followed by a clear voice. "Xiang'er came uninvited. Please forgive her, Old Ancestor."
She was pushed to the Old Lady by two strong women. She didn't mix any personal feelings with her statement. "Since older sister asked me to be a witness, I'll be a witness. That night, older sister only exchanged a few words with Fang Zhichen and didn't exchange any keepsakes. As for the private pledge of marriage, it was a bit interesting, but I happened to interrupt, so it didn't happen. Fang Zhichen's actions are to ruin older sister's reputation in order to get close to the Marquis Family. His actions are despicable. Old Ancestor, you mustn't let older sister marry such a person. "
Yu Siyu was stunned. She didn't expect Yu Xiang to speak up for her.
Yu Miaoqi pinched the Lin Clan. The Lin Clan seemed to wake up from a dream and slowly said, "But now that things have gotten out of hand, if we don't let Siyu marry him, how are we going to deal with it? Are we really going to kill that mother and son? The entire capital has its eyes on the Marquis Family. If something happens to them, won't Yan'er be attacked by the imperial censors? Not only can we not touch them now, we have to protect them and resolve this matter in the shortest time possible. As for whether Siyu is innocent or not, there's no point in arguing about it now. "
The Lin Clan's words were very reasonable. The Old Lady revealed a thoughtful expression. Yu Xiang also didn't speak. Only Yu Siyu's increasingly rapid breathing could be heard in the hall.
She went forward on her knees and struggled desperately, "No, Old Ancestor, you can't let your granddaughter marry him! Don't forget, your granddaughter just got engaged and has a husband's family. My husband's family is also related to you by marriage. How are you going to explain this to them? "
Just as she said this, Wan Qiu came in with a small booklet. He stuttered as he reported, "The Old Lady, the Li family returned Eldest Miss's marriage certificate and engagement letter. They said … they said that they didn't dare to accept such a daughter-in-law for fear of tarnishing their family's reputation."
Yu Siyu felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She was completely speechless. She was like a dying fish that had sunk into the mudflat, desperately puffing out her chest in an attempt to find a way to survive.
Suddenly, a series of light laughter sounded. It was Yu Xiang's merciless ridicule that cut her into pieces. She regretted her past actions. "Look at older sister's taste. The first one is despicable and shameless, and the second one is treacherous, kicking a person when he's down. I already told you not to be blinded by the riches in front of you. Why didn't you listen? Today's ending is also because of older sister's own doing. Pitiful, sad, but also hateful … "