bookrebus Chapter 1: Marriage Exchange
Chapter 1: Marriage Exchange
It was the height of summer, the weather was scorching, and the cicadas outside were so noisy that they made one's heart race.
Since waking up that morning, Shen Ruyin's right eyelid had been twitching incessantly. Suspecting that something was about to happen, she sent her maid Qingzhi outside to inquire about the situation.
Just before lunchtime, Qingzhi's anxious voice suddenly rang out from outside.
"Girl, girl, something terrible has happened, girl!"
Strangely enough, from the moment she heard Qingzhi's voice, her right eyelid stopped twitching completely, while her left eyelid started twitching.
"What are you shouting about? The girl is perfectly fine inside the house, there's nothing wrong with her."
Another head maid, Qingluo, quickly went out to stop Qingzhi and brought her into the room.
Shen Ruyin rubbed her left eyelid and asked Qingzhi, "What happened? Why were you shouting in the yard?"
Qingzhi opened her mouth, but then found it difficult to say anything.
“What can’t be said in front of a young lady?” Qingluo urged her. “No matter what it is, the young lady should know first.”
“This… Miss, this servant, this servant,” Qingzhi stammered, “This servant heard that the second young lady has taken a fancy to Scholar Liu and has gone to find the Earl and his wife to arrange a marriage.”
coming.
Upon hearing this, Shen Ruyin's eyes lit up, and she felt as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her heart, the feeling of being weighed down by something disappearing.
"What!" Qingluo couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Second Miss clearly already has a good match with the Third Young Master of Anping Marquis, how could she suddenly take a fancy to Scholar Liu?"
“That’s right,” Qingzhi glanced at Shen Ruyin furtively, “Didn’t the Lord say that Scholar Liu was chosen for our young lady?”
"Alright," Shen Ruyin interrupted Qingluo, "keep this matter to yourself from now on, there's no need to mention it again."
"Are you just going to let the Second Miss steal your marriage away, Miss?" Qingluo was quite worried. "The Marquis of Anping's mansion may seem wealthy, but the Third Young Master is still born out of wedlock and doesn't have any ambition. If something happens to the old Marquis of Anping, what will become of him in the future..."
"Young lady, should we hurry up and go ask for help too?"
Shen Ruyin wasn't flustered at all. She had been in this world for so long, and the plot was finally about to begin. If the timing wasn't wrong, she would have quickly thanked all the gods and Buddhas in the world.
However, it's unclear which deity the Shen family worshipped, but they have three illegitimate daughters, two of whom are named characters in the drama "The Scheming Daughter of an Illegitimate Child".
Shen Ruyuan, the eldest daughter of a concubine, was betrothed to the future emperor as a concubine after the imperial selection. She then rose through the ranks of the inner palace and became the Empress Dowager, making her the absolute protagonist.
The second daughter of a concubine, Shen Ruyun, often clashed with the other sisters in the household. She stole the marriage of the third daughter, Shen Ruyin, and followed her husband through the ups and downs of officialdom. In the end, she rose to become a first-rank imperial consort.
The third daughter, Shen Ruyin, who is herself, had her fiancé stolen and was married to the illegitimate son of the Marquis's family. She didn't have many scenes and was mainly brought along as a background character in various places. In the end, after the female lead became the Empress Dowager, she entered the palace to talk with her and reminisce about the past.
Judging from the plot, Shen Ruyin is the least noteworthy of the three Shen family women, but... she lives a long life! Not to mention the first three episodes, as long as nothing goes wrong, she will live to the finale!
More than 30 million!
A small goal is easily achieved, bringing a steady sense of happiness.
Thanks, Newbie World!
At this moment, Shen Ruyin subconsciously put aside her experiences of being tormented by various noble ladies' educations since childhood, cleared her throat, and said, "Asking is certainly a request, but not for the sake of this marriage."
Neither of the two maids understood what he was saying.
“Even if I am a concubine’s daughter, I am still a concubine’s daughter of the Earl’s family. Have you ever seen a daughter of a duke or marquis make such a fuss over a mere scholar?”
After hearing this, Qingzhi thought it made sense, but couldn't help but advise her, "But miss, this is a lifelong matter. What's the big deal about temporarily putting aside your pride for a good marriage?"
"Of course it's important," Shen Ruyin thought to herself. This was a small goal that was practically within her grasp. If she lost it because of this, she would cry her eyes out. Financial freedom was the only thing that mattered; nothing else could get in her way.
"You can't judge a book by its cover. Who knows if someone is genuinely good or just pretending? Besides, my second sister's aunt is favored. The fact that my second sister went to Father and Mother to bring this up so openly means she's sure it will work out. Whether I beg or not, there's no turning back now."
"Wouldn't the girl be wasting her time by begging?"
Shen Ruyin chuckled and shook her head. "How can it be considered useless? On the surface, Mother treats all of us sisters equally and never lets anyone easily get the upper hand. I suffered a loss in this matter, but my second sister rallied my support, so there will definitely be some other compensation."
"You've all seen the difference in dowries between my second sister and me because of the different marriages. Since we're exchanging brides, my dowry should be changed as well."
Upon hearing this, the eyes of both maids lit up.
After a moment's thought, Qingluo couldn't help but get excited. "The master has been very generous with the second young lady's dowry, with the dowry alone amounting to no less than five thousand taels of silver. In addition, there are the good things that Aunt Xu has been secretly and openly taking from the young lady's dowry... If the young lady can get this dowry, even if she and her husband are separated from the Marquis's mansion in the future, they will definitely be able to live well!"
Qingzhi immediately chimed in, "That's right, that's right. Two thousand taels for five thousand taels, there's no better deal than that."
Seeing the two maids' greedy expressions, Shen Ruyin couldn't help but laugh. "So, it's good to ask for things, but you have to ask for them wisely. However, getting them all isn't easy, so you have to think carefully."
In the lives of wealthy and powerful families, men and their affections are all superficial; what truly matters is the dowry that one holds in one's own hands. This is what one can rely on for the rest of one's life, something that no one can take away or move, and which is protected by the law.
“What you say is true, young lady. The third young master comes from a noble family, and even if he is separated from his family, he will still be well-off. I heard that the Liu family has two mothers-in-law, two sisters-in-law and a brother-in-law. There will definitely be a lot of excitement in the future.”
"It seemed alright before, but compared to the Third Young Master, it's not such a good marriage anymore."
"Young lady, when are we going to the main courtyard?"
The two maids stared at her longingly, completely oblivious to the existence of Liu, the scholar.
Shen Ruyin glanced at the sky outside. The sun was so strong that the plants were wilting, and she could almost see the heat waves rolling around.
She quickly looked away, then at the small ice chest in the room, and picked up a round fan to fan herself.
"Let's wait and see. Once things are settled, Mother will definitely send someone to fetch me. If there's still no word before dinner, then it'll be my turn to pay my respects to Mother."
Shen Ruyin spoke with certainty, and neither of the two maids had a shred of doubt.
Shen Ruyin breathed a sigh of relief. This was called patience, and it definitely wasn't that she thought it was too hot outside and didn't want to leave now.
However, things in this world often don't go as planned. About half an hour later, a maid came to the main courtyard to pay her respects.
"Several nice pieces of jewelry have been delivered from the shops outside. Madam invites Third Miss to choose some, as they are suitable for everyday wear."