Duke Jing's younger sister

Early the next morning, before Shen Li got up, Doctor Jiang came to Qinghui Courtyard carrying a medicine box.

I slept late last night and was frightened in the palace. I even dreamed that I was being chased by a snake. I was restless and couldn't sleep well. When I was about to stay in bed for a while in the morning, I heard Ziyuan say that the doctor of the Jiang Mansion was outside the courtyard.

Upon hearing this, Shen Li immediately stood up despite the headache, straightened her clothes, and then told Xingping to invite her in.

The redness and swelling on her cheeks subsided a little, not as horrible as last night, but because Shen Li's skin was white, the marks of being beaten were still clearly visible.

"Get some ice and apply it to the wound during the day. Apply this ointment to the wound before going to bed at night. You will be fine tomorrow."

Doctor Jiang raised his hand and placed a white porcelain medicine jar in Xingping's palm.

Shen Li nodded in thanks, "Thank you, Doctor Jiang."

But Doctor Jiang had no intention of leaving. Instead, he asked Xingping to squat down, lift up Shen Li's skirt, and take a look at the injury on her knee.

Shen Li was stunned for a moment before she realized that the person who ordered Jiang Mansion Doctor to come early in the morning was actually Shen Beiqi.

She originally thought that Yang saw the wound on her face and was afraid that she would not be able to attend the betrothal ceremony tomorrow, so she ordered the Jiang family doctor to come and treat her.

She did not tell anyone about the fall she had suffered when being chased by the eunuchs last night. It was Shen Beiqi who carefully discovered the wound on her palm and noticed her moon-white dress stained with dust.

Since Doctor Jiang knew that she had an injury on her knee, he must have been told by someone, but it definitely wasn't Yang, because Yang didn't notice the traces of falling on her clothes.

He is always so attentive and looks cold and difficult to approach, but only those who are familiar with him know how soft-hearted he is.

Shen Li lowered her eyelids, and a smile appeared on the corner of her mouth.

The knee was not broken, but just a little bruised. Doctor Jiang left a bottle of blood-removing and blood-stasis-dissolving medicinal oil and left.

Speaking of tomorrow's betrothal ceremony, Xingping became very angry, pouting and looking unhappy. After being depressed for a while, she finally came up with a solution.

"Girl, why don't you run away from marriage?"

Shen Li, who was drinking tea, almost choked. She looked at Xing Ping in surprise and said with a smile,

"Silly girl, in life, you will always encounter various problems. How can you hide when you encounter problems or run away when you encounter difficulties? Besides, I am not yet at the point where I need to run away from marriage."

In the city of Jiangdu, there have been women who have escaped from marriage, but how many of them have actually escaped?

If Shen Beiqi had not stood up for her, she would have listened to Yang and married into the Gu family. No matter how bad Gu Nanxiao was, he was of the same age as her, and she would have been the principal wife after she married him.

Most of the women who failed to escape marriage were illegitimate daughters of the family. They were either sent by their mistresses to be concubines of high-ranking officials or given to men older than their fathers as second wives.

Life is born unfair. If you always compare yourself with those who are better than you, aren't you just asking for trouble and suffering?

If you really want to compare, you should compare yourself with others. This way you will find that you are not actually at the worst point. You can also find a little comfort in the predicament and feel that the days to come will not be too difficult.

“Isn’t this a desperate situation?”

Xing Ping was filled with indignation and said anxiously, "Tomorrow the betrothal gifts will be brought into the mansion, and your marriage with the Gu family can no longer be changed!"

"Maybe there is a god who will protect me and help me through this difficult time?" Shen Li said calmly with his eyes lowered.

Xingping was speechless for a moment. The girl once said that people would place their hopes on Bodhisattva only when they are powerless.

Now, even the girl has begun to pray to God for help, which shows that there is really no room for turning around in this matter!

Think about it, even if the girl really escaped from the marriage, where could she go?

How can a weak woman, with a beautiful appearance and no one to rely on, survive in this cannibalistic world?

Xingping sighed secretly, thinking that although Gu Nanxiao was not a good person, the Gu family was an excellent place to be. At least the girl would never have to suffer any grievances after marrying there.

She just felt extremely sad. The girl was just pretending to be indifferent on the surface, but she was still very sad in her heart. She shouldn't have said too much and made the girl more sad.

Ziyuan went to the kitchen to get some ice. Xingping calmed down and went over to apply ice to the wound on Shen Li's face.

In the afternoon, Nanny Qin sent a rose-red silk flowered dress. The material of the dress was excellent and it felt delicate and smooth to the touch.

Nanny Qin gave her a few cold instructions, saying that Yang had made this dress especially for her in preparation for tomorrow's betrothal gift, and asked her to wear it to meet guests tomorrow.

After seeing off Nanny Qin, Shen Li sat quietly by the window reading a book. While everyone in the Shen residence was busy, Qinghui Courtyard was peaceful.

The time for Gu's family to pay the betrothal gift was set at 9:00 p.m. Before daybreak, Yang got up in a hurry to prepare for the arrangements.

Although she is an adopted daughter, Shen Li's name has already been recorded in the Shen family tree, and she is no different from a biological daughter.

According to the rules, before a girl in the clan accepts marriage or gets married, she must first go to the ancestral temple to kowtow to her ancestors and inform them of their wishes.

Shen Li brought Zi Yuan with her, wearing the rose-red silk flowered dress that Yang had sent her yesterday, turned around the garden path, and walked along the corridor towards the ancestral hall.

The wind blew through the corridor, blowing her wide rose-red sleeves. She lifted the hem of her skirt with her hands and just as she stepped onto the steps, Ren Jiaorui came towards her with her maid.

Seeing her from afar, Ren Jiaorui gave her a malicious smile, and when she came closer, she stared at her intently.

He hasn't made any progress in all these years. Every time he wants to cause trouble, he has this expression that makes him look like he deserves a beating.

Shen Li didn't want to get entangled with him, so she bowed slightly and walked past him, then continued walking forward.

There was a sneer from behind, and Ren Jiaorui said sarcastically, "Why are you running so fast, third sister? Cousin, I have something else to say to you."

Shen Li paused, turned around, and said indifferently: "Cousin, what advice do you have?"

Ren Jiaorui took two steps closer and said with a smile, "I haven't congratulated my sister yet on finding a good husband. Today is the day to celebrate the betrothal."

Shen Li retracted her gaze and said coldly, "Thank you, cousin. I still have to go to the ancestral hall to worship my ancestors, so I won't chat with you anymore."

She raised her foot to leave, but Ren Jiaorui stopped her and said, "Why, today is a happy day, but you seem unhappy?"

Shen Li watched coldly, while Ren Jiaorui smiled brightly, as if it was her, not Shen Li, who was going to perform the betrothal gift.

"My dear sister, you are so lucky. I envy you so much. The young master of the Gu family is handsome, talented, and his family is so wealthy. If you have financial difficulties in the future, I hope you can remember our past friendship and help me a little."

Shen Li curled the corners of his lips when he heard this. Handsome, elegant, and talented?

This was a roundabout way of saying that Gu Nanxiao was ugly and vulgar, and of mediocre talent, and it was also a subtle mockery of the Gu family she was going to marry into, saying that they were the lowest class of merchant family.

Now only she and her brother knew that the marriage had failed. Although it didn't sound painful, there was no reason to just laugh it off when someone else came to cause trouble.

"What my cousin said is absolutely right."