A life of leisure is worse than a life of flowers and splendour

Before Du Shuangshuang could figure out how to cancel the engagement, the eldest prince arrived at the general's mansion.

Du Shuangshuang was familiar with this plot. He must have come to cancel the engagement. The eldest prince had not taken the initiative to visit the general's mansion since Du Wushuang's father disappeared.

Du Shuangshuang wondered what excuse the other party had used to break off the engagement. They'd just fallen into trouble recently, so it seemed like nothing had happened. He had, however, plotted against the original owner before, wanting her to lose her virginity. So, he was planning to break off the engagement and kill her in the process. While the Great Xia Kingdom wasn't particularly feudal, women were allowed to go out, and even men and women could participate in activities together, like poetry gatherings, outings, and travel. As long as they weren't alone in the same room, no one would say anything. But losing one's virginity before marriage was a serious matter. Even if it didn't result in public execution, many people, concerned about the family's reputation, would force a woman to commit suicide.

Du Shuangshuang couldn't recall what excuse the other party would use this time, but no matter what, she was eager to cancel the engagement. However, she thought her grandfather would be very angry, and Du Shuangshuang was afraid that he would consider Du Wushuang's feelings and insist on not breaking off the engagement, so she hurriedly called the maid.

"Fanhua, go ahead and see if the eldest prince is here to break off the engagement..."

Before Du Shuangshuang finished speaking, Fanhua and Jinxiu burst into tears. Fanhua said, "Miss, no, no, the old general will definitely not agree. Miss has done nothing wrong, there is no reason for them to cancel the engagement."

Jinxiu seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Du Shuangshuang rolled her eyes inwardly as she heard this. "I can't wait to cancel the engagement, okay?" Perhaps it was because Du Wushuang was such a good actress, even her personal maid believed she loved the eldest prince to death. She tried to impress others with her sincerity, but ended up deceiving herself. "Stop, stop, stop. Listen to me first. If he comes to cancel the engagement, tell Grandpa you agreed."

"Miss, don't be angry. You have endured so much. You can get married in two more years. Don't give up now." Fanhua hurriedly advised.

Du Shuangshuang was very angry. She was almost dead, and she was still trying to convince herself, "Who is the lady? Do you want me to go and tell her in person?"

Jinxiu hurriedly said, "Miss, I'll go right away." Fanhua wanted to hold Jinxiu back, but Jinxiu pushed her away.

Du Shuangshuang looked at Fanhua in confusion. She didn't know if this person really loved her or had some other ulterior motives, but Du Shuangshuang didn't delve into it. Jinxiu had advised her before that the eldest prince was not suitable for her and had been neglected by her for a long time. Later, she never dared to mention it in front of her again. But Fanhua kept telling her that it was for the General's Mansion and for the glory in the future. The eldest prince would most likely inherit the throne in the future, and if she married him she would be the principal wife and would bring so much to the family in the future. Whether the General's Mansion could restore its former glory depended on her. So Du Wushuang was brainwashed by her, right? Mainly because she had seen the former glory of the General's Mansion and watched it decline bit by bit, Du Wushuang herself was probably unwilling to accept it, so she vowed to grab this life-saving straw at all costs.

After drinking a bowl of bird's nest porridge, Du Shuangshuang closed her eyes and prepared to rest. As for what was happening in the front hall, Du Shuangshuang didn't care. She was only responsible for expressing her own thoughts, and left the rest to her grandfather. He would not let his granddaughter suffer any loss. The engagement would definitely be called off, but they would have to pay a price anyway. Du Shuangshuang fell asleep peacefully.

In stark contrast to the tranquility and peace in her own boudoir, the atmosphere in the front hall was tense and explosive.

"Oh, if you fall into the water while playing, your reputation will be ruined? When did this saying come about? People fall into the water every year, and it's not just our Shuang'er. This is ridiculous!" The old general said angrily.

"But I will never accept such a wife, unless Du Wushuang is willing to be a concubine!"

"You use this as an excuse and still want Shuang'er to be your concubine. I will never agree. The imperial decree granting the marriage is still here. I want to see who dares to disobey it!" If you have the guts, then disobey the decree. You're done for if I can't deal with you.

"Hey, hey, hey, stop arguing, our marriage is to bring about good relations between two families, there is really no need to make such a fuss, Old Du, please don't be offended by what I have to say. If the young couple is not in harmony, why force it? I have watched Shuang'er grow up, and this child is indeed not a good match for the eldest prince. You two should discuss it and resolve the matter amicably." Marquis Mu, who came with them, was busy trying to smooth things over. In the beginning, the two families had asked Marquis Mu to be the middleman when they got married, and now naturally he had to step in if they wanted to cancel the engagement.

It stands to reason that since the emperor has granted the marriage, the middleman can be invited only when the woman reaches the age of 15 and is ready to go through the marriage procedure. However, in order to express her sincerity, the eldest prince's mother, Concubine Qing, immediately found a middleman to exchange engagement tokens between the two parties and conduct the engagement ceremony.

At this moment, a little maid came running over. It was Jinxiu, who had come to deliver the message. She saluted, then approached the old general and whispered softly, in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Old General, our young lady asked me to tell you that she agrees to cancel the engagement."

"Okay, I understand. You can leave now." The old general waved his hand to let her leave.

After hearing what the maid said, the old general finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling incredibly relieved. Shuang'er had finally figured it out. He no longer had any previous concerns, and fearlessly declared, "If you want to cancel the engagement, fine! But you must show sufficient sincerity. If anyone attempts to slander my granddaughter with cunning tactics, I will not give up. Let's see who can hold out to the end! If anyone else dares to wantonly throw dirty water on my granddaughter, I will not care about my dignity and will definitely beat them to the door. Then, no one will end up well!" These sharp and righteous words shocked everyone present.

The eldest prince was furious, his face turning green. Who had slandered her? Who was so treacherous and cunning? It was clearly your granddaughter's fault, yet she still wanted to cling to him. But he didn't dare to say anything. The other party had finally relented. Didn't they just want some compensation? He would just give it. As long as he could marry his beloved Xue'er legitimately, he would be willing to pay her, even if it meant a beating.

"Wait, I will come tomorrow, no, in a moment, to cancel the engagement with my sincerity. I hope you will do what you say!" The eldest prince was relieved to be able to get rid of them with some money. After that, he could live happily with Ruxue.

The eldest prince came with genuine sincerity, bringing not only two boxes of gold, silver, and jewelry, but also two hundred-acre farms in the suburbs of Beijing, and two shops in the capital. Of course, he hadn't offered so much at first; he was forced to give it away piece by piece by General Du. Of course, the eldest prince had also made preparations in advance, ready to spend heavily if he could break off the engagement.

He wanted to break off the engagement with their family and hurt her granddaughter so badly. How could she get rid of the resentment in her heart without exposing him to the truth?

After General Du nodded in satisfaction, the eldest prince, unable to contain his inner anxiety, hurriedly grabbed the old general and headed to the palace to meet the emperor and request the cancellation of the engagement. The emperor, seemingly anticipating this, agreed without hesitation without even a word. It was clear that the emperor had been eagerly awaiting this moment, and even pretending to be so wasted seemed unnecessary.

Indeed, ever since General Du's disappearance and the subsequent surrender of his military power by General Du, and the continued stability of the Great Xia Kingdom's borders, the Du family has become of little use to the Emperor. If General Du hadn't been tactful and voluntarily surrendered his military power early on, it's doubtful whether the Du family would still exist. The saying goes, "When the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked." This is the Situ family's long-standing tradition. Even if General Du and the retired Emperor had a life-or-death friendship, what good would it do? The retired Emperor is no longer with us.