The sickly son died young? After the marriage exchange, I will bring prosperity to his entire clan f

"I want to find out who's behind this. I want to find this person as soon as possible and kill him." Du Mingxian truly hated the person who disrupted her peaceful life.

Ling Silang understood her heartache, especially when he saw the scars on her face. He felt a pang of heartache and gently took her hand. "We'll find out eventually, don't worry."

"Ok, I know."

The two talked for a while longer before Du Mingxian quietly left.

The next day, Du Mingxian was so bored in her courtyard that she was practically growing moss when Chuntao brought news: "Miss, the master requests your presence in the front courtyard. Master Qi has arrived."

Du Mingxian's heart skipped a beat. Ling Silang had arrived. Was he here to discuss marriage?

"Lord Qi?" She pretended not to have reacted.

Chun Tao explained, "It's the one that the second young lady has her eye on. The marriage between the Wen and Feng families has already been arranged, and Wen Shiyan can't marry into that family. Lord Qi has to give us an explanation."

"Okay, let me see."

"Miss, aren't you going to tidy up?"

Du Mingxian glanced at her casual attire and simply raised her hand, "Do I need to tidy myself up like this?"

Chuntao shook her head awkwardly, "No, that's not necessary."

Du Mingxian went straight to the main hall in the front courtyard and, sure enough, saw Ling Silang talking with Lord Wen and Wen Yibin.

"Father, Uncle."

Lord Wen was very pleased to see her poised and elegant demeanor. "This is Lord Qi, the third-ranked scholar of this year."

Du Mingxian glanced at him briefly, gave a simple bow, and then went to wait behind a screen.

"Lord Qi, you came here before to arrange the marriage for my second daughter. Now... as you should know about the marriage agreement between the Wen and Feng families, there has been a slight mishap. Now the marriage may need to be changed. I wonder what Lord Qi thinks?"

First they called people over, then they said they wanted to arrange a marriage exchange; anyone can understand that.

Ling Silang hesitated slightly, “Lord Wen, this matter is not a big deal, but there are rumors that the eldest daughter of the Wen family has always covered her face with a veil because she is ugly, and now it seems to be true.”

Lord Wen naturally knew, “My daughter’s face was injured before, but there are excellent ointments in the palace now. I will go and find some. It’s not a difficult task.”

Ling Silang still looked troubled.

At this moment, Du Mingxian, who was behind the screen, spoke up, "Father, I do not wish to marry."

Lord Wen was surprised that Du Mingxian would speak up at this moment, "Shut up."

Du Mingxian could only keep quiet, but she was secretly overjoyed.

Wen Yibin then said, "Huan'er, you should go back to your own courtyard first."

"Yes."

After Du Mingxian left, Wen Yibin said to Lord Wen, "Brother, you go ahead and take care of your business. I'll have a chat with Qi Ji."

Lord Wen has left. There was no need for him to get involved in this kind of thing. It was only because it was a scandal involving the Wen family that he was willing to step in and mediate. He didn't expect that Qi Ji would be so ungrateful.

With only two people left in the main hall, Ling Silang slowly spoke, "This is because there is no one else in my Qi family, so the chosen person can be changed at will."

These words were filled with grievance. Wen Yibin gently comforted him, "You should have heard about these things. They are all coincidences. There's nothing we can do now. If there were any other way, we wouldn't be telling you all this."

Ling Silang didn't respond, looking like he was unwilling.

"Don't worry about the injury on my niece's face. We will find the best ointment for her. She has a good personality, cooks well, and is perfect for you in every way."

If it weren't for the fact that they are from the Zhenwen family, they would actually be a good candidate.

Ling Silang simply wouldn't respond, so Wen Yibin could only try to persuade him patiently. After much persuasion, he finally got Ling Silang to nod.

After the two finished their conversation, Ling Silang got up to say goodbye and left.

He left through the main gate, and just then, Cheng Jinyun and Cheng Jinduo's carriage arrived at the main gate, and that's how they met.

Ling Silang didn't linger at all, and left without even glancing to the side. Cheng Jinyun, however, took a look. She had seen him from a high vantage point in the restaurant before, and now seeing him up close, she realized that this third-ranked scholar was indeed handsome.

Cheng Jinduo, without any guile, said, "Sister, this guy is so handsome! This is the third-ranked scholar that my cousin has her eye on. He's so good-looking. I wish I were older."

"Do you still want to marry him?" Cheng Jinyun asked casually.

Cheng Jinduo immediately nodded, "Of course I want to marry him, sister. Think about it, he's a real talent. His talent is the best this year, and his career prospects are limitless. He'll be able to hold a high position in the future. The woman who marries him will definitely be happy."

Cheng Jinyun knew this made sense, but she still reminded him, "You should know your father's plans."

"Sister, I don't want to marry into the royal family. What's so good about it?" Cheng Jinduo complained softly. "Sister, don't you think about it? Which royal family is clean? It's all about fighting to the death. Very few survive to the end, and many die young."

"But for ordinary people, the backyard is much simpler. Lady Qi has no parents or brothers and sisters. She is all alone. If she marries into the family, she can be the head of the household. Isn't that great?"

"From now on, I can live my life however I want. This Lord Qi is intelligent, so I'm sure things won't be bad. If not, I should ask my great-aunt if she can keep this man for me."

Cheng Jinduo's words were well said, and Cheng Jinyun took them to heart. However, she still didn't forget to remind him, "Don't forget how old you are now. It's impossible for you to be the legal wife, but remarriage might be possible."

"I don't want to be a second wife." Cheng Jinduo was quite indignant. "My cousin is also stupid. She finally found someone she liked, and he's so good. But now she has to marry Feng Zhiyuan, which is a waste of money for that guy she brought back from the countryside."

Cheng Jinyun didn't say anything more, her mind preoccupied with Cheng Jinduo's words.

Each of the princes had their own merits, and the Cheng family's status was not very high. Naturally, if they entered the princes' harems, they could only start from the lowest rank.

If I'm lucky enough to give birth to a grandson of the emperor soon, maybe I'll still have some hope for the future.

But how many of the emperor's grandsons were able to grow up safely?

How many women who gave birth to imperial grandchildren actually survived? Many were harmed by those in high positions, who then took the children away to raise them themselves.

Cheng Jinyun hadn't been too opposed to entering the prince's harem before, and even looked forward to it a bit. But now that Cheng Jinduo had said it like this, she really felt that marrying Lord Qi was a good choice.

If she could take advantage of this opportunity to marry Lord Qi directly, she wouldn't have to follow her family's arrangements and enter the prince's residence.

The Cheng family has always relied on the Wen family. Only the great-aunt was willing to step in, so this matter was not difficult.

Thinking this, she and her sister made their way to Madam Wen's courtyard.

Madam Wen instructed them to go directly to learn etiquette and not to come and pay their respects to her.