The cousin's family is extremely wealthy; she deserves to be a concubine.

Perhaps it was a time of new beginnings for the new year, but on the 20th day of the first lunar month, the Marquis of Chengyi's family sent a matchmaker to the Marquis's residence to propose marriage.

Young Master Li and He Si officially got engaged.

But the fourth daughter is only fifteen this year, and the wedding date has already been set for next spring.

Coincidentally, the next day, the Xin family also brought a matchmaker to the Marquis's residence to ask Madam Zhan for a wedding date.

The implication was that they wanted to choose the first day of the second lunar month so that the Xin family could have a new addition to the family as soon as possible.

He Er was only the second daughter of a concubine, and the man she married was from the poor Xin family, so it was very simple for her to prepare her dowry and other items.

Even if He Zhihuan remarried three days later, Madam Zhan didn't care.

However, Madam Zhan still had some pride. "You don't know this, but on the first day of the second lunar month, one of our cousins ​​also chose this auspicious day to get married."

If we marry them all at once, I'm afraid our household won't be able to handle it all.

Of course, these were just polite words. After all, Hua Sirong was just a cousin, and she had no acquaintances in the capital except for the Hou family, the Shen family, and the Jiang family.

Her wedding banquet probably wouldn't even compare to a flower-viewing banquet at the Marquis's mansion, which required so much effort and time.

However, the real reason was something that Mr. Zhan was reluctant to say directly.

However, He Zhihuan suddenly walked in from outside, bowed to Madam Zhan and Madam Xin respectively, and readily agreed.

“Mother, I am willing to get married on the same day as Rong’er.”

If it weren't for Mrs. Zhan's good manners, she probably would have stormed off on the spot.

But this is the Marquis's residence, the territory of the Zhan family. Why should she leave?

She caught a glimpse of Xin's mother's smug expression and looked at He Zhihuan with a forced smile, "You're still young, you don't understand how troublesome marriage is."

Huan-jie, be good.

"Let's pick a better day later." After saying that, he looked at Xin's mother and the others.

“My dear in-law, if you ask me, it won’t make a difference if we have another person in the family in a few days. Besides, the weather will be warmer, so the bride will suffer less on her wedding day.”

"We've both been through this, so we should know more than these young people."

However, Xin's mother did not follow the advice; instead, she said in a sarcastic tone,

"My son is marrying a young lady from your Marquis's mansion. How come, from what I hear from you, my dear in-law, you mean to give up a proper young lady to a cousin who is living under someone else's roof?"

"How could a country bumpkin like me not understand this principle?"

Madam Zhan suppressed her temper. If it weren't for the reputation of the Marquis's mansion, she would have readily agreed and let them do whatever they wanted!

She'll see whose face she'll lose then!

Seeing He Zhihuan's tearful expression, Madam Zhan pressed her throbbing forehead and said, "I'll say a few words to Huan'er. You two have some pastries first."

Using subtle force, Madam Zhan pulled He Zhihuan to the side hall, leaving Madam Xin to reach into the various pastries on the coffee table next to her.

Xin Yucheng wanted to stop his mother's shameful behavior, but with many maids and servants from the second branch of the family standing nearby, he could only give his mother a meaningful look.

Unfortunately, since Mother Xin rarely gets to eat such exquisite food, she has no time to play the game of telepathy with her son.

In the side hall, Madam Zhan's face darkened. "Huan'er, marriage is a major life event, a matter of parental consent and matchmaker's word. You are a young lady from a humble family; who allowed you to appear in the reception room?"

He Zhihuan quickly apologized, her words revealing deep grievance.

Madam Zhan was furious. She went straight to the heart of the matter, saying, "If the Jiang family hadn't already agreed on the first day of the second lunar month, and the Xin family hadn't requested the date today, I wouldn't have objected."

He Zhihuan looked up in surprise, thinking to herself, could it be that her stepmother really wanted her, a noble lady of a marquis's mansion, to give way to an orphan girl who was living under someone else's roof, just as Xin's mother said?

He Zhihuan was young, and she didn't try to hide her expression. Zhan Shi could tell what she was thinking with just a glance.

Madam Zhan chuckled, but was too lazy to offer any further instruction. "A few days ago, the betrothal gifts from the Jiang family, while not as extravagant as those from noble families, were not far off."

The Chiang family was kind and generous, providing everything one could need.

Rongjie also received a hundred sets of dowry prepared by Master Jiang, which were delivered to our Marquis's residence along with the betrothal gifts on the same day.

Even though you didn't see it with your own eyes, you must have heard about it.

He Zhihuan's eyes widened, and for some unknown reason, her face suddenly turned red. She dared not look up at anyone anymore, and her hands, hidden in her sleeves, trembled slightly.

Madam Zhan glanced at He Zhihuan and continued to hum, "You are the second wife's illegitimate daughter. To put it nicely, you are a daughter of the Marquis's family who has been married off."

To put it bluntly, we separated from the main branch of the family a long time ago. The public funds will contribute part of your dowry, but that's just a formality and certainly won't be much.

I've never hidden the situation of our second branch of the family from you illegitimate children.

Whether you have money or not, you know the answer in your hearts.

"Given the family you married into, I won't be unreasonable about what you deserve. But as your stepmother, there's nothing more I can do."

"As for what your aunt or your father might want to give you privately, I don't care or ask about it."

“However, I don’t think your dowry and betrothal gifts can compare to Rong’er’s. If you still insist on getting married on the same day as her, I will not object anymore.”

"As long as you don't feel ashamed."

After hearing Zhan's candid confession, He Zhihuan felt utterly ashamed.

But she had just agreed to the wedding date in front of the Xin family mother and son. If she changed her mind now, she was worried that she would have a hard time after moving to her husband's family.

Seeing that He Zhihuan hadn't made a sound for a long time, Madam Zhan knew what she was planning.

Although she was annoyed by her lack of ambition, she had called her "mother" for so many years, so Madam Zhan said, "I'll go and tell them that the wedding will be postponed, and you don't need to go to the reception room anymore."

Just as Ms. Zhan was about to push open the door and leave, He Zhihuan suddenly called out to her.

“My mother meant well, but I am going to have to let her down. But after much consideration, I still can’t bear to go against the Xin family’s wishes.”

Mrs. Zhan stopped, tilted her head slightly, and said with a cold look in her eyes, "Is that so?"

"In that case, come with me to the reception room. It's good for you to hear about your own affairs." So that you won't complain about her, your stepmother, not doing her best in the future.

He Zhihuan wiped away her tears and expressed her grievances, "Mother, I know you did it for my own good."

But...but I'm not particularly attractive, and I've been jilted before. If I go back on my word today, how will I live after I go to the Xin family?"

She even growled in a hoarse voice, "Mother, it's hard for me too."

However, Zhan did not empathize with He Zhihuan, saying, "I have nothing more to teach you, except one last piece of advice."

“You are a young lady of the Marquis’s mansion. Even if you are born out of wedlock to the second branch of the family, you were still raised with the utmost care and privilege in the Marquis’s mansion.”

He Zhihuan was too ashamed to go to the reception room again, but Madam Zhan granted her wish and agreed to the Xin family setting the wedding date for the first day of the second lunar month.