The concubine's favorite? Break off the engagement and marry another prince, please respect you

Chapter 3

Xie Wanning's grandfather Xie Mingde was the Minister of Justice during his lifetime. He had three sons, two legitimate sons and one illegitimate son.

The eldest son Xie Wen inherited the title and now serves as an official in the court, holding the position of third-rank Minister of the Ministry of Rites. Xie Wan Ning is his eldest daughter.

The second son, Xie Shu, served as the chief academic officer of the Imperial College, and the third son, Xie Guangren, was sent to Xuanzhou as the prefect.

The three brothers all hold high official positions in the court, and the Concubine Shu in the palace is Xie Wan Ning's biological aunt. Looking at the entire capital, the Xuanping Marquis Mansion can be considered a prestigious and powerful family.

When they arrived at Jinxiu Hall, Mother Li at the door saw Xie Wan Ning, bowed slightly and greeted with a smile, then lifted the curtain and welcomed her in.

Zheng was sitting on a soft chair. Seeing her daughter coming in, she was slightly surprised and asked, "Why are you here so early today?"

Xie Wan Ning knelt down and saluted, then said with a smile, "Mother, you haven't had breakfast yet, I want to have breakfast with you."

"You didn't even tell me yesterday, so I didn't prepare any of your favorite sweets." After saying this, Zheng turned around and told the maid beside her to ask the small kitchen to prepare some sweet foods that didn't require much effort.

She took her daughter's hand, looked her up and down, and said, "Are you going to Wuyuan Marquis's Mansion again today? I'm not restricting you, but my son's wedding is coming soon, and it's not a good idea to go to the future husband's house every day."

What girl who is about to get married would not stay in her room embroidering her wedding dress and stay away from home all day?

"Before Lu Ziyan went to Bianzhou, didn't I promise him to go to the Lu family more often to accompany his elders?" Xie Wan Ning whispered, "It's not good to break your promise."

When Zheng mentioned her future son-in-law, her face slightly changed. She asked, "Counting the days, Ziyan has been out suppressing bandits for more than two months. It's almost the wedding date. Has he written to you to let you know when he will be back?"

...letter?
Xie Wan Ning smiled bitterly in her heart, but said on the surface: "I have been here, and I should return to Beijing in the next two days."

In fact, Lu Ziyan would never write to her.

They grew up together and were engaged since childhood. In the early years, he would coax her very patiently. Since his father, brothers, uncles and aunts died in battles one after another when he was twelve years old, he grew up rapidly in that year, from a flamboyant young man in fine clothes and riding a horse to the cold, arrogant and silent person he is today.

He provided support for the women of the Lu family, and he would no longer be the childhood sweetheart who wrote letters to coax her.

From then on, only Xie Wan Ning was chasing after him. No matter where Lu Ziyan went on business or how long he had been away from Beijing, he never wrote to her.

She felt sorry for him because he had to shoulder the heavy pressure of the Lu family, and she never complained to him, let alone got angry with him.

She always thought that they would be a couple who would accompany each other for life. She had to understand him, love him, and not be pampered and ask him to coax her.

Now think about it, is it really true?
The mother and daughter had breakfast together. Zheng gently waved the round fan in one hand and touched her daughter's forehead with the other hand, saying with a smile: "Go quickly, don't keep your future husband's family waiting for a long time. Remember to come back early. If you don't want to sew the wedding dress, at least embroider a few stitches on the veil."

"I know." Xie Wan Ning was not shy. She responded casually and walked out the door.

The customs of this dynasty are open, and there are not many rules for noble ladies to go out. The Xie family does not raise their daughter in a rigid way. Xie Wan Ning has not only learned poetry, books and etiquette since she was young, but also riding, archery and horsemanship. She looked up at the clear sky, gave up the idea of ​​riding in a carriage, and even did not wear a veil, and went out on horseback directly.

Passing by an old pastry shop on Zhuque Street, Xie Wan Ning hesitated for a few moments, but finally got off the horse and went in to buy a few bags of food that the ladies of the Lu family liked.

In any case, the Lu family treated her very well now. The master and servant came out of the pastry shop carrying food boxes. Xie Wan Ning was about to untie the reins and mount the horse. When she looked up, she saw her brother Xie Yanyu talking with a friend at the door of the teahouse opposite. She was slightly startled.

Her eldest brother was a handsome man with an elegant demeanor. He was one of the few handsome men among the aristocratic families in the capital. Even if Lu Ziyan's face was in front of him, he might not be able to compare with him. But how did he make a friend who could vaguely be better than him?

Just a glance from a distance will give you a sense of amazement.

Xie Wan Ning always thought that she was not a superficial person, and her loyalty to Lu Ziyan was only because of their childhood sweetheart feelings, and it had nothing to do with his handsome face which had become more and more like an iceberg in recent years. But when she saw this man at this moment, she was stunned for several breaths.

...When did such a person appear in the capital?

She muttered a few words to herself and quickly looked away, not wanting to disturb them at all. When she was about to mount her horse and leave, she saw Xie Yanyu and his friends coming towards her, obviously having seen her.

Xie Wanning paused as she held the reins, her expression a little stiff.

Xie Yanyu is the eldest son of the Xie family. He has been smart and studious since childhood. Although he was born into a noble family, he did not rely on his family's influence to become an official, but instead took the imperial examination. At the age of seventeen, he was selected as the third place in the imperial examination by the current emperor in the Golden Palace and was given high hopes.

Now that he is in his twenties and still hasn't gotten married, he is truly a popular commodity in the eyes of the ladies of wealthy families. They dream of taking him home to be their son-in-law.

But Xie Wan Ning had a headache about this brother. It was because Xie Yanyu was cold and distant to everyone outside, but he was like an old father to her, his sister. He controlled her even more strictly than his own father, and she was traumatized by his nagging.

Looking at the person who had approached, Xie Wan Ning bowed slightly, forced a dry smile on his face, and said, "What a coincidence, brother doesn't have to be on duty, but he has time to come to the teahouse to hang out."

"Today is the fifteenth."

The first and fifteenth day of each lunar month are days off for officials of this dynasty.

Xie Yanyu glanced at his sister, his eyes fell on the food box held by the maid behind her, his expression slightly relaxed and he said, "You came all the way here to buy it for mother? You are really thoughtful."

"..." Xie Wan Ning choked, somewhat suspecting that he did it on purpose, but she didn't dare to say that it was for the Lu family.

It is estimated that no brother would like his unmarried sister to run to her future husband's house all day long and bring cakes to show his courtesy to her in-laws. What's more, Xie Yanyu values ​​her very much and has protected her since she was a child.

He was even dissatisfied with his brother-in-law Lu Ziyan.

Although the two families were well matched, Lu Ziyan always had a cold face, and people couldn't see his affection at all. Anyone who looked at him could only see that Xie Wan Ning was more eager for this marriage.

...and that seems to be the case.

She stammered and refused to say anything. Xie Yanyu must have known this. His eyes suddenly darkened. He opened his mouth to say something to his sister, but he was concerned about the presence of outsiders. In the end, he just shook his head and said, "Remember to wear a veil when you go out on horseback next time."

"Why?" Xie Wanning frowned and asked in surprise, "Brother, are you really too pedantic? It's ok that you nag me about this and that every day, but now you even have to cover your face?"

(End of this chapter)