Chapter 534
Chapter 534
"Prince An, my sister didn't have to settle for marrying into your Li family because she couldn't find anyone else!" Wen Zhaonan sat down, pointing at Xu Heming with an angry huff.
"Brother, what nonsense are you talking about?" Wen Xiu blushed, flustered and embarrassed, glancing at Li Zhiwei with an apologetic look on her face.
Wen Xiu thought about Jiang Yuanrang's attitude earlier and felt a pang of bitterness in her heart. Was he looking down on her?
"General Wen, Sister Wen Xiu, please don't be angry. Let's sit down and talk about this slowly." Li Zhiwei also felt awkward. What a mess this had turned into.
If she had known, she wouldn't have invited them over at this time.
With that thought, Li Zhiwei looked at Xu Heming, who remained calm and composed, and signaled him with her eyes—shouldn't he fix this?
"Alright, don't worry. Brother will be here soon." Xu Heming simply patted Li Zhiwei's hand reassuringly.
"Prince An, you're the one who proposed playing matchmaker in the first place. Now, you're the ones saying no. Aren't you trying to slap both me and my sister in the face? If you didn't agree with it, there was no need to pretend to offer in the first place, was there?" The angrier Wen Zhaonan grew, the more worked up he became.
He felt that Prince An was simply toying with him.
"Brother!" Wen Xiu felt helpless. She was upset too, but right now, with Li Zhiwei and Prince An present, she just wished she could crawl into a hole in the ground.
She was still mindful of her friendship with Li Zhiwei and didn't want to blow things out of proportion.
After all, nothing had been said openly. Even if Jiang Yuanrang didn't think much of her, at most she could just pretend it never happened.
She would bury this matter deep in her heart.
But if her brother exposed everything today, then whether it was her, Li Zhiwei, or that young Master Li—anytime they met in the future, it would inevitably be awkward.
How was she supposed to continue interacting with Li Zhiwei then?
At that moment, Jiang Yuanrang was in the courtyard, quietly packing his belongings. Seeing Qingyue return, Jiang Yuanrang furrowed his brow.
He knew his sister meant well, but how could his status possibly be worthy of Miss Wen?
"Eldest Young Master, my mistress, the Princess, requests that you come over at once." Qingyue said respectfully to Jiang Yuanrang.
"I'll go find her shortly." Jiang Yuanrang didn't stop what he was doing but answered seriously.
"Eldest Young Master, please go now. The Princess has important matters to discuss with you." Seeing that Jiang Yuanrang hadn't moved, Qingyue urged him anxiously.
"I understand. I'll go once I'm done packing."
"Eldest Young Master, the Prince and Princess are still waiting for you in the courtyard. You can pack when you come back, or I can help you pack." Qingyue said, reaching out as if to take the items from Jiang Yuanrang's hands.
Jiang Yuanrang let out a sigh. Although he didn't want to face his sister and brother-in-law's questioning, he knew he couldn't avoid it.
Fine, he might as well lay everything out in the open and make things clear.
So Jiang Yuanrang put down his things and followed Qingyue to the pavilion.
From a distance, Jiang Yuanrang saw a burly man sitting opposite Xu Heming.
It occurred to him that he might have misjudged Li Zhiwei and Xu Heming—maybe they really did have business with him. He quickened his pace.
But when he got closer to the pavilion, he saw Wen Xiu sitting beside Wen Zhaonan, her eyes red, looking like a frightened rabbit that had been wronged.
Hearing the commotion, Wen Xiu looked up and happened to meet Jiang Yuanrang's gaze. She started, then quickly lowered her head again, feeling both hurt and annoyed.
Wen Xiu thought Jiang Yuanrang wouldn't come.
"Brother, come over and sit!" Li Zhiwei saw Jiang Yuanrang approaching and waved at him eagerly.
Jiang Yuanrang sighed inwardly and didn't refuse this time.
"General Wen, Miss Wen, greetings." Jiang Yuanrang bowed respectfully to Wen Zhaonan and Wen Xiu before sitting down beside Li Zhiwei.
"Master Li certainly keeps himself aloof." Wen Zhaonan spoke sharply, his anger still burning.
Jiang Yuanrang was puzzled. Did General Wen really want his sister to marry him?
How could that be?
"If I have done anything to displease you, General Wen, I apologize." Jiang Yuanrang stood up and bowed to Wen Zhaonan again.
Wen Zhaonan's face darkened even more. What did Jiang Yuanrang mean by this?
"Li Tingzhou, do you really think my sister has no one to marry and has to settle for you?" Wen Zhaonan was even angrier seeing Jiang Yuanrang's indifferent demeanor.
In Wen Zhaonan's eyes, Li Tingzhou's attitude clearly showed he looked down on his sister.
But what did she lack compared to him?
The more he thought about his sister being slighted by a small-time merchant like Li Tingzhou, the more his anger shot straight to his head.
"Hmph, if it weren't for not wanting my sister to marry the Third Prince of Qinling, this wouldn't have fallen on you at all." Wen Zhaonan looked at Jiang Yuanrang with a look of utter disdain.
In his heart, he was even more convinced—this man didn't deserve his sister.
"Brother, is what you said true?" Wen Xiu hadn't expected that this was the reason her brother wanted her to marry Li Zhiwei's brother.
Wen Xiu's lips trembled. She didn't want to marry that so-called Third Prince of Qinling.
Li Zhiwei looked at Xu Heming in surprise. She hadn't expected this was the reason he had arranged all this in the first place.
Jiang Yuanrang looked at Wen Xiu, who seemed at a loss, in stunned silence.
She was going to be sent for a political marriage?
For some reason, the moment the thought crossed his mind, Jiang Yuanrang felt a tightness in his chest.
"Brother, forget it. This is fate." Wen Xiu thought about Jiang Yuanrang not wanting to marry her. If she really had to go to Qinling for a political marriage, then so be it—it was her destiny.
A political marriage... She should have seen it coming. After all, back then, Miss Cheng from the Cheng family had almost been sent for the same reason before her brother hastily settled his engagement.
Now, this burden had fallen on her.
Was it some kind of ironic cycle?
Thinking that her brother could marry Miss Cheng, a love that finally came to fruition, maybe her sacrifice would mean something after all?
Even though Qinling was more powerful than their Lannuo Kingdom.
But no matter how grand a golden nest or silver nest was, it couldn't compare to one's own humble home. Would Wen Xiu truly be willing to go to Qinling for a political marriage?
Yet she had no choice in the matter.
"I... I didn't know that was the case." Jiang Yuanrang looked at Wen Xiu, flustered.
If she didn't mind that he was just a humble merchant, he would be more than willing to marry her.
But what if she was unwilling?
"Let's go back!" Wen Zhaonan stood up and grabbed Wen Xiu by the arm, pulling her to leave.
If they didn't want his sister, there was no need for them to beg on their doorstep.
Besides, he already took a disliking to this newly found son of the Li family.
"General Wen!" Jiang Yuanrang stood up, blocking Wen Zhaonan's path, looking nervous and uneasy.
"Eldest Young Master Li, there are plenty of people in the capital who would gladly marry my sister." Wen Zhaonan stared at Jiang Yuanrang, saying each word slowly.
Jiang Yuanrang swallowed hard upon hearing this. Of course he knew there were plenty of people in the capital who would want to marry a woman as dignified and graceful as Wen Xiu.
He wasn't worthy of her.
That was precisely why he lacked the confidence to agree to it.
"Would you allow me a moment alone with Miss Wen?" Jiang Yuanrang wanted to fight for his chance.
Wen Zhaonan did not answer Jiang Yuanrang directly, but instead looked toward his sister beside him.
"Ah..." Li Zhiwei tried to say something, but was stopped by Xu Heming beside her.
"Let them talk alone for a bit," Xu Heming said in a low voice.
Wen Zhaonan kept a dark expression the whole time, yet still nodded, watching the two as they walked off one after the other.
Inwardly, he was filled with regret. Why had he, in a moment of impulsiveness, agreed to this absurd request from Xu Heming?
This young master of the Li family clearly had no interest in this marriage.
"Prince An, you're doing me a disservice here." Wen Zhaonan glared at Xu Heming in irritation.
"What are you saying, General Wen? I'm helping you out." Xu Heming, however, smiled and poured another cup of water for Wen Zhaonan, gesturing for him to look at the two in the distance.