Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Kidnapping
The elderly lady and the second lady hurried over to check if the third miss was alright. The second lady was even calling out, "My son, you scared your mother to death."
Wen Sichen, seeing the situation, quickly clasped his hands in apology, "My sister’s horse lost control and nearly harmed someone, please forgive us."
If it were another aristocratic family, the Pei Family would not have let it go so easily. However, this was the Wen Family, and the relationship between the two families was longstanding. Moreover, there was a reason for the incident, and the rescue was timely, plus the Wen Family apologized so earnestly.
Mrs. Pei said, "Luckily, you saved the day in time, averting a disaster, so let’s call it even."
Wen Sichen bowed again, said he would come again to apologize formally, then turned around and left with his equally frightened sister. Their large party was still behind them.
After the commotion subsided, everyone settled down and washed up; it was already an hour later.
As expected, the Wen Family soon came to apologize.
The elderly lady and the second lady sat in the main hall and had them invited inside.
Mrs. Wen came with her daughter and son, immediately apologizing as they entered, "My daughter was mischievous and nearly had the horse injure someone; I brought her to apologize."
Miss Wen stepped forward to pay her respects. Mrs. Pei smiled, "Who among the young does not have a spirited moment? Fortunately, your brother helped timely, and nothing major happened."
Mrs. Wen, however, said, "The elderly lady is kind-hearted, but though the horse did not injure anyone, it did scare the third miss. I have prepared a small gift and hope the elderly lady and second lady will accept it with a smile."
Since there were men from outside entering, the young ladies of Pei Mansion were sitting behind a screen, unable to see the Wen Family.
Hearing Mrs. Wen say this, the second lady called to the back of the screen, "Xiang, come out and thank Mrs. Wen."
Pei Xiang came out from behind the screen, walked up to Mrs. Wen, and bowed, "Thank you, madam."
Mrs. Wen immediately got up to assist her, "Good child, please rise."
Then, Miss Wen also apologized and bowed to Pei Xiang, who returned the gesture.
They were all well-mannered and rule-abiding, which pleased the observing elders very much.
In the evening, the second lady accompanied the elderly lady for a chat, and they talked about the Wen Family.
"Wen Family’s young master, Wen Sichen, I saw him once before when he was still a boy. I didn’t expect that he has grown so much now," said the second lady.
The elderly lady, who saw him today, was extremely pleased. A young man of sixteen or seventeen, with gentle features, tall stature, and every move was well-mannered, embodying the demeanor of a family’s young master.
As parents and elders, naturally, they hope their children’s marriages go smoothly, especially for daughters. Encountering a suitable gentleman is not easy. When one does meet one, they naturally keep it in mind.
When the second lady shared her thoughts, the elderly lady agreed and said, "We should have someone inquire. If their family has similar thoughts, we can settle the matter first."
Little did they know, Mrs. Wen had the same idea in mind. After seeing the third miss during the day, the more she looked, the more she liked her. It was just uncertain what the Pei Family thought?
The thoughts of the two families coincided, and once an intermediary inquired, they immediately agreed.
Mrs. Wen specifically asked her son’s opinion. After hearing about it, Wen Sichen thought of that silhouette and then said, "I leave everything to mother’s decision."
The third miss’s marriage was thus decided by parental order and matchmaker, which progressed so smoothly that it caught everyone off guard, while Pei Yuan’s marriage still had no result.
After all, the Tan Family had little prior interaction with the Pei Family, so things could not be rushed, and it was only arranged for a meeting by noon the next day.
This process was unseen by Qu Fulan and others. After burning incense and praying, they went to entertain themselves elsewhere.
But there were always well-informed maids passing on news about the progress.
"The elderly lady seemed to adore Miss Tan, holding her hand and talking non-stop. The two families also chatted happily, and later, some elders suggested letting the young people go and play by themselves without having to stay with the elders."
This behavior was somewhat unconventional, but if both families intended for a union, and it was under the tacit consent of the elders, it was not inappropriate.
"Then it’s settled," said Fang Yuan, "It seems this future sister-in-law is someone who is easygoing and not overly concerned with formalities."
Qu Fulan knew that Mr. Pei’s new wife would not have the Tan surname, so this engagement would not succeed, but she said nothing.
Sure enough, news came in the afternoon that the marriage was not settled, as the young master himself firmly rejected it.
"Why?" Fang Yuan couldn’t help but be the first to ask.
The well-informed maid recounted the entire process.
At first, the young master and Miss Tan enjoyed flowers and the lake, chatting quite harmoniously. Later, Miss Tan made some requests, saying that if Mr. Pei could meet them, the marriage would be settled.
Such a statement was indeed bold; even the elders had agreed, yet she had opinions?
"What did she say?" Fang Yuan again asked, indicating that even someone as lively as her couldn’t understand Miss Tan’s actions.
"First, Mr. Pei must not take concubines, and his current household members must be dismissed; second, Mr. Pei must return home by the hai hour in the evening after marriage. If delayed due to business, he must send someone to notify her of the reason; third..."
The maid’s throat was a bit dry after speaking so much at once; she coughed a couple of times. Qu Fulan handed her some water to drink. After she finished drinking, Fang Yuan was impatient.
"What was the third?"
"Third is that after she becomes pregnant, Tuan must not stay in the house. He must be sent to the estate or back to his maternal grandmother’s home, and not return until she has safely given birth."
With these three conditions presented, even outside of Fang Yuan and the third miss, Qu Fulan felt it was excessive.
In fact, the first two conditions might be barely acceptable if placed in the 21st century, but this is the feudal-minded ancient times.
Especially the third condition, how could she have the nerve to speak it out? Even in modern times, a woman marrying a divorced man with children would not make such demands.
The conditions were laid out plainly; if she was unwilling to marry, she should have simply said so. Why demand the child be removed? What kind of logic is this?
This Miss Tan indeed had her own mind, a bit too much of her own mind.
The young women were all filled with righteous indignation, speaking many words condemning the other side.
At night, when Qu Fulan went to sleep, she took out the Jade Pendant given by Master Huideng from the space to look at it.
In fact, after entering Hanshan Temple today, she felt uncomfortable, and then suddenly, the Jade Pendant in the space lit up, and her discomfort disappeared.
Maybe it was due to her special status, which prohibited her from being present in the temple, but with the pendant guarding her, she was fine.
It was truly fortunate that she met Master Huideng early on and received this treasure; otherwise, who knows what might have happened today.
However, a person’s luck cannot always be good; after a stroke of good luck, perhaps misfortune follows as a fair balance.
Qu Fulan’s residence was at the most remote side near the bamboo forest. At night, it was quiet all around, and any wind or grass movement could be heard.
In an unfamiliar place, she would surely feel scared alone, but knowing there were guards secretly protecting her, she could rest peacefully.
In the latter half of the night, Qu Fulan was suddenly awakened by a gust of wind. She opened her eyes and found the window open.
Yet she remembered clearly closing the window before going to sleep.
Maybe the wind had been too strong and blew the window open; Qu Fulan was about to get up to close it when she suddenly noticed a figure standing at the edge of the window, half-hidden in shadow.
The blood seemed to freeze in Qu Fulan’s veins from the sudden chill. She reacted swiftly, intending to grab the medicine from the space, but as soon as she moved, her throat was seized.