Chapter 40: Marriage Is Not Always as One Desires

“Second sister-in-law is really unexpected this time. Isn’t she afraid that marrying into the Jin family will lead to ridicule from the eldest sister-in-law?”
“What’s there to laugh at? Jin Longshan has already become a prefect. If he can gain influence higher up, it’s not impossible for him to rise to a higher position. Who can predict such things in the future?”
“Sir, you’re too lenient, always giving in to the second branch of the family! Today, I saw Miss Heng from the Jin family—she’s gentle and kind, and her age suits Brother Yue. I even want her to become my wife!”
“Matchmaking isn’t easy. How could the daughter of a prefect be interested in my son, who is just a scholar? I know you’re thinking of Yue, but he’s still young. There’s no need to rush into arranging a marriage. Besides, if Yue passes the exams and becomes a scholar, who won’t want to marry our son?”
The couple chatted idly in bed for a while, and finally, Lady Sun showed a proud expression, thinking again of the unborn child in her womb. Since marrying into the Zhang family, she had been cautious, yet still faced disdain. Even after giving birth to a son, she was still looked down upon. That’s why she felt particularly satisfied as she gradually turned things around.
While Zhang Zhuo and Lady Sun had gone to bed, the light in Zhang Yue’s room remained on. Du Zhen had made it clear to him that the eight-legged essay was just a stepping stone—once the door was opened, the stone could be thrown away. So, after finishing the annual exams, he naturally didn’t bother reviewing further. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he rested his head and thought for a while before sighing in satisfaction.
“Young master, it’s so late. Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“It’s still early. I can’t fall asleep.”
Seeing Amber coming over with an old piece of clothing, Zhang Yue waved his hand and gently pointed to Qiu Hen, who was dozing off nearby. Amber wisely stepped forward and gently covered Qiu Hen with the cloth before quietly returning, smiling and saying, “Sister Qiu Hen cleaned every corner of the room earlier, which is why she fell asleep now.”
“I know. Don’t disturb her.”
Zhang Yue smiled, thinking of the snippets of conversation he had overheard from his parents earlier. He couldn’t help but laugh. It turned out that it wasn’t just his second aunt who was interested in those twin sisters—it was his mother as well. He still remembered those two identical, beautiful faces, but marriage was a lifetime decision, and he didn’t want to rush into it.

Huangbo, hearing Zhang Yue say this, went ahead and fetched an embroidery stand, then sat down on a brocade stool over there, focusing intently on her needlework. Compared to Qiuhen, her embroidery was even more delicate, so despite having a dedicated embroiderer in the household, almost all the personal clothing and small trinkets in the third branch were done by her. Right now, she was working on a purse.

Zhang Yue had long gotten used to Huangbo’s attitude—seemingly close yet as distant as the ends of the earth. He had tried speaking to her twice, but she hadn’t changed, so he simply followed her lead.

Leaving aside the twelve maids sent by the Duke of Ying and the two taken away by his eldest uncle Zhang Xin, the two reserved for his second uncle Zhang You couldn’t endure it and had already been paired with two household managers before the New Year. The rest either died or fell ill, leaving only a few alive. On the other hand, his two concubines, Biyao and Hongluan, gradually learned how to behave properly. Together with Huangbo, all three in the third branch were doing well.

Still, both Huangbo and Qiuhen were no longer young.

As he was thinking, suddenly the curtain was lifted, and a familiar head poked in. Seeing who it was, he opened his mouth to speak, but quickly put his finger to his lips to silence him. Then he waved at Huangbo, who was about to stand up, and went to greet the visitor himself. When he reached the door, he pulled Zhang Chao, who was about to enter, aside.

Zhang Yue glanced around and noticed that Zhang Chao had suddenly come over, seemingly without any companions. He asked in a low voice, “Why did you come here all alone at this late hour?”

Zhang Chao was naturally loud, but since he was on someone else’s territory, he didn’t dare speak loudly. Still, as soon as he opened his mouth, he started teasing, “No wonder those maids say serving under you, the third brother, is the most pleasant. Seeing how tender you are, I guess you asked me to be quiet not because you were afraid of waking your parents, but because of that sleeping maid?”

“Brother, you didn’t come here so late just to spread such nonsense, did you?”

Seeing Zhang Yue’s displeased expression, Zhang Chao quickly put away his teasing tone and spoke seriously, “During lunch today, my mother called your uncle over—was it to discuss my marriage? Do you know which of those two cousins she has her eye on?”

So this kid was worried about his future wife and came here late to gather information!

Zhang Yue looked at Zhang Chao with a strange expression before finally breaking into a dry laugh. “During lunch, you kept staring at those two sisters nonstop. I knew you had ulterior motives. But they look exactly the same—what’s the difference?”

“Of course they’re different!” Zhang Chao said firmly. “Sister Heng is gentle, and she has a cinnabar-colored mole the size of a grain of rice on her earlobe. Sister Su is delicate and graceful; her eyebrows are slightly longer than Sister Heng’s, and she has a small dimple when she smiles. Although Sister Heng is nice too, if I were to marry, I’d still prefer someone like Sister Su.”
Zhang Yue was truly amazed. Although he had glanced at them during meals, he hadn’t observed them that closely, let alone made a decision like Zhang Chao had. Thinking this, he simply said directly, “Since you like her so much, why not tell Second Aunt? As long as you ask, your mother surely won’t refuse—after all, she’s your future wife.”
“Don’t you know my mother? She’s the most stubborn person. How would she listen to me on such matters? She definitely wants her future daughter-in-law to be gentle and virtuous so she can be easily controlled.” Zhang Chao complained for a while before realizing it was highly inappropriate to say such things in front of others. He laughed awkwardly and bowed. “Anyway, third brother, please help me out. I’ll definitely repay you generously once this is done. It’s getting late; if my mother finds out I ran away, she’ll be furious. I’m off!”
Before Zhang Yue could respond, Zhang Chao rushed off in a hurry. Faced with such a reckless yet straightforward and endearing elder brother, he was at a loss and couldn’t help but think of ways to help. But then he thought further and almost choked on his own saliva from shock.
If this marriage went through, it would mean a 17-year-old boy marrying a 13-year-old girl—good heavens!
After the great flood four years ago, the Dongfang family indeed handed over all power and focused on raising their children, enjoying a period of peace. However, although the Feng family managed a large household in the capital, they had to deal with the elderly matriarch, many younger relatives, and in-laws, leaving them overwhelmed most of the time. The Sun family lacked experience in managing households. Though they avoided any major mishaps, they still couldn’t handle things smoothly. Eventually, the two families had to consult the elderly matriarch, Lady Gu, and divided responsibilities among themselves, bringing some order to the household.
This time, regarding her son’s marriage, the decisive Dongfang family showed even more flexibility, eloquence, and determination. Unable to resist her persistent reasoning and persuasive tactics, Lady Gu, considering the rising status of the Jin family, finally agreed and even arranged for an official matchmaker to propose to the Jin family.

Zhang Yue, who wanted to help his elder brother, glanced in the main house and saw Jin Heng’s name clearly written on the marriage registry. He could only give Zhang Chao a helpless look—this marriage would not go as planned. Since even his father, Zhang Zhuo, couldn’t interfere in the marriage arrangements of the children in the second wing, what more could he say? Besides, his second aunt, Dong Fang, had indeed thought things through properly. If the Jin family married their younger daughters before their eldest daughter, it would disrupt the proper order of seniority, which would be inappropriate for both families.