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"No way," Chen Yan'er quickly interrupted as she noticed her mother's hesitation. "I'll handle this. I guarantee that the Young Marquis will not only be unbothered but will also appreciate our generosity."
"Really?" Huang felt a flicker of hope.
"Yes!" Chen Yan'er leaned closer and shared her carefully crafted plan, then proudly declared, "With this, Chen Qingluan will not only become a concubine to the Young Marquis but will also be forever dependent on the Chen Residence. Otherwise, she’ll have nowhere to turn, and no one will care!"
Looking at her daughter’s triumphant expression, Huang felt a chill run down her spine. The malicious scheme was laid out so casually, and her daughter smiled with such delight that it filled her with dread. If she were to devise something for her own daughter, would she also be this ruthless?
Regardless of her thoughts, Huang agreed to Chen Yan'er's proposal and complied obediently, which led to the earlier scene.
In the hall, all the young ladies found their places, except for the late-arriving Qing Luan and her maid, who stood awkwardly as if they were being judged.
"Mother," Chen Yan'er exclaimed joyfully as soon as she saw Qing Luan arrive.
"Well, look at you! Still acting coy at your age; how shameless," Huang teased affectionately before turning to the seated young ladies. "With so many sisters here, why aren’t you all having fun? Coming to your mother just to complain is quite dull!"
"Mother," Chen Yan'er shot her a playful glance and feigned helplessness. "You see, I originally wanted to host a welcoming gathering for Sister Four today and invited these lovely friends to liven things up. But unexpectedly... sigh, Mother, this concerns the reputation of the Chen Family. You must take charge for Fourth Sister!"
"What happened?" Huang asked in surprise.
"It’s like this," Lin Ya chimed in and recounted the events at Listening Rain Pavilion. Then she looked at Huang seriously and said, "We came to inquire whether the Young Marquis's engagement with Fourth Miss has received your approval."
After hearing everything, Huang glanced at the silently observing Chen Qingluan and felt an inexplicable sense of guilt. But then she thought that even if Qing Luan had ideas of her own, at this moment she was in her grasp; whatever happened next was still under her control. So she feigned shock and gasped dramatically, "What’s going on? I’ve never heard of this before!?"
As soon as Huang spoke those words, smiles spread across everyone’s faces as if they were witnessing something extraordinary, their expressions filled with schadenfreude.
"Look at her, so shameless! To privately engage like this, I doubt Madam Marquis would want such a girl!" Lin Ya said triumphantly.
"Exactly! She was rejected in her engagement, went missing, and now she wants to break apart Sister Zhuang and Young Marquis. Her heart is truly wicked," came the voices of those who were eager to add insult to injury.
"Who would dare want someone like her?!"
"Just thinking about it is terrifying. How deep are her schemes? How frightening!"
One accusation followed another, sharp and biting. If it were anyone else with a thin skin, they would have been ashamed to death by now. But they were facing Qing Luan, someone who had already died once and would not be brought down by mere gossip.
Everyone expected that at this moment, Chen Qingluan would be weeping and begging Young Marquis to take her back. That would make for an even more entertaining show. Unfortunately, the script was not unfolding as they wished...
"You really don't want me anymore, Young Marquis?" Qing Luan asked, her red-rimmed eyes fixed intently on him, looking very serious.
"I haven't rejected you," Young Marquis blurted out impulsively without thinking. But upon meeting Zhuang Youlan's resentful gaze, he quickly changed his tune. " Luan'er, your reputation is poor. Even if I agree, my mother would never accept it... How about this: once I marry a proper wife, I will tell my mother that you are devoted to me and take you as a cherished concubine. What do you think?"
"Cherished concubine?" she murmured. On the surface, she appeared lost and despondent, but inside she was thinking: Cherished concubine? Do you think I should be grateful for that? Qiu Mingqi, just wait; the humiliation of today will be repaid doubly in the future! "No, I don't want that... I am a Legitimate Daughter; I won't be a concubine!" She shook her head firmly in refusal.
Seeing her shake her head in rejection, Young Marquis's expression darkened, a fierce look flashing in his eyes at her lack of appreciation.
"Hah! A cherished concubine? I think letting her into Marquis Residence as a maid would be raising her status too high; how could she expect to be a cherished concubine?" Lin Ya shouted in jealousy and anger.
"Qing Luan," Huang said softly as she watched her refuse. Worried that Qing Luan might anger Young Marquis further, she gently advised, "Given the situation now, you should accept it. Although everyone has forgotten about your engagement being broken off by Dealer, Madam Marquis certainly knows. Insisting on this is only making things difficult for Young Marquis... Listen to your mother; just agree to Young Marquis. I will prepare a decent dowry for you later. I believe no one at Marquis's Residence would dare look down on you!"
What a generous and graceful mother! Huang felt proud of her own generosity.
"No," Qing Luan stubbornly raised her head, looking at Qiu Mingqi as she asked each word carefully, "Do you really not want to marry me?" I hope you won't regret it later.
" Luan'er, how can you be so unreasonable?" Seeing her persistently clinging on, a flicker of impatience crossed Qiu Mingqi's eyes as he said irritably, "There's only so much I can do. Whether I agree or not is up to you... Remember, with your current status, marrying me as a concubine is already quite an honor for you!"
If she continued to pester him, he might as well make her a maid instead of a concubine. Hmph, a legitimate daughter who was not valued in the Marquis's Residence could easily be crushed. If it weren't for her ability to gather wealth, he wouldn't even bother to argue with her.
"Then I won't marry," Qing Luan lightly glanced at those who were gloating and said softly yet firmly, "In this lifetime, I would rather not marry than become a concubine!" She wouldn't allow her man to have other women and found it utterly ridiculous to consider being a concubine herself.
Her resolute words stunned everyone. Some showed confusion in their eyes, others were taken aback, but Chen Yan'er’s eyes flashed with hatred: Wasn't Chen Qingluan slapping herself in the face with those words? She was a concubine; Chen Qingluan must also be a concubine, otherwise Chen Yan'er would find it hard to swallow this bitterness.
"Since there's nothing for me here, I'll take my leave," Qing Luan noticed the varied expressions on everyone's faces and hastily performed a bow before turning to leave, completely unconcerned about what they thought or said.
Seeing such a Chen Qingluan left everyone astonished, including Qiu Mingqi. He felt a twinge of regret in his heart... Had he missed something?
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