The husband I snatched halfway through his life is strange.

The Marquis of Zhongyong's sincerity was evident, and Shen's father, fearing that this coveted prize would slip away, made no attempt to cause any trouble.

He kept calling him "my dear son-in-law."

The rest went exceptionally smoothly.

The betrothal gifts, wrapped in red silk, were piled up in the courtyard. The matchmaker read the list word by word, and the Shen family counted them.

Yu Tingwan moved slowly to Wei Zhao's side.

I poked him with my fingertip.

Wei Zhao, sitting in a wheelchair, assumed something was wrong and asked gently, "Hmm?"

Yu Tingwan: "If you were a woman..."

Wei Zhao:?
He raised an eyebrow: "Then this dowry isn't enough, I want more."

"If you don't give it, it means you don't care enough. So you have to try."

Yu Tingwan: ? ? ?

In the past, Wei Zhao might have struggled a bit.

Her listlessness led her to have such unrealistic thoughts.

Now, he truly has no sense of shame left.

Yu Tingwan was stunned for a moment.

Wei Zhao said quietly, "Don't let Shen Zhiyi outshine me."

Yu Tingwan: ?
Wei Zhao: "You can't even hold your head up in front of Xiao Huaiyan."

Yu Tingwan: ? ? ?

Her train of thought was quickly swayed.

After all, she cares about her image and is too competitive; she can't stand being outdone.

"That……"

She fell into deep thought.

The girl's eyes flickered, her lips were crimson, and her beautiful oval face appeared even more radiant and fair in the light: "If I'm not strong enough, I can't give it to you..."

Wei Zhao: "Fine, I'll pay you out of my own pocket."

OK.

Yu Tingwan was satisfied.

At that moment, the enormous creature moved closer.

It made Yu Tingwan take out the small pouch containing snacks hanging around her neck.

Yu Tingwan took it.

When I opened it, I found that it contained all her favorite foods.

She very unceremoniously split the two halves with Fu Meng.

Fu Meng was already used to her bandit-like behavior and dared not speak out against her.

He offered his paws so that Yu Tingwan could clean them.

It was covered in mud.

Fu Meng's eyes darted around, and before Yu Tingwan could bend down to carefully wipe it off, he was about to smear the mud onto her dress.

The couple spoke in very low voices.

Jiashan, sitting in his seat, couldn't hear very clearly.

However, seeing Yu Tingwan's lighthearted smile and her smiling eyes, she couldn't help but curl her lips as well.

"The general and his wife have such a good relationship that it is truly enviable."

He tried to get close enough to speak with the lady from Jiashan beside him.

"At first glance, it's as if I'm seeing you, Madam, and the Grand Tutor when you were young."

"Who in the capital doesn't know that you, Madam, are so fortunate? Your inner quarters are so clean, and the Grand Tutor treats you as always?"

Jiashan is willing to listen to this.

She nodded: "Gui Zhi is indeed as steady as Fu Ju. I've watched him grow up, and I'm very satisfied with him. But Yao Yao is not like me; she's too obedient."

As they were talking, they saw Yu Tingwan slap the enormous thing away.

"Does it hurt? Have you learned your lesson?"

The speaker fell silent, unsure how to respond.

Then Gu Wu spoke up.

"Sister is so thoughtful, she even asks after the treatment."

Jiashan: "That's right."

Gu Wu added, "I asked Shen Zhiyi about it before. She told me that last time my sister encountered a beggar on the road, she felt very sorry for him and was afraid of hurting his self-esteem. So she didn't throw money into his broken bowl, but deliberately dropped a piece of gold when she passed by."

Shen Zhiyi's original words were actually like this.

[“She’s incredibly stingy. Once, she accidentally dropped a piece of gold. A beggar would have thought it was a windfall and would have gone to pick it up, but she was faster than the beggar.”] However, Gu Wu only listened to what she wanted to hear.

Jiashan nodded with satisfaction: "This child is kind."

The speaker: ...

Just be happy.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After the matchmaker finished reading the betrothal gifts, she presented the betrothal letter.

Mr. Shen received the brush and ink with a radiant smile. After examining it closely, Mrs. Shen instructed the old woman holding the brush and ink to come forward.

Mr. Shen solemnly signed the document and then handed over the letter of consent prepared by the Shen family with both hands.

"Please take a look, General."

Wei Zhao was a highly respected person invited by the groom to preside over the ceremony. His words and actions represented the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion. He raised his hand to take the document, looked at it, and nodded to Xiao Huaiyan.

This completes the ceremony.

Everyone began to praise them as a match made in heaven.

“I never really thought of Miss Shen and Prince Xiao together before, but now that they’re standing together, they look like a perfect match.”

"Yes, the wedding date should have been discussed by both families today, but the Marquis of Zhongyong's family set it a long time ago, and now it's been quite a while."

"Don't tell me you're afraid Miss Shen will run away."

"I guess the Marquis of Zhongyong and his wife want their son to settle down and start a family as soon as possible, to be more stable, and not to be so irresponsible all day long, and to be in such a hurry to have a grandson."

Shen Zhiyi stood beside her mother, showing no sign of shyness or bowing her head. She played with a fan in her hand, seemingly lost in thought.

Mr. Shen's smile never stopped; once the deed was done, there was no going back.

It's inevitable that I'll have to put on airs as the father-in-law.

“Huaiyan.”

Xiao Huaiyan cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Please speak."

"Yi-jie is also a girl I cherish and love. Now that I've given her to you, you must treat her well in the future."

"Yes."

Seeing his respectful attitude, Shen's father became even more satisfied.

When the Shen family married Shen Jin into the palace, they were very prestigious.

But there are too many people who gossip about him behind his back.

Shen Jin is also ignorant and doesn't help her family at all.

But things are different now.

He stood up straight and said to the guests who came to witness the ceremony, "I am very grateful that you have traveled a long way to my Shen residence for this banquet. Please take your seats. I hope you will forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."

He turned to give instructions to his eldest son.

"You and your wife stay here to entertain the guests. Make sure nothing goes wrong, or you embarrass your sister."

"Yes."

But Mr. Shen was very worried.

He wanted to say something, but ultimately didn't.

The older brother of the Shen family agreed, but he was very dissatisfied and complained to his sister-in-law, muttering to himself.

"If he was afraid I would ruin things, why didn't he call his precious illegitimate son over to entertain him? So he knew that an illegitimate son is just an illegitimate son, and he can't be entertained when there are important guests."

Sister-in-law Shen remained silent.

She still remembers what Shen Zhiyi said to her after she gave birth.

"Father is ruthless but still cares about his reputation. He wanted to register his illegitimate daughter under Mother's name, so how could he not have considered registering his illegitimate son?"

But a concubine's daughter will eventually have to get married.

So what if I wrote it down? It's harmless.

The situation is different for illegitimate sons; they are entitled to a share of the family property.

"My mother is weak, but she still has her maternal family behind her. Even if the illegitimate son is favored by his father, he has not yet passed the imperial examination. No matter how well he studies, he will be like his brother and have no official rank. Therefore, he has no reason to remember, no confidence, and is afraid of not being able to silence the gossip of the world."

"My brother is unreliable, but I have a child. You don't need to worry about anything else. Just raise your nephew well and don't let him be influenced by his father and grandfather's scheming ways. If he behaves well, then I will be his support, and the Shen family's business will only be his."

Shen's father dared to put on airs with Xiao Huaiyan, but he wouldn't dare to put on airs with Wei Zhao.

He gestured for the men who had come to offer their betrothal gifts to him.

"There are too many people here. Why don't you all come with me to a quieter spot in the main courtyard for a meal, and then we can discuss the details of the wedding at a leisurely pace?"

Wei Zhao nodded.

Xiao Huaiyan was about to push him.

"Wait a minute."

(End of this chapter)