Invitation

Fu Wutian's change in attitude never reached An Ziran's ears.

Although An Yuzhi did not mind being the principal wife or a secondary wife, An Ziran had no intention of compromising so easily. The agreement between Old Master An and Old Prince Fu was not meant to send An Yuzhi to become Fu Wutian's secondary wife.

Though he had never interacted with Old Master An, scholars all had a stubborn streak in their bones. The old master had given up his chance to become an official and returned to Anyuan County back then, which was proof enough. He would never agree to the notion of a secondary wife. Thus, An Ziran pondered whether there was a way to force Fu Wutian to marry An Yuzhi as his consort. After turning it over and over in his mind, he could only start with Old Prince Fu.

However, before he could come up with an answer, someone from Prince Fu's Manor arrived.

"Young Master An, this is an invitation His Highness asked me to deliver to you. He invites you to visit the manor in two days for a chat about the marriage between our two families." Ge Qian'an took an invitation from his robes and handed it to An Ziran.

An Ziran accepted it and opened it. The signature was indeed Fu Wutian's. His attitude left An Ziran somewhat puzzled. Yesterday, he had seemed rather unwilling and had deliberately made things difficult for him, yet today he was being so proactive. Could he have some ulterior motive? Though suspicious, An Ziran revealed nothing on his face as he closed the invitation.

"Thank you for your trouble."

Ge Qian'an could not tell whether he was pleased or displeased. After hesitating, he still did not mention that matter. This was a perfect chance to test An Ziran. If he ultimately agreed to marry his own sister to the prince as a secondary wife, then he would be nothing special after all.

Ge Qian'an had seen plenty of people sell their daughters—or sisters—for glory and wealth. Very few were exceptions. Since An Ziran had caught the prince's attention, Ge Qian'an would see whether he was that sort of person as well.

Ge Qian'an did not stay long. Once the invitation had been delivered, he took his leave.

An Ziran personally saw him out. When he returned to the main hall, he found An Yuzhi standing there. Thinking she had received the news so quickly, a flicker of displeasure flashed through his eyes.

"Brother, I want to go out for a while. May I?" An Yuzhi looked at him expectantly.

An Ziran immediately realized he had misunderstood. Still, he knew that An Yuzhi usually never stepped beyond the inner gate, so he could not help asking, "What do you want to go out for?"

An Yuzhi's pretty face reddened. "I want to buy a few things."

"What things?" An Ziran asked.

An Yuzhi suddenly stamped her foot, her face full of shy embarrassment. "Brother, stop asking."

An Ziran had not expected such a strong reaction from a casual question, so he did not press further. He did not hold the feudal belief that young women must never go out and show their faces in public, so he agreed.

An Yuzhi was overjoyed. She had not expected her brother to relent so easily. After thanking him, she left the residence with her two personal maids.

An Ziran did not take the matter to heart and went to the study afterward.

Su Zi had already sent people to deliver the An Family's account books. There were no major problems. Ever since An Ziran had resolved the farmers' hidden troubles, Anyuan County had grown increasingly peaceful. Even if An Changfu wanted to stir up trouble against the An Family, he had no opportunity to do so.

For ordinary people, being able to eat their fill and live without worries was already enough. Moreover, with those tenant farmers from last time as an example, they now knew perfectly well who fed and clothed them. No one was so full of food and boredom that they would go looking for trouble. As long as they worked hard in the fields, they would receive sixty percent of the grain next year. After paying taxes to the government, what they received would be more than double what they had earned in previous years.

Though the An Family was not making as much silver as last year, the hidden danger had been removed.

An Ziran could now safely consider the An Family's next stage of development. His goal was far more than becoming a minor landowner, even though merchants held an extremely low status in Da Ya.

But...

His gaze fell upon the invitation on the desk. In his future plans, Prince Fu's Manor was an indispensable pillar of support. Therefore, the most urgent task was still to settle Fu Wutian first.

Before he knew it, the evening glow had dyed the horizon red.

Urged by Steward Su, An Ziran appeared at the dinner table on time. He glanced at the chair where An Yuzhi should have been sitting, only to find it empty. Thinking she had not returned yet, he asked about her.

Steward Su hurriedly explained, "Young Master, the young lady has already returned. Her maid Qiao'er came earlier and said that the young lady was feeling unwell and wished to have dinner in her room."

An Ziran frowned slightly. "Did you call a doctor to see her?"

Steward Su said, "A doctor has already examined her. He said there was nothing serious, only that her body was somewhat weak. He prescribed some medicine and left. I have already sent someone to fetch it."

An Ziran nodded and said nothing more.

The next morning, An Yuzhi still did not appear at the dining table. Thinking she had not recovered yet, An Ziran instructed the kitchen to make a bowl of porridge and send it to her room. He also went to see her once during that time. Her complexion was indeed rather pale. After leaving, he took a detour to check on Little Bun. Little Bun had grown increasingly lively recently, but he was very well-behaved and did not cry often.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and soon it was time to visit Prince Fu's Manor.

Early that morning, An Ziran sent Qiulan to remind the young lady. Since the invitation mentioned An Yuzhi, he did not think it inappropriate. They really should meet once. However, Qiulan returned with unexpected news.

"You said the young lady does not want to go?" An Ziran was surprised. He had thought An Yuzhi would be delighted to hear the news, since she seemed to like Fu Wutian quite a bit. Meeting before the marriage was surely better than marrying him in a muddle without even knowing what he looked like.

Qiulan said, "The young lady says she is unwell and does not wish to go."

An Ziran frowned. "Very well. Since the young lady does not wish to go, stay behind and help look after her."

"Yes, Young Master."

Afterward, An Ziran headed to Prince Fu's Manor with Steward Su.

My head hurts a little, so I'll leave it at this today. The update was late, sorry.