Invitation

Fu Wutian's change in attitude did not reach An Ziran's ears.

Although An Yuzhi did not mind whether she became the principal wife or a concubine, An Ziran had no intention of compromising so easily. The agreement between Old Master An and the old Prince Fu had not been for An Yuzhi to become Fu Wutian's concubine.

Though he had never met Old Master An, scholars all had a stubborn streak. The fact that the old master had given up an opportunity to become an official and returned to Anyuan County back then was proof enough. He would never have agreed to the notion of a concubine. So An Ziran pondered whether there was a way to force Fu Wutian to marry An Yuzhi as his princess consort. After thinking it over, he could only start with the old Prince Fu.

However, before he could reach a conclusion, someone from Prince Fu's Manor arrived.

"Young Master An, this is the invitation His Highness asked me to deliver to you. He invites you to visit the manor in two days to discuss the marriage between our families." Ge Qian'an took an invitation from inside his robe 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. He had seemed rather reluctant yesterday and had deliberately made things difficult for him, yet today he was being so proactive. Could he have some ulterior motive? Though suspicious, he did not reveal a trace of it and closed the invitation.

"Thank you for the trouble."

Ge Qian'an could not tell whether he was pleased or displeased. After hesitating, he ultimately did not mention that matter. This was the perfect opportunity to test An Ziran. If he truly agreed in the end to marry his own sister off to His Highness as a concubine, then he was nothing special.

He had seen plenty of people sell their daughters or sisters for glory and wealth, and few were exceptions. Since An Ziran had managed to catch His Highness's attention, Ge Qian'an wanted to see whether he was that sort of person too.

Ge Qian'an did not linger long. Once he had delivered the invitation, 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, An Yuzhi had always rarely stepped beyond the gates, so he could not help asking when she suddenly made such a request, "What do you want to go out for?"

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

"What things?" An Ziran asked.

An Yuzhi suddenly stamped her foot, her face full of bashful 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 to the old-fashioned belief that young women had to stay indoors and never show their faces in public, so he agreed.

An Yuzhi beamed with delight. She had not expected her brother to agree so readily. After thanking him, she left the residence with her two personal maidservants.

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

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

To the common people, being well-fed and free of worries was more than enough. Moreover, with the previous group of tenant farmers as an example, they now understood very clearly who put food on their tables. No one was so idle as to 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 the government's taxes, they would have more than twice what they had received in previous years.

Although the An Family was not earning as much silver as last year, the hidden danger had been eliminated.

An Ziran could now turn his attention to the An Family's next stage of development without worry. His goal was not merely to become a small landlord, even though merchants held an extremely low status in Da Ya.

However...

His gaze fell on the invitation atop the desk. In his future plans, Prince Fu's Manor was an indispensable source of support. So the most urgent matter was still to deal with Fu Wutian first.

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

Urged by Steward Su, An Ziran appeared at the dining table on time. He glanced at the chair where An Yuzhi should have been sitting but was nowhere to be seen. 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 by just now and said the young lady was feeling unwell and wished to have dinner in her room."

An Ziran frowned slightly. "Has a physician been called to examine her?"

Steward Su said, "A physician has already seen her. He said it was nothing serious, only that she was a little weak. He prescribed some medicine and left. I have already sent someone to collect it."

An Ziran nodded and said nothing more.

The next morning, An Yuzhi still did not appear at the dining table. An Ziran assumed she had not recovered yet, so he instructed the kitchen to make a bowl of porridge and send it to her room. He visited her once during that time and saw that her complexion was indeed somewhat pale. After leaving, he took a detour to check on the little bun. The little bun had grown more and more spirited lately, but 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 had Qiulan remind the young lady. Since the invitation had mentioned An Yuzhi, he saw nothing inappropriate about it. They truly ought to meet once. However, when Qiulan returned, she brought him 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, because she seemed rather fond of Fu Wutian. Meeting before the marriage was better than marrying him in a muddle without even knowing what he looked like.

Qiulan said, "The young lady said she is feeling unwell and does not want 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 set out for Prince Fu's Manor with Steward Su.

My head hurts a little, so this is all for today. Sorry for the late update.