Lady Xie Liu Dan looked fondly at Xie Daoyun. She and Xie An had three sons but no daughters, and she regarded Daoyun as her own child. A few days earlier, when she had thought Daoyun's illness beyond cure, she had wept bitterly in private several times. Heaven be thanked, Chen Caozhi had returned, his miraculous healing hands bringing Daoyun a marked recovery. Deeply comforted, Lady Xie Liu Dan vowed to bring about her niece's marriage to Chen Caozhi-
Lady Xie Liu Dan said to Xie Daoyun, "You ask what I'm so anxious about? Isn't it all for your marriage? That sorcerer Lu Song's rebellion actually led to Lu Shi being reduced to a commoner. Isn't Heaven helping Chen Caozhi marry the Lu Clan woman? Tell me, how could your aunt not be anxious?"
Xie Daoyun understood what Third Aunt Liu Dan meant. Lu Shi, the greatest obstacle between Chen Caozhi and Lu Weiwei, had been reduced to a commoner and naturally lost his authority within the family. With Lu Na making the decisions, he would naturally betroth Lu Weiwei to Chen Caozhi. The formal proposal gifts and betrothal would probably follow very soon-
Xie Daoyun lowered her head without a word. After a long while, she said, "Chen Zizhong and Lu Weiwei are a fine match. After loving each other for so many years, they will finally be wed. I, too, am happy to see it happen."
"How very noble and upright of you," Lady Xie Liu Dan said. "Neither resentment nor jealousy. If you can't marry Chen Caozhi, whom will you marry?"
Her head bowed, Xie Daoyun said, "Your niece is unfilial. I will marry no one."
Lady Xie Liu Dan sighed loudly. "Your aunt told you long ago, 'Life falls short of a hundred years; fight for