Rejecting the Marriage Proposal

"I'm afraid that won't work." Zhao Yuanxun shook his head.

He felt it was better to be clearer, lest Fu Yunkai come back in a couple of days and say that he was willing to wait for Zhao Ruxi until she turned eighteen.

"My daughter loves to draw, so she hopes to find someone she shares the same feelings with," he said.

Now, Fu Yunkai should understand, right?

Sure enough, Fu Yunkai's face was somewhat pale.

Yes.

Many daughters of noble families were unwilling to marry soldiers. This was because soldiers not only could not stay at home, but also had to guard the border for many years, and their lives were always in danger.

Fifth Miss Zhao is capable, beautiful, and of high social standing. Why did she have to marry a border soldier like him, who could die at any moment?

Fu Yunkai's mouth was full of bitterness.

He picked up the glass in front of him and drank it all in one gulp.

"I understand, thank you, Uncle." He stood up. "Please enjoy your meal, Uncle. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now. Let's get together for drinks another time."

With that, he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhao Yuanxun, then turned and left.

Zhao Yuanxun sighed deeply, sat there and slowly finished the wine in his glass, then stood up and walked out, instructing the waiter, "The bill."

"Sir, that gentleman has already paid for the food and drinks," the waiter said.

Zhao Yuanxun stared blankly outside for a moment, sighed softly, and beckoned to his attendants, "Let's go."

When they got home, Zhao Ruxi had already eaten and was teaching Zhao Jingtai to paint in the main courtyard.

Zhao Yuanxun walked over, sat down next to them, and silently watched for a while before suddenly asking Zhao Ruxi, "Are you really not going to reconsider that marriage with the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence? I think Fu Yunkai is really quite good."

Zhao Ruxi had already guessed what he was thinking when he sat there silently, reeking of alcohol.

She shook her head and said, "No need. Just because he's a good person doesn't mean this marriage is good."

Zhao Yuanxun sighed deeply, "That's true."

He hadn't forgotten the analysis his daughter had given him the night before.

He was just a little disappointed. A young man as outstanding as Fu Yunkai, in terms of his character, abilities, appearance, and physique, was truly rare. He felt sorry for his daughter if he missed out on him.

It's better if my daughter doesn't recognize Fu Yunkai's excellence. If she were attracted to him, and knew that this marriage was inappropriate, not only bad for herself but also for the Earl's family, she would surely be tormented and conflicted.

Let's just let this matter rest.

Zhao Yuanxun made up his mind never to mention Fu Yunkai in front of his daughter again.

Unbeknownst to Zhao Yuanxun and Fu Yunkai, after they returned to their respective residences, a man in gray went to the Fifth Prince's villa Listening to the Waves Pavilion, and reported to Xiao Lingyan in detail the conversation between Zhao Yuanxun and Fu Yunkai in the restaurant.

Upon hearing that Zhao Ruxi had indeed rejected the marriage proposal, Xiao Lingyan burst into laughter, took out a gold ingot from his sleeve, and tossed it in front of the man in gray. "Well done, this is a reward for you."

"Thank you, Master." The man in gray bowed and withdrew.

Xiao Lingyan paced back and forth in the room twice, then walked to the table and wrote a letter in German. He then had Xiao Liuzi call another man in gray and hand him the letter, "Tomorrow, find a way to deliver this to Fifth Miss Zhao."

"Yes."

Not long after the man in gray left, Xiao Lingyan was summoned to Xiao Lingpu's villa.

Xiao Lingpu looked at his younger brother with a face full of fatherly pride. "You've grown up, you're quite capable."

Xiao Lingyan naturally knew what Xiao Lingpu was talking about.

He feigned ignorance and asked, "Brother, what's wrong?"

"Fu Yunkai went to propose marriage to the Earl of Suiping's Residence, but was rejected." Xiao Lingpu said, still finding it unbelievable.

He asked, "How did you know that the Earl of Suiping's Residence would refuse this marriage proposal?"

As someone who needed to rely on the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence to seize the throne, he naturally wouldn't ignore Fu Yunkai's marriage.

During this period, Fu Yunkai frequently invited Zhao Yuanxun to drink. Needless to say, he believed that the Crown Prince and several princes who were paying attention to the movements of the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence, as well as some other interested people in the capital, had all noticed this.

He was very Gao Xing with Fu Yunkai's choice. Regardless of whether the marriage would go through or not, it meant that the Marquis of Pingnan's Residence had its own ulterior motives. However, compared to other aristocratic families, a marriage alliance with the Earl of Suiping's Residence was within his tolerance range, so he did not interfere too much in secret.

At the time, Xiao Lingyan told him that the Earl of Suiping's Residence would not agree to the marriage, and that he could rest assured. When he asked why, he said nothing and only told him to wait and see.

As Xiao Lingyan, the outcome turned out to be correct.

So he was very curious about how his younger brother had analyzed and reached that conclusion.

"What's so hard to predict?" Xiao Lingyan shrugged. "Even if the Marquis of Earl of Suiping can't figure it out, Fifth Miss Zhao can't figure it out, doesn't Fifth Miss Zhao have a master and a senior brother? How could they let the Earl of Suiping's Residence get involved in this mess?"

He chuckled lightly, "Mister Kumu has never gotten involved in these matters. His three disciples are all upright officials who never take sides. Isn't that why Wu Huaisi was able to hold onto his position as Minister of Ministry of Personnel? Otherwise, anyone from any faction would have been ousted once they took office."

Xiao Lingpu shook his head. "If the Earl of Suiping's Residence were to discuss this marriage with Mister Kumu, it would naturally fall through. But I doubt they would even consider it. The two families' titles are similar, but their social standing is worlds apart. Not to mention, if the Zhao Family's daughter marries Yunkai, any boy from the Earl of Suiping's Residence could easily secure a position in the army, and promotion wouldn't be difficult either. Not to mention, Yunkai is handsome, eloquent, and a highly desirable son-in-law in the eyes of the ladies of the capital."

"So I thought the people from the Earl of Suiping's Residence wouldn't think that far ahead or that deeply. They would be flattered and agree when Fu Yunkai came to propose marriage. I didn't expect them to refuse."

He was somewhat curious. "I wonder if they consulted with Mister Kumu, or if there's someone in their household who understands the situation. If they didn't consult with Mister Kumu, I'd like to meet that capable person in their household who sees through all this."

Hearing his brother say this, Xiao Lingyan felt inexplicably proud.

Isn't Zhao Ruxi amazing? In her past life, her mentor was slandered, and she single-handedly uncovered the truth, set a trap to expose her opponent's ugliness, and cleared her mentor's name.

Now that she's read the book, she has a general understanding of the overall situation at court and a clear idea of its future trajectory. Shouldn't she be able to see through the schemes behind these people's actions at a glance?

However, he couldn't tell Xiao Lingpu these things. He also had no intention of arguing with his brother.

He picked up a pastry from the table, popped it into his mouth, and said smugly, "Anyway, the result was just as I predicted."

Xiao Lingpu glanced at him sideways, but said nothing more.