Chapter 412: Indecipherable Ties and Messy Thoughts.

「In the boudoir」

When Lady Ni entered, Ni Manxue was still earnestly engaged in her embroidery. The warm winter sun streamed through the window, shining upon her daughter’s rosy cheeks, making her face appear even more fair and flushed.

She was embroidering mandarin ducks, each stitch and thread imbued with silent emotion—truly the image of a maiden pining for love.

To think, after the New Year, she would turn eighteen.

To think, she would soon be married off!

To think, she could no longer see her whenever she pleased.

Lady Ni still felt a pang of reluctance.

Ni Manxue looked up. "Mother, what brings you here?"

"It’s so cold outside; why aren’t you wearing a cloak?"

Miss Ni put down her needlework and quickly pulled her mother inside.

Seeing her mother’s eyes were somewhat red, Miss Ni hurriedly asked, "Mother, what’s wrong?"

Lady Ni quickly wiped away her tears. "Nothing... nothing. I’m just... happy!"

Miss Ni looked puzzled. "Happy?"

The mother and daughter sat down, and Lady Ni said, "I know what’s in your heart!"

"You’ll be eighteen after the New Year, and it’s time for you to marry. I just... find it hard to let go..."

Ni Manxue’s eyes widened in panic. "Married? Mother... I..."

She wanted to say that she already had someone in her heart, but then she thought, what maiden speaks so openly about her beloved?

So... she felt both ashamed and awkward, as well as flustered and afraid.

Finally, her voice strained, she asked, "Mother... did you and Father arrange a marriage for me?"

Before she could finish speaking, her hands and feet had turned ice-cold.

Seeing her daughter like this, Lady Ni didn’t dare keep her in suspense any longer and simply nodded. "Yes!"

Ni Manxue felt as if her heart had plunged into an ice cave. "To... which family’s son?"

Why was this so abrupt? How could she have known nothing about it?

Then again, matters of marriage were traditionally decided by one’s parents and arranged by matchmakers. What say did she, a daughter, have in it?

Her thoughts twisted and turned, and with each turn, her heart grew colder.

In the end, it must not be fated.

Though she knew her parents wouldn’t harm her, still...

Ni Manxue’s heart was like a tangled skein of thread—impossible to cut, yet even harder to untangle.

In the blink of an eye, her mind had raced through myriad possibilities, soaring to the heavens and plummeting to the depths.

Lady Ni smiled and said, "It’s... Commander Xia, who serves the Emperor. Your father mentioned... he directly submitted a petition to the Emperor, asking His Majesty to grant you two this marriage..."

"He must be very fond of you. Besides, your father and I had people inquire. Commander Xia, though over twenty, doesn’t even have a serving girl by his side..."

This matter, whether considered major or minor, was certainly not insignificant. On the surface, women desired a reputation for virtue, but in their hearts, they all secretly weighed such matters. A future husband with no serving girls around him, versus one who had already taken a host of concubines—which was better? The answer was self-evident.

Lady Ni continued to chatter, but Ni Manxue didn’t hear a single word beyond the first few. She only heard: "Commander Xia, who serves the Emperor!"

Then her mind went "BOOM!" and she couldn’t hear anything else.

The tangled mess in her heart vanished, replaced by a burgeoning excitement, as if a small deer were leaping within her chest. The iciness in her limbs disappeared, supplanted by an uncontainable agitation. Her pale cheeks gradually regained their color, eventually turning as red as a ripe apple!

If one could describe the sensation of being lifted from hell to heaven, this was it.

Seeing her daughter like this, Lady Ni sighed once more. "Truly, a grown daughter cannot be kept at home..."

Ni Manxue, seeing her mother’s expression, blushed and said coquettishly, "Mother, I will always be your daughter."

She wasn’t marrying far. The dignitaries and nobles of the Capital City all lived nearby, just a few streets away. She could come back anytime...

Huh?! Why was she suddenly thinking so far ahead?!

The Emperor hadn’t even issued the decree, they weren’t even engaged; it was all... still too early!

She was truly... shameless!

Ni Manxue’s face was so red it looked as if it might bleed.

Lady Ni tenderly caressed her daughter’s cheek, her heart a mixture of sweet and sour, leaving her momentarily speechless.

...

「The imperial edict arrived the following evening.」

The entire Capital City was thrown into an uproar. Families with daughters were awash with jealousy and envy.

"Tsk tsk! Commander Xia seems so wise and valiant. Why would he choose a girl from such a humble family?"

"Indeed! Given his standing, he should have chosen a young lady from a prominent official family. That would have been a great help to his future!"

"Exactly! Commander Xia is so young and already deeply favored by the Emperor. He’s also the brother of Consort Xian Pin in the palace, the Prince’s own maternal uncle..."

"Give him a few more years, and it wouldn’t be impossible for him to be ennobled as a marquis!"

"Precisely! A daughter from a humble family? How could she possibly bear the rank of Lady Hou?!"

Voices of doubt abounded in the Capital City, mostly from established noble families who were merely expressing sour grapes. As for others, it was none of their concern. Since the Emperor himself had decreed the marriage, they were more than happy to offer a few words of flattery.

"Although Miss Ni’s background isn’t particularly high, she is, after all, an innocent and respectable daughter from an official family!"

"Commander Xia, despite his boundless prospects, also came from humble beginnings—perhaps even less distinguished than the Xia Family itself..."

"Seen this way, the two families are a good match!"

"It’s said Miss Ni is both beautiful and talented, with a gentle disposition. It’s just that... her standards were a bit high!"

There was no shortage of matchmakers, but she was known to be selective, and word is she’s already eighteen.

"Regardless, this marriage was decreed by the Emperor! What an immense honor!"

At the mention of the Emperor, everyone fell silent. Who would dare to mock? Did anyone have objections to the Emperor’s decision?

...

「With the Emperor’s edict in place, the rumors and gossip in the Capital City quickly died down.」

Only increasingly fervent blessings circulated among the common folk. Gradually, it even became a celebrated tale of romance.

Everyone seemed pleased—everyone except Xia Tingfeng.

Holding the imperial edict, he felt its immense weight.

It wasn’t that he disliked Miss Ni, nor that he didn’t want to marry her. It was just...

He had no silver!

What a starkly practical problem! It wasn’t just the allure of a beautiful woman that could stump a hero; now, there was also the hurdle of silver!

He had spent all his silver buying hairpins for his sister! The Emperor’s sudden marriage decree had brought him joy, swiftly followed by worry.

He couldn’t very well have his bride sleep on the streets, could he?

...

「Seeing their big brother so troubled, Tiger, without a second thought, immediately offered to sell their courtyard.」

The others all agreed.

Xia Tingfeng refused, his voice deep as he rebuked them, "If you sell it, where will all of you live?"

Tiger flushed, his large frame tensing with frustration. "You saved my life! What’s a mere house compared to that? You could take my life, brother, and I wouldn’t protest!"

Rat and Monster immediately chimed in.

"Big Brother, with Rat around, you won’t freeze or starve, don’t you worry!"

Monster’s eyes sparkled. "If it really comes to it, we can go busking! That one time last year, when we had the biggest crowd, we made ten taels of silver!"

"And that was largely thanks to my devastatingly beautiful face!"

Rat retorted, unconvinced, "How can you take all the credit?"

"It was clearly my idea, and Brother Tiger did the heavy lifting. What’s it got to do with you?"

Monster: "..."

Monster snapped, "Hey, would it kill you not to argue with me for once?!"