Jade Without Fragrance - Chapter 6 : Rejection

Cheng Shu had a brief moment of awkwardness but quickly got back to his usual self. "That's it. Oh, I'm relieved to know that my Second Cousin Sister can actually talk. I've got other things to do, so I'll come back to congratulate my Second Cousin Sister later."

What if my Second Cousin Sister heard those rumors and became so angry that she couldn't speak?

Honestly, I'm terrible at lying, so it's probably best if I just leave for now.

Cheng Shu dashed off and nearly ran into a maid on her way to the Luoying Courtyard.

"Young Master."

He noticed the servants lugging boxes behind the maid and asked, puzzled, "What's going on here...?"

The maid replied, "Madam asked us to deliver these gifts to the Second Young Lady's courtyard."

Knowing how much his Aunt adored this Second Cousin Sister, Cheng Shu stopped being curious and walked away quickly.

At the courtyard gate, the little maid spotted the other maid and reported, "Miss, Sister Fang Fei from Madam's courtyard has arrived."

Fang Fei approached Wen Hao, bowing as she said, "Second Miss, Madam sent me and a few others with these gifts for you."

"For me?" Wen Hao looked at the boxes and trunks, surprised.

Her mother had a generous dowry and often sent her and her sister little girl treats, but she didn't remember getting this many at this time.

What surprised Wen Hao even more was how different this was from her previous life.

Fang Fei grinned and clarified, "These are thank-you gifts from Prince Jing's palace for the Second Miss. Madam instructed us to deliver them straight to you."

"Where's my mother?" Wen Hao asked out of curiosity.

"She's chatting with the steward from Prince Jing's palace."

Nodding, Wen Hao waited for Fang Fei to leave, her gaze fixed on the gifts as she pondered.

If there was a difference in this life, it should be with the Young Prince Jing.

The Young Prince Jing took the matter over and helped her out, so the Princess Jing sent someone to send a thank-you gift.

Yesterday... Wen Hao retraced her memories.

Right! She had shouted when she fell off the wall, but in her past life, the Young Prince Jing hadn't caught her.

Did he react differently this time because he heard her shout?

Back then, when she was mute, he didn't seem to notice her; but now that she could speak, it felt different. She smiled, reaching out to pat Lin Xiao Hua's head.

Whatever the case, Young Prince Jing had helped her out, so she didn't want to be too demanding of anyone.

Wen Hao figured out why Young Prince Jing had acted differently, and she let the matter go.

...

Later that evening, the Prince of Jing returned home, and the Princess Jing broached the subject of their son.

"So, you want to propose that Second Miss Wen marry Shuo'er?" The Prince of Jing looked taken aback, his eyes widening at his wife's words.

"My Lord, please keep your voice down." The Princess of Jing glared at him. "Isn't this discussed with you? It depends on the opinion of the Wen family."

The Prince of Jing scratched his head, conflicted. "Shuo'er is the heir; we can't take this decision lightly."

"Then maybe we should consider another round of selection?"

"If we go through the hassle of picking out another perfect match, what if it doesn't sit well with 'someone'?" The Prince of Jing sighed, managing a wry smile.

When these princes were running their own territories, they were in charge of thousands of people. However, the Emperor called them back to the capital under the guise of brotherly love, but he really just wanted to keep them close and in check.

The Emperor entered the capital as a vassal king and seized the throne; naturally, he had to eliminate the hidden danger posed by his other princely brothers.

Even now, the Emperor still doesn't trust his brothers.

"Do you think Second Miss Wen is a good match, or is that just Shuo'er's opinion?"

Princess Jing playfully teased her son, "Shuo'er thinks the Second Miss Wen is pretty."

"Such a shallow reason!" Prince Jing was ready to scold his son, but a look from Princess Jing made him chuckle awkwardly and admit, "Okay, that's true."

He had also fallen head over heels for Princess Jing at first sight and had been so determined to marry her that he got a serious talking-to from his late father, the Emperor.

Prince Jing sighed, "The Wen family isn't nobility, but they're decent enough. It's not every day Shuo'er takes a liking to someone. Princess, let's see if we can find out what the Wen family thinks in a few days."

...

Over the next few days, Wen Hao was just chilling in the Luoying Courtyard, mentally preparing for whatever crisis might be coming her way.

One day, Madam Lin practically rushed into the courtyard, asking, "Where's your young lady?"

"She's in the study..."

Ignoring the maid entirely, Madam Lin dashed into the study.

Wen Hao pulled a brocade cloth over a square box and raised an eyebrow at her mother's rapid breathing. "Is something wrong, Mother?"

Madam Lin approached her, staring intently at Wen Hao.

Wen Hao touched her cheek, wondering if she had something on her face. "Do I have something dirty here?"

Could her mother have seen what was in the box?

Madam Lin sat down, looking a bit dazed. "A Hao, something strange has happened."

"What is it? If you don't tell me, I'll get really anxious."

"Someone from Prince Jing's palace just asked about your marriage!"

Wen Hao was taken aback.
"Marriage? From Prince Jing's palace?"

"They want to propose to you on behalf of Prince Jing's son," Madam Lin said, a bit too excited, spilling it all at once.

"That's impossible!" Wen Hao exclaimed.

"Right? I also think it's a impossible!" Madam Lin replied after catching her daughter's eye.

"Don't think I'm saying A Hao isn't good enough for him. You'd be a perfect match for Young Prince Jing. It just feels so sudden... I've spoken to Princess Jing a few times, but I never got the impression she was interested in this at all..."

Wen Hao was confused, but one question loomed large: "Mother, did you say yes?"

Madam Lin shook her head, "How could I agree just like that? I wanted to see how you felt first."

Wen Hao felt both sad and happy-her mother really loved her.

Even if Prince Jing's palace was interested in a marriage, her mom's first consideration was her feelings.

"A Hao, what do you think about this proposal?"

Wen Hao saw the expectation in Madam Lin's eyes; her mother seemed genuinely happy about the idea.

But she knew she had to let her mother down.

"Honestly, I don't think it's a good idea."

If she wanted to protect her family from tragedy, she needed to expose her father's true character first. Diving into other issues could complicate things before she even sorted her family out.

And in her past life, the situation with Prince Jing's palace had turned out quite differently.

After returning to the capital, she found out Prince Jing's entire household had been executed for treason.

Marrying into that family could only drag her own family into trouble.

"A Hao, what's bothering you about it?" Madam Lin asked, not trying to push but genuinely curious.

Even though the Young Prince Jing didn't go out much, she had spotted him plenty of times since her parents' house, the General's mansion, was right next to Prince Jing's palace. Not only was he handsome, but he also behaved steadily, without the arrogance typical of a royal child.

"The Young Prince Jing... doesn't seem to be in good health," Wen Hao replied, looking concerned.

Madam Lin was taken aback and squeezed Wen Hao's hand. "A Hao, you are still thoughtful. Mother almost overlooked this!"

When the Young Prince Jing arrived in the capital, he got really sick. His health was shaky, and if he couldn't grow old with his future wife...

A Hao can't end up marrying someone who's always ill!

Madam Lin couldn't help but feel relieved and decided to politely turn down the proposal from Prince Jing's palace.

Princess Jing was totally caught off guard by the Wen Mansion's refusal. She was so mad that she couldn't even finish her breakfast.

"Get the Young Prince in here."

This ungrateful son really didn't care about her at all!