I've Got This Cannon Fodder Trope Covered!

Chapter 19

Xiao Junzhan lowered his gaze at him, speaking softly, "Ning Hai, she may well become your future mistress."

The servant named Ning Hai froze in place.

Xiao Junzhan set the memorial back on the table and took out a piece of warm jade from his sleeve, slowly rubbing the inscription on it: "Ranran..."

He gently called out, "Wei Hanzhang..."

There was a hint of tenderness in his voice, causing Ning Hai to lower his eyes.

............ 

Wei Hanzhang's carriage stopped at the entrance of the manor. As she entered, she happened to encounter the Yongle Marquis and his sons dismounting in front of the Wei residence. Shen Yu followed behind his father and brothers, his head lowered, with a red mark on his forehead.

It seemed this father-son trio had come to apologize.

Upon seeing Wei Hanzhang, the Yongle Marquis's heir clasped his hands in greeting, saying, "Ninth Miss Wei."

Shen Yu behind him appeared quite ashamed, only offering a bow without speaking.

Wei Hanzhang responded with a hum, bending her knee in a slight bow to them and inquiring, "How do you do?"

There was no disgust on her face, but she certainly didn't look happy either.

The Yongle Marquis and his son were not inclined to engage in a lengthy conversation with a young girl and were quickly ushered into the outer courtyard by the doorman.

Wei Hanzhang watched the three of them leave, feeling a sense of injustice for Wei Hanshuang, who was such a good girl but was going to marry Shen Yu, a spineless scoundrel.

His cousin was also the daughter of an official family. Although her father's family had fallen on hard times, there was still a layer of kinship between them, so it was not too far-fetched for her to marry her second cousin from her uncle's family.

If Shen Yu had any sense of responsibility, he should have rejected this marriage and married his cousin instead.

If Shen Yu was not a scoundrel, he should not have taken advantage of the situation, allowing his cousin to follow him without any status, and now she was even pregnant.

In Wei Hanzhang's view, this marriage was decidedly unfavorable. If the Wei family had even a bit of compassion for their daughter, they should kick the trio out of the house, so they wouldn't tarnish the courtyard with their presence.

But she didn't know that Wei Huanshuang had already turned seventeen this year. Two years ago, she had been betrothed to Shen Yu, and now the six rites had been completed, the wedding date set; all that was left was for her to get married.

In truth, Wei Huanshuang was already half a member of the Shen family.

This marriage was not just a simple union between two young people. As Wei Huanshuang herself had said, it was an alliance between the Wei and Shen families. As long as a Wei daughter married into the Shen family, it didn't matter how many concubines Shen Yu had or whether they were his cousins or older female relatives.

The status of the legitimate wife was what truly mattered for the Wei family.

The greatest anger of the Wei family regarding today's events was not even directed at the cousin involved in this clandestine arrangement. From the perspective of the Wei family's interests, what truly infuriated them was that the Shen family should not have implicated their eighth daughter as well. Each daughter represented a marital connection, even if she is the daughter of a concubine.