Chapter 86: Marriage Arrangement

The scene instantly fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the mountain wind rustling through the trees with a hissing sound.

Tian Bin suddenly turned to look at his younger sister.

Everyone in the Kaifeng Prefecture knew that you could call Xie Yu proud, indifferent, or even cold and unfeeling, but one thing was certain: he never lied.

Tian Shu’s face turned even paler.

She never expected Xie Yu to speak this way, leaving her not even a shred of dignity.

She tried to look at him, but received only deeper indifference in return.

In the end, Xie Yu didn’t even bother to glance at her.

Tian Shu’s eyes reddened instantly, with tears trembling on the verge of spilling.

“Ah Shu!” Tian Bin urged, his face stern.

Tian Shu pinched her palm, suppressing her embarrassment to bow apologetically, “I lost my composure… I’m truly sorry.”

Her mind went completely blank, feeling as if she might faint.

Why did it come to this?

Do you really have no feelings for me at all?

Even Ma Bing felt somewhat uneasy.

But she didn’t speak to stop it.

Frankly speaking, this Tian girl had indeed been too spoiled, to put it bluntly, she lacked self-awareness.

In recent days, many high-ranking officials and nobles had come to listen to lectures at Fuyun Temple, and the Tian family wasn’t the only one with status. Even if you looked down upon the opportunity to build connections, you should at least have shown some restraint; otherwise, offending someone randomly could bring serious consequences.

Xie Yu accepted her bow calmly.

Tian Bin apologized with a serious expression, “I’m truly very sorry. May I ask if Lady Zhao has also arrived? Would it be possible for me and my younger sister to personally apologize to her?”

Tu Yao was busy with official duties, and Xie Xian was occupied with impeaching officials, so they wouldn’t come to such an occasion. As for Xie Yu and Yuan Pei, they didn’t even believe in Buddhism, but they had come nonetheless, clearly as escorts.

There was no news of Princess Ningde leaving the city, so it must have been Lady Zhao who had come.

If they couldn’t see Tu Yao, getting through to Lady Zhao would serve the same purpose…

“There’s no need.”

Xie Yu flatly refused.

Compared to Tian Shu, he disliked Tian Bin even more.

Tian Bin was too hypocritical and scheming; every word and action exuded calculation.

Although he indeed had intentions to help the Tian family, when a person lost sincerity, it inevitably became unpleasant.

Tian Bin had expected Xie Yu’s response. Although slightly disappointed, he was used to it, merely bowing again, “I’m truly very sorry.”

Xie Yu glanced at him for a moment longer.

It had to be said, General Pei’s evaluation of Tian Bin had been extremely accurate:

He was indeed still a capable individual.

You could call him hypocritical and scheming, with an unlikable personality, but it was undeniable that he was indeed striving hard for his family’s interests, never losing composure despite repeated setbacks.

For a young man to reach such a level, whether friend or foe, he seemed to deserve some respect and admiration.

After watching Xie Yu and the others leave, Tian Bin finally straightened his back.

He didn’t bother comforting his sobbing sister but turned to Ji Fang, who looked as if her soul had flown away, “Do you know that young lady?”

Ji Fang stared intensely at Ma Bing’s retreating figure several times, as if trying to imprint it in her memory. After a long while, she sighed wistfully, “Ah, she’s the woman who saved someone during the polo match that day.”

It had been many days since they last met, but Ma seemed even more beautiful now.

Just now, she had wanted to follow them, but before Xie Yu could act, Yuan Pei had already bared his teeth at her…

“It was actually her!” Tian Bin exclaimed in surprise.

Back then, there indeed had been a woman who caught the ball, but he had been preoccupied with mediating the conflict between Xie Yu and others and trying to win over other players on the field, so he had only glanced briefly, confirming no major trouble had arisen before losing interest.

He never expected her to be with Xie Yu.

“What’s her background, and what’s their relationship?” Tian Bin asked again.

Upon hearing this, Tian Shu forgot her crying, lifting her tear-streaked face to eagerly look at Ji Fang.

She also wanted to know who this woman was that could walk so openly beside the young marquis.

All these years, aside from the imperial princesses and cousins, she had never seen Xie Yu walking with any woman outside of his relatives.

Hearing this, Ji Fang seemed somewhat deflated, “Her name is Ma Bing. I don’t know much about her background either, except that Lady Zhao treats her very kindly. The Yuan family’s girl is also close to her, and she’s currently working as a physician in the Kaifeng Prefecture.”

Ma?

Tian Bin immediately went through all the notable families in and out of the court in his mind and found that aside from some declining families in the southwest, there were indeed no prominent Ma families left.

But those families in the southwest didn’t seem to have any connection with the Tu and Zhao families, did they?

Tian Shu refused to believe she was just a physician, “What kind of status is that! If it were only that, how could the young marquis treat her so, so…”

She couldn’t bring herself to finish.

A woman in love pays close attention to every move of the one she loves. Even if she didn’t actively look at Ma Bing, she had been forced to notice her a few times because of Xie Yu’s attention.

The young marquis had originally been such a cold and aloof person, treating everyone the same, but now when he looked at that Ma girl, his gaze always softened completely.

And they stood so close!

Tian Shu refused to believe that she had actually lost to an obscure young physician.

She would rather be told that the rival was a descendant of a powerful aristocratic family.

At least that would make her feel better.

For a moment, the three of them were lost in their own thoughts, saying nothing.

The mountain wind was fierce and chaotic, and with so many trees here, despite it being midsummer, it felt chilly on their skin.

Tian Bin then said to Ji Fang, “I’m sorry you had to witness this scene today. I won’t trouble you to stay any longer.”

This was a polite way of dismissing her.

Ji Fang wasn’t blind to the implication, “Alright, we can meet again later.”

Tian Bin nodded, then after a moment’s thought, still reminded her, “I saw how the young marquis treated that Ma…”

Seeing Ji Fang instantly look as if she had been scolded, Tian Bin felt both annoyed and amused, “Never mind, let’s not talk about that. Have you written the essay I mentioned earlier? We’ll need it for the literary gathering next month.”

He had passed the xiucai examination several years ago, but unfortunately failed the juren exam last year. Still, he was confident he would pass in the next session.

Ji Fang, however, had only recently passed the xiucai exam, and judging from her writing style, it would likely be difficult for her to pass the juren exam.

After all these years of friendship, he couldn’t bear to see her give up now.

Even a broken ship has three thousand nails. If Ji Fang could eventually make something of herself, it would be beneficial not only to her but also to the Ji family.

At the mention of this, Ji Fang felt somewhat annoyed, but she also knew Tian Bin had her best interests at heart, so she could only endure and say, “I’ll go back and write it…”

With that, she had no heart for anything else and simply bowed slightly before leaving.

Tian Bin sighed.

He looked again in the direction Xie Yu and the others had gone, making a mental note before gesturing to his sister, “Come on, let’s go inside and talk.”

With outsiders gone, Tian Shu’s tears finally flowed freely, and she began sobbing into her hands.

The room had already been cleaned, but seeing the water marks still not dry on the floor, Tian Bin could guess what had happened. He then asked Zhang Mama, who had been following them.

Zhang Mama dared not lie and recounted everything in detail, watching as Tian Bin’s brows furrowed tighter.

“I’ve told you countless times, when you’re out and about, you should be a bit more gentle and yielding—you won’t lose anything by it!”

Tian Shu was already upset, and upon hearing her brother’s words, she felt even more wronged, “How come you’re talking like this too! If I had known life would be this suffocating, I’d rather be dead!”

“You foolish girl!” Tian Bin slammed the table and stood up, furious at her inability to understand, “If you truly have such determination, why not just go ahead and kill yourself now!”

Tian Shu had always held both respect and fear for her elder brother. Her previous outburst had been only a momentary emotional reaction. Now seeing him angry, she immediately quieted down.

Sensing the worsening situation, Zhang Mama signaled to the maids and quietly withdrew.

Tian Bin angrily paced back and forth several times, wanting to scold someone, but seeing his sister crying so pitifully, he softened his heart. Finally, he could only sigh deeply, “Ah Shu, you’re grown up now. Why don’t you understand? The Tian family is no longer what it used to be. Father is at home in retirement, and although people say it’s his choice to step back while the going is good, no one is truly foolish! If the emperor had intended to continue using him, even if he wanted to retire, could he really have done so?”

There were many elderly ministers in the court older than Tian Song, and some had even requested retirement before, yet they were still trembling their way to court.

Tian Shu pursed her lips and lowered her head to fiddle with her handkerchief, also feeling a sense of desolation.

They always say that once a person leaves, the tea grows cold. Now she had truly experienced it.

When her father held high office in her childhood, how carefree and happy had her life been? Everywhere she went, she was surrounded by people.

But now?

Their doorstep had grown cold, and many girls who had once been of lower status than her now dared to raise their voices.

How cruel human nature could be.

Tian Bin continued, “Although your older brothers have entered the bureaucracy, they are not yet capable of major responsibilities, and besides, they are not truly aligned with us…”

Although he was the legitimate son of the Tian family, he was not the eldest. Tian Song was not a faithful man; before Tian Bin, there had already been three concubine-born sons.

When they were young, it was still manageable, but now that Tian Song had fallen from power, the younger generation all wanted to seize whatever remaining influence there was before it completely evaporated, causing chaos within the family.

Favor and connections required reciprocity. When Tian Song was in power, such things were naturally insignificant, but now that the Tian family had fallen into misfortune, in others’ eyes, they had become discarded pieces with no further use. Although past favors couldn’t be erased, they were being used up bit by bit, and could no longer be sustained.

If it weren’t for this, why would he have to flatter and please people everywhere these years!

Wouldn’t it have been better to live carefree as a second-generation noble?

Speaking of this, Tian Bin also felt a deep sense of fatigue.

He sat down beside Tian Shu and exhaled heavily, as if his entire being had been drained.

If the Tian family could remain standing, why would he have to take the imperial examination route?

Looking around, wasn’t every aristocratic son simply accumulating experience when they came of age—serving in the imperial guards, holding a ceremonial guard position, or directly taking on an idle post… before eventually becoming independent in a few years?

The imperial examination was crucial for commoners, but for aristocratic sons… it was merely an extra embellishment.

For a while, the siblings sat in mutual sorrow, silent toward each other.

After a long time, Tian Shu finally held back her tears and said, “Brother, I really don’t want to marry that man… please help me, help me. What about the young marquis…”

In recent years, the family had been busy seeking suitable young men, but now the Tians were in a difficult position—too high to settle for low matches, yet too low to reach the best ones. Many good families were already taken or out of their league, while slightly inferior matches were beneath their pride, causing delays until now.

A few days ago, the family had finally found someone—a viscount’s second son. His character and appearance aside, he was indeed the best match the Tian family could find at present.

Tian Bin sighed, “Who wouldn’t want to attach themselves to the young marquis? But Ah Shu, wanting is one thing; whether it can be achieved is another.”

If only one could marry the young marquis, who would settle for less?!

The entire Tian household, even more than Tian Shu herself, longed for it!

But the problem was, they couldn’t marry him!

If Xie Yu had even a trace of affection for Tian Shu, no, not even affection—had he merely shown some respect for the old master—he wouldn’t have scolded her so openly.

Hearing him say this, Tian Shu’s eyes went blank as she murmured, “I can’t accept it, I can’t accept living like this for the rest of my life…”

Though she hadn’t seen him, she had heard about that man—lacking talent in both literature and martial arts, and unattractive to boot!

Tian Bin firmly patted his sister’s hand, “In a few years, you’ll understand—love and affection are the most unreliable things. Only status matters. Once you marry him and have a son, you’ll have security for life.”

Although it might only end up being a baron’s title, at least it was a noble rank, with a fixed monthly stipend of grain and silver, and future generations could study at the National Academy…

Hearing this, Tian Shu finally couldn’t hold back anymore, covering her face and sobbing bitterly.

I can’t accept it, I can’t accept it!