“I understand,” I said, stirring my chopsticks and taking a mouthful of cool locust leaf noodles. “No wonder you’ve been promoted so quickly. Do you remember every official’s background so clearly?”
I feel extremely oppressed. Are the Song family and I just incompatible? Their son snatched my brother’s intended bride, and now their daughter wants to steal my husband. Do the people my family choose seem like delicacies everyone wants to grab?
The Song family is considered prestigious, making their young lady’s desire to become a concubine puzzling. Madam Song acts as if I don’t exist, often complaining to my mother-in-law about her daughter’s devotion to An Jin, whom she praises as an outstanding talent. She subtly hints at my failure to bear a child after a year of marriage. The matchmaker skillfully praises the Song family’s third young miss, and if my mother-in-law hadn’t been coldly sitting at the table, I might have swept them out.
My mother-in-law’s frown deepened, making me uneasy. Could she be swayed to want An Jin to take a concubine?
Unexpectedly, she rubbed her forehead and coldly addressed Madam Song, saying, “This is not something I can manage. Let them decide for themselves.” Seeing Madam Song and the matchmaker defeated brought me joy, and my mother-in-law soon claimed to be tired and returned to her room.
I perked up, picked up the refreshing tea that Que’er had prepared for me, took a gulp, and prepared to eliminate An Jin’s romantic entanglements.
Madam Song remarked that her daughter would not compete for affection if married, but I internally thought, “Do I look stupid?”
Madam Song hinted that if I agreed to the marriage, she could persuade her son to return my brother’s intended bride. I cleared my throat and responded, “No need. We’ll handle my brother’s marriage ourselves. That fickle girl is not suitable for him; she’d be more compatible with your distinguished gentleman.”
Madam Song’s face turned blue, and she pleaded, “My daughter truly loves An. She can’t eat or sleep; she’s wasting away,” and began to sob.
The matchmaker added, “Young Madam An, Song’s third miss truly loves An. Why break up their love?”
