Heavy snow fell today.
The thick snow made it difficult for people to leave their homes.
If it were a regular day off, the streets would be bustling.
It would probably be similar to modern holidays.
There would be more small vendors and peddlers on the streets.
Some jewelry shops and clothing stores would put out advertising signs, offering things like "Buy jewelry today and get a free hairpin."
The commercial atmosphere in the Capital City was quite strong and advanced.
People could come up with all sorts of ways to make money.
There would also be various street performers showing off their skills.
And beautiful young women seeking fathers on the streets.
On this day, at Minister Dong's house in the East City, preparations began early.
Everything had already been tidied up, but the weather was uncooperative with the snowfall. The ground was slippery, so the walkways needed to be cleared. Early in the morning, servants were busy sweeping and shoveling snow.
Madam Dong was feeling a bit irritated.
Whatever she had eaten yesterday had caused a large pimple to appear on her chin.
She was also somewhat anxious.
After all, it concerned her daughter's lifelong happiness.
Seeing her daughter not worried at all made her even more anxious.
That personality of hers - she wasn't worried, but it was worrying the whole family to death.
Minister Dong didn't have a pimple on his chin, but his mouth was full of canker sores.
Even drinking a sip of warm tea made him wince in pain.
Minister Dong's son, Dong Chichi, could easily trigger his parents' bad mood seeing them like this.
He quietly ran to his sister's room.
Seeing various bottles and jars arranged in his sister's room, all incredibly luxurious, gave him a bit of a headache.
It was a good thing they had the same parents, otherwise he would have suspected he was born to a maid.
His room was empty, not much different from a snow cave.
He had never seen such biased parents.
When asked, they would say, "Your sister will be married off soon, so she can only enjoy a few years of comfort as a young lady. After that, she'll spend the rest of her life living in someone else's home, so of course she should live well now. You'll live in our home your whole life, and all the family property will be yours in the future, so what's wrong with letting your sister have this for now..."
Entering the room, he saw his sister embroidering.
Watching his sister's mediocre embroidery skills, with no special characteristics, stitching what looked like a flower with great concentration.
He admired this about his sister - she was average at various skills, but could always patiently persist in doing them.
"Sister, aren't you nervous? You'll be meeting your suitor this afternoon."
Dong E sighed and put down her embroidery.
"Of course I'm nervous. Look at these stitches, so large and clumsy. The embroidery teacher would sigh if she saw them. But being nervous won't help, will it? Everything's already been decided, right? Don't worry, he'll definitely be better than Liu Tong."
"Sister, are you still not over Liu Tong?" Dong's little brother asked uneasily.
"How could that be? Weren't you the one who liked Liu Tong? I saw that every time he came, you two played well together."
"No, sister, I actually don't like Liu Tong. He's a bit stupid, he doesn't understand a lot of what I say. But I thought if I got along well with him, he would treat you better after you got married." The little brother said dejectedly.
He didn't like socializing, and the rare connection he had built would now be useless.
"^_^" Dong E smiled.
"I think he's a bit stupid too, I just didn't want to say it. But mother said it's good if he's a bit dumb, he won't have bad intentions. But you see, being too stupid isn't good either. He's easily deceived - that Immortal Liu he likes doesn't actually like him at all."
The siblings chattered away.
Perhaps because the snow came suddenly, a little bird hid under the eaves, looking blankly at the snow outside, listening to the siblings' conversation inside.
Everything was ready.
Even the corners of the door curtains that were curled up had been smoothed out.
They were just waiting for the guests to arrive.
"They're here, they're here!" A servant came running in.
Minister Dong and Madam Dong could barely contain their excitement as they stood up to personally welcome the guests.
Unexpectedly, it was Vice Minister Liu, bringing his son and a group of servants carrying poles with bundles tied with red cloth.
A few days ago, Vice Minister Liu learned that his wife had taken their son to visit and had been scolded and sent away.
He was quite angry about it.
Although Minister Dong was his direct superior, he was always inflexible and had a poor relationship with Minister Lu. Minister Lu was petty and vindictive; Minister Dong would surely be retaliated against sooner or later.
Vice Minister Liu had already quietly paved his way with Minister Lu and had even visited Minister Lu's private court.
However, his unfortunate son was still competing for a girl's affections with Minister Lu's young son, and among them was also a royal relative, the son of the Seventh Prince.
Even though the Seventh Prince was not favored, the Chu Heir was still a legitimate royal grandson, and his son was deeply involved.
No matter how he tried to manage the situation, his son insisted on plunging headfirst into it.
The only solution now was to force him into marriage.
Minister Dong's family loved their daughter and would provide a generous dowry. If anything were to happen in the future, it wouldn't affect a married daughter.
Moreover, fathers-in-law and sons-in-law were natural allies. Vice Minister Liu was caught in a contradiction of wanting to replace Minister Dong while also worrying about Minister Dong being replaced by another minister.
All things considered, Minister Dong's daughter still seemed the best choice.
Minister Dong cared about his reputation. Today was a day off, so Vice Minister Liu decided to personally visit to apologize.
He was giving them a graceful way out, so they shouldn't be stubborn about it. They had already become the laughingstock of the Capital City.
Vice Minister Liu brought generous gifts, making a noisy entrance as they were delivered to the door.
He was making a grand gesture, showing great respect.
When Minister Dong and his wife, who had come out to personally welcome the guests, saw who had arrived, their faces fell.
Minister Dong felt the canker sores in his mouth hurt even more.
Madam Dong felt like another pimple was about to appear on her chin, out of anger. They had made things clear a few days ago and had even fallen out, yet here they were at the door, and on this day of all days. Who shows up without sending a visiting card first? It was completely unexpected.
If the Jiang family arrived soon, there would be a misunderstanding, which would be terrible.
But since the visitor was Vice Minister Liu, Madam Dong couldn't step forward. She could only curse in her heart, thinking how she used to think the Liu family were all good people, educated and warm, knowing proper etiquette. But as soon as something went wrong, they showed their true colors. So breaking off the engagement wasn't such a bad thing after all. If they had really become in-laws with such people, if E had any grievances in the future, she would have nowhere to turn. Such families looked good in every way, so if you spoke of any grievances, no one would believe you.
Minister Dong's face also darkened.
"Vice Minister Liu, what brings you here so suddenly? Have you brought your son to apologize? Although you offended my wife a few days ago, there's no need to be so formal. We're colleagues after all, a word would have been enough to let it pass."
Vice Minister Liu's face showed a gentle smile, displaying great tolerance for the insult.
Not angry at all, hearing Minister Dong speak loudly, he smiled gently and said, "Minister Dong, I have worked diligently under you for many years. You know how I handle matters. My wife speaks bluntly and may have offended Madam Dong somehow. When she returned home, she was so shocked and frightened that she fell ill. Today, I've specially brought my son to apologize."
In front of his father and Minister Dong, Liu Tong, who had probably been lectured many times at home, finally managed to speak properly.
"Uncle Dong, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me this once. I promise I will treat E well in the future."
As he said this, Liu Tong suddenly caught sight of Miss Dong running out, as if to welcome him. It had been a long time since he had seen her, and Miss Dong was still as youthful and vibrant as ever, like a little deer, with her round face looking very cute.
Liu Tong continued, "Today, I, Liu Tong, swear to heaven that from now on I will only be good to Dong E. My relationship with Miss Liu is pure and proper, with no inappropriate behavior. I only took care of her on the way to the capital because I pitied her. If Miss Dong doesn't like it, I won't see her again in the future."
Liu Tong's eyes were determined as he spoke painfully.
Dong E thought her lifesaver had arrived and ran out, but she didn't expect to see Liu Tong again...
He really was like a lingering ghost.
Liu Tong really... Dong E could cry to death. Even while making a vow, he still had to mention that Immortal Liu everywhere.
She truly felt nauseated inside...
She wanted to vomit, and she actually did vomit.
Right in front of Vice Minister Liu and his son.
Liu Tong, watching Dong E vomit, suddenly looked uncomfortable.
He suddenly remembered telling Qingqing that Miss Dong was embroidering her wedding clothes at home, which caused his mother to force him to propose marriage. Qingqing had curiously asked why such a pure and innocent young lady was in such a hurry to get married, was there some reason?
Liu Tong, his face turning pale, asked, "Miss Dong, I heard you fell into the water and were rescued recently. You're not pregnant, are you?"
Vice Minister Liu wanted to gouge out his own eyes. What was this stupid son of his thinking? Even if she were pregnant, it wouldn't be possible for her to start vomiting in just these few days.
When Minister Dong heard Liu Tong's words, his fists clenched. This boy didn't want to marry his daughter, that was one thing, but to slander her like this? An unmarried woman getting pregnant - wasn't this forcing his daughter to her death?
"Vice Minister Liu, you'd better take your son and your things and leave quickly. I'm sorry, but I can't entertain you. We have guests coming today."
Dong E felt nauseated to the point of vomiting. Unable to fathom Liu Tong's train of thought, she couldn't help but retort, "Brother Liu, I heard you fell into the water at Lady Liu's place. Does that mean you're pregnant too?"
Liu Tong's face immediately turned red with embarrassment. "How dare you sully one's reputation? Qingqing would never do such a thing."
Dong E really... If it weren't for her father's presence, she would have wanted to take the thickest embroidery needle and pierce that Liu fellow through. He was so infuriating.
Vice Minister Liu was angry that his son hadn't been beaten enough, and also upset that Minister Dong wasn't giving him face.
He left these words: "Minister Dong, if you intend to form a marriage alliance with Vice Minister Jiang, I advise you to be cautious. Vice Minister Jiang can barely protect himself. After tomorrow, he might very well end up as a prisoner."
