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Chapter 70.1 - Getting Married
"What is this for?"
Translations by Vanilla Muse
Fu Wu Tian came up beside An Zi Ran and leaned one hand on the table.
Asides from the fine writing paper in front of him, there were two other pieces of paper above it. They were also filled with information on the industries. The writing was different. The ink had already dried up, so it was obviously not written recently.
As he spoke he picked up one of the papers and looked over it. The handwriting didn"t look as good as w.a.n.g fei"s.
An Zi Ran looked up at him and said, "This is the dowry that my father prepared in advance for An Qiao E and An Ke Xin when he was alive. I was originally planning to wait for them to marry before bringing it out."
"But unexpectedly they were unable to wait for their dowry. Fang Jun Ping ran off with her daughter. It seems that this dowry won"t be used," Fu Wu Tian concluded his words.
An Zi Ran said, "This is the path that the mother and daughter chose. Even if we meet in the future I will not take out this dowry." Only Steward Su and he knew about this dowry, so there was no need to think about the consequences. He was more than happy not to have to see them again. Although they were concubine-born daughters, for the sake of his face*, An Chang Fu still prepared a lot for their dowry. Indeed, it was a rich and imposing amount.
[*T/N: The concept of "face" in Chinese means reputation, honor, and/or self-respect.]
After he finished speaking, he took the paper from Fu Wu Tian"s hand, crumbled it into a ball, and threw it away.
"What about the other one?" Fu Wu Tian asked.
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An Zi Ran brought the other paper in front of him. With a brush he wrote a big X on the paper. "I will re-write a new one."
Except for land property, the dowry list had everything else, including a dozen real estate properties. It was a very generous amount. But this was the list that An Chang Fu had drawn up when he was considering the prospect of marrying his daughter off to an official, which was why there were so many things.
An Zi Ran did not have such plans.
The most he could guarantee was to marry An Ke Xin off to a wealthy businessman, so that she would not have to be concerned over money for a lifetime. This was already the kind of marriage that many women dreamed of. For a concubine-born daughter like An Ke Xin, wanting to marry someone with status and rank was impossible. The other party may not even accept her as a concubine.
"Are you preparing to marry her off to the one surnamed Lin in Tong Tai County?" There was a flash of amus.e.m.e.nt in Fu Wu Tian"s eyes.
An Zi Ran did not deny it. He only said, "Although the Lin family is not as rich as the An family, but they are also one of the top wealthy businessmen in Tong Tai County. If An Ke Xin marries them, she will be the proper wife. Also Lin Xin is the Lin family"s only son. I have already investigated him. He has not married a wife yet. An Ke Xin will not be wronged. If she has brains and schemes, she will give birth to the Lin family"s first son. Then the entire Lin family will be hers."
Fu Wu Tian gazed at An Zi Ran, who spoke frankly with a.s.surance. "w.a.n.g fei, I couldn"t discern that you were thinking so much for her."
"I wasn"t giving consideration for her, I was only declaring a fact." An Zi Ran said unconcernedly. He was the type of person that reports when stared at. An Ke Xin should rejoice at her luck. If the Lin family"s son had not paid a visit that other day, he would definitely have found a random wealthy person and married her off.
Moreover, with his relationship, the Lin family would not dare to mistreat An Ke Xin. This was already the best outcome for her.
"Will she agree?"
"She doesn’t have a choice."
An Ke Xin really did not have a choice anymore. If Zheng Bi had not put on such a grand play that day, then An Ke Xin would still have the right to choose her marriage partner. An Zi Ran would never let her marry at this troublesome critical juncture.
After making the decision, An Zi Ran summoned An Ke Xin before him.
When she heard that An Zi Ran wanted to marry her to the only son of the Lin family, An Ke Xin was stunned into silence. An Zi Ran did not speak again until she took the initiative to break the silence.
"I agree to marry Lin Xin."
An Zi Ran arched an eyebrow.
An Ke Xin said with sarcasm, "Even if I don"t agree, you have already decided to marry me off at this time, correct?"
An Zi Ran generously admitted. "Yes."
She said, "I know that you will not take me and my mother to Jun Zi City. You also won"t let me marry someone with status and position in Jun Zi City. That"s why you"re so eager to marry me off."
He looked at her and replied, "Indeed. I won"t take you two with me. But there is one point you are incorrect about. Based on your birth, those people with status and position won"t marry you at all. Even if it"s a concubine, it must be the daughter of an official. Jun Zi City is beneath the foot of the emperor. An Yuan County cannot compare at all. Your desire to marry someone with status and power can only be a dream in your heart. If you say it out loud, you will only be laughed at and humiliated."
Hearing him speak, An Ke Xin"s face turned blue and white.
She couldn"t be blamed for her way of thinking. It was all An Chang Fu and Zheng Bi"s fault for instilling the wrong ideas in her head. In addition, due to the An family"s high status in An Yuan County, An Ke Xin always thought that she was among the cream of the crop.
She had never been to the outside world, just like a frog at the bottom of a well. If she didn"t jump out she would never know how ridiculous her thoughts were.
"I agree to marry Lin Xin, but I have one demand."
An Ke Xin said she would agree to the marriage, but it wasn"t because she came to understand her status in life, but because of Fu Wu Tian. After learning that he was a w.a.n.g ye, she knew that she would never get out of her predicament. An Zi Ran would always be above her head.
Instead of living her days in fear, it was better to seize this opportunity. So even if An Zi Ran did not mention this matter today, she would go to him.
"What demand?"
An Ke Xin said, "Spare my mother."
Although she blamed her mother for dragging her down into the water, they were still mother and daughter. This was the only thing she could do now. Consider it as her repayment to her mother for raising her.
"All right." An Zi Ran did not hesitate.
Zheng Bi was nothing in his eyes. Even if he didn"t do anything, she would not be able to stir up any big waves. He was not interested in bickering with a married woman. As long as she didn"t bother him in the future then that was good. Later, he would find a courtyard for her to spend the rest of her life.
The two sides reached an agreement, and An Zi Ran ordered Steward Su to prepare for the Second Miss"s marriage. He had already contacted Lin Ji* of Tong Tai County. Lin Xin was very happy after knowing this and agreed to it without superfluous words.
[*T/N: Not a typo. Probably Lin Xin"s father.]
Knowing that the Second Miss was going to get married, everyone was very happy, because in the future there would be no need to see this savage Second Miss, and there would be one less disagreeable master to serve.
The festive atmosphere had somewhat diluted the blood of that day.
However, there were some obstacles in the arrangement.