When Jiang Yan heard that the Grand Secretary of the realm, Yan Jingzhou, had rejected the imperial marriage arranged for them, she let out a huge sigh of relief.
Touching her lower abdomen, Jiang Yan furrowed her brow in thought.
*
Jiang Yan had made two grave mistakes.
The first was that she was only a concubine-born daughter of the Duke's household. As a child, she was raised in her aunt's home. When she and Xie Xun were young and innocent, Jiang Yan kissed him and promised to marry him when she turned seventeen.
The second was that after she was brought back to the Duke's household, she was neglected by her parents and constantly pushed around. Pei Youzhi took her under his wing, but in her confusion, she made a terrible mistake with him.
Xie Xun was the future head of the richest family in the realm.
Pei Youzhi was the heir of the Marquis of Xiping.
To abandon Xie Xun would mean breaking her childhood promise. He was noble and upright, and deeply devoted to her. How could she treat him that way, Jiang Yan wondered.
To reject Pei Youzhi would mean that she had already wronged him by taking his innocence. He was also chronically ill and had always cared for her with great attention. How could she treat him that way, Jiang Yan wondered.
*
Just as Jiang Yan was torn between the two, a maid arrived with news about Grand Secretary Yan Jingzhou.
"Miss, good news! Lord Yan has come in person to ask for your hand in marriage again."
Jiang Yan: "..."
[Reader's Guide]
1. The female lead is not a virgin, the male lead is.
2. One-on-one relationships at different stages; the final male lead is undecided.
/2025.04.08/
Theme: If only life could let you have one, then two, then three
