The maid was also extremely anxious. "The mistress said the same thing, but the master was bent on his own way. He said that Young Master He was up to no good, thinking that he could marry you, miss, with just a prescription. In a moment of panic, he grabbed a bench and almost hit Young Master He."
Jiang Shishi caught her breath with difficulty and was about to rush out in a hurry.
The maid quickly stopped her. "Miss, you mustn't! If you go out now, the master will only get angrier. He'll think you're disregarding your own reputation for the sake of Young Master He and will only make things harder for him."
Jiang Shishi's eyes turned red. She didn't know what to do. She turned around and took Lu Wanning's hand. "Wanning, help me think of a way. He treats me so well, but I can't repay him at all. Now my father... I..."
She turned her head away, covered her face with a handkerchief and sat on the chair, sobbing.
Lu Wanning asked the maid, "What happened next? Has my cousin left?"
The maid went to find out and came back shaking her head. "Young Master He hasn't left yet. He's kneeling in front of the mansion gate, saying that the He family is indebted to the Jiang family and he'll take the punishment today. He'll kneel until the master calms down."
Lu Wanning clapped her hands and laughed. "That's good. Hurry up and tell your master that the eldest miss fainted in a fit of excitement."
The maid hesitated and asked, "Is that really a good idea? What if the master thinks the miss is taking the side of outsiders later..."
Lu Wanning patted the maid's hand. "Just say that the miss said she doesn't want to make others feel wronged. Anyway, she has a worthless life and doesn't know how long she can live. If her father won't let her marry, she won't marry anyone."
The maid paused and looked at Lu Wanning blankly.
Lu Wanning added, "Then ask Miss Jiang's nanny to go to the mistress and pretend to be worried. Say that by offending people like this, no family will dare to marry your miss in the future. What if Young Master He really becomes the son-in-law of the Jiang family? Who knows if the Jiang family will feel aggrieved and make life difficult for the miss."
Jiang Shishi grabbed Lu Wanning's hand. "No, no. What if my father really won't let me marry after hearing that?"
Lu Wanning laughed. "You! Just let the maid dress you up and lie weakly on the bed. Are you still afraid you won't be able to marry my cousin? Don't worry. If your father doesn't allow it now and you don't stir him up, then he really won't allow it."
Seeing this, the maid didn't hesitate anymore. She quickly ran to the front yard, shouting that the miss was ill.
Madam Jiang always doted on her daughter's illness, but this time she didn't come for a long time. Jiang Shishi was so anxious that she couldn't even keep up the act of being ill. She even wanted to get up and go to the front yard herself to check.
Lu Wanning ate the newly picked fruits on the table leisurely. While eating, she sighed, "Such delicious fruits. If you hadn't pretended to be ill, you could have eaten them too."
Jiang Shishi didn't even remember the fruits. She craned her neck to look outside and asked the little maid to check the situation every now and then, making the whole courtyard in a complete mess.
When the maid came back, she was leading the doctor in cheerfully.
Jiang Shishi was impatient. She waved away the doctor's hand. "I'm fine. Don't examine me. Go out first."
The doctor didn't know what to do. "Miss, you're not in good health. I have to feel your pulse to prescribe the right medicine."
Lu Wanning interrupted Jiang Shishi in time. "She doesn't want to live now. What's the point of examining her? No need."
The doctor looked at Lu Wanning in surprise, but saw all the maids in the room driving him out. Although he didn't understand why, he had to go outside the courtyard and wait.
As soon as the doctor left, Jiang Shishi immediately got up and asked, "How is it?"
The maid helped her put on a coat and then smiled. "Miss, don't worry. The mistress went to welcome Young Master He in person."
Jiang Shishi was overjoyed and asked again, "What about my father? Has he softened his stance?"
The maid explained with a smile, "The master heard that you were ill and was still hesitating. The mistress was extremely worried after hearing what the nanny said. She scolded the master and went to welcome Young Master He in person. She said that Young Master He was her son-in-law. If the master dared not agree, she would take you and leave to go back to her parents' home."
Madam Jiang was a gentle and soft - natured woman. As the mistress of a great clan, she always conducted herself meticulously. It was really difficult for her to say such disrespectful words to her husband this time.
The maid added, "Plus, the second and third mistresses were also persuading. They said that Young Master He had a good temper and a good character. He grew up under the master's watch and was a perfect match for you, miss. So the master didn't dare to say anything anymore."
Jiang Shishi let out a sigh of relief. After a long time, she murmured, "It's been difficult for Young Master He... and also for my parents."
Lu Wanning said with a smile, "The most difficult one is you. You can't even pretend to be ill well."
Jiang Shishi covered her mouth and chuckled. "My illness has improved since spring. How can I pretend to be ill realistically?"
When the nanny came back, she said, "Miss, you can rest assured. The master even poured tea for Young Master He and apologized in person. Young Master He was also very polite and humble. The master was very satisfied."
Lu Wanning sighed inwardly. It was likely that Scholar Jiang wasn't really satisfied. He didn't like the He family. But seeing that his daughter was fated to marry into the He family, he had to change his attitude to ease the knot in his future son - in - law's heart so that he would treat his daughter well in the future.
How pitiful the love of parents in the world is!
When they returned to the mansion, the princess had already heard the news. She was sitting and chatting with Mrs. Wei. "I like Shishi very much. If it weren't for her poor health, I really would like to have another son to marry her. Now it's good. She can marry Nanfeng smoothly. I'm more than satisfied."
Mrs. Wei served some fruits to her mother - in - law and said with a smile, "Yes, mother always worried about Young Master He. Now that he's going to get married, mother doesn't have to worry anymore."
Lu Wanning ran in and sat beside the princess. "Mother still has to worry. Miss Jiang is in poor health. Cousin doesn't have his own parents. You can't ignore the arrangements for this marriage and the matters after the bride enters the family and pays a return visit."
Mrs. Wei laughed. "Wanning is being childish. Young Master He is mother's nephew, not her own son. Although he has no parents, his uncles and elder brothers are all there. How could mother be in charge of these things?"
Lu Wanning put her arm around the princess's. "But if the He family is in charge, it'll be difficult for cousin's marriage."
The princess understood what her daughter meant. She patted her hand. "Don't worry. Your second cousin's marriage is coming first. I'll remind your aunt then. Your third cousin's marriage can't be worse than your second cousin's."
Lu Wanning shook her head. "It's different, mother. There's a big difference between the superficial and the real things. You're in charge of the household and you know how big the difference can be, right?"
The princess hesitated. She knew her sister - in - law well. Her sister - in - law always found Nanfeng an eyesore. When their father was alive, she could treat all the children equally. But after their father passed away, she became more blatant.
"But I can only help keep an eye on things. I can't do much else."
Lu Wanning raised her eyebrows. "Why not? Mother, why don't you find a way to let them separate the family?"