The news that Su Chengmin, as the Commander of the Imperial Guard, and Gu Taohua, the aunt of the Crown Prince’s folk lineage, were engaged, spread like wildfire in Shengjing.
The Su Family quickly learned of it.
Su Shihang was utterly furious; he knew his son did not respect him enough as a father, but he did not expect his son to disrespect him to the point of getting engaged without his father’s consent.
Since ancient times, marriages were arranged by parental order and matchmakers. Yet, the unfilial son deliberately bypassed his father.
Su Chengmin’s behavior was outright rebellious.
"Unfilial son!"
"Unfilial son!"
As Su Shihang cursed, he casually smashed the teacup handed over by Mrs. Lu.
"Master, it’s all my fault. If it weren’t for my thought of letting Yin Er marry Chengmin that angered him, he wouldn’t have boldly gotten engaged on his own." Mrs. Lu took all the blame upon herself, saying, "It doesn’t matter if Chengmin hates me, but he should never act out of spite towards you, Master. This will ruin his whole life."
This was Mrs. Lu’s usual tactic of feigning weakness.
Upon hearing about the engagement, Mrs. Lu was internally panicked and very unwilling.
Su Chengmin could only belong to Lu Yiner.
Mrs. Lu’s words reminded Su Shihang that Su Chengmin hated the Su Family so much that he would rather gamble with his marriage than obey Su Shihang’s arrangements.
Aiming to stir conflict between father and son, making Su Shihang disapprove of the engagement.
Su Shihang wore a sullen face.
When Mrs. Lu proposed marrying Lu Yiner to Su Chengmin, he was pleased and personally asked the emperor for a marriage grant to use Lu Yiner to keep his son firmly in hand.
When Su Chengmin refused this marriage, though Su Shihang was angry, he was willing to support it if Su Chengmin truly had a suitable girl in mind. Not for anything else, just to ease the tension with his son.
Anyway, if his son married a different family lady, it would still be a Su Family marriage, not a Min Family one.
He never imagined that Su Chengmin would get engaged to the daughter of the Sui Feng Village Lady.
A rural female merchant as his daughter-in-law would be a blow to his face.
Seeing Su Shihang’s unpleasant expression, Mrs. Lu gently consoled him and then feigned ignorance, asking, "Master, to which family’s daughter is Chengmin engaged? Is it the one he mentioned before the emperor last time?"
She knew earlier than Su Shihang who the fiancée was.
Mrs. Lu intentionally pretended not to know, just to provoke Su Shihang further.
As expected, Su Shihang’s face turned even uglier, and he banged the table, saying, "Which family’s daughter? Saying it would disgrace the Su Family’s face entirely, that girl is the daughter of the Sui Feng Village Lady."
Mrs. Lu was taken aback and said, "Sui Feng Village Lady? The grandmother of the Crown Prince’s folk lineage? Although this family is connected with the Crown Prince, they are ultimately a rural merchant family, and Chengmin is the eldest son of our Su Family. How can he be engaged to such a girl? Isn’t he confused, getting engaged to her might not help his future at all."
Mrs. Lu’s words struck the chord with Su Shihang.
Even an illiterate woman understands such principles, yet the son doesn’t?
To compete with himself, the son is disregarding his future.
Su Shihang was almost driven mad with anger.
Mrs. Lu, delighted at having stirred up Su Shihang’s anger, continued, "We don’t know whether Chengmin truly likes that girl or if he was forced into this engagement. Master, you are Chengmin’s father. Though there are conflicts between father and son, they do not last overnight. You must clarify this, as intervening after marriage will be too late."
It’s best if Su Shihang seeks out Su Chengmin now.
If Su Chengmin is reprimanded while in high spirits, he can only become more rebellious, ideally engaging in a complete confrontation with Su Shihang. Only in this way would Su Shihang vehemently oppose this marriage, and her and Lu Yiner’s schemes would not worry about Su Shihang blaming them.
Moreover, if ties are severed between Su Shihang and Su Chengmin, the whole Su Family would belong to her son, Su Chengji.
Su Shihang was so angry that he was almost spitting blood, saying: "I heard that back then, while protecting the Crown Prince, he was severely injured and saved by the daughter of the Sui Feng Village Lady. Who knows if it’s that girl imposing her grace for repayment. Had he continued to remain anonymous in the countryside and married her, so be it, but now he has a promising future ahead. How could that girl be worthy of him? There are so many good girls from Shengjing Families; of all people, why choose that rural girl? As a man, if he doesn’t prioritize his prospects, he is simply foolish."
"That Gu Family has a shallow foundation, no one in the officialdom, no one in the court; except for some money, they have nothing. How can such a family be worthy of being my Su Family’s in-laws?"
Mrs. Lu sneered; this was indeed Su Shihang’s own heartfelt opinion.
For the sake of a career, he could abandon his wife of adversities.
Mrs. Lu concealed her emotions and echoed: "That’s exactly right."
Su Shihang stood up, intending to have a good talk with Su Chengmin.
Amongst all Shengjing fathers, having done what he did was certainly unique; whose father calls the son to talk by sending someone to bring the son over, yet he has to personally seek the son like a grandson.
Thinking of this, Su Shihang was even more irritated; he had to oppose this marriage. As long as Su Chengmin dared to get engaged on his own, he would oppose this marriage regardless of who it involved.
Mrs. Lu held onto Su Shihang, worriedly saying: "Master, don’t be impulsive. He is engaged now; backing out would damage his reputation."
Su Shihang pushed away Mrs. Lu’s hand and said: "Women’s benevolence. Even if engaged, even married, one can be divorced. A man’s reputation is gained by making achievements, as long as he rises to a high position, who cares about the reputation from abandoning a wife and child."
Mrs. Lu felt a chill upon hearing these words.
Su Shihang strode out.
In opposing this marriage, beyond the fact that the Gu Family could not help Su Chengmin’s prospects, the more crucial reason was the relationship between the Gu Family and the Crown Prince.
As relatives of the Crown Prince’s folk lineage, the Gu Family was on the Crown Prince’s boat.
Back then, Su Shihang contributed to the Prince’s betrayal and thereafter boarded the boat of Prince Ning.
He was sure that the Crown Prince was just a whetstone in the emperor’s grasp for Prince Ning and the Fifth Prince; the throne would eventually belong to Prince Ning.
His initial plan was to bring his son over from the Crown Prince’s boat to Prince Ning’s side, and as the Commander of the Imperial Guard, as long as he wished, he could have the merit of a from-dragon achievement when the next emperor ascended.
Now, with Su Chengmin’s engagement to Gu Taohua, how could he disembark from the Crown Prince’s boat?
Of course, he didn’t say this to Mrs. Lu, considering her just a housewife who wouldn’t understand even if told.
Lu Yiner learned about Gu Taohua and Su Chengmin’s engagement while purchasing pastries at Taohua Dessert.
Upon hearing the news, Lu Yiner was devastated.
Ever since knowing that the person Su Chengmin fancied was Gu Taohua, for some reason, she frequently went to Taohua Dessert to buy pastries, each time pausing to listen when the clerk talked about Young Master Gu Taohua.
Her attention to Gu Taohua had surpassed even her attention to Su Chengmin.
Originally, she planned to scheme against Su Chengmin at Old Mrs. Su’s birthday banquet, even sacrificing her purity as a stake.
Yet, the news of Su Chengmin’s engagement came, leaving her no mood to scheme anymore.
"Miss, Miss, your pastries have rolled away."