715 Grant a Marriage (6)
Shen Xin frowned and thought for a moment before saying, “Before the imperial edict is issued, we have to hurry up and marry Jiaojiao off. However, in such a short period of time, it will be very difficult to find a suitable man. No matter what, I’ll get someone to look for some young talents tonight. If there’s anyone with a good character, as long as Jiaojiao doesn’t mind, we’ll get them engaged first.” Shen Xin said, “In short, we can’t let Jiaojiao marry into the royal family!”
Shen Miao had an indescribable feeling in her heart. The voices in the room gradually quietened down. They were probably discussing which young talent was reliable. Shen Miao stood up and was about to turn around to return to her room when she saw Shen Qiu and Luo Ling standing behind her. The two of them were frowning. It was unknown how much of the conversation they had heard.
Shen Qiu grabbed Shen Miao and walked away..
When they reached Shen Miao’s courtyard, Shen Qiu and Luo Ling entered the room and asked the maids to leave. Then, they closed the door and said, “Sister, the empress wants you to marry the crown prince?”
It seemed like the two of them had heard most of the conversation. Shen Miao did not intend to hide it and nodded.
Shen Qiu slammed his fist on the table and gritted his teeth. “This is too much!”
Shen Miao laughed and said, “So many people want to get close to the crown prince. Why are you so angry? Brother, aren’t your standards too high?”
Shen Qiu said angrily, “Jiaojiao, I’m worried about you, but you’re making fun of me.”
Luo Ling looked at Shen Miao and asked gently, “Cousin, what do you think of this matter?”
Shen Miao shrugged. “I’ll let nature take its course.”
“Cousin, you don’t want to fight back?” Luo Ling sounded a little confused.
“My parents have already found a way out for me,” Shen Miao said indifferently, as if she was not talking about her marriage at all. She said, “They’ll find some young talents. If I think one of them is suitable, I’ll hurry up and get engaged to him before the imperial edict is issued. That’ll solve the problem.” She smiled and said, “Don’t worry, my standards are not as high as Brother’s. It shouldn’t be difficult to find someone who suits me.”
Shen Qiu muttered, “I wonder who is so lucky…” Shen Miao pretended not to hear him.
Luo Ling took a step closer and asked, “If there are no suitable people, or the imperial edict is issued before you can get engaged, what will you do?”
Shen Qiu said, “Cousin Ling, why do you say that?”
Luo Ling was still staring at Shen Miao, as if he was determined to get an answer from her.
Shen Miao smiled and said, “Then I’ll marry the crown prince.”
“Sister!” Shen Qiu shouted.
“What else do you want me to do?” Shen Miao said, “Do you want the Shen family to be accused of defying the imperial edict because of me? Do you want me to implicate you and everyone? Do you want me to watch you suffer because of my willfulness? Brother, is this what you want to see happening? Let me ask you. If you were me, what would you do? Would you rather die than marry?”
Shen Qiu fell silent.
If it were him, he would accept this marriage for Shen Miao and his parents. If he could sacrifice himself to protect his family, Shen Qiu would do it without batting an eye.
“Brother, you’ll do the same, right?” Shen Miao said indifferently, “Not everyone in the world can have everything they want. Everyone has to make sacrifices. I’ll do my best to avoid this outcome. If I can’t avoid it, it’s not a big deal.” Shen Miao looked at Shen Qiu. “In my heart, nothing is more important to me than family.”
“But that concerns the happiness of the rest of your life.” Shen Qiu’s eyes were red. He did not know why his sister looked so cold and even a little disgusted when she talked about marriage.
“Happiness has to be earned by oneself, not gained by relying on someone.” Shen Miao said, “Can marrying a good man guarantee my happiness for the rest of my life? No matter if it’s the crown prince or someone else, are you sure that in the next few decades, they won’t have a change of heart?”
“Sister, you’re not married yet. Why do you speak as if you are…” A woman of the world.
Luo Ling looked at Shen Miao thoughtfully. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but thought better of it.
Shen Miao lowered her eyes. Marriage? In her previous life, she suffered tremendously because of marriage. To her, this was a word that carried pain. She didn’t want to fall in the same place twice. Without anticipation, there would be no pain.
She smiled coldly. “Brother, don’t worry. All women have to get married eventually. If the marriage with the crown prince turns out to be a bad one, I will not let the person who hurts me live a good life either.”
