Wen Renying has been pampered since she was a child, and many people have obeyed her. If she had been talked to nicely, she might not have cared about the title. After all, she didn't get married for this. But Hua Bochen treated her like a thief and a robber. Even so, she still insisted on taking it!
This became one of the irreconcilable contradictions between her and Hua Bochen.
Hua Bochen was extremely respectful to his widowed sister-in-law and treated his nephew better than his own son. People knew that it was because he had a deep affection for his brother who passed away early. Those who didn't know would think that he had an unspeakable relationship with his widowed sister-in-law. Wen Renying naturally saw what was going on. However, even so, what woman could tolerate her husband treating other women better than herself
She had a bad relationship with that woman, and Hua Bochen always stood on her side, saying that she was narrow-minded, that she was intolerant, and that she even bullied orphans and widows. In short, at any time, it was her fault. Just because there was no man and no father, that mother and son would never be wrong! Even now when she thought about it, Wen Renying wanted to bite Hua Bochen to death.
Wen Renying didn't know what became of Pingjin Marquis Mansion after her death. However, no matter how hard Hua Bochen tried, he couldn't change the fact that Pingjin Marquis Mansion had fallen into decline. His good nephew, who was neither a filial father nor a filial grandfather, had a mother who was very strict with him and grew up to be weak and without his own opinion. How could he want to restore the glory of Pingjin Marquis Mansion? He was dreaming!
Everything is going well in Pingjin Marquis Mansion now. Hua Bochen is indulged in his romantic life and lives a very comfortable life. Moreover, unlike his previous life, Hua Bochen now likes Li Ruoshui and loves her to death.
In Wen Renying's eyes, this was not surprising at all, as Hua Bochen had liked that tune from the beginning to the end.
In her previous life, Hua Bochen had looked down on her, saying that she came from a scholarly family but had no knowledge or talent. He also wondered if she was brought back from outside, otherwise why didn't she have even a little bit of her fourth brother's scholarly air.
Wen Renying tore the flowers in her hand into pieces petal by petal, raised her chin slightly, and had a cold look in her eyes. In Hua Bochen's heart, he must have been eager to break off the engagement with her and marry the girl he had been dreaming of.
However, Li Ruoshui has the title of the most talented woman and the most beautiful woman. There are even princes, sons of dukes and marquises, and grandsons of ministers who are eyeing her. If you count them on your fingers, you may not be able to count them all, not to mention those with lesser family backgrounds.
Among these people, Hua Bochen really has no advantage. After all, even if his father is powerful, the position of the crown prince clearly belongs to his brother, and he himself has no outstanding abilities. The elders of the Li family will definitely look down on such a person. Marrying the most outstanding girl to such a person who is destined to have no future is a huge loss.
As for whether Li Ruoshui himself would look up to him, it was hard to say. After all, Li Ruoshui was...
She wanted to cancel the engagement, and Hua Bochen also wanted to cancel the engagement. It was naturally no problem for them to "hit it off", but how could Wen Renying be willing to let Hua Bochen off so easily? She would let the world know that she, Wen Renying, was innocent from the beginning to the end, and it was Hua Bochen who was unfaithful and had a bad character. If she wanted to cancel the engagement, she would have to make the Pingjin Marquis' Mansion apologize to the Wen family.
This is far from enough. In the future, he will be disgraced and despised by the world. The reason why she didn't do that all at once is because his reputation is too bad. When they are still an engaged couple, when others mention him, they will inevitably think of her, which is not a good thing for her. Therefore, she can only completely sever ties with him and then take it slowly.
She won't let Hua Bochen have an easy time!
But this is only secondary. It's hard to have a chance to start over, so how could Wen Renying be so immersed in such things? Cheng Wenzheng is more important. After all, if life is worse than in the previous life, what's the point
Cheng Wenzheng is still the third place in the imperial examination, but even if there is a change, Wen Renying will not find it strange. She must think that Lord Li, the prefect of Kaiping Prefecture, has already had some ideas. Of course, he is definitely not the only one who has these ideas.
Originally, the one who married Cheng Wenzhen was a concubine's daughter of Lord Li. However, this girl had a different status because she was raised by the old lady above. Cheng Wenzhen had no roots or foundation and came from a poor family. Therefore, even if she was a concubine's daughter, she was still the daughter of a third-rank official, and it was still a high-ranking official for him to marry. Haven't you seen how many top-ranking, second-ranking, and third-ranking scholars were famous for a while, but later became ordinary people without making any waves
However, knowing Cheng Wenzheng's future achievements, Wen Renying felt that the current Miss Li was not worthy of him.
Cheng Wenzhen will return to his hometown to worship his ancestors after the imperial examination. His mother will then come with him to Kaiping, and the marriage will be finalized at that time. Even though he is not young, the marriage may be relatively hasty. However, it will take at least three months to wait after the engagement. With this calculation, there is still about half a year to make the arrangements.
Of course, it is impossible to wait until that time to make trouble. The sooner the better. If Cheng Wenzheng does not get engaged to anyone else but directly to her, it will be even better. Therefore, the engagement on her head must be removed first.
However, a few days passed quickly and Lu Deyuan and Wen Renhui came to Wenren's house again. Compared with the last time, this time they brought a lot of gifts in the carriage, most of which were for girls, and each one looked very good. Xiaocao wanted to refuse, but the couple said that they were prepared by the elders and she must accept them.
Xiaocao continued to fill her own pockets. According to her mother, even if they were not used, they would be put at the bottom of the box. Those were her things. She couldn't persuade Han, so she could only accept them. However, Xiaocao was happy to take some of the more precious medicinal materials, such as ginseng, Polygonum multiflorum, donkey-hide gelatin, etc. As a doctor, the thing she could never have too much of was medicinal materials.
Because of Wen Renying's engagement with Hua Bochen, the Wen family's first wife has to prepare to attend the banquet.
The last time the Wen family held a banquet, the wife of the Marquis of Pingjin was ill, so she asked her daughter-in-law to come in her place. Xiaocao had met the prince's wife before, and she was an orthodox noble lady. Her dress, speech, behavior and even her smile were perfect. It is basically difficult to grasp the true character of such a person. So, what the other party is like has nothing to do with Xiaocao, so there is naturally no need to explore.
They only exchanged a few words at that time, and she did not stay with those young girls and wives. From beginning to end, Wen Renying did not have any direct contact with her. Wen Renying was also worried that she would not be able to hold back in the face of this "former" "mortal enemy" and would reveal emotions that she should not have.
Hua Bochen did go to the Wenren family, but Xiaocao never got to see him because he was a stranger.
Han was quite satisfied with Hua Bochen. Although he didn't have any great abilities, he didn't have any major problems either. Although he liked romantic things, he was not lustful and had a good temper. With her father and brother, she wouldn't have to worry about her life. Han also wanted her spoiled daughter to have an easier life, so she chose such a son-in-law. It was a good intention.
When Han was talking to Xiaocao about this, Wen Renying was sitting aside with her head down, looking unusually well-behaved and quiet.
Others thought she was shy, but Wen Renying was very calm. She knew that her mother was very worried about her. She had picked and chosen the marriage just like her fourth brother. She never doubted her mother's vision. It was just that her mother's "foresight" was a little poor. Her fourth sister-in-law in her previous life was not Meng Xinlan. Well, that was another person who had received the favor of her fourth sister. The Pingjin Marquis' Mansion had undergone earth-shaking changes in just a few years. Didn't her mother later sigh more than once that she had not expected it
To be honest, they are not having a good life, and the one who suffers the most is their mother.
Because it was a birthday party, the banquet actually started on the eighth day, but it was usually for people from the Pingjin Marquis's family, and the dinner on the ninth day was the main banquet. Those who went to Pingjin Marquis's mansion in the afternoon were all female relatives and male guests who had nothing to do.
Wenren Taibo and Wenren Yang, one was in the Ministry of Rites and the other in the Hanlin Academy, so the task of giving gifts fell on Wenren Yang.
Because Emperor Xuanren was very lenient in some areas, it was possible for him to go home in the afternoon, and today, he gave Marquis Pingjin a day off. However, those who needed him to greet them in person would not come at this time, so those who welcomed them at the main gate were Marquis Pingjin's eldest son, Hua Bochen, and Marquis Pingjin's illegitimate sons and nephews.
When they saw Wen Ren Yang, the others directly pushed Hua Bochen out. This was his future uncle, one of the people who needed to be "pleased", and he could not be neglected. Moreover, Wen Ren Yang's "reputation" was too great, and most people did not want to deal with him. Although, it was not necessary to discuss academic matters with him, but when they thought that he was someone who could interact with those great scholars, they felt that they were not on the same level as him at all, and they would feel weak involuntarily, so Hua Bochen should handle it himself.
So, the Prince of Pingjin Marquis greeted Wenren Yang with a smile, patted Hua Bochen on the shoulder, and then went to greet other guests warmly.
Hua Bochen's appearance is also fair and clean, with a relaxed look between his eyebrows. He looks like a gentleman in fine clothes. He just glanced at his own brother speechlessly. You greeted the guest so warmly, but he looked flattered. It's obvious that he is not very familiar with you. Is it necessary to do this just to stay away? You are the son of the Marquis's mansion, and you have experienced more than Wen Renyang for many years. Why are you as scared as others
However, when Hua Bochen looked directly at Wen Renyang, he hurriedly bowed. The other party had a young face, clear eyes, and a serious expression. Damn it, he couldn't help but feel scared in his heart, and his momentum weakened.
Because Hua Bochen had someone in his heart, he really wanted to cancel the engagement and marry his beloved girl. However, he knew very well that this was impossible, so he would just think about some things and would not show it at all. Because he had someone in his heart, he felt a little guilty towards Wen Renying, and secretly decided to treat her better after marriage. After thinking about it this way, he felt at ease and did not think there was anything wrong with continuing to have another person in his heart.
However, facing Wen Ren Yang at this moment, I inexplicably felt a little guilty.
Hua Bochen led Wenren Yang in, however, apart from a few polite words, there seemed to be nothing to talk about between them. Even though Hua Bochen was a scholar with a high level of attainment in poetry and songs, and could be confident even when facing his elders, he felt embarrassed and depressed in front of Wenren Yang. After the few rare contacts, he understood how most scholars felt when facing Wenren Yang.
So, it is absolutely true that Wen Ren Yang is not just "annoying".
The two walked in silence, and the servants behind them felt awkward.
However, Hua Bochen was the only one who felt really embarrassed. Wenren Xiaosi didn't have that feeling. At times like this, he was usually nervous and dull.
Han took Xiaocao and the others in through the side door of the mansion. Compared to the main entrance, there were a lot more people here, with long queues of carriages and horses. When they got closer, even without the loud noises, the scene was lively and bustling. Whether they were dignified ladies, virtuous young wives, bright and beautiful girls with hairpins and rings, fragrant hair, or children who occasionally played even under the supervision of their elders, they all demonstrated the prominence of the Pingjin Marquis' Mansion.
Wen Renying lifted the curtain of the carriage from afar and looked at this grand scene, but she felt it was extremely ironic. All of this would disappear completely in just five years. She "once" was in the position of the host, but it would be good if she could have half of the guests she has now. The gap was so obvious.
Achoo, achoo, achoo! Xiaocao sneezed several times in a row, completely drawing Wen Renying's attention back.
"What's wrong with Xuan'er? Did she catch a cold?" Han asked anxiously.
Wen Renying also looked concerned.
Xiao Cao shook her head, a little embarrassed, "The fragrance was too strong, I couldn't resist it for a moment."
Han and Wen Renying couldn't help laughing.
“Xuan'er, you don’t have much contact with it in normal times, that’s why you feel this way. You will naturally get used to it with more contact. But if it is really uncomfortable…” Han hesitated for a moment, wondering whether to let her daughter go back.
Xiao Cao shook her head. "It's not that I feel uncomfortable. I'm just not used to it for a while. I smell it more often and it's okay."
Wen Renying walked closer to Xiaocao with a smile, "I still think that the faint medicinal scent on Fourth Sister's body smells better. In comparison, those spices that I liked before, now I feel a little sick of them. Fourth Sister, please give me a few more sachets later." As she spoke, she pinched a sachet around her waist, as if she couldn't let it go.
"Aren't the sachets you took from your fourth sister enough? These sachets can't be eaten, so what are you doing with so many of them? Your fourth sister has so many things to do every day. Do you think everyone is like you, idle all day long, and refuses to learn more things? How can she have so much time to make sachets for you? You'd better shut up." Han couldn't help poking her.
Wen Renying made a dejected sound and muttered something.