Chapter 5: I Will Marry

Qin Bi actually understood very well that the Qin Yan Marquis Prefecture must rely on either the Rong Wang Prince Prefecture or the Yan Guogong Prefecture.

Her father Qin Di protected her, pointing out that divorcing after marriage was not worthwhile; the marriage was meant to seek attachment, and raising the issue of divorce would only anger the Guogong Prefecture, leaving the eldest legitimate brother's future uncertain.

So, no matter what, Qin Di and his son had done their utmost to protect her.

As for the Marquis Prefecture, it had gained nothing good from the Yan Guogong either.

Qin Bi sighed; once He Yan married Qin He, the Qin Yan Marquis could finally breathe a sigh of relief. At the very least, the Qin Yan Marquis Prefecture had sent away a woman He Yan liked, while the Fourth Branch would gain nothing, and the legitimate mother, Lady He, would no longer be allowed to enter her natal home.

In the afternoon, just after lunch, He Yan arrived.

The man, tall and handsome in a brocade robe, sat by the bed and spoke gently: "Qin Bi, it has not been easy for Qin He to wait for me all these years; why must you be so calculating? She has always wanted a life with only one person, yet she is willing to be a co-wife. Your fussing makes no sense."

A life with only one person? Luo Bi sneered. She wanted that too, but this was ancient times; even among women who cultivated, status was scarce. With the marriage dragged out for so many years, hoping to marry someone whose heart held only her was sheer delusion.

"Qin He is afraid of dying!" Qin Bi said bluntly.

Did Qin He not want to be the legitimate wife? She simply lacked the fate for it.

She feared being cursed to death yet still wanted to marry into the Guogong Prefecture, wanting to have her cake and eat it too.

He Yan sighed, softening his sharp demeanor, and said gently: "Let us stop making a scene. She has waited until she is no longer young; marrying now is difficult. I am marrying her only as a co-wife; no one can touch your position as the legitimate wife."

Qin Bi, exhausted, found these words meaningless: "In that case, just marry Qin He directly and save us the trouble of divorcing."

"My fate is unfavorable to her, but you pose no hindrance," He Yan said, then told Qin Bi: "I will not divorce."

"I pose no hindrance? I am currently being cursed by you!" Qin Bi, furious and feeling dizzy, snapped: "Have some shame! You two like each other; whether cursed or not, you should marry. I am unwilling to marry you. Don't you know you curse your wives? I do not covet the position of legitimate wife."

Qin Bi cursed angrily; unless she spoke venomously, her hatred would not be assuaged.

The Guogong's heir was arrogant and had never been so despised. He Yan's face darkened, and he projected the aura of a powerful minister: "Have you ever thought, after the divorce, who would dare to marry you?"

Qin Bi was unafraid: "At worst, I will not marry."

"Very well." He Yan sneered, stood up, and said: "I agree to the divorce."

He Yan swept his sleeve and left; Qin Bi exhaled a cloud of turbid air.

Next, the two prefectures prepared for the wedding. Upon hearing that Qin He was to be married as a co-wife, the Second Branch of the Marquis Prefecture felt an indescribable joy, yet Qin He could not be happy; she only wanted a life with one person and did not wish to be a co-wife.

But recalling the dizzying sensation when she first became engaged to He Yan, Qin He was still terrified, her heart pounding with fear. Her legitimate younger sister, seeing her gloomy, tried to comfort her.

"The heir does not like Qin Bi; what are you worried about? A co-wife is the same as a legitimate wife."

"Yes, yes, the heir favors you in his heart."

"The heir has gone to great lengths for you; do not think of anything else."

Hearing her sisters' words, Qin Bi still felt uncomfortable.

While the Marquis Prefecture and the Yan Guogong Prefecture prepared for the wedding, Qin Bi's health showed no improvement, yet no decline, so no one could tell if there was any hindrance. After some thought, Qin Di still wrote a letter to Rong Juan, the heir of the Rong Wang Prince stationed at the frontier.

If the Fourth Branch took Qin Bi back, it would mean a complete break with the Guogong Prefecture; the Fourth Branch of the Marquis Prefecture could only rely on the Rong Wang Prince heir.

The Rong Wang Prince heir did not reply. Qin Di did not mind; he was merely informing this designated noble son of the Marquis Prefecture. Qin Tang and his younger brother were very worried, fearing they might rely on neither side.

In the days leading up to the wedding, all the younger generation of the Marquis Prefecture came to offer gifts and visit, not for any other reason, but because He Yan cursed his wives; even if he did not, it was truly pitiable that the heir would take a co-wife immediately after marriage.

Sisters with hidden agendas all held back.

Qin Bi did not wish to deal with such trivialities. The eldest sister-in-law was busy from morning till night. Seeing this, Qin Bi said when she met her father Qin Di: "Father, after the marriage and divorce, you will not deceive me, will you?"

Qin Di looked at this child once more; previously, he had not realized how perceptive she was.

"I will not deceive you." Seeing his daughter's eyes turn red again, Qin Di said: "Later, I will send your elder brother to fetch you."

Only then did Qin Bi feel relieved. The younger generation had been coming to offer gifts these past few days. Qin Bi did not know what Qin He was thinking, but she actually came. The eldest sister-in-law, seeing this, immediately sent someone to find Qin Tang and went forward to speak with her.

Qin Tang and Qin Xun hurriedly arrived. The two blocked Qin He, thinking that since their own sister might be cursed to death, ultimately benefiting this illegitimate cousin Qin He, they were willing to put their own futures aside.

"Qin He, is it appropriate for you to come?" Qin Tang gave Qin He no face.

"We are sisters after all." Qin He thought the Fourth Branch was truly ridiculous, disregarding even basic decency.

"Sisters like you?" Qin Xun glanced at Qin He: "Forget it. Go back; Qin Bi does not wish to see you."

Qin He left in anger. Qin Bi heard this from her bedroom and sneered; who was she putting on this hypocritical show for?

On the wedding day, the younger generation of the Marquis Prefecture were all joyful. The dowry followed Qin Bi's wishes; everything He Yan had sent was packed and returned intact. The Fourth Branch understood, the old Marquis and Qin Yan Marquis understood, but others remained unaware.

Qin Bi married over peacefully. She had worried about the hindrance, but by the next day, she was perfectly fine. The entire Yan Guogong Prefecture, which had originally opposed taking Qin He as a co-wife, no longer blocked it.

In the morning, Qin Bi asked He Yan for the divorce papers, but he ignored her.

Qin Bi's heart skipped a beat. Fortunately, around noon, Qin Tang came to fetch Qin Bi: "He Yan, the divorce papers."

He Yan narrowed his eyes and said to Qin Tang: "Have you ever thought, after she marries me, who would dare to marry her?"

Qin Tang did not wish to waste words with his cousin; he feared that after He Yan married Qin He, he would not look after him, his cousin, either: "Qin Xun and I will support her."

He Yan fell silent for a moment, then stood up and wrote the divorce papers. Qin Tang took them and led Qin Bi away. The Yan Guogong Prefecture was a first-rank Guogong Prefecture, one that did not lose its title. As Qin Bi walked, she felt out of place within the Guogong Prefecture.

Returning to the Fourth Branch's courtyard in the Marquis Prefecture, Qin Bi paid a brief visit to the legitimate mother before returning to her own room to sleep.

Qin He felt cheated. Perhaps the dizzying sensation from her previous engagement to He Yan was due to other reasons. Had she known her fate did not curse him, she never would have let Qin Bi marry He Yan. Marrying a man Qin Bi had already married made her feel inferior to Qin Bi.

Qin He's legitimate mother mentioned this to her sister-in-law and sighed: "With Qin Bi's situation, who would dare to marry her?"

The Third Branch's Lady Zhu also sighed. Next was Qin He's wedding. The younger generation rushed to the Second Branch to curry favor. Qin Lang did not go, staying home in a sulk; Qin Bi had been with the Third Branch for several years, closer than Qin He.

The day after Qin Bi returned from the divorce, Rong Juan, the heir of the Rong Wang Prince stationed at the frontier, rushed back.

In the main courtyard of the Fourth Branch, Rong Juan said: "I will marry."