Chapter 315: Chapter 315: A Three-Day Deadline
Ji Huan felt an urge to applaud these people.
And they wanted him to marry into her family.
In ancient times, any man with the slightest ambition would never want to marry into his wife’s family.
Unless he was forced, a man would only do so if he couldn’t survive otherwise—if he needed to marry in just to feed himself or support his own family.
It meant a life with no dignity and low status. He wouldn’t be able to hold his head high in public, would have no say in his own household, and even his children couldn’t take his surname.
He would almost certainly be looked down upon.
That last point, in particular, was tantamount to ending one’s family line—a fate unacceptable to any man of integrity, especially in a society that prized heirs above all else.
Even a Prince Consort, despite his glamorous title, was secretly ridiculed, let alone a commoner.
’And Huang Junping was actually willing to do it?’
’As if he had fallen for me at first sight and was deeply in love. I’m not an idiot; I’d have to be crazy to believe that.’
"Your grandma and I both think it’s a good match, so I came to let you know. You should start preparing..."
Ji Xiu’e had no intention of asking for Ji Huan’s opinion; she was already making the final decision as she spoke.
"What’s the rush, Auntie? Wuan is still young!"
Widow Xie was afraid Granny Kang and Ji Xiu’e would go to the backyard, see the spices, and get jealous enough to cause trouble. So she and Ji Mingfang quickly tidied up and locked all the doors before hurrying to the front yard.
She hadn’t expected to arrive just in time to hear Ji Xiu’e arranging a marriage for Ji Huan—and with Huang Junping, of all people.
She wasn’t worried about Ji Huan losing out, but Granny Kang and Ji Xiu’e were elders. Ji Huan couldn’t easily refuse them, nor could she speak too lightly or too harshly. A single misstep would give people grounds for gossip.
That was why she had cut in before Ji Huan could speak.
Granny Kang leaped up, shouting, "Whether we’re in a rush is none of your business! Who the hell do you think you are? You’re just a damn widow..."
Ji Huan frowned and glanced over at Dabao and Dahuang.
Dabao patted Dahuang’s head. The dog immediately crouched low, a low growl rumbling in its throat, looking ready to lunge.
The color drained from Ji Xiu’e’s face. She grabbed Granny Kang forcefully. "Mom! Stop talking for a second. Let me handle this."
Though Granny Kang claimed not to be afraid of dogs, she was still startled by Dahuang’s sudden ferocity and its chilling gaze. Her mouth twitched, but she finally fell silent.
Ji Huan offered a placating smile. "Don’t be afraid. As long as you speak like a civilized person, I guarantee my dog won’t bite."
Ji Xiu’e shot her a look, then turned to Widow Xie.
"Wuan should be the one to decide this."
Her meaning was clear: Widow Xie was an outsider and had no right to speak for Ji Huan.
Widow Xie pulled Ji Huan aside and whispered:
"Don’t you agree, Wuan. I used to work at the silk workshop, so I know a few people from Huangban Village and I’ve heard things about Ji Xiu’e’s family. That Huang Junping lost his parents when he was little and was raised by his grandparents. Now that they’re old and can’t work, he depends entirely on Ji Xiu’e for everything. How could he possibly disobey her? Her trying to pair you two up is definitely for some nefarious reason. The boy might look decent, but what if he marries in and starts plotting to take your fortune? You have no elders to back you up, and you can’t win a fight against him!"
Since Huang Junping relied on Ji Xiu’e to get by, he was completely under her thumb. He would have to do whatever she told him.
’For example, spying on me, sabotaging things, or even...’
’I was planning to catch a big fish, but a cunning fish is a problem. Is she using this little fish to test the waters, or is this little fish the real weapon?’
"Don’t worry, Aunt Xie."
After reassuring Widow Xie, Ji Huan walked back to face Ji Xiu’e.
"Aunt, I recall that my cousin Juncai is about my age. Has he been meeting with any potential matches?"
Ji Xiu’e grew suspicious, wondering why she would bring up Juncai at a time like this.
"No."
"That’s wonderful!"
Ji Huan clapped her hands. "I think Cousin Juncai is a much better match for me than Cousin Junping. Why don’t you have Cousin Juncai marry into my family instead?"
Ji Xiu’e’s expression changed drastically. "Absolutely not!"
"And why not?"
"You’re first cousins. I’ve heard that close relatives aren’t suited for marriage..."
’They had ideas like that even back then? How progressive.’
Ji Huan said deliberately, "Why wouldn’t it be? It would make our families even closer. I think it’s perfectly suitable."
Ji Xiu’e was furious. ’When did she set her sights on Juncai?’ she fumed. ’How dare she target my son and even demand he marry into her family?’
’Wasn’t it enough that their family got one of my sons killed? Now they want to ruin my second one? In her dreams!’
Widow Xie, Ji Mingfang, and Ji Xuelan were also stunned. Huang Juncai, that scrawny, dark-skinned boy who looked like a dung beetle, was even worse than Huang Junping!
The three of them grabbed her at once, begging her to calm down.
Ji Huan assured them she was perfectly calm.
"I’m putting my foot down. If you want to arrange a marriage for me, fine. But the one to marry into my family must be Huang Juncai. Otherwise, the deal’s off."
Ji Xiu’e finally understood what was going on.
Ji Huan hadn’t taken a liking to Juncai at all; she was clearly just using him to shut her up.
’So she refuses to do this the easy way and insists on doing it the hard way!’
"Don’t be so stubborn. You’ll be seventeen by the new year, won’t you? There’s an official decree: if a girl reaches seventeen and still isn’t married, the government will step in and assign her a husband..."
Coincidentally, Ji Huan had just learned about this from Song Jing a few days ago.
At the time, she hadn’t thought much of it.
Women in this era generally married young, especially in remote places like the Northern Pass.
Therefore, there was little need to enforce the decree, and the authorities didn’t pay it much mind. They simply had each village chief announce it once, and very few people actually took it seriously.
For one, you could hardly find an unmarried seventeen-year-old girl in the village.
Secondly, even if there were a few who were past the age, like Cao Yunyun and Du Caizhu, other people generally couldn’t be bothered to get involved, let alone report it to the government office. Offending someone was one thing, but what innocent commoner would go looking for trouble at a government office?
To put it plainly, it was one of those decrees where officials wouldn’t investigate unless someone filed a complaint.
Undeniably, however, in the hands of a malicious person, it could be used as leverage.
Ji Mingfang and Ji Xuelan exchanged glances. They couldn’t remember whether they had heard of this before; either way, it didn’t ring a bell.
Having traveled a lot, Widow Xie had vaguely heard that the men assigned by the government were usually ugly, old widowers. She immediately grew anxious.
"Ji Xiu’e! You’re Ji Huan’s aunt, for goodness’ sake! How could you do something so shameless!"
Granny Kang couldn’t contain herself and jumped back in. "What’s so shameless about it? You tell me! If we don’t arrange this for her, she’ll end up a lonely old spinster!"
With that, she turned her verbal assault on Ji Huan. "A jinx like you should be thanking the heavens that any man would want you! And you have the nerve to aim for Juncai? Take a look in the mirror! I’ll give you three days to think it over. Either agree to let Junping marry into your family, or I’ll go to the county government and report you! Then we’ll let the officials pair you with some blind, crippled, nasty old man! You’ll be beaten and abused day in and day out! Just you wait and see if you’ll be crying then!"
Ji Xuelan was filled with resentment. "Is that any way for a grandmother to act? Are you even..."
Ji Mingfang put a hand out to stop her.
Though he was just as furious, he knew that if she finished that sentence, Granny Kang would have even more cause to raise hell.
As it was, Granny Kang was already fuming.
"So that’s how it is! All of you think you’re so tough now that you’ve left the main Ji family! Ganging up to bully a poor old woman like me! I’m going to the government office! I’ll go before the honorable magistrate and sue every last one of you! He’ll have you beaten with planks and fined! Not a single one of you will get away!"
The shouting gave Ji Huan a headache. She rubbed her temples and raised a hand, signaling for the old woman to be quiet.
"Go ahead and report me if you want. But a friendly reminder—you’d better do it quickly. Because once I’m married, that decree will no longer apply."
What???
Married!!!
The courtyard fell silent in an instant. Five pairs of eyes stared fixedly at Ji Huan.
Ji Xiu’e was the first to recover, demanding,
"Who are you marrying? It’s not Song Jing, is it? He’s already married the Academic Administrator’s daughter, so stop your daydreaming. The Ji family can’t afford that kind of embarrassment. If it weren’t for the ridiculous scene you caused not long ago, we wouldn’t be pushing you so hard..."
Ji Huan’s smile faltered for a second before she continued nonchalantly.
"Who said I was marrying him? There are plenty of good men in the world; I’m marrying someone else. As for who it is, I don’t feel like telling you right now. If you’re that curious, you can come to the ceremony in three days. Oh, and you can’t just come to eat for free. Remember to bring a gift."