TSWRLM -Chapter 46 Breaking Off the Engagement

There was no way Chun Xi would give up becoming an official’s wife just to become Wei Lingze’s hidden mistress. After hesitating for a long time, Madam Wang finally took out the five-hundred-tael banknote.

As Chun Xi reached out to take it, Madam Wang asked unwillingly, “Are you sure Lord Shen can really protect you?”

She was still afraid of Wei Lingze’s retaliation.

Chun Xi didn’t bother comforting her. She simply took the note and, together with Cao Wu, went to find Matchmaker Zhang.

Matchmaker Zhang had arranged two matches for Chun Xi—one had ended unpleasantly over betrothal gifts, and this time, Chun Xi had even run away from the marriage!

Seeing her again, Matchmaker Zhang’s face darkened. She grabbed the rice-washing water beside her and splashed it at them.

Chun Xi and Cao Wu quickly dodged, though they were still splattered with muddy droplets.

“What are you doing? Didn’t you see people coming?” Cao Wu roared angrily.

Matchmaker Zhang planted her hands on her hips and sneered. “Oh, so it really is you. I thought I was seeing things. Didn’t your family want to run away from the marriage? What are you doing here?”

Chun Xi pulled Cao Wu back and stepped forward. “Auntie, please don’t be angry. I came today to explain.”

“What’s there to explain?” Matchmaker Zhang snapped. “You’re a nineteen-year-old leftover woman who spent three years cleaning up after Young Master Wei. It’s already a blessing someone was willing to marry you! Young Master Liu is wealthy and handsome, yet you ran away from the wedding. No one in the capital will dare matchmake for you again. You might as well shave your head and become a nun!”

Furious, she berated Chun Xi loudly. Neighbors gathered at the door to watch the spectacle.

Cao Wu clenched his fists, glaring at her. But Matchmaker Zhang’s husband and sons were home, and she showed no fear. She even turned on him: “What are you staring at? Are you going to hit me? What’s the use of showing off here? If you’re so capable, go find your sister a powerful husband yourself!”

That struck right at Cao Wu’s heart. His eyes reddened instantly.

He truly was useless. Otherwise, Chun Xi wouldn’t have had to sell herself into servitude back then, and her marriage prospects wouldn’t be so difficult now.

Overcome with guilt, he completely lost his fighting spirit.

Chun Xi sighed inwardly.

Big brother, when someone scolds you, you have to scold back…

She lightly patted his arm, then raised her voice: “Auntie, I originally respected you and didn’t want to say things so bluntly. But since you’re acting like this, don’t blame me.”

Matchmaker Zhang scoffed, nose in the air. “Such arrogance from a little girl. Go on, let’s hear what you have to say.”

Chun Xi turned to the onlookers and briefly explained how Matchmaker Zhang had arranged her matches, along with the situations involving the Zhou and Liu families.

She neither exaggerated nor concealed anything. Matchmaker Zhang snapped angrily: “I couldn’t stop Zhou Qin from breaking off the engagement, but I immediately found you such a good match in the Liu family! Everyone knows Liu’s tung oil shop, and Young Master Liu is handsome. What exactly are you dissatisfied with that you had to run away?”

The crowd murmured, clearly siding with Matchmaker Zhang.

Chun Xi remained calm. She nodded. “Young Master Liu is indeed good. But he insisted on going to Qingzhou for the wedding to ‘bring good fortune’ to his grandmother, and might even stay there for years. I felt something was off from the beginning and never agreed to meet him. Isn’t that right, Auntie?”

“You didn’t agree, but two days later your mother did,” Matchmaker Zhang retorted.

Marriage was always decided by parents and matchmakers. Once Madam Wang agreed, Chun Xi had no right to refuse.

Matchmaker Zhang remained confident. Chun Xi nodded again. “My mother did agree, and I couldn’t oppose her. I was prepared to accept my fate and go to Qingzhou. But on the way, I discovered that Young Master Liu only wanted to marry me as a cover—his real lover is his family’s coachman!”

“That’s impossible!” Matchmaker Zhang shouted. “You can’t spread such nonsense—you’ll be punished for it!”

She was defending not only the generous matchmaking fee from the Liu family, but also her own reputation. If it were true, she would have ruined Chun Xi’s life—who would ever trust her again?

Chun Xi pretended to wipe her tears. “I’ve always been timid—how would I dare ruin Young Master Liu’s reputation? If you don’t believe me, you can ask at the Yuxian county office. If they hadn’t rushed outside to do such things while I was asleep in the carriage, they wouldn’t have been caught naked.”

“…!!!”

The shocking revelation left everyone stunned.

So that was why the Liu family was willing to pay such a high bride price—they needed a cover because he preferred men!

And to think he was caught in the act outdoors with the coachman…

This was explosive gossip.

Since Chun Xi even mentioned the county office, most people already believed her.

So she hadn’t run away—her fiancé had been caught in a scandal, and she had returned home. And because it was too shameful to speak of, she had kept silent?

Seeing the shift in public opinion, Matchmaker Zhang’s confidence wavered. She asked stiffly, “If you were in the right, why didn’t you say this earlier?”

Chun Xi shook her head pitifully. “The Liu family is wealthy. If this got out, I was afraid of retaliation. I thought that since I had run away, they would willingly cancel the engagement and leave me alone. I didn’t expect them to hide the truth even from you, Auntie.”

Her last sentence cleverly absolved Matchmaker Zhang of responsibility. Matchmaker Zhang’s expression softened slightly, though she still looked doubtful. Just as she was about to send her son to investigate, her eldest daughter-in-law rushed in anxiously.

“Mother, something’s wrong!”

Already irritated, Matchmaker Zhang snapped, “How many times have I told you not to panic? Why are you being so flustered?”

The daughter-in-law shrank back and handed over a notice.

The crumpled paper was unfolded, revealing Liu Fengyuan’s face.

It was a notice posted by the Yuxian county office. It stated that two men, scantily dressed and behaving suspiciously, had been arrested by officials. Since they had no identification and no family had come to claim them, the notice was issued so their relatives could identify them and pay a fine for their release.

Of course, it didn’t mention their indecent behavior—but two grown men found half-naked together said more than enough.

Matchmaker Zhang’s face turned ugly.

Yuxian wasn’t far from the capital. The news would spread quickly.

To protect her reputation, she made a swift decision.

She crumpled the notice again, threw it to the ground, and stomped on it.

“The Liu family has gone too far with this deception! Chun Xi, don’t worry—I’ll take you to break off the engagement right now!”

She gathered her whole family and, together with Chun Xi and Cao Wu, marched aggressively toward the Liu family shop.

Shopkeeper Liu was shocked to learn his son had been detained in Yuxian. Just as he was about to take his men to bring him back, he saw Chun Xi approaching with Matchmaker Zhang and her group.

His eyelid twitched, and his teeth ached faintly.

He hadn’t stirred up any trouble these past few days…

So why had this girl come again?