Chapter 16: Why don’t you marry him yourself?

Lady Chunhan instinctively wanted to ask about Chu Yin’s progress with her daughter, but the words stopped at the edge of her tongue.

Her daughter Zhang Wei’s attitude was reported daily by the maidservants, so there was no need to hear it repeated again from Chu Yin.

“Accompany me shopping? Do you want your mother-in-law to supervise your interactions with Wei’er up close?” the beautiful lady asked casually.

“No, I don’t plan to bring Miss Zhang Wei. It’ll just be you and me going for a walk,” Chu Yin replied.

The composed and graceful young wife halted in her reading, the motion of her hand reviewing documents coming to an abrupt stop.

What was this child thinking?

Right now was a critical time to strengthen ties with Wei’er, and he wanted to talk about his daughter, then go shopping with his mother-in-law?

Could he not distinguish what was more important?

She concealed her doubts and asked calmly,

“Why such a thought? If you win over Wei’er first, won’t there be plenty of time later to spend with your mother-in-law?”

Chu Yin didn’t laugh it off; he answered seriously:

“Lately, I haven’t stayed up late helping you handle paperwork. When I’m out shopping with Miss Zhang Wei during the day, I feel uneasy, especially thinking about how you’ve been working until dawn every day this past month. It’s hard to focus on her.”

“I’ve thought it over and realized I need to accompany you to relax a bit; otherwise, I can’t give Miss Zhang Wei my full attention.”

If that was the reason, Lady Chunhan could accept it.

After all, compared to his daughter Zhang Wei, Chu Yin’s heart was indeed more invested in her.

If he kept worrying about her, how could he be in the right state to be with Wei’er?

“I haven’t rested well for a while myself, but Wei’er has returned to Luoshui City. It wouldn’t be good if she ran into us while we’re out shopping. She might misunderstand.”

After saying this, Lady Chunhan immediately felt uneasy.

What misunderstanding?

It sounded like she had some strange relationship with her prospective son-in-law!

She quickly amended her words:

“What I mean is, Wei’er might think you’re trying to find another way, persuading me and pressuring her…”

“I understand. But even if Miss Zhang Wei misunderstands, it doesn’t matter. Even if the marriage doesn’t happen, I will still treat you as the most important person!”

That made sense.

In this dreamlike world, only Lady Chunhan was a “familiar face”; everything else was irrelevant.

Chu Yin then mentioned his planned arrangement:

“If it’s not appropriate to shop in Luoshui City, then mother-in-law, let’s go outside the city. I’ve been fatigued from cultivation recently and want to change my mood.”

“Speaking of cultivation, Chu Yin, how is your progress lately?”

“Not bad. I recently discovered something—there’s a way to cultivate the [Cloud Water Scripture] faster!”

Chu Yin then explained the “accidental” discovery about suppressing kidney qi.

Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why his progress with the [Cloud Water Scripture] was so rapid, achieving a minor breakthrough in just a few months.

That would contradict his previous state of “lack of innate talent.”

Lady Chunhan was genuinely surprised.

She had always understood “lack of talent” as meaning insufficient comprehension or affinity, but she had never heard of Chu Yin’s situation.

She asked, “Such a thing exists? How did you discover it, Chu Yin?”

“A while ago, I was helping you with paperwork late every night. The toll on my divination was high, and my body was unknowingly forced to restore essence and nourish my brain. The [Cloud Water Scripture] then advanced smoothly. This month, I’ve been free and spending every day with Miss Zhang Wei, but my cultivation has stagnated and reverted to how it was before…”

The lady understood.

Because of this contrast in cultivation states, Chu Yin found the cause and effectively solved the “lack of talent” problem.

That meant Chu Yin could cultivate the [Cloud Water Scripture] smoothly.

Given more time, his strength would definitely catch up with the few disciples who had previously defected.

The more Lady Chunhan thought about it, the more she liked Chu Yin.

This child seemed to have appeared to solve her dilemma, fitting perfectly in every aspect!

She had once thought his talent was regrettable, but now that regret was completely gone.

“Once you and Wei’er consummate your marriage, your cultivation of the [Cloud Water Scripture] should go even more smoothly. You’d better hurry up~”

“It’s not something to rush, mother-in-law. Please don’t joke about it!”

That night,

The city lord’s study returned to the relaxed atmosphere it had a month ago.

With Chu Yin’s company, Lady Chunhan breezed through the tedious paperwork with laughter and light conversation.

Apart from a sigh earlier, her lips never drooped after seeing Chu Yin; they carried a gentle, bright smile throughout.

Tonight’s feeling of “regaining what was lost” made Lady Chunhan more certain of her judgment—she absolutely could not let Chu Yin slip away.

This was heaven’s gift, the perfect successor, the best choice to become the new city lord of Luoshui City!

No time to waste; when the moment called for decisiveness, she must not delay.

Since her daughter Zhang Wei had accepted Chu Yin’s invitations to meet these past months, even going shopping with him, perhaps that was a sign.

As a mother, it was her duty to push this forward!

The next morning,

Zhang Wei was relieved to hear that Chu Yin wouldn’t bother her today.

Finally, she wouldn’t have to waste time dealing with him.

However, Chu Yin’s absence was replaced by her mother’s arrival.

Before leaving the city to inspect the surroundings, Lady Chunhan found her daughter and spoke earnestly:

“We need someone to succeed as city lord, Wei’er. You must have a reliance; otherwise, no one will always have your back in the future. Chu Yin is a very suitable candidate.”

“I see you have been accepting Chu Yin’s invitations to go shopping every day. Although your feelings are still somewhat lukewarm, you probably don’t dislike him, right?”

“If you have no objections, I will help arrange your marriage. Once you become a family, you can slowly cultivate feelings, how about that?”

In the customs of the current era, marriage was most important as arranged by parents and matchmakers.

Lady Chunhan herself had experienced this—matching families and making arrangements.

Zhang Wei felt anxious inside.

She naturally did not want to agree.

All month long, she had been repeatedly agreeing to Chu Yin’s invitations, but only to find fault with him and reject him, indirectly telling her mother that her judgment was wrong.

Yet Chu Yin never gave her the chance.

Now, she was misunderstood by her own mother.

Watching her mother’s firm attitude, it was clear her decision was final. Even if she rejected Chu Yin, her mother would soon find another “Chu someone.”

Knowing her mother’s style, what she wanted was someone easy to control—without temper, obedient to her commands—a mere puppet…

After a long silence, Zhang Wei lowered her head, hiding her expression.

She bit her lip and nodded,

“I understand, mother. You may arrange it as you see fit…”

Lady Chunhan sensed something odd about her daughter’s attitude, but since she had nodded, there was no need to preach more.

“Then I will make the arrangements. Wei’er, you can start preparing the Invitation Letters to invite your friends from the Academy to attend your Marriage Banquet!”

“I understand…”

After Lady Chunhan left, Zhang Wei picked up her pen but dazed for a long time, unable to summon the enthusiasm to write the Invitation Letters.

Instead, she thought of those senior brothers and wrote to them to complain.

“If you’re so satisfied with an outer disciple, why don’t you marry him yourself!”