Yueyao chuckled and said, "Am I that kind of person?" Trustworthy words are not easily retracted, and if she hadn’t thought it through, she wouldn’t have conceded in front of Madam Ping. Xiang Wei felt relieved: "Alright then, I’ll send the message back." Once this message is out, it’s really settled. Xiang Wei had a very serious conversation with Yueyao that day: "Miss, when you get married, do you want me to accompany you as part of the dowry?" Yueyao’s answer was definitely a yes. However, Xiang Wei didn’t want to go with Yueyao: "An Zhichen is a cunning and domineering person. As the saying goes, ’No two tigers can live on the same mountain.’ If I go with you, there will surely be conflicts between us in the future. I’d better not go with you." Xiang Wei knew her own temperament well; she couldn’t tolerate being slighted and hated being controlled by others. Yueyao had a good temperament and tolerated her, which was why they got along so well. But it wouldn’t be the same once Yueyao got married. Xiang Wei didn’t know much about An Zhichen, but judging from his actions, he was definitely a person with a strong desire for control, and conflicts would inevitably arise. Yueyao laughed and said, "That’s easy; you’ll have your own courtyard. When An Zhichen is not around, you can keep me company, and when he’s around, you can retreat to your own courtyard. I suppose he won’t be so petty as to have an issue with you." Yueyao also knew that Xiang Wei liked her freedom and hated constraints. For now, she could indulge her, but once she was married, many things would become inconvenient and not just up to her to decide, so she could only adopt this compromise. Xiang Wei burst into laughter: "This is a good idea. Why didn’t I think of it?" She had been torn about it for so long, only to find out it could be easily solved. Madam Ping was at ease once she received Yueyao’s definite answer. Madam Ping planned to go and discuss marriage, but Luo Shao objected: "Just send someone to talk to Ma Chengteng directly." This marriage could follow the formal process, as long as it was discussed with Ma Chengteng, and Ma Chengteng would handle the rest. Madam Ping didn’t respond immediately. Luo Shao smiled and said, "Zichang will be back soon." Even if Madam Ping went to propose now, it wouldn’t be settled. Madam Tang didn’t have the authority to decide, and they would still have to talk to Ma Chengteng. Ma Chengteng wouldn’t agree without Yueyao’s consent, so going now would be a waste of effort, and everything would have to wait until Yueyao returned to finalize. Madam Ping laughed: "Lord Ma really dotes on Yueyao." In most families, marriage decisions are made by the elders, but Ma Chengteng dared not make a decision for Yueyao, which indeed showed he doted on her. Luo Shao had a different view and felt Ma Chengteng’s approach of avoiding risks was not commendable. Because Yueyao was his niece, Ma Chengteng dared not make the decision himself, but if it were his biological children, he’d definitely take charge. All said, Ma Chengteng adopted a ’do no wrong’ attitude. However, Luo Shao also knew Ma Chengteng’s personality, otherwise he wouldn’t have made such a mess of his back-courtyard life, so he refrained from commenting further. If Ma Chengteng knew Luo Shao evaluated him this way, he would argue. He was well aware of Yueyao’s strong-willed nature; if he made a decision without consulting her and she disagreed, it would only harm her reputation. His caution was seen as cowardice by Luo Shao. Luo Shao directly invited the Minister of Works to discuss this with Ma Chengteng. Ma Chengteng, who was also worried about Yueyao’s marriage, was quite pleased to hear An Zhichen’s proposal again: "Minister, as you know, last time I turned down Lord An’s proposal." Ma Chengteng was happy but still a bit worried. He didn’t know if Third Young Master An was aware of the recent rumors? Yueyao was now seventeen and could not withstand any turbulence. If An Zhichen learned about the Fourth Prince’s interest in Yueyao and backed out, Yueyao might never marry. The Minister of Works laughed and reassured Ma Chengteng: "Lord An is young and promising, with a bright future ahead. Many families wish to marry their daughters to him, but Lord An rejected them all and specifically asked Marquis Jingning to have me test your views. It shows Lord An sincerely wants to marry Miss Lian." Ma Chengteng wasn’t foolish; he had previously worried about the chaos in the Marquis Weiyuan’s Mansion and felt Yueyao’s demeanor wasn’t suited for such a complex environment, which was why he had firmly rejected before. Now that An Zhichen had been adopted elsewhere, those concerns were gone, and the marriage seemed favorable from all angles. Of course, without the matter of the Fourth Prince’s interest, Ma Chengteng would have been more picky. But since the news of the Fourth Prince’s intention to take Yueyao as a consort emerged, no suitors came forward, and even when he brought it up, people avoided it like the plague, leaving Ma Chengteng feeling rather unsettled. Ma Chengteng pondered for a long time and finally decided to agree to the marriage. Such a good match is hard to come by. Most importantly, he worried that if he missed this opportunity, there wouldn’t be another. After much consideration, Ma Chengteng agreed in the end. The Minister of Works wasn’t surprised at all by Ma Chengteng’s agreement. An Zhichen was very sought-after at the moment. Even though Third Miss Lian was a talented lady, she was, after all, a woman, and once the Blooming Apricot Period passed, it would be difficult to find such a match. It’s true that the girl’s family should maintain a sense of pride to demonstrate the value of their daughter, but when a good opportunity presents itself, they should seize it decisively, or they might end up regretting it. Ma Chengteng immediately returned home and asked the Chief Steward, Ma Yuan, to personally go to the mountain to bring Yueyao back: "Tell Cousin Miss that I have urgent business and she should return to the capital tomorrow." The marriage was agreed upon, and now the most important thing was to get Yueyao on board. Ma Yuan was puzzled: "Old Master, what’s so urgent?" Ma Chengteng, knowing Yueyao’s nature, feared that if Yueyao learned it was about marriage, she would refuse to return. After thinking for a moment, he said: "Use any method, but make sure Yueyao returns to the capital." After a pause, he added: "Tell Yueyao I am ill and ask her to return as soon as possible." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭·𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦·𝘯𝘦𝘵 Ma Yuan asked no more questions, realizing it must be something serious for the Old Master to curse himself: "Rest assured, Great Grandfather, I’ll definitely bring the young lady back tomorrow."