I Really Like the Male Supporting Character (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 8
Soon after the flower withered, the Su family residence received a marriage proposal from the marquis of Yuanting’s residence.
The marquis and his heir arrived with a matchmaker, dozens of boxes of gifts for the future bride, and the three letters: the betrothal request letter, the list of gifts, and the wedding letter. They also brought a good, auspicious date for the wedding, calculated by the imperial observatory. The imperial observatory had also confirmed that Wenren Jin and Su Luoyan’s horoscopes were a perfect match. Additionally, the groom had personally caught a live wild goose and brought it as well, since it was a traditional symbol of fidelity. (1-20)
Ah Luo was considered quite old for marriage by now, so the match was arranged rather hastily. Part of the urgency was also due to the recent scandal; the date chosen for their wedding was thus very close.
Although the public was busy condemning the crown prince and Su Baiwei, Ah Luo’s reputation had still suffered, since she had also been caught in the middle of the scandal.
Lately, when Ah Luo went out, she often heard people ridiculing her behind her back.
In the past, she had been known as the future crown princess and was a source of envy and resentment for many other noble misses. Now that she had fallen into disgrace, people were quick to kick her while she was down. Some mocked her for losing to her concubine-born sister, while others claimed that no one would dare to marry her in the future. Some even suggested that she should just quickly join a convent outside the capital to avoid bringing further shame upon herself.
Unexpectedly, Zhao Qiuchen, who had never gotten along with her, seemed to have a change of heart and would visit the Su family’s residence now and then to spend time with Ah Luo.
Ah Luo didn’t care much about the gossip. Her heart was set on marrying Wenren Jin, and she eagerly counted down the days to their wedding. That was all she really thought about these days.
The wedding was set for a month later, the soonest auspicious date agreed upon by both families. Coincidentally, it was close to the date originally planned for her wedding to the crown prince.
Had she not feared appearing too eager, Ah Luo would have preferred to move the date even earlier.
However, as anxious as she thought she was, she soon discovered someone else was even more impatient than her.
This person was Wenren Jin’s father, the marquis of Yuanting, Wenren Song.
The marquis had made a name for himself in his youth. He wasn’t born into the aristocracy; he earned his title entirely through military accomplishments.
Indeed, he had been born as an ordinary boy from a rural village. One year, his hometown was struck by a severe drought, and his entire family starved to death. When he heard that joining the army meant regular meals, he mustered all his strength and enlisted.
At that time, the dynasty was a young one facing unrest both in its northern and southern borders. When Wenren Song entered the military, he was like a fish returning to the water. He had a natural gift for strategy and achieved numerous victories on the battlefield. He rose through the ranks from a mere soldier to a great general. Each of his promotions was earned through real accomplishments.
Eventually, his military achievements outside the borders became so renowned that people knew the name of General Wenren more than that of the emperor.
This, of course, greatly offended the imperial family’s dignity. So after he subdued the trouble in the north and stabilised the southern territories, the previous emperor summoned him back to the capital, ostensibly to reward him with the title of marquis.
Wenren Song had no desire for power. Deep down, he was still the simple boy who would be content with a full meal. After returning to the capital, the emperor kept his promise and bestowed upon him the title of marquis of Yuanting, but stripped him of his military power.
To placate any potential dissatisfaction, the emperor even offered to arrange a marriage for him. He told Wenren Song that he could choose any noblewoman in the capital as his bride.
Wenren Song, who was at that time already an ageing bachelor in his thirties, was delighted by this offer.
While stationed at the border, he hadn’t lacked for women’s company, but he found them too bold and preferred more gentle types. The capital’s noblewomen were elegant and refined, though they generally turned their noses up at a rough man like him. If he ever looked at them a second too long on the street, they would show clear disdain towards him.
Now, with the emperor’s decree, the noblewomen might still despise him, but they wouldn’t dare to say anything openly.
Thanks to this imperial edict, Wenren Song became quite infamous in the capital.
While most people gained fame for their virtues, Wenren Song became notorious. The noblewomen were terrified of being chosen by the ‘barbarian’ from the border. They avoided him like he was a plague and shut themselves indoors. This even caused a drop in social gatherings.
It wasn’t until Wenren Song finally chose a wife that life in the capital returned to normal. It became a joke that people would tell for years.
The marquis had a poor reputation. He was known far and wide as a uncivilized thug, who liked to go around looking for friends to ride horses, drink wine, and visit brothels with. However, even though Wenren Song was infamous for his uncouth behaviour, he was surprisingly devoted to his wife.
He had fallen for the daughter of a wealthy merchant who had come to the capital for business. Wenren Song was straightforward as always and went directly to her family to propose. The merchant, who was eager to ally with a marquis, readily agreed.
After Wenren Song got married, he abandoned his vices. He stopped drinking and spent every day with his wife, who was young enough to be his daughter.
They shared several happy years together, and those who had once scorned him began to regret overlooking such a devoted man. After all, Wenren Song neither took concubines nor ‘played outside.’ He treated his wife like a precious jewel and doted on her.
However, fate was cruel, and their happiness was short-lived. His young wife died during childbirth, leaving behind their frail newborn son, Wenren Jin. She didn’t even live long enough to see her child.
Wenren Song never remarried after that.
He raised Wenren Jin alone. While he did, he also returned to his old habits of drinking and frequenting brothels. However, by now, no one in the capital dared to ridicule him for it anymore.
For one, people had come to understand that beneath his wild exterior lay a good-hearted man. More importantly, Wenren Jin was simply too exceptional. Even though he was born blind, lived at Tianmen Mountain, and rarely returned to the capital, his brilliance was undeniable.
His calligraphy, paintings, and poetry were widely circulated, sparking admiration and debate among scholars whenever they surfaced.
Wenren Song was very proud of his outstanding son.
However, when it came to his marriage, the boy was a constant source of frustration to him. The marquis knew all too well that the rumors about Wenren Jin’s ‘fate’—how a master had supposedly decreed he should never marry—were entirely fabricated by his son to avoid wedlock.
Wenren Jin was so stubborn that even his father couldn’t change his mind.
People outside the family believed Wenren Jin’s story, and no noble miss ever considered marrying him.
So when Wenren Jin told his father that he wanted to propose to Su Luoyan, no one could have been more overjoyed than Wenren Song!
That night, he wept while clutching his wife’s memorial tablet, exclaiming that the Wenren family would finally have descendants and that he could now face his ancestors without shame.
As for the future bride, Miss Su, who had managed to change his son’s mind, Wenren Song was filled with both gratitude and curiosity towards her. He was eager to meet the woman who had brought his reclusive, ascetic son down from the clouds.
At their first meeting, Ah Luo noticed that the marquis looked at her with an overflowing affection, as if she were a long-lost family member. His gaze was filled with warmth and an odd sort of familiarity, and he acted as if they had met many times before.
When discussing the wedding date, the marquis even pointed to the calendar and said, “Isn’t four days from now an auspicious date? Let’s have the wedding then!”
The imperial observatory had marked auspicious dates for the couple and circled them in red to signify good fortune.
Though Wenren Song was illiterate, he could recognize the red circles and was eager to pick the nearest one.
Grand Tutor Su refused and said that four days weren’t enough time to prepare for a wedding, so Wenren Song pointed to another circled date a bit further away. “How about this date, then?”
The grand tutor remained unmoved. “Half a month is still too soon.”
Ah Luo listened anxiously from behind the screen. Right now, she felt like she was the one being rejected.
“Surely this date will work! Old Su, don’t say no again. You’ve heard the rumors out there. If we delay any longer, who knows what the consequences might be?”
This time, the grand tutor didn’t object, and the date was set.
The rest of the wedding arrangements were discussed until midday. The marquis and his party had arrived early in the morning.
At this point, it was only natural that they were invited to stay for lunch.
The bride and groom were not supposed to meet before the wedding, so Ah Luo and Lady Yao stayed in an inner room while their male family members entertained the guests.
The marquis, with his booming voice, insisted they drink to celebrate. Soon, the men began drinking heavily. Compared to Wenren Song, who had spent most of his life as a heavy drinker, the scholarly Su men were no match.
Before Ah Luo even finished her meal, Lady Yao had to leave to attend to the inebriated grand tutor.
Suddenly, she heard a light knock on the door.
Ah Luo looked up and saw a tall, handsome figure in white standing at the door. He was elegant and refined. His features were calm and he was smiling as he gazed at her.
In a gentle voice, he called, “Miss Su.”
Ah Luo found it odd. Considering Wenren Jin’s reserved personality, how could he have come here without permission?
She stood and approached him. When she finally got a closer look at him, she noticed that his usually pale face was tinged with a slight blush. His amber eyes were misty, and the serene smile he usually wore now seemed a little… foolish.
Ah Luo tilted her head and looked up at him. Then, she asked, “Are you drunk?”
The tipsy young man smiled and shook his head, but offered no direct answer. Instead, he said, “I’ve brought you something.”
In curiosity, Ah Luo asked, “What is it?”
“Hold out your hand,” he instructed.
Ah Luo hesitated for a moment, but then, seeing how he looked like an eager child trying to present a gift, she complied. She stretched out her hand, palm up, and even told him, “I’ve held up my hand.”
Wenren Jin lowered his gaze. His long, dark eyelashes cast a shadow beneath his eyes. He slowly reached out and touched her palm.
The light touch sent a tickling sensation through her hand, and Ah Luo couldn’t help but curl her fingers slightly.
In the next moment, something cool and smooth was placed in her hand—a jade in the shape of a flamboyant flower. Its red petals and yellow stamens were beautifully carved from a piece of blood-red jade. Though it wasn’t a real flower, it was so finely crafted that it looked lifelike. Even the best master sculptors would have been humbled by its exquisite detail.
“This is red, isn’t it?” Wenren Jin’s voice was warm and soft as he asked the question. “The flower is red, like blood, cinnabar and… the bridal gown.”
He gently continued, “I offer this red to you. I hope you like it, Miss Su.”
The marquis and his son arrived with carts of gifts and a capital-wide famous matchmaker and spent the entire morning at the Su family residence. Soon, the news of Wenren Jin and Su Luoyan’s betrothal spread like wildfire throughout the capital.
Everyone who heard it was shocked. They all couldn’t believe it.
Was this a joke? Wasn’t the heir of the marquis of Yuanting supposedly a Daoist layman practicioner? Didn’t his master already predict his fate and told him he could never marry?
Yet here he was, getting married. And to Su Luoyan, no less—the former betrothed of the crown prince!
What about the crown prince?