After the Scholar Rejected Me, I Married the Rogue and Got Rich - Chapter 49

She waited at the corner of the path that Zhang Mingyuan took every day on his way to the academy.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, carrying a bone-chilling cold. Zhang Mingyuan, carrying a book, walked over, head down, silently reciting poetry. When he looked up, he saw Lin Jiao’er waiting there.

He was taken aback for a moment, then frowned.

The Lin Jiao’er before my eyes had lost the delicate and bright appearance she used to deliberately maintain. Her face was pale, her eyes were dim, and she looked somewhat haggard and weathered.

“Jiao’er? What are you doing here? Your eyes…” Zhang Mingyuan asked hesitantly.

Upon hearing his question, Lin Jiao’er’s tears fell like beads from a broken string. She stepped forward, gently tugging at Zhang Mingyuan’s sleeve, her voice choked with sobs and filled with endless grievance: “Brother Mingyuan… I… I was so ashamed to face anyone yesterday…”

She sobbed as she recounted the story of Lin Sang’s engagement the previous day, how the Zhou family had presented the betrothal gifts in such a grand manner, the sixteen taels of silver, the silver bracelet, and especially the oxcart adorned with big red flowers, embellishing the details with exaggerated details.

The text emphasizes how “wealthy and powerful” Zhou Han is, and how his elders praise him for being “money-grubbing”.

As Zhang Mingyuan listened, his aloof expression began to crumble.

When he heard about the generous dowry and the oxcart, his eyes flickered, and a feeling of indescribable bitterness and something out of balance flashed through his heart.

Lin Sang, the woman he was once engaged to, the woman he gave up for Lin Jiao’er, is now being cherished so much, in such a vulgar yet genuine way.

This made his sense of superiority as a scholar feel inexplicably empty.

Lin Jiao’er observed his expression and continued to sob softly, but her tone subtly changed: “Brother Mingyuan, I know you have lofty ambitions and disdain these vulgar things.”

But…but my cousin married someone like that…someone of such high caliber. As your fiancée, if I’m too…too ordinary, I’m afraid…I’m afraid I’ll never be able to hold my head up high at home, and it will also tarnish your reputation, making people look down on you.”

She raised her teary eyes and looked at him expectantly: “Your family…shouldn’t they be coming to my house to ask for the wedding date in a few days? The etiquette at that time…you can’t let me lose face at home.”

I know it’s not easy for my aunt to manage the household, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime event for us… Once I’ve married into the family in style, and Mingyuan, you’ve passed the imperial examination and risen through the ranks, everyone will naturally look at us with new respect and know what true dignity is!

Zhang Mingyuan felt a surge of irritation as he listened to her words.

He certainly wanted a respectable dowry, but he knew his family’s situation all too well. His mother was growing increasingly haggard, and her embroidery income was meager, barely enough to support his studies. How could they possibly afford a “respectable” dowry like the Zhou family’s?

Looking at Lin Jiao’er’s seemingly weak but actually relentlessly aggressive gaze, he suddenly felt somewhat weary.

He barely suppressed his impatience and said perfunctorily, “Jiao’er, I understand your thoughts. Marriage is a major event and cannot be taken lightly. I will discuss this with my mother when I get home. I will do my best to make sure you have a respectable marriage.”

He dared not make any promises and only wanted to get away as soon as possible.

Hearing his words, Lin Jiao’er was not entirely satisfied, but she didn’t want to press him further. She could only nod obediently, say a few more considerate words, and then watch Zhang Mingyuan’s somewhat hurried departure.

She stood there, the morning breeze ruffling her thin clothes, the fragility on her face gradually fading, replaced by a hint of resentment and calculation.

She knew that it would be difficult to expect Zhang Mingyuan, that bookworm, and his stingy mother to offer a generous gift. It seemed she would have to think of another way.

“Money… the key is money…” Lin Jiao’er twisted the handkerchief in her hand, her eyes gleaming.

She knew the Zhang family’s financial situation: an orphan and a widow, relying entirely on Zhang’s mother’s embroidery work to support them. It was already difficult for them to afford a dowry like an ordinary farming family, let alone surpass the Zhou family’s. It was as difficult as climbing to heaven.

The key issue is that last time the engagement was called off at the Lin family’s house, the Zhang family said they would only take back half of the betrothal gifts. What if the Zhang family comes to deliver the betrothal gifts but refuses to increase them? Wouldn’t that be utterly humiliating for her?

Thinking about this, an idea suddenly popped into her head: Should she encourage Zhang Mingyuan to borrow money from his classmates or teachers? But she immediately dismissed the idea.

Zhang Mingyuan was an extremely proud and pedantic man who valued the reputation of scholars more than his own life. He would never agree to borrow money for the betrothal gifts; that would be worse than death for him.

So… try to find a solution from our own side? Her eyes darted around.

She wondered if her parents should prepare more dowry for her so it could be presented as betrothal gifts to the groom’s family, which would look good on them. But when she thought of her mother, Song Jinhua’s, calculating nature and the fact that her family wasn’t exactly well-off, she knew that this path wouldn’t work either.

Her mother was already doing well to provide her with a decent dowry; she would never give her too much cash to make up for it.

“If only… if only I could force the Zhang family to offer more betrothal gifts…” She bit her nails, racking her brains, trying to figure out how to pressure them.

A sinister idea gradually took shape in her mind: she could take advantage of the villagers’ current discussion about the second branch of the Lin family and Zhou Han!

She could casually express her “envy” for her cousin’s glamorous engagement to the gossipy women in the village, then subtly hint that her future husband was a scholar, a learned man, and that their future would be different; but for now… alas, being poor and studying hard was probably no match for those families who had suddenly become rich and were willing to spend money…

She wanted to elevate the Zhang family! She wanted everyone in the village to know that Lin Jiao’er was marrying a scholar, a future official. If the dowry was too meager, not only would she lose face, but the Zhang family and Zhang Mingyuan, the scholar, would also be looked down upon!

What do scholars value most? Reputation and face! Zhang’s mother may be stingy, but for her son’s reputation and future, she might grit her teeth and squeeze out a decent dowry!

And Zhang Mingyuan… A calculating glint flashed in Lin Jiao’er’s eyes.

She understood him; although he was aloof, he cared deeply about others’ opinions, especially before he achieved fame and success.

She could use both soft and hard tactics on him, winning him over with tenderness and the vision of becoming a future official’s wife, while simultaneously provoking him with phrases like “public opinion is a fearsome thing” and “don’t be outdone by vulgar people,” so that he would put pressure on his mother himself!

“Yes, that’s what we’ll do!” Lin Jiao’er looked in the mirror, carefully tidied her hair and clothes, and tried her best to give a gentle and compliant smile.

The girl in the mirror no longer had an innocent look in her eyes; instead, they were filled with a shrewdness and snobbery that were beyond her years.

She knew this was a gamble, and she would use everything she could, including the gossip in the village, Zhang Mingyuan’s vanity and arrogance, and Zhang’s mother’s high regard for her son’s future, to win a glorious “face” for herself.

She absolutely could not tolerate being outdone in any way by her cousin Lin Sang, whom she had always looked down upon!

She took a deep breath, preparing to step out of the room and begin her first step—to go to the village’s gossipy old women and “casually” vent her frustrations and stir up trouble.