The Noble Lady's Rebirth: She just wants to Rest in Peace!-Chapter 312 - 304: Marriage Proposal

Half a month before the New Year, Lin Youning and her group received a letter from the Capital.

The letter detailed the situation in the mansion. Besides the letter from Mrs. Gu Sr. to Lin Youning, Mrs. Dong also wrote separately to Aunt Wu and Gu Yifeng.

Lin Youning naturally did not read the letter Mrs. Dong wrote to her elder brother. Her aunt reminded her to take good care of her health, subtly inquiring about whether she was pregnant.

Lin Youning anticipated that her aunt would ask this in the letter, so upon seeing it, she just smiled faintly and did not take it to heart. If it were in the past, she would have felt pressured or somewhat at a loss, but now it was different. She was already with her elder brother. As for having children, it didn’t seem to be a concern.

As for Mrs. Dong being pregnant, her aunt did not mention it in the letter. Lin Youning wasn’t surprised; she knew her aunt didn’t know how to bring up such a topic since Mrs. Dong was the Madam of the Marquis Mansion. The child she gave birth to would be the legitimate son of the Marquis Mansion, and her aunt had been hoping for this over the years.

In her current position, with her elder brother bearing the responsibility of the Gu Family’s main house, her aunt naturally avoided saying too much.

Not long after Lin Youning finished reading the letter, Gu Yifeng came in with something in his hands and handed it to her.

Lin Youning took the letter with surprise, opened it, and upon reading the content, looked up with her mouth agape, gazing at her elder brother.

"Zhang Wu came to me seeking permission; after all, Hailan is under your care, so I dare not decide this on my own. I must ask for your opinion," Gu Yifeng sat down on the other side of the couch, looking relaxed. "The message has already been sent to the foreigners. Now we just wait to see their response. If they act according to the letter, we won’t have to worry about further incursions."

Lin Youning nodded, then lowered her head to read the content of the letter again. The letter, written by Zhang Wu to her elder brother, requested permission to marry Zhang Wu. It mentioned the Madam planning to mediate for him, but Zhang Wu himself fancied Hailan. Initially, he thought to bring this matter up when they returned to the Capital; however, seeing the situation, he feared it wouldn’t be possible, so he wanted to propose now to settle it so the Capital could decline other engagements.

Lin Youning placed the letter on the coffee table, "I can’t make the decision on this matter. It’s still up to Hailan to decide for herself. While Hailan is my little maid, she grew up with me, and I’ve always regarded them as family."

Hailan was serving outside and had heard the Marquis mention Zhang Wu and herself earlier. Now, hearing the lady calling her, she understood the situation and turned to enter.

Lin Youning explained the content of the letter to her and handed it to Hailan. After reading it, Hailan respectfully said, "Madam can decide for me since I intend to continue serving by Madam’s side."

Hearing Hailan’s words, Lin Youning understood. Considering Hailan’s steady nature and Zhang Wu’s too, the two could likely get along well.

"Very well then, Zhang Wu is Lord’s man, reliable in his conduct. Since you’ve asked me to decide, I’ll accept this marriage on your behalf." Lin Youning watched Hailan kneel in gratitude but didn’t feel entirely pleased, "Stand up quickly. Honestly, I feel a bit uneasy in my heart. Now that your matter with Zhang Wu is settled, when we return to the Capital, we’ll organize things promptly for the two of you."

Hailan knew the lady felt troubled, as the situation between Shanmoi and Li Si was consensual, unlike hers and Zhang Wu’s, where Zhang Wu had to petition Madam for her consent.

"Lady overthinks. I think Zhang Wu is quite good, and his fondness for me is my blessing." Indeed, this was Hailan’s genuine sentiment.

Concerning her lifelong affair, she had never given it much thought, only believing that whoever her master appointed, she would marry.

Zhang Wu, a trusted subordinate of the Marquis, and alongside Li Si, consider one of the Marquis’s right-hand men.

Given the lady’s favorable relationship with the Marquis, and Zhang Wu’s affection towards her, if Li Si and Shanmoi come about, it would indeed be a good match.

Besides, Hailan believed that with Zhang Wu’s demeanor, marrying him wouldn’t lead to any mistreatment.

To Hailan, being able to marry such a person was something she hadn’t even considered.

In front of her elder brother, Lin Youning couldn’t say much, so she waved Hailan away, only to look up and see him smiling at her.

Lin Youning laughed and asked, "What is Lord thinking?"

"I was thinking how good your maids are, not just because Zhang Wu fancies Hailan, but also because Li Si liked your maid, Shanmoi. A few days ago, he even asked me for her hand in marriage. I never settled it, but now Zhang Wu has officially arranged for Hailan, surpassing Li Si." Gu Yifeng chuckled. These were aides of his beloved Sister Ning, and seeing his aides taking interest was naturally pleasing.

Lin Youning smiled, too, having observed the situation between Shanmoi and Li Si. Shanmoi, currently grounded, had yet to address the matter with Li Si, but Lin Youning anticipated they would eventually come forth.

Now, given her elder brother’s perspective, particularly after the arrangement between Zhang Wu and Hailan, Lin Youning felt it was appropriate to also settle matters for Li Si and Shanmoi.

Seeing Sister Ning’s smile and knowing she was thinking about Li Si and Shanmoi, Gu Yifeng remained silent, "As the New Year approaches, let’s have the mansion prepare — we can head out to hunt and celebrate whilst also learning from the foreigners."

Lin Youning smiled and nodded. Gu Yifeng took hold of her hand, gently kneading it silently, his gaze fixed on hers, which reminded Lin Youning of the evening, causing a slight blush as she turned away.

Sitting together, though silent, their hearts brimmed with joy.

Upon hearing about Hailan’s agreement to marry Zhang Wu, Shanmoi was momentarily stunned, "Hailan, do you like Zhang Wu?"

Hailan smiled, "I don’t really understand what liking someone is since I’ve never liked anyone. However, Zhang Wu is steady, and I believe living together wouldn’t present too many issues. Do you think every relationship requires mutual feelings like between you and Li Si?"