3. Negotiate terms!

"Yue'er, what did you want to say just now?" After sending off the Fu family, Old Master Leng looked at her and asked. Leng Sa calmly raised her head to meet his gaze. She asked softly, "Grandfather, can we break off the engagement?"

"Bang!" Old Master Leng's cane struck the ground heavily, causing First Master Leng and Second Master Leng to tremble slightly. However, Leng Sa was surprisingly calm. Old Master Leng looked at her and said, "Do you realize what you're saying?" Leng Sa nodded. "I know that annulment sounds bad but this situation is not our fault. Nowadays, things are not as harsh as before. At least…" At least no one would be pushed to death due to a broken engagement. Unless someone couldn't bear it and wanted to die.

Even the most prominent families don't behave that way anymore. Nowadays, forcing a daughter to die due to a failed engagement wouldn't make the family seem strict; it would just be seen as cruel and unreasonable.

Old Master Leng sneered. "Do you think it's fine as long as it's not your fault? It's not as harsh as before… That's what ordinary families might think! Ask around. Which rich family is willing to marry a girl whose engagement was broken off? And those sisters of yours, your eldest sister and second sister have just been married for a few years. Ask them if they're doing well in their in-laws' families. And your younger sisters and nieces! Don't think that just because you've studied a few more years, you're capable."

"Then what does Grandfather mean?"

After a brief silence in the hall, Old Master Leng continued in a grave tone, "What Warlord Fu mentioned earlier…"

"Old Master!" Second Madam Leng couldn't help but stand up. "This won't do! That First Young Master Fu…" Even though she was usually fearful of her father-in-law, she had to speak up for the sake of her daughter now. Old Master Leng glanced at her, "You're just a wife. Why do you have so much to talk about?"

Second Madam Leng's heart ached. She, as a mother, didn't even have the right to speak for her daughter? People said it's a new era now, but in the Leng family, there was no difference. It was still Old Master Leng making the final call. If it weren't for Yue'er's early engagement to the Fourth Young Master Fu, Old Master Leng probably wouldn't have allowed her to go to school. And even then, Yue'er had to work hard to convince him to let her study at the academy he felt women should study, rather than the one she preferred.

Leng Mingyue, who was seated beside her, gently held Second Madam's hand and patted it to reassure her; that there was no need to worry. Second Master watched Old Master Leng and said with a solemn expression, "Father, this isn't appropriate. The Fu family's actions are not respectable. Are we going to follow suit… Is there any logic in betrothing our daughter to the elder brother when she was promised to the younger one? This will be seen as disgraceful."

"Is being annulled considered respectable then? Except for the Fu and Leng families, who else has seen the engagement agreement?"

"…" Why would anyone need to see it? Wasn't the engagement between the Fourth Young Master Fu and the Third Young Lady Leng well-known throughout Yong City? Did the Old Master mean that not admitting it would make it as though it never happened? If they didn't admit it, would the people of Yong City forget?

Leng Sa lowered her head and said, "I understand what Grandfather means."

Old Master Leng's expression softened slightly, "That's good that you understand. I am doing this for your good. Just as Warlord Fu said, after a couple of years when this matter is over… you can do whatever you want. Even if you decide to leave the Fu family, you'll still have support during the latter half of your life."

Leng Sa smiled faintly, "Grandfather, initially, our family could have gotten out of this matter cleanly. Fu the fourth is shameless; that's his problem. What does it have to do with our Leng family? If you meddle like this… in another twenty years, everyone in Yong City will remember that the Third Young Lady Leng had her engagement broken by the Fu family. She then shamelessly wanted to marry the crippled eldest young master."

"I'll handle this matter for you. I won't let you be slandered," Old Master Leng said.

Leng Sa shook her head. "As Grandfather mentioned, people are ignorant. Who would care about your difficulties? They will only treat it as a joke to be circulated in Yong City for decades."

Old Master Leng stared at Leng Sa, "What do you want to do? If you want to annul the engagement, I advise you to give up that thought. The Leng family must not have a daughter with a broken engagement. Otherwise, all four of you can leave the Leng family together!"

"Father?!" Second Master Leng looked at his father with a pale face. He did not expect his father would say such things.

Leng Sa nodded, "It's not that the Leng family can't have a daughter with a broken engagement. Rather, we cannot lose the Fu family's alliance."

Old Master Leng's cloudy eyes suddenly turned icy, matching his expression.

"The Leng family has raised you for so many years. I don't ask you to do much for the Leng family but at the very least… you can't drag down the family. Second Son, do you understand?"

Second Master Leng was sweating profusely, his face pale as he begged, "Father, if this doesn't work… won't it ruin Yue'er's life?"

Old Master Leng said coldly, "Ruin her life? In a couple of years, she will be sent to the capital or even abroad, but she can still get married and have children. The eldest son of the Fu family is in such a state now, he can't do anything to her after marriage. What's there to worry about? If this is considered ruining her life, how about those girls who were sent into the palace for the sake of their families, never to be favored, and died in the palace?"

Second Master Leng looked at his father in confusion. He wasn't particularly talented and had been honest throughout his life—whether as a husband, a son, or a father. His father always spoke about the honor and the scholarly integrity of the Leng family, but what was his father saying now?

Leng Sa looked at her father sympathetically and sighed. "Since Grandfather has already made up his mind, I have no choice but to comply."

"Yue'er?!" Second Master Leng and Second Madam exclaimed in shock.

Old Master Leng and the First Master Leng beside him softened their expressions. First Master chuckled and said, "Yue'er is still the most sensible. Back then, the education Father sent you for at the university wasn't in vain."

Second Master Leng looked at Leng Sa anxiously. "Yue'er, don't talk nonsense. We still…"

"Quiet!" Old Master Leng interrupted his son sharply. "Do you want to disown your father, disown your brothers and sisters, and take your whole family out of the Leng family?"

Second Master Leng was rendered speechless. If he did that, his whole family would have no place in Yong City. The world wasn't completely peaceful now. If he left with his family away from their hometown, what would happen to his twelve-year-old son and his fragile wife?

"Father…" Second Master Leng looked at his father pleadingly.

"Father, don't worry. I know what I'm doing." Leng Sa looked at Old Master Leng and smiled. "Grandfather, since I've agreed, then… let's discuss the terms next."

The hall fell into silence.

"You want to… negotiate with me?" Old Master Leng observed Leng Mingyue. Among the Leng family's several girls, she was outstanding both in appearance and intelligence. However, he had never been very fond of her.

When she was a child, he couldn't remember well, but as she grew older, Leng Mingyue's respectful demeanor always gave him a sense of distance or cold indifference. This made him, who was used to being high and mighty and making decisions, quite uncomfortable. If it weren't for Old Madam Fu's interest in the girl's auspicious birth date, which led to her engagement with Fourth Young Fu, he would never have allowed her to attend school and might have married her off early.

And now, this girl wanted to negotiate terms with him?!

Leng Sa slightly tugged at the corner of her lips. "I'm sacrificing my reputation and youth to marry into the Fu family, yet all the benefits seem to go to others. Shouldn't we negotiate terms?"

"…"