Seeing that Madam Yang had misunderstood, Wang Qinghua quickly relayed the contents of Wang Qingchen's letter to her, lest she continue to let her imagination run wild.

After hearing Wang Qinghua's explanation, Madam Yang felt a complex mix of emotions. On one hand, there was the disappointment of her son growing up and no longer needing her to arrange his marriage. On the other, there was worry about her son marrying into a prominent, wealthy family; after all, their family background was vastly superior to their own. What if this future daughter-in-law turned out to be haughty? What would her son do then?

However, regardless of her inner thoughts, Madam Yang knew that since her son had already written home to inform them, the matter was settled and not easily changed. Of course, whether it could be changed or not, this was still something Wang Youfu, as the head of the household, needed to know. Thinking of this, Madam Yang turned to Wang Qinghua beside her and said, "This is no small matter; we must discuss it with your father. Qinghua, go fetch your father now and see what he says!"

"Yes!" Wang Qinghua responded, then quickly dashed out to the family field to call Wang Youfu back.

Wang Youfu had been somewhat puzzled; why would his eldest son be calling him back in such a hurry? After Wang Qinghua briefly explained the letter from Wang Qingchen and its contents, Wang Youfu lost all desire to remain in the field and returned with his eldest son.

Contrary to Madam Yang's feelings, Wang Youfu was quite pleased that his son was marrying into a prestigious family, as it would greatly benefit the boy's future prospects. What displeased him, however, was that his son had quietly settled the marriage on his own. Shouldn't he have at least communicated with the family beforehand? To decide such a thing unilaterally seemed to show a complete disregard for him, his father! Wang Youfu even worried that if his second son became truly successful in the future, he might just sever ties with the family entirely.

Thinking this over, Wang Youfu grew increasingly stern. He couldn't fathom what Wang Qingchen was thinking when he arranged this; did he truly not care about his family? Yet, based on Wang Qingchen's past behavior at home, there had been no indication of such a tendency!

Watching Wang Youfu's troubled expression, Wang Qinghua spoke up, "Father, Second Brother is not usually like this. Perhaps there is some misunderstanding in the middle of this!"

Upon hearing Wang Qinghua, Madam Yang quickly nodded in agreement. "Yes, Qinghua is absolutely right. Qingchen has always been a good boy; there might be some misunderstanding in this matter!"

Wang Youfu paused his conjectures after hearing both Wang Qinghua and Madam Yang, deciding it was best to wait until his son returned to ask him directly what happened. Since his son was currently participating in the Imperial Examination, they shouldn't disturb him.

Wang Youfu thought this way, and he acted accordingly, as did Madam Yang and Wang Qinghua—all deciding to wait until Wang Qingchen returned to discuss the matter.

Meanwhile, in the capital city, the Metropolitan Examination had just concluded. Upon returning to his lodgings after the exam, Wang Qingchen immediately collapsed into a deep sleep. Although Wang Qingchen hadn't held high hopes for this particular examination, the exhaustion was real. He didn't stir until nearly noon the next day when he slowly woke up.

Having rested well, Wang Qingchen felt a bit embarrassed when he saw Zhao Cheng after getting up. After all, he had been so utterly exhausted the day before that he had simply passed out, completely forgetting about Zhao Cheng.

"Qingchen, you're finally rested?" Zhao Cheng asked upon seeing him awake.

Wang Qingchen nodded sheepishly.

Seeing the nod, Zhao Cheng continued, "Brother Xia came by just a while ago looking for you, but you were sleeping, so we didn't disturb you. Brother Xia asked me to give you a message: once you wake up, you need to pay a visit to the Xia Residence."

"Go to the Xia Residence?" Wang Qingchen repeated blankly.

"That's right," Zhao Cheng said with a sly grin. "It looks like they want to discuss your marriage to the Second Miss of the Xia family!"

Hearing this, Wang Qingchen responded as if it were the most natural thing, "This marriage does indeed need to be properly arranged. Just agreeing verbally isn't entirely responsible towards the young lady."

Zhao Cheng was momentarily stunned. Shouldn't discussing one's own marriage bring forth feelings of awkwardness or shyness? How could Wang Qingchen accept it so openly and composedly? Zhao Cheng had planned to tease Wang Qingchen mercilessly, but it seemed that opportunity was lost.

Wang Qingchen didn't notice Zhao Cheng’s expression; his mind was occupied with how to manage the marriage arrangement, especially since his parents were not in the capital.

After thinking it over without finding a clear plan, Wang Qingchen wasted no time and headed to the Xia Residence. Upon arrival, the servants' attitude toward him had undergone a complete transformation. Previously, Wang Qingchen was merely a good friend of their young master, requiring only polite service to avoid offense. Now, however, things were different. He was clearly on the verge of becoming their young master's brother-in-law, and the young lady was the mistress's darling, meaning Wang Qingchen's status had risen commensurately.

Still, Wang Qingchen remained oblivious to the servants' change in demeanor, preoccupied with thoughts of his parents. He hadn't deeply considered his family's perspective until now. After weighing the potential negative impact of his actions against the standing of the Xia family's daughter, he had deemed the marriage necessary and was personally satisfied, so he had simply decided it. It was only now that he remembered that in this era, marriage was dictated by the parents' command and the matchmaker's word. He had settled it entirely on his own—how would his parents react? Thinking of this, Wang Qingchen felt it necessary to return and properly explain things to his family. As for the marriage itself, it would be best if both families could sit down to discuss the particulars.

After meeting with Master Xia, Madam Xia, and Xia Wentao, Wang Qingchen was preparing how to broach the subject when Madam Xia brought it up first. Madam Xia suggested finding a suitable opportunity for both sets of parents to meet and discuss matters formally.

Wang Qingchen naturally agreed readily. He had been wondering how to bring this up with the Xia family, and them proposing it made things much smoother. However, his family was still in Wangjia Village, while the Xia Residence was in the capital—how could two families separated by such a distance possibly convene for a discussion?

Master and Madam Xia proposed that the Wang family travel to the capital for the discussion, as it would be more convenient to secure a matchmaker there, closer to the bride's home.

Wang Qingchen considered it and found the plan feasible, so he consented. Following this, Wang Qingchen answered a few other questions from Master and Madam Xia, concluding the meeting.

Upon returning from the Xia Residence, Wang Qingchen immediately wrote another letter home. First, he reflected on his presumption in arranging the marriage without his parents' prior consent. Next, he shared some details about the impending union. Finally, he expressed his hope that Wang Youfu and Madam Yang could come to the capital to discuss the marriage between the two families.

Thus, Wang Youfu and Madam Yang, who had been waiting at home for their son to return and explain everything, received another letter from him instead.

After reading the contents of the letter delivered by their elder son, Wang Youfu and Madam Yang felt a wave of relief, immediately followed by worry about traveling to the capital to discuss the marriage.

They fretted over how the discussions would proceed once they arrived, given the vast disparity in family status. They also worried about what they should do if they found the future daughter-in-law unsuitable: should they refuse, putting their son in a difficult position? Or should they silently endure it, thereby harming their son? After much deliberation, the couple couldn't decide on a course of action. They could only prepare gifts, entrust the household affairs to Wang Qinghua and Luo Qing, inform the Old Master and Old Madam of their plans, and prepare for their journey to the capital.

The Old Master and Old Madam did not share the same anxieties as Wang Youfu and Madam Yang; they were very pleased that Wang Qingchen was marrying into a distinguished family. The Old Master, needless to say, was thinking about how this development would elevate the Wang family's standing. The Old Madam, without thinking so deeply, was simply thrilled that a young lady from a prominent house would become her granddaughter-in-law. The mere thought filled her with excitement.

By the time Wang Youfu and Madam Yang reached the capital after several days of travel, the results of the Imperial Examination had not yet been posted. Following the directions in their son's letter, they finally located Wang Qingchen's lodgings after asking for directions several times, and then knocked on the door.

Hearing the knocking, Wang Qingchen opened the courtyard gate. Seeing Wang Youfu and Madam Yang arrive, his heart leaped with joy. "Father, Mother, you've arrived! You must be tired; please come in and rest for a while!" With that, Wang Qingchen quickly stepped forward to take their luggage.

Wang Youfu and Madam Yang had accumulated many things they wanted to say to their son during the journey, but seeing him face-to-face, they found themselves unsure where to begin. They could only follow their son inside first.

Zhao Cheng, who was staying at the same residence, saw Wang Youfu and Madam Yang enter. Upon learning they were Wang Qingchen's parents, he immediately stepped forward to pay his respects. Zhao Cheng was naturally fair-skinned and possessed a touch of scholarly refinement, so Wang Youfu and Madam Yang were naturally fond of him. However, at this moment, they were anxious to inquire about their son's marriage, so after exchanging a few words with Zhao Cheng, they couldn't focus much attention on him.

Zhao Cheng naturally understood this and soon found an excuse to leave, allowing Wang Qingchen to remain with his parents.

As soon as Zhao Cheng departed, Madam Yang couldn't hold back. "Qingchen, what exactly is going on here?"