Born to Be Either Rich or Noble - Chapter 41

Qian Tong’s mind went blank.

What did he just say?

If not for the fact that the tips of the noble heir’s ears were so red they might start dripping blood, Qian Tong would’ve thought she misheard him. But then she quickly realized—this must be the conclusion he’d reached after two solid hours of thinking.

She’d lied to him too many times. Of course he wouldn’t believe her anymore. So, in order to keep investigating the case, the heir of the Marquis of Yong’an was actually willing to stake his own marriage.

A noble heir, son of a marquis, and a sitting vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue—he wanted to propose to a merchant’s daughter. Was he insane or just stupid? Qian Tong tried to wake him up: “My lord, what I did earlier has already offended you. How could I possibly marry you for real? Wouldn’t that just doom me?”

But Song Yunzhi didn’t so much as twitch the sword in his hand.

Qian Tong felt a headache coming on. She had never seen anyone propose to someone while holding a blade to their throat. She lifted two fingers again, swearing to him earnestly, “Your status is noble, while I’m just the lowest of common merchants—worlds apart, completely unworthy of you. Please don’t lower yourself. I swear, I will never betray you.”

Song Yunzhi knew exactly what kind of person she was.

Her oaths meant nothing.

Profit always came first for her. Rather than keep hoping she might someday be trustworthy—and having to guard against her every move—the best way was to bind her to him.

If they married, they would share both fortune and hardship. He’d never had high expectations of marriage, and to him, status wasn’t what mattered most. If necessary, he could sacrifice it. “I don’t care about social rank,” he said flatly.

Qian Tong froze.

Everyone in the world carried an invisible ladder in their hearts, each rung marking a different class. And everyone—no matter how rich—was scrambling to climb higher. Even families wealthy enough to rival nations longed for official titles.

For the highborn heir to speak so lightly—he had no idea what privilege he was standing on. The truly fortunate never realized just how fortunate they were.

Just how desperate was he to solve this case? Even if circumstances forced him to marry a merchant’s daughter, this union would still be a stain on his life.

Afterward, how could he ever discuss marriage again with any noble family’s daughter?

She needed to talk some sense into him. Qian Tong sighed and reasoned gently, “If you truly wish to propose, this isn’t the way. Put the sword down first. Let’s calm down and see if there’s another solution—what if you didn’t have to make such a sacrifice?”

Song Yunzhi had already considered every possibility.

There was none.

When the upright and stubborn heir made up his mind, no one could stop him. His ears were burning red, yet his eyes locked fiercely onto hers, as if he wouldn’t rest until he got the answer he wanted.

Qian Tong could tell—this wasn’t a proposal. It was coercion.

With the sword at her throat, if she dared say no, the heir might strike in humiliation and fury, killing her to erase this one disgrace from his spotless life.

Back then, Lu Daozhong had done everything to curry favor with the imperial court—offering up his entire family fortune just to gain trust.

Who could’ve guessed that she, Qian Tong, without doing anything at all, would have the heir of a marquis holding a sword to her neck, forcing her into marriage?

To any merchant, a marriage alliance with a noble—especially with the heir of a marquis’s household—was the ultimate dream, a blessing said to make one’s ancestors smile from the grave. From every angle, this was a bargain for her and a loss for him.

Qian Tong had no reason to refuse. “If you don’t mind how coarse and common I am, my lord, it would be my greatest honor to marry you.”

As soon as she spoke, she saw the young man’s gaze flicker—the tight string inside him finally loosened. He withdrew the sword, and as the blade slid back into its sheath, the cold gleam in his eyes softened noticeably.

Freed from danger, Qian Tong felt dazed, as though waking from a dream. “My lord,” she asked belatedly, “won’t the Princess kill me for this?”

A merchant’s daughter daring to covet her noble son—realizing the gravity of that thought, she immediately added, “You must explain to her clearly! Tell her this wasn’t my idea. It’s only part of your investigation plan. We’re just trying to build mutual trust—once it’s done, I’ll take my share of benefits, and you’ll remain the honorable heir you are. I’ll go back to being a merchant’s daughter in Yangzhou. I won’t cling to you.”

She had no desire to be hunted down as a temptress by his family.

What could a merchant do against the court—much less the royal family?

Song Yunzhi had already turned toward the sea but paused to answer, “I’ll explain.” Then he frowned slightly at her frantic tone and corrected her, “Since I’ve proposed, it’s no joke. I have no interest in a false marriage. Others may not know who I am, but you do—so don’t treat this as a game, Miss Qian.”

The principled, unbending heir spoke with a sincerity that brooked no argument.

Qian Tong stood there stunned.

Song Yunzhi turned and strode toward the sea. He had walked a fair distance before she found her voice again, calling after him—half asking him, half asking herself: “So… does that make me the heir’s wife now?”

Song Yunzhi stopped again and turned back. She stood before a patch of withered grass, hands still bound, hair messy from the sea wind, her cheeks marked with faint lines from sleeping on straw.

Disheveled as she was, she somehow looked… peaceful.

He nodded once. “Mm.”

—

The title “heir’s wife” hit Qian Tong like a thunderclap.

Half an hour later, she accepted a freshly grilled fish from Song Yunzhi, the ropes around her wrists now cut loose. She rested her chin in her hand, staring blankly at him instead of eating.

Seeing her like that, Song Yunzhi hesitated, then asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qian Tong sighed. “I’ll never insult a Daoist priest again. Turns out, those old fortune-tellers do have some real skill. Imagine—I’m actually becoming the heir’s wife…”

She’d been muttering like this for half the day.

Ever since he dove into the sea, she hadn’t stopped rambling—sometimes sighing, sometimes talking to herself.

They’d already spent a night and half a day on this deserted island. Until rescue came, they had to eat. Song Yunzhi turned away and focused on his grilled fish, ignoring her chatter.

“My lord, what should I do to be worthy of this title?” she pressed on, chasing him for conversation. It wasn’t that she lacked confidence—just that she felt completely unqualified.

Song Yunzhi glanced at her, resigned. “Don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t betray.”

Simple words for a gentleman—but hard for a merchant. Qian Tong could only promise, “Rest assured, my lord, I’ll never betray you.”

With the marriage sealing their alliance, betrayal no longer worried him.

For the Qian family, this union was an enormous advantage. Song Yunzhi’s tone returned to its usual calm. “Aren’t you hungry?” He reminded her, “You can’t use your signal flare during the day. We’ll have to wait until dark.”

Their small boat had been wrecked after crossing the strait.

Since his identity wasn’t yet revealed, his guards couldn’t appear openly.

The island they were stranded on wasn’t far from the one occupied by the Park family. Once night fell, she could fire a signal flare—whether her family’s ships or the Parks’, someone would come.

Finally, she stopped talking and began eating slowly.

They ate in silence.

Song Yunzhi took small, refined bites. Thinking she’d finally quieted down, he was caught off guard when she suddenly tilted her head and asked, “How did you know I had a signal flare?”

She hadn’t meant to ask—but she had to know whether he’d taken the chance last night, after tying her up, to touch her.

Sure, he wasn’t that kind of man… but still.

If it had been her, she would’ve gotten revenge. He’d bruised her ribs the night before; they still ached faintly. What if he’d taken liberties too?

Her suspicious little mind made life hard for an honest man. Song Yunzhi’s face flushed scarlet as he stammered, “I didn’t… touch you.” After a long internal struggle, he forced out, “I felt it… on the boat last night.”

Mentioning “the boat” immediately conjured up images of their tangled scuffle.

Qian Tong’s imagination filled in the rest. Feeling a little embarrassed, she turned away and said gently, “Life and death struggle—it was either you or me. Don’t overthink it, my lord. I don’t blame you.”

Song Yunzhi was speechless.

He hadn’t even been thinking that.

Before he could clarify, she got up and wandered toward the shore, surveying the island. “So this is the Yellow Sea—how beautiful! The waters behind Yangzhou are all cloudy from fishermen. Look at this sand, so clean, the water so blue. Once the Qian fleet reaches here, we’ll station a ship right on this island. Perfect for an outpost.”

Then, with a straight face, she added, “I wonder if there are more islands like this nearby. When the court and the Parks finally go to war, we’ll need bases for troops and supplies. My lord, when we have time, we should explore this sea, find more islands to claim—”

She spoke with the casual arrogance of someone claiming the whole ocean as her own.

Song Yunzhi didn’t comment on her bouts of madness.

Since they had to wait until dark anyway, Qian Tong spent the day exploring the island, catching crabs and shrimp from the rocky shore. She tossed them into the heir’s campfire and, having accepted her fate as “the heir’s wife,” sat beside him without a trace of shyness. Using a flat rock as a table, she began cracking crab shells.

She gave the fattest crab to Song Yunzhi.

He returned the gesture, offering her the crab roe and a pile of cleaned legs.

Watching the silent, focused young man, she drifted off in thought again.

As twilight deepened, and before meeting the Parks, Song Yunzhi asked, “What kind of man is Park Chengyu?”

She’d told him before that the eldest Park son was different from the rest of his family—upright and gentle.

That matched what Song Yunzhi had heard before coming to Yangzhou.

Park Huirang, head of the Park family, had three sons. The second, Park Chengjun, ran the gambling houses in Yangzhou—decisive and ruthless, but wild and unrestrained. Their father had placed him under the third wife’s supervision to keep him in check.

The third, Park Chengzhi, was unremarkable, dutifully staying by his mother’s side to handle official dealings with the court.

The eldest, Park Chengyu, guarded the first strait—the Yellow Sea. Skilled in pharmacology and gifted in business, he was best known for maneuvering among rival forces during wartime, extending trade routes across two straits and even into Liao territory.

He had been only eighteen.

Later, he seized vast trade routes, including the second strait—Dengzhou—now personally garrisoned by his father.

When the new dynasty was founded, it was Park Chengyu who offered ten cargo ships as tribute to the new emperor, congratulating him on his coronation. Each year since, he had sent a full ship of goods in tribute.

That generosity had once convinced the emperor to delay retaking Yangzhou—allowing its war-weary citizens a chance to breathe.

But no country could tolerate a rival power.

The Park family now controlled half the Great Yu Empire’s commerce. They could pretend ignorance; the court could not.

If Park Chengyu truly left no flaws, he would be difficult to bring down.

Qian Tong swallowed a mouthful of crab roe and said simply, “He’s not as good as you.”

Song Yunzhi looked at her, knowing she’d misunderstood.

Before he could explain, she added, “He never peeled crab for me.”

He had no interest in their past, nor any desire to ask. Tossing her another half-cleaned crab, he said curtly, “Eat up. Then fire the flare.”

Qian Tong assumed he didn’t like crab and kept eating. “Just a little longer, my lord. When we reach the Park family, I’ll get us good wine and proper food…”

Song Yunzhi stood up and walked farther away.

When Qian Tong finally finished her two crabs, night had fallen. She went to the shore to rinse her hands and tidy herself up—her hair too messy, she tied it again with a ribbon and splashed her face clean.

Song Yunzhi stood behind her, watching in silence.

When she finished, she pulled a leather pouch from her waist and took out a dry signal flare. She fired it into the night sky.

Just like the one they’d seen at sea, the burst of fireworks formed a glowing copper coin (t/n: a copper coin shape symbolizes wealth and fortune).

Then she came to stand beside him. Together, they stared at the horizon, waiting quietly. After about the time it took for a stick of incense to burn, a faint yellow light appeared on the distant sea.

Soon, a ship bearing a sea lion flag came into view.

It was the Park family’s vessel.

As the deep horn sounded closer, Song Yunzhi turned to the girl beside him and reminded, “Remember what you said.”

Qian Tong nodded, leaning lightly toward him. “I’m not stupid. I’m going to be your wife now—I’ll naturally stand with you.” Then she added, “Everything we say or do later is an act. Don’t take it seriously. If anything seems off, we’ll discuss it privately.”

Song Yunzhi said nothing.

The ship drew nearer.

Moments later, the Park family’s vessel beached before them. The first to step down was the eldest son, Park Chengyu. He crossed the gangplank in a hurry, his expression tense—until he saw the girl standing safe and sound before him. Only then did he smile faintly and ask, “How did you end up in such a state?”