Chapter 53 Night Talk (Pink Ticket 120)

  Xu Lingyi's phoenix eyes rose. Without anger, she was majestic, and unexpectedly left Madame Tai at a loss for words.

  "As for going to the Jiang family to propose," he sat down slowly and said thoughtfully, "I still need Mother to consider it carefully."

  The old lady came to her senses. She let out a soft sigh and smiled wryly, "I know you're not pleased. But I had my reasons. At the time, Yuan Niang was so agitated, and you wouldn't back down, with all those esteemed guests outside, if I hadn't agreed, who knows what would have happened? Besides, the Jiang family is renowned for their integrity, having produced two imperial tutors, and are deeply respected by society. It's unlikely they'd want to be associated with our family. I thought it over, even if I were to ask, whether the Jiangs would agree or not was uncertain. So I decided to temporarily agree, and figure things out later." After finishing speaking, she let out a sigh, "The Jiang family has a reputation for being upright and pure, with an air of grandeur. It turns out, Yuan Niang did have good taste. Moreover, your father had once said, 'A good wife is a virtuous one.' Women from families like the Jiangs, who are steeped in tradition and culture, are usually intelligent, refined, and well-behaved. That's why I didn't care about what others thought, and went to ask for your sister-in-law's hand in marriage three times." Mentioning her deceased son, the old lady's eyes became slightly moist, "You've seen it yourself. Your second sister-in-law has lived up to your father's words - she's been a steady and gentle presence during meals; after your brother passed away, she remained steadfast and unwavering. This is all because of the Jiang family's upbringing. If Er Ge were to marry a daughter from the Jiang family, I don't know how happy I would be!"

  When his mother mentioned his brother's death from illness, Xu Lingyi's expression softened a lot. He said calmly: "Mother is afraid that this will displease the Emperor, isn't she?"

  "Not bad." The Empress's expression turned serious, "The Emperor and the Empress are still a loving couple, and the Empress has given birth to three sons; you first pacified the Miao and Man tribes, then conquered the Northern Territory, achieving great merits. Our family is now like a blooming flower, prosperous and thriving. How can I not be afraid? Afraid that the Emperor's heart will be uneasy, afraid that people with ulterior motives will speak ill of us in front of the Emperor, even more afraid that we will make a mistake and implicate the Empress...". As she spoke, her eyes gleamed intensely at her son, "We cannot afford to take a wrong step now. Just wait..." She pointed upwards, "Until the day we rise to power!"

  "Mother. The moon is full and then wanes, the water is full and then overflows." Xu Lingyi's expression was calm, "There are no things in this world that can last forever without decline. Can't just stop eating because of a temporary obstruction, afraid of being remembered by others and not doing anything!"

  Madam Tai's expression changed slightly: "You're saying......"

  Xu Lingyi nodded: "I disagree with marrying into the Jiang family, not because I'm afraid of arousing the emperor's suspicion, nor is it because the Jiang family won't agree. Since I've taken on the responsibility of revitalizing our family business, if I can't even choose a wife who is knowledgeable, courteous, and virtuous for my son, what's the point of discussing other things? Why not just stick to our old ways and live out our days honestly? Why bother competing with others in those distant lands?" As he spoke, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "My main concern is that Jun Ge is too young. At this age, talking about marriage can only lead to choosing someone of a similar age. Children are unpredictable, and what seems good now may not necessarily be so when they grow up. There are many examples of this."

  The old lady listened and nodded slightly.

  "But if we find someone much older than Yun Ge, I'm afraid they won't get along in the future." Xu Lingyi's eyebrows showed a hint of worry. "I originally thought to wait until Yun Ge is a bit older and then help him take a closer look... He is the eldest son, and his future wife will be in charge of the ancestral rites and set an example for the whole clan, it can't be careless!"

  Madam nodded without stopping: "What you're thinking is indeed true. It's just that Yuanniang's side... we can only wait, I'm afraid she won't be able to wait any longer." As she spoke, her tone had a hint of helplessness, "Moreover, she has always been clever and resourceful, now that things have reached the point of exhaustion, if she doesn't arrange everything properly, I'm afraid she won't be at peace."

  Xu Lingyi remained silent, lowering her eyelids. She picked up the tea cup lid and brushed off the floating leaves in the cup: "So this matter still needs to trouble you to consider carefully."

  "What do you mean..." The old lady was somewhat perplexed.

  "I had someone investigate the Jiang family's affairs as soon as I left the small courtyard." Xu Lingyi took a sip of tea, "Among the Jiang brothers, Jiang Bai, Jiang Song, and Jiang Gui are the legitimate sons. Among them, Jiang Bai is the Academician of the Hanlin Academy, with three sons and two daughters, including his eldest son and second daughter who are legitimate; Jiang Song returned to Yue'an and opened a school called 'Jin Xi', with one son and one daughter, both legitimate; Jiang Gui is the Prefect of Taiyuan, with two sons and two daughters, including his eldest son and eldest daughter who are legitimate. Jiang Bai's second daughter is two years old this year, Jiang Song's eldest daughter is four years old, and Jiang Gui's eldest daughter is twelve years old this year. I want to propose a marriage between our family's younger brother and Jiang Song's eldest daughter!"

  "Although the child is young and has not yet formed her character, whoever raises her will shape her. That Jiang Bo's family, with their ups and downs in officialdom, cannot help but impart some of the habits of wealth and nobility to their children. And Jiang Song, teaching and educating in the countryside, his children probably have some rugged and unadorned qualities... For a family like ours, standing at the pinnacle of wealth and nobility, we would rather she remain elegant and refined, not skilled in manipulating her husband to compete for fame and profit..."

  "I was thinking the same thing." Xu Lingyi's eyes flashed, a cold light flashing from the bottom of her eyes. "But I'm afraid Yuan Niang doesn't think so. Moreover, she likes to do things in a way that leaves room for maneuvering. It seems this matter is no exception. Before I came here, I had asked Ma Ziweng from the Ministry of Rites to convey my message to Jiang Bai. If Jiang Bai has far-sightedness, he should know that to be noble and clean, one must first have wealth before being able to be clean. The imperial tutor position is already an old hat from decades ago. If they want to continue their illustrious status, they need to find another way out. If he doesn't even have this much foresight, the Jiang family's downfall won't be far off."

  "Still, it's good that you gentlemen have considered this." The old lady smiled. "Jiang Song has no official position or title, but Jiang Bai is a scholar in the Imperial Academy and a candidate for the Grand Council. If we form an alliance with Jiang Song, it will naturally be much better than forming one with Jiang Bai. Moreover, if anything happens, we can say that our two families are related by marriage and should help each other out. Even if the Emperor finds out, he will only think that we are being humble and yielding."

  "So this matter, it's clear that Yuan Niang should be the one to stir up trouble. Let everyone know why our family wants to form an alliance with the Jiang family." Xu Lingyi nodded, "But behind the scenes, you still need to take action personally. Otherwise, things might get complicated and we'll end up becoming in-laws with Jiang Bo instead."

  "I know it's serious." Madame Tai nodded slightly, looked at her son and hesitated for a moment before continuing: "There's something else. When I went to the palace to pay respects to Her Majesty the Empress on the second day of the second month, I met Imperial Noble Consort Yu. She asked about Yuan Niang's illness. Half-jokingly, half-seriously, she said that she had a younger sister who was a beauty, and if you hadn't already had a wife, marrying her wouldn't be beneath you..."

  Xu Lingyi smiled: "Since that's the case, then don't bother with the Qiao family's affairs - so as to avoid embarrassing you!"

  The old lady saw that her son did not show a hint of surprise and asked in surprise: "Have you heard something?"

  Xu Lingyi's smile gradually faded, and she replied evasively: "Let Yuan Niang scold her for a while, it's good to avoid future troubles!" After finishing speaking, she stood up, "It's getting late, you've had a tiring day too, go rest early. I estimate that by tomorrow morning, there should be a letter from Ma Zuowen's place. If there still isn't a reply, then we shouldn't mention the engagement with the Jiang family again - reacting so slowly will only drag us down!"

  Today too many things happened, and Tai Furen was indeed tired. She called Wei Zi to send Xu Lingyi off.

  Wei Zidi brought two little maids and carried an octagonal glass lantern. They saw Xu Lingyi off out of the courtyard.

  Xu Lingyi's personal attendant, Lin Bo, and Zhaoying had already brought two green-clad young attendants to wait at the door. Seeing Xu Lingyi, the two attendants hurried forward to take the lantern from Xiaoyu's hand. At the same time, Lin Bo stepped forward two steps, smiling and bowing his hands to Wei Zi: "Hard work, sister!"

  "Wei Zifu said: 'I dare not.' Then she gave a courtesy to Xu Lingyi, and with the little maid, turned back and closed the gate of the courtyard."

  Xu Lingyi stood at the gate of the courtyard, looking up at the starry sky, silent for a long time.

  Lin Bo and Zhao Ying exchanged a glance, both seeing unease in each other's eyes.

  "Let's go!" After a while, Xu Lingyi finally lifted her foot and headed towards the flower hall behind Madame Tai's house.

  The two men did not dare to hesitate, Lin Bo led the way with two young servants carrying lanterns, while Zhao Ying attended to him on one side.

  Halfway, Xu Lingyi suddenly said: "Have you asked clearly?"

  "Ask clearly." Lin Bo hastily said, "Because the lady sent Yan Hong to call him for questioning, he saw that you had fallen asleep again, so he followed her."

  Xu Lingyi's expression remained unchanged as he asked, "What did Madam ask him?"

  "They said they called him over, but the lady wasn't there." Lin Bo said in a low voice, "Yan Hong made him wait there, he didn't dare leave. That's why..."

  "Let's hand him over to Director Bai!" Xu Lingyi said softly, "Let Director Bai add a bit of cleverness to it."

  Lin Bo respectfully responded with a "yes" and followed Xu Lingyi through the flower hall to the east-west corridor.

  "Master Hou!" After hesitating for a while, he said in a low voice, "The back garden is probably locked at this time."

  Xu Lingyi was stunned for a moment, stopped in her tracks, stood in front of the flower window wall and stared blankly for a while, then said softly: "Then let's go to Qin Niangniang's place!"

  Lin Bo responded and accompanied Xu Lingyi to go to Qin Niang's place.

  The door was knocked open, and it was Yu'er, Wen Niang's personal maid, who answered.

  "Master Hou!" She widened her eyes, "How did you come?" Suddenly realizing her mistake, she hastily said, "No, I mean, I thought you would rest in the small courtyard, so Wen Niang came to accompany Qin Niang..." As she spoke, she quickly stepped aside and called out, "Master Hou has arrived."

  The whole courtyard was suddenly awakened, and everyone hastily put on their clothes, either lighting lamps or going forward to pay respects to Xu Lingyi.

  Xu Lingyi looked at the situation and, without waiting for Qin Niang and Wen Niang to come out, threw a sentence "Let the two niangs take a good rest" and turned to go to Tai Furen's place.

  Old Mrs. Wang had just lain down when she heard that her son had returned home. She hastily put on her clothes and got up: "What's happened?"

  "It's all right!" said Xu Lingyi, "I'll go to your warm pavilion and spend the night there!"

  The old lady looked at her son, didn't ask anything, and ordered the maids to open the trunk and take out the half-new quilt that had been put away two days ago to lay it out for him.

  The next day, early in the morning, it started raining heavily, falling on the tender leaves that had just emerged, making them look even greener than usual.

  Eleventh daughter opened the trunk and let tenth daughter choose clothes and jewelry.

  Binju's face was unsuspecting, and Dongqing whispered at the door: "Why not let her go pick up the fifth young lady's things, just looking at our young lady's good temper."

  "Shut up!" Dong Qing said in a low voice, "The mistress's anger hasn't dissipated yet? Be careful not to provoke her and get our young lady burned as well."

  Binju muttered: "Am I just talking nonsense with you?"

  Before she had finished speaking, someone behind her said: "Is Miss Eleven here? The mistress is calling for her."

  The two turned around and saw Luo Qiao standing behind them with a smile on her face.