Volume 1 Chapter 59 Seeking Marriage (Middle) (Pink Tickets: 210)

  The news of Wang's visit to the Marquis' mansion and Qian Gongzi's proposal spread like wildfire throughout the entire compound.

  Eleventh Girl saw Ziwei and Ziyun going in and out, sometimes talking to Shanhua, sometimes delivering food to Hang Mama, very lively. However, Tenth Girl's room door was tightly closed, and the two maids, Jinlian and Yinping, were also nowhere to be seen.

  She couldn't help but slightly shake her head and ask Amber: "Did Master really say that?"

  Amber nodded: "Really. To say that Money Young Master is too flexible, I'm afraid he's a high-eyed and low-handed person. His official career won't be too smooth!"

  "What did the old lady say?" Dong Qing, who was usually taciturn, couldn't help but ask.

  Amber made several awkward expressions.

  No need to ask, the old man must have eaten a meal of braised pork belly.

  "Do you know who was promised to whom?" Eleventh Sister hesitated.

  Amber shook her head: "The madam said, we need to match the eight characters. Let's talk after they're matched."

  The eleventh girl gazed at the western wing and fell into deep thought.

  The lady let off Tian Niang like this...

  After lunch, Sanhu came over and asked Shier Niang to help her knit two square-shaped woolen socks.

  "This will also trouble our young lady." Hanju, who had become familiar with Coral, quickly spoke up, "I'll help you with it." As she said this, she reached out to grab the silk thread from Coral's hand.

  Shanhu smiled and said: "Who can't tie a knot for Fang Sheng? But if you want to do it well, Miss Eleven must come out."

  "Who are you doing it for? And also asked our young lady to make connections." Binju just smiled with her and said, while handing a small stool to Shanhu to sit on.

  Shanhu sat on the edge of Shier Niang's kang and smiled: "I'm doing needlework for Eldest Mistress."

  "Then let's take our young lady's gift!"

  Everyone laughed and joked for a while, then Eleventh Sister sat cross-legged on the kang and braided Coral's hair.

  Shanhu accompanied Shiyi Niang in conversation.

  "I heard that Eldest Aunt and Second Aunt have also disappeared!" she said suddenly in a low voice.

  Amber and a few others immediately realized what Coral was up to, and Wintergreen said: "I'll take the few camellias in the house out to dry. They've been indoors for days, I'm afraid they'll wither." Binju also went to help.

  "How did you get this news?" asked Shi Yigong, her hands moving swiftly and quietly as she spoke to Shanhu.

  "Wu Xiaquan has arrived." said Shanhu, "He's on his way to pay respects to the master. He should be arriving at the main house to greet the mistress soon."

  Eleventh's hand paused: "Is Wu Xiaquan here?"

  "Hmm!" Coral said in a low voice, "It was Asha who said it. She said that the fourth aunt and second aunt were going to attend the temple fair, and the fourth master agreed. Wu Xiaquan said he couldn't stop them, so they prepared the carriage and let them go. Who knew that by afternoon, the fourth aunt had hanged herself? The fourth master sent someone to call tenth miss to see the fourth aunt one last time, only to discover that tenth miss was also nowhere to be found. This caused everyone to panic, searching for tenth miss everywhere, and the fourth master even wanted to report it to the authorities. If Wu Xiaquan hadn't stopped him, this matter would have been blown out of proportion. By the time the lamps were lit, neither of the two aunts had returned, so the fourth master sent someone to look... Wu Xiaquan rushed over that very night."

  "Fourth Auntie hanged herself!" Not just Eleventh Sister, even Amber who was standing beside her was stunned.

  Coral let out a soft sigh.

  For a moment, everyone was filled with sorrow.

  In the silence, Eleventh Sister said softly: "Tenth Sister... I wonder if she knows?"

  This answer can only be asked of Niang.

  But who has the moral high ground to ask questions in this situation?

  After a while, Eleventh Sister said: "Do you know what Big Brother is saying?"

  Coral shook her head: "I heard someone went to find the old master!"

  As soon as she finished speaking, Dong Qing hastily lifted the curtain and entered: "Miss, the old madam has sent someone to invite the tenth miss."

  The eleventh girl exchanged a glance with Coral, and they both saw worry in each other's eyes.

  "You wait outside for Miss Ten to come back and see how she looks?"

  Eleventh daughter ordered Dongqing.

  Dong Qing nodded and left, but soon returned: "Mrs. Xu took people to the residence of the tenth young lady."

  "Come in quickly, all of you." The Eleventh Young Lady's complexion changed slightly.

  Dong Qing hurriedly went to call Bin Ju and Qiu Ju to come in.

  Coral also became somewhat uneasy: "I don't know what's going on? The tenth miss just left, how did Mrs. Xu bring people to the tenth miss's residence?"

  Eleventh Miss thought that since she often helped herself with small favors in front of Amber, she could be considered a person with feelings and righteousness. So she spoke her guess somewhat bluntly: "......Miss Ten came to Yanjing, it was the escort agency's people who did the protection, just like the escort agency usually says, a living target. This kind of business is the most expensive. I think Miss Ten must have spent a lot of money."

  Coral was very clever and immediately understood: "You mean to say that money is still missing at home. So, did Madam Xu bring people to search for Miss Ten's room? But Miss Ten didn't bring anything when she came?"

  The eleventh girl didn't make a sound.

  In her heart, she thought that gold and silver had been exchanged for banknotes, rolled up and tied in the collar of her clothes or in hollow hairpins and bracelets, and wondered how safe it was.

  The idea flashed through her mind, and she thought of the crimson agate bangle that Shi Er Niang had been wearing on her wrist for the past few days...

  I hope Mrs. Dai doesn't think in this direction!

  She began to worry about her two aunts as well.

  The household registration system is very strict. Even traveling through mountains and waters requires a permit. In rural areas, there are ancestral temples, and if a stranger suddenly appears, they will be quickly discovered. If unlucky, they might even encounter local ruffians who would secretly capture and sell them to human traffickers. Fortunately, the two women were already old, so they wouldn't be sold into brothels or singing houses. In cities, there are heads of neighborhoods responsible for assisting the government in maintaining public order. If two unknown women suddenly appear, their fate is predictable...

  Unless... both of you, like Shi Niang, regard yourselves as treasures and entrust yourselves to the escort agency!

  She was startled by her own thoughts.

  After some more careful consideration, I think it's very likely.

  However, Shining came to Yanjing, and the two aunts relied on whom again?

  In the midst of holding her breath and concentrating, a sound came from the direction of Shi Yunniang's residence.

  Everyone hid behind the window frames to watch.

  Mrs. Xu's face turned iron-green, and she walked out of Shiniang's residence with empty hands along with Mrs. An and several others, then hastily went to the main house.

  Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

  After another half incense stick's worth of time, Shi Niang returned.

  The eleventh girl saw the bangle on her wrist at a glance.

  Just as Eleven was worried about Ten, Five also sat on the kang by the window. However, her curtains were tightly closed.

  "...Have you asked clearly?" Zi Yun sized up Wu Niang's expression and spoke on her behalf, asking Zi Wei, "Don't end up losing the watermelon for some sesame seeds!"

  "Don't worry, it's definitely right. This is what Hang Mama told me herself."

  The fifth daughter couldn't help but reveal a contemplative expression.

  Ziwei and Ziyuan exchanged a glance.

  "Is the Marquis's household really as Mother said, fallen to the point of relying on the Jiang family for support?" After a long while, Wu Niang spoke in a low voice.

  This also involves one's own future.

  "Mother Hang said so," Ziwei hastily replied, "and also said that because of this, the marriage of Prince Wang has been delayed. They want to find a match made in heaven, but those who are considered suitable think that the Wang family is just an empty shell. It wasn't until the beginning of this year that the Wang family relaxed their requirements and decided to look for someone with a clean background. However, although they say so, they have also looked at several other families and subtly hinted that they think the bride's family has too shallow roots and not enough dowry."

  The fifth daughter's eyes lit up as she listened.

  Zi Yun picked up the conversation: "In that case, if this marriage is successful, there will definitely be a lot of dowry?"

  Ziwei smiled and said: "It should be like this! Otherwise, why has the old lady been pulling out accounts with Mrs. Xu for the past few days?"

  Dowry is the property of the woman. The man is not allowed to use it. If the husband wants to use it, he must get the wife's consent.

  The fifth daughter thought of the big wife.

  The old master has no confidence in front of the old lady, it's just a matter of "money".

  "She muttered to herself: 'If they're really that short of money... this is easy!'"

  Ziwei and Ziyuan nodded in unison.

  "That Master Qian..." Wu Niang said with a hint of hesitation.

  "Mother Hang said that Qian Gongzi was very intelligent and had passed the Xiucai examination at the age of 15. Unfortunately, his family was poor and he couldn't even afford to go to the provincial capital to take the imperial examination until he was 22 years old. He only managed to pass the Huiren examination with the help of a scholarship from Jiangxi Province, which allowed him to study at the Imperial Academy. Three years ago, he failed the Enke examination and is now preparing for this year's Hui Shi examination."

  The fifth daughter did not make a sound.

  Ziwei hesitated and said: "Miss... about the Yongping Marquis's household, shouldn't we..."

  The fifth daughter listened and coldly gave her a sideways glance.

  "Sister, you are wrong." Zi Yun hastily said, "Three years ago, it was said that Eldest Sister's life was hanging by a thread, but look at her now, isn't she still living well? The tenth and eleventh young ladies can wait, but our family's young lady cannot afford to wait. Besides, who would abandon their legitimate wife to become a concubine? Look at the Xu family's style, they might not even want us to be part of the dowry for our young lady. Since that's the case, it's better to marry into the Marquis of Maoguo's household instead. Both are families of meritorious officials!"

  Ziwei saw Wuniang lowering her head to drink tea, knowing that Ziyun had hit on her idea, and hastily nodded: "Sister is right. I was confused."

  "Look at what sister is saying." Zi Yun would not just let Zi Wei be beaten like this, sometimes she also needed Zi Wei's help. "If it weren't for the fact that we can't wait any longer, being able to marry into the Yongping Marquis' household would of course be good. Not to mention anything else, at least you'll get to drink the sisterhood tea personally served by Miss Qiao!" As she spoke, she covered her mouth and laughed, "Oh dear, now we can't call her Miss Qiao anymore, we have to call her Madame Qiao."

  The fifth daughter heard it and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth, but soon this smile disappeared.

  "Big sister's means are really formidable." She looked a bit solemn, "This matter can make people laugh for sixty years. From now on, Aunt Qiao will never be able to stand up straight again."

  "Perhaps others will say that this matter is the fault of Master Hou?" Zi Yun looked at Wu Niang with a smile, intentionally flattering her, pretending not to know the underlying situation.

  "You know what!" Wu Niang scolded them, "Didn't you hear what Miss Tang said at the banquet? If it weren't for those misses from the Guo and Hou households, we could have just covered this up. But now everyone is waiting to see us make fools of ourselves. We need to cut through the mess quickly, or else when the news gets out, the Qiao family will be even more humiliated."

  "But what exactly happened that day?" Zi Yun was very perplexed.

  The fifth daughter smiled coldly: "No matter what happened, being able to make a good thousand-gold lady marry and become a concubine must be something that can't be seen in the light of day!"

  Hehehe, I'm almost done paying off my debt!