Chapter 55: Marriage (Part 2)

  "It's probably because we sent ginseng over this morning, and your sister-in-law returned the gift." Mrs. Xu comforted the old lady and personally went to welcome Mrs. Tao in.

  Mrs. Tao indeed brought several boxes of pastries and smiled as she greeted the madam: "Thank you, Madam, for the ginseng."

  Mrs. Xu took the box and deliberately avoided going back, went to the eastern room to put away some snacks.

  "Madam Tao took the opportunity to whisper to the mistress: 'The lady said that Madam Jiang's wife returned to Yanjing early this morning, and you should take the young ladies to Huguo Temple tomorrow to burn incense.'"

  Are we going to see each other?

  The madam was very confident in her own daughters' looks and nodded: "Got it!"

  Tao's mother achieved her goal and chatted for a couple of sentences before standing up to bid farewell: "There are many things going on around the lady these two days."

  The lady naturally understood, didn't keep her, rewarded twenty taels of silver, and let Mrs. Xu send her out the door. When Mrs. Xu came back, she instructed her again: "Tomorrow I'll take three young ladies to Huguo Temple to burn incense, go tell Madam about it."

  Mrs. Xu went out at the sound of her name being called.

  When chatting back and forth, he burst out laughing: "...that old classmate of Grandpa's is really interesting. I heard we're going to the Temple of Heaven tomorrow morning, and he very enthusiastically said he wanted to come along too. He also said that since he's been freeloading at our house for these days, even if he can't help with other chores, showing us around and giving directions should be no problem."

  The old lady listened and burst out laughing: "This is indeed a diligent one. Isn't it because he's afraid of being eaten by others?"

  "That young Master Qian is quite dignified in appearance." Mrs. Xu smiled and said, "It's just that his eyes are a bit too lively, not as steady as our Xing Ge."

  The two chatted for a few more sentences and then sat down again to settle the bill.

  On the other side, Madam Xu of the Xu manor had just sat down and was holding a cup of tea that she hadn't even had time to take a sip from when Xu Lingyi arrived.

  The old lady looked at the tea in her hand and then at her son sitting opposite her, unable to help but laugh: "It's been many years since I've seen you so anxious."

  Xu Lingyi smiled slightly.

  The old lady ordered the people around her: "I have something to say to Lord Hou!"

  The maids curtsied in response and backed away in a line.

  Old Lady Tai jokingly said to her son, "Didn't you say that if the Jiang family didn't send a confirmation today, then don't mention the engagement? What's going on? Are you afraid I'll mess things up?"

  "Look what you said." Xu Lingyi smiled and said, "Huang's wife is your sister who has been playing with you since childhood. You have something to say to her, and she is also familiar with the situation at home, so I invited her to come forward for Jun Ge's affairs. What am I worried about? I'm just looking at you coming back now, and I came over to take a look."

  "You still have some filial piety." The old lady nodded slightly, "Madam Huang asked me to stay and play cards in the afternoon, but I had something on my mind, so I came back."

  Xu Lingyi was taken aback and carefully observed her mother's expression: "What happened?"

  "Guess who I met at Yongchang Marquis's residence?" The old lady smiled as she looked at her son.

  Xu Lingyi hesitated for a moment and said: "Could it be that we've run into someone from the Jiang family?"

  The old lady's expression was disappointed: "You child, really... are also too straightforward! Can't you just let me be happy for a while?"

  Xu Lingyi's eyes lit up: "So, you really saw someone from the Jiang family at the Yongchang Marquis' residence? Who did the Jiang family send to see you? Was it Mrs. Jiang or the housekeeper?"

  "Neither of them." Madam Tai shook her head, "It was a Mr. Lu from the Jiang family's side."

  Xu Lingyi's eyes showed a look of appreciation: "I didn't expect that Jiang Bo would have such a move."

  He did not directly entrust someone to deliver the message to himself, but instead let his strategist use the opportunity of visiting Madame Tai at Yongchang Hou's residence. Firstly, it showed that he attached great importance to this marriage; secondly, it took the opportunity to tell himself that our Jiang family has the strength to compete with the Xu family.

  However, since they've made such a strong and evenly matched formation, it means they want to negotiate terms!

  He smiled happily.

  What an ally! How can one not be delighted?

  "What did the visitor from the Jiang family say?"

  The old lady saw her son's confident look and couldn't help but pour cold water on him: "That Mr. Lu said that although Jiang Bo very much hopes to establish a relationship with our family, after all, he is doing his uncle's job and still needs to discuss it with Jiang Song."

  "That's natural." Xu Lingyi didn't think much of it, "The Jiang family has been away from the center for several years, and I'm afraid only Jiang Bo can see the situation in the court. He proposed an alliance with our family, and it will definitely cause a stir within the Jiang family. It's only natural to give him some time to maneuver. And then there's Jiang Song, who hung up his official seal and left, definitely dissatisfied with the imperial court. Now letting him marry his daughter into our family won't be an easy task either. However, to sum it up, I'm very satisfied with Jiang Bo's reaction. At least he showed us his attitude. As for whether it succeeds or not, that depends on his abilities. If he can convince the people of the Jiang family, I'll naturally be happy to see it; if he can't convince them, I've given him an opportunity."

  He spoke eloquently with a gentle tone, calm demeanor, and an air of composure that exuded confidence, causing the old lady to sigh: "How could the Jiang family have thought of plotting against you?"

  Xu Lingyi was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Mother, you think too highly of the Jiang family. Don't forget, what made the Jiang family rise to power? So-called 'imperial teacher', put simply, is just a powerful minister. If Jiang Bo hadn't sat in the position of Imperial Scholar for fourteen years without being able to move, if three out of seven imperial princes weren't born by the Empress Dowager, how would Jiang Bo have dared to make his move?"

  "I know," said the old lady solemnly. "I was thinking, the Jiang family has always maintained neutrality in the imperial court, and this time they are marrying into our family, but later on, they will inevitably be labeled as a faction of the emperor's party. The Jiang family has paid such a great price, I'm afraid their demands will be too high, and I'm afraid we won't be able to afford it!"

  "What a burden it is!" Xu Lingyi laughed, "Want to be the emperor's teacher again? Now the emperor has seven sons, who knows where the flower will fall? Even if I want to, he wouldn't dare. Want to enter the imperial court? Just based on his boldness in handling the marriage of my sister, it's enough to match him. Even if I recommend him, it won't be worth the state and its people!"

  One remark made Madam Yu laugh: "In that case, Jiang Bo has made a losing deal."

  "That's not necessarily true." Xu Lingyi smiled and said, "The late emperor liked his ministers to fawn on him, but he was a member of the Jiang family, how could he do such a thing? So every time the late emperor summoned him, he would do the opposite, putting on a serious face to lecture the late emperor on the virtues of the ancients. As time went on, everyone knew that Jiang Bo was an upright and outspoken gentleman. After the emperor ascended to the throne, although he wanted to flatter the imperial will, his reputation as a virtuous man made it impossible... By marrying into our family, he gained an opportunity to change without losing face. With his abilities, rapid advancement is just around the corner. In comparison, we are the ones who have lost out."

  The old lady shook her head as she listened: "You men have calculated everything! But you haven't calculated the sorrow of those around you!"

  Xu Lingyi was taken aback.

  "I went to see Yuan Niang before going to Yongchang Hou Fu." The old lady's tone was melancholic, "After all, she is the mother of Jun Ge. I think this matter should be discussed with her..."

  "Mother," Xu Lingyi rudely interrupted the madam's words, "How can you say these things to her? Don't you know her character? She only thinks of herself and no one else..." As soon as he finished speaking, he felt like he had misspoken, a look of regret flashing across his face, and asked his mother, "Did you tell her what I meant?"

  "No!" Madam glared at her son, somewhat displeased. "I was just testing her to see if she could change her mind."

  Xu Lingyi saw that her mother's face was not pleased, and she knew that she had acted inappropriately. She quickly changed the subject with a smile: "Mother, although Huang Furen is on good terms with you, we can't trouble others like this. We should still observe the proper etiquette. What do you think? Why don't we ask Huang Furen one of these days about the salt transportation official position in Shandong that has an opening for a salt warehouse supervisor? Although it's not a high-ranking position, the supervisor is in charge of inspecting all goods entering and leaving the warehouse, so it's a lucrative job. Let's see if they have anyone suitable for the position, and I'll put in a word with the Ministry of Justice."

  "This is a typical case of slapping someone and then giving them a date." Madam Tai heard this and burst out laughing, "Don't worry, Madame Huang won't go around talking nonsense. However, since you have this in mind, I'll pass on your words." She said seriously, "Since you have the ability, why don't you find a job for your father-in-law? After all, the Luo family was kind to us back then. Besides, we're all relatives, and it's not good to let others talk about it."

  Xu Lingyi frowned: "Mother, don't interfere with this matter. I have it under control."

  "You're afraid that Yuan Niang will have some other idea, you'd better discuss the terms with her," said Tai Fu Ren bluntly. "I don't care what tricks you two are playing, but you can't mess around with Master's family affairs. If you won't take charge, I will!" She had an air of not backing down until Xu Lingyi agreed.

  "There are some things you don't know." Xu Lingyi was somewhat helpless, "The Emperor has adopted Chancellor Chen's suggestion and is preparing to implement a new tea tax. My father-in-law has always opposed Chancellor Chen's Tea Tax Law... This is also the Emperor's intention. After a while, I will mention it to the Emperor again. You'd better not get involved in this matter again."

  "Have you told your father about this?" The result was quite unexpected for Madam, and looking at her son's expression of not wanting to talk more, she couldn't help but say, "You'd better let your father know the truth. He'll have a clear understanding, and in the future, he'll know which things can be said and which can't."

  "I didn't say that," said Xu Lingyi, "My father-in-law even gave me a big pile of examples, saying how Chen Ge's method is not feasible, how it exhausts the people and wastes money... I couldn't go deeper into it, so I had to settle for this for now."

  "Then you go tell this to Yuan Niang." The old lady thought for a moment, "Let Yuan Niang persuade her father - as his daughter, she's always easier to talk to than you are."

  "What's good about that?" Xu Lingyi disagreed, "Maybe she even thinks this is an excuse for me not to help her father! There are many people with different political views, can't they be officials just because of different political views? It's clear that I want to save face and didn't try my best to ask for favors. Otherwise, as a dignified imperial uncle, how could he not even accomplish this little thing!" The words were already laced with sarcasm by the end.

  The old lady listened with a sinking gaze, wanting to speak but stopping herself, finally shaking her head and letting out a sigh.